All stories by Jan Simpson on BroadwayStars

Saturday, January 12, 2019

Do "The Ferryman" and the "The Waverly Gallery" Live Up to The Hype About Them? by Jan Simpson

Most theatergoers, especially those with limited time and resources, try to figure out which shows to see through a combination of word of mouth, social media and official reviews, particula…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:12AM

Turning on the Ghost Light, Yes Again by Jan Simpson

Life has gotten crazy again and I couldn't find the time to write this week. So as I usually do when this happens, I'm turning on the ghost light that theaters use when they're temporarily e…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:12AM

Its Stars Are the Only Upside to "Downstairs" by Jan Simpson

Over the past decade the playwright Theresa Rebeck has had four shows premiere on Broadway and at least a half dozen others open in major off-Broadway productions.  And I can’t figure…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:12AM

10 Shows That Stood Out for Me in 2018 by Jan Simpson

The end of the year has sneaked up on me. I got lost in the whir of finishing the school semester where I teach, getting ready for Christmas and dealing with some health problems (nothing se…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:12AM

A (Brief) Break From Regular Programming by Jan Simpson

Yep; I've slipped back into a hole that’s going to keep me from doing a regular post today. But this isn't a disagreeable hole. I fell into it by (1) reading two fascinating books about 19…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:12AM

Winter Theater Festival Fever-Redux by Jan Simpson

The weather has been unseasonably warm here in the city but the winter theater festivals, including a few new ones, are plowing ahead as usual and so I thought I’d do a redux of the guide …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:12AM
Friday, December 7, 2018

Stagecraft: Christopher Demos-Brown, author of “American Son” by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Christopher D…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 10:00PM
Saturday, November 10, 2018

Taking Time Out to Celebrate My Other Love by Jan Simpson

As regular readers of this blog know, I'm crazy about my husband K. I also really appreciate his patience in allowing me to take up so much of my time with theater. We're just a third o…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:54AM

Remembering the Good and the Bad of the '60s with "Gloria: A Life" and "Days of Rage" by Jan Simpson

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the 1960s continue to influence American discourse.  And those tumultuous times are front-and-center in two new recent plays: Gloria: A Life, a look at the car…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:54AM

Stagecraft: Larissa FastHorse, author of “The Thanksgiving Play” at Playwrights Horizons by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Larissa FastH…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:01AM
Saturday, November 3, 2018

Stagecraft: Eleanor Burgess, author of “The Niceties” by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Eleanor Burge…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:01AM
Saturday, October 27, 2018

Stagecraft: Donja R. Love, author of “Fireflies” by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Donja R. Love…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:01AM
Saturday, October 20, 2018

Turning on The Fall Ghost Light by Jan Simpson

It happens almost every fall and this year, it’s even more intense than usual. There are so many shows opening that seeing them on top of making plans to celebrate the birthdays of my niec…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:18AM
Saturday, October 13, 2018

Why "On Beckett" is the Best Show in Town by Jan Simpson

Bill Irwin is a genius. And it’s not just me saying that. The folks at the MacArthur Foundation made that official 34 years ago when they gave him one of their famous five-year fellowships…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:33AM
Saturday, October 6, 2018

"What the Constitution Means to Me" Stands Up for Democracy, But Stumbles as Theater by Jan Simpson

They say that timing is everything. And the timing could hardly be better for Heidi Schreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me, which opened at New York Theatre Workshop last weekend, jus…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:12AM
Saturday, September 29, 2018

"Scraps" And "The Revolving Cycles Truly And Steadily Roll’d" Offer Proof That Plays About Assaults On Black Lives Matter by Jan Simpson

Ever since Aeschylus wrote the first Greek tragedies back in the fifth century B.C., playwrights have been creating works that wrestle with the pressing issues of their time. One of the most…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:54AM

Stagecraft: Sharr White, “The True” by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Sharr White T…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:01AM
Saturday, September 22, 2018

An "Uncle Vanya" That's Truly Stuck in a Rut by Jan Simpson

Just like the rest of us, theater makers can fall into ruts and end up doing the same thing over and over. That's what happened to John Doyle who repeated his conceit of having actors play t…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:18AM
Saturday, September 15, 2018

"Heartbreak House" is Totally Welcoming by Jan Simpson

It may be a sacrilege to say this but I've never been a fan of the plays of George Bernard Shaw. I appreciate Shaw's place in the theatrical pantheon and his role as a pioneering progressive…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:42AM

Stagecraft: Simon Reade, “Private Peaceful” by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Simon Reade P…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM
Saturday, September 8, 2018

My Usual Idiosyncratic Fall Theater Preview by Jan Simpson

Drawing up a list of the fall shows I most want to see is my way of making myself feel better that summer (my favorite season) is ending. It's something I've done for even longer than I've b…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 07:54AM
Saturday, September 1, 2018

A Labor Day Salute to Theatrical Unions by Jan Simpson

Maybe it's because I'm getting older but time seems to be passing more quickly than ever and the entire summer just flew by. One minute, I was watching my DVD version of 1776, which I try to…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:42AM
Saturday, August 25, 2018

Gettin' the Band Back Together Falls Apart by Jan Simpson

Because I’ve always believed there should be shows on Broadway that cater to all kinds of tastes, it’s not easy for me to say this but the new musical Gettin' the Band Back Together does…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:48AM

Stagecraft: James Magruder, “Head Over Heels” by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: James Magruder…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM
Saturday, August 18, 2018

The Yiddish "Fiddler on the Roof" Soars by Jan Simpson

So many people were raving about the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's production of Fiddler on the Roof that I felt I had to see it. At the same time, I feared it wouldn't live up to al…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:06AM
Saturday, August 11, 2018

Today's Ghost Light is a Birthday Candle by Jan Simpson

There's no post today because I'm taking time off to celebrate my birthday this weekend. The celebrations include a repeat visit to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child with my theatergoin…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:24AM
Saturday, August 4, 2018

"This Ain't No Disco" Ain't Much Fun by Jan Simpson

Maybe there were too many top chefs in the room when they were cooking up This Ain't No Disco, the rock musical that recently opened at the Atlantic Theater Company's Linda Gross Theater. Ca…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:06AM
Saturday, July 28, 2018

True Compassion for "Straight White Men" by Jan Simpson

What a difference a director can make. The first time I saw the dark comedy Straight White Men, it was directed by its playwright Young Jean Lee for a 2014 workshop production at the Public …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:12AM
Saturday, July 21, 2018

What's Missing in the Theater District? by Jan Simpson

It's summer vacation time and tourists, who account for over 60 percent of Broadway's ticket buyers, have been streaming into the city, eager to see shows ranging from tried-and-true war hor…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:32AM
Saturday, July 14, 2018

"Cyprus Avenue" is a Dead-End Street by Jan Simpson

Edward Bond's drama Saved shocked London audiences in 1965 with its depiction of a group of disaffected young people stoning a baby to death. That harrowing scene set the bar for genera…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:04AM
Saturday, July 7, 2018

"Skintight" is Just Barely Skin Deep by Jan Simpson

"I really identified with El," I overhead a seventysomething-year-old man telling his similarly-aged wife as we all walked out of Skintight, the new comedy by Joshua Harmon about older men w…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:04AM

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
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic