All stories by Tony Frankel on BroadwayStars

Friday, July 16, 2021

Theater Opening: THE WAKE OF DICK JOHNSON (Hollywood Fringe Festival) by Tony Frankel

GORY, FREAKY AND DOWNRIGHT ALARMING The West Coast Premiere of the Off-Broadway production, The Wake of Dick Johnson, performed live and in person by writer and director Luke Walker, will be…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:02PM[SHARE]

Film Opening: CAN YOU BRING IT: BILL T. JONES AND D-MAN IN THE WATERS (directed by Rosalynde LeBlanc & Tom Hurwitz) by Tony Frankel

OPENS TODAY, JULY 16TH IN SELECT THEATERS & VIRTUAL CINEMAS New York, Baltimore, Cleveland, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Seattle *Expanding to Los Angeles, Detroit, San Francisco, Toronto o…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:39PM[SHARE]
Thursday, July 15, 2021

Broadway Opening: CHICKEN & BISCUITS (Circle in the Square) by Tony Frankel

Long ago, I saw a very tired Lés Miz on Broadway. Not long thereafter, producer Cameron Mackintosh replaced the cast with a new ensemble rife with folks who had never performed on Broadway …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:35PM[SHARE]

Reopening: GROUNDLINGS THEATRE (Sketch & Improv Comedy) by Tony Frankel

THEY'RE BA-A-A-A-A-A-A-CK L.A.'s home-grown Groundlings in-person programming returns with all of the best they got beginning July 23, 2021. An evening at the Groundlings means a packed t…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:41PM[SHARE]
Monday, July 12, 2021

Virtual Theater: WORD FOR WORDCAST (Word for Word's Second Podcast Season) by Tony Frankel

NOW THIS IS HOW YOU TELL A STORY Over the last 28 years, San Francisco's Word for Word theater company has performed short stories of over 100 writers, ranging from Alice Munro to Amy Tan, T…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:10PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 30, 2021

New York Theater Casting Notice: TREVOR, A NEW MUSICAL (National Virtual Casting Call for 12 to 16-year-olds of all ethnicities) by Tony Frankel

National Virtual Casting Call Announced For TREVOR, A NEW MUSICAL Submit Your Audition by July 26! Teenagers, here's a great opportunity to be in a musical in New York! Trevor: The Musical i…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:22PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Broadway & Regional Theater: HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD (Lyric Theatre in New York; Curran in San Francisco; Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto) by Tony Frankel

IT'S SAFE TO SAY THERE'S MAGIC IN STORE You know, I was never bored watching the epic two-part Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; it truly was a magical experience, and the production team d…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:29AM[SHARE]
Saturday, June 19, 2021

Theater Review: THE OCTOROON (The Fountain Theater in L.A.) by Tony Frankel

THE PLAY'S THE THING It's no wonder that Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' brilliant adaption of Dion Boucicault's 1895 suspenseful melodrama The Octoroon is eight times better and more exciting than …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 11:07PM[SHARE]

Virtual Theater Review: BECOMING DR. RUTH (starring Tovah Feldshuh from North Coast Rep in San Diego) by Tony Frankel

TO TELL THE RUTH Talk about becoming a hit. Playwright Mark St. Germain (Camping with Henry and Tom, Freud's Last Session) has done it again. He loves to take us into the lives of renowned t…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:35PM[SHARE]
Friday, June 18, 2021

Broadway Reopening: DAVID BYRNE'S AMERICAN UTOPIA (September 17 at the St. James Theatre) by Tony Frankel

RETURNING TO UTOPIA Talking Heads superstar David Byrne has acquired a home for his acclaimed rock spectacle American Utopia " Broadway's St. James Theatre, beginning Friday, September 17, 2…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:54AM[SHARE]

Virtual Theater: Cris Franco's 57 CHEVY (San Diego REP) by Tony Frankel

HOW BROWN WAS MY VALLEY? Following the successful streamed productions of A Weekend with Pablo Picasso and JQA, San Diego REP is offering a filmed version of Cris Franco's play 57 Chevy, dir…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:54AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 16, 2021

NYC Cabaret: PANGEA SUPPER CLUB RE-OPENS (East Village) by Tony Frankel

The beloved East Village supper club Pangea, which came perilously close to closing during COVID, is announcing a mixture of ticketed and no-cover entertainment during the summer. The announ…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:29PM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 13, 2021

Dance: THE PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY (The Music Center in L.A | Abraham's "Only the Lonely" & Taylor's"Promethean Fire") by Tony Frankel

THE MUSIC CENTER WELCOMES BACK PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY Los Angeles's Music Center has a hit on its hands with its DANCE AT DUSK outdoor performance series. First, we had amazing tap dan…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:06AM[SHARE]
Saturday, June 12, 2021

Opera Review: DON PROCOPIO (Pacific Opera Project in L.A.) by Tony Frankel

SILLY PROCOPIO LEFT ME IN OSTRITCHES Well, last Sunday night, courtesy of Pacific Opera Project's presentation of Don Procopio, I had my first foray to a live production since the pandemic p…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:33PM[SHARE]
Friday, June 11, 2021

Album Review: GET YOURSELF SOME HAPPY! (Lillias White) by Tony Frankel

Awesome Broadway fave Lillias White releases her first Solo Studio Album: Get Yourself Some Happy! Here she is, boys! The great Lillias White is releasing her first solo studio album, Get Yo…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:26PM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 10, 2021

