All stories by Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 11 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1901 A man marries his fiancee On the Quiet because his parents want him to finish Yale. Playwright Augustus Thomas based this comedy on a real incident. It unfolds at the Madison Square The…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, October 18, 2014

Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 18 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez

1858 Our American Cousin, Tom Taylor's comedy about the difference in manners between the English and the Americans, debuts in New York today, and proves an enduring hit, touring and bei…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, September 18, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 18 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Sam Maher

1911 Disraeli, a new drama, opens tonight on Broadway at the Wallack's Theatre. It stars George Arliss as the British prime minister in this play by Louis N. Parker. Arliss' memorabl…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, September 10, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT’S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 10 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Sam Maher

1915 Fanny Brice is reviewed in Variety for her performance at the Palace. Variety says that when she "learns to refrain from starting to disrobe before she is out of sight of the audie…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, March 26, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S eatre History: MARCH 26 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1905 Actor Maurice Barrymore dies today. He was father to Lionel Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore and John Barrymore. He was 57 years old.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: MARCH 26 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1905 Actor Maurice Barrymore dies today. He was father to Lionel Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore and John Barrymore. He was 57 years old.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, March 24, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: MARCH 24 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1909 Irish poet and playwright John Millington Synge dies today. He penned numerous plays including Riders to the Sea and The Playboy of the Western World. For the latter he traveled to the …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, March 23, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: MARCH 23 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1940 It's Separate Rooms for an actress who'd rather sleep with her pet Chihuahua than her playwright husband. Glenda Farrell and Lyle Talbot are the twosome. This comedy by Alan Din…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, March 19, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: MARCH 19 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1872 Birthday of singer/actress Anna Held, future wife of Florenz Ziegfeld, and the classic sexy French flirt of her era. She will play this role in a series of musical vehicles including La…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, March 6, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: MARCH 6 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1933 Maxwell Anderson indicts Both Your Houses, a political story at the Royale Theatre. Morris Carnovsky is in the cast of this Theatre Guild production. It will go on to win the Pulitzer P…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, February 24, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 24 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1876 Birthday of Broadway comedian Victor Moore (1876-1962), who starred or co-starred in the original casts of many musical comedies, notably Of Thee I Sing, Anything Goes, Louisiana Purcha…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, February 22, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 22 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1930 Birthday of Marni Nixon, singer whose voice will be dubbed into the mouths of better-known performers, including Natalie Wood in the film of West Side Story. She will make her Broadway …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, February 21, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 21 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1879 John Wellington Wells deals his magic and spells for the first time on Broadway with the American premiere of W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's The Sorcerer at the old Broadway Th…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, February 20, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 20 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1893 Birthday of playwright and producer Russel Crouse (1893-1966), whose prodigious output of scripts, many in partnership with Howard Lindsay, includes State of the Union and The Great Seb…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, February 16, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 16 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1898 Birthday of Broadway leading lady and producer Katharine Cornell (1898-1974), who starred in and/or produced A Bill of Divorcement, The Age of Innocence, The Barretts of Wimpole Street,…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, February 14, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT' S Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 14 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1882 Birthday of John Barrymore (1882-1942), actor in the grand style, and scion of the Barrymore acting clan. Though he began as a light comedian, he became identified with the classics, no…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, February 11, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 11 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1901 A man marries his fiancee On the Quiet because his parents want him to finish Yale. Playwright Augustus Thomas based this comedy on a real incident. It unfolds at the Madison Square The…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: JULY 3 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Doug Nevin

1878 The original Yankee Doodle Dandy, George M. Cohan (1878-1942) is born on the 3rd of July, (not the 4th as ws family legend) says. A member of the vaudeville team The Four Cohans with hi…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, June 7, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: JUNE 7 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1909 Birthday of Broadway star Jessica Tandy (1909-1994), who created many landmark roles including Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, Agnes in A Delicate Balance and Fonsia in The …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, May 1, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: MAY 1 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1922 Comedy team Potash and Perlmutter are Partners Again. The show plays 31 weeks at the Selwyn Theatre.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, April 14, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: APRIL 14 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1865 Our American Cousin starring Laura Keene is in performance tonight when John Wilkes Booth shoots President Abraham Lincoln at the Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. Booth's broth…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, April 8, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: APRIL 8 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1904 New York City bids adieu to Longacre Square, which had no particular reputation, and says hello to Times Square, which soon develops quite a reputation indeed. Mayor George B. McClellan…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, May 1, 2011

Today In Theatre History: MAY 1 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1922 Comedy team Potash and Perlmutter are Partners Again. The show plays beyond the season at the Selwyn Theatre.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, April 14, 2011

Today In Theatre History: APRIL 14 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1865 Our American Cousin starring Laura Keene is in performance tonight when John Wilkes Booth shoots President Abraham Lincoln at the Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. Booth's broth…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, April 8, 2011

Today In Theatre History: APRIL 8 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1904 The New York Times moves its editorial offices to Long Acre Square, prompting a name change to Times Square.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, March 26, 2011

Today In Theatre History: MARCH 26 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1905 Actor Maurice Barrymore dies today. He was father to Lionel, Ethel and John. He was 57 years old.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, March 24, 2011

Today In Theatre History: MARCH 24 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1909 Irish poet and playwright John Millington Synge dies today. He penned numerous plays including Riders to the Sea and The Playboy of the Western World. For the latter he traveled to the …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Today In Theatre History: MARCH 23 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1940 It's Separate Rooms for an actress who'd rather sleep with her pet Chihuahua than her playwright husband. Glenda Farrell and Lyle Talbot are the twosome. This comedy by Alan Di…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, March 19, 2011

Today In Theatre History: MARCH 19 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1901 Birthday of groundbreaking set designer Jo Mielziner (1901-1976) who will win five Tony Awards for his designs, which included sets for original productions of Death of a Salesman, Guys…

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