TT: Lights out

If you read the New York papers, you know that most of Broadway has been shut down by a stagehands’ strike. Eight shows remain open, two of which, Pygmalion and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, were praised by me in my Wall Street Journal drama column. (Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline is still in previews–I won’t see it for another couple of weeks.)
Shows playing off Broadway are unaffected by the strike, though The Fantasticks is the only one to which I’ve given a favorable notice. I plan to see two new off-Broadway shows later this week and review them in Friday’s Journal. On Saturday I’ll be flying out to Chicago to look at a pair of interesting-sounding productions, a revival of Joe Orton’s What the Butler Saw and a new play by Nilo Cruz called A Park in Our House, about which I’ll be reporting next week.
How long will the strike last? Your guess is as good as mine. I’ll let you know what I know when I know it. In the meantime, though, keep in mind that at any given moment, most of the good shows in America are playing way off Broadway. In recent weeks I’ve praised productions I saw in Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. You don’t have to go to New York City–or anywhere near it–to spend an unforgettable night at the theater. What are you waiting for?
UPDATE: If you bought an advance ticket to a Broadway show that’s been closed by the strike and want to know how to get a refund, go here.