WEER is now running at the Cherry Lane Theatre at 38 Commerce St, New York, NY, 10014.

You’ll like this if you like: Oh, Mary!, improv comedy, experimental theatre

Natalie Palamides brings her one-woman show WEER to the newly renovated Cherry Lane Theatre, and I struggle with how to even describe this show. It’s an unhinged Y2K romcom turned manic episode. It’s insanely weird, grotesque, hilarious, shocking, messy, and creatively brilliant up until its final beat. I don’t understand how Palamides has the stamina to pull it off. I’ve never felt my jaw drop more during a play. I cried from the sheer absurdity of it – and from laughing so hard! I won’t give too much away, but if you go you’re in for a ride. It feels like what I’d expect the hit to be at a fringe festival, and unsurprisingly this show has had several other successful runs.

The audience is a character in this production – be prepared to be called upon by Palamides to participate, and if you sit in the front row, you’ll be given a poncho… I sat in the front row on the left and was grateful to be wearing mine.

While the Cherry Lane Theatre is NYC’s oldest off-Broadway theatre, WEER is the first production at the venue under new management with A24. Yes, as in A24 the movie studio. I think WEER is the perfect bizarre piece to fit right in with the A24 universe, and I look forward to seeing what they put up next.

Tickets are tough to get online as the show is sold out and closes December 21st, but rush tickets are a great option. Only $24, and when I rushed I ended up getting moved to the front row! I started waiting in line at 5:30PM for the box office which opens an hour before curtain (so 7PM for my 8PM show).

Masquerade is now inviting guests at 218 West 57th, New York, NY, 10019.

An air of mystery has surrounded this new immersive production since it was first announced – from Andrew Lloyd Webber himself teasing the Phantom’s return to curious locations dropped on insta to a sold-out preview run, the hype for this show has been building for months.

And let me be one of the first to tell you – you absolutely cannot miss your chance to “listen to the music of the night” in this intimate and awe-inspiring reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera. The creative team for this show use the medium of immersive theatre brilliantly, and take full advantage of the venue they were given. I won’t spoil anything, but I was absolutely enchanted by the parts of the building utilized to tell this story. Every moment we were brought into throughout the show felt intimate yet grand – a difficult trick to pull off!

If you’re anything like me, you were a bit heartbroken when The Phantom of the Opera closed on Broadway back in 2023. But this production absolutely does the show justice – it’s extravagant, it’s alluring, it’s dramatic… it honors all of the magic of what the show should be, and the exceptional performers and live musicians hit all of the emotional peaks and valleys of the story!

I’ll wait to post a full review, but in the meantime below are a few (spoiler-free) tips for your attendance…

• DO NOT WEAR STILETTO HEELS only wear shoes that have a thick base – you’ll be doing lots of walking/stairs (though there are several breaks to sit) and there are moments walking over grates.
• Unlike other immersive shows I’ve attended, your entrance time does not affect the amount of time you can spend in the show, however, an earlier entrance might provide you more time to hang out at the optional cocktail hour at the end.
• They invite you to bring your own mask to wear, but I’d recommend taking one of the ones they provide for free – it has a special phantom logo sewn on at the top and is a cool memento from the show!