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Anthony Roth Costanzo in character for the Little Island Gala, August 3, 2025. Photo: George Etheredge/The New Yorker.
Last year’s Little Island summer season was marked by Anthony Roth Costanzo’s triumphant production of The Marriage of Figaro, where the countertenor masterfully performed all the parts of Mozart’s masterpiece, from deep bass to graceful soprano. The production surprised with its experiments: in one episode, Costanzo swallowed the camera, allowing the audience to observe the movement of his vocal cords as he changed registers. This season, the artist will play the only role – a theatrical diva at the center of Galas , Charles Ludlum’s eccentric melodrama from 1983. Director Eric Ting was inspired by the fate of Maria Callas, whose life behind the scenes rivaled her stage images in drama. The role is a perfect fit for Costanzo’s multifaceted talent: his dark charm echoes Callas’s majesty, and his vocal palette reflects her distinctive timbre, power of sound and passionate character. — Helen Shaw (Little Island; 6–28 September)
In focus
**Broadway**
Jeff Ross’s solo show , “Take a Banana for the Ride,” straddles two opposing energies: caustic jokes aimed at the audience (especially latecomers) and self-deprecating humor (“a blow-up Jeff Bezos doll”). But beneath the humor is a personal story—a meditation on loss, beginning with his mother’s death from leukemia when he was young. The banana metaphor (“the bruises make them sweeter”) is meant to underscore the value of life’s challenges. But Ross’s wit makes morals like “laughter heals” feel hackneyed. — Dan Stahl (Netherlands; through Sept. 28)
**Pop Rock**
The Haim sisters, who started out as a family cover band, have grown into a genre-defining outfit that can easily juggle genres, from Americana and R&B (“Days Are Gone”) to ’80s retro pop (“Something to Tell You”). Their new album, “I Quit,” produced by Danielle Haim and Rostam, is even more eclectic, reflecting the band’s ambitions to explore everything from electronica to reggae. — Sheldon Pierce (Madison Square Garden; Sept. 8)
**Dance**
Still from the production of “The Monkey Off My Back, or The Cat's Meow” by Trajal Harrell. Photo: Tiberio Sorvillo.
The vast spaces of the Park Avenue Arsenal are ideal for ambitious choreographic works. Harrell’s “Monkey Off My Back…,” created for the vastness of Zurich’s Schiffbau, combines voguing, butoh, and theatrical recitation. Dancers in extravagant costumes, including the choreographer himself as Anna Wintour, explore the boundaries between freedom and excess through the lens of the Declaration of Independence. — Bryan Seibert (Park Avenue Arsenal; September 9–20)
**Broadway**
“Mamma Mia!” is back: The title song (“Bye-Bye Doesn't Mean Forever”) reflects both the plot and the fate of the long-running musical. Donna (Christine Sherrill), a single mother on a Greek island, had affairs with three men in her youth. Her daughter Sophie (Amy Weaver) secretly invites all three to her wedding in order to find her father. The frivolous plot is lost in the energy of the show and Sherrill's powerful vocals. And there's dancing in flippers. — DS (Winter Garden; outdoor screening).
**Movies**
Still from the film “Four Nights of a Dreamer” with Isabelle Weingarten and Guillaume de Foret. Photo: Janus Films.
In Robert Bresson’s Four Nights of a Dreamer (restored version), the artist hero (Guillaume de Foret) saves Martha (Isabelle Weingarten) from committing suicide and falls in love while trying to win her back to her ex. The film, inspired by Dostoevsky’s White Nights, ironically contrasts the hero’s romantic idealism with the realities of the hippie era. — Richard Brody (Film Forum; September 5–18).
**Classic**
MindTravel combines classical music and meditation, with participants listening to Murray Hidary’s improvisations in the fresh air with headphones. The minimalist compositions are designed to relieve anxiety — the perfect finale to Labor Day. Bring a blanket, but be prepared to “float” without it. — Jane Bua (Naumburg Bandshell; September 4).
**Industrial**
Nine Inch Nails ' Trent Reznor returns to his roots with the Peel It Back Tour, combining the dark techno, hard rock, and noise sounds of The Downward Spiral with hypnotic 3D visuals. — SP (Barclays Center; Sept. 2–3).
Bar culture
Lucinda's in the East Village is Shauna Lyon's new spot with live country and rockabilly music.
Illustration: Patricia Bolaños.
At Lucinda's opening, Williams herself performed a rockabilly set, proclaiming the venue's philosophy: “Dirt and sweat.” On other nights, there's bluegrass, delta blues, and blues-rock, like Daddy Long Legs, with Howlin' Hurd screaming Johnny Cash-esque lyrics. Patrons two-step in cowboy boots and jeans, proving that sometimes the best medicine is to “go crazy” to loud beats.
Cinema tuning
A selection of films to inspire you before the start of the school year.
Still from the film A Brighter Summer Day, 1991. Photo: Janus Films / Everett.
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) A history textbook through the lens of time travel: two friends “rent” Socrates and other geniuses for a school project. The main lesson: “Be great to each other.”
“A Brighter Summer Day” (1991) An epic tale of coming of age in 1960s Taiwan: the conflict between personal dreams and rigid social norms.
“Dazed and Confused” (1993) Nostalgia for summer nights in the company of similarly lost souls, searching for oneself and hoping for change.
Bring It On (2000) A cult film about cheerleading with a sharp subtext about cultural appropriation and hybrid humor. Cliff Pant is a style icon for outsiders.
“Buttocks” (2023) Two insecure heroines start an underground fight club to get closer to the cheerleaders. A prank worthy of your inner teenager.
Sourse: newyorker.com
