NYT Critics' Picks

In this visceral drama from writer-director Ngozi Anyanwu, two estranged half-siblings reunite in the high-stakes world of mixed martial arts to grapple with a shared history of trauma. The production masterfully uses the intensity of the octagon as a metaphor for family, balancing "bruising" physical choreography with a tender, spare exploration of reconciliation and the bonds that refuse to break.

If you want a play that rattles your nerves and refuses to let go, Bug is it. Now a New York Times Critic’s Pick, this revival crackles with intensity, anchored by a ferocious turn from Carrie Coon. Critics praised how “In a superb performance, Coon provides the alpha energy this time,” driving the show’s escalating paranoia and emotional volatility. It’s raw, unsettling, and deeply compelling theatre — the kind of performance-led production you’ll be thinking about long after the lights go down.

On paper, it’s a rom-com about cake and New York, but really it’s about connection, emotional baggage, and the surprising turns two strangers can take. With “sharp comic timing and emotional depths,” its two leads make a simple cross-town mission feel like a journey of growth and connection.

These kids show up to win a trophy but end up sharing their messiest, funniest, and most honest growing-up moments, which critics praise for being both wildly entertaining and unexpectedly tender.

This rhythmic powerhouse earned its elite status by masterfully blending untaught history with a high-octane hip-hop score built entirely in front of your eyes. Critics hailed the duo’s virtuosic live-looping and infectious energy as a groundbreaking achievement that feels both profoundly moving and like the most fun you’ll have at the theater all year.

Cold War Choir Practice is such a joyful, weird, and wonderful surprise. You will walk out grinning. It’s set during the Cold War, where a small-town choir rehearsal suddenly cracks open into this hilarious, heartfelt scramble to make sense of a looming nuclear deal. The New York Times called it a “music-infused comedy” that ends the festival “on a high,” and that’s exactly how it feels. If you want something smart, funny, and totally different from anything else on stage right now, go see it.

This transportive production brings the soul of Havana to life, weaving a nostalgic tale of legendary musicians who reunited decades later to record a global phenomenon. Critics have lauded its "master class in artistry" and "reverent euphoria," celebrating a world-class onstage band and explosive choreography that make the theater vibrate with the sheer joy of Afro-Cuban rhythms.

This "astonishing and joyful" production imagines a near-future Seoul where two obsolete HelperBots find an unexpected, glitchy connection that feels more human than mechanical. Hailed by critics as a "ravishing" and "cutting-edge" addition to the musical canon, it combines a lush, jazzy score with a bittersweet heart to explore the temporary, firefly-glow of love.

Critics called this revival “inspiring” with a “glorious” cast, and once you see Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy, and Brandon Uranowitz together, you get why. The story follows different families at the turn of the 20th century as they chase belonging, justice, and the American Dream. It feels big and sweeping but somehow still very personal. The voices are unreal, and the emotions really land.

This gleefully deranged historical rewrite reimagines Mary Todd Lincoln as a "madcap, liquor-soaked" diva who would rather be a cabaret star than the First Lady. Critics have hailed it as a "transcendentally funny" tour de force that pushes farce to its absolute limit, delivering a high-camp, irreverent explosion of comedy that is unlike anything else on a stage.

This spectacular reimagining teleports the feline classic from a junkyard to a high-stakes competitive ballroom, turning the stage into a pulsing runway where "vogueing" is the name of the game. Critics have hailed it as a "thrilling, life-affirming" reclamation that replaces dated tropes with the vibrant energy of queer ballroom culture, transforming the legendary score into a fierce and modern celebration of chosen family.

This provocative reimagining strips away the traditional "razzle dazzle" for a darkly surreal, Weimar-style spectacle that treats the courtroom as a grotesque cabaret of the soul. Critics have hailed this daring production for its inventive, "fever-dream" staging that proves even the most familiar jazz-age satire can be transformed into something terrifyingly fresh and visually arresting.