5 Shows to See in New York This Month

1. Cats: the Jellicle Ball
I cannot say I was ever a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats—until I attended the Jellicle Ball. The new Broadway revival reimagines the feline dance spectacular as a drag ball, with categories like “runway” and “realness.” Contestants compete for the grand prize of a trip to the Heaviside Layer and rebirth. Not a note or lyric has been altered, but the show has been completely transformed under the leather and sequined direction of Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch. It proves that there’s a lot more hiding under the fur, and it’s so much fun to experience. Watch out Ragtime. This is a serious contender for the Best Revival Tony.

2. Giant
Straight from London, Mark Rosenblatt’s Giant is certain to be a favorite in the Best Play category. John Lithgow stars as children’s author Roald Dahl. He’s preparing The Witches for publication, but a recent book review he has written about the Israeli siege of Beirut has critics accusing him of antisemitism. Lithgow’s remarkable performance briefly resurrects the late author, while Rosenblatt’s script brilliantly probes the limits of social censure. How long can you call someone a bigot before they decide you are right and they don’t care? It’s a question audiences on both sides of the Atlantic are weighing now that we’re on the other side of the Great Awokening.

3. Becky Shaw
Gina Gionfriddo saw it all coming in her marvelously thorny comedy Becky Shaw, about a mismatched blind date. While industrious foundling Max looks like a catch (he’s rich, has a great job, and knows how to get things done), Becky is a bit of a mess (a college dropout who no longer speaks to her parents). He seems to be holding all the cards, but she has a secret up her sleeve that will keep their fling coming back like a bad case of herpes. At least that’s how I saw it, but Gionfriddo is too smart of a playwright to tell you what to think—that’s for the car ride home.

4. Death of a Salesman
Seventy-seven years after its debut, the questions raised by Arthur Miller’s monumental drama Death of a Salesman feel more relevant than ever: Does hard work pay off? Do nice guys get ahead? Are we just cogs in a machine, destined to be replaced when we are no longer useful? Joe Mantello’s gorgeously staged revival at the Winter Garden Theatre bridges the gap between then and now with an all-star cast: Nathan Lane as Willy Loman, Laurie Metcalf as his wife Linda, Christopher Abbott as their eldest Biff, and Ben Ahlers (better known to fans of HBO’s The Gilded Age as “clock twink’) as younger son Happy. This one will rip your heart out and send you a bill for elective surgery.

5. Titus Andronicus
Speaking of internal organs, I wanted to make sure you caught Red Bull Theater’s gruesome and well-acted revival of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, which has just been extended through May 3. Drama Desk Award winner Patrick Page (also of The Gilded Age) stars as the Roman general who, after returning victorious from war, is mightily mistreated by the emperor and his Gothic queen. But Titus knows that revenge is a dish best served piping hot. Titus is an early Shakespeare play, with all the hallmarks of a young writer trying to grab attention through sensationalism. The audience often doesn’t know whether to laugh or gasp—which feels about right considering the state of this country’s politics.