Kip Williams, whose frenetic, multi-cam take on The Picture of Dorian Gray last year was a genuine Broadway must-see, opens the script for his adaptation of Jean Genet’s The Maids with a quippy epigraph from Oscar Wilde: “Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.” The sentiment represents the style of inventive queer maximalism, compressed into a capsule-bursting dose, that made Williams’ Dorian Gray so thrilling to watch, on top of its perfect paralleling of the original’s Victorian vanities to contemporary Facetuning.

Walking into the St. Ann’s Warehouse, where The Maids has transferred from London, that extravagance is immediately clear, even behind frilly curtains. Rosanna Vize’s thrust bedroom set is dressed up like Petra von Kant’s babydoll-camgirl fantasy, and Dan Balfour’s crisp sound design thumps home a hyperpop slinkiness. But in updating the 1947 play for the present moment, Williams confuses the titular servants’ kinky imagination for more pedestrian fantasies of notoriety, sapping the production of depth though not pleasure. 

Genet’s one-room drama is deviously enigmatic, not least because it begins with a fakeout which, once resolved, continues to peek open psychological side doors. Sisters Claire (Lydia Wilson) and Solange (Phia Saban) play master and slave while their wealthy Madame (Yerin Ha) is away; mocking her through elaborate games equally based on their desire to kill her and reflective of a knottier attraction to imbalanced power dynamics.

As in Dorian Gray, Williams’ introduction of cellphones as means of corrupted personal storytelling remains punchy, slick and current. But whereas that story of self-deception is primed for solipsism, The Maids is built on a more nuanced matrix of overlapping consent. Blown up onto the boudoir’s back walls (by Zakk Hein’s video design), the sisters constant use of Snapchat filters and Instagram livestreams is fun to look at, but misinterprets their hunger for either side of oppression. Their boss’s lavish lifestyle might have a healthy online following, but social media fame is not the same as power, and certainly not what gives this influencer her influence.

Genet was not out to write an anti-capitalist play but rather, like Fassbinder (who later adapted the writer’s Querelle for film and was most likely inspired by this play when writing The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, about another sapphic subjection) interested in the compulsions behind control. Foregrounding what is seen by the outside world, via social media, levels all three women onto the same playing field, the same ultimate goal, and reduces Genet’s tricky exploration of submission and domination into a fight for who can attain the most followers.

If Williams’ Maids doesn’t offer the same revelations as his Dorian, it again benefits from extraordinary performances and the dizzying overstimulation that can come only from an assured hand. The style elements here (including Marg Horwell’s erotica-chic costumes, Jon Clark’s gauzy lighting, DJ Walde’s original compositions) are delightfully engaging, and whatever interventions the writer-director creates never overshadow or make illegible the author’s original intent; a rare gift in adaptation. Very little theatre has caused in me the same invigorating giddiness as Williams’ recent New York outings have, and to that I’ll always be in thrall.

The Maids is in performance through June 14, 2026 at St. Ann’s Warehouse on Water Street in New York City. For tickets and more information, visit here.

You see a lineup including Jeff Hiller, Kenan Thompson and Bobby Moynihan attached to an easy pitch like comic readings from Hollywood memoirs and you’re pretty much prepared for what Celebrity Autobiography entails. You know that, as with all comedy shows, quality will vary and brace yourself for some deeper sips of your drink whenever it dips. Nights like these are low-risk and, hopefully, high-reward.

Those dependable three (Hiller, Thompson and Moynihan) were highlights from the opening night cast of Celebrity Autobiography, a revue of sorts which has popped up throughout the country, including Broadway in 2018, since 1998. Eugene Pack’s creation, which he co-developed and co-directed with Dayle Reyfel (the two also star), will take up residence at the Shubert this summer, with an ever-changing cast and, presumably, similarly shifting source material.

Rounding out that opening night cast were Scott Adsit, Mario Cantone, Jackie Hoffman, Andrea Martin, Ben Mankiewicz, Nia Vardalos, Rita Wilson and, in a “special appearance,” Gayle King.

