All stories by Paul Wontorek on BroadwayStars

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Paula Wayne, Golden-Voiced Broadway Star of Golden Boy, Dead at 84 by Paul Wontorek

Paula Wayne, the golden-voiced leading lady of Broadway’s Golden Boy, died on November 9 at her South Florida home. She was 84 and had battled pancreatic cancer in recent years. Raise…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 04:36PM
Tuesday, November 6, 2018

The Nap and Transparent Standout Alexandra Billings on the Miracle of Broadway, Why Judith Light Is a Superhero and More by Paul Wontorek

As the stories of transgender life have stepped out of the shadows in recent years, the formidable talents of Alexandra Billings have demanded a brighter spotlight. As the 56-year-old favori…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 05:06PM
Friday, November 2, 2018

Karen Olivo on Going from Moulin Rouge! to Fun Home: ‘Comfortable Shoes and One Costume Is Quite a Gift!' by Paul Wontorek

In just two months, Karen Olivo went from the high-glamour world of courtesan Satine in the smashing Boston run of the Broadway-bound Moulin Rouge! The Musical to the quieter life of cartoon…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 05:36PM
Friday, October 26, 2018

After Record-Breaking Run, Huey Lewis Musical The Heart of Rock & Roll Is Still Beating, and Looking to Broadway by Paul Wontorek

Although it wrapped up a record-breaking run at the Old Globe Theatre on October 21, The Heart of Rock & Roll is definitely still beating. Chart-topper Huey Lewis, and show conceiver/pro…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 04:36PM
Monday, October 22, 2018

Everybody Cut, Everybody Cut! Jeremy Kushnier & Jennifer Laura Thompson Reunite 20 Years After Footloose by Paul Wontorek

Twenty years ago, they were the hottest thing in denim. When Jeremy Kushnier and Jennifer Laura Thompson took to the stage of the Richard Rodgers Theatre on opening night of Footloose on Oct…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 04:36PM
Friday, September 21, 2018

Let's Do This, Bitches! Broadway's Stephanie J. Block on Rising Up as Cher in The Cher Show by Paul Wontorek

The fall theater scene is kicking into high gear with an exciting crop of plays, revivals and new musicals hitting the stage. The Broadway.com 2018 Fall Preview highlights the stars and show…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:12AM
Thursday, September 20, 2018

SJB Fall Preview by Paul Wontorek

Intro. Is starring as Cher, one of the greatest stars of all, in The Cher Show making you feel like a star? You know what? Yes! I never knew I wanted to be a pop goddess until I was a pop g…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:18PM
Monday, September 17, 2018

Cherry Jones, Bobby Cannavale & Daniel Radcliffe Explore Truth, Art and The Lifespan of a Fact by Paul Wontorek

The fall theater scene is kicking into high gear with an exciting crop of plays, revivals and new musicals hitting the stage. The Broadway.com 2018 Fall Preview highlights the stars and show…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:18PM
Friday, July 20, 2018

Summer TV Standouts Billy Porter and Mj Rodriguez on Staying True to Yourself and the Power of Pose by Paul Wontorek

While TV mastermind Ryan Murphy made his Broadway producing debut with The Boys in the Band and the just-closed Angels in America revival took audiences back to the tragic heart of the AIDS …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 03:32AM
Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Exclusive! Karen Olivo and Aaron Tveit Are Ready for the High Romance, Drama (and Laughs!) of Moulin Rouge! The Musical by Paul Wontorek

On the stage of the legendary Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston on July 10, glamorous, doomed starlet Satine will once again descend on a swing center stage at the famed Parisian nightclub …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:04PM
Friday, June 8, 2018

Nick Scandalios on His 30-Year Broadway Career, Feeling the Community’s Embrace and Being Honored at the 2018 Tony Awards by Paul Wontorek

With his long history on the Great White Way, Nick Scandalios is one of the engines that makes Broadway run. Broadway.com is kicking off our new series, Industry Insider, which looks at the …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 02:24PM
Sunday, May 27, 2018

David Morse and Austin Butler on Their Heartbreaking Iceman Cometh Duo and Why O’Neill is Never Easy by Paul Wontorek

Tony Award and Oscar winner Denzel Washington may be the name above the title in George C. Wolfe’s acclaimed new staging of The Iceman Cometh, but he’s actually just one in a sta…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 11:06AM
Friday, May 18, 2018

2018 Tony Nominees LaChanze and Hailey Kilgore on the Power of Ti Moune, Their Dream Pairing & More by Paul Wontorek

An unknown young star bursts onto the Broadway scene playing a headstrong island girl who risks it all for the love of a man in Once On This Island, breaking hearts with her unforgettable pe…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 07:36PM
Saturday, April 21, 2018

No More Tears: Donna Summer Gets the Broadway Bio-Musical She Dreamt Of, With Three Diva Stars by Paul Wontorek

Just a few of Donna Summer's hit albums. Hot stuff indeed. According to Spotify, the world’s most popular music streaming service, over two million users have listened to a Donna…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 07:04PM
Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Lights Up on Ana Villafane! The In the Heights Star on Embracing Lin-Manuel Miranda and Letting Go of Gloria Estefan by Paul Wontorek

