970 stories by "Michael Portantiere"
There's a musical about cats, and there's a musical about frogs, so why not one about bedbugs? True, New Yorkers who went through a big bedbug scare a just a few years ago may not feel there…
Fade Out - Fade In has a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, music by the great Jule Styne, and the original production was directed by George Abbott and starred Carol Burnett.…
The musical Fade Out - Fade In has a hilarious libretto by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, a terrific score with both music and lyrics by Jule Styne, and the original production was directed …
One of the several excellent reasons why you should see Gayby, a new indie film written and directed by Jonathan Lisecki, is that most of the actors involved are young New York theater veter…
There's a paradox surrounding Frank Wedekind's 1891 play Spring Awakening (or Spring's Awakening, depending on the translation) and its latter-day musical version, a paradox that also exists…
There's a paradox surrounding Frank Wedekind's 1891 play Spring's Awakening (or Spring Awakening, depending on the translation) and its latter-day musical version, a paradox that also exists…
As you may have heard, Barbra Streisand will soon return to the borough of her birth, Brooklyn, to give two concerts in the brand new Barclays Center. If you're a big Barbra fan but you can'…
I'm one of those people who look askance at musicals built around pre-existing songs, but many of us who feel that way are happy to give a pass to Marry Me a Little. Originally staged Off-Br…
The late, great tenor Mario Lanza is most famous for almost single-handedly popularizing opera for a mass audience of Americans in the 1950s through his glorious singing in a series of big-b…
The late, great tenor Mario Lanza is most famous for almost single-handedly popularizing opera for a mass audience of Americans in the 1950s through his glorious singing in a series of big-b…
Debra Barsha composed the music for Radiant Baby, one of the best musicals you've probably never heard of. For whatever reasons, the show was not a critical success in its 2003 world premier…
One might say that Marilyn Maye is having a glorious renaissance, except that there really haven't been any dark ages in this lady's career. Famous as one of Johnny Carson's all-time favorit…
Max von Essen has been duly praised for his performance as Magaldi in the Broadway revival of Evita, but many theatergoers may be unaware that he is also the understudy for the marathon lead…
Everyone of a certain age has his/her own favorite mid-20th century pop singers, based on all sorts of qualities including voice, style, phrasing, and repertoire. But in terms of sheer vocal…
Over the decades, Judy Garland has been channelled by any number of performers and impersonators, including some biological females. Several of these people have offered skillful and respect…
Frank Loesser's The Most Happy Fella is one of my all-time favorite musicals, but the show has never been tremendously popular with the general public, and I think that's mostly because of b…
Located at the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown is considered by many to be the birthplace of the modern American theater, having served as an artistic home for such playwrights as Eugene O'Nei…
As of this writing, cast albums of most of the recently ended season’s new musicals, revivals, and “revisals” have been or are very soon to be released. So, for the benefit…
The show in which Jessie Mueller made her Broadway debut -- the revisal of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever -- didn't run very long at all, but Jessie herself is here to stay. This spectac…
The cast of OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES (Photo: Joan Marcus)The great thing about a show like Old Jews Telling Jokes is that the title tells you pretty much exactly what you’re getting. No …
Kelli O'Hara and Matthew Broderick in NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT (Photo: Joan Marcus)
In my last ArtsAmerica blog entry, I wrote about what I consider to be an unfortunate omission from…
John Lithgow in THE COLUMNIST
One of the most inexplicable and unfortunate omissions from this year’s Tony Award nominations is David Auburn’s The Columnist, which definitely des…
The 1953 film version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes provides equal opportunity for oglers, whether they be male or female, straight or gay. In addition to starring two of the most voluptuous w…
Nicole Ari Parker and Blair Underwood
It’s nice to be pleasantly surprised, as I was by the very fine production of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire that recently ope…
PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
When they are well done, so called “prequels” can serve as highly entertaining and intriguing adjuncts to beloved classics. Though prequels are far more…
