All stories by Kathy Henderson on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Have a Real Good Time with This Essential Guide to Gypsy's Broadway Legacy by Kathy Henderson

Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone and now Audra McDonald: The Broadway stars of Gypsy represent a Who’s Who of stage divas over the past 60 years. O…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 10:18AM
Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Eva Noblezada Reflects on Her Year in The Great Gatsby, Her Decade on Stage and Her Broadway Romance by Kathy Henderson

Eva Noblezada puts a fascinating spin on “golden girl” Daisy Buchanan in the ultra-luxe Broadway musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. This is no meek heiress, …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 10:42AM
Monday, November 25, 2024

Director Michael Mayer on the Epic Voyage of Swept Away, the Surprise of Little Shop and the Saga of Funny Girl by Kathy Henderson

It’s a bit startling to hear Michael Mayer admit that he feared the pandemic would put an end to his career as a Tony Award-winning director. “I thought we were done,” he says of Broad…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 11:02AM
Monday, November 11, 2024

Mandy Gonzalez on Being Sunset Boulevard's 'Greatest (Guest) Star of All' by Kathy Henderson

No one needs to wonder how Mandy Gonzalez feels about playing Norma Desmond once a week in the insanely entertaining Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard. Her solo album, after all, is title…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 02:31PM
Monday, October 21, 2024

Left on Tenth Star Peter Gallagher on Why He Had to Say Yes to Broadway’s ‘Love Letter to Second Chances’ by Kathy Henderson

How to revive the lost art of the Broadway rom-com? A compelling true story by Delia Ephron is a great start, along with five-time Tony winner Susan Stroman as director. But the key, of cour…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 05:36PM
Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Playwright Ayad Akhtar on Blending Literature, Technology and the Star Power of Robert Downey Jr. in McNEAL by Kathy Henderson

What do you get when you toss Hedda Gabler, King Lear, Madame Bovary and many other works of world literature into a chatbot? Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar imagines the resul…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 10:06AM
Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Our Town’s Ephraim Sykes on Leaping from Dance to Drama and Celebrating the Quiet Diversity of Grover's Corners by Kathy Henderson

Casting is one of director Kenny Leon’s special powers, so when he calls Ephraim Sykes “a superstar in the American theater,” it’s worth paying attention. Leon first took note of Syk…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 10:54AM
Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Francis Jue on His Full-Circle Return to Yellow Face and the Right Way to Do Broadway's Controversial Classics by Kathy Henderson

Francis Jue’s stage career has been happily entwined with the works of David Henry Hwang for 35 years, since Jue understudied the title role in M. Butterfly. Although they look nothing ali…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 11:18AM
Monday, August 26, 2024

Ana Gasteyer on Being Drafted Into Once Upon a Mattress' NBA of Comedy by Kathy Henderson

The crowd-pleasing Broadway revival of Once Upon a Mattress lets loose a cast of musical comedy all-stars in scenes involving puppets, leeches, a “facts of life” pantomime and, of course…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 03:06PM
Thursday, August 8, 2024

JOB Star Peter Friedman Returns to Broadway with Succession Fame, But He'll Always Be a Downtown Darling by Kathy Henderson

A psychological thrill ride is a rarity on Broadway, which helps explain why Max Wolf Friedlich’s new play JOB (as in work, not the Old Testament book) is attracting an enthusiastic audien…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 10:00AM
Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Tony First-Timers: The Outsiders' Joshua Boone on Relinquishing the 'Desire to Be Recognized' by Kathy Henderson

Joshua Boone wasn’t looking for a Broadway musical when he heard about The Outsiders. After nabbing two NAACP Image Award nominations for his sensitive lead performance in Tyler Perry’s …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:48PM

Tony First-Timers: Far from Blush and Bashful, Prayer for the French Republic's Betsy Aidem Treasures Being a 'Late Bloomer' by Kathy Henderson

Exactly 40 years ago, Betsy Aidem talked her way into John Malkovich’s now legendary off-Broadway production of Balm in Gilead alongside future stars Laurie Metcalf, Gary Sinise and Terry …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 10:32AM
Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Jack O’Brien on Launching Hairspray, Directing Patti and Savoring His Lifetime Achievement Tony by Kathy Henderson

Imagine a marathon of the plays and musicals that earned Jack O’Brien three Tony Awards and six additional Tony nominations for Best Director. How, we may wonder, did the person who direct…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 03:42AM
Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Ricky Ubeda and Ben Cook on Their Electrifying Dance Partnership in Illinoise by Kathy Henderson

There’s a built-in audience for the new Broadway dance musical Illinoise among fans of Sufjan Stevens’ indie rock music and admirers of Justin Peck’s choreography for the New York City…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 11:42AM
Friday, May 31, 2024

Digging Up the Roots of Samm-Art Williams' Home as It Sprouts a Broadway Revival by Kathy Henderson

Over the past four years, for obvious reasons, “home” has become a symbol of safety and wellbeing. More than 40 years ago, playwright Samm-Art Williams explored the many meanings of the …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 11:48AM
Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Water for Elephants' Tony-Nominated Writer Rick Elice Is Still 'Chasing the Music' by Kathy Henderson

From aspiring actor to theatrical ad agency executive to four-time Tony-nominated writer of plays and musicals, Rick Elice has seen it all (and then some!) on Broadway. Still boyishly enthus…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 11:32AM
Monday, April 22, 2024