Audio Theater: THE MURDER ON THE LINKS (L.A. Theatre Works; starring Alfred Molina and Simon Helberg) by Tony Frankel

L.A. Theatre Works has commissioned a new audio theater adaptation of the classic Agatha Christie "whodunit" The Murder on the Links. The all-star cast includes Alfred Molina …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 11:09AM[SHARE]

Music | Dance | Theater: CAL PERFORMANCES (2021-22 Season) by Tony Frankel

SUPERCALILINEUP Talk about coming back with a bang! Berkeley's Cal Performances has announced its 2021"22 season, and the Bay Area is getting the best line-up I have seen since well before t…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 11:08AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Theater: CAL PERFORMANCES (2021-22 Season) by Tony Frankel

Talk about coming back with a bang! Berkeley's Cal Performances has announced its 2021"22 season, and the Bay Area is getting the best line-up I have seen since well before the pandemic shut…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:51PM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 6, 2021

Off-Broadway: STOMP (Re-opening on July 20 at the Orpheum) by Tony Frankel

REIGNITING THE RHYTHM STOMP, which I originally saw at New York's 299-seat Orpheum Theatre in 1994, has performers using their bodies and both industrial and household objects as percussive …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 11:42AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Virtual Theater: TALES OF THE CITY, THE MUSICAL (American Conservatory Theater, Broadway On Demand) by Tony Frankel

A.C.T. OFFERS ONLINE SCREENING OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN'S TALES OF THE CITY, THE MUSICAL Filmed during its original 2011 run, this 10th Anniversary event will stream during San Francisco…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:53PM[SHARE]

Virtual Theater Review: THE NICETIES (Manhattan Theatre Club in association with The Huntington) by Tony Frankel

I just watched Manhattan Theatre Club's special new adaptation of The Niceties updated for the virtual stage by playwright Eleanor Burgess. In The Niceties an ambitious young …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:53PM[SHARE]
Friday, May 28, 2021

Virtual Theater Review: 2.5 MINUTE RIDE (Studio Theatre, D.C.) by Tony Frankel

KRON-OLOGY Who knew a trip to Auschwitz could be so much fun? Almost as fun as taking a roller coaster ride at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. These two locations have been tet…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:49AM[SHARE]
Thursday, May 27, 2021

Virtual Theater Review: chekhovOS /an experimental game/ (Arlekin Players Theatre) by Tony Frankel

THE ILLUSION OF AGENCY Beamed to us from the Chekhov Operating System (chekhovOS), a virtual panoply that contains the great Russian playwright's works and forlorn characters " who spout abo…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:34PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Virtual Theater Review: THE LAST FIVE YEARS (ICT, Long Beach) by Tony Frankel

HIGH FIVE Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years is contextually brilliant: it is a two-character musical that starts at the end of a five year relationship for the woman, but at the be…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:41PM[SHARE]

Virtual Theater Review: SOMEONE ELSE'S HOUSE (Geffen) by Tony Frankel

I WANT TO SEE MORE DEAD PEOPLE Who doesn't love a good ghost story? Jared Mezzocchi (Russian Troll Farm, my favorite theater stream of the COVID era) brings an Amityville Horror-esque, tr…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:41PM[SHARE]

Virtual Opera: CIRCUS DAYS AND NIGHTS (World Premiere by Philip Glass, David Henry Hwang & Tilde Björfors; Streaming LIVE) by Tony Frankel

COME JOIN THE CIRCUS AS A METAPHOR FOR LIFE It's here! The world premiere of a new opera by Philip Glass which will take place on Malmö Opera's main stage with live music to a live audience…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:41PM[SHARE]

Virtual Theater Review: THIS AMERICAN WIFE (FourthWall Theatrical, in association with Fake Friends and Jeremy O. Harris) by Tony Frankel

AS AMERICAN AS LEMON CHICKEN PIE Girrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl! Wazzup? So, listen, I saw the craziest thing the other night. No, not THAT thing. That's old news. No, it's this kinda performance art me…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:48AM[SHARE]

Theater Podcast: MAGELLANICA (Audio Drama by E.M. Lewis from Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, OR) by Tony Frankel

Streaming for free through June 30, 2021, is Artists Repertory Theatre's five-part, four-hour audio drama Magellanica on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Sticher, and where you find podcasts.  Mag…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:48AM[SHARE]
Monday, May 24, 2021

Virtual Theater: NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN (The Marsh) by Tony Frankel

I've known about Brian Copland's work for years, but didn't get a chance to see the Bay Area performer until the virtual presentation of his solo show The Jewelry Box, easily one of the most…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:59PM[SHARE]

Los Angeles Theater: 54th SEASON AT THE AHMANSON THEATRE (Center Theatre Group) by Tony Frankel

CENTER THEATRE GROUP'S 54th SEASON AT THE AHMANSON THEATRE TO BEGIN NOVEMBER 30, 2021 Ahmanson Theatre Will Have Been Dark For 20 Months While it's a shame that Diane Paulus's new revision o…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:59PM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 23, 2021

Theater: THE COMPLETE SONDHEIM @ 90 ROUNDTABLE (Porchlight Music Theatre) by Tony Frankel

CELEBRATING SONDHEIM While we were all prepared to celebrate Stephen Sondheim's 90th birthday in 2020, and all of his accomplishments up until then, along comes COVID, which not only shut do…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:18PM[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