'PHANTOM OF THE OPERA' CLOSING NEXT YEAR AFTER HISTORIC RUN ON BROADWAY by Robert Shuman

(from Eyewitness News 7, 9/16; via Drudge Report..) NEW YORK (WABC) " "Phantom of the Opera," Broadway's longest-running show and an icon of New York City theater, will close early next y…

***** 'MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, REVIEW " HILARIOUS, HEARTFELT SHOW IS EVERYTHING by Robert Shuman

(Nick Ahad's article appeared in the Guardian, 9/14; Photo: Compelling … Guy Rhys (Benedick) and Daneka Etchells (Beatrice) in Much Ado About Nothing at the Crucible, Sheffield. Photogr…

ON STAGE AND WHEN WE MET AT THE THEATRE, THE QUEEN WAS A FIGURE OF QUIET WISDOM AND HUMOUR by Robert Shuman

(Michael Billington's article appeared in the Guardian, 9/9; via Pam Green; Photo: Marion Bailey as the Queen in Handbagged at the Tricycle theatre (now the Kiln), London, in 2013. Photog…

CONSTANT STANISLAVSKI (141) by Robert Shuman

The words and wisdom of Constantin Stanislavski: Aside from the fact that it opens up avenues for inspiration, living the part helps the artist to carry out one of his main objectives. His j…

RUSSIA BLACKLISTS ARTISTS AND POP STARS CRITICAL OF UKRAINE WAR | FOCUS ON EUROPE by Robert Shuman

(via DW)

MARÍA IRENE FORNÉS' MUD/DROWNING RETURNS TO MABOU MINES, SEPTEMBER 21 " OCTOBER 9 by Robert Shuman

 Fornes returns after a sold-out run at Mabou Mines!  15 PERFORMANCES ONLY    MABOU MINES AND WEATHERVANE PRODUCTIONS  IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE DAYS AND NIGHTS FEST…

ROBERT LUPONE, A CHORUS LINE TONY NOMINEE & MCC THEATER FOUNDER, DIES AT 76 by Robert Shuman

(Caitlin Moynihan's article appeared on Broadway.com. 8/29/22.) Robert LuPone, founder and artistic director of MCC Theater and Tony-nominated A Chorus Line cast member, died on August…

RITA MORENO & EDWARD JAMES OLMOS ON THE DISCRIMINATION LATINX ACTORS FACED by Robert Shuman

(via Pam Green)  Despite Raúl Juliá's talents, opportunities for Latino actors were scarce. Rubén Blades, Andy Garcia, and others discuss how Raúl Juliá overcame discrimin…

UNDERGROUND CULTURE: UKRAINE THEATER REOPENS IN BOMBARDED CITY by Robert Shuman

(By AFP, from Radio Free Europe, August 26, 2022.)   In the war-ravaged city of Mykolayiv, actors have reopened their theater in the safety of an underground bunker. These actors were pho…

JULIE ANDREWS AND EMMA WALTON HAMILTON TALK ABOUT TAKING THEIR CHILDREN'S BOOK EMPIRE TO THE STAGE by Robert Shuman

(Harry Haun's article appeared in the Observer, 8/22; via Pam Green.) 'The Great American Mousical' " one of the 31 children's books written by the mother and daughter team " takes it first …

DRUID'S 'THE LAST RETURN' BY SONYA KELLY WINS AWARD AT EDINBURGH FRINGE by Robert Shuman

(Deirdre Falvey's article appeared in the Irish Times, 8/12.) Fringe First Award for play about conflict, peace and the pursuit of territory at any cost follows rave reviews Druid theatre co…

TWO UKRAINIAN PLAYS REVIEW " MASTERFUL FRAMING OF A NATION'S TRAGEDY by Robert Shuman

(Mark Lawson's article appeared in the Guardian, 8/12; via Pam Green.) Finborough theatre, London A ghostly tale and a potent monologue form a double bill that uses the 2014 conflict to rema…

CONSTANT STANISLAVSKI (140)  by Robert Shuman

The words and wisdom of Constantin Stanislavski: You may play well or you may play badly; the important thing is that you should ​play truly (Shchepkin to Shumski). To play truly mean…

EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM REPOENS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE PANDEMIC by Robert Shuman

On 8/16/22, Emily Dickinson's house, in Amherst MA, reopened for the first time since March 2020, boasting pieces from her family's original furniture, as well as items, such as the dining r…

***** 'MEDEA' REVIEW " ADURA ONASHILE EXUDES AWESOME AUTHORITY IN BLOODY TRAGEDY by Robert Shuman

(Mark Fisher's article appeared in the Guardian, 8/14.)  The Hub, Edinburgh Liz Lochhead's Scots verse spits wit and venom as male power meets female determination with operatic intensity…

