All stories by Jonathan Mandell on BroadwayStars

Friday, August 15, 2014
Thursday, August 14, 2014

On The Town at Broadway in Bryant Park by Jonathan Mandell

Cast members from the new revival of the musical “On The Town” presented three songs in the last Broadway in Bryant Park lunch-time concert of this summer. Tony Yazbeck and two u…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 05:47PM
Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Theater Review: Revolution in the Elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter by Jonathan Mandell

It is easy to feel bewildered by a title that sounds as if it is translated from the Icelandic. But as it turns out, the dialogue and the lyrics sound that way as well. “Revolution in the …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 06:46PM

RIP Lauren Bacall: A Life in Pictures…and On Stage by Jonathan Mandell

Actress Lauren Bacall has died at age 89. Best known as a sultry siren of the silver screen, having made more than 40 films,  Bacall was also a six-time Broadway veteran, winning Tony Awar…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:39AM
Monday, August 11, 2014

RIP Robin Williams by Jonathan Mandell

Robin Williams is reported to have died today at age 63. He was such a strong performer that his brilliance shines through even when he was just voicing a cartoon character, as in this scene…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 07:22PM

Fringe Review: 2014, When We Were Idiots. (Weird Walking Tour) by Jonathan Mandell

A hundred years ago, our tour guide was saying, New Yorkers were such idiots that they stopped throwing away their garbage, and the city disappeared under a pile of rubbish, mostly coffee cu…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:51AM
Sunday, August 10, 2014

Seven Seductions of Taylor Swift versus Taylor Swift’s Songs of Ex Lovers by Jonathan Mandell

Making art, and sport, out of Taylor Swift’s love life is far from original; the popular singer-songwriter has done so herself many times; it’s easy to argue that her career is largely b…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 07:19PM
Saturday, August 9, 2014

Coming to Broadway: Fun Home! Helen Mirren! Larry David! Side Show! Best Little Whorehouse! Week in New York Theater by Jonathan Mandell

As the Fringe begins, the exciting announcements about the Main Stem tumbled out all in two days (See August 6 and 7 below) The Week in New York Theater   4 Piece of My Heart: the Bert…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 08:20AM
Thursday, August 7, 2014

Phoenix Review: Julia Stiles in Romantic Comedy With Abortion by Jonathan Mandell

In “Phoenix,” a slight and slightly dark romantic comedy with several twists that theoretically should make it feel like a more substantial play, Julia Stiles portrays Sue, an an…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:49PM
Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Watch 2014 New York Fringe Previews by Jonathan Mandell

The 18th annual New York International Fringe Festival runs Friday, August 8th through Sunday, August 24th, 2014, with some 75,000 theatergoers expected for more than 200 shows. Here is a gl…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 10:24PM
Tuesday, August 5, 2014

King Lear with John Lithgow in Central Park Reviews by Jonathan Mandell

In the first King Lear seen at Shakespeare in the Park since 1973, John Lithgow plays the king, his two  ungrateful daughters are Annette Bening  making her Central Park debut and Jessica …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:40PM
Sunday, August 3, 2014

Stars on Stages To Come. Sex, Crazy, Lightning. The Week in New York Theater by Jonathan Mandell

Many stars made themselves known this week – for shows we’ll be seeing after summer is over.  One Broadway revival alone featured a rotating cast of nine little-seen celebrities…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 01:15PM
Thursday, July 31, 2014

Between Riverside and Crazy Reviews: Stephen Adly Guirgis At His Best by Jonathan Mandell

Walter was shot by a cop ten years ago, and has lived on booze and pie and regret ever since – but it’s more complicated than that. For one thing, Walter was himself a cop. And h…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:35PM

New York Theater July 2014 Quiz by Jonathan Mandell

How well were you paying attention to the theater news in July? Answer these 10 questions to see.

