5 Favorite Audra McDonald Performances With only 6 Tony Awards (and a meager 10 nominations), maybe some day Audra McDonald will be a success on the Broadway stage, right? My first memory of her wasn't on Br…

Review of the Saturday, February 8, 2025 evening performance at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City. Starring Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard, Christopher Sieber, Michelle Williams, Josh Lamon and Taurean E…

Review of the Saturday, February 8, 2025 matinee at the Majestic Theatre in New York City. Starring Audra McDonald, Danny Burstein, Joy Woods, Jordan Tyson, Kevin Csolak, Lesli Margherita, Lili Thomas and Mylin…

Lovers! Broadway lovers! It's that time of year when love is in the air... Whether you have a Valentine of your own or you are on your own, let's see if you can match up these musical couples. Broadway Games: …

Review of the Sunday, February 9, 2025 matinee performance at New York City Center in New York City. Starring Jordan Fisher, Riann Wilson, Christopher Fitzgerald, Greg Hildreth, Tiffany Mann, Stephanie Styles, …

Review of the Friday, February 7, 2025 evening performance at the Circle in the Square Theatre in New York City. Starring Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler. With Gabby Beans, Daniel Bravo Hernandez, Jasai Chase-Owen…

If you think about it, the story of Into the Woods hinges on four central props: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. Broadway shows are full …

 Remembering David E. Byrd Generations of theater fans are familiar with the work of artist David E. Byrd, who passed away yesterday. You may have some of his work hanging on your wall, or maybe you have a t…

It seems that Mary Rodgers was famous for many things. She's part of a Broadway family - she was the daughter of Richard Rodgers, and she's Adam Guettel's mother. She was an acclaimed and popular children's aut…

Broadway Games: Where Haven't We Seen You Before III Wicked Edition Pick the one show each Wicked cast member hasn't been in: 1. Eden Espinosa (former Elphaba)     A. Broadway: Brooklyn     B. Broadway: …

Inside the Playbill: Blood Brothers February 1994 Just short of 31 years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing one of my favorite musicals, Blood Brothers, featuring what ended up being my favorite casts in the s…

2024 - 2025 Broadway Musical Logos: Redwood It's kind of refreshing to see a show logo that knows exactly what it is selling, and does so in a simple and eye-catching way. Whether you are walking in the theate…

  5 Favorite Classic Musicals of the 1960s  Last month, one of our Friday 5 lists was our Favorite Classic Musicals of the 1950s, and now we move into the decade of love and the end of Broadway's Golden Era…

It seems by design in Jamie Lloyd's Sunset Boulevard, that the ensemble is impactful but nondescript. After all, it's Norma's movie, and no one stands out. Except that the reality is that each member is a rema…

 At This Performance: Sydney Jones as Betty Schaefer in Sunset Blvd. Let's be honest, Betty Schaefer is not the big draw of Sunset Boulevard, and in this revival she's pretty far down the list of reasons to v…

Like most theater fans, we long ago set a goal of seeing a show in each of Broadway's 41 theaters. We've been lucky enough to have done just that some time ago. How many have you been to? Whether you've been to…

At This Theatre: The Broadhurst Since it opened in 1917, the Broadhurst has rarely been without a booking. It opened on September 27th of that year with the original production of George Bernard Shaw's Misalli…

As Norma Desmond says, "It's a return." So far in 2025, here are five Broadway folk who are not making a comeback that we can't wait to see again! Friday 5: 5 2025 Broadway Returns Nicholas Barasch - Frede…

Today, we return to our series, Best Songs From Best Scores, in which we take a look at the numbers from a season's Best Original Score Tony nominees. Of course, "best" is in the eye ear of the beholder, and…

One of today's most creative and acclaimed scenic designers, Rachel Hauck seems to just be getting started. And yet, she's been a fixture off-Broadway, regionally and internationally, as well as a highly creden…

Broadway Games: Musicals in 3 Clues III DIRECTIONS: Can you name the Broadway musical we are looking for based on the three clues we provide? We'll give you a character's name, a song and a setting clue for e…

Happy New Year! With 2024 behind us, it seems only appropriate to take stock of the year that was, and to look ahead at those things we hope to accomplish in 2025. Theatrical Resolutions: 2025 Edition First …

Before we sign off for 2024, Mike and I thought we'd weigh in on our favorite productions that we saw over the past twelve months. Overall, the shows we loved far outweighed those we didn't. That said, there we…

2024 in Review: Our Favorite Performances We were fortunate enough to see 23 different productions in 2024: 20 Broadway, 2 off-Broadway, and 1 regional; these are the shows we considered in all categories fo…

Every year, there are huge hits, big flops, news makers and fan favorites, scandals and groundbreaking ideas in the theater scene. And when we pause to review the year just ending, we always think of things tha…

2024 in Review: Our Favorite Design Elements (6 Categories + 2 Special Citations) We were fortunate enough to see 23 different productions in 2024: 20 Broadway, 2 off-Broadway, and 1 regional; these are the sh…

