‘Hedda’
As Tessa Thompson prepares to make her Broadway debut in the play “The Fear of 13,” her Golden Globe-nominated performance in “Hedda” is a good reminder of her versatility, including with classic material. Despite changes to the text, Nia DaCosta’s adaptation of the Henrik Ibsen play “Hedda Gabler” is true to its spirit, and Thompson is absolutely mesmerizing as a mercurial, coquettish, troubled, desperately unhappy and just plain desperate housewife. Nina Hoss (“Tár”) makes for a formidable scene partner as Eileen Lovborg — who is a male character in the play, so the change adds new shades to the sexual tension with Hedda. You just can’t wait to see what’s going to happen, even if you know from the start that it will not end well.
‘Lennox Mutual’
Sign up for a call at Candle House Collective.
Most people don’t look forward to conversations with customer-service representatives. The Candle House Collective hopes to change that with its new interactive project (through March 1). Anybody can participate from anywhere in the country — or in the world, for that matter — and all you need is a phone. Once you sign up for a spot, you will be connected to a live rep for a personal session. Each is around 25 minutes, and while you can do just one, three are recommended for a fuller experience.
‘Lazarus’
A melancholy way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of David Bowie’s death is to revisit this sepulchral jukebox musical, which was one of his very last creations. Despite sterling credits that also included a book by the playwright Enda Walsh, direction by Ivo van Hove, choreography by Annie-B Parson, reviews of the Off Broadway premiere were mixed — Ben Brantley of The New York Times was underwhelmed by the plot but praised the musical and visual elements. Yet “Lazarus” is aging well, or maybe it just works better on TV, as this iteration excellently captured at King’s Cross Theater in London demonstrates. Michael C. Hall, Michael Esper and Sophia Anne Caruso starred in this darkly dreamy (which is a nice way to say slightly incoherent) tale suffused by a sense of alienation and mortality.
Playing on Air podcasts
After starting as a radio show in 2012, this series found its footing as a podcast of one-act plays featuring top-shelf writers, directors and actors — just check out Timothée Chalamet and Zoe Kazan in Donald Margulies’s “Misadventure,” from 2018. The 2025-26 season kicked off with “73, SK.” by Else Went, whose “Initiative” was at the Public Theater in November; and “Society Cafe,” a Charles Mee piece with a particularly stacked cast that includes Peter Friedman, Francis Jue, Matthew Maher and Maryann Plunkett. Then keep on the lookout for Maleek Rae’s “Father’s Sin,” which drops Jan. 23.
‘Bat Out of Hell: The Musical’
Jim Steinman, who wrote hits for Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler, is an emperor of flamboyantly outsize rock, so it’s not surprising that a jukebox musical of his songs would be bananas — The Times’s Alexis Soloski described the show as “extravagant, absurd, compulsively hummable” in a 2019 review. The show had long been Steinman’s obsession, with its story of star-crossed lovers in a postapocalyptic city, and the whole thing has an operatic nuttiness that’s hard to resist. As Steinman put it: “If you don’t go over the top, how are you ever going to see what’s on the other side?”
‘Happiness’
Amateur theatricals have long been a source of considerable entertainment — for the shows themselves, sure, but even more so for the backstage shenanigans. This PBS series is considerably gentler than, say, “Waiting for Guffman,” as it follows the attempts of a New Zealand community troupe to put on a new musical titled “The Trojan Horse.” Yes, it’s about the one from Greek mythology — a song is called “Troy Boy” — but the title might also refer to Charlie (Harry McNaughton), who wants to direct on Broadway but is forced back to his hometown with his tail between his legs. Will Charlie learn valuable lessons as he tries to whip “The Trojan Horse” into shape? Of course, but suspense isn’t the point here. If you always wished “Schitt’s Creek” had more songs, “Happiness” is a good place to land.
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