Zach has been an editor in The Washington Post Style section for ten years, and the arts and culture editor at L.A. Weekly for five years. He has written about arts, entertainment and techology for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Slate, Los Angeles Times, and other publications.
Writing Projects
Tough to perform. Impossible to understand. Actors love ‘Waiting for Godot.’
The Washington Post | September 2025
Why does Trump like ‘Les Mis’? The many meanings of the megamusical.
The Washington Post | June 2025
The Bavarian-themed town that performs ‘The Sound of Music’ every year
The Washington Post | August 2023
Why exactly did so many people like ‘Cats’ in the first place?
The Washington Post | December 2022
They all starred in ‘Godspell.’ Then they became comedy legends.
The Washington Post | June 2022
Spending the pandemic talking to yourself? If you live alone, you’re not alone.
The Washington Post | January 2021
The best movies about isolation that speak to our pandemic moment, from ‘Rear Window’ to ‘Cast Away’
The Washington Post | May 2020
The unlikely greatness of ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ 25 years later
The Washington Post | August 2019
Unsatisfied: Meet the people who don’t like ‘Hamilton’
The Washington Post | September 2018
‘It’s the president we all want’: The melancholy world of liberals watching ‘The West Wing’ in 2018
The Washington Post | July 2018
Why Hollywood villains have scars, and the beautiful people are virtuous
The Washington Post | May 2017
A history of politician’s food gaffes, and why we shouldn’t care about them
The Washington Post | April 2016
I saw ‘A Christmas Carol’ in eight cities across the country. Here’s what I learend about this tradition.
The Washington Post | December 2015
This theater festival stages shows in a car, the woods and a tennis court
The Wall Street Journal | October 2015
The strange phenomenon of entrance applause, and why shows try to avoid it
The New York Times | July 2007