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    ‘Angry Alan’ Review: John Krasinski Explores the Manosphere

    In an Off Broadway play, the former Jim Halpert of Dunder Mifflin dives into a darker world of male grievance.Roger is jazzed. He’s spent money he doesn’t have, including the child-support payment he owes, on a gold ticket to a men’s rights conference. Nor does the gathering disappoint. The Detroit hotel where it takes place is brimming with guys taking back their power. But guess what’s best? Angry Alan, the internet personality who opened Roger’s eyes to the evils of the gynocracy, is scheduled to speak. This is going to be great!For Roger, anyway. Not so much for us.It is perhaps a clue to the over-thick ironies of Penelope Skinner’s “Angry Alan,” which opened Tuesday at the new Studio Seaview, that the horde of inspired men at the conference is represented by, count ’em, two dummies and some faceless paintings on a backdrop. Offered in Sam Gold’s staging as a joke, like the rest of their gender, they are mere markers in a loaded argument. Even Roger, though played exceedingly well by John Krasinski, is a place holder: a straw man incarnate.Krasinski works hard to disguise that. As he proved during nine seasons as the gemütlich Jim Halpert on “The Office,” he performs charm, titrated with a satire of charm, very well. Here, in a role that runs to more than 10,000 words, some of them Roger’s and some of them his unflattering imitations of the women around him, that good-guy appeal has a lot of work to do.Because Roger is not a good guy. Though he believes himself to be supportive and reliable, the play keeps dropping heavy hints to the contrary. His first wife got uncontested custody of their son. The son doesn’t speak to him. He lost his BMW-level job at AT&T under unexplained circumstances, and is now the dairy manager at Kroger. Perhaps worst, he is paranoid about his girlfriend, Courtney, who has enrolled in a nude life-drawing class at a community college. Her classmates wear T-shirts that say things like Mind Your Own Uterus.Courtney’s recent behavior and new friends are the immediate cause of Roger’s descent into the manosphere. There, Angry Alan teaches him that women, far from being victims of a male-dominated society, run the world and have done so for decades. Men must fight back to restore the proper balance.Perhaps these loathsome ideas seemed like news in 2018, when “Angry Alan” premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. (Don Mackay, credited with creating the play with Skinner, played Roger there and, later, in London.) The title character might have introduced audiences to recently emerged manopshere figures like the Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, who advocates a return to traditional gender roles, and the British influencer Andrew Tate, a self-proclaimed misogynist with millions of followers.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    in Television

    Review: Thomas Vinterberg’s ‘Families Like Ours,’ on Netflix

    In Thomas Vinterberg’s series on Netflix, climate change forces a country to close, and everyone has to leave.The mini-series “Families Like Ours” on Netflix has an attention-grabbing premise: An entire country, Denmark, decides to shut itself down before climate change can do the job for it. Six million Danes start looking for new homes. Relocation plans are drawn up with Scandinavian efficiency, but European neighbors look upon waves of relatively well-off white refugees with the same distaste they show for Africans and Middle Easterners.The seven-episode series is the first from the Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg, known for founding the no-frills Dogme 95 movement with Lars von Trier and, 26 years later, being nominated for a best director Oscar for “Another Round,” which won best international feature in 2021. The handsomely appointed “Families Like Ours,” which Vinterberg wrote, with Bo Hr. Hansen, and directed, breaks just about every rule in the Dogme manifesto, as his films have all along. It is a high-class consumer item, deliberate and hushed.It does, however, have something in common with his one true Dogme film, “The Celebration” from 1998. It subjects an extended Danish family to pressure and traces the fissures of guilt and dependency, the outbreaks of bad behavior and gallantry, that result. “The Celebration,” released when Vinterberg was 29, did this via transgressive, occasionally puerile black humor; “Families Like Ours” offers restrained, tasteful domestic drama. The contrast is startling, but the underlying satisfactions are similar.The new series (it premiered Tuesday on Netflix) will be categorized as a climate-change drama, and it is that. The story appears to take place in an unspecified but near future when waters have risen and efforts to hold them back have met with varying success. But the evidence of danger is mostly offscreen; the crisis is suggested through newscasts and ominous puddles. Vinterberg imagines that the climate crisis will arrive not in floods and heat but in bureaucracy and confusion — endless lines, indecipherable rules, arduous journeys, a constant assault on hope. His vision may not be easily dramatic, but it is convincing.(The overall premise is a more difficult sell. Would the Danes, as disciplined and regimented as they might be, really leave their country as obediently as the series portrays? Wouldn’t many congregate on high ground and fight to stay? The show’s failure to take on that possibility is a problem.)The show is also defined, in part, by the obvious reversal it plays on our expectations for stories about refugees. It is formerly comfortable white people who are standing in the lines, yelling across bank counters and nakedly pleading for handouts and favors. They are shocked by the conditions they face once they make it to Paris or Bucharest.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Broadway Dreams Were Dashed, Then Rob Madge Knocked on Some Doors

    The British performer is bringing “My Son’s a Queer (but What Can You Do?)” to City Center this week, after an earlier run was canceled.“Everybody needs a good setback in their life and gosh, 2024 did that for me.”That was Rob Madge, speaking on video last month from their London home. A theater maker who identifies as nonbinary, Madge smiled wide into the camera and, wearing a crisp white guayabera-style shirt that was mostly buttoned, looked as if they were on their way to a “White Lotus” resort happy hour.But Madge wasn’t talking about cocktails and island intrigue. They were recalling dashed Broadway dreams.In February 2024, the Broadway run of Madge’s autobiographical show “My Son’s a Queer (but What Can You Do?)” was postponed just weeks before it was to begin preview performances at the Lyceum Theater. There was talk of opening on Broadway the following season, but that never materialized.In a statement last month, the show’s producers, Tom Smedes and Heather Shields, said “the heartbreaking decision” to call off a Broadway run was because “the risks of launching and sustaining the production were simply too great” for the show’s “long-term health.”The actor in the production, which incorporates projected scenes from the “living room shows” that Madge performed as a kid.Mark SeniorMadge, 28, said having Broadway fall through prompted them to consider difficult and dueling questions, the likes of which plague any theater artist putting work into the world.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Jimmy Kimmel Calls Trump an ‘Arsonist With a Hose’

    The L.A.-based host said the city’s problem was the president, not the protests: “We have more so-called ‘unrest’ here when one of our teams wins a championship.”Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Fake NewsOn Wednesday, Jimmy Kimmel, who’s based in Los Angeles, mocked the idea that protests against immigration raids have turned the city into “some kind of totalitarian hellscape” — a notion pushed by President Trump (and some cable news outlets) as he sent in Marines and the National Guard.“He wants there to be a war going on here, and he doesn’t care who gets hurt in it. There’s no riot outside. We have more so-called ‘unrest’ here when one of our teams wins a championship.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Not only is it not an apocalypse, they’re having a Disney Pixar movie premiere right now, for ‘Elio,’ a movie about aliens. Don’t tell Trump, he’ll send the Green Berets in, too.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“You know, when we had the wildfires that devastated big chunks of our city, he did absolutely nothing. Now that we’re in the middle of a nonemergency: ‘Send in the National Guard!’” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Putting out a fire you purposely start doesn’t make you a firefighter, it makes you an arsonist with a hose.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Yes, nothing calms down a situation like a military invasion.” — DESI LYDIC“You know, I’m beginning to wonder if Trump is intentionally trying to escalate this situation because more chaos allows him to portray blue states as centers of crime, while positioning himself as the strongman that the country needs to rally around. No, that’s silly. I’m sure he’s just doing what’s best for everyone.” — DESI LYDIC“Now, as we speak, Trump has sent thousands of troops into downtown L.A. to quell what historians will remember as the Battle of That Video of a Burning Waymo Car They Kept Showing on Cable News.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“And to those of you in the National Guard who have been thrust into this: When Donald Trump orders you to do something that you know is immoral, try to get your dad’s podiatrist to write a note to say you have bone spurs.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“The president of the United States has been tougher on L.A. than on Russia. Remember that two-week deadline he gave Putin to sit down for peace talks with Ukraine? As of tomorrow, it’s two weeks. But, by all means, send the Marines to The Grove.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Trump’s terrible policy has generated a huge backlash, which he’s responded to by overreacting, which is going to generate another backlash. We don’t know how this is going to end, but at least we know it’ll be a huge waste of money.” — DESI LYDIC“I just want to say, thank God for President Trump and the heroes at ICE for protecting us from these bloodthirsty fruit stand vendors, spreading their dangerous pineapple chunks and mangos with a squirt of lime all over the city.” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Punchiest Punchlines (Meanwhile on Fox News Edition)We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    in Theater

