Thursday, February 3, 2022
Under the radar of Broadway from the ‘50s-‘80s were extravagant Industrial Musicals. Major corporations would hold sales conventions highlighted by these razzle-dazzle salutes to cars,…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 12:11AMSaturday, November 27, 2021
Like everybody, I was devastated to learn yesterday of Stephen Sondheim's death. He was 91 and active until the end but still! I've read numerous testimonials that list his many accompli…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMTuesday, October 26, 2021
A surprise to everyone but me.The current show at Circle in the Square is CHICKEN & BISCUITS. And it’s a big success. Here’s what so surprising about it to the Broadway community…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMWednesday, September 29, 2021
In no order of importance except for the first item.I loved Ed Asner and had the pleasure of working with him three times. I directed him twice and he graciously did a play reading of mine…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:19AMHere's a list of what was playing on Broadway one week in 1948. Thanks to reader Douglas McEwan for sharing it. As he said, and I couldn't agree more, I'd go see any one of those shows.�…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:19AMIn the weekend the Tony Awards were given out (did you even KNOW that the Tony Awards were yesterday?), word comes that the motion picture release of Broadway musical smash, DEAR EVAN HANSEN…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:19AMMore with author, Mark Harris who wrote the book MIKE NICHOLS: A LIFE. In this episode we delve into Nichols’ directing career — his approach, process, hits and misses, theatre and films…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:19AMKen talks with Mark Harris, author of the best-seller, “Mike Nichols: A Life” — a fascinating look into this complex giant of the entertainment industry. This week: His early life, inf…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:19AMThursday, June 24, 2021
More with ESPN/NBC/Chicago White Sox announcer, Jason Benetti. Topics this week include working with partners (like Bill Walton), social media criticism, and not letting Cerebral Palsy preve…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 02:15PMWednesday, June 23, 2021
Hollywood is scratching its head. All indications were that IN THE HEIGHTS was supposed to be a blockbuster hit. Surveys showed it was the one movie that would actually get people back i…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:49PMMonday, June 21, 2021
Under normal circumstances this wouldn’t be a controversial post. But in today’s woke world it is. So be it. Like many other industries legitimate theatre has really been thrown fo…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 02:26PMTuesday, May 18, 2021
A recent article in the Los Angeles Times by theatre critic Charles McNulty proposed that it was time to eliminate intermissions in theatre productions. He feels it’s an outdated practic…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 11:58AMSaturday, April 24, 2021
I had another Zoom reading of one of my plays as a benefit for the Actors Fund. This is OUR TIME, and it's loosely autobiographical. For many reasons it's one of my favorite plays and I'…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 01:32PMThursday, April 22, 2021
Chip Zien has been in 13 Broadway shows, has over 65 TV and movie credits, and was the voice of Howard the Duck. This week he talks about being HOWARD THE DUCK, acting in LES MISERABLES, U…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 08:03PMThursday, April 15, 2021
Chip Zien has been in 13 Broadway shows, has over 65 TV and movie credits, and was the voice of Howard the Duck. He starred in INTO THE WOODS and discusses working with Stephen Sondheim al…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 12:12PMTuesday, March 23, 2021
This is an audience participation post. You’ll see how. A recent discussion led to this:Often times actors on long-running television shows will go behind the camera and direct an episod…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 03:01PMWednesday, January 13, 2021
In 1953 a new sitcom premiered called TOPPER. It was based on the movie TOPPER (which was based on a book) about a stuffy buttoned-down banker haunted by two carefree ghosts. Cary Gran…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 06:26PMTuesday, May 7, 2019
It say something about The Tony Awards that the nominations were announced a week ago today and I’m just addressing them now. Other than a five block radius in Manhattan I can’t imagin…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 10:41PMWednesday, April 24, 2019
Thanks to loyal reader, Wendy Grossman for alerting me to this article in the Guardian about a study on laughter. Scientific studies on why we laugh are always dicey, but some nuggets in th…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMTuesday, March 19, 2019
Talk about chutzpah!One way for playwrights to get their plays produced is to enter festivals. Numerous theatres around the world stage festivals and invite playwrights to enter their work…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMThursday, February 28, 2019
After writing Oscar reviews for over 20 years, this year’s might have been my last. Nothing's written in stone and a lot will depend on how many people log on to the podcast. But the…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMWednesday, February 27, 2019
There are readers who are hearing impaired or just don’t want to be bothered listening to a podcast (even mine) so I am posting the text of my Oscar review – although it’s much better …
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMTuesday, February 19, 2019
Scene from my ten-minute play, THE FUGITIVE with Penny Peyser & Andy GoldbergIt’s probably half urban legend, but the concept of Top 40 radio supposedly began when radio station owner …
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMTuesday, February 12, 2019
When I was in New York I saw the recent revival of MY FAIR LADY. It’s my all-time favorite musical. I just think the music is spectacular beyond belief. If a musical has one song that …
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMWednesday, January 16, 2019
Hello, this is Abraham Lincoln. Ken is letting me guest blog today. I asked if I could just lob in some random thoughts and he said sure. The difference between my White House and the c…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMWednesday, January 2, 2019
I understand tickets were going for $2000 a pop. And people were saying it was a bargain. Bruce Springsteen was on Broadway. In a theatre that sat 975, which is somewhat more intimate th…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 12:04PMMonday, December 31, 2018
On January 1st I posted my New Year's Resolutions. Let's see how well I did. Throw out my Miramax DVD's.They're gone. Sorry Harvey.Finally watch THIS IS US.Next year for sure.Get ALMO…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMThursday, December 27, 2018
This is the week in LA and New York when movies that hope to be contenders for the Oscars must run in theaters. Being a member of the WGA and DGA, I’ve received a lot of screeners of the …
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMFriday, December 14, 2018
Take a break from Christmas shopping to check out some Friday Questions.MikeKPa starts us off.A lot of William Goldman's work was adaption. Have you ever done adaptations and did you find it…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMTuesday, December 11, 2018
It seems like every twenty years or so someone remakes A STAR IS BORN. There was the original with Janet Gaynor in 1937, Judy Garland took the stage in 1954, and then Barbra Streisand in 1…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMSaturday, December 8, 2018
Mike Nichol's & Elaine May were two improv performers in Chicago who really clicked. So much so that they became a comedy team. And a sensation! This was in the late '50…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AM 
