All stories by Sam Maher on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 18 by Robert Viagas and Ernio Hernandez and Sam Maher

1911 Disraeli, a new drama, opens tonight on Broadway at the Wallack's Theatre. It stars George Arliss as the British prime minister in this play by Louis N. Parker. Arliss' memorabl…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, September 17, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 17 by Ernio Hernandez and Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1879 The Daly Theatre opens at Broadway and Thirtieth Street in New York.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, September 16, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 16 by Ernio Hernandez and Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1892 Songwriter and producer Earl Carroll (1892-1948) is born today. His best-remembered contribution to the theatre was the eponymous revue The Earl Carroll Vanities, which had nine edition…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, September 15, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 15 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1889 Robert Benchley, the acclaimed actor, critic, and humorist of the early Twentieth Century, is born today. Benchley will marry Gertrude Darling and make his stage debut in this month in …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, September 13, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 13 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1894 Birthday of British playwright J.B. Priestley (1894-1984), author of plays An Inspector Calls, When We Are Married, Laburnum Grove and A Severed Head.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, September 12, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 12 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1866 The Broadway musical is born. The Black Crook opens at Niblo's Garden, a musical extravaganza featuring a melodramatic plot and scantily-dressed ballerinas who serve as chorus girls…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, September 11, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 11 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez and Sam Maher

1912 Jane Cowl becomes a star while performing in Within the Law by Bayard Veiller, which opened on this night. The play is about a woman wrongfully accused of theft. This was also the prem…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, September 10, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 10 by Robert Viagas and Ernio Hernandez and Sam Maher

1915 Fanny Brice is reviewed in Variety for her performance at the Palace. Variety says that when she "learns to refrain from starting to disrobe before she is out of sight of the audie…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, September 9, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 9 by Ernio Hernandez and Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1873 Birthday of influential director Max Reinhardt (1873-1943) in Austria-Hungary. He will stage innovative productions of The Eternal Road, Sumurun and A Midsummer Night's Dream, the l…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, November 17, 2011

Today In Theatre History: NOVEMBER 18 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Sam Maher, Steve Luber, Anne Bradley

1836 Birthday of satirist William S. Gilbert, later to achieve immortality as the lyricist half of the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta-writing team that produced The Mikado, The Pirates of P…

SOURCE: Playbill at 07:00PM
Monday, November 14, 2011

Today in Theatre History: NOVEMBER 14 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Sam Maher, Steve Luber and Anne Bradley

1905 Blanche Bates is Minnie, sweetheart of the mines in Girl of the Golden West. She tends a saloon, fugitive lover and pursuing sheriff. Writer, director, producer David Belasco was no str…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, November 13, 2011

Today In Theatre History: NOVEMBER 13 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Sam Maher, Steve Luber and Anne Bradley

1833 Birthday of master actor Edwin Booth (1833-1893), a major interpreter of Shakespeare and brother to actor Junius Brutus Booth and presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth. Broadway's…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, October 28, 2011

Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 28 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Sam Maher and Steve Luber

1928 Six-time Tony-winning costume designer Florence Klotz is born today. Her designs will be worn by the original casts of Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, On the Twentieth…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, October 21, 2011

Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 21 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Sam Maher and Steve Luber

1933 Trying to follow-up the success of their Pulitzer-winning musical Of Thee I Sing, George and Ira Gershwin, George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind bring back President John Wintergreen and…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, October 14, 2011

Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 14 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Sam Maher and Ernio Hernandez

1893 Lillian Gish, film acting pioneer whose Broadway career lasted from 1913 to 1976, is born today. Her stage shows will include Camille, The Trip to Bountiful and several versions of Uncl…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, October 7, 2011

Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 7 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Sam Maher and Robert Viagas

1907 The Gay White Way, a musical revue whose title meant something quite different in that innocent era, opens at the Casino Theatre for a then-healthy run of 105 performances. Blanche Ring…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, October 1, 2011

Today in Theatre History: OCTOBER 1 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1928 Mae West's controversial play Pleasure Man opens at the Biltmore Theatre. It's the story of an actor who has impregnated so many women that the brother of one of them takes up a…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, September 16, 2011

Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 16 by Ernio Hernandez and Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1892 Songwriter and producer Earl Carroll (1892-1948) is born today. His best-remembered contribution to Broadway was the eponymous revue The Earl Carroll Vanities, which had nine editions b…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 13 by David Gewirtzman and Ernio Hernandez, Robert Viagas and Sam Maher

1894 Birthday of British playwright J.B. Priestley (1894-1984), author of plays An Inspector Calls, When We Are Married, Laburnum Grove and A Severed Head.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

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