    Broadway Musical ‘Smash’ to Close After Tonys Disappointment

    The musical, which follows a group of theater artists putting on a show about Marilyn Monroe, opened in April to mixed reviews. It has struggled at the box office.“Smash,” a stage musical inspired by the NBC television series about a group of theater artists trying to make a show focusing on Marilyn Monroe, announced on Tuesday that it would close on June 22 after failing to find sufficient audience to defray its running costs on Broadway.The show announced the closing just two days after the Tony Awards. It had not been nominated for best musical, and its request to perform on the awards show was rebuffed; it was nominated for best choreography (by Joshua Bergasse) and best featured actor (Brooks Ashmanskas) but won neither.The musical began previews on March 11 and opened on April 10 at the Imperial Theater. At the time of its closing, it will have played 32 previews and 84 regular performances.Set in the present day, the musical depicts a development process that is thrown into chaos when the actress portraying Monroe (played by Robyn Hurder) comes under the influence of a coach (Kristine Nielsen) whose devotion to method acting causes the actress to behave impossibly in rehearsals. The making-of-a-show concept and the rehearsal room characters are similar to, but not the same as, those in the television series, which was created by Theresa Rebeck and aired for two seasons, in 2012 and 2013, before being canceled.Reviews were all over the map. In The New York Times, the critic Jesse Green gave it a rave, calling it “the great musical comedy no one saw coming.” But there was no critical consensus, and box office grosses have fallen since the opening — weekly grosses peaked at $1 million during the week that ended April 20, and were down to $656,000 during the week that ended June 8.The musical was capitalized for $20 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. That money — the amount it cost to finance the show’s development — has not been recouped.“Smash” features a score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and a book by Bob Martin and Rick Elice; it is directed by Susan Stroman. The show’s producing team is led by Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron and Steven Spielberg, all of whom played key roles in developing the television series. More

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    in Television

    ‘Taskmaster’ Is a Mischievous, Unpredictable British Panel Show

    The American comedian Jason Mantzoukas is a contestant this season, and his gleeful maniac persona fits perfectly.“Taskmaster” has long been one of my favorite shows, and among my favorite things about it is that there are no bad seasons. In each outing, five performers, mostly comedians, compete in a series of kooky challenges, then regroup in front of a studio audience to see how they’ve done. In addition to being silly and enchanting, “Taskmaster” is breathtakingly novel: I’m amazed by its capacity to remain unpredictable to both its viewers and its participants.The gap between “this is the best episode of the best season” and “this is the worst episode of the worst season” is minuscule. That said, this season — Season 19 (19!) — is among the best of the best, and it’s an ideal entree for new viewers. The American comedian Jason Mantzoukas is one of the contestants this season, and his gleeful maniac persona fits perfectly with the show’s sense of mischief. He is also clearly a student of the game … not that it helps him win.The contestants most familiar with the workings of the show are no more likely to win a task than those least familiar, and no single virtue is more desirable than another. Nervous pedantry earns a certain amount of mileage, but a “Cs get degrees” approach leads often to a faster, funnier conclusion. Brazenness and preciousness are equally valuable. Athleticism has its rewards, but defaulting to an athletic method can and does backfire. There are a lot of ways to be funny, and on “Taskmaster” there are also a lot of ways to be smart.I was curious how the show would incorporate Mantzoukas’s antic energy, but everything feels harmonious — and no one person is singing the melody. Mathew Baynton, the creator and a star of the original British version of “Ghosts,” brings a twee braininess, and the comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri’s impeccable timing and tough-girl shtick add warmth, raunch and surprise. Stevie Martin’s sweet openness and Rosie Ramsey’s grounded wit keep everything in balance.All 19 season on are on the show’s YouTube channel, with new episodes of Season 19 arriving weekly on Fridays. And if you burn through all those, seek out the international versions.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    in Theater

    How ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ Overcame a Shaky Start and Won Big at the Tonys