Now, I’m someone who frets constantly about our growing cultural amnesia, how even the previous decade’s worth of culture is immediately retconned as ‘old’ and how we’re losing the ability to lovingly critique our stars in favor of flattened online self-identification. If a caftan’d queen does a fierce Liz Taylor impression but no one saw it on Reels, will she ever have happened? So I generally welcome the idea of Mario Cantone reading (surprisingly bitchy) passages from Carol Channing’s memoirs on Broadway.

But even allowing for the comedy-club clause of varied quality, Celebrity Autobiography is stale, and for me to pretend like it is a brave, silent prayer in the days after the death of TCM’s founder would be its own bit of laughable writing. It’s stale in star selection and it’s stale in style, which often feels stuck in an early 2000s roast sensibility. This is most evident through Pack’s picks (Neil Sedaka…yay?), performance (the type of “get a load of this guy”  vibe comedians affect to appeal to the everyman while not admitting anything of themselves) and purpose – or lack thereof.

Purpose need not be the name of the game with something like this, but the production occasionally does approach having something to say about celebrity, delusion and earnestness, or at least meet our current understanding of how we currently think of them. Jeff Hiller might be earning some of the biggest laughs on Broadway right now, not because his impressions of Cher and the dog that played Sandy in the original Annie are terribly contemporary, but because of the characters he creates from them in quick sketches: recognizable for their specificity but also for the human traits he gives them. (His Sandy is something of a diva.)

Kenan Thompson’s Justin Bieber and Andrea Martin’s Kris Jenner discoursing on the exclusionary pleasures of fame is an enjoyable punching up, as are Christopher Jackson’s sly takedowns of Ryan Seacrest and Michael Bublé’s sociopathic cleanliness; Rita Wilson’s airheaded Pamela Anderson is not. She plays Anderson, not “in her own words” – where the pre-show announcement and Pack, throughout, insist on reminding us these stories originated – but as a character in Mötley Crüe’s joint autobiography, where she’s exactly the bimbo the past few years have proven Anderson is decidedly not. (Wilson acquits herself with a brilliant Céline Dion.) Celebrity Autobiography has an icky relationship with its side characters, often women, who it feels content mocking through the double-distance of someone else’s story. Mario Cantone’s Liza Minnelli, apart from being way too much, doesn’t get to offer herself up for critique via her own singular stories, but rather through – of all people – Geraldo Rivera’s account of an affair they might’ve had.

This is far too much critical thought for this type of show, so can I simply recommend Nia Vardalos as a race-hopping Khloe Kardashian begging her personal trainer for JLo’s abs and Beyoncé’s ass? It’s not an unenjoyable evening, though it does feel like the idea’s best manifestation is as a YouTube clip of a skit at some gala benefit we didn’t attend. (Or, I dunno, lock in a consistent cast who can really mine fixed passages for punch?) Ticket costs, typically irrelevant when evaluating the artists’ work, are increasingly Broadway’s elephant in the room. This being such a low-prep, low-lift show for those involved, most of whom from the nose-to-the-grindstone comedy world, and with the production itself taking the tone of “We’re not celebrities, the kooks in these memoirs are,” it does become impossible to ignore material reality. Celebrity, for all its joys, can be a tough sell.

Celebrity Autobiography is in performance through August 16, 2026 at the Shubert Theatre on West 44th Street in New York City. For tickets and more information, visit here.

This morning was a very exciting moment for the theatre industry as the 2026 Tony Award Nominations were announced. Below, see live reactions from the various 2026 Nominees. Keep checking back throughout the day as we update the below.

"I am grateful to be counted among such luminaries as my friend Kelli O’Hara, the truly gifted Rose Byrne, an astonishing Susannah Flood, and the legendary Leslie Manville. I’m also thrilled for my BUG design team, who made a difficult job look deceptively simple." Carrie Coon, nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for BUG.

“I think it most appropriate to quote from the song, ‘My legs may be tottery. I must go slow, and be careful of Old Deuteronomy.’” André De Shields, nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for CATS: The Jellicle Ball

"My heart is pounding, pouring over with gratitude. Thank you to the Tony Committee for this humbling recognition. Returning to Broadway has been so artistically fulfilling and it moves me deeply to be witnessed and celebrated by the community. Gosh, I love the theater and I love being in The Rocky Horror Show in the limitless sandbox that Sam Pinkleton has cultivated. It is a gift to unleash Janet Weiss night after night. I can’t wait to keep sharing her with you." Stephanie Hsu, nominated for Best Performance by a Lead Actress for The Rocky Horror Show.