SOURCE: New York Theater at 07:48PM

The Lightning Thief Review: Percy Jackson Olympians on Stage by Jonathan Mandell

It isn’t easy being 12 years old and a demigod with dyslexia. Percy Jackson may be the son of Poseidon, but that hasn’t stopped him from getting expelled from school after school…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:40AM
Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Sex With Strangers Reviews and Photographs by Jonathan Mandell

“Sex With Strangers,”  Anna Gunn, who played Bryan Cranston’s wife in “Breaking Bad,” couples with Billy Magnussen, who portrayed sexy, half-naked Spike in Van…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 08:58PM

Into The Woods Film: Preview In Photographs by Jonathan Mandell

The film version of the Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical, “Into the Woods,” is set to arrive in movie theaters on December 25th. Meanwhile, Disney has released the follo…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 01:51PM
Tuesday, July 29, 2014

An American In Paris Publicity Shots by Jonathan Mandell

When “An American in Paris” opens at the Palace Theater on Broadway in April, it won’t look exactly like these two photographs, which were taken in Paris, where the musical…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 11:56AM
Monday, July 28, 2014

John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown FREE tonight Central Park by Jonathan Mandell

John Leguizamo is presenting his solo show Ghetto Klown tonight free at  Rumsey Playfield in Central Park starting at 8 p.m. (Get there early.) This is the same show he performed on Broadw…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 01:18PM
Saturday, July 26, 2014

Summer Stages. Why The Bard is Boss. Broadway Closings. The Week in New York Theater. by Jonathan Mandell

Summer theater means festivals, many outdoors, and many presenting William Shakespeare. But it also means lounging on the grass to listen to free music, including the music from Broadway mus…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 07:01PM
Thursday, July 24, 2014

Nick Cordero on The Closing of Bullets Over Broadway and His Future by Jonathan Mandell

When the producers of Bullets Over Broadway announced this week that the Woody Allen musical would close on August 24th, having played 156 regular and 33 preview performances, Nick Cordero w…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 07:56PM
Tuesday, July 22, 2014

2014 NYIT Awards (Off-Off Broadway) Nominees by Jonathan Mandell

  The nominees listed below for the 10th annual New York Innovative Theater Awards, honoring theaters and theater artists working Off-Off Broadway, include 130 individual artists, 58 di…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 02:32PM

Best Alan Menken Songs on His 65th Birthday by Jonathan Mandell

Alan Menken was born on July 22, 1949 – 65 years ago. He has been composing music for musicals on stage and screen steadily for 35 years, starting with his collaboration with Howard As…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 02:15PM
Monday, July 21, 2014

Piece of My Heart, The Bert Berns Story Review. Will You Twist and Shout? by Jonathan Mandell

Almost half a century after his death, Bronx-born songwriter and record producer Bert Berns, the subject of the new Off-Broadway musical “Piece of My Heart,” is getting the kind of buzz …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 08:23PM
Saturday, July 19, 2014

RIP Elaine Stritch. Les Miz vs Book of Mormon. Theater Artists: Know Your Rights. Week in New York Theater by Jonathan Mandell

“You cannot tell the audience a lie; they know it before you do….” ‘If you can’t give a reason for the banana peel being in the alley, then don’t have the…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 07:26PM
Friday, July 18, 2014

Atomic: Randy Harrison, Jeremy Kushnier, Sara Gettelfinger Sing “Only Numbers” by Jonathan Mandell

In Atomic, a musical about the making of the atomic bomb and its aftermath, Jeremy Kushnier portrays Einstein pupil, nuclear physicist Leo Szilard, who helped create the bomb and then tried…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 01:23PM

Nikki James on Book of Mormon vs. Les Miz, and Theater vs. Film by Jonathan Mandell

Nikki James, currently Eponine on Broadway in Les Miserables, made her debut on Broadway at the age of 19, and won a Tony for originating the role of Nabulungi in The Book of Mormon. “I’…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 12:12PM
Thursday, July 17, 2014

Elaine Stritch, 1925 – 2014 by Jonathan Mandell

“Elaine Stritch, the brassy, tart-tongued Broadway actress and singer who became a living emblem of show business durability and perhaps the leading interpreter of Stephen Sondheim’s…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 02:29PM
Wednesday, July 16, 2014

The Long Shrift Review: James Franco Directs A Play by Jonathan Mandell

In The Long Shrift, a play that marks James Franco’s debut as a New York stage director, a high school student is sentenced to ten years in prison for raping his date. But five years into …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:05AM
Tuesday, July 15, 2014

CD Giveaway: Audra McDonald in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill by Jonathan Mandell

CD Giveaway: Win the Broadway cast recording — released today both digitally and in stores – of “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar Grill,” starring Audra McDonald, who …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 05:27PM
Sunday, July 13, 2014

Atomic Review: A Musical About The Bomb by Jonathan Mandell

Near the end of Atomic, a musical about the making of the atom bomb, there is an arresting piece of stagecraft when the bomb at Hiroshima goes off: A Japanese couple were quietly speaking at…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 10:28PM

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