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Friday, May 29, 2015

Playbill Vault’s Today In Theatre History: May 29 by David Gewirtzman and Anne Bradley, Ernio Hernandez

1951 Performer Fanny Brice dies today in Hollywood at age 60. She started in showbiz by winning a series of amateur nights at vaudeville theatres in Brooklyn, then graduated to Burlesque as …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, May 28, 2015

Keke Palmer Joins Cast of Fox’s Grease: Live! by Adam Hetrick, Robert Viagas and Michael Gioia

Singer and actress Keke Palmer, who recently appeared on Broadway in the title role of Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, has joined the cast of the FOX-TV broadcast of Grease: Live…

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:37PM
Monday, May 25, 2015

Fringe Festival in Review by ANDY WEBSTER, DAVID ROONEY, RACHEL SALTZ and DANIEL M. GOLD

New York Times writers review five shows that made their debuts in the early days of this year’s New York International Fringe Festival.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Festivals in Review: Warring Relatives and Joking Rabbis by Ben Brantley, Charles Isherwood, Eric Grode and Jason Zinoman

Four plays at two New York festivals, Under the Radar and Coil, offer a range of themes, styles and even language.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Onstage, the Irreverent (and Maybe Irresistible) by BEN BRANTLEY, CHARLES ISHERWOOD, ERIK PIEPENBURG and SCOTT HELLER

Critics and writers for The New York Times write about shows and performances they are looking forward to seeing on New York stages in 2011.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Onstage, the Irreverent (and Maybe Irresistible) by BEN BRANTLEY, CHARLES ISHERWOOD, ERIK PIEPENBURG and SCOTT HELLER

Critics and writers for The New York Times write about shows and performances they are looking forward to seeing on New York stages in 2011.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 27 by David Gewirtzman and Anne Bradley, Ernio Hernandez

1848 English actress Ellen Terry is born today. She will make her American debut in 1883 with Henry Irving's company. She will go on to star in classic and contemporary works. The Terry fami…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 28 by David Gewirtzman and Anne Bradley, Ernio Hernandez and Robert Viagas

1894 Birthday of playwright Ben Hecht (1894-1964) , author or co-author of The Front Page, Twentieth Century, Jumbo, The Egoist and The Great Magoo.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Today In Theatre History: MARCH 11 by David Gewirtzman and Anne Bradley, Ernio Hernandez and Robert Viagas

1930 Edward Franklin Albee, vaudeville producer and theatre owner, dies today in Palm Beach, Florida. He joined B.F. Keith in the presentation of variety shows and by 1920 had a vaudeville c…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 22 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Anne Bradley and Christopher Reichheld

1912 Stop in at the Liberty Theatre in New York and see just what it takes when you're Elevating a Husband. Edward Everett Horton, Conway Tearle and Jessie Carter are among the cast of this …

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 21 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1903 Dorothy, The Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are first seen on Broadway today in the original musical The Wizard of Oz, with music by Paul Tietjens and book and lyrics by L…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 25 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1915 It'll be 90 in the Shade for only 40 performances. The unpaid actors will refuse to go on in this musical with a Jerome Kern score and book by Guy Bolton. Richard Carle and Marie Cahill…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 30 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1911 Hugh Herbert Hipple is born today in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After dropping two H's, he will become suave actor Hugh Marlowe. In 1940 he will appear in Elmer Rice's Flight To the We…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 14 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1882 Birthday of John Barrymore (1882-1942), actor in the grand style, and scion of the Barrymore acting clan. Though he began as a light comedian, he became identified with the classics, no…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 20 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1893 Birthday of playwright and producer Russel Crouse (1893-1966), whose prodigious output of scripts, many in partnership with Howard Lindsay, includes State of the Union and The Great Seb…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 21 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1879 John Wellington Wells deals his magic and spells for the first time on Broadway with the American premiere of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Sorcerer at the old Broadway Theatre.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Today In Theatre History: MARCH 6 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1933 Maxwell Anderson indicts Both Your Houses, a political story at the Royale Theatre. Morris Carnovsky is in the cast of this Theatre Guild production. It will go on to win the Pulitzer P…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Even as injuries mount, 'Spider-Man' execs vow show must go on by JOE DZIEMIANOWICZ, HEIDI EVANS and CORKY SIEMASZKO, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Dogged by talk of a curse, "Spider-Man" producers vowed Tuesday the star-crossed show would go on despite a shocking fall that could have killed its top stunt man. Christopher Tierney wasn't…

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 05:58PM

Injury strikes 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' musical again as stunt double takes plunge into pit by KERRY BURKE, BARRY PADDOCK AND LEO STANDORA

The curse of "Spider-Man" struck again Monday night when a stunt double in the star-crossed show was injured as he plunged from a platform into a pit below the stage.

SOURCE: New York Daily News at 05:58PM

Would the Bard Have Survived the Web? by SCOTT TUROW, PAUL AIKEN and JAMES SHAPIRO

Literary and creative talents often remain undeveloped unless markets reward them.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Fun, Fun, Fun With Porgy, Bess and George by STEPHEN HOLDEN, JON PARELES, JON CARAMANICA and BEN RATLIFF

New albums by Brian Wilson, John Mellencamp, Trace Adkins, Esperanza Spalding and Boris & Ian Astbury.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM
Sunday, May 24, 2015

Playbill Vault’s Today In Theatre History: May 24 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Ernio Hernandez and Anne Bradley

1925 Godfrey Tearle is Hamlet in the Fellowship Players production at the Prince of Wales Theatre. The Fellowship offers Sunday performances so these employed professionals have the chance t…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Playbill Vault’s Today In Theatre History: May 20 by David Gewirtzman and Anne Bradley, Robert Viagas

1919 Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse call this Kissing Time at London's Winter Garden Theatre. Ivan Caryll provides the music for this tale of complications arising when French ladies carr…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, May 18, 2015

Sinatra at the Stage Door Canteen by Barbara Cohen-Stratyner, Curator Of Exhibitions, New York Public Library For The Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center

  Stage Door Canteen, NY. Photograph by Florence Vandamm. Image ID: ps_the_4036 We have received many questions recently about this, the secondary key image for the exhibition. In t…

SOURCE: The New York Public Library at 10:53AM

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