Playtime 24
June 22-28, 2026
This is PLAYTIME, a weekly email of theater shows in New York City, put together by me (Nora) and consisting of what I’m paying attention to and excited about.
This week is your last chance to catch Romeo and Juliet with Free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte wrapping up. Right next door at the Newman, Henry VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts just opened — NAATCO’s compression of Shakespeare’s three-parter into two, directed by Stephen Brown-Fried, runs through July.
And at the BRICK Aux, NANCY has a short run this week from June 25-28. I’m not in the habit of posting an entire blurb about a play, but this is too good not too: “A trans agoraphobe strikes up an online correspondence with a Mephistophelean figure named Jack, who promises to rebuild them in his image, before forces both mundane and divine intervene — including a blank verse-speaking Joan of Arc, a neighbor who won’t stop watching Heat (1995), and an archangel with a thousand hands.” Speaks for itself.
Week of June 22, 2026
59E59 Theaters Catch of the Day (through June 28)
59E59 Theaters Youth in Flames (through June 28)
6th Floor Theater Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody (through September 7)
BAM I’m Almost There (through June 28)
FRIGID NYC Queerly Festival (through July 3)
HERE Arts Center Syrian Soap (June 24 – 27)
IRT Theater LALAHAHA: With Everything Going On Right Now (June 23 – 25)
IRT Theater Queerísimo / Mechanisms of Distortion (June 25 – 26)
Joe’s Pub Black Light (June 26)
Joe’s Pub Classic Whitney: Alive! (June 27)
Joe’s Pub Unscripted Live with Dionne Warwick (June 22)
Lincoln Center Theater A Woman Among Women (through June 28)
Lucille Lortel Theatre KENREX (through June 27)
MCC Theater Birthright (in previews, opens June 29)
New York Classical Theatre Julius Caesar (at Carl Schurz Park, June 23 – 28)
Park Avenue Armory clinamen (through August 2)
Perelman Performing Arts Center Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo (begins June 28, through July 26)
Performance Space New York Art Workers Are Artists Too (June 27)
Roulette Kou Records Showcase (June 24 – 25)
SoHo Playhouse Morgan Bassichis: Can I Be Frank? (through June 27)
SoHo Playhouse Pickled Punks Freakshow Extravaganza (June 26)
The Brick + Brick Aux NANCY (June 25 – 28)
The Brick + Brick Aux Queer Butoh Festival 2026 (June 24 – 27)
The Public Theater Henry VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts (through July 19)
The Public Theater Romeo and Juliet (through June 28)
The Tank Face Tape Sketch Comedy (through June 30)
The Tank PrideFest 2026 (through June 30)
Theatre Row Misterman (first preview June 23, opens June 25, through July 5)
A bit about the listings:
The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.
For venues with rotating programming, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.
I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.
If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com