All stories by Brent Lang on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

With 5,700 Movie Screens Shut Down and the Box Office in a Slump, Theaters Are Still Waiting for a Post-Pandemic Comeback by Brent Lang

For more than a century, B&B Theatres has brought movies — from “Casablanca” and “Psycho” to “The Dark Knight” and “Barbie” — to audiences across the South and the Mi…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:40PM
Monday, March 17, 2025

James Taylor Developing Stage Musical ‘Fire and Rain’ With Tracy Letts and David Cromer by Brent Lang

James Taylor’s hits are inspiring a new stage musical called “Fire and Rain.” The singer and songwriter has lined up some major talent in the effort. Tracy Letts, the Tony Award and Pu…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:00PM
Wednesday, March 12, 2025

As ‘Moana 2’ Hits Disney+, Co-Director Dana Ledoux Miller Discusses Turning a Planned Streaming Series Into an Animated Smash — and Why the Live by Brent Lang

Growing up, Dana Ledoux Miller’s mother would take her and her brother to matinees of films like “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast.” After, she’d wear…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:34PM
Saturday, March 8, 2025

‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Creator on SXSW Documentary About the Musical’s Legacy and Political Relevance: ‘I Weep For America’ by Brent Lang

It was only supposed to run for a few weeks at a small experimental space upstairs at London’s Royal Court Theatre. But somehow, 50 years after “The Rocky Horror Show” first debuted, …

SOURCE: Variety at 12:32PM
Tuesday, February 25, 2025

‘Wicked,’ ‘Moana 2’ and Other Holiday Hits Lift AMC Theatres Quarterly Earnings, Losses Shrink to $135.6 Million by Brent Lang

“Wicked,” “Moana 2” and holiday hits like “Mufasa: The Lion King” lifted quarterly earnings at AMC Entertainment. Revenues at the world’s largest movie chain hit $1.3 billion, …

SOURCE: Variety at 06:06PM

‘A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical’ National Tour Recoups After Five Months (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

After five months on tour, “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” has recouped its investment. The national tour kicked off last year in Providence, where it had the most successf…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:20PM
Monday, February 24, 2025

‘Heathers the Musical’ Returning to New York After U.K. Run (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

“Heathers the Musical” is returning to New York after an extended run in London and throughout the United Kingdom. The show will play a limited engagement through Sept. 28 at New World S…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:30AM
Thursday, February 20, 2025

‘Mufasa,’ ‘Gladiator 2’ Lift Imax Quarterly Earnings as Company Predicts Record 2025 Box Office by Brent Lang

Holiday blockbusters like “Mufasa: The Lion King” and “Gladiator II” and a re-release of Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” helped lift profits and revenues at Imax during its …

SOURCE: Variety at 01:02PM
Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Cynthia Erivo to Host the 2025 Tony Awards by Brent Lang

Cynthia Erivo, fresh off the box office success of “Wicked,” will command center stage on Broadway’s biggest night as host of the 78th Tony Awards. She takes over as emcee from Ariana …

SOURCE: Variety at 01:00PM
Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Trump Announces He’s Been ‘Unanimously’ Elected Kennedy Center Chairman by Brent Lang

President Trump said Wednesday that he’d been “unanimously” elected to lead the board of the Kennedy Center, completing his takeover of the Washington, D.C. cultural center. The move, …

SOURCE: Variety at 03:48PM
Monday, February 10, 2025

Jeremy O. Harris, Raphael Picciarelli on Reinventing the Williamstown Theatre Festival With a Bold 2025 Season by Brent Lang

When Jeremy O. Harris was tapped to help reinvigorate the Williamstown Theatre Festival, he didn’t just think about traditional showcases for plays and musicals. “The American festivals …

SOURCE: Variety at 06:00PM
Thursday, February 6, 2025

Tituss Burgess to Take Over Lead Role in Broadway’s ‘Oh, Mary!’ by Brent Lang

Tituss Burgess is about to don Mary Todd Lincoln’s bouncy curls and voluminous gowns. The “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” star will take over the lead role in Broadway’s “Oh, Mary!” …

SOURCE: Variety at 09:00AM
Monday, January 27, 2025

Barack Obama Musical ’44’ Reveals Full Cast Ahead of Kirk Douglas Theatre Run (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

“44,” a humorous musical about Barack Obama’s presidency, has announced its complete casting ahead of its production at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. The show, which is produced by Monica …

SOURCE: Variety at 02:00PM
Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Tommy Dorfman Starring in New York Theatre Workshop’s ‘Becoming Eve’ (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

Tommy Dorfman will star in New York Theatre Workshop’s upcoming production of “Becoming Eve.” The show was written by Emil Weinstein (“A League of Their Own”) and is based on the m…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:21AM
Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Women Directed Just 16% of 2024’s Top 250 Grossing Movies, New Report Faults Hollywood For Lack of Progress by Brent Lang

From thrillers like “Babygirl” and “Love Lies Bleeding” to genre-bending horror flicks like “The Substance” to inspirational sports dramas like “The Fire Inside,” women direc…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:43PM

Jennifer Lopez on ‘Unstoppable,’ ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ and Playing Empowered Characters: ‘From the Minute Women Are Born, We’re Alwa by Brent Lang

