Theater Articles
Phillip Boykin of the Tony-Winning Musical Revival, The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess
There is murder, music, dancing, joy, fear, gambling, racism, religion, and poverty on Catfish Row, the main setting of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess at Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre. There is also one of musical history’s most emotional love triangles.
Insider Alert: Summer Equals Showtime - From Broadway to Al Fresco Performances, Entertainment Escalates When Temperatures Soar in the Big Apple
Let’s begin with the latest round of newcomers to join two of Broadway’s super successes from the past season: Clybourne Park and Gore Vidal’s The Best Man.
Nice Work If You Can Get It - A Retro Musical Feast That Proves to Be Absolutely “Delishious”
Nice Work If You Can Get It’s arsenal of star power doesn’t stop delivering the goods -- or cases of bathtub gin, as the plot dictates -- with its headliners. The show’s main comic foils are played by Michael McGrath and Judy Kaye.
Silence! The Musical - Ingenious Parody of a Big Budget Cult Film? Nirvana for Twisted Theatre Fans? Or Both?
Silence! The Musical is a tuneful romp through the whackadoodle psyches of two serial killers (Dr. Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lecter and Jamie “Buffalo Bill” Gumb), and the rookie FBI agent, Clarice “haunted by memories of her deceased papa” Starling, determined to ace her first official assignment.
Spiegelworld, the Big Show in the Little Tent, Transports Audiences to a Bygone Era, One Spectacular Act at a Time
Spiegelworld has made its Big Apple return pitching its “heritage” mirrored 440-seat Belgian spiegeltent and 2012 edition Empire in the thick of Times Square for a 15-week engagement.
Summer Spectacular: Big Apple Shows Custom-Made for “All in the Family!!”
You watched the Tony Awards (and if you haven’t, my live blog of the event will get you up to speed tout de suite), so you know who won what for the 2011-2012 Broadway season. And -- assuming the shows you most desire to see are still running (some, alas, are long gone limited editions) -- summer here in New York is known as prime time for scooping up the primo seats on the Great White Way.
Dicapo Opera Theatre's Most Happy Fella Returns June 14
Dicapo Opera Theatre, whose recent production of Frank Loesser’s Most Happy Fella garnered enormous critical success and sold-out performances, will bring back the musical this June for a limited run of four weeks.
Mary Poppins - Still Flying High in Year Six on Broadway!
It’s a world where chimney sweeps take in the best view of London, where tongue-twisting, nonsensical words dominate the dictionary, and surprises lurk around every corner. In a “practically perfect” nutshell, it’s the awe-inspiring world of none other than the very marvelous, ultra-magical Mary Poppins!
The Best of Times (and Talent!) On & Off the Great White Way
In the event you’re in the process of coordinating your calendar for the next few weeks, be sure to include the 66th Annual Tony Awards broadcast set to air Sunday night, June 10 (8-11pm) on CBS. Unlike last year, when The Book of Mormon barely had time to leave tread marks as it rolled over the competition for Best New Musical, this season’s roster of contenders is about as diverse as it gets.
See Video of Corbin Bleu in Godspell in Broadway
Broadway's hit revival of Godspell released new videos of Corbin Bleu (High School Musical, In the Heights), who joined the cast as Jesus on April 17.
Broadway's Sparkling Brush with Royalty - Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Priscilla Queen of the Desert surprises you. The year-plus-old musical at the Palace Theatre is about a three drag performers traversing the Australian outback in a bus. It moves to a rousing pop/disco score and sports Broadway’s most outrageous costumes. Yet, more than anything, it is a poignant show about family and fatherhood.
Spring Forward on the Great White Way
In case you hadn’t heard, New York City is celebrating that sparkling time of year dubbed (at least by me) The Preeminent Pre-Tony Playoffs (what can I say, I’m a sucker for alliteration). Still, 2012’s glam and glorious American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards -- set for Sunday night, June 10th on CBS -- is nothing if not the Super Bowl of Broadway: a star-a-thon deluxe featuring celeb wannabes and attractive relatives of theatrical VIPs as “seat fillers.”
