All stories by Jan Simpson on BroadwayStars

Saturday, April 2, 2022

Some Old-Fashioned Fun with "The Music Man," "MJ The Musical" and "Plaza Suite" by Jan Simpson

Here's the dilemma: reviews are usually written by people who see anywhere between 200 and 300 shows a year but the people who read those reviews may see only two or three shows a year, ofte…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:03AM[SHARE]
Saturday, March 26, 2022

Paying Proper Respect to "The Chinese Lady" by Jan Simpson

There are so many things to admire about Lloyd Suh's The Chinese Lady which is currently running at The Public Theater through April 10.  And here are just a few of them. ADMIRATION #1: T…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 01:33PM[SHARE]
Saturday, March 12, 2022

"This Space Between Us" Needs More Filling by Jan Simpson

There are so many themes"cultural assimilation, filial responsibility, sibling rivalry, climate change, animal cruelty, homophobia"packed into This Space Between Us that this new dramedy, wh…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 02:12PM[SHARE]

All the Drama: "Of Thee I Sing," 1932 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama by Jan Simpson

All The Drama is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of deep dives into the plays that have won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize for Drama: "Of Thee I Sing" Of Thee I Sing …

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:01PM[SHARE]
Saturday, March 5, 2022

"sandblasted" Lacks True Grit by Jan Simpson

The playwright Charly Evon Simpson had written a bunch of stuff before she got her breakthrough three years ago with Behind the Sheet, a devastating drama about how the father of American gy…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:42AM[SHARE]
Saturday, February 26, 2022

"English" Has Some Valuable Things to Say by Jan Simpson

There have been so many voices absent from the American stage that sometimes we don't even know what we've been missing until we suddenly hear it. English, the deceptively simple play by San…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 03:12PM[SHARE]
Saturday, February 19, 2022

"Black No More" is a Little Too Pallid by Jan Simpson

Even before it opened at the Pershing Square Signature Center on Tuesday, some people were calling the musical Black No More "the new Hamilton." And it's easy to see why.  The score, much…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 12:36PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, February 15, 2022

A Really Special 15th Anniversary for B&Me by Jan Simpson

I can hardly believe it but I published the first Broadway & Me post 15 years ago on Valentine's Day. So this post should have gone up yesterday. However I was so busy celebrating V-Day …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:12PM[SHARE]
Saturday, February 12, 2022

All the Drama: Playwright Paula Vogel on "How I Learned to Drive," 1998 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama by Jan Simpson

All The Drama is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of deep dives into the plays that have won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize for Drama: "How I Learned to Drive" by Paul…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:01AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, February 8, 2022

The Too Familiar Tale of "Tambo & Bones" by Jan Simpson

It's not easy to write about Tambo & Bones, the new play that opened at Playwrights Horizons this week. And I'm pretty sure its playwright Dave Harris intended it to be difficult.  Th…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 02:06AM[SHARE]
Saturday, January 15, 2022

All The Drama: "Anna in the Tropics" by Nilo Cruz, 2003 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama by Jan Simpson

All The Drama is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of deep dives into the plays that have won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize for Drama: "Anna in the Tropics" by Nilo Cr…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:01AM[SHARE]
Saturday, January 1, 2022

Wishing All of Us a Really Happy New Year... by Jan Simpson

...and the chance to once again safely put the spotlights back on some really good theater:

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 06:03PM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 25, 2021

Christmas Tidings by Jan Simpson

Please click the arrow below and enjoy!  

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 03:33PM[SHARE]
Friday, December 24, 2021

Christmas Tidings by Jan Simpson

My Smilebox Creation

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:06AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 18, 2021

Sizing Up An Uneven and Uneasy Fall Season by Jan Simpson

You might have thought that I'd given up on theatergoing if you've been checking in here to see what I had to say about this comeback season's new shows only to discover that I'd written abo…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 12:36PM[SHARE]
Friday, November 26, 2021

Stephen Sondheim, 1930-2021 by Jan Simpson

 Lots of words are going to be written over the next few days by people who knew him, people who admired him and people who have a better way with words than I do.  So although the ple…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:12PM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 20, 2021

"The Visitor" May Have Arrived Too Late by Jan Simpson

Everyone involved with The Public Theater's new musical The Visitor seems to be walking on eggshells. And who can blame them?   The week before previews were scheduled to begin, the pr…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 01:48PM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 13, 2021

All The Drama: "Cost of Living" by Martyna Majok, 2018 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama by Jan Simpson

All The Drama is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of deep dives into the plays that have won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Cost of Living by Martyna Majok …

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:01AM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 23, 2021

"Lackawanna Blues" and Other Laments by Jan Simpson

Eight plays written by black playwrights are scheduled to open on Broadway this fall. That's twice the number of all the shows by black playwrights that opened on the too-aptly named Great W…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 03:36PM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 16, 2021

All The Drama: "The Subject Was Roses", 1965 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama by Jan Simpson

All The Drama is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of deep dives into the plays that have won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize for Drama: The Subject Was Roses by Frank D…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:01AM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 9, 2021

Going Back to "Pass Over""and live theater by Jan Simpson

  I went to see a show this week.  There was a time when that wouldn't have been a remarkable statement. I routinely saw 150 shows a year and shared my thoughts about many of them her…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:36AM[SHARE]
Saturday, September 25, 2021

All The Drama: "Our Town, by Thornton Wilder", 1938 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama by Jan Simpson

All The Drama is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of deep dives into the plays that have won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Our Town, by Thornton Wilder A P…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:01AM[SHARE]
Saturday, September 4, 2021

B&Me's Annual Labor Day Salute This Year Goes to Theater's Frontline Workers: Ushers by Jan Simpson

What a difference a year makes.                   Or doesn't.  During the spring and summer evenings of 2020 we New Yorkers stood at our windows or out on th…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:24AM[SHARE]

All The Drama: "The Heidi Chronicles", 1989 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama by Jan Simpson

All The Drama is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of deep dives into the plays that have won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize for Drama: The Heidi Chronicles, by Wendy W…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:01AM[SHARE]
Saturday, July 31, 2021

All The Drama: "South Pacific", 1950 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama by Jan Simpson

All The Drama is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of deep dives into the plays that have won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize for Drama: South Pacific Chichester South P…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 06:00AM[SHARE]
Saturday, July 10, 2021

All The Drama: "No Place to Be Somebody", 1970 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama by Jan Simpson

All The Drama is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of deep dives into the plays that have won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize for Drama: No Place to Be Somebody "No Plac…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:01AM[SHARE]
Saturday, July 3, 2021

Theater Books for Summer Reading 2021 by Jan Simpson

  After 16 long and scary months, the coronavirus seems to be in retreat. Over half of the country has now gotten at least one vaccination shot. And here in New York City, 60% of all adu…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 06:03PM[SHARE]
Saturday, June 12, 2021

The Pulitzer Prize for Drama: News About This Year's Winner"And About My New Podcast on Winners of Yesteryear by Jan Simpson

The Pulitzer Prizes were announced yesterday and the winner for the drama prize was Katori Hall for her terrific play The Hot Wing King. I had several dogs in this fight. Like most theater …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:24AM[SHARE]
Saturday, May 15, 2021

All The Drama: "I Am My Own Wife", 2004 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama by Jan Simpson

All The Drama is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of deep dives into the plays that have won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize for Drama: I Am My Own Wife "I Am My Own Wi…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:01AM[SHARE]
Friday, April 23, 2021

Finally, A Few Reasons to Celebrate: Shakespeare's Birthday, Covid Vaccinations by Jan Simpson

People are getting vaccinated, some at a new site right in the middle of New York City's Theater District (click here to read more about that). Meanwhile, theaters are taking steps to reo…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:48AM[SHARE]
Saturday, April 17, 2021

Introducing My New "All the Drama" podcast by Jan Simpson

As some of you know, I'm a contributor to BroadwayRadio and over the past few years, I've hosted "Stagecraft," a show that talks to playwrights and musical book writers about their recent sh…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 02:36PM[SHARE]

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