Jennifer Lopez keeps having to remind Judy Robles that she deserves all the attention she’s been getting as the pair promote “Unstoppable.” The inspirational sports drama has been earn…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:42PM
Friday, December 27, 2024

‘Mufasa’ Rules Post-Christmas Box Office With $12 Million, ‘Nosferatu’ Shows Bite With $7.6 Million Thursday by Brent Lang

Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” is reigning over the holiday box office. The family film, which is a prequel to “The Lion King” (both the 1994 animated classic and the less canoni…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:23AM

Disney Recaptured Its Dominance in 2024 as Family Films and Sequels Ruled the Box Office by Brent Lang

Mark O’Meara, a Virginia-based movie theater owner, wonders and worries constantly about what exactly his customers will buy tickets to see on any given weekend. It’s not that people hav…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:36AM
Tuesday, December 17, 2024

The Southampton Playhouse Taps Maria A. Ruiz Botsacos, Eric Kohn for Leadership Roles (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

The Southampton Playhouse, a historic cinema that is being revitalized into a state-of-the-art movie theater, announced its leadership team on Tuesday. Maria A. Ruiz Botsacos, a top executiv…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:00AM
Thursday, December 5, 2024

‘Swept Away,’ Avett Brothers’ Musical About a Brutal Shipwreck, Ending Broadway Run by Brent Lang

“Swept Away,” a musical that mixed together a shipwreck, cannibalism and the music of the Avett Brothers, hoped to defy conventional wisdom about what constitutes a Broadway hit. Instea…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:30PM
Monday, December 2, 2024

Gavin Creel Honored at Broadway Memorial Service Filled With Music, Humor and Heartbreak: ‘He Was Everyone’s Favorite Person’ by Brent Lang

Gavin Creel, the Tony Award-winning star of “Hello Dolly!” and “Hair” who died in September at the age of 48, was celebrated Monday as a passionate artist and activist in an emotiona…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:15PM
Monday, November 18, 2024

How ‘Swept Away’ Writer John Logan Turned a Horrific Maritime Disaster Into an Unlikely Broadway Musical by Brent Lang

“Swept Away,” a musical about four men stranded at sea, had a landlocked genesis. John Logan, the show’s Oscar-nominated and Tony-winning writer, started teasing out the idea for the m…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:50AM
Friday, November 1, 2024

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Being Made Into Stage Musical From Producer Ken Davenport, Composer A.R. Rahman by Brent Lang

“Slumdog Millionaire,” the Oscar-winning film about a young man from an impoverished background who competes on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,” could be headed…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:48AM
Thursday, October 31, 2024

‘Sleep No More’ Sets Final Performance After Closure Was Delayed a Year (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

“Sleep No More,”  the immersive experience that revolutionized the theater scene, has announced its  final performance. The influential, site-specific show will close following the…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:00PM
Thursday, October 24, 2024

‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ Ending Broadway Run in January by Brent Lang

“Back to the Future: The Musical,” a pricey stage adaptation of the beloved sci-fi adventure, is packing up the DeLorean. The production will have its final Broadway performance on Sunda…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:00PM
Friday, October 18, 2024

In ‘The Hills of California’ Laura Donnelly Plays a Mother Whose Tragic Decision Destroys Her Family — Just Don’t Call Her a Monster by Brent Lang

“I’m smaller in real life,” Laura Donnelly tells me after I admit that I didn’t recognize her, standing pensively by the entrance to the midtown bar where we’re meeting, scanning t…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:16AM
Friday, October 11, 2024

Ryan O’Connor, Michael Wilson Hosting Industry Reading for Broadway Hopeful ‘The Cowards: A Marvelously Queer New Comedy’ (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

Playwright and actor Ryan O’Connor has written a modern, unapologetically queer take on Nöel Coward’s classic comedy “Hay Fever.” Entitled “The Cowards: A Marvelously Queer New Co…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:41PM
Monday, September 23, 2024

Tony Awards Returning to Radio City Music Hall as 2025 Ceremony Sets June Date by Brent Lang

The Tony Awards will return to Radio City Music Hall for the show’s 78th edition. It’s the first time that the annual celebration of the best of Broadway has been held at the Midtown Man…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:00PM
Thursday, September 19, 2024

Nicole Scherzinger on Bringing ‘Sunset Boulevard’ to Broadway: ‘I’m Gonna F—ing Go Out There Every Single Night Coming for Blood’ by Brent Lang

Nicole Scherzinger sounds like a kid desperately clinging to those last fleeting moments of summer break before school starts. She’s calling from an airport in Portugal, having recently wr…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:59AM
Friday, August 2, 2024

AMC Theatres Reports $32.8 Million Quarterly Loss Thanks to Hollywood Strikes, Summer Movie Flops  by Brent Lang

A frosty start to the summer movie season was devastating for AMC Theatres, the world’s biggest exhibitor. The theater chain’s quarterly earnings were severely impacted by a lack of bloc…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:44PM

Elizabeth Lail, Zane Phillips and Nic Ashe Starring in Off Broadway Premiere of ‘Pretty Perfect Lives’ (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

Elizabeth Lail, Zane Phillips and Nic Ashe are set to star in the off Broadway premiere of “Pretty Perfect Lives,” a look at sexual exploration, internet addiction and the dangers of…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:00AM

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