Wednesday, November 20, 2024

‘Swept Away’ Review: Avett Brothers Musical Fails to Satisfy Despite a Sterling Broadway Staging by Gordon Cox

There’s so much to recommend “Swept Away” — about two brothers from a religious family who get trapped on an ill-fated whaling ship with a crew of doomed heathens — that it seems u…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:53AM
Monday, November 18, 2024

Paul Teal, Actor on ‘One Tree Hill,’ Dies at 35 by Matthew Minton

Paul Teal, a TV and stage actor who appeared on shows including “One Tree Hill,” died Friday in Raleigh, N.C. He was 35. Teal’s death was confirmed by a representative for the actor, w…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:56PM

How ‘Swept Away’ Writer John Logan Turned a Horrific Maritime Disaster Into an Unlikely Broadway Musical by Brent Lang

“Swept Away,” a musical about four men stranded at sea, had a landlocked genesis. John Logan, the show’s Oscar-nominated and Tony-winning writer, started teasing out the idea for the m…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:50AM
Thursday, November 14, 2024

‘Tammy Faye’ Review: With Forgettable Elton John Score, Televangelist Broadway Musical Doesn’t Find the Light by Gordon Cox

It takes more than a holy spirit and revivalist verve to make “Tammy Faye” divinely suited for musical theater. It would take a creative team knowing what their show wants to be: a campy…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:00PM
Tuesday, November 12, 2024

‘Maybe Happy Ending’ Review: Broadway’s Deeply Moving Robot Musical, Starring Darren Criss, Teaches Us How to Be Human by Gordon Cox

Are we human, or are we… robots? “Maybe Happy Ending,” a Korean musical now making its Broadway debut, asks this exact question — or in some ways, asks the inverse. It examines what …

SOURCE: Variety at 02:00PM

‘Death Becomes Her’ Broadway Stars Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard on How ‘Camp and General Over-the-Topness’ Make the Movie Sing Onstage by Gordon Cox

Megan Hilty always knew “Death Becomes Her” would make a great musical — and now she’s headlining the show on Broadway. Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” podcast below: The …

SOURCE: Variety at 10:52AM
Monday, November 11, 2024

‘A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical’ Review: This Dazzling Broadway Production Has Never Been More Timely by Aramide Tinubu

Like any other industry, there are titans in music. These once-in-a-lifetime artists help shift the musical landscape across the globe. The revered trumpet player and singer Louis Armstrong …

SOURCE: Variety at 09:00PM
Friday, November 8, 2024

Nicole Scherzinger Apologizes After Supporting Russell Brand’s ‘Make Jesus First Again’ Post: ‘I Come From a Place of Love’ by Marc Malkin

Nicole Scherzinger has apologized after facing backlash on social media Thursday evening after she posted a positive comment on an Instagram an post by Russell Brand in which he flashes a …

SOURCE: Variety at 07:06PM
Thursday, November 7, 2024

Nicole Scherzinger Criticized for Commenting on Russell Brand’s ‘Make Jesus First Again’ Post: ‘Where Do I Get This Hat?’ by J. Kim Murphy

Nicole Scherzinger, currently starring in Broadway’s new production of “Sunset Blvd.,” drew criticism on social media Thursday evening after she posted a positive comment on Instagram,…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:23PM

Delia Ephron on How Grief, Cancer and Late in Life Love Inspired Her Real-Life Broadway Rom-Traum ‘Left on Tenth’ by Rebecca Rubin

Delia Ephron invented a term — discardia — for indulging without guilt at New York City’s too-many tempting eateries. “It’s a game you play with yourself. You can buy anything you …

SOURCE: Variety at 01:22PM
Sunday, November 3, 2024

‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Star Kecia Lewis Requests Apology From Patti LuPone for Calling Musical ‘Too Loud’: It’s ‘Bullying’ and ‘Racially M by Michaela Zee

“Hell’s Kitchen” star Kecia Lewis requested an apology from Patti LuPone on Saturday after the Broadway legend and “Agatha All Along” star called the jukebox musical “too loud.�…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:54PM
Friday, November 1, 2024

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Being Made Into Stage Musical From Producer Ken Davenport, Composer A.R. Rahman by Brent Lang

“Slumdog Millionaire,” the Oscar-winning film about a young man from an impoverished background who competes on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,” could be headed…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:48AM
Thursday, October 31, 2024

‘Sleep No More’ Sets Final Performance After Closure Was Delayed a Year (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

“Sleep No More,”  the immersive experience that revolutionized the theater scene, has announced its  final performance. The influential, site-specific show will close following the…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:00PM
Tuesday, October 29, 2024

How Broadway’s ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ Star Darren Criss Makes Robots Human by Embracing the ‘Beep-o-Boop-Bop’ by Gordon Cox

In his latest Broadway project, Emmy winner Darren Criss (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”) and his co-star, Helen J. Shen, play retired, robotic “helperbot…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:12PM

Angelina Jolie Cried During First ‘Maria’ Singing Lesson and Thinks She’s ‘Probably’ Not ‘Good Enough’ to Act on Broadway  by Marc Malkin

Angelina Jolie on Broadway? After taking home a Tony in June as a producer on best musical winner “The Outsiders,” Jolie tells me she may be interested in making her Broadway acting debu…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:09AM
Thursday, October 24, 2024

‘Romeo and Juliet’ Review: Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler Headline a Shakespeare Tragedy That’s More Fun Than It Should Be by Gordon Cox

You’d think in a world so divided by war and pain as ours, a story about ill-fated young lovers torn apart by their families’ senseless but devastating feud would be treated with more gr…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:00PM

‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ Ending Broadway Run in January by Brent Lang

“Back to the Future: The Musical,” a pricey stage adaptation of the beloved sci-fi adventure, is packing up the DeLorean. The production will have its final Broadway performance on Sunda…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:00PM

Louis McCartney to Star in ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ on Broadway by Michaela Zee

Louis McCartney will make his Broadway debut in “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” in which he will reprise his role as Henry Creel from the Olivier Award-winning West End production. …

SOURCE: Variety at 09:30AM
Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Mimi Hines, Star of ‘Funny Girl’ on Broadway, Dies at 91 by Jack Dunn

Mimi Hines, the Canadian comedian and stage actress who succeeded Barbra Streisand in the Broadway production of “Funny Girl,” has died. She was 91. Hines died of natural causes on Oct. …

SOURCE: Variety at 02:54PM

‘Smash’ Musical to Open on Broadway in 2025 by Rebecca Rubin

“Smash,” a stage adaptation of the fan-favorite NBC series, is officially opening on Broadway in 2025. The long-in-the-works musical will begin performances on March 11, 2025, at the Imp…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:45PM

Joey Fatone Joins Broadway’s ‘& Juliet,’ Where He’ll Sing Backstreet Boys (and NSYNC) Songs by Rebecca Rubin

Joey Fatone is returning to Broadway for the first time in two decades, joining the company of the jukebox musical “& Juliet.” The revisionist take on Shakespeare’s classic tale of…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:00AM
Sunday, October 20, 2024

‘Sunset Boulevard’ Review: Nicole Scherzinger Astonishes in Jamie Lloyd’s Remarkable Broadway Staging of the Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical by Danvariety

As she sings the final verse of “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” one of two showstopping numbers that bolster the musical “Sunset Boulevard,” Nicole Scherzinger turns her face skyward.…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:00PM
Saturday, October 19, 2024

Missing ‘Hamilton’ Dancer’s Family Shares Message Amid Search: ‘We Will Not Stop Looking for You Until We Bring You Home’ by Michaela Zee

Family members of Zelig Williams, a missing Broadway dancer whose credits include “Hamilton” and “MJ the Musical,” appeared on CNN Saturday morning to share updates on their search. …

SOURCE: Variety at 12:27PM
Friday, October 18, 2024

Sandra Oh, Elizabeth Banks and Eva Longoria Board ‘The Vagina Monologues’-Inspired ‘The Midlife Monologues’ (EXCLUSIVE) by Emiliana Betancourt

Sandra Oh, Elizabeth Banks and Eva Longoria are just a few of the names who have signed on for Constance Zimmer and Abby Epstein’s “The Midlife Monologues,” a docu-theater piece inspir…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:24AM

In ‘The Hills of California’ Laura Donnelly Plays a Mother Whose Tragic Decision Destroys Her Family — Just Don’t Call Her a Monster by Brent Lang

“I’m smaller in real life,” Laura Donnelly tells me after I admit that I didn’t recognize her, standing pensively by the entrance to the midtown bar where we’re meeting, scanning t…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:16AM
Thursday, October 17, 2024

‘Dirty Dancing’ Broadway Musical in the Works for 2025 by Rebecca Rubin

Lionsgate wants theatergoers to have the time of their lives, so the studio is adapting “Dirty Dancing” as a Broadway musical. “Dirty Dancing: The Musical” will launch in late 2025 …

SOURCE: Variety at 11:00AM
Wednesday, October 16, 2024

CAA Theater Agent Joe Machota to be Honored With Sardi’s Portrait by Rebecca Rubin

Joe Machota, head of CAA’s theater department, will be recognized with the time-honored Broadway tradition of getting a caricature on the wall at Sardi’s. Plenty of stars like Patti LuPo…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:25AM
Tuesday, October 15, 2024

New York Audiences Are Noisy — and Nicole Scherzinger Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way: Hear the Stars Dish at Variety’s Business of Broadway by Gordon Cox

Back during Nicole Scherzinger’s run in the West End revival of “Sunset Boulevard”—the show that won her an Olivier Award and has now brought her to Broadway to reprise her performan…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:32PM
Friday, October 11, 2024

Yola on the ‘Gig Energy’ of Playing Persephone in Broadway’s ‘Hadestown,’ and Why She’s Taking a Turn in Her Music Career to Do Things Her by Chris Willman

The name Yola is not to be confused with YOLO, but if her moniker were to be an acronym, it might stand for You Only Live Awe-Inspiringly. The British-born singer has been expanding her hori…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:33PM

Ryan O’Connor, Michael Wilson Hosting Industry Reading for Broadway Hopeful ‘The Cowards: A Marvelously Queer New Comedy’ (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

Playwright and actor Ryan O’Connor has written a modern, unapologetically queer take on Nöel Coward’s classic comedy “Hay Fever.” Entitled “The Cowards: A Marvelously Queer New Co…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:41PM
Thursday, October 10, 2024

‘Our Town’ Review: Jim Parsons and Katie Holmes Charm in Reimagining of the Broadway Classic by Aramide Tinubu

It takes a great deal of work to make the ordinary enticing, but that’s precisely what director Kenny Leon does in his production of Thornton Wilder’s 1938 Pulitzer Prize-winning “Our…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:00PM

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