    Broadway’s best musical winner had to delay its opening last fall and was selling poorly. But strong word-of-mouth and reviews helped this quirky show triumph.“Maybe Happy Ending” had a very unhappy beginning.The show’s triumph at Sunday night’s Tony Awards, where it won six honors, including best new musical, capped a remarkable turnaround for a small production with a baffling title and a hard-to-sell premise that was seen by industry insiders as dead on arrival when it began previews last fall.But in the wee hours of Monday morning, as the quirky show’s performers and producers partied with their creative team and investors at the Bryant Park Grill, the celebrants finally allowed themselves to acknowledge that their against-all-odds show is breaking though.Shen and Criss play robots in a story about isolation, memory and love that received overwhelmingly positive reviews.Jeenah Moon for The New York Times“We didn’t know if this show would even open,” said its star, Darren Criss, who won his first Tony for playing Oliver, an outdated helperbot who strikes up a life-changing (well, shelf-life-changing) relationship with a robot across the hall. Criss, an Emmy winner (for “American Crime Story”) and “Glee” alumnus, is also a member of the show’s producing team.“We didn’t have the luxury to dream about a scenario like this,” he said. “This was definitely the little show that could.”How bad did things get? Last summer, the show’s lead producers, Jeffrey Richards and Hunter Arnold, postponed the first performance by a month, citing supply chain issues, which the producers insist were real (there was a delay in the availability of digital video tiles from China), but which many thought was a cover story to hide financial problems.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Best Red Carpet Fashion at the 2025 BET Awards: Doechii, GloRilla and More

    The BET Awards, held on Monday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, honored achievements across cultural mediums: filmmaking, music, television. The ceremony — which featured appearances by superstars like Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey and Kendrick Lamar — and the red carpet before it also put the spotlight on style.Overall, the fashion was vibrant and joyful: On the carpet, there were saturated colors and bold prints that, along with a large floral installation, set a lively mood. Several surprising accessories — big hats, video game consoles, baby bumps — made the spectacle even more fun to look at. Of all the attire on display, these 11 looks were among the most memorable, for myriad reasons.Law Roach: Most Bowler!Bennett Raglin/Getty ImagesThe stylist’s pronounced headgear evoked other oversize styles that caused stirs on red carpets past, like the big hats worn by Zendaya, one of Mr. Roach’s clients, and Pharrell Williams.Flau’jae Johnson: Most Slam Dunk!Bennett Raglin/Getty ImagesSeeing the college basketball star and rapper in her glamorous burgundy gown approximated the pleasure of taking the first sip of a fine wine.Snoop Dogg and Shante Broadus: Most Royal Couple!Bennett Raglin/Getty ImagesThe married rapper and entrepreneur would have probably stood out in any matching attire, but the royal blue palette of their ensembles gave them a regal presence.Doechii: Most Y2K!Bennett Raglin/Getty ImagesSlim rectangular glasses, stacks of chunky bangles and a Miu Miu bandanna top were elements of the rapper and singer’s ensemble that harked back to early 2000s style.Wale: Most Prepared!Emma Mcintyre/Getty ImagesA Nintendo Switch peeking out of the pocket of the rapper’s Prada jacket suggested he would not lack for entertainment should the awards ceremony drag on.KJ Smith: Most Revealing!Bennett Raglin/Getty ImagesThe pregnant actress not only showed off her baby bump in a chartreuse gown with stomach cutouts, but also revealed the child’s gender (it’s a girl!) in an interview on the carpet.GloRilla: Most Skunk Stripe!Michael Tran/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesThis year, dark hair with pale streaks has made its way to the White House, the big screen, the small screen and now, thanks to the rapper, the awards season circuit.Vic Mensa: Most Nude Illusion!Emma Mcintyre/Getty ImagesIn a shirt that resembled a toned and tattooed bare chest, the rapper undoubtedly made many people look (and a few stare).Kai Cenat: Most Debonair!Bennett Raglin/Getty ImagesThe Twitch streamer looked the part of an old-Hollywood star dressed up in a classic double breasted tuxedo replete with bow tie and pocket square.Da Brat: Most ‘Derelicte’!Emma Mcintyre/Getty ImagesThe rapper’s tattered attire, which was bleached and pre-distressed, brought to mind a certain runway collection from the film “Zoolander.” More