Wednesday, October 21, 2020
There were few women in positions of authority when she started in theater. But as she once told me, “If I wanted to do something, I just went ahead and did it.” She blazed a trail f…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 12:57PMTuesday, May 5, 2020
Rather than sit around and mope, Flynn wrote “Good Morning, Quarantine”—setting his own new lyrics to the familiar melody of “Good Morning, Baltimore,” composed by Marc Shaiman (wi…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 09:01PMMonday, April 27, 2020
Will people--especially people who are older or have pre-existing health issues (and many theatergoers are older and have such heath issues)--be willing to gather in packed theaters or conce…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 08:30PMFriday, February 28, 2020
I'm very glad that a friend and I were able to enjoy the high-spirited, fast-moving revue "Five Guys Named Moe," which is currently playing at Westchester Broadway Theatre. A lot o…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 04:19PMFriday, January 10, 2020
The festival has given birth to musicals that have gone on to Broadway ("Next to Normal," "Chaplin," "[title of show]," "In Transit") and Off-Broadway ("Altar Boyz," "The Other Josh Cohen,"…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 03:00PMFriday, January 3, 2020
Composer/lyricist Jerry Herman was, of course, a Broadway legend. He gave us such unforgettable shows as "Hello, Dolly!," "Mame," and "La Cage Aux Folles." These musicals were all huge…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 02:08PMWednesday, January 1, 2020
David Cassidy’s autobiography “C’Mon Get Happy”–which I ghost-wrote for him at his request–has now come out as a Kindle E-book, with a brand new afterword by me. (It’s availabl…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 04:53PMSunday, November 3, 2019
Chasing Rainbows has an exceptionally appealing cast. This is one of those rare productions where even the smallest roles are vivid. The show itself is not perfect. There are fixes that ne…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 10:49AMMonday, August 26, 2019
I'm stunned and saddened by the passing of one of the best music directors I've known--and one of the nicest gentlemen-- Hubert Tex Arnold. He died suddenly, unexpectedly of a brain aneurism…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 07:18AMMonday, February 18, 2019
Westchester Broadway's Ain't Misbehavin'--the 208th offering at this venerable dinner theater--is indeed in good hands. For starters, it is directed by none other than Richard Maltby Jr., w…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 11:49PMMonday, January 28, 2019
Adapting Broadway shows for "live" TV is never easy. And this production was hampered by some extraordinary bad luck. One of the stars, Brennin Hunt, ("Roger") broke his foot at the last min…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 05:35PMTuesday, January 15, 2019
She encouraged me to dream big, grab opportunities when they came, and work full steam--and not to wait, because none of us know how much time we have. (I thought she'd live forever.) When…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 08:34PMSunday, January 6, 2019
No one loves Berlin's music more than I do. But the creators of this stage adaptation have tried to jam too many well-known songs into the show. I think that cutting a couple of the songs…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 10:05PMSunday, October 28, 2018
The generous spirit of Jonathan Larson (1960-1996) certainly was felt in New York's great supper club, Feinstein's/54 Below, the night I went to see The Jonathan Larson Project (which filled…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 10:09PMSaturday, August 4, 2018
Today’s column will be focusing on theatrical rights. The first rule in the theater, for anyone contemplating presenting a play: make sure you have the right to present the work. That …
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 11:49AMTuesday, February 6, 2018
If you’re in the mood for a night of laughter, “The Outsider”—a new comedy by Paul Slade Smith, receiving its East Coast premiere in January and February at the Paper Mill Playhouse-…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 09:24PMThursday, November 23, 2017
I'm sorry to note the passing of David Cassidy. And I want to share a few remembrances of him--as a performer and as a person.
He was capable of conveying magic in his concerts--a "Peter P…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 11:07PMSaturday, November 11, 2017
Memo to Broadway producers: You need to do everything you can to hook the next generation while they're young. I got hooked on theater because I saw the greatest performers, the greatest sh…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 11:10PMSaturday, September 9, 2017
In the first half of her career, Barbara Cook was a top leading lady in musical theater, famously originating roles in such Broadway shows as “The Music Man” and “She Loves Me.” (Dec…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 09:16PMFriday, August 4, 2017
I’ve seen “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” many times, many places. I didn’t see the original Broadway production, alas–although I loved the cast album–but I…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 02:24PMSaturday, June 24, 2017
I am so happy I got to see my longtime friend Victoria Leacock Hoffman--a very special person; kind, smart, instinctive, and “giving” by nature--honored by the Keen Company in New York C…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 05:27PMTuesday, January 3, 2017
The three new albums are “The Chip Deffaa Songbook” (39 of my theater songs, from shows I’ve written over the years); “Chip Deffaa’s Irving Berlin Revisited” (featuring rare, and…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 09:08AMWednesday, November 16, 2016
There were a number of fine performances on the stage. But the performance I enjoyed the most was given by the fellow who, I noted last year, gave the most commanding performance of any fell…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 08:22AMTuesday, July 5, 2016
I’ve always liked Andrew Keenan-Bolger's work. He was a memorable child actor, playing leads on Broadway in shows like "Beauty and the Beast" and "Seussical," when he was around 13 or 14 y…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 11:10AMThursday, April 14, 2016
This month, the 13th Street Repertory Theater will kick off its celebration of Founder/Artistic Director Edith O’Hara’s 100th year. Appropriately–since O’Hara has spent so muc…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 01:39PMFriday, April 8, 2016
it’s significant that Steve Martin has won five Grammy Awards for albums he’s made–two in the category of “comedy,” and three in the category of “music.” He loves to play the…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 08:43AMMonday, February 29, 2016
Man! There’s nothing more exciting than seeing a brand new musical that works. I was enthralled from beginning to an end by A Bronx Tale–currently getting its world-premiere production…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 08:33AMWednesday, December 23, 2015
It did my heart good to see Matanya Solomon dancing all-out after being pretty much sidelined as a "Nutcracker" dancer, due to injury, for the last two years. I greatly admire all good dance…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 07:39PMSaturday, October 31, 2015
This post is by Chip Deffaa, Editor-at-Large
I’m glad I got to attend the opening night of “The Bandstand”–an intriguing, ambitious, original musical--at Paper Mill Playhouse. Does t…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 08:35PMFriday, June 19, 2015
This post is by Chip Deffaa, Editor-at-Large
Tommy Tune, just walking down the aisle to his seat in the orchestra, had more style and grace and class than much of the broadcast. I couldn't h…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 05:36PMSunday, May 17, 2015
This post is by Chip Deffaa, Editor-at-Large
The Visit “The Visit”–with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, and book by Terrence McNally, based on the play by Fri…
Linked From www.theaterscene.net at 11:02PM 
