All stories by Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld on BroadwayStars

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Playbill Vault’s Today In Theatre History: January 16 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1908 or 1909 or 1912 There's no birthday like Merm's birthday. Ethel Zimmermann is born in Astoria N.Y. today. In years to come she will be acting and belting all over town as Ethel …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, May 25, 2015

Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 21 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1903 Dorothy, The Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are first seen on Broadway today in the original musical The Wizard of Oz, with music by Paul Tietjens and book and lyrics by L…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 25 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1915 It'll be 90 in the Shade for only 40 performances. The unpaid actors will refuse to go on in this musical with a Jerome Kern score and book by Guy Bolton. Richard Carle and Marie Cahill…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 30 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1911 Hugh Herbert Hipple is born today in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After dropping two H's, he will become suave actor Hugh Marlowe. In 1940 he will appear in Elmer Rice's Flight To the We…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM
Tuesday, February 3, 2015

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 3 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Ann Bradley

1938 When a grandfather holds off Death (by chasing him up a tree) so he can be sure his grandson will be taken care of, he's working On Borrowed Time. This comedy was adapted by Paul Os…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, January 29, 2015

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 30 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1911 Hugh Herbert Hipple is born today in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After dropping two H's, he will become suave actor Hugh Marlowe. In 1940 he will appear in Elmer Rice's Flight T…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:59PM
Sunday, January 25, 2015

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 25 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1915 It'll be 90 in the Shade for only 40 performances. The unpaid actors will refuse to go on in this musical with a Jerome Kern score and book by Guy Bolton. Richard Carle and Marie Ca…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, January 21, 2015

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 21 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1903 Dorothy, The Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are first seen on Broadway today in the original musical The Wizard of Oz, with music by Paul Tietjens and book and lyrics by L…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, January 14, 2015

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 14 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1903 Opening night of The Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett play about a child, much in the same vein as her The Secret Garden. Little Princess will run just 34 performances.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, January 12, 2015

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 12 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1878 Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár (1878-1952) is born today in Budapest. He will write The Good Fairy, The Play's the Thing, The Guardsman, The Swan and Liliom, the latter of…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, January 11, 2015

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 11 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1899 "I would rather play Ibsen than eat — and that's often what it amounts to," said Eva Le Gallienne, born in London today. Her determination and drive will lead her to a s…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, January 10, 2015

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 10 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1820 Birthday of Louisa Lane Drew, matriarch of the Drew and Barrymore acting dynasty that would eventually include John Drew, Ethel Barrymore, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore and today'…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:27AM
Tuesday, January 6, 2015

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 6 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1768 Birthday of John Durang (1768-1816), identified by scholars as one of the first American-born professional dancers and actors. Known for his "Dwarf Dance," "Sailo…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, January 4, 2015

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 4 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1905 Quivery-voiced actor Sterling Holloway (1905-1992) is born today in Cedartown, GA. He will become a fixture of Broadway's The Garrick Gaieties revues of the 1920s and '3…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, January 3, 2015

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 3 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1909 Birthday of Victor Borge (1909-2000), pianist and comedian whose 1953 Comedy in Music ran 888 performances, the longest run ever for a solo musical on Broadway. He followed it with …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, January 2, 2015

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 2 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1910 American actress Agnes Booth dies today at age of 63. She was the wife of Junius Brutus Booth, Jr. and the sister-in-law of Edwin Booth.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, December 24, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today in Theatre History: DECEMBER 24 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1904 Lillian Russell, a.k.a Diamond Lil, stars in Lady Teazle, a musical based on The School for Scandal. John Kendrick Bangs and Roderic C. Penfield provide the music to a score by A. Baldw…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, December 20, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 20 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1912 Laurette Taylor stars in Peg O' My Heart, written and directed by her husband, J. Hartley Manners. This story of a winsome orphan becomes a vehicle for Taylor, and she will revive …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, December 19, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 19 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1865 Birthday of Mary Augusta Davey, who acted under the names Minnie Maddern, Minnie Maddern Fiske and Mrs. Fiske (1865-1932). Performer, director and producer of many dramas before and…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, December 13, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 13 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1925 Birthday in West Plains, MO, of actor Dick Van Dyke, who will appear on Broadway in Bye Bye Birdie and The Girls Against the Boys, and create memorable TV and film roles in "The Di…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:28AM
Friday, December 12, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 12 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld, Sam Maher and Anne Bradley

1902 There will be two debuts in Everyman. Edith Wynne Matthison makes her American debut, and Charles Rann Kennedy makes his stage debut.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, December 11, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 11 by David Gewirtzman and Anne Bradley, Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Sam Maher

1893 Oscar Wilde gets his second Broadway production in a year with the U.S. premiere of his play A Woman of No Importance at Miner's Fifth Avenue Theatre.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, December 9, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 9 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld, Sam Maher and Anne Bradley

1902 Birthday of actress Margaret Hamilton, who will appear on Broadway in plays including The Farmer Takes a Wife, The Dark Tower, Goldilocks and a revival of Our Town, but who will forever…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, December 8, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 8 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld, Sam Maher and Anne Bradley

1903 Mam'selle Napoleon is Anna Held in this musical at the Knickerbocker Theatre. Produced by Held's husband Florenz Ziegfeld, with a score by Gustav Luders, this show will have a 4…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, December 6, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 6 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1896 Birthday of Ira Gershwin (1896-1983), one of Broadway's most sterling lyricists, mainly in collaboration with his brother George Gershwin. Ira's musicals will include Porgy …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, December 5, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 5 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1921 Novelist Theodore Dreiser's play, The Hand of the Potter, opens at the Provincetown Playhouse in New York. Scenes range from the poverty-stricken Lower East Side to the lavish&#…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, December 3, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today in Theatre History: DECEMBER 3 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld, Sam Maher and Anne Bradley

1888 One of Frances Hodgson Burnett's greatest successes opens today: Little Lord Fauntleroy starring Tommy Russell. The story of a American boy who discovers he's the heir to a Brit…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, December 1, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 1 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1907 Theatrical producer Herman Levin is born in Philadelphia, PA.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, January 30, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 30 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1911 Hugh Herbert Hipple is born today in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After dropping two H's, he will become suave actor Hugh Marlowe. In 1940 he will appear in Elmer Rice's Flight T…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, January 25, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 25 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1915 It'll be 90 in the Shade for only 40 performances. The unpaid actors will refuse to go on in this musical with a Jerome Kern score and book by Guy Bolton. Richard Carle and Marie Ca…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, January 21, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 21 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1903 Dorothy, The Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are first seen on Broadway today in the original musical The Wizard of Oz, with music by Paul Tietjens and book and lyrics by L…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards