All stories by David Gewirtzman on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 14 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Sam Maher and Ernio Hernandez

1893 Lillian Gish, film acting pioneer whose Broadway career lasted from 1913 to 1976, is born today. Her stage shows will include Camille, The Trip to Bountiful and several versions of Uncl…

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Monday, October 13, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 13 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Sam Maher and Ernio Hernandez

1903 Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland opens on Broadway, introducing the songs "I Can't Do the Sum," "Go To Sleep," "Toyland" and "The March of th…

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Sunday, October 12, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 12 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Sam Maher and Ernio Hernandez

1914 Broadway premiere of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, with Mrs. Patrick Campbell as Eliza Doolittle. The drama will serve as the basis of the 1956 musical My Fair Lady.

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Saturday, October 11, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 11 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas and Ernio Hernandez

1918 Jerome Robbins born today. The choreographer spent most of his early career moving easily between the worlds of classical ballet and Broadway, choreographing and/or directing classics i…

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Friday, October 10, 2014

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

1730 Birthday of Oliver Goldsmith, British author of She Stoops to Conquer.

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Thursday, October 9, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: OCTOBER 9 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Sam Maher and Ernio Hernandez

1893 Arthur Wing Pinero courts scandal with his play The Second Mrs. Tanqueray, about a man who brings misery to all with a second marriage. Mrs. Patrick Campbell plays the title character a…

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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 8 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Sam Maher and Ernio Hernandez

1857 Birth of Edward Franklin Albee, who, with B.F. Keith, controlled one of the biggest circuits in vaudeville in the early 20th century. Also, grandfather and namesake of Pulitzer-winn…

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Tuesday, October 7, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 7 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Sam Maher and Robert Viagas

1907 The Gay White Way, a musical revue whose title meant something quite different in that innocent era, opens at the Casino Theatre for a then-healthy run of 105 performances. Blanche …

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Monday, October 6, 2014

Broadway Grosses: Sept. 29-Oct. 5 by David Gewirtzman

All data provided by The Broadway League View Broadway Grosses in a sortable table or view by show at the Playbill Vault  

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:11PM[SHARE]

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 6 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1919 Hitchy-Koo 1919 proves to be a minor success for star Raymond Hitchcock, but it produces the first song hit, "Old Fashioned Garden," for its 28-year-old composer, …

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Sunday, October 5, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 5 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez and Robert Viagas

1896 Broadway premiere of Secret Service, which becomes a perennial touring hit for its author and star, William Gillette.

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Saturday, October 4, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 4 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1880 Writer Damon Runyon, whose short story "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" will go on to form the basis for the musical Guys and Dolls, is born today.

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Friday, October 3, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 3 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Sam Maher and Ernio Hernandez

1859 Eleanora Duse born in Italy. One of the leading actresses of her day, "The Great Duse" will champion the realistic playwrights of the early 20th century, and will have some of…

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 2 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez and Robert Viagas

1890 Julius Henry Marx is born in New York. Under the nickname "Groucho," he and his brothers form one of the most enduring comedy acts ever, The Marx Brothers, rising from Vaudevi…

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Wednesday, October 1, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 1 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1928 Mae West's controversial play Pleasure Man opens at the Biltmore Theatre. It's the story of an actor who has impregnated so many women that the brother of one of them takes up a…

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Tuesday, September 30, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 30 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Daniel Fischer

1915 The huge Hippodrome Theatre opens one of its most successful extravaganzas, Hip! Hip! Hooray!. Described by the New York Times as "a gargantuan spectacle, smarter and more sumptuou…

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Monday, September 29, 2014

Broadway Grosses: Sept. 22-28 by David Gewirtzman

All data provided by The Broadway League View Broadway Grosses in a sortable table or view by show at the Playbill Vault  

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:49PM[SHARE]
Sunday, September 28, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 28 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez and Sam Maher

1892 Birthday of playwright Elmer Rice (1892 -1967), author of many dramas including Street Scene, Counsellor-at-Law, Dream Girl, The Grand Tour and the libretto to Kurt Weill…

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Saturday, September 27, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 27 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas and Ernio Hernandez

1898 Birthday of Vincent Youmans (1898-1946), one of the iconic Broadway composers of the 1920s, whose career will go into a nosedive after that bubbly decade ends. His scores will inclu…

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Friday, September 26, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 26 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1898 Composer George Gershwin is born in New York. He'll go on to write Porgy and Bess, "Rhapsody in Blue," Girl Crazy and the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, Of Thee I Sin…

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Thursday, September 25, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 25 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1928 Chee-Chee, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's musical about castration in ancient China, opens to searing reviews and goes on to close after just 31 performances, the team's …

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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 24 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1902 Cheryl Crawford (1902-1986), one of the most powerful and influential women in Broadway history, is born today. As producer and/or director, she will have a decisive hand in product…

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Monday, September 22, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 22 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Sam Maher and Ernio Hernandez

1921 The Music Box Revue of 1921 is the premiere performance at the new Music Box Theatre, which opened on 45th Street today. This is the first edition of the Revue, itself the first to exhi…

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Sunday, September 21, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 21 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1896 This day marks Florenz Ziegfeld's debut as a Broadway producer. The Parlor March opens at the Herald Square Theatre, starring Anna Held (his mistress and later wife). Ziegfeld's…

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Saturday, September 20, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 20 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez and Robert Viagas

1886 Birthday of writer/director John Murray Anderson (1886-1954), whose work for revues Ziegfeld Follies, Greenwich Village Follies and John Murray Anderson's Almanac helped launch…

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Friday, September 19, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 19 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez and Robert Viagas

1904 Julian Eltinge, the famed female impersonator, makes his Broadway debut today in Mr. Wix of Wickham, the unsuccessful musical at the Bijou Theatre. The now legendary Jerome Kern, who wa…

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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…

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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 17 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1879 The Daly Theatre opens at Broadway and Thirtieth Street in New York.

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Monday, September 15, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 15 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1889 Robert Benchley, the acclaimed actor, critic, and humorist of the early Twentieth Century, is born today. Benchley will marry Gertrude Darling and make his stage debut in this month in …

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Sunday, September 14, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 14 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and David Lefkowitz

1910 Birthday of Lehman Engel (1910-1982), the Tony-winning Broadway conductor who will found the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. Among the shows he will conduct are original productio…

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Saturday, September 13, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 13 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1894 Birthday of British playwright J.B. Priestley (1894-1984), author of plays An Inspector Calls, When We Are Married, Laburnum Grove and A Severed Head.

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All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off