UKRAINIAN CHILDREN BRING A PLAY FROM A BOMB SHELTER TO BROOKLYN by Robert Shuman

(Sarah Bahr's article appeared in The New York Times, 8/12; via Pam Green.) The group recently arrived in New York to perform "Mom on Skype," first staged in April in Lviv, at the Irondale C…

AUTHOR SALMAN RUSHDIE STABBED ON LECTURE STAGE IN NEW YORK by Robert Shuman

(Joshua Goodman's article appeared on the AP, 8/13.) CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. (AP) " Salman Rushdie, whose novel "The Satanic Verses" drew death threats from Iran's leader in the 1980s, was stabbed …

'I'D CRAWL OVER BROKEN GLASS TO WORK HERE': CBEEBIES TAKE ON SHAKESPEARE by Robert Shuman

(Catherine Shoard's article appear appeared in the Guardian, 8/9, via Pam Green.) The BBC kids' channel is known for its wit, invention and credo of inclusivity " but can its take on As You …

THE 388-YEAR-OLD PLAY THAT'S STILL GOING by Robert Shuman

(Laura Studarus's article appeared on BBC 4, 8/9.) Once a decade, ever since 1634, German village Oberammergau has staged a remarkable, epic play about Jesus Christ involving thousands of re…

TOM STOPPARD'S 'LEOPOLDSTADT' BEGINS BROADWAY REHEARSALS by Robert Shuman

(via BBB, Adrian Bryan-Brown / Michelle Farabaugh / Angela Yamarone ) ★★★★★ "Magnificent! Sir Tom Stoppard's masterpiece. GO!" The Independent Leopo…

GEORGE BARTENIEFF, FIXTURE OF DOWNTOWN THEATER, DIES AT 89 by Robert Shuman

(Neil Genzlinger's article appeared in The New York Times, 8/3/22.) A veteran actor, he was also a founder of Theater for the New City and Theater Three Collaborative, Manhattan groups known…

HOW PHOTOS OF NAZIS PARTYING AT AUSCHWITZ GAVE RISE TO A NEW PLAY by Robert Shuman

(Peter Marks's article appeared in The Washington Post, 8/5; via msn and the Drudge Report.) It started with a photo album, submitted over the transom to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum i…

CONSTANT STANISLAVSKI (139)  by Robert Shuman

The words and wisdom of Constantin Stanislavski:  Our art teaches us first of all to create consciously and rightly, because that will best prepare the way for the blossoming of the su…

REVIEW: 'CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF' KNOWS ITS GOOD ANGLES by Robert Shuman

(Juan A. Ramírez's article appeared in The New York Times, 7/31; via Pam Green.) The Ruth Stage's production understands the violence and identity crisis at the core of Brick's character,…

'THE BACCHAE' BY EURIPIDES (ON BBC RADIO 4 "IN OUR TIME""DISCUSSION PROGRAM) by Robert Shuman

Listen Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Euripides' great tragedy, which was first performed in Athens in 405 BC when the Athenians were on the point of defeat and humiliation in a long war wi…

***** 'WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND' REVIEW " OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF THE LLOYD WEBBER MUSICAL by Robert Shuman

(Clare Brennan's article appeared in the Observer, 7/31.) Watermill, Newbury Tom Jackson Greaves thrillingly fuses movement with music in his revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Louisiana-set t…

DISSIDENTS OF RUSSIAN CULTURE FACE DILEMMA BETWEEN SILENCE AND EXILE by Robert Shuman

(Gregoire Sauvage's article appeared on France 24, 7/20/22; videos: Little Big and Boris Grebenchtchikov.) The Kremlin has effectively taken over Russia's culture industry as the invasion of…

ARGENTINES YEARN FOR EVITA, 70 YEARS AFTER HER DEATH by Robert Shuman

(Daniel Politi's article appeared on the AP, 7/27; via the Drudge Report.) BUENOS AIRES (AP) " María Eva Noble says she is carrying out the legacy of her namesake as she labors in a soup …

OUT OF THE BOX THEATRICS TO PRESENT THE FIRST OFF-BROADWAY REVIVAL OF 'FLOYD COLLINS'"DIRECTED BY CHRISTINA SAJOUS by Robert Shuman

(Via Jim Byk/Kelly Guiod, The Press Room; Sajous's interview was recorded for "A Wonderful World.") "Floyd Collins is the finest work of American musical theater,  not excluding opera,…

CONSTANT STANISLAVSKI (138) by Robert Shuman

The words and wisdom of Constantin Stanislavski: [Tommaso] Salvini said: 'The great actor should be full of feeling, and especially he should feel the thing he is portraying.  He must fee…

JONI MITCHELL PERFORMS IN PUBLIC FOR FIRST TIME IN NINE YEARS by Robert Shuman