Kecia Lewis, the Backstage ‘Mama’ of Broadway’s Hell’s Kitchen, Has Wisdom to Share by Kathy Henderson

On stage, “chemistry” usually refers to a romantic pairing, but in the case of the new musical Hell’s Kitchen, it’s the perfect description for the teacher-pupil bond between Broadwa…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 02:36PM
Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Tony Winner Beth Leavel Paints With New Colors in Broadway's Lempicka by Kathy Henderson

There’s an easy way to unleash the positive power of social media: Post a photo of Beth Leavel. “Icon,” “Queen” and, simply, “Mother” flood the comments, along with heart and c…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 10:36AM
Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Playwright Adam Rapp on Building a World of Adolescent Extremes for The Outsiders by Kathy Henderson

The Outsiders was published in 1967, the year before Adam Rapp was born, but he vividly remembers devouring S.E. Hinton’s now-classic YA novel in his dorm room at military school. The tale…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:06PM
Monday, April 8, 2024

Reg Rogers Didn't Know the Lore of Merrily We Roll Along Until He Helped Make it a Broadway Hit by Kathy Henderson

“Listen to that! Will you listen to that?” Reg Rogers gleefully cries in one of the most joyous moments of Merrily We Roll Along. As Broadway producer Joe Josephson, he’s reacting to t…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:06PM
Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Director Michael Greif Digs Into His Broadway Hat Trick With Days of Wine and Roses, The Notebook and Hell's Kitchen by Kathy Henderson

Opening one new musical on Broadway is an enviable accomplishment for any director. But three? In the same season? Michael Greif began 2024 with the Broadway transfer of Days of Wine and Ros…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 02:36PM
Tuesday, March 12, 2024

As The Notebook's Older Allie, Maryann Plunkett Delivers a Tribute to Her Mother and a 'Love Story for the Elders' by Kathy Henderson

The last time Maryann Plunkett starred in a Broadway musical, she won the 1987 Best Actress Tony Award, singing with a Cockney accent and dancing the “Lambeth Walk” in Me and My Girl. Al…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 11:02AM
Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Blow Out the Candles! Celebrate the 50-Year History of Broadway's Company by Kathy Henderson

Phone rings, door chimes, in comes another Company revival. Fifty years after Company changed the face of Broadway musicals, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s enduringly modern examinat…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:32PM
Friday, February 28, 2020

Here Comes Company, Diana, the Lehman Brothers and More Must-Do Events for the Week of March 2 to 8 by Kathy Henderson

Broadway is gearing up for the super-busy spring season, with nine new shows starting previews in the next two weeks. First up, Princess Diana sings, the Lehman Brothers scheme, George and M…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 04:06PM
Friday, February 21, 2020

A Witch, a Bartender and Hangmen Fuel Our Action-Packed Must-Do Events for the Week of February 24 to March 1 by Kathy Henderson

If you crave a good dark comedy, this is your week to head to Broadway: Tracy Letts’ The Minutes and Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen promise a double-dose of nasty fun. A gorgeous new opera ba…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 06:12PM
Friday, February 14, 2020

Mack & Mabel, Elsa & Anna, Joseph & Cyrano Headline Our Must-Do Events for the Week of February 17 to 23 by Kathy Henderson

If your musical bucket list includes Mack & Mabel or Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, you’re in luck: Both shows get first-class stagings in the coming week. Also on tap a…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 04:48PM
Friday, February 7, 2020

Sizzling Six and Stephanie J. Block Spark Our Must-Do Events for the Week of February 10 to 16 by Kathy Henderson

Be our Valentine in a week of must-do events centering on love, marriage and a couple of beheadings. Our list for February 10 through 16 includes six wives, an engaged couple, a family in cr…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 04:24PM
Friday, January 31, 2020

Cynthia Erivo’s EGOT Quest and a Natalie Portman Play Top Our Must-Do Events for the Week of February 3 to 9 by Kathy Henderson

Music is the tie that binds this week’s must-do events, spotlighting the folk rock of Bob Dylan, the Cambodian pop of Dengue Fever and contemporary songs by Young Jean Lee. Check out these…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 07:18PM
Saturday, January 25, 2020

The Guys Have It in Our Lively List of Must-Do Events for the Week of January 27 to February 2 by Kathy Henderson

It’s raining men (hallelujah!) on stage and in concert in this week’s must-do events—specifically Jordan Fisher, André De Shields, Charles Busch and Tituss Burgess. Check them out, al…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 03:54PM
Friday, January 17, 2020

Soldiers, Seniors, and Well-Behaved Women Take Center Stage in Our Must-Do Events for the Week of January 20 to 26 by Kathy Henderson

January may be a sleepy month at the movies, but Broadway is buzzing with a star-packed new play and the Broadway debut of a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. Add in a couple of can’t-miss cab…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 06:03PM
Sunday, January 12, 2020

Laura Linney, Beth Leavel and a New Duncan Sheik Musical Top Our Must-Do Events for the Week of January 13 to 19 by Kathy Henderson

Whether you’re in the mood for a one-person show on Broadway, a sexy off-Broadway musical, a cool cabaret show or the TV return of two beloved pros, we’ve got you covered. Check out thes…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:54PM

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
TBA: Ragtime