303 stories by "Ron Fassler"
Dual record set for "Sondheim: A Musical Tribute," or as it's commonly known, the "Scrabble Album" (1973).March 10, 2023: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
On March 11, 1973,…
March 3, 2023: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
"I think probably one of the worst reviews that I got was actually from a person on the street, and not a paid critic. I remembe…
February 27, 2023: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
"The thing about Doug Henning was that he could make the audience disappear, too!" " Nathan Lane
Merlin, the …
February 23, 2023: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
Today is the anniversary of when the 1979 musical Sarava, "the new hot musical" as it was billed, reluctantly opened on Broa…
February 20, 2023: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
In May of 1964, an election year, a new play opened on Broadway by A. E. Hotchner titled The White House. It depicted a rela…
Barry Bostwick and Carole Demas, the first Broadway Danny and Sandy, in "Grease" (1972).February 14, 2023: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
Fifty-one years ago, on Valentine…
Latecomer Larry Kert with the original cast of "Company" (1970).Theatre Yesterday and Today, February 1, 2023, by Ron Fassler.
To continue with more on replacements, the story of how Larr…
Elaine Stritch as she appeared on Broadway as Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1963).Theatre Yesterday and Today, January 30, 2023, by Ron Fassler.
Due to a warm response t…
Tovah Feldshuh (left) and Lea Michele (right) as Mrs. Brice and Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" (2022).Theatre Yesterday and Today, January 28, 2023, by Ron Fassler.
When an original cast …
James Earl Jones, born on this date, January 17, 1931.January 17, 2023: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
James Earl Jones, who turns ninety-two today, was the first dramatic…
January 10, 2023: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
Though the Tony Awards have been handed out since 1948, the citing of nominees didn't enter the mix until 1956. Since then, a…
Walter Matthau as Oscar and Art Carney as Felix in "The Odd Couple" (1965).January 6, 2023: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
"Can two divorced men share an apartment without…
Frank Fenton, Joseph Cotton, Katharine Hepburn, Van Heflin and Shirley Booth in "The Philadelphia Story" (1939). Photo by Vandamm.January 2, 2023: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron F…
Cole Porter (photo by Horst P. Horst).January, 1, 2023: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
In the spirit of ringing in the new year, here's a reprise of a column I previously …
If this cover is unfamiliar, it's the British edition which, to my mind, is far superior in look and feel to its American counterpart.December 27, 2022: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by RonÂ…
Robert Preston as Professor Harold Hill informing the denizens of River City they've got "Trouble" (1957).December 20, 2022: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
A day late, and a …
December 13, 2022: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
The Canadian postage stamp created in his honor.Christopher Plummer was born on this date in 1929. He died in February of…
As an inveterate theatergoer since the age of twelve, I've chronicled in these columns and elsewhere about the days when I saw shows on a weekly basis in the late 60s and early 70s. I've als…
Angela Lansbury (1925"2022).In yesterday's column, Angela Lansbury's whirlwind of activity in the 1970s was explored. Not only did she perform on Broadway and the West End, as well as work i…
By Ron Fassler
Angela Lansbury as Rose in "Gypsy"Â (1974).In yesterday's column, I chronicled the late Angela Lansbury's first twenty years as a film, television and stage actress (you …
By Ron Fassler
As I take to the keyboard to write a tribute to Angela Lansbury, who passed away yesterday five days shy of her 97th birthday, I'm surprised I had never gotten around to do…
Robert Preston and Mary Martin as Michael and Agnes in "I Do! I Do!"Â (1966).It's not hyperbole to say that when I saw Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's two-character musical I Do! I Do! that…
NY Times ad for the CBS televised opening night concert at Philharmonic Hall, the inauguration of Lincoln Center, 9.23.62.Is there anyone that doesn't get a thrill from standing in front …
Throughout my life, I've always been intrigued by the notion of time travel. It could have something to do with growing up in the 1960s when all sorts of media were obsessed with the idea. U…
Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More in the film of "A Man for All Seasons"Â (1966).The title of Garry O'Connor's 2002 biography Paul Scofield: An Actor for All Seasons seemed an appropriate o…
