All stories by Robert Simonson on BroadwayStars

Friday, June 12, 2015

In Case You Missed It: The Tonys Aftermath: Fun Home’s Box Office Soars and Two Shows Post Closing N by Robert Simonson

A lot of different shows won trophies at the Tony Awards, which were held June 7, but the real winner of the evening was Fun Home.

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:30PM
Thursday, June 11, 2015

Ron Moody, Who Played Fagin in Oliver!, Dies at 91 by Robert Simonson

Ron Moody, the British actor who memorably played the lovable London crime lord Fagin in both the stage and movie versions of the musical Oliver!, died June 11. He was 91.

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:12PM

Christopher Lee, Menacing Villain of Countless Films, Dies at 93 by Robert Simonson

Christopher Lee, the towering British actor who plays baddies in various forms, eras, worlds and galaxies for many decades, died June 7. He was 93.

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:07AM
Monday, June 8, 2015

Broadway Box-Office Analysis, June 1-7: The Pre-Tonys Rush Packs Theatres and Finding Neverland Is D by Robert Simonson

Playbill's new weekly feature examines the box-office trends of the past week.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:30PM
Friday, June 5, 2015

In Case You Missed It: Scully Will Star in Streetcar and Dames Will Dance on Broadway by Robert Simonson

Dames at Sea, the kitschy 1966 musical that spoofs/celebrates the Busby Berkeley era of movie musicals, is mainly remembered today as the Off-Broadway show that launched the career of Be…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:30PM
Monday, June 1, 2015

Broadway Box Office Analysis, May 25-31: Something Rotten! Has Best Box Office Week Yet by Robert Simonson

An Act of God, the comedy starring Jim Parsons as you-know-who, opened to largely good reviews this week. Over four previews and four full performances, the show played to 92% capaci…

SOURCE: Playbill at 06:32PM
Friday, May 29, 2015

In Case You Missed It: An Act of God Earns Praise and Harold Prince Will Reign in Tokyo by Robert Simonson

The new Broadway comedy An Act of God, which opened on Broadway this week, is a kind of throwback to that old theatre tradition, the star vehicle. You’ve never heard of the playwri…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:07PM
Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Broadway Box-Office Analysis, May 18-25: Something Rotten Has a Full House But The Visit Struggles t by Robert Simonson

Playbill's new weekly feature examines the box-office trends of the past week.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:30PM

Remembering Anne Meara, Actress, Comedienne, and Half of Enduring Showbiz Duo by Robert Simonson

Anne Meara, the stage and film actress who forged a surprisingly durable career, both on her own and, more famously, as half of a comedy and acting duo with her longtime husband, Jerry Still…

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:02PM
Monday, May 25, 2015

Second Floor of Sardi's by Robert Simonson

A Drink with Michael Mayer

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Jan. 15-21: Jacobean Drama Gets a Globe Home; Quartet Gets a New Rocker by Robert Simonson

Shakespeare's Globe in London confirmed plans this week to move forward with the completion of an indoor Jacobean theatre, the shell of which already exists on the Globe site in Southwark.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

To Life! Stars Gather to Celebrate Composer Jerry Bock at Song-Filled Memorial by Robert Simonson

Living participants in the original productions of She Loves Me, Fiddler on the Roof and The Rothschilds -- as well as prominent Broadway revivals of those shows -- gathered at the American …

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Jan. 22-28: A Rising Star for Born Yesterday, an Earnest Hit, a Leavel Playground by Robert Simonson

Actress Nina Arianda is currently entertaining the theatre world with the neatest Cinderella story to come along since Sutton Foster was pulled out of the chorus to star in Thoroughly Modern…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Milton Babbitt, Modernist Composer and Sondheim Mentor, Dies at 94 by Robert Simonson

Milton Babbitt, a leading American composer of modernist classic music, and an early teacher of theatre composer Stephen Sondheim, died Jan. 29 in Princeton, NJ, where he lived. He was 94.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

A Passover Unlike Any Other by Robert Simonson

An unusual Civil War story drew André Braugher to The Whipping Man, Matthew Lopez's three-character Off-Broadway play.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Michael Tolan, Actor and Founder of American Place Theatre, Dies at 85 by Robert Simonson

Michael Tolan, a stage and television actor who helped found the important Off-Broadway forum American Place Theatre, died on Jan. 31 in Hudson, NY. He was 85. The cause was heart disease an…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

THE SECOND FLOOR OF SARDI'S: A Drink With Daryl Roth by Robert Simonson

We roost at the upstairs bar of the famous theatre restaurant to talk to producer and theatre owner Daryl Roth, whose projects include Broadway's Driving Miss Daisy and Off-Broadway's Throug…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Mary Cleere Haran, Insouciant Star of Cabaret World, Dies at 58 by Robert Simonson

Mary Cleere Haran, a pure and ebullient stylist of the American songbook who became an important member of the cabaret circuit during the 1990s and early years of this century, died on Feb. …

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Feb. 5-11: Spider-Man Faces the Villains by Robert Simonson

This week, Spider-Man finally came face to face with the Daily Bugle.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

ASK PLAYBILL.COM: What's With the Distressed Look of BAM's Harvey Theater? by Robert Simonson

A question concerning the unusual interior design of Brooklyn's Harvey Theater.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

ASK PLAYBILL.COM: What's With the Distressed Look of BAM's Harvey Theater? by Robert Simonson

A question concerning the unusual interior design of Brooklyn's Harvey Theater.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Betty Garrett, Comic Player of Movie Musicals and Broadway, Dies at 91 by Robert Simonson

Betty Garrett, a comedic musical comedy actress whose brief film career, though curtailed by the McCarthy-era blacklist, nonetheless left a lasting impression on movie-musical fans, died in …

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

In Starcatcher, Peter Pan Takes Off in a New Direction by Robert Simonson

Three bold imaginations give wing to a new theatrical chapter in the legend of Peter Pan in Off-Broadway's Peter and the Starcatcher.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Evelyn Page, Broadway Actress, Dies at 90 by Robert Simonson

Evelyn Page, an actress with several Broadway credits, died Feb. 6 in Manhattan, Variety reported. She was 90.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Feb. 12-18: John Gallagher, Jr., Bring It On and the NBA on Broadway by Robert Simonson

There's no stopping the ascent of actor John Gallagher, Jr. these days. The veteran of Rabbit Hole, Spring Awakening and American Idiot, will be among cast members populating Jerusalem on Br…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Taking a Swing at Long John Silver by Robert Simonson

In Brooklyn, B.H. Barry and Broadway vets introduce Treasure Island to a new generation.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Feb. 19-25: Normal Heart's Broadway Beat, Spider-Man Update by Robert Simonson

For the contemporary theatre buff, there's a double excitement in the announcement that The Normal Heart will play Broadway in April.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Haila Stoddard, Broadway Actress and Producer, Dies at 97 by Robert Simonson

Haila Stoddard, an unusual Broadway artist who transitioned from actress to producer during a lengthy theatre career, died at her home in Weston, CT. The cause was cardiopulmonary arrest. Sh…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

ASK PLAYBILL.COM: Has the Same Song Ever Been Sung at the Same Time in Two Different Broadway Shows? by Robert Simonson

A question asking whether it's ever been possible to hear two different renditions of the same song on Broadway in the same season.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Jay Landesman, Writer and All-Around Bohemian, Dies at 91 by Robert Simonson

Jay Landesman, a semi-notorious, frenetically ambitious fringe figure of New York and London's Bohemian scenes whose unpublished novel "The Nervous Set" inspired the short-lived 1959 musical…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Nov 17, 2024: Elf - Marquis Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime