All stories by Elizabeth Blair on BroadwayStars

Thursday, June 30, 2016

This Shakespeare Reconstruction Sets 'Merchant' In Post-Civil War D.C. by Elizabeth Blair

In District Merchants, Shylock is still Jewish, but half of the other characters are freed slaves. The playwright says he was inspired but a reference to slavery in Shakespeare's original te…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:10PM
Thursday, January 21, 2016

In 'Sweat,' Adapting To Change Is The Hardest Work Of All by Elizabeth Blair

Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage spent two years visiting Reading, Pa., to research her new play. Sweat explores how industrial decline affected workers in the former steel and textile tow…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:48PM
Monday, December 21, 2015

HBO Documentary Explores Dark Underbelly Of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet by Elizabeth Blair

Russia's Bolshoi Ballet was rocked following the 2013 acid attack on the company's artistic director. A new documentary airing Monday on HBO, Bolshoi Babylon, looks at the culture of the com…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:26PM
Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Daily Show's Hasan Minhaj on Prom Woes, Indian Dads, And White Folks At Desi Weddings by Elizabeth Blair

Comedian's absorbing tale as a first generation American and the NBA (New Brown America).

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:03PM
Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Deluge Contaminates And Destroys Ballet School by Elizabeth Blair

The South Carolina flood has left the Columbia Classical Ballet Company without not just its costumes and scores but its building.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:20PM
Monday, September 28, 2015

No Vanity Project: Baryshnikov Tells Artists, 'You're The Boss' by Elizabeth Blair

You'd think the sign in front of dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov's arts center would have his name in lights — but actually, you can barely see it. He says what happens inside is way more impor…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:01AM
Friday, August 14, 2015

'Evan Hansen' Makes Music Out Of Teen Angst And Anxiety by Elizabeth Blair

A new musical by Tony nominated songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Dear Evan Hansen is a comedic drama that deals with teen suicide in the age of social media.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:12PM
Friday, July 24, 2015

Nearly 200 Comedians, All Playing The Same City by Elizabeth Blair

Just For Laughs, the biggest and oldest comedy festival in the world, is underway in Montreal. We'll find out who's new, who's returned and learn about some surprise hits.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:54AM
Thursday, July 23, 2015

You Might Not Know Kenny Ortega, But You Probably Know His Choreography by Elizabeth Blair

Ortega is one of the most sought after choreographers in showbiz. He's worked with everyone from Michael Jackson to Zac Efron and is responsible for some of Hollywood's most memorable dance …

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:46AM
Friday, June 12, 2015

Ron Moody, Who Played Fagin In 'Oliver!' Dies At 91 by Elizabeth Blair

Moody was defined by the role of Fagin in Oliver!. He played it on stage in London and New York and in the Oscar-winning film version of the Dickens story. Moody died Thursday at 91.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:20PM
Thursday, June 11, 2015

Ron Moody, Who Delighted Audiences As Fagin In 'Oliver!' Dies by Elizabeth Blair

Throughout his career, Moody played a variety of parts on stage and screen. But in the villainous Fagin, he found the role of a lifetime.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 02:48PM
Thursday, April 9, 2015

Who Gets To Dance In 'Swan Lake'? The Answer Is Changing by Elizabeth Blair

For the first time, two black dancers will star in a major American production of Swan Lake. NPR's Elizabeth Blair peeks behind the curtain to see why it has been so hard for ballet to diver…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:51PM
Saturday, February 14, 2015

For Three Comedians, Valentine's Day Makes For One Big Joke by Elizabeth Blair

Whether they find Valentine's Day "icky," or the "Christmas of love," stand-up comics Jim Gaffigan, Marina Franklin and Ted Alexandro all find plenty of funny material in romance — or the …

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 07:12AM
Monday, January 19, 2015

A Rare Bird: After 120 Years, Audiences Still Flock To 'Swan Lake' by Elizabeth Blair

Despite being long, convoluted and sometimes sleep-inducing, Swan Lake is a reliable ticket-seller for dance companies. The version most often performed today premiered in Russia in 1895.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 04:09PM
Tuesday, October 28, 2014

At 83, Dancer Carmen De Lavallade Looks Back At A Life Spent Onstage by Elizabeth Blair

De Lavallade's husband of 59 years, dancer Geoffrey Holder, died on Oct. 5. "He was my biggest fan and I was the same way with him," she says. De Lavallade's one-woman show is called As I Re…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 04:38PM
Thursday, October 9, 2014

Play, Ball: A Theatrical Look At The 'Beauty And Brutality' Of Football by Elizabeth Blair

In the new play Colossal, a former football player, paralyzed after taking a bad hit during a game, reflects on his glory days and his struggles as a gay man in the macho culture of football.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 04:14PM
Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Tony Award Winner Geoffrey Holder Dies At 84 by Elizabeth Blair

A legend of the dance world has died. The multi-talented Geoffrey Holder was also an actor and a visual artist. He died Sunday of complications from pneumonia. He was 84.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 04:36AM
Saturday, March 24, 2012

Basil Twist: A Genius, With Many A String Attached by Elizabeth Blair

Basil Twist has been called a genius. The art he's a genius at? Puppetry — which he knows can be a hard sell. "It's not of this time," he says. "It's not of the world we live in now." But …

SOURCE: WNYC at 08:00AM
Friday, March 16, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Oprah And 'Glee' Say Goodbye With Something 'Wicked' by Elizabeth Blair

This is a big week for goodbyes on TV. And to mark the occasion, two major broadcast events will be using the same song. Tomorrow both Oprah and the season finale of Glee will feature the so…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 03:04PM

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