New Born Off-Broadway Guide: Hugh Jackman, Ella Hickson & Minetta Lane Theatre
Hugh Jackman, Marianna Gailus, and Sepideh Moafi in Ella Hickson’s three-monologue play at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village. Here’s everything you need to decide, plan, and book.
What Is New Born About?
New Born is a three-monologue play by Ella Hickson, directed by Ian Rickson, and performed by Marianna Gailus, Hugh Jackman, and Sepideh Moafi at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village. Each actor tells a single, separate story. The stories do not share a plot, a timeline, or a location — but they share something larger: the way small, private choices ripple outward into transformation.
A tree surgeon falls in love. A young woman searches for a lost friend across the American prairie. A new mother becomes consumed by an unexpected and unlikely celebrity friendship. Three people, three lives, three moments of becoming. New Born is less about watching a plot unfold scene by scene and more about listening to three people reveal the moments that changed them — and sitting with what those moments mean.
This is not a play driven by dramatic conflict between characters. It is built on language, voice, presence, and the particular kind of attention that good storytelling demands from an audience. If you go in expecting a conventional narrative, you will need to reset your expectations. If you go in ready to listen, it can be extraordinary.
Three unrelated people tell stories that spiral across time, geography, identity, and transformation — and Ella Hickson makes you feel how connected they are without ever putting them in the same room.
Why New Born Is a Big Deal
The most obvious reason to pay attention is Hugh Jackman performing in a small Off-Broadway room in Greenwich Village. Not a Broadway house. Not a stadium tour. A small, intimate theater where every seat feels close and there is nowhere for a performer to hide. For an actor of Jackman’s standing to choose this kind of project — a literary three-monologue play with no musical numbers and no spectacle — says something deliberate about both the material and the company he is in.
But New Born is not a Hugh Jackman vehicle. It is a Marianna Gailus, Hugh Jackman, and Sepideh Moafi production, and that distinction matters. A monologue play lives or dies on the individual performer in the room. The New York Times has praised Gailus’s storytelling, and New York Stage Review has singled out Moafi as a major presence. This is a genuine ensemble in the oldest sense: three actors, three stories, no hierarchy except the one each performance earns.
Ella Hickson is one of the most serious British playwrights of her generation — her work is known for formal intelligence and emotional precision. Ian Rickson is a director whose credits span the West End and international stages, with a particular gift for actor-first, language-centered work. The Audible x TOGETHER partnership has also become a meaningful Off-Broadway lane for intimate, actor-forward work at Minetta Lane.
The combination of all of this — the caliber of the writing, the performers, the venue, and the limited run — makes New Born one of the more significant Off-Broadway events of 2026.
Should You See New Born?
This is Jackman at his most stripped-down — no songs, no spectacle, just a story and a room. If you want to see what he does with pure language and presence, this is the show. It is not a crowd-pleaser in the conventional sense. It is something more serious and more rewarding.
A new Ella Hickson play directed by Ian Rickson with this cast at Audible’s Minetta Lane is exactly the kind of Off-Broadway event serious theatergoers come to New York for. Literary, intimate, and actor-centered.
New Born is three solo stories performed in sequence. If you loved the intimacy of something like Vanya, Every Brilliant Thing, or similar actor-forward storytelling work, this format is directly in that tradition.
New Born in Greenwich Village is a genuinely distinctive evening — dinner in the Village, 90 minutes of precise, emotional storytelling, drinks after. The kind of night that gives you something to talk about.
If your first Off-Broadway experience is a monologue play about transformation and longing, it can be extraordinary. But if you are expecting something more plot-driven, funny, or musically energetic, this may not be the right first show. First-time visitor guide here.
Recommended for ages 14+. This is not a family musical or a show built for young children. The material is emotional and adult. Younger teens who are serious about theater may find it rewarding; younger kids will not.
New Born has no music. If you are in New York primarily for a musical experience, this is not the right show. Choose this because you want intimate drama and actor-led storytelling, not because you want a Broadway-style musical night.
If you have seen the main Broadway season and are looking for something more literary and less commercial, New Born is the caliber of Off-Broadway work that makes the trip worthwhile. Do not miss it simply because the run is short.
The Cast
In a three-monologue play, there is nowhere to distribute the weight. Each actor carries their own story alone, and the entire evening depends on whether each performer can hold a room in complete isolation. New Born’s cast does exactly that.
