All stories by Michael Portantiere on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Role Reversal at “Broadway Backwards” by Michael Portantiere

Musical theater guys have sometimes been heard to complain that their female counterparts get the best parts and the best songs in shows such as Mame, Hello, Dolly!, Funny Girl, and Wicked. …

SOURCE: artsamerica.org at 01:18PM
Saturday, February 18, 2012

Driver Education by Michael Portantiere

Elizabeth Reaser and Norbert Leo Butz in HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE Like any other award, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama is not always a 100 percent accurate indicator of superior quality or the &…

SOURCE: artsamerica.org at 05:56PM
Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Attention Must Be Paid by Michael Portantiere

Each season, there’s a stampede of  Broadway openings in the months prior to the Tony Awards. With so many shows arriving at once, journalists and theatergoers pretty much tend to foc…

SOURCE: artsamerica.org at 08:38AM
Friday, February 3, 2012

The Keenan-Bolgers, Back on Broadway! by Michael Portantiere

Fred and Adele Astaire set the gold standard for brother-sister showbiz teams -- but she retired very early, leaving him to become a star on his own. Today, we have two super-talented pairs …

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 06:15AM
Wednesday, February 1, 2012

The Keenan-Bolgers, Back on Broadway by Michael Portantiere

Fred and Adele Astaire set the gold standard for brother-sister showbiz teams -- but she retired very early, leaving him to become a star on his own. Today, we have two super-talented pairs …

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 08:25AM
Sunday, January 29, 2012

How to Pick a Hit by Michael Portantiere

One of the greatest articles I ever read in Playbill was “Hitpicking,” by Barry Tarshis, which was published in the fall of 1970. 1) Is there at least one major film or TV star i…

SOURCE: artsamerica.org at 09:00AM
Monday, January 23, 2012

Petula Clark: Miss Downtown Hits Midtown at Feinstein's by Michael Portantiere

Pop music legend Petula Clark makes a rare New York appearance at Feinstein's at Loews Regency.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 10:45AM
Saturday, January 21, 2012

Oh, Porgy, Oh, Where's My Porgy? by Michael Portantiere

Well, I'm glad I was at least somewhat prepared for the desecration of the operatic masterwork Porgy and Bess that's now on view on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theater, or I probably wou…

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 12:49PM
Saturday, January 14, 2012

The Broadway Musicals of 1946 by Michael Portantiere

Tom Wopat (Photo: Michael Portantiere) If you’re disappointed in the most recent crop of new Broadway musicals — and who isn’t? — you might want to consider time trav…

SOURCE: artsamerica.org at 11:27AM
Sunday, January 8, 2012

What’s Happening in January? by Michael Portantiere

Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis star in PORGY AND BESS (Photo: Michael J. Lutch) Traditionally, January is a slow month for theater in New York (and elsewhere) in terms of ticket sales and ope…

SOURCE: artsamerica.org at 04:54PM
Saturday, December 31, 2011

The Best (and Worst) of Theater in 2011 by Michael Portantiere

Content dictates form, which is why my year-end look back at New York theater in 2011 is somewhat different from previous surveys. Usually I provide a fairly lengthy list of what I consider …

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 08:31AM
Monday, December 26, 2011

Good Newsical by Michael Portantiere

John Walton West, Christina Bianco, and Christine Pedi in NEWSICAL Back in the day, there were lots of revues that used current events and politics as fodder for sharp, witty humor. Now, suc…

SOURCE: artsamerica.org at 11:55AM
Saturday, December 17, 2011

Stars in Your Eyes by Michael Portantiere

Hugh Jackman (Photo by Michael Portantiere) The stars are shining. Although the recent crop of  New York theater openings has proved to be pretty lackluster overall, especially in terms of …

SOURCE: artsamerica.org at 06:57PM
Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Remembered Forever at BC/EFA by Michael Portantiere

The 23rd annual Gypsy of the Year competition, held at the New Amsterdam Theatre, started off with a real blast from the past: A 40th-anniversary reunion of original Broadway cast members of…

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 09:53PM
Sunday, December 4, 2011

Holiday Theater Treats by Michael Portantiere

Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan (Photo: Craig Schwartz) ‘Tis the season, folks! If you’re in the market for holiday entertainment options other than such world-famous mainstays as the R…

