1,418 stories by "Roger Friedman"
“Once”–do you remember this fine indie film from 2006? It went on to win the Academy Award for Best Song (“Falling Slowly”). The movie won the Indie Spirit Awar…
So “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” is a year old, technically. It began previews a year ago yesterday. In Monday’s New York Times (and online Sunday night), producer Michae…
It was only a few minutes into “Seminar,” Theresa Rebeck’s new hit Broadway comedy, when I realized who Alan Rickman was playing: the famed book editor and writing teacher …
Julie Taymor’s lawsuit against the producers of “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” has some serious consequences not yet explored. It turns out her lawyers are asking for a pe…
Another big Broadway bow: Hugh Dancy and Nina Arianda pretty much stole the week, and it’s only Tuesday. They opened the Manhattan Theater Club’s fall season with a wild renditio…
Charles Edwards–you do not know who he is because you are not British. Last night he completed the second of two performances at NYU’s Skirball Center with better known actor Jos…
The economy is bad, and maybe worse than we thought. On Thursday evening, the producers of the revival of “Funny Girl” on Broadway–set for this winter–announced they …
It’s almost a year since “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” started previews on Broadway. Flashback if you will to November 21st, no, 28th to that fateful, postponed performan…
Movie star Hugh Jackman’s solo musical show took in $1.2 million in its first week on Broadway. It finished 5th for the week, behind big deal musicals “Wicked,” “The …
Roland Emmerich’s “Anonymous” opens this week. It should be called “Preposterous.” The film makes a case that William Shakespeare didn’t write his plays. …
The trio of one act plays called “Relatively Speaking” is a hit–opening last night on Broadway with contributions from Woody Allen, Elaine May, and Ethan Coen. And it’…
Exclusive: Kirstie Alley–newly slimmed down, but still a dieting Scientologist–is planning a Broadway debut. I’m told that Kirstie has agreed to do a three month run in a n…
What a night on Broadway: “The Mountaintop” opened, with incendiary performances from Samuel L. Jackson respectively as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Angela Bassett as a maid (…
“The King’s Speech” is headed to Broadway. But readers of this column know I broke this story last year–that David Seidler wrote the script as a play, then converted …
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick learned a lot about dinosaurs last night. So did about 200 people who came to the American Museum of Natural History to support Mike Nichols and Cy…
Alicia Keys — Grammy winner, newcomer from a decade ago–has really spread her wings in showbiz. She’s now writing music for the new Broadway play “Stick Fly.” K…
Broadway’s $70 million “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” actually started performances in mid November 2010, if you recall. Coming up on the year anniversary, two leads from …
Alicia Keys is producing a Broadway play. Why not? She’s conquered pop music, that’s for sure. The play, “Stick Fly,” will star Ruben Santiago Hudson, Mekhi Phifer (&…
I read with some amusement in the last few days that Oscar nominated actor James Franco “backed out” of doing “Sweet Bird of Youth” on Broadway this fall. This isn…
Reeve Carney can really thank Julie Taymor now. He’s been plucked from his grueling job playing Peter Parker in “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” to star in the official bio …
I told you first, and quite a while ago, that “The King’s Speech” would head to Broadway after its run as a film. Then it won the Oscar. Now I’m told that David Seidl…
Exclusive: The revival of “Funny Girl” is on its way to Broadway, but without “Glee” star Lea Michele. There was talk that Lea was going to star as Fanny Brice, the p…
This is how not to succeed in business: Broadway’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” had to shut down for two nights last week so Daniel Radcliffe could be…
Poor little Lea Michele. Imagine getting fired from your wildly popular TV show and the news breaks while you’re sitting in a Broadway premiere. A premiere, by the way, filled with pre…
What a night for the cast of Broadway’s “Baby, It’s You”! The one and only Queen of Soul, Miss Aretha Franklin, arrived a couple of minutes late at the Broadhurst The…
