All stories by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large on BroadwayStars

Thursday, March 14, 2024

STUDENTS LAUNCH GO-FUND-ME CAMPAIGN TO SAVE PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAM AT NEW YORK’S FAMED PROFESSIONAL PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

I think the city’s top performing-arts schools—Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music & Arts, and the Performing Arts; PPAS; and the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts—are among the…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 05:47PM

ON THE TOWN WITH CHIP DEFFAA: AT “THE CONNECTOR” by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

What a terrific, beautifully layered performance Ben Levi Ross gives in “The Connector”—a moving, original new musical from Jason Robert Brown, Jonathan Marc Sherman, and Daisy Prin…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 02:13PM
Thursday, March 7, 2024

by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

On March 4th, 2024, I witnessed the best major-club debut I’ve seen in years. And I kept thinking, as I watched David Marino sing, “The good old days are now…” The post appeared f…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 01:22PM
Friday, February 23, 2024

ON THE TOWN WITH CHIP DEFFAA … “AFTER MIDNIGHT” AT PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

I don’t think I’ve ever been as disappointed by a Paper Mill Playhouse presentation as I have been by their production of After Midnight. This adaptation of the original Broadway produc…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 01:32PM
Thursday, November 9, 2023

ON THE TOWN WITH CHIP DEFFAA… AT CONCERTS HONORING BETTY BUCKLEY AND TONY BENNETT by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

This fall, I saw two of the most rewarding tribute-type concerts I’ve seen in recent years—one a glittering (if overlong), star-filled salute to “the Voice of Broadway,” Betty Buckl…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 01:47PM
Sunday, August 20, 2023

ON “FUNNY GIRL,” ETHNIC CASTING, AND FANNY BRICE… by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

Brice—as a pioneering Jewish female Broadway star who took charge of her own fabulous career in an era when few women did—became a source of inspiration for many aspiring young Jewish pe…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 08:01PM
Tuesday, July 25, 2023

REMEMBERING TONY BENNETT by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

He sang all his life. When New York's Triborough Bridge (known today as the RFK Bridge) opened in May of 1936, Tony Bennett--then a boy singer from Astoria who loved the work of Al Jolson a…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 06:03PM
Wednesday, June 28, 2023

ON THE TOWN WITH CHIP DEFFAA… WITH MATTHEW BRODERICK, HARVEY MILK, AND HARRY HOUDINI…. by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

As a lover of the performing arts, I’ll remember this month as when I witnesseed Matthew Broderick give one of the finest, subtlest performances of his career. I’ll remember, too, the u…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 07:54AM
Wednesday, May 24, 2023

REFLECTIONS ON OLIVER!, REVIVALS, AND BROADWAY ECONOMICS by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

Oliver! is darker than most so-called family musicals—mixing elation and heartbreak as casually as life itself does—but it touches us more than most family musicals. And Encores’ prod…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 04:53PM
Sunday, May 14, 2023

On The Town with Chip Deffaa: At “New York, New York,” “Some Like It Hot,” and Seth Sikes & Nicholas King’s Nightclub Act by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

In the last few weeks I feel like I’ve been stepping back in time—in a nice way.   I’ve enjoyed seeing the new Broadway musicals "New York, New York" (set in 1946-47) and (with some …

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 06:41PM
Tuesday, May 9, 2023

On the Town with Chip Deffaa: “As You Like It” On Stage and “Banded Together” In the Movies by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

Each was an individual; I liked hearing all of the different voices and accents and inflections. Each one brought his or her own personality to the work.   But—and this is a compliment--…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 10:43PM
Monday, April 24, 2023

R.I.P. Robert Patrick, Playwright by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

He was perhaps best-known for his play "Kennedy's Children"--produced successfully on Broadway and on the West End, and in many cities, internationally.  He also gave  us some 60 other pu…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 11:18AM
Friday, April 21, 2023

An Appreciation of Todd Haimes, Producing Artistic Director of Roundabout Theatre Company by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

Roundabout, under Haimes' leadership, was noted both for new works and for revivals of older shows with strikingly new elements (like this season's gender-bending revival of "1776.")  He w…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 01:10AM
Saturday, February 11, 2023

On the Town with Chip Deffaa at Anthony Rapp’s “Without You” by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

Rapp’s show—directed by Steve Maler, with musical direction/orchestrations by Daniel A. Weiss (who was the associate conductor/second keyboards player of the original Broadway production…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 01:40PM
Sunday, January 1, 2023

On the Town with Chip Deffaa: From Anatevka to Wales by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