"This is a bit of a moment for me. To be recognised in this way by such an esteemed body is as good as it gets. I couldn’t be prouder of Oedipus and the remarkable team I got to navigate this highly complex play with 8 times a week, most notably the magnificent Mark Strong." Leslie Manville, nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for Oedipus.

"What a sweet, thrilling surprise! I'm humbled and happy to be in the company of these wonderful actors in my category. And I can't wait to celebrate tonight by playing this beautiful play with such a superb company. Wow." Richard Thomas, nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for The Balusters.

"I’m beyond honored to have The Balusters included among this year’s Tony nominees—especially in a season with so many bold, beautiful new plays. The nomination is really a testament to the remarkable artists who brought the play to life—our astonishing director, Kenny Leon, our extraordinary ensemble of actors, our brilliant designers, and the tireless crew, along with everyone at MTC. I’m so grateful to get to make theater and be part of a community that continues to sustain and inspire me in so many ways." David Lindsay-Abaire, nominated for Best Play for The Balusters

"I am overwhelmed with gratitude for this honor. To be working in the theatre, let alone on Broadway, has been my dream since I transformed my grandparents' garage into a stage as a kid. More important than the personal honor is the deep sense of pride I have for my fellow collaborators who poured their souls into the monumental undertaking that is The Lost Boys. They are all my heroes and I am so grateful for the selflessness, rigor, and passion they brought to work every day. Congrats to all the nominees and all the countless artists and technicians who make every show possible and who continue to delight and inspire audiences 8 times a week on Broadway." - Michael Arden, nominated for Best Direction of a Musical and Best Lighting Design of a Musical.

"The Lost Boys was as much of a thrill ride to make as it is onstage. I am incredibly honored to be nominated amongst the best designers working on Broadway and as part of a creative team that was recognized across the board for this biggest of swings." Dane Laffrey, nominated for Best Scenic Design of a Musical for The Lost Boys.

“What fantastic news to wake up to. I was working out, not watching it directly, but I got a text. I’m grateful to the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League. Congrats to all of the other nominees, what a spectacular group. My deepest thanks Scott Ellis and everyone at Roundabout. Scott is the most amazing leader, and he created the opportunity to bring this Noël Coward world to stage. And congratulations to Kelli, Rose, and Jeff Mahshie and everyone else involved. This is a total total thrill.” David Rockwell, nominated for Best Scenic Design of a Play for Fallen Angels

"I’m beyond excited to be nominated alongside the most daring collaborators. The Lost Boys took a big, fearless leap, and getting to take that jump with my collaborators is something that I will never forget.  I am indebted to and so proud of the greatest lighting team on Broadway!" Jen Schriever, nominated for Best Lighting Design of a Musical for The Lost Boy

“I’m completely over the moon to be nominated for my work on Oedipus which was redesigned for New York after the initial London run. It was, and always is, a pleasure to be welcomed by the Broadway community.” Natasha Chivers, nominated for Best Lighting Design of a Play for Oedipus

“I’m currently on New Jersey Transit to Penn Station to go observe a brain surgery to research a television show I’m filming, but I think they are going to have to put me on an operating table because I cannot comprehend this news. I first heard from my manager David Williams and then my phone just started blowing up. I’m just trying to take it all in. Before David called, my phone sent me a notification about a memory from a year ago where my family was all gathered for my father’s funeral. And it’s so apropos because my dad has been with me this entire process and I just think about him and how supportive he was my entire life. And how I would have loved to have shared this with him in person. But I know I get to share it with him now and every day moving forward. Thank you, dad. Thank you Crystal, my wife, and Chase my son. And all of the Waiting for Godot team, Alex, Keanu, Michael, Zayn, Eric, and Jamie Lloyd, our director, our stage management team,  the designers, and especially the crew at the Hudson Theatre who made it a joy to come to work every day. It’s really clarifying how many people it takes to arrive at a singular moment in your life, but it is just a really profound honor to represent everyone who worked so hard on the show and bringing it to the audiences. Here we go!” Brandon J. Dirden, nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Waiting for Godot.