All stories by Robert Simonson on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Ruth Maleczech, Founder of Mabou Mines, Seminal Downtown Theatre Group, Dies at 74 by Robert Simonson

Ruth Maleczech, who co-founded the influential and sui generis experimental theatre troupe Mabou Mines and helped shepherd it through four decades of productions, becoming arguably its most …

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:22AM

PLAYBILL.COM'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER With Fetch Clay, Make Man's Will Power, Ray Fisher and K. Todd Freeman by Robert Simonson

Playbill.com chats with Fetch Clay, Make Man's Will Power, Ray Fisher and K. Todd Freeman. 

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, September 27, 2013

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Sept. 21-27: The Glass Menagerie Opens, City Center Has a Love Affair With Sondheim and The Great Comet Hits Mi by Robert Simonson

This season's Tennessee Williams entry came early. On Sept. 26, Cherry Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Zachary Quinto opened as Broadway's latest Wingfield family in a new production …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:30PM
Thursday, September 26, 2013

Marta Heflin, Actress and Altman Favorite, Dies at 68 by Robert Simonson

Marta Heflin, who acted in three Robert Altman films, including "Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean," a role she first created on Broadway, died Sept. 18 in Manh…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:44PM
Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Broadway Box-Office Analysis, Sept. 16-22, 2013 by Robert Simonson

Playbill's newest weekly feature examines the box-office trends of the past week. *

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:45AM

Jane Connell, Character Actress Known for Mame, Dies at 87 by Robert Simonson

Jane Connell, a career character stage actress who, despite her diminutive stature, commanded many a musical comedy stage—most notably, through her portrayal of the daffy Agnes Gooch i…

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:24AM
Monday, September 23, 2013

Marjorie Gunner, Former Leader of Outer Critics Circle, Dies at 91 by Robert Simonson

Marjorie Gunner, who for 25 years led the Outer Critics Circle, a group of theatre reviewers based outside New York City who annually give out awards honoring theatre artists, died Sept. 21 …

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:29PM

Michael and Laura Joplin Share Their Sister's Music with Broadway by Robert Simonson

Playbill.com chats with the creators and star of the new Broadway musical A Night With Janis Joplin.

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:32PM

Michael and Laura Joplin and Share Their Sister's Music with Broadway by Robert Simonson

Playbill.com chats with the creators and star of the new Broadway musical A Night With Janis Joplin.

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:31PM
Friday, September 20, 2013

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Sept. 14-20: Romeo and Juliet Opens on Broadway, Mr. Burns a Hot Ticket and New Plays Across the Pond by Robert Simonson

The Prince of Broadway — the Harold Prince version of Jerome Robbins' Broadway, which takes audiences through the numerous award-winning productions created by famous director…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:00PM
Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Broadway Box-Office Analysis, Sept. 9-15, 2013 by Robert Simonson

Playbill's newest weekly feature examines the box-office trends of the past week. *

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:30AM
Monday, September 16, 2013

Anne Washburn Explores the Horrors of an Un-d'oh!-able Future in Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play by Robert Simonson

Playbill.com talks with Anne Washburn, scribe of the new play Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play.

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:00PM
Sunday, September 15, 2013

PLAYBILL.COM'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER With Eric Simonson on Lombardi and Bronx Bombers by Robert Simonson

Playbill.com's Robert Simonson talks sports and theatre with his brother, Eric Simonson.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, September 13, 2013

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Sept. 7-13: Is All the Way Broadway Bound? and Fetch Clay, Make Man and The Old Friends Open by Robert Simonson

Should all the stars align, one of the hottest tickets on Broadway this spring will be a historical drama — a genre that rarely makes hay in New York — that had its premiere at t…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:36PM
Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Broadway Box-Office Analysis, Sept. 2-8, 2013 by Robert Simonson

Playbill's newest weekly feature examines the box-office trends of the past week. *

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:09AM
Friday, September 6, 2013

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Aug. 31-Sept. 6: Annie Announces Closing and Mike Daisey Begins Exploring All the Faces of the Moon by Robert Simonson

The Broadway revival of Annie, which began performances last November, will end its Broadway run Jan. 5, 2014, producers announced Sept. 5.

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:00PM
Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Broadway Box-Office Analysis, Aug. 26-Sept. 1, 2013 by Robert Simonson

Playbill's newest weekly feature examines the box-office trends of the past week. *

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:00PM
Monday, September 2, 2013

BROADWAY FALL 2013 PREVIEW: A Theatregoer's Guide to Love and Murder by Robert Simonson

The fall season on Broadway offers an abundance of Shakespeare, John Grisham's Broadway debut, Mary-Louise Parker's return to the boards and the dynamic duo of Patrick Stewart a…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, September 1, 2013

OFF-BROADWAY FALL 2013 PREVIEW: A Wallace Shawn Sighting, John Kander Without Fred Ebb, Jeanine Tesori and William Finn's Latest by Robert Simonson

The Off-Broadway fall season offers up the return of Wallace Shawn, the movie-into-musical Little Miss Sunshine, a reteaming of Sarah Jessica Parker and Blythe Danner in The Commons of …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, August 30, 2013

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Aug. 24-30: Rocky and Aladdin Set Broadway Dates, Jessica Lange Will Journey to Broadway by Robert Simonson

Disney Theatricals, which currently has two shows on the Broadway boards — The Lion King and Newsies — will soon have a third.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:47PM

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Aug. 24-30: Aladdin To Fly Into New Amsterdam, Rocky Punches Its Way to Winter Garden, Jessica Lange Will Journ by Robert Simonson

Disney Theatricals, which currently has two shows on the Broadway boards — The Lion King and Newsies — will soon have a third.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:45PM
Monday, August 26, 2013

Broadway Box-Office Analysis, Aug. 19-25, 2013 by Robert Simonson

Playbill's newest weekly feature examines the box-office trends of the past week. *

SOURCE: Playbill at 07:35PM

The Soundtrack of Their Lives: Broadway Musicals Cater to Baby Boomers by Robert Simonson

Playbill.com explores the trend of Broadway musicals that appeal to baby boomers. 

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, August 24, 2013

Julie Harris, Leading Actress of the American Theatre, Dies at 87 by Robert Simonson

Julie Harris, a towering figure of the American theatre in the decades following World War II, who created several iconic stage roles – collecting five Tony Awards along the way &ndash…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:03PM
Friday, August 23, 2013

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Aug. 17-23: Kenneth Branagh's Macbeth Stalks the Armory, Tyne Daly Returns to Broadway and Dames at Sea Swims t by Robert Simonson

There will be two high-profile productions of Macbeth in New York this season. But there will not be two productions on Broadway.

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:32PM

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Aug. 17-23: Kenneth Branagh's Macbeth to Play the Armory, Tyne Daly Comes Back to Broadway and Dames at Sea to by Robert Simonson

There will be two high-profile productions of Macbeth in New York this season. But there will not be two productions on Broadway.

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:30PM
Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Broadway Box-Office Analysis, Aug. 12-18, 2013 by Robert Simonson

Playbill's newest weekly feature examines the box-office trends of the past week. *

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:41AM
Friday, August 16, 2013

Henry Polic II, Stage and Television Actor, Dies at 68 by Robert Simonson

Henry Polic II, a veteran stage and television actor with dozens of credits, died Aug. 11 after a long battle with cancer.

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:30PM

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Aug. 10-16: Soul Doctor Opens, Rattlestick Presents The Hilltown Plays and Spider-Man Suffers Injuries by Robert Simonson

It's been a summer of oddball attractions on Broadway. Last week saw the opening of First Date, a new musical created by nobody the New York theatre world has ever heard of. And this wee…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:30PM

Regina Resnik, Opera Star Who Received Tony Nomination, Dies at 90 by Robert Simonson

Regina Resnik, an opera star who sang more than 300 performances at the Metropolitan Opera and who received a Tony Award nomination for Cabaret in 1987, died on Aug. 8 in Manhattan. She was …

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:15PM

Jane Harvey, Jazz Vocalist and Performer, Dies at 88 by Robert Simonson

Jane Harvey, who recorded with the Benny Goodman orchestra in the 1940’s and later sang with Desi Arnaz, died at her home in Los Angeles Aug. 15. The cause was cancer. She was 88.

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:44PM