Dear Family and Friends,

     Happy summer! I feel an electricity in the air. The atmosphere is buzzing with freedom. Even this oppressive New York humidity can’t quell it. Because, if you are reading this letter, you survived to this point. The pandemic isn’t over, but in the United States and in New York we are able to relax a bit thanks to the vax. And I feel like there is no better season than summer to embrace the fullness of life. It’s time for some FUN, my friends.

     When I first graduated college, my internship editor from Backstage suggested I write a weekly blog post to build up my writing muscle. I launched “The A Train” and wrote about how to live an A+ life in New York City—even when you don't have cash to spare. (Yes, this is where my Twitter handle @RuthiesATrain comes from, and SHOUT OUT to the people who have been with me since that 2011 blog. You are legit.) With most, if not all, of my posts, I highlighted all of the ways to engage with my surroundings and connect more deeply with people. I’m feeling the revival of that A+ lifestyle.

     Back when I worked full time for Parents magazine, I interviewed Josh Duhamel. He and Fergie had just had their son Axl. I asked him to name something unexpected that he loves about being a father. He paused and answered that he absolutely loves seeing the world through his child’s eyes. Everything is new for Axl, he said. When a leaf falls, when a siren wails, his son expressed such wonder and Josh experienced re-wonder. I loved this idea. But I also realized in that moment—not to take anything away from the parents in the room—you don’t have to have a child to choose wonder. I think about this all the time now. When parents say they love having kids because they see the world through fresh eyes… totally. But what about seeing the world through your OWN unfeigned eyes? Awaken your inner child. Put on kid glasses. Play. Laugh. Let Go. Wonder.

     Ride a rollercoaster and shriek. Dash through the sprinkler on your front lawn or the open hydrant on your block. Splash-fight in the pool. Jump in the ocean. Run on the beach. Dance. Play tag. Fly a kite. Doodle with chalk. Give yourself permission to be childish.

     As Pride Month comes to a close, I am reminded how much we have to learn from the queer community. What it means to be proud of oneself, what it means to live authentically no matter what others say. I am so grateful to this community for leading the way in pride and joy.

     Lost in thought this week, I found myself rolling the word “enjoy” around in my head. En-joy. The prefix “en” means “within”. To enjoy means to be within joy, to wrap yourself in that feeling. Joy is also different than happiness. Happiness is a feeling (and a great one at that), but joy is a state of being.

     I look forward to a lot of joy this summer—and beyond. Theatre continues to rev up, so you will see me all over the place, enjoying the heck out of it. In fact, I already made it to the fantastic Seven Deadly Sins in the Meatpacking (full recommendation below). I plan to enjoy my friends. Of course, I’m also enjoying recording Season 2 of Why We Theater! Get excited for episodes about Domenica Feraud’s Rinse, Repeat (raising awareness of eating disorders), J.T. Rogers’ Tony-winning Oslo (discussing the Israel/Palestine conflict), and Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews’ Witness Uganda (about what it really means to help others), and more. Thank you for your incredible patience waiting for more WWT. I hope it will have been worth the wait. If you haven’t listened to Season 1, now is the time! Please remember to follow/subscribe for free, rate the show, write a review and share it with everyone you know.

     As per usual, you’ll find a calendar of upcoming theatre, article links, and this month’s recommendations below. And feel free to #shareyourjoy with me on social. I want to see you living it up! Love and all that jazz, Ruthie

Watch this quick 25-minute interview I did with Connecticut cable news!

Watch my interview with Akilah Hughes and Gideon Resnick, hosts of the
What a Day podcast from Crooked Media. (Don't be fooled by the grey box, it will play.)

Mark Your Calendar

As I said in my last email: Theatre is coming back!

Here's a curated look at what's on tap in New York this July:

Seven Deadly Sins

Through July 18; Tickets here

Directed by creator of The Laramie Project and two-time Tony winner Moisés Kaufman (I Am My Own Wife, 33 Variations), this outdoor theatre experience features seven 10-minute plays inspired by each of the deadly sins for one singular experience. Read my full glowing recommendation below and then get your butt to the Meatpacking District. 

Enemy of the People

Through August 8; Tickets here

Robert Icke's play comes to the Park Avenue Armory starring Emmy Award winner Ann Dowd (The Handmaid's Tale on "hoo-loo"). I haven't seen it yet, but Armory offers high-quality theatre and Ann Dowd is no slouch. Note: Same-day rush tickets for $28 are available.

The Watering Hole

Through August 8; Tickets here

From two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage (Intimate Apparel, Sweat) and director Miranda Haymon present an immersive installation experience. I haven't seen this one myself, but I've never seen a Lynn Nottage work I haven't liked. Also, Francis Jue and Kenita Miller are in the cast. For tickets, there is a pay-what-you-choose option, if needed.

What to Send Up When It Goes Down

Through July 11; Tickets here

Aleasha Harris' play received raves when it premiered at A.R.T./New York in 2018. Harris describes the work as "a play, a ritual, and a home-going celebration that bears witness to the physical and spiritual deaths of Black people as a result of racist violence." Be prepared for a blur between actors and audiences. The play was created for a Black audience but all are welcome. 

Merry Wives of Windsor

July 6–September 18; Free tickets via lottery

Looking for those Jocelyn Bioh fans out there! The School Girls; Or the African Mean Girls Play writer (a.k.a. the inspiration behind the debut episode of Why We Theater) adapts this Shakespearean classic for The Public Theater's outdoor Delacorte stage. The entire cast is fire, with standout names that include Gbenga Akinnagbe (To Kill a Mockingbird), Pascale Armand (Eclipsed), Kyle Scatliffe (The Color Purple), and Susan Kalechi Watson (This Is Us).

Little Island opened earlier this summer at Pier 55 on the Hudson River. Because of COVID, you do need to register for an entry time slot, but it is free. The public space offers an oasis of nature and art.

I'm flagging a few events for your enjoyment, but you can find the full event calendar here.

After Hours with Tina Landau

June 30 and July 28, 9pm

Music in the Glade curated by Michael McElroy

Every Thursday, 9pm

Sing Again: A Reunion Concert with Shaina Taub & Community

July 23 & 24, 8pm

Recommendations: 

*If these recommendations inspire you to check out something new, I’d love to know! Tag your post about it with #ruthierecommends.

1. Seven Deadly Sins. Post-pandemic or no, this is innovative and exciting theatre. Seven 10-minute plays (eight if you count Purgatory with Drag superstar Shuga Cain), each one based on a deadly sin. I was stoked about this since I learned about this supreme crop of playwrights like Ming Peiffer (Usual Girls, subject of WWT's first season double-episode), Moisés Kaufman (The Laramie Project), Bess Wohl (Grand Horizons), and MJ Kaufman—all of whom hit the high bar of my expectations. Visionary director Moisés Kaufman stages each play in a different empty storefront window in the Meatpacking District. You'll travel in small groups, led by a guide (who interjects their own comedic commentary in between works, as well as a bit of history about the sinning in the Meatpacking's queer heyday). Although it’s technically seven different plays and seven different writers, this felt like a single story. The actors nail across the board. (Special shout-out to my dear Eric Ulloa, who stars in the comedy about Greed). You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen Donna Carnow pole dance and act the sh*t out of an inner monologue voiced by Cynthia Nixon. This is provocative and, simply, fun theatre. This feels like New York summer. Limited run so go get your tickets! 

2. 70 Over 70: "Slowly Is the Fastest Way to Get Where You Want to Be" with Andre De Shields. Put simply: Andre De Shields is an icon. Not in the frivolous way we use that word. In the actual way. Like Jane Fonda and Oprah and Nelson Mandela. Andre De Shields operates on an elevated plane. For a glimpse into his rich philosophical mind, listen to this 30-minute interview. This is the man who originated the title role in Broadway’s The Wiz, starred in the original cast of Ain’t Misbehavin’, choreographed Bette Midler on Broadway, but had largely been left out of today’s conversation until his turn as Hermes in Tony Award-winning Best Musical Hadestown and his Tony Award speech heard ‘round the world. His austerity bathes you in a kind of holiness. The man is wisdom personified.

3. Las Culturistas: Live From an Australian Cave! with Alan Cumming. Alan Cumming reminds us of the importance of FUN in this interview with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, a.k.a. Las Culturistas. As with pretty much all my podcast listening, my best friend Suzanne introduced me to Las Cultch and I am grateful every day because Matt and Bowen bring so much joy to my life. Few have lived a life as exciting, provocative, and simultaneously silly and meaningful as Cumming. His body of work includes his indelible Tony-winning performance as the Emcee in Cabaret (two revivals) the thrice Emmy-nominated turn as Eli Gold in The Good Wife but also Fegan Floop in Spy Kids, Piers in Spice World, and Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United. No one has stories like “that time Ian McKellan and I went to a nudist beach” or the fact that he dialed in to Las Culturistas from an underground opal mine town in Australia. His eccentricity and freedom inspire me, especially because it doesn’t come at the cost of doing great work. In fact, it fuels it. We have much to learn.

4. Jon Bastiste We Are. The Late Show With Stephen Colbert is back; A Late Show now a relic of what, hopefully, was the darkest time of this pandemic. Appropriately, band leader Jon Batiste bowed as the show’s first musical guest back in the Ed Sullivan Theatre. That man can BLOW. His energy is infectious and it reminded me of the brilliant blend of soul, funk, pop, and gospel on his record We Are. I especially love "I Need You", "Movement 11'", and "Freedom."

5. Luca. Disney/Pixar’s latest collaboration is The Little Mermaid meets Finding Nemo meets Little Rascals. Now available on Disney+, the animated film follows Luca, a young seamonster forbidden by his parents from rising to the surface. But one day, while shepherding his guppies, Luca stumbles upon human artifacts dropped in the ocean and another seamonster, Alberto, collecting them. The two seamonsters (who look very much like humans when dry) dream of freedom. I won’t give more away. Needless to say, the sheer vibrance of the animation feels hypnotic. I couldn’t look away from these colors. And I love the shifting between Pixar’s signature style and 2D-esque animation, which allows for flexibility away from the traditional linear form of most movies. Still, it’s the evolution of a bond between Luca and Alberto charmed me, and their complicated relationship with the young human girl they meet, Giulia, that gives the film its heart. The focus on the realness of the relationships of these kids (not even teens) drew me in. Luca takes these characters seriously in a rare way. The movie has already earned the moniker “Calamari By Your Name”—perfection. Though unlike Luca Guadagnino’s overt love story, this Luca’s queerness operates as a matter of fact in the DNA of the narrative rather than a plotline. Bottom line: Sea it.

6. "iii. party" My brilliant cousin Jonah Bobo released his first EP!! You might think he makes this list just because he's my cousin—you would be wrong. Listen to this track and tell me it's not a fantastic groove. The lyrics are so pithy and the chorus is catchy. I love the whimsy in it and the slight zaniness to it. The first of many great things to come from him!

Keep an eye out for…

These are pre-recommendations, works that have not yet begun performances but are on my radar. In order of excitement: The Lehman Trilogy begins performances on Broadway September 25 after a COVID delay from 2020. The story of the Lehman brothers, the drama received absolute raves in London and from its Park Avenue Armory run. Jocelyn Bioh’s Nollywood Dreams opens Off-Broadway this October (exact date TBD) at MCC Theater after its COVID delay. The playwright of School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play next tackles the scene of Nigerian Hollywood. Finally, Lackawana Blues hits MTC on Broadway September 15. Written, directed, and performed by Tony-winning director Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Jitney), the story of Santiago-Hudson's own upbringing by Miss Rachel. Now, it comes to New York with original music by Bill Sims Jr. (also Jitney) and Blues Hall of Fame guitarist Junior Mack. 

My Philosophy

I believe in art's power to create change. Art—particularly theatre—can help us reflect, determine, and, sometimes, change our beliefs. I hope that you all continue to engage with the storytelling and art around you—wherever you are and whatever level—and that you entertain different points of view. Advocate for your principles while always leaving room to hear others and evolve. Let's stay engaged, thoughtful, and active. 

As always, if you need show recommendations or if you have theatre questions, please get in touch! I LOVE to answer. Keep tabs on Playbill.com and RuthieFierberg.com, and thank you for your enduring support.