Naveen Kumar

Washington, D.C.

Naveen Kumar is a journalist and critic whose work appears in the New York Times, Variety, them.us and more. He is associate director of the National Critics Institute, the leading arts-writing workshop for professional journalists.
Share confidential news tips with The Post
Latest from Naveen Kumar

Elder millennials face off against death. Guess who wins?

Mortality stalks the edges of a 20th high school reunion in “The Comeuppance” by D.C. native Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, now at Woolly Mammoth.

September 17, 2024
Taysha Marie Canales, left, Jaime Maseda, Sarah Gliko and Alana Raquel Bowers in Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company's production of “The Comeuppance.”

Billie Holiday builds herself up, then melts down

“Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill” at Mosaic Theater Company imagines one of the jazz singer’s final concerts the year of her death.

September 13, 2024
Roz White as Billie Holiday in Mosaic Theater Company’s production of “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.”

When hairstyles serve as armor

“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” on tour at Arena Stage, offers a vibrant and fizzy take on social spheres occupied by Black women.

September 13, 2024
From left, Awa Sal Secka, Colby N. Muhammad, Melanie Brezill, Victoire Charles, Bisserat Tseggai, Jordan Rice, Tiffany Renee Johnson and Mia Ellis in “Jaja's African Hair Braiding.”

Mia Farrow is extraordinary. Patti LuPone is Patti LuPone. Both are worth seeing.

Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone elevate Broadway’s “The Roommate,” a play about lost souls in rural Iowa.

September 12, 2024
Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow in “The Roommate.”

He’s been married 22 times — all of them for love (kind of)

“The 22+ Weddings of Hugo,” at GALA Hispanic Theatre, explores the plight of undocumented immigrants with humor and heart.

September 10, 2024
Víctor Salinas, from left, Yaiza Figueroa, Giselle González and Carlos Castillo in “Las 22+ Bodas de Hugo” at GALA Hispanic Theatre. (Stan Weinstein)

Divas will take over Broadway theaters this fall

Women with big ambitions and axes to grind are ready for their close-ups, in “Gypsy,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Death Becomes Her” and more.

September 3, 2024

Queer takes on old stories reigned onstage this summer

“Once Upon a Mattress,” “Oh, Mary!” and “Cats” have grabbed ahold of audiences by flouting conventions with bold originality.

August 30, 2024
The company of “Cats: The Jellicle Ball.”

The best and worst moments from the 2024 Tony Awards

While “The Outsiders” and “Stereophonic” took home the top prizes at the Tony Awards, voters spread accolades across a diverse array of shows.

June 17, 2024

Alicia Keys, Sufjan Stevens and Huey Lewis all have pretty great Broadway musicals

The Broadway musicals “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Illinoise” and “The Heart of Rock and Roll” offer distinct pleasures.

April 26, 2024
Maleah Joi Moon (center, as Ali) and the company of “Hell's Kitchen.”

Your English teacher would hate this ‘Great Gatsby’

A new “Great Gatsby” musical on Broadway is all about its protagonist’s decadence.

April 25, 2024
Jeremy Jordan, Eva Noblezada and the cast of “The Great Gatsby.”