SOURCE: artsamerica.org at 06:46PM
Saturday, November 26, 2011

A Broadway Thanksgiving by Michael Portantiere

Here’s my own personal list of 10 theatrical things to be thankful for at this festive time of the year:

SOURCE: artsamerica.org at 07:15AM
Friday, November 25, 2011

A Broadway Thanksgiving by Michael Portantiere

GODSPELL on Broadway Here’s my own personal list of 10 theatrical things to be thankful for at this festive time of the year: 1. Nina Arianda: How often does anyone or anything truly l…

SOURCE: artsamerica.org at 01:37PM
Monday, November 14, 2011

The Battle of the Matinee Idols by Michael Portantiere

Harry Connick, Jr. (Photo: Palma Kolansky) There aren’t many “matinee idols” left in the theater, so it’s quite a happy coincidence that two of the few performers who…

SOURCE: artsamerica.org at 08:25AM
Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Wine, Women, and Song by Michael Portantiere

Don Giovanni is general conceded to be one of the supreme masterworks of opera -- and yet, as Jay Goodwin reminds us in his notes for the new Metropolitan Opera production, "many schola…

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 08:57PM
Tuesday, October 25, 2011

An All American Musical by Michael Portantiere

Under the stewardship of Mel Miller, with stage direction by Thomas Sabella-Mills, the company Musicals Tonight! proudly continues its invaluable function of offering small-scale revivals of…

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 10:09PM
Sunday, October 23, 2011

City Center Reborn by Michael Portantiere

It's long overdue, but the major renovation of New York City Center is well worth the wait and the roughly $75 million cost. This Tuesday evening, October 25. Designed by Ennead Architects, …

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 07:26PM
Friday, October 14, 2011

Jason Graae Loves Jerry Herman by Michael Portantiere

In musical theater land, 2010 was all about Stephen Sondheim, as we all celebrated his life and work during his 80th birthday year. And now it's time to honor another great composer/lyricist…

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 09:57AM
Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Max von Essen is Jay Gatsby by Michael Portantiere

How often do musical theater enthusiasts get to hear a score that's more than 40 years old and yet, in a sense, brand new? Not bloody often. But that's just the experience in store for those…

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 10:26PM
Monday, September 26, 2011

The X Factor by Michael Portantiere

It's Madame X with a capital "M" for Melodrama! Music! and Murder! in a new, over-ripe take on Douglas Sirk films and the ever-durable genre of self-sacrificing cinematic mothers. …

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 12:02AM
Sunday, September 18, 2011

Jeremy Jordan Makes Headlines by Michael Portantiere

The phrase "up-and-comer" absolutely applies to Jeremy Jordan, in spades. The young actor has the leading role of Jack Kelly in the wildly anticipated stage adaptation of the Disne…

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 06:44PM
Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Jonathan Tunick: The Sound of Follies by Michael Portantiere

If you're reading this article, chances are you're well aware that Jonathan Tunick is the orchestrator of several all-time-great Broadway shows, including the lion's share of Stephen Sondhei…

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 09:06PM
Friday, August 5, 2011

Maye in Provincetown by Michael Portantiere

In May of this year, Marilyn Maye had her second two-week engagement at Feinstein's at Loews Regency and received the kind of rave reviews that her mother might have written. Rex Reed of the…

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 12:54AM
Monday, August 1, 2011

Have You Met Miss Jones? by Michael Portantiere

Shirley Jones on the Cassidy clan, Frank Sinatra, and her upcoming nightclub debut at Feinstein's at Loews Regency.

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 07:54AM

Benjamin Walker and Friends Find the Funny at Joe's Pub by Michael Portantiere

The star of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and the upcoming film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Killer is also the creator and host of a monthly comedy showcase.

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 07:54AM

Party On! by Michael Portantiere

Here's your chance to party with Liza, Chita, and other fab folks as Jim Caruso's Cast Party migrates to The Town Hall for one night only.

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 07:54AM

I Could Weill Away the Hours by Michael Portantiere

Chuck Cooper and Ted Sperling on the upcoming concert revivals of Lost in the Stars and Knickerbocker Holiday,

SOURCE: BroadwayStars at 07:54AM

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