All stories by Mark Robinson on BroadwayStars

Friday, March 25, 2022

Cast Album Review – Assassins (The 2022 Off-Broadway Cast Recording) by Mark Robinson

Stephen Sondheim’s score for Assassins has always impressed me for how the late composer-lyricist captured the flavors of Americana: Sousa-like marches, barber shop quartet, folk balla…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 08:41AM
Monday, September 27, 2021

Dear Evan Hansen - An Argument for the Film’s Virtues (Film Review) by Mark Robinson

Leaving the cinema after watching the film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen, a very opinionated young man in front of me (approximately 14-years-old) exclaimed “I was with it until Evan …

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 08:46AM
Friday, June 11, 2021

Film Review – Does In the Heights Hit the Heights? by Mark Robinson

When audiences sat down in their seats at Broadway’s Richard Rodgers Theatre in the spring of 2008, many were not quite ready for the electrically-charged piece of musical theatre they…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 07:43AM
Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Book Review – The Mikado to Matilda: British Musicals on the New York Stage by Mark Robinson

For all of you musical theatre anglophiles out there, have I got a book for you. Thomas Hischak’s The Mikado to Matilda: British Musicals on the New York Stage will definitely be a wel…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:58PM
Sunday, June 21, 2020

Broadway Pride Playlist by Mark Robinson

For many of us, Pride weekend is a chance to celebrate and remember the hurdles the LBGTQ+ community has overcome and to continue to rally against the obstacles still in our way. It’s …

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 09:51AM
Saturday, May 16, 2020

The Sounds of Styne: A Jule Styne Playlist by Mark Robinson

When I think of the quintessential showtune, Jule Styne is one of the composers that comes to mind. There is a brassy boldness that instantly begins to fill the ears and swells the heart…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 11:53AM
Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Playlist: Cy Coleman — A Broadway Celebration by Mark Robinson

Cy Coleman was always one of Broadway’s most eclectic composers, working with many lyricists and employing musical styles that stretch from jazz to operetta, country to pop. Even with …

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 09:32AM
Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Playlist: Under-Sung Sondheim by Mark Robinson

With the recent celebration of composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s birthday and the glorious “Take Me to the World” concert on Broadway.com, it got me thinking of the myriad celeb…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 11:05PM
Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Playlist: Finishing The Act by Mark Robinson

The first act of a stage musical introduces the plot, the characters, and (hopefully) a lot of great songs. The position of the final song in Act I of any musical has the joyous but daun…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 10:44PM
Thursday, April 2, 2020

Playlist: Showtunes that are Just Fun by Mark Robinson

Maybe you are all getting tired of my playlists, but boredom has set-in and I enjoy making them, so I apologize in advance. However, I just feel the need to laugh as I spend my 47th birt…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 11:47AM
Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Remembering the Musicals of Terrence McNally by Mark Robinson

On March 24, 2020, we were forced to say goodbye to prolific playwright Terrence McNally. He died at age 81 from complications brought about by the coronavirus. The author of such acclai…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 10:07AM
Tuesday, March 24, 2020

A Broadway Playlist for People Who Miss Going to Work by Mark Robinson

As we continue with our self-isolation, we might find ourselves missing getting up each day and going to work. I know I sure do. So, once again, I put together another playlist for you, …

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 10:13AM
Monday, March 16, 2020

50 Upbeat and/or Optimistic Showtunes to Get Us Through by Mark Robinson

Let’s face it. It has been a daunting few days for most of us with all that is going on in the world at the moment. Whether you are feeling anxious, closed-in, confused, disheartened, …

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 11:48AM
Sunday, March 15, 2020

Album Review: "Losing My Mind: A Sondheim Disco Fever Dream" by Mark Robinson

This month marks Stephen Sondheim’s 90th birthday, and there is much to celebrate regarding his music, his lyrics, and his influence over the shaping of musical theatre for the last si…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 01:06PM
Sunday, December 29, 2019

Remembering Jerry Herman and the Joyous Music He Made by Mark Robinson

On December 26, 2019 we lost one of Broadway’s greatest composers, one who infused every song he penned with emotion and a deep understanding of the character for whom he was writing. …