Dan Sperry – Your Friendly Neighborhood Shock Illusionist
Don’t get too comfortable as you settle into your seat -- at Dan Sperry’s Twisted Theatre of Shock Illusion, you’ll witness acts that defy logic, trick the mind, and give audiences innumerable chills at the expense of one quick-handed daredevil, anti-conjuror Sperry himself. You may have heard the name Dan Sperry before, after he gained unexpected fame from the prime-time hit show America’s Got Talent, twisting the minds of judge Howie Mandel and his colleagues.
Ghost the Musical - Believe? Ditto.
With network and cable reruns of the hit 1990 film Ghost a fairly regular occurrence, it’s to be expected that a stage musical based on the cinematic original is pretty much ripe for comparison. With Whoopi Goldberg flexing her most impressive comedic muscles as Oda Mae Brown (Academy Award), and Patrick Swayze’s Sam embodying every woman’s romantic ideal (even post-mortem), the challenge of bringing new faces to these iconic roles had to be staggering.
Broadway Goes Courtside: The Ultimate Match-Up - Magic/Bird
From 1979 to 1991, there was no more compelling rivalry in sports than the one between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Johnson was the ebullient point guard of the Los Angeles Lakers. Bird was the reticent country boy who returned the Boston Celtics to glory. Together, they saved the National Basketball Association after a dismal decade.
NY Theatre Has Never Been Hotter -- Blame It on Spring Fever
With all due respect to the Lone Star State, once the wagon train of new shows heading to the Tonys in June go all bumper-to-bumper, NYC will be hijacking Texas’s theme song. After all, it’s common knowledge in the City that Never Sleeps that “The stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Broadway!”
Getting into the Sister Act - Raven-Symoné Now Starring in the Broadway Hit
An irresistible talent who’s been charming television audiences for over 20 years, Raven-Symoné picks up the habit as the lead in Alan Menken and Glenn Slater’s hit Broadway musical.
Spring Theatre Season Is Happening Now...Own It!
You don’t have to run a tally on the limos idling outside Broadway theatres to do the celebrity math: big names are all over New York stages this March -- rehearsing, starting previews, entering established shows, launching new productions -- in short, giving the Big Apple its star-powered mystique.
February - Broadway's Launchpad for the Spring Season
Broadway’s complete spring lineup is rapidly coming together, so if you’re curious about what’s on the horizon, here is the “Ultimate Coming Attractions” roster for confirmed productions!
Don't Stop Believin': Rock of Ages Resurrects the Reagan Era
Glam rock doesn't exactly inspire images of actors dancing across a Broadway stage -- but in Rock of Ages, the '80s are done some serious justice by utilizing powerful (not to mention tongue-in-cheek) reinterpretations of some of the most memorable power ballads of the decade.
Memphis - One Sizzling Hot Broadway Musical
It is the early 1950s and Huey Calhoun, a white department store clerk in Memphis, is seduced by “race music,” or rhythm and blues. The seduction is completed when he walks into a black honky-tonk called Delray’s and hears Felicia sing. Now starring Adam Pascal.
Disney's The Lion King on Broadway Remains a 'Four-Paws-Up' Blockbuster
On October 15, 1997, The Lion King opened the doors to its first Broadway preview. It was not just a moment theatrical dreams are built upon, but a pivotal moment in which the already beloved story of Simba, the cub who would be king (in the animated 1994 Disney hit and a half), officially staked its claim on the Great White Way.
Mary Poppins - Now In Its Fifth Fabulous Year on Broadway
You won't need a spoonful of sugar to sweeten your next theatre outing if it’s Broadway's "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" Mary Poppins. The high-flying nanny and the show she spearheads at the New Amsterdam Theatre is a must-see thanks to its enchanting storyline, dynamic dance numbers, vibrant costumes, eye-popping sets, and take-your-breath-away special effects.
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever - Restyled, Refined and Starring Harry Connick, Jr.!
Michael Mayer -- the visionary Tony-winning director of the Broadway hit Spring Awakening -- had always loved the original cast album of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Still, creatively he was haunted by the fact that the 1965 musical’s story came up lacking in terms of back-story clarity and romantic electricity.
Holiday Shows for the Whole Family on Broadway and Off
Looking to catch some great theater while visiting NYC over the holidays? Here are eight sure-fire family stocking stuffers.
