All stories by Pat Saperstein on BroadwayStars

Friday, February 2, 2024

Don Murray, Oscar-Nommed for His ‘Bus Stop’ Role Opposite Marilyn Monroe, Dies at 94 by Pat Saperstein

Don Murray, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance opposite Marilyn Monroe in the 1956 film adaptation of William Inge’s play “Bus Stop,” has died. He was 94. His son Chr…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:23PM
Saturday, December 30, 2023

Maurice Hines, Tap Dancer in ‘The Cotton Club,’ Dies at 80 by Pat Saperstein

Maurice Hines, an actor, dancer and choreographer who starred with his brother Gregory Hines in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Cotton Club,” died Friday. He was 80. Friends including Debb…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:29PM
Friday, December 8, 2023

Ryan O’Neal, ‘Love Story’ and ‘Paper Moon’ Star, Dies at 82 by Pat Saperstein

Oscar-nominated actor Ryan O’Neal, who came to prominence on TV’s “Peyton Place” and became a top star of the 1970s in films including “Love Story,” “What’s Up, Doc?,” “P…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:16PM
Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Frances Sternhagen, Tony-Winning Actor Who Appeared in ‘Cheers,’ ‘ER,’ Dies at 93 by Pat Saperstein

Frances Sternhagen, a Tony-winning actress with many decades on the stage and screen, died Monday of natural causes in New Rochelle, N.Y. Her son Tony Carlin confirmed her death to the New Y…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:04PM
Monday, February 28, 2022

Ned Eisenberg, Actor on ‘Law and Order: SVU,’ Dies at 65 by Pat Saperstein

Ned Eisenberg, a stage and screen actor who played defense attorney Roger Kressler on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and Detective Hauser in “Mare of Easttown,” has died. He…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:12PM
Thursday, January 13, 2022

Robert Ackerman, Prolific Theater and Television Director, Dies at 77 by Pat Saperstein

Theater, film and television writer-director Robert Allan Ackerman died Jan. 10. He was 77. Nominated twice for Golden Globes and five times for Emmys, Ackerman also received numerous theate…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:04PM
Saturday, April 10, 2021

Variety Wins Best Entertainment Website at National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards by Pat Saperstein

Chief film critic Peter Debruge took the trophy for theater criticism for several works: Isabelle Huppert and Dimitris Papaioannou in Paris,’ ‘A Play Is a Poem,’ ‘The Night Before Br…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:40AM
Tuesday, March 23, 2021

George Segal, ‘Goldbergs’ Star and Oscar Nominee, Dies at 87 by Pat Saperstein

George Segal, whose long career included playing Albert “Pops” Solomon on “The Goldbergs,” and garnering an Oscar nom for supporting actor for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,”…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:41PM
Friday, March 12, 2021

Before Liza Minelli Won an Oscar, She Got Serious With ‘Sterile Cuckoo’ and ‘Junie Moon’ by Pat Saperstein

Liza Minnelli was born into show business royalty on March 12, 1946, and pressed into service onstage at the tender age of 14 months by her singer mother Judy Garland and director father Vin…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:10AM
Sunday, January 17, 2021

How James Earl Jones Became ‘The Voice’ After Years of Childhood Silence by Pat Saperstein

James Earl Jones, who turns 90 on Jan. 17, has one of the most famous voices of all time — not just as Darth Vader and Mufasa, but as the voice of CNN and hundreds of other programs. But t…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:30AM
Friday, January 15, 2021

Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch Join ‘Matilda’ Musical by Pat Saperstein

Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch and Alisha Weir will join Netflix’s musical adaptation of the beloved children’s story “Matilda,” directed by Matthew Warchus. Thompson will play Miss Tr…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:07AM

Peter Mark Richman, Actor in ‘Beverly Hills 90210,’ ‘Three’s Company,’ Dies at 93 by Pat Saperstein

Peter Mark Richman, who made numerous film and TV appearances including recurring roles in “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Three’s Company,” and toplined the early 1960s series “Cain�…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:07AM

Bob Iger and Willow Bay Donating $5 Million to Hard-Hit Los Angeles Businesses by Pat Saperstein

Bob Iger and Willow Bay will be donating $5 million to small businesses throughout Los Angeles that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, mayor Eric Garcetti announced Thursday. “We…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:07AM
Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Tony Awards: Full List of Winners (Updating Live) by Pat Saperstein

The 73rd Tony awards are under way in Manhattan. Winners in each category are bolded. Best Musical Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations Beetlejuice Hadestown The Prom …

SOURCE: Variety at 09:06AM
Friday, April 19, 2019

‘Field of Dreams’ Turns 30: Why the Baseball Classic Still Holds a Special Place in America’s Hearts (and Heartland) by Pat Saperstein

Humphrey Bogart never said, “Play it again, Sam” in the 1942 Oscar-winning classic “Casablanca.” In fact, no one says it in the movie. And the mysterious voice in the adored 1989 fan…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:34PM
Sunday, March 31, 2019

‘Heathers’ Turns 30: Why Winona Ryder’s Agent Begged Her Not to Do the Subversive Teen Movie by Pat Saperstein

