All stories by Jan Simpson on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

A Sixth Anniversary Message by Jan Simpson

Tomorrow is going to be a big day for me because it is both Valentine’s Day (for which my beloved husband K and I have special plans) and the sixth anniversary of Broadway & Me, which …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:47AM
Saturday, February 9, 2013

"The Mystery of Edwin Drood" is a Killer by Jan Simpson

Audience participation is not my thing.  So you might think that The Mystery of Edwin Drood would not be my kind of show. At least, that’s what I feared.  For this musical, ba…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:54AM
Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Lukewarm on This "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" by Jan Simpson

Everything I’d read about the latest revival of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof promised that it was going to be a hot mess. The show’s top-billed star Scarlett Johansson kep…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 07:08AM
Saturday, February 2, 2013

"Fiorello" Makes an Unsuccessful Return by Jan Simpson

Sometimes you really can’t go home again. Encores!, the great concert series that celebrates the American musical, decided to celebrate its 20th season by going back to  Fiorello!, th…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:42AM
Wednesday, January 30, 2013

"The Jammer":A Sports Play That Wins Smiles by Jan Simpson

The Jammer, the roller derby comedy that opened at the Atlantic Stage 2 last week, is a goofball of a show.  And I mean that as a total compliment.   Unless the action is s…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:05AM
Saturday, January 26, 2013

Bare Facts About the Gay Teen Musical "bare" by Jan Simpson

The coming out narrative, in which a young or closeted homosexual struggles to accept his or her sexual identity, has been the dominant theme in gay literature since at least 1862 when the p…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:30AM
Wednesday, January 23, 2013

This "Picnic" Is a Smorgasbord of Acting Styles by Jan Simpson

Directors often say that casting is the most important decision they make since putting the right or wrong person in a role can make or break a show.  By that measure, the Roundabout Th…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:39AM
Saturday, January 19, 2013

"The Heiress" is Too Stingy With Its Favors by Jan Simpson

We regular Broadway theatergoers have gotten used to playing host to movie stars over the past few years.  But most of them have been young starlets (male and female) hoping to make the…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:32AM
Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Highs and Lows of Four Departing Shows by Jan Simpson

So many shows, so little time.  And since the traditional January post-holiday reaping is now here, they’re closing faster than I can write about them.  Some of those clo…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:40AM
Saturday, January 12, 2013

"Water by the Spoonful" Won a Pulitizer But It Falls a Bit Short of that Highest-Water Mark by Jan Simpson

The news that she was getting $10,000 and a place at the table alongside America’s greatest playwrights must have thrilled Quiara Alegría Hudes when she got the news that her play Water b…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:54AM
Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Taking Time Out for an Even Greater Love by Jan Simpson

  Today, January 9th, is my husband K’s and my anniversary and so I’m taking time out to celebrate with the man I love even more than I love theater.   But before I sign…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 07:06AM
Saturday, January 5, 2013

Why Death Came Early for "Dead Accounts" by Jan Simpson

Dead Accounts is playing its final performance tomorrow, closing three months before it had planned. I’m writing about it at this late date because I want to make the argument that the pro…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:29AM
Wednesday, January 2, 2013

A Few of My Favorite Theater Things in 2012 by Jan Simpson

People began posting 10 best lists so early  that I don’t know how they even managed to see—let alone rate—all the shows that opened in November and December (click here for a han…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:18AM
Saturday, December 29, 2012

Why the "Les Miz" Movie Makes Me Happy by Jan Simpson

It’s no surprise that film critics are pooh-poohing the new movie version of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s pop opera Les Misérables.  Just as it’s no surprise that…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:34AM
Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas Wishes by Jan Simpson

  May your holidays sparkle with peace, love, happiness —and the thrill of great theater.  In the meantime, have yourself the merriest little Christmas.

