All stories by Ryan McPhee on BroadwayStars

Monday, December 28, 2020

In Memoriam: A Look at the Theatre Artists We Lost in 2020 by Ryan McPhee

Playbill remembers the actors, directors, playwrights, and other familiar faces of the stage who died this year.

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:03PM[SHARE]

Andrew Barth Feldman, Tituss Burgess, André De Shields, More to Star in Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical Benefit by Ryan McPhee

The one-performance-only event, based on the social media viral sensation, will stream January 1 in support of The Actors Fund.

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:35AM[SHARE]

Stage and Screen Actor Lee Wallace Dead at 90 by Ryan McPhee

The performer (and on-screen mayor) appeared on Broadway in The Cemetery Club, The Apple Doesn't Fall…, and more.

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:38AM[SHARE]

Film Adaptation of The Color Purple Musical Secures December 2023 Release Date by Ryan McPhee

Blitz Bazawule, co-director of Beyoncé's Black Is King, will helm the Warner Bros. project.

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:31AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Inside the Broadway Community Project: The People Who Nurture Broadway Bodies by Ryan McPhee

"Very few things can top getting to know these casts and add value to their lives, then watching the show from backstage and having them add value to mine."

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:59PM[SHARE]
Monday, December 21, 2020

Congress Reaches Agreement on Coronavirus Relief Package, Including $15 Billion 'Save Our Stages' Act by Ryan McPhee

The stimulus bill, expected to pass the House and Senate December 21, follows months of political stalemate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:04AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 19, 2020

For Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Colman Domingo Looks to a Century of Code-Switching by Ryan McPhee

"Black folks do this all day long. It's something that's been codified in our spirit. It's interesting to see how much more work we have to do just to have a complex, strong existence."

SOURCE: Playbill at 07:59AM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 17, 2020

Meet the Band: Michael Potts, Colman Domingo, and Glynn Turman on August Wilson, Chadwick Boseman, and the Commoditization of Black Art by Ryan McPhee

The trio star alongside Viola Davis and the late Boseman in the Netflix adaptation of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:47PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Interview: Audra McDonald on Creating a Gala for an Empty Theatre, Remembering Terrence McNally, and More by Ryan McPhee

The six-time Tony winner, currently nominated for McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, headlines New York City Center's digital concert event.

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:48PM[SHARE]

Celia Rose Gooding, Diana DeGarmo, Alysha Umphress, More Star in Virtual Production of Disenchanted!, Streaming December 15 by Ryan McPhee

The musical send-up of familiar animated princesses played Off-Broadway in 2014.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:01AM[SHARE]
Monday, December 14, 2020

Ann Reinking, Dancer-Turned-Tony-Winning-Choreographer and Fosse Muse, Dies at 71 by Ryan McPhee

Ms. Reinking won Tony and Olivier Awards for choreographing the revival of Chicago and played Roxie Hart in both the original and long-running Broadway productions.

SOURCE: Playbill at 07:10PM[SHARE]

Under Tier 3 Restrictions, London Theatres Enter Another Lockdown as Holidays Approach by Ryan McPhee

Some shows, such as Six and Everybody's Talking About Jamie, had begun to welcome back audiences in the West End earlier this month.

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:01AM[SHARE]
Friday, December 11, 2020

Tina Tony Nominee Katori Hall Signs Overall TV Deal With Lionsgate, Including Commission for Black Playwrights by Ryan McPhee

Hall's play Pussy Valley was recently adapted into the Starz series P-Valley, which Lionsgate has already picked up for a second season.

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:58AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Susan Stroman Will Revisit Center Stage for 20th Anniversary Master Class by Ryan McPhee

Learn the moves from the cult favorite and hear from cast members Sascha Radetsky, Priscilla Lopez, and Debra Monk.

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:27PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Inside the Broadway Community Project: The Art of Fighting by Ryan McPhee

"Good fights are more about trust, teamwork, and collaboration than martial skill," says fight choreographer and movement director David S. Leong.

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:50PM[SHARE]

National Theatre's Dick Whittington Panto Will Stream For Free by Ryan McPhee

The in-the-round production will be filmed in front of a socially distant audience from the London venue.

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:07AM[SHARE]
Monday, December 7, 2020

Porgy and Bess, The Exterminating Angel, More Stream for Free in English-Language Week of Met Streams by Ryan McPhee

Week 39 of the Metropolitan Opera's nightly series features seven titles with English libretti.

SOURCE: Playbill at 08:28AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 5, 2020

Six Resumes Performances in London's West End December 5 by Ryan McPhee

The high-energy musical welcomes back a socially distanced audience.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:03PM[SHARE]

Months After Inequity Reckoning, Flea Theater Discontinues The Bats and Other Resident Artist Groups by Ryan McPhee

In June, the Off-Off-Broadway theatre said it would commit to paying its artists for future programming. Now, it's unclear what that programming might be.

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:34AM[SHARE]
Friday, December 4, 2020

The Playbill Weekend Streaming Guide: What to Watch December 4-6 by Ryan McPhee

Vanessa Williams and John Lloyd Young go live, celebrate Ars Nova all day and all night, and more.

SOURCE: Playbill at 07:59AM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 3, 2020

Cynthia Erivo to Star in and Produce Biopic on Omoba Aina, Later Named Sarah Forbes Bonetta by Ryan McPhee

The Tony winner and Oscar nominee will play the 19th century Egbado princess, enslaved by the Dahomey kingdom and ultimately taken in by Queen Victoria as a goddaughter.

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:38PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Dr. Anthony Fauci Sheds Light on What Coronavirus Vaccine Efficacy Means for Broadway by Ryan McPhee

"It's really going to be up to us as a community to realize that getting vaccinated is the gateway to getting out of this dilemma that we're in."

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:30AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Celia Rose Gooding, Diana DeGarmo, Alysha Umphress, More to Star in Virtual Production of Disenchanted! by Ryan McPhee

The musical send-up of familiar animated princesses played Off-Broadway in 2014.

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:30PM[SHARE]
Monday, November 30, 2020

Renée Fleming, Jonas Kaufmann, Leontyne Price, More Sing Their Signature Roles in Week of Free Met Streams by Ryan McPhee

The Nightly Met Streams series continues with presentations of Eugene Onegin, Parsifal, Aida, and more.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:19PM[SHARE]

Playbill's Weekly Streaming Guide: What to Watch November 30-December 4 by Ryan McPhee

A new way to experience Alvin Ailey's Revelations, a look back at some of Broadway Cares' most memorable moments, and more.

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:53AM[SHARE]
Thursday, November 26, 2020

Glimmers of Light: The Theatre Moments That Gave Us Comfort Amid Chaos by Ryan McPhee

A surprise Sondheim performance. A face-off with love. A whole lot of streaming events. Here's what brought us joy in a rough 2020.

SOURCE: Playbill at 07:00AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, November 25, 2020

The Playbill Thanksgiving Streaming Guide: What to Watch Over the Holiday Weekend by Ryan McPhee

Broadway heads to Macy's. Jefferson Mays plays Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and everyone in-between.

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:12AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Jagged Little Pill, Soft Power, Little Shop of Horrors, More Earn 2021 Grammy Nominations by Ryan McPhee

Six cast recordings are up for Best Musical Theater Album at the 63rd annual awards.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:45PM[SHARE]

Inside the Broadway Community Project: How Company Manager Susan Sampliner Keeps Wicked Positively Emerald by Ryan McPhee

Sampliner has been with the blockbuster musical since it opened in 2003, marking the longest tenure for a Broadway company manager to date.

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:35AM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off