2024 in Review: Our Favorite Writing & Direction (6 Categories) We were fortunate enough to see 23 different productions in 2024: 20 Broadway, 2 off-Broadway, and 1 regional; these are the shows we consid…

Review of the Sunday, December 15, 2024 matinee performance at The Max at Signature Theater in Arlington, Virginia. Starring Erin Weaver, Christopher Bloch, Sherri L. Edelen, Zachary Keller, Cameron Loyal, Mike…

5 Classic Musicals of the 1950s  A few Fridays ago, we talked about 5 classic plays that have stood the test of time and remain as entertaining and relevant as ever. When I tried to make a list of just 5 cla…

At This Theatre: The Al Hirschfeld On November 11, the Al Hirschfeld Theatre turned 100 years old! Back then, it was known as the Martin Beck Theatre, and it stayed that way until June 21, 2003, when the name …

Review of the Saturday, December 7, 2024 matinee performance at the Belasco Theatre in New York City. Starring Darren Criss, Helen J. Shen, Marcus Choi, Dez Duron and HwaBoon. Music by Will Aronson. Lyrics by H…

Broadway Games: Musicals in 3 Clues II DIRECTIONS: Can you name the Broadway musical we are looking for based on the three clues we provide? We'll give you a character's name, a song and a setting clue for ea…

Don't miss our Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale! Click HERE. It ends today!! My most recent theater excursion to the Big Apple ended up being a solo trip at the last minute. While it wasn't the first time I've …

Don't miss our Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale! Click HERE. It ends today!! The leaves have fallen, and colder breezes are here. It has even snowed some places! I enjoy the winter months. As a theater-goer, t…

5 Wicked Thoughts After months of movie hype, we finally saw Wicked (Part 1). Did it live up to the hype? Was it as good as the Broadway show? Was it better? We have thoughts on that... and they may contain …

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale! Happy Holidays, readers and fellow Broadway Collectors! Starting today and through Monday, December 2nd, ALL of our Playbills and Lights of Broadway Cards are on sale! No exc…

When the "Best Musical" Isn't Your "Favorite":A Strange Loop vs Girl From the North Country (and Six) It's been a while since we posted an article in this series, duty we thought we'd revive it with what m…

The latest musical based on a film has come to the Main Stem, headlined by two beloved divas, a pop star and a Broadway favorite. With pretty excellent reviews, an A-list cast and a popular film as its source, …

Like most theater fans, we long ago set a goal of seeing a show in each of Broadway's 41 theaters. We've been lucky enough to have done just that some time ago. How many have you been to? Whether you've been to…

Review of the Sunday, November 10, 2024 matinee preview performance at the Longacre Theatre in New York City. Starring John Gallagher, Jr., Stark Sands, Wayne Duvall and Adrian Blake Enscoe. Book by John Logan…

The fall Broadway season has been a pretty busy one for musicals this year. The newest of them, Swept Away, has one of my favorite logos. Everything about it intrigues me. I can say for sure that I am not alone…

Review of the Saturday, November 9, 2024 matinee performance at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York City. Starring Jim Parsons, Zoey Deutch, Katie Holmes, Billy Eugene Jones, Ephraim Sykes, Richard Thomas, …

Review of the Friday, November 8, 2024 preview performance at the Belasco Theatre in New York City. Starring Darren Criss, Helen J. Shen, Marcus Choi, Dez Duron and HwaBoon. Music by Will Aronson. Lyrics by Hue…

Review of the Saturday, November 9, 2024 evening performance at the St. James Theatre in New York City. Starring Nicole Scherzinger, Tom Francis, David Thaxton, Sydney Jones and Diego Andres Rodriguez. Music by…

Broadway Games: Musicals in 3 Clues DIRECTIONS: Can you name the Broadway musical we are looking for based on the three clues we provide? We'll give you a character's name, a song and a setting clue for each. …

 Play It Again: Anyone Can Whistle's "With So Little To Be Sure Of" For this new series, Jeff has invited me to choose some classic Broadway show tunes and compare versions of these songs from several differ…

These days, it is important to raise awareness and support completely original new musicals. With no movie name recognition, jukebox music, a famous biographical subject or even a name writing team, advertising…

5 Favorite Classic Plays If this was called the Friday 6, Our Town would have made today's list. After purchasing tickets to this season's revival, I got to thinking about older plays that I love. I'm not tal…

At This Theater: The Minskoff Theatre Named for the man who developed the building where it is located, the Minskoff Theatre opened in 1973. It's first production was a splashy revival of the musical Irene,…

Last week, we continued our logos series with a look at the first of the season's bio-musicals, A Wonderful World (HERE). This week, we dive into the show art for the other one, Tammy Faye, which recently bega…

Like most theater fans, we long ago set a goal of seeing a show in each of Broadway's 41 theaters. We've been lucky enough to have done just that some time ago. How many have you been to? Whether you've been to…

Play It Again: Guys and Dolls' "Luck Be A Lady" For this new series, Jeff has invited me to choose some classic Broadway show tunes and compare versions of these songs from several different cast recordings. …