Gailus is central to why the evening works as a whole rather than as three disconnected showcases. Her story needs precision, emotional control, and the kind of direct audience connection that makes a monologue feel discovered rather than delivered.
The biggest name in the room, deliberately working against type. Jackman brings star presence into a format that strips everything away: no songs, no spectacle, no ensemble to rely on — just language and the attention of a room.
Moafi’s story — a new mother consumed by an unlikely celebrity friendship — is one of the most emotionally complex pieces of the evening. It asks for delicacy, tension, and a performance that can make obsession feel human rather than theatrical.
The Creative Team
Ella Hickson — Playwright
Ella Hickson is one of the most formally intelligent British playwrights working today. Her plays are known for precision in language, emotional complexity, and a willingness to challenge conventional theatrical structure. New Born uses the monologue not as a device for exposition but as its central formal argument: that a story told in the first person is the most intimate and the most unreliable account of a life. Hickson’s plays tend to reward close attention, and New Born is no exception.
Ian Rickson — Director
Ian Rickson is a director known for actor-first, language-centered work — his credits span the Royal Court, the West End, and international stages. He is exactly the right director for a play that lives or dies on how a performer inhabits language rather than action. His productions tend to be quiet in the best sense: nothing is wasted, nothing is over-explained, and the audience is trusted to do its own work.
Audible Theater + TOGETHER
New Born is produced by Audible Theater and TOGETHER, the production company co-founded by Hugh Jackman and Sonia Friedman. The Audible x TOGETHER model — live, intimate, actor-forward Off-Broadway work that later becomes an audio release — has become one of the more interesting lanes in New York theater. The point of seeing it live is exactly that: this is the version that exists before it becomes a recording, and the room matters.
Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre
Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre is a 391-seat Off-Broadway house at 18 Minetta Lane in Greenwich Village — a short, tucked-away street between 6th Avenue and MacDougal Street that first-time visitors sometimes walk past. It opened in 1984 and has been Audible Theater’s New York creative home since 2018.
The room matters for New Born. A monologue-driven play about private interior lives needs a room where the audience is close enough to watch a performer’s face and feel the temperature of the language. Minetta Lane provides that. This is not a 1,200-seat Broadway house where the distance between performer and audience is filled with spectacle. The relationship here is more direct, which is what a play like this demands.
Seating Advice for New Born
For a monologue-driven play where actor visibility, facial detail, and vocal nuance are the primary events, centered seats are the strongest default. Mid-center orchestra gives you the cleanest relationship to each performer without the compressed perspective of the extreme front rows. Front-center can be excellent if you want the most immediate experience. Avoid extreme side seats if center-section alternatives are available at a comparable price — side angles matter more in a room this size when the performance lives in a single performer’s face.
Tickets, Rush & Day-Of Options
New Born is a limited engagement with a cast that includes Hugh Jackman. Tickets for these kinds of runs typically sell well, and waiting comes with real risk as the June 8 closing date approaches. If you are planning around a specific date, book early rather than counting on last-minute availability.
For day-of options: TDF has listed a $35 day-of ticket policy covering 25% of the house, available through TodayTix or in person at the Minetta Lane box office on the day of the performance. This can be an excellent option if your schedule is flexible, but verify current policy before planning around it — ticket policies change. See our last-minute tickets guide and rush and lottery guide for broader context on day-of strategies.
Age & Content Guidance
New Born is recommended for ages 14 and up. This is an adult literary drama about love, loss, obsession, grief, longing, and transformation — emotionally sophisticated material that rewards the kind of attention older teens and adults bring to it. It is not a show with graphic violence or explicit content in the conventional sense, but it is emotionally dense and requires patience with a slow-burn storytelling style.
It is not a family spectacle, not a musical, and not a show designed for audiences who need conventional narrative momentum to stay engaged. Younger children are not the intended audience.
Plan the Night Around New Born
New Born is the kind of show that pairs better with a quieter dinner, a glass of wine afterward, and time to talk than with a rushed Times Square tourist schedule. Minetta Lane is in the West Village — one of the strongest neighborhoods in Manhattan for exactly this kind of evening. The restaurants are good, the streets are walkable, and the whole area has an energy that fits a literary, emotionally absorbing night of theater.
Make It a Greenwich Village Night
Plan dinner on MacDougal Street, Bleecker Street, or the surrounding blocks before the show. The Greenwich Village neighborhood guide has context for the area. For date-night restaurants or pre-show dining options, our Night Out section can help you build the evening.
Arrival & Transit
The 1 train to Christopher Street–Sheridan Square is the most direct subway. The A/C/E or B/D/F/M to West 4th Street is also close with a short walk. Minetta Lane itself is a short, easy-to-miss street — know the turn before you leave. Plan to arrive 20–30 minutes before curtain. The show is listed around 1 hour 30 minutes, so plan your pre-show logistics accordingly.
After the Show
The West Village has strong options for drinks and dinner after the show if you prefer a post-show meal. The area is lively without being overwhelming. New Born is the kind of play that tends to generate genuine conversation — leave time for it.
Do not plan this show like a Broadway night out. Skip the tourist-zone restaurants, skip the rush, and build your evening around the neighborhood. That’s how you get the full version of what New Born has to offer.
New Born vs. Other Theater Options
For more context on the difference between Broadway and Off-Broadway, see our Broadway vs Off-Broadway guide.
More New Born & Minetta Lane Planning
Venue guide, Off-Broadway hub, tickets, Greenwich Village, and pre-show dining for your New Born night.
FAQ — New Born Off-Broadway
New Born is a three-monologue play by Ella Hickson in which three unrelated performers tell stories that spiral across time, geography, and identity: a tree surgeon who falls in love, a young woman searching for a lost friend on the prairie, and a new mother consumed by an unlikely celebrity friendship. The stories are separate but emotionally connected through themes of transformation, longing, and how personal choices echo beyond the person making them.
Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre at 18 Minetta Lane in Greenwich Village, New York City. Between Bleecker Street and West 3rd Street. Nearest subway: 1 train to Christopher Street–Sheridan Square; A/C/E/B/D/F/M to West 4th Street.
Yes. Hugh Jackman is one of three performers in the production, alongside Marianna Gailus and Sepideh Moafi. Each actor performs a separate monologue. This is not a Hugh Jackman solo vehicle — it is a genuine ensemble of three storytellers.
Ella Hickson, a British playwright known for formally intelligent, emotionally precise work. New Born is directed by Ian Rickson and produced by Audible Theater and TOGETHER, the production company co-founded by Hugh Jackman and Sonia Friedman.
New Born is currently listed at approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. Verify current runtime before your visit, especially if you are planning dinner, drinks, or transportation tightly around the performance.
No. New Born is a drama — three spoken monologues with no songs, no choreography, and no Broadway-style musical score. It is a literary, actor-driven play.
It can be, if expectations are set correctly. New Born is not a commercial crowd-pleaser; it is a quiet, serious, emotionally demanding play that rewards patience and close attention. First-time visitors who enjoy literary fiction, monologue performances, or actor-forward storytelling are likely to love it. Visitors expecting a plot-driven ensemble play or a musical may find it challenging. See our first-time visitor guide for broader context.
The official recommendation is ages 14+. This is an adult literary drama, not a family show. Young children are not the intended audience. Older teens who are serious about theater may find it rewarding.
Center orchestra, mid-house. For a monologue play, actor visibility and facial detail are essential — centered seats give you the clearest relationship to each performer. Front-center is excellent if you want maximum proximity. Avoid extreme side seats if center-section alternatives are available at a comparable price.
TDF has listed a $35 day-of ticket option for 25% of the house, available through TodayTix or in person at the Minetta Lane box office on the day of the performance. Verify this policy before relying on it. See our last-minute tickets guide and rush and lottery guide for more options.
Off-Broadway. New Born plays at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village, which is an Off-Broadway venue. See our Broadway vs Off-Broadway guide for more context on the difference.
Plan a Greenwich Village evening. Dinner on MacDougal, Bleecker, or the surrounding streets before the show. Drinks in the neighborhood after. The Village suits this kind of night significantly better than Times Square. See the Greenwich Village guide and pre-show dining guide for specific ideas.
Currently listed through June 8, 2026. This is a limited engagement — verify the closing date and schedule before booking. Limited runs can close early or extend; do not assume the listed date is fixed.
From New Born to a Greenwich Village Night — Finish the Full Off-Broadway Plan
New Born is not a Times Square spectacle night. It is a limited-run, actor-driven Off-Broadway play at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre, built around intimate storytelling and a Greenwich Village setting. Use these links to connect the show page to the Minetta Lane venue guide, Off-Broadway context, ticket strategy, nearby show comparisons, date-night dining, and Village planning.