Headlining a big, splashy Broadway musical is a dream-come-true opportunity for any young wannabe star. Ana Villafañe's debut moment, playing pop music icon Gloria Estefan in the …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 10:00AM
Sunday, March 4, 2018

Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez Win Second Oscar for "Remember Me" from Coco by Paul Wontorek

Married Frozen songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez have won their second Oscar for “Remember Me” from the film Coco, beating out fellow Broadway songwriters …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 11:14PM

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez Win Second Oscar for "Remember Me" from Coco by Paul Wontorek

Married Frozen songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez have won their second Oscar for “Remember Me” from the film Coco, beating out fellow Broadway songwriters …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 11:14PM
Tuesday, February 20, 2018

LaChanze Embraces Her Diva Side in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical by Paul Wontorek

The spring theater season has officially begun, and a slew of highly anticipated musicals and plays, both brand new and revisited, are set to bow. Broadway.com's Spring Preview series ca…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 02:00PM
Sunday, February 18, 2018

Daphne Rubin-Vega and Gizel Jimenez Face America in Miss You Like Hell by Paul Wontorek

The spring theater season has officially begun, and a slew of highly anticipated musicals and plays, both brand-new and revisited, are set to bow. Broadway.com's Spring Preview series ca…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 02:00PM
Thursday, February 15, 2018

Hot Tub Parties & Working Out at the Y: How Alison Luff & Paul Alexander Nolan Got Ready to Escape to Margaritaville by Paul Wontorek

In their last Broadway outings, Alison Luff and Paul Alexander Nolan were decidedly not "nibbling' on a sponge cake, watchin' the sun bake," to quote Jimmy Buffett's me…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 07:45PM
Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Harry Connick Jr. to Star in Broadway-Aimed The Sting at Paper Mill Playhouse by Paul Wontorek

Broadway vet Harry Connick, Jr. will take on the role of Henry Gondorff, made famous by Paul Newman onscreen, in the upcoming musical adaptation of the 1973 film The Sting. The Broadway-aime…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 06:26PM
Friday, January 26, 2018

Kiki on Broadway: Pop King Jake Shears on How His Go-Go-Boy Past Got Him Ready for Kinky Boots by Paul Wontorek

After the glam-pop group Scissor Sisters burst onto the music scene in 2004, their wild theatricality and irresistible dance grooves landed them on the British charts immediately and subsequ…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:58PM
Wednesday, January 24, 2018

The Phantom of the Opera Is Here and 30! Looking Back at the Magic and Romance of Broadway's Longest-Running Show by Paul Wontorek

As "The Phantom of the Opera" celebrates its 30th anniversary on Broadway on January 26, Broadway.com looks back at the show's start and the secret to its success and shines th…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 03:51PM
Monday, December 11, 2017

Alec Baldwin May Bring Acclaimed Donald Trump Impression to Broadway by Paul Wontorek

Will Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump impression be huuuuge on Broadway? On a December 11 interview on The Howard Stern Show, the stage vet said he's mulling the opportunity to turn hi…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 02:48PM
Friday, November 17, 2017

Laura Benanti and Keegan-Michael Key Talk Smart and Silly About Their Hilarious Broadway Pairing in Meteor Shower by Paul Wontorek

As Laura and Gerald, a wild couple that shakes up the lives of a more straight-laced married pair, Tony Award winner Laura Benanti and Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key are having a blast in th…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 05:06PM
Friday, November 3, 2017

Bow Down! Meet the Immortal Gods of Broadway's Once on This Island by Paul Wontorek

When the well-loved 1990 musical Once on This Island returns to Broadway—previews start at the Circle in the Square on November 9—the gods who rule the Caribbean setting will hav…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 11:24PM
Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Wicked's Ashley Parker Angel on Dancing Through His Career and Getting (Almost) Naked for a Good Cause by Paul Wontorek

As the Winkie Prince who captures the attention of both green girl and popular girl in Wicked, Ashley Parker’s nightly job on Broadway fits him just as snugly as Fiyero’s famous …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 11:54AM
Friday, October 20, 2017

Wicked Stars Jackie Burns and Amanda Jane Cooper on Glitter, Getting Green & Their Every Night Halloween Party by Paul Wontorek

For close to 14 years, the blockbuster Wicked has been bringing together big-belting divas and funny ingenues in its leading roles, creating magic with the power of two. Current stars Jackie…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 05:42PM
Saturday, September 9, 2017

Michael Friedman, Composer of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and More, Dies at 41 by Paul Wontorek

Michael Friedman, the rising young musical theater composer and lyricist, died at age 41 on September 9. According to a press release from the Public Theater, where he often worked, the caus…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 09:12PM
Friday, September 8, 2017

Fall Preview 2017: 33 Top Show Picks for Theater Fans This Fall by Paul Wontorek

Bummed that summer is over? Don’t be! In rehearsal rooms all around Manhattan, some of the most innovative theater artists in the world are prepping a fall season filled with hilarious…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 09:18PM
Tuesday, September 5, 2017

The Rise and Reboot of Broadway's Beloved Once on This Island by Paul Wontorek

The 2017-2018 theater season has officially begun, and a slew of highly anticipated musicals and plays, both brand new and revisited, are set to bow. Broadway.com's Fall Preview series c…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 02:36PM

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