Nearly every season in recent memory seems to include either a jukebox musical or a bio-musical (or both in the same season). Right now, Broadway is hosting two bio-musicals: Tammy Faye, with an original Elton …

5 Favorite Designs by Beowulf Boritt Six-time Tony nominee and two-time winner, Beowulf Boritt burst on to the Broadway scene in 2005 with his scenic design for The 25th Annual Putnam County County Spelling B…

Over the course of each month, we'll collect pictures and newsy tidbits from the "TheatreScene." We'll be scouring Twitter, Instagram and other social media for interesting items. And we'd love to share your l…

One That Got Away: Groundhog Day Everything about Groundhog Day pointed toward me seeing it. It's score came from the brilliant minds behind one of my favorite musicals, Matilda, including director, Matthew W…

Broadway Games: One Word Musicals        What's in a name? A lot, when it's doing the heavy lifting of being the title of a big Broadway (or off-Broadway) show! DIRECTIONS: Match the titles with the …

Two of this season's most anticipated shows are revivals, one a modern era classic, the other a Golden Age classic. Both shows have had previous revivals, but these both aim to be different than their predecess…

2023 - 2024 Season After tabulating all of your votes, it turned out pretty much as we expected. It was cool that each of the 12 shows from last season had at least one song that made the list. There were some…

5 Broadway Debuts We Are Looking Forward To This Fall Every season, we are enchanted by the thrilling Broadway debuts of a variety of actors, singers and dancers. Some are debuts by talented individuals who are…

Playbill at 140  In this age of everything going digital, it seems unlikely a print magazine would still have a place in popular culture. And yet, Playbill endures. Now, it is celebrating its 140th birthday!…

As we begin the new Broadway season, and now that we've all had a chance to get familiar with the new, original scores from last season, we are looking to create a countdown of your favorite songs of the 2023 -…

Like most theater fans, we long ago set a goal of seeing a show in each of Broadway's 41 theaters. We've been lucky enough to have done just that some time ago. How many have you been to? Whether you've been to…

Play It Again: Oklahoma!'s "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" For this new series, Jeff has invited me to choose some classic Broadway show tunes and compare versions of these songs from several different cast re…

Cast Recording Review: Water For Elephants When I reviewed Water For Elephants, I had this to say about the score: "As good as the score is on one hearing as it is happening, I can't wait to get my hands on …

5 Shows For Encores! With Lear DeBessonet moving on to head Lincoln Center Theater, we thought we'd offer her successor some suggestions for future seasons! Here is the Friday 5, in alphabetical order: Aspe…

Over the course of each month, we'll collect pictures and newsy tidbits from the "TheatreScene." We'll be scouring Twitter, Instagram and other social media for interesting items. And we'd love to share your l…

As we begin the new Broadway season, and now that we've all had a chance to get familiar with the new, original scores from last season, we are looking to create a countdown of your favorite songs of the 2023 -…

Like most theater fans, we long ago set a goal of seeing a show in each of Broadway's 41 theaters. We've been lucky enough to have done just that some time ago. How many have you been to? Whether you've been to…

Play It Again: Sweeney Todd's "My Friends" For this new series, Jeff has invited me to choose some classic Broadway show tunes and compare versions of these songs from several different cast recordings. Wherev…

As we begin the new Broadway season, and now that we've all had a chance to get familiar with the new, original scores from last season, we are looking to create a countdown of your favorite songs of the 2023 -…

5 Best Costumes Currently on Broadway Mary's Hoop Skirt - Oh, Mary! Costume design by Holly Pierson     Wig design by Leah J. Loukas Move over, Mrs. Anna. Your dance-y hoop skirt may have finally met its …

Where did summer go? Personally, I'm happy for the fall - it'll get cooler, the leaves will turn, and the new Broadway season will be in full swing! As always, though, before we look ahead, we like to take stoc…

As we begin the new Broadway season, and now that we've all had a chance to get familiar with the new, original scores from last season, we are looking to create a countdown of your favorite songs of the 2023 -…

A Broadway Acrostic-ish Puzzle: Tony Awards Stats Figure out the Broadway-related answer to each clue below. Then, transfer each letter to the grid to reveal an interesting Tony Award stat. The numbers are co…

Play It Again:  La Cage aux Folles' "I Am What I Am" For this new series, Jeff has invited me to choose some classic Broadway show tunes and compare versions of these songs from several different cast recor…

As we begin the new Broadway season, and now that we've all had a chance to get familiar with the new, original scores from last season, we are looking to create a countdown of your favorite songs of the 2023 -…

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Review of the Wednesday, August 21, 2024 matinee performance at the Hudson Theatre in New York City. Starring Sutton Foster and Michael Urie with Brooks Ashmanskas, Will Chase, Nikki Renee Daniels, Ana Gasteyer…

Opening in 1913 with the play, The Great Adventure, The Booth Theatre  was named for American actor Edwin Booth, not the other one. Interestingly enough, a revival of Our American Cousin did play there, but t…