Odds and Ends: Keep Up With the Cartozians, Celebrate End Times With Jackie Hoffman & More

Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed.

Keep Up With the Cartozians for Another Month

Talene Monahon's Meet the Cartozians, starring Tony winners Will Brill and Andrea Martin, has extended off-Broadway. The Second Stage’s world premiere production, directed by Tony winner David Cromer, will now run through December 14 at The Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center. Part historical drama, part scorching satire, the play follows two sets of Armenian Americans: one man fighting for legal recognition in the 1920s, while a century later, his descendant fights for followers and a competent glam team. The cast also features Raffi Barsoumian, Nael Nacer, Susan Pourfar and Tamara Sevunts.

Misery Loves Jackie

Jackie Hoffman, comedy legend, Broadway diva and Broadway.com vlogging pioneer, is ready to clear your holiday blues… or add to them. Hoffman memorably appeared on Broadway in Hairspray, Xanadu, The Addams Family and more. She won acclaim and an Emmy nomination for her turn in Feud and can currently be seen on Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. Now she’s heading back to Joe’s Pub to reprise her solo show, A Miserable Evening with Jackie Hoffman, on November 24, 28 and 29. She lovingly describes it this way: “She’s barely alive and more miserable than ever. Celebrate the end times (and Jackie's miserable birthday on November 29) with Jackie’s unique combo platter of original music and tragicomedy.” What better way to digest your Thanksgiving leftovers than with the crankiest (and funniest) gal in the biz?

Bradley Stryker, Tripp Taylor and More Join Joe Turner

Additional casting is set for the new Broadway revival of August Wilson's Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Joining Taraji P. Henson, Cedric the Entertainer, Joshua Boone and Ruben Santiago-Hudson are Savannah Commodore and Dominique Skye Turner sharing the role of Zonia Loomis, Bradley Stryker as Rutherford Selig, Tripp Taylor as Jeremy Furlow and Christopher Woodley and Jackson Edward Davis sharing the role of Reuben Scott. Jasmine Batchelor, Rosalyn Coleman, Thomas Michael Hammond, Cayden McCoy, and Kevyn Morrow will join the cast as understudies. The second installment of Wilson’s American Century Cycle, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone revolves around a turn of the century boarding house in Pittsburgh that offers refuge for Black travelers. The production will play Broadway's Barrymore Theatre under the direction of Debbie Allen. It begins previews on March 30, 2026, with an official opening night set for April 25.

Watch Laura Benanti and Khaila Wilcoxon Spiral

Tony winner Laura Benanti and Khaila Wilcoxon, who has appeared on Broadway in Hadestown, SIX and Redwood, are teaming up for Spiral Bound. The new musical by Miranda Ferriss Jones is based on the poetry of Richard Edelman and will play the David Rubenstein Atrium as part of the Lincoln Center Presents 2025-26 season. This free, one-night-only “works-in-process” event takes place December 6 at 7:30pm. Select songs will be performed by Benanti, Wilcoxon and students from Pace University. The piece is a collection of songs about the women who take hold of our hearts and never let us go—the muses who return to us across memory, desire and time. Between 1968–1972, sculptor Edelman filled spiral-bound notebooks with poems recounting the women who captivated his twenties. In 2021, Ferriss Jones discovered these poems and felt an immediate, intimate recognition. Miranda selected her favorite poems and filtered them through her own experiences and imaginings to create songs that move through different eras, musical styles and emotional landscapes.

Get Ready for a Summer of Mischief and Mystery

The Public Theater has announced its summer 2026 programming, which includes Romeo and Juliet and The Winter’s Tale as part of the Shakespeare in the Park series, along with a local tour of As You Like It. The season will also include the theatrical outputs of their community-oriented Public Works program and the return of the Public Forum series, which blends performance, conversation and culture. Audiences will get to experience the magic of theater free of charge at the newly revitalized Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Romeo and Juliet will be helmed by the Public’s Associate Artistic Director/Resident Director Saheem Ali. This marks the first time in 19 years that the tragedy has been staged at the Delacorte. Tony winner Daniel Sullivan will direct The Winter’s Tale and the Public’s inaugural Directing Fellow Emma Rose Went will tackle As You Like It, bringing the comedy to parks and correctional facilities across the city through the Public’s acclaimed Mobile Unit. The Public Works program will present an original work at the Delacorte in August 2026, with a title and creative team to be announced.

Lynn Nottage and Nona Hendryx Team Up for Labelle

Bust out the sequins, plumes and silver eyeshadow! Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage is developing a rock opera about the '70s soul trio Labelle with founding member Nona Hendryx. Labelle began its life as a demure girl-group before undergoing a glitter-soaked makeover that yielded hits like “Lady Marmalade,” “What Can I Do For You?” and “Isn’t It a Shame.” The trio was composed of Hendryx, Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash, who died in 2021. In a statement, Hendryx said, “This rock opera will be an immersive celebration of artistic liberation, cultural defiance and the timeless power of women who refused to be contained. I cannot wait to bring our story to life in a way that honors our legacy while pushing the boundaries of what theatrical storytelling can be.” The complete creative team and production timeline will be announced at a later date.