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 05:59AM
Saturday, December 22, 2012

Why You Should Try to Catch "Falling" by Jan Simpson

The small Minetta Lane Theatre was less than half full when my theatergoing buddy Bill and I went to see the powerful new play Falling. The poor turnout could have been because it was the we…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 03:50PM
Wednesday, December 19, 2012

A Terrific Gift for Your Favorite Theater Lover by Jan Simpson

Christmas is less than a week away and so you’re no doubt already deep into your shopping list but there may be one person you haven’t gotten around to yet: you.  Not to worry. …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 07:03AM
Saturday, December 15, 2012

"Emotional Creature" Celebrates Girl Power by Jan Simpson

Eve Ensler hit the theatrical equivalent of the Mega Millions lottery with The Vagina Monologues, her collection of solo pieces in which women talk about the full spectrum of the feminine ex…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 05:16PM
Wednesday, December 12, 2012

"The Twenty-Seventh Man" is a Bore by Jan Simpson

Who would have thunk it?  After years of being dissed, theater has become the place where all the cool kids want to hang out.  A pileup of Hollywood actors— Jake Gyllenhaal, Kati…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:01AM
Saturday, December 8, 2012

Tales of Two Christmas Stories by Jan Simpson

Some people, like my sister Joanne, revel in the holiday season and in all the holiday-themed shows that come with it. Other people, like me, bah humbug our way through both.  Which is …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 05:26PM
Wednesday, December 5, 2012

"Mies Julie" Mixes Class, Race and Politics by Jan Simpson

There may be some people who get off on watching actors simulate sex onstage but watching people pretend to get it on under the glare of a spotlight usually makes me squirmy. And yet, I was …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:00AM
Wednesday, November 28, 2012

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is Still Great by Jan Simpson

Just about everyone who has seen it is saying that the new revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is not to be missed.  And they’re right. This latest version of Edward Albee…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 04:17PM
Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Why "The Performers" Should Have Been Able to Perform At Least A Little Bit Longer by Jan Simpson

I’ve had a soft spot for the porn industry ever since a blind date turned out to be a cameraman in the business and took me to the party of a producer he worked with. I was reminded of tha…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:14AM
Saturday, November 17, 2012

"Checkers" Is a Monochromatic View of Nixon by Jan Simpson

Love him or hate him, Richard Nixon was rarely boring.  But, alas, he is in Checkers, the new play about the nation’s controversial 37th president that is currently playing at the Vin…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 07:01AM
Saturday, November 10, 2012

Turning on the Ghost Light by Jan Simpson

There will be, alas, no post day, and maybe not again until next Saturday.  And here's why: in addition to the usual madness that always descends at this time of year—the sprint towar…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 07:41AM
Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Guest blogger Bill Sights "The Whale" by Jan Simpson

From Jan: Samuel D. Hunter knew that he was going to alienate some people by making a 600-pound man the central character in his new play The Whale.  As he told the online theater magaz…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:34AM
Saturday, November 3, 2012

This "Cyrano de Bergerac" Doesn't Cut It by Jan Simpson

Nerds—even the homeliest ones—rule in today’s pop culture. They’re the stars of hit movies and TV shows. In real life, many are rich and envied. And the prettiest girls don’t even …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 07:03AM
Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Surviving Sandy and Beyond by Jan Simpson

Hurricane Sandy has done its considerable damage and is now gone. My husband K and I hunkered down and got through it with no problems at all, save for a few flickering lights during the wor…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:07AM
Saturday, October 27, 2012

"An Enemy of the People" Fails to Win Me Over by Jan Simpson

With just 10 days to go before the election and Romney steadily gaining on Obama, you probably don’t need anyone to tell you how disappointing idealism can sometimes be, how messy democrac…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:05AM
Wednesday, October 24, 2012

It Would Be a Shame to Miss "Disgraced" by Jan Simpson

It’s not easy to talk honestly about race.  And the fact that it’s no longer just a black-and-white issue in this country ups the degree of difficulty.  Still, many of today’…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:48AM
Saturday, October 20, 2012

"Him" Offers a Portrait of Complex Family Dynamics—Both On and Off the Stage by Jan Simpson

Hallie Foote has been celebrated as the foremost interpreter of the plays by her late father Horton Foote and more recently of those by her younger sister Daisy.  But as I watched Daisy…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:09AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes 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