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:00AM
Saturday, December 28, 2019

Women Who Wrote for the Stage and the Book You’ll Want to Own by Mark Robinson

Fans of theatre and those with a respect for the women who have created it will want to add the book From Aphra Behn to Fun Home: A Cultural History of Feminist Theater to their collec…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:00AM
Thursday, December 26, 2019

Let’s Talk About Cats the Movie by Mark Robinson

Reviews for the film adaptation of the long-running West End and Broadway musical Cats have been brutal, even blistering. From the creepiness of the CGI effects to the ridiculously cho…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:35PM
Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Remembering Darling of the Day by Mark Robinson

Darling of the Day was a 1968 musical that held many high expectations, with music by the great Jule Styne, lyrics by the always witty and wonderful E. Y. Harburg, and a book by filmmak…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:00AM
Thursday, November 28, 2019

Ten Broadway Musicals I’m Thankful For by Mark Robinson

 My readers often ask me about my favorite musicals, and I truly have a hard time answering that question at the exclusion of others. I have a very short list of musicals I do not like,…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:00AM
Monday, November 18, 2019

What Does Disney+ Have For the Musical Fan? by Mark Robinson

The launch of Disney+ had a few snags during its initial rollout, with more subscribers signing on to the new steaming platform than were initially expected. As the kinks begin to be iro…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 10:38AM
Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Thoughts on Ivan Van Hove’s West Side Story Cuts by Mark Robinson

It has been a few days now since the news officially dropped about the cuts and revisions made for the Ivan Van Hove-helmed revival of West Side Story  preparing to open on Broadway. So…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:00AM
Saturday, November 2, 2019

Remembering Song & Dance by Mark Robinson

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black created a heartfelt, funny, touching and palpably heartbreaking musical when they wrote Tell Me On A Sunday. Written as a one-woman show for British actr…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:00AM
Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Broadway, Monsters, and Jazz Hands: Making the Macabre Sing and Dance for Halloween by Mark Robinson

It’s that time of year for spooks, witches, and the scary things that haunt us in our nightmares. It is Halloween, where the macabre makes us want to tap dance, the maudlin has us breaki…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:00AM
Monday, October 21, 2019

Remembering Ballroom by Mark Robinson

A Broadway musical that failed to run, but that has a great deal of love and affection from die-hard Broadway fans, is the 1978 Ballroom. Drawing its inspiration from the 1975 made for TV…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 10:13AM
Thursday, October 17, 2019

Ranking Disney on Broadway: Celebrating and Analyzing 25 Years on the Great White Way by Mark Robinson

It is hard to believe that it has been 25 years since Disney produced its first musical on Broadway, changing the trajectory of family musicals (and Times Square) forever. Today, I take a …

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:00AM
Thursday, October 3, 2019

Remembering Two By Two by Mark Robinson

When the groundbreaking composing team of Rodgers and Hammerstein came to an end with Hammerstein’s death in 1960, Rodgers spent the balance of his career trying to find a lyricist with …

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:00AM
Friday, September 27, 2019

Remembering High Button Shoes by Mark Robinson

Jule Styne was a one of the great composers for the Broadway musical stage, having penned the melodies for such classic scores as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Bells Are Ringing, Gypsy, and…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:00AM
Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Remembering Cabin in the Sky by Mark Robinson

Musicals about the black experience were not unheard of in the early years of the Golden Age of Broadway, despite a society that didn’t exactly embrace black culture. Shows like Porgy &…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:00AM
Saturday, September 21, 2019

Remembering Tenderloin by Mark Robinson

The Broadway composing team of Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick were behind some of Broadway’s most beloved musical scores, having crafted the character-driven showtunes for musicals such …

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:00AM
Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Remembering I Married an Angel by Mark Robinson

The composing team of Rodgers and Hart had more than their share of hits throughout their prolific career as composer and lyricist (respectively) writing for the musical theatre. One of th…

SOURCE: www.markrobinsonwrites.com at 12:00AM
Monday, September 16, 2019

Around the World in 12 New York City Restaurants by Mark Robinson

Experience the best of Manhattan’s international cuisine

SOURCE: ShowTickets.com at 04:50PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards