New York theater has never been afraid of getting weird. The Holes, the new Off-Broadway play from Job playwright Max Wolf Friedlich, takes that tradition and pushes it through a very strange door.
Currently playing at wild project in the East Village, The Holes is set inside a decaying bar in a rapidly gentrifying upstate city. Somewhere inside that bar is a padlocked back room offering pleasure, relief—and potentially something much more dangerous.
Yes, that is the official description.
And somehow, it gets even stranger.
Directed by Michael Herwitz, the production stars Bubba Weiler, Grantham Coleman, Tina Benko and Jack Mulhern. The play explores gentrification, masculinity, loneliness, desire, tradition and the uncomfortable cultural wars happening beneath the surface of everyday life.
One particularly intriguing detail for movie fans: Robert Pattinson is an executive producer through his production company, Icki Eneo Arlo. The production marks the company’s first venture into theater, giving The Holes a Hollywood connection without turning it into a Hollywood production.
The play is also considerably more than its mysterious title suggests. Running approximately two hours and 15 minutes with an intermission, The Holes is billed as a dark comedy that mixes absurdism with more naturalistic storytelling.
And there’s another reason to pay attention: the show has already sold out its initial six-week engagement, prompting an extension. Performances are now scheduled through November 15, 2026, according to the latest announcement.
So what exactly happens behind that padlocked door?
That’s probably better discovered from a theater seat than from a Google search.
If you’re looking for The Holes NYC, The Holes play, Off-Broadway shows 2026, Max Wolf Friedlich or unusual NYC theater, this is one production worth knowing before everyone starts talking about what is—or isn’t—inside.
Because in New York theater, sometimes the weirdest door is the one you absolutely want to open.
