Though the shows expected to rack up the nominations–Pippin, Matilda, Kinky Boots, and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike–did just that, the 67th Annual Tony Award Nominations were filled with surprises. The biggest shocker, to me, is that the…
What is it that has kept us coming back to Shakespeare again and again for centuries? Is it the masterful wordplay? The colorful characters? The layers of meaning and themes interwoven throughout? The structure that binds each play together? Alan…
Jayne Houdyshell was nominated for Featured Actress in a Musical at the Tony Awards for her performance as Hattie Walker in the Follies revival. That character gets to perform one of the more cheerful and upbeat numbers in the show,…
There’s been rumblings about a revised Side Show for a couple years. The cult musical about Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twin side show performers, has a beautiful score. It’s a rare school year if a few of my theater…
There’s an odd trend popping up on Broadway that I’m getting a kick out of. Shows that recently closed on Broadway are coming back a year or two later for limited sit down engagements. This is not to be confused…
The 66th Annual Tony Awards were held last night and it was a great night if you were connected to Once or Peter and the Starcatcher. These two shows picked up the lion’s share of the statues last night. Once…
Seeing Taboo was one of those theater experiences I will never forget. Though the crowd was already dwindling by the time I caught it, the attendees were very enthusiastic. Taboo is a show that has a strong identity and will…
Ruth Leon wrote a great piece about Andrew Lloyd Webber for Playbill. It really does feel like the right time to look back at his career in the context of Broadway. Phantom of the Opera played its 10000th performance. Both…
I don’t think there’s a musical fan alive who is ashamed of finding a copy of the soundboard bootleg from one of the only performances of Carrie: The Musical. The show is infamous. From Debbie Allen’s pop video choreography to…
Gypsy of the Year is an annual fundraising event for Broadway Cares: Equity Fights Aids. Broadway companies are invited to put on performances for a paying audience. They don’t do selections from the show they’re in, though; they write new…
Kristin Chenoweth has mentioned for quite some time that she would love to star in a revival of the Coleman/Comden/Green musical On the Twentieth Century. If you know anything about Cy Coleman, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Kristin Chenoweth, that…
The much talked about star-studded revival of Follies opens tonight in NYC. I’m expecting mixed reviews, which is par for the course with this show. As beautifully scored and written as it is, it’s a bear to perform and do…
A revival of Follies, Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman’s 1971 musical about performers reuniting at a soon to be destroyed theater for one last go at the show, is opening on 12 September. This production stars Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell,…
Last time we talked about upcoming productions, we had no official confirmation of the arrival of Lysistrata Jones, the modern adaptation of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. Well good news, everyone: it’s official. Lysistrata Jones starts previews 12 November and opens 14 December.…