All stories by Brian Lowry on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

TV Review: 'American Masters: Mike Nichols' by Brian Lowry

A loving tribute presented largely in his own words, the "American Masters" documentary "Mike Nichols" is directed by his one-time collaborator Elaine May, and drawn extensively from produce…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:44AM[SHARE]
Friday, December 4, 2015

TV Review: 'The Wiz Live!' by Brian Lowry

That 1975 Tony award notwithstanding, "The Wiz" isn't among the greatest of musicals, but practically speaking, it was certainly a shrewd choice for NBC's third annual live extravaganza: Not…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:07AM[SHARE]
Thursday, October 22, 2015

Disney Empire Joins Forces to Plug 'Star Wars' by Brian Lowry

At the risk of mixing franchises, "Star Wars" looks destined to be the hammer Disney wields to synergistically bolster fortunes across its far-flung empire during the build-up to its l…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:42PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 1, 2015

TV Review: 'Wolf Hall' by Brian Lowry

Anchored by Mark Rylance's towering central performance, "Wolf Hall" is a very quiet "Masterpiece," visiting the court of King Henry VIII minus the perfume and airbrushing associated with so…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:30AM[SHARE]
Saturday, March 21, 2015

'Glee' Regains Its Voice In Touching Series Finale (SPOILERS) by Brian Lowry

Let's face it, "Glee" has been running on fumes for several seasons, making its two-hour finale more a subject of curiosity than the emotional event it would have been except for the hardies…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:09AM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 12, 2015

Why New York Times' Dreams of Dominance Are a Fantasy in a Digital World by Brian Lowry

The New York Times recently acknowledged that its media coverage is "in flux," which betrays a gift for understatement. Not only did year-end buyouts claim some of its most experienced hands…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:00PM[SHARE]
Sunday, February 22, 2015

TV Review: Neil Patrick Harris' Academy Awards Opening by Brian Lowry

Neil Patrick Harris brought an obvious bag of tricks to his role as Oscar host, and his opening number took clever advantage of talents he has showcased in stints emceeing the Tonys and Emmy…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:09PM[SHARE]
Monday, December 15, 2014

TV Review: 'Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas' by Brian Lowry

Using stop-motion animation to cleverly create the feel of a holiday-special throwback, "Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas" " derived from the Will Ferrell movie and subsequent musical " turns …

SOURCE: Variety at 10:15AM[SHARE]
Friday, December 5, 2014

TV Review: 'Peter Pan Live!' by Brian Lowry

About 10 minutes after the ratings for “The Sound of Music Live!” rumbled in, I (and no doubt a lot of others) immediately thought “Peter Pan.” Not because that music…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:22AM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 2, 2014

Review: Ellen DeGeneres' Academy Awards Opening by Brian Lowry

Ellen DeGeneres did not sing a song about seeing actresses’ boobs on screen, which, after last year’s Seth MacFarlane skit, represents some sort of progress. Everything else abou…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:00PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Sid Caesar: A Larger-Than-Life Figure, With a Longer Shadow by Brian Lowry

Sid Caesar can be judged, in part, by the company he kept. As the star of "Your Show of Shows," he famously provided a spawning ground for numerous titans of comedy, with a writing staff tha…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:16PM[SHARE]
Monday, January 27, 2014

Jay Leno: Conan's 'Tonight' Exit 'Certainly Not My Fault' by Brian Lowry

Jay Leno is doing all he can to endorse Jimmy Fallon as his heir, as NBC seeks to engineer a smoother-than-usual "The Tonight Show" handoff. Yet in an interview with Variety, Leno stressed t…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:26PM[SHARE]
Sunday, January 12, 2014

TV Review: Harry Connick Jr. Brings Fun Back to 'American Idol' by Brian Lowry

Without declaring victory after just one night, Harry Connick Jr. has almost single-handedly brought a sense of fun back to "American Idol." Whether spoofing his lack of celebrity relative t…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:30AM[SHARE]
Friday, December 6, 2013

Kevin Spacey? Stanley Tucci? Jonathan Banks? All Roads Lead to 'Wiseguy' by Brian Lowry

Reading about Kevin Spacey returning in "House of Cards," watching Jonathan Banks breaking bones on "Breaking Bad" and Steven Bauer in "Ray Donovan," and seeing Stanley Tucci stealing scenes…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:35AM[SHARE]

TV Review: 'The Sound of Music Live!' by Brian Lowry

It’s a long way back to Mary Martin as Peter Pan, but the notion of a live TV musical — with all the inherent risk that entails — still contains more than a little magic. S…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:28AM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 5, 2013

TV Review: 'Six by Sondheim' by Brian Lowry

Affixed with an unnecessary gimmick, "Six by Sondheim" is a loving ode to the composer by director James Lapine " part biography, part detailed examination of the roots of Sondheim's talent …

SOURCE: Variety at 10:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, August 16, 2013

John Oliver's 'Daily Show' Stint Comes to a Successful Close by Brian Lowry

There were media naysayers who acted like Comedy Central was crazy letting Jon Stewart take the summer off to go direct a movie, tapping correspondent John Oliver to fill in for him. “…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:36AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 19, 2013

James Gandolfini's Unlikely Stardom, and the Role of a Lifetime by Brian Lowry

In a different, pre-HBO world, James Gandolfini the TV star never would have happened. Fox wanted Anthony LaPaglia for the lead role when they were developing "The Sopranos," and it's hard t…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:29PM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off