Director Michael Lehmann was shocked when he looked at the New York Times and Los Angeles Times entertainment sections and saw there were no ads for the second week of dark high school comed…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:59PM
Friday, March 22, 2019

Barbra Streisand Believes Michael Jackson Accusers, But Says ‘They Were Thrilled to Be There’ by Pat Saperstein

Barbra Streisand only met Michael Jackson a few times, but she definitely has some opinions about his alleged molestation of several young boys. Streisand shared her thoughts with the Times …

SOURCE: Variety at 10:18PM
Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Remembering Carol Channing: A Master of Channeling the Power of Personality by Pat Saperstein

There was only one Carol Channing, and her outsize personality was a source of delight to many fans — and imitators. Gerard Alessandrini’s stage spoof “Forbidden Broadway” had ma…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:06PM
Sunday, November 18, 2018

Lady Gaga Still Not Back Home in Malibu After Fire by Pat Saperstein

Lady Gaga was among the many entertainment figures who had to evacuate during the catastrophic Woolsey fire a week ago, and she still hasn’t been able to return to her house. Though ev…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:35PM
Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Debra Messing Remembers Craig Zadan: ‘I Hope Ethel Merman Is Singing to Him Right Now’ by Pat Saperstein

Craig Zadan and his producing partner, Neil Meron, are responsible for one of the most meaningful professional experiences in my career. They brought the magic of Broadway to primetime telev…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:15PM
Saturday, March 3, 2018

David Ogden Stiers, Major Winchester on ‘MASH,’ Dies at 75 by Pat Saperstein

David Ogden Stiers, best known for his role as the arrogant surgeon Major Charles Emerson Winchester III on “MASH,” died Saturday. He was 75. His agent, Mitchell K. Stubbs, tweet…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:38PM
Friday, December 15, 2017

After Disney-Fox Acquisition, Should Movie Business Be Wary of What Happened to the Music Industry? by Pat Saperstein

With Fox and Disney announcing their anticipated multi-billion dollar mega-merger on Thursday, the movie industry is poised to experience the impact of consolidation and potential ripples to…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:30PM
Thursday, December 14, 2017

Fox Merges With Disney: The Storied Studio’s 102-Year History by Pat Saperstein

Movies weren’t yet talkies and the headquarters were located in New Jersey when Fox Film was founded in 1915. William Fox couldn’t have imagined that his modest film company woul…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:45AM
Friday, November 24, 2017

‘Aladdin’ Turns 25: Creators on the Real Beginning of the Disney Renaissance by Pat Saperstein

Before Disney’s animated blockbuster “Aladdin” had its premiere in Japan, directors Ron Clements and John Musker were told not to worry if the audience didn’t laugh. And it wasn�…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:00AM
Monday, October 30, 2017

Kevin Spacey’s Apology Slammed by Dan Savage, Rose McGowan, Billy Eichner by Pat Saperstein

Kevin Spacey’s apology to actor Anthony Rapp has unleashed a flood of negative reactions on Twitter. Spacey’s decision to combine a coming-out statement with an apology to Rapp, …

SOURCE: Variety at 01:11AM
Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Leslie Odom Jr. on Hearing Cynthia Erivo Sing for the First Time by Pat Saperstein

For Variety’s latest issue, we asked Leslie Odom Jr. to write a tribute to Cynthia Erivo, one of 50 people to make our New Power of New York list. Here’s why Erivo represents a new gener…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:20PM

Lin-Manuel Miranda on the Public Theater That Oskar Eustis Built by Pat Saperstein

For Variety’s latest issue, we asked Lin-Manuel Miranda to write a tribute to Oskar Eustis, one of 50 people to make our New Power of New York list. Here’s why Eustis, the artistic direc…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:10PM
Monday, October 2, 2017

Joss Whedon, Julianne Moore, Lady Gaga Implore U.S. to Enact Stronger Gun Control by Pat Saperstein

In the wake of Sunday night’s mass shooting that killed at least 58 people in Las Vegas and injured hundreds more during a country music concert, entertainment figures are begging the …

SOURCE: Variety at 03:56PM
Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Barbara Cook Remembered by ‘Fiddler on the Roof’s’ Sheldon Harnick: More Than an Ingenue by Pat Saperstein

When Barbara Cook had been hired to play the lead in “She Loves Me,” my image of her was based on the roles I had seen her play. I thought she was more or less an innocent ingénue. The …

SOURCE: Variety at 01:15PM
Friday, November 18, 2016

Mike Pence Booed at ‘Hamilton’ Performance by Pat Saperstein

Vice-president elect Mike Pence went to see the hip-hop musical “Hamilton” on Broadway Friday night, and the performance was disrupted when the audience wouldn’t stop booin…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:06PM
Friday, September 30, 2016

‘Jackie,’ ‘La La Land,’ ‘Arrival’ to Screen at Savannah Film Fest by Pat Saperstein

A collection of awards season contenders including “Jackie,” “La La Land,” “Arrival” and “Manchester By the Sea” will screen at the Savannah F…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:57PM

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