All stories by Roger Friedman on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Broadway: “Sweeney Todd” Lures Tony Winners Sutton Foster, Aaron Tveit to Take Over from Josh Groban, Annaleigh Ashford by Roger Friedman

Well, this is good news. We knew that Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford were leaving “Sweeney Todd” on January 14, 2024. It’s

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 02:19PM
Saturday, October 28, 2023

(Watch) Dame Judi Dench Recite Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29 “Fortune in Men’s Eyes” on A UK Talk Show, Promoting Her Upcoming Book About the Bard by Roger Friedman

Dame Judi Dench, one of the last great people anywhere, is publishing a book about Shakespeare next April. I guess it’s out

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 01:07AM
Monday, October 23, 2023

Broadway: “Cabaret” Starring Eddie Redmayne as Emcee Will Get Two Opening Nights in a Row, Gayle Rankin as Sally Bowles by Roger Friedman

Producers are so about “Cabaret” returning to Broadway it’s getting not one but two opening nights. Oscar and Tony winner Eddie Redmayne

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 11:25AM
Friday, October 13, 2023

Theater: Shaina Taub’s Public Theater Hit Musical, “Suffs,” Coming to Broadway This Spring With Stellar Cast by Roger Friedman

EXCLUSIVE “Suffs” is coming to Broadway this spring. The Public Theater’s hit musical from 2022 is aiming for opening this spring with

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 07:49PM

Broadway: “Gutenberg!” A-List Premiere Gets Nathan Lane as Surprise Guest for Hilariously Silly, Much Needed Musical by Roger Friedman

Tony winning beloved Broadway star Nathan Lane sat behind yours truly for two hours last at the star studded premiere of “Gutenberg!

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 01:33AM

“Jihad Friday” Puts New York, LA on Guard: SAG Calls Off Picket Lines, Real Estate Offices Advise Brokers Not to Come In by Roger Friedman

Crazy Arab terrorists are threatening “Jihad Friday” in New York. No one knows exactly what that means, but SAG AFTRA has called

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 01:33AM
Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Tony Awards Move to Lincoln Center After Disaster Uptown, Radio City A Thing of the Past by Roger Friedman

The Tony Awards are moving to Lincoln Center. After this past summer’s disaster in Washington Heights, the Tony’s have made a wise

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 04:49PM
Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Broadway: Lea Michelle Misses Yet Another “Funny Girl” Performance Just Days Before the Troubled Revival Closes by Roger Friedman

Lea Michelle doesn’t mind raining on the parade of her fans. Less than a week before “Funny Girl” closes, Michelle is out

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 10:07PM
Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Broadway: Is COVID Back? “Sweeney Todd” Stars Affected, Plus Britney Spears Jukebox Musical Shutting Down by Roger Friedman

Before I get to COVID, let me remind you I told you the Britney Spears jukebox musical, “Once Upon a One More

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 02:05PM
Friday, August 11, 2023

Broadway Review: The Shark Has Big Teeth, Dear in Comedy Satire of “Jaws” That Devours Spielberg’s First Big Hit by Roger Friedman

“The Shark is Broken” is funny but is the play that satirizes the making of “Jaws”? The answer is yes and no.

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 04:19PM
Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Broadway: Ariana Grande’s “Wicked” Boyfriend Joins “Spamalot,” Angelina Jolie Will Be An Insider for “The Outsiders” Musical by Roger Friedman

I never heard of Ethan Slater before he allegedly dumped his wife for singer Ariana Grande. The two of them star in

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 09:33PM

Broadway: Britney Spears Musical “Once Upon a One More Time” On Death Watch with 12% Drop by Roger Friedman

Last week I told you two Broadway musicals were in trouble. They were the Neil Diamond musical, “A Beautiful Noise” and the

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 09:33PM
Friday, August 4, 2023

Review: “Back to the Future” Musical Lands on Broadway a Stunning Visual Production Made for the Nostalgic by Artificial Intelligence by Roger Friedman

“Back to the Future,” a hit musical from London, has landed at the cavernous Winter Garden Theater. Based on the 1985 movie,

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 01:49AM
Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Broadway: Look on the Bright Side, Monty Python’s Hilarious Tony Award Winning “Spamalot” Is Coming Back This Fall by Roger Friedman

Always look on the bright side of life, and you’ll be rewarded. “Spamalot” is coming back to Broadway. The Tony Award winning

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 01:13PM

Broadway Summer: Oops! Britney Spears, Neil Diamond Juke Box Musicals Playing to Half-Full Theaters While Other Shows Selling Out by Roger Friedman

Broadway is mostly booming this summer even with fewer shows than usual. “Back to the Future,” which will publish reviews tomorrow, did

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 01:13PM
Monday, July 31, 2023

Broadway: Non Binary Tony Award Star J. Harrison Ghee Revives Interest in Musical Version of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” by Roger Friedman

You may remember how Lady Chablis, a real person, became a national sensation after appearing in the John Berendt best seller, “Midnight

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 12:25PM
Monday, July 24, 2023

Broadway: “Funny Girl” Star Lea Michele Took the Weekend Off Because She Was “Under the Weather” by Roger Friedman

“Funny Girl” is surging at the box office as the production prepares to close over Labor Day weekend. The fans are turning

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 03:49PM
Friday, July 21, 2023

Review: David Byrne’s “Here Lies Love” Triumphant Broadway Opening 9 Years After Its Landmark Run at the Public Theater by Roger Friedman

In 2014, I went to the Public Theater in New York to see David Byrne’s “Here Lies Love” and nothing was ever

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 03:04PM
Thursday, July 20, 2023

Exclusive: Broadway Will NOT Strike As Union Gets An Agreement And Averts Stage Hands Walkout by Roger Friedman

IATSE has reached an agreement with the Broadway League and Disney Theatricals on what they call pink contracts, I am told exclusively.

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 02:33PM
Sunday, July 16, 2023

Off Broadway: Joey Pantoliano, Constantine Maroulis Lead a Sizzling Cast in “Rock and Roll Man” About Famed DJ Alan Freed by Roger Friedman

Maybe the best surprise performance of the summer theater season is going on in the bowels of New World Stages on West

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 11:19PM
Monday, July 10, 2023

Broadway: “Merrily We Roll Along” Revival Hasn’t Opened Yet But It’s Already Extending Run by 2 Months by Roger Friedman

Every show hopes for this. The revival of “Merrily We Roll Along” starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez is such

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 02:33PM
Friday, June 30, 2023

RIP Beloved Actor Alan Arkin Dead at Age 89, Won the Oscar for “Little Miss Sunshine,” Starred in Dozens of Classics by Roger Friedman

The sublimely great actor, Alan Arkin, has died at age 89. His sons said in a joint message, “Our father was a

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 11:07AM
Thursday, June 29, 2023

Broadway: “Camelot” Revival Will Close Next Month After Extension to September Hampered By No Tony Awards and Poor Reviews by Roger Friedman

For one shining moment, we had “Camelot.” And now, we don’t The Lincoln Center revival of “Camelot,” which was written by Aaron

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 04:43AM
Monday, June 26, 2023

Broadway: John Legend, Lynn Nottage Team Up for Musical Adaptation of Douglas Sirk 50s Movie with Racial Twist, “Imitation of Life” by Roger Friedman

John Legend is coming to Broadway. He’s written the songs for a musical adaptation of Douglas Sirk’s 50s soap opera, “Imitation of

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 03:49PM
Sunday, June 25, 2023

Today’s Show Cancelled: Too Hot in UK for “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Afraid of Melting at 86 Degrees by Roger Friedman

The folks at London’s “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory” in Wimbledon were afraid they were going to melt today. There’s no air

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 03:33PM
Saturday, June 24, 2023

COVID Still Exists: “Moulin Rouge” in London’s West End Cancels Saturday Performances Due to Company Illness, Plus Lea Michele Phoned in Sick To by Roger Friedman

Just in case you were wondering, COVID still exists. “Moulin Rouge” in London cancelled both shows today because of it. The announcement

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 09:07PM

Exclusive: Rachel Brosnahan Remembers Joan Rivers Coming Backstage to Meet Her at First Play, Long Before “Mrs. Maisel” by Roger Friedman

Rachel Brosnahan is clearly the best actress in TV comedy this year. “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is the Best Comedy. Brosnahan has

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 03:07PM
Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Broadway Will Say Goodbye to “Life of Pi” Next Month After Short Run, Won 3 Tony Awards by Roger Friedman

The first casualty of the just ended Broadway season has been announced. “Life of Pi” will close on July 23rd after a

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 07:55PM
Thursday, June 15, 2023

Broadway Stars Line Up for Next Season: Leslie Odom, Jr. Coming This Fall in “Purlie Victorious,” Eddie Redmayne Next Spring in “Cabaret” by Roger Friedman

Two big Broadway announcements. Leslie Odom, Jr is returning this fall in his first new role since winning the Tony for “Hamilton.”

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 12:07PM
Monday, June 12, 2023

Tony Awards Ratings Drop 11% As Mainstream Audience Tunes Out Writer-less Show, Lowest Ever Numbers by Roger Friedman

The Tony Awards were a ratings bomb. The show last night brought in just 3.42 million viewers. They even lost 2 million

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 05:13PM

Watch the Very Classy Tony Awards In Memoriam Sung by Last Year’s Amazing Winner Joaquina Kalukango by Roger Friedman

The In Memoriam last night on the Tony Awards was so classy — the Oscars and Emmys should really look at how

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 05:13PM

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