"Fiddler"--brilliantly directed by Joel Grey—is an unusually impactful production. It’s emotionally rich, moving, and timeless. And wholly believable.  They had me from the first words …

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 10:34PM
Tuesday, December 13, 2022

On the Town with Chip Deffaa: At the Museum of Broadway by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

Everyone who loves theater owes a debt of gratitude to Julie Boardman and Diane Nicoletti.  About five years ago, they got the idea of creating a museum in the theater district, dedicated t…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 04:25PM
Monday, December 5, 2022

The Sound of Music (Paper Mill Playhouse) by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

The new production of "The Sound of Music" at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse is such an utter delight, you shouldn’t be wasting time reading this review, you  should be ordering tick…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 05:18PM

On the Town with Chip Deffaa: “Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust Road”… Carmichael deserves better by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

Boy! This is going to be a tough review to write.  The York Theatre Company, which has such a strong track record when it comes to honoring important songwriters, is currently presenting a …

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 11:12AM
Sunday, November 27, 2022

Remembering Robert Clary: From the Concentration Camps to Broadway and Hollywood by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

Clary scored a great success on Broadway in "Leonard Sillman’s New Faces of 1952."  My father, who enjoyed that show, recalled Eartha Kitt and Robert Clary as the standouts in the cast of…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 04:47PM
Wednesday, November 23, 2022

An Appreciation of Michael Feingold (1945-2022) by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

He saw seemingly everything, and championed plays and productions he found meaningful, even if they were at the smallest of theaters.  He chose what he wished to cover, and would sometimes …

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 02:26PM
Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Anthony Rapp’s Solo Show, “Without You,” To Get Off-Broadway Run by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

I think this is great news. I’m happy the show will finally be getting a full theatrical production in New York.  I saw the original festival-production tryout of "Without You" about a do…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 12:58PM
Monday, November 14, 2022

On the Passing of Aaron Carter by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

He had his first album out by age nine, the same year he began opening for the Backstreet Boys. (His older brother, Nick Carter, was of course one of the Backstreet Boys.)  And he enjoyed a…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 11:00AM
Saturday, November 12, 2022

Jay Rogers: A Remembrance by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

Jay Rogers, who's lost his battle with cancer, was a wonderfully impish cabaret star, with impeccable comic timing. Totally likeable fellow, on stage and off stage. I was so happy to be able…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 09:58PM

In Memory of Playwright/Director/Actor Douglas McGrath by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

In October, he opened in an autobiographical Off-Broadway play that he wrote, 'Everything's Fine"—a good-natured remembrance of his youth, and of a school teacher who fell for him.  He pe…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 09:38PM
Monday, June 6, 2022

On the Town with Chip Deffaa: On Fanny Brice and “Funny Girl” by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

I’ve often told friends what an impact "Funny Girl" had on me.  That was the show that made me fall completely, utterly, and permanently in love with Broadway. I was a teenager when I saw…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 10:58PM
Friday, April 22, 2022

Robert Morse: An Appreciation by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

He won a Tony Award starring in the Broadway masterwork "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."  And fortunately his performance was captured well in the film adaptation of that…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 01:36PM
Thursday, April 7, 2022

On the Town with Chip Deffaa: “Rent” at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts: An Appreciation by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

This production was an ensemble success—which is what Jonathan Larson was hoping to achieve—so I’d like to mention every member of the company.   Not just the leads, whom I very much…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 12:08AM
Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Irving Berlin and Me (And a Brush with Death Along the Way) by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

In the past 20 years, I’ve produced a total of 34 different albums; 16 of them have dealt with Irving Berlin (1888-1989). The newest album in this ongoing Berlin series, "Chip Deffaa’s …

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 01:02PM
Monday, February 21, 2022

A Few Thoughts on Those Needless Changes to “The Music Man” by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

I want to be clear.  "The Music Man" is such a masterfully written musical that making some changes here and there can’t really ruin it; but changes are not needed in this show and they c…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 08:59PM
Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Why Robert De Niro’s New Film Studio Matters by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

De Niro’s goal is to lure more film and television production from Hollywood to New York, and that can only be a plus for New York-based actors. A brand new studio, created for the needs o…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 10:08PM
Friday, January 7, 2022

Broadway’s “Mrs. Doubtfire” Takes a Nine-Week Hiatus Due to Covid-19 by Chip Deffaa, Editor-At-Large

The show's pre-Broadway, out-of-town tryout was very successful financially, suggesting that there's an audience for the show. (The show broke box-office records in Seattle, during its tryou…

SOURCE: www.theaterscene.net at 07:22PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards