314 stories by "Ron Fassler"
Review by Ron Fassler . . . Whenever Isacc Mizrahi comes up with a new edition of his cabaret shows, no matter how he might advertise them with clever titles like "Movie Stars & Su…
By Ron Fassler . . . Last October, 2nd Avenue's Orpheum Theatre hosted The Big Gay Jamboree, a crazy spoof of Broadway musicals which I thought was a hoot and a half. Now, to challenge…
Review by Ron Fassler . . . When the film Heathers opened nationwide in March of 1989, George H. W. Bush had recently begun what would be his single term as President, Madonna's "Like …
By Ron Fassler . . . Having worked in the theatre for the past 50 years, Frank Verlizzo is one of the highest-ranking members of an elite circle. As the designer of more than 300 posters, hi…
By Ron Fassler . . . For those in the know, eighteen-year-old Charles Kirsch has been producing podcasts devoted to Broadway since the age of twelve. His "Backstage Babble," named for …
The 1969 marquee for "1776" in its original production at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers).July 4, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler.
This is a re-working…
By Ron Fassler . . . When Laurence Luckinbill made his Broadway debut in 1963 as a replacement in Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons he was twenty-nine years old and had already…
Frank Loesser (1910"1969).June 29, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
One hundred fifteen years ago today, composer-lyricist Frank Loesser was born on the Upper West Side o…
Review by Alex Eichholz . . . With Emmanuelle Mattana's new play Trophy Boys, Danya Taymor once again cements herself as a whisperer for the Gen Z voice in theatre. Fresh off the direc…
Advertisement for the one-night only "Hello, Dolly" in Concert at Carnegie Hall.June 24, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler.
Last night at Carnegie Hall, those in attend…
By Ron Fassler . . . Actor-Director Brandon J. Dirden has made something of a home for himself at Red Bank's Two River Theatre over the past decade or so. A New Jersey resident himself, he h…
Review by Ron Fassler . . . The first glimpse that this was going to be a special night at 54 Below honoring the 50th anniversary of the original production of Chicago was that everyon…
Review by Ron Fassler . . . "I'm booked and blessed," shouted Stephanie Pope in a joyous moment during her autobiographical show at 54 Below Tuesday night. Having taken a self-im…
Review by Alex Eichholz . . . With no background reading on its subject matter or any expectations, Jordan Tannahill's new play Prince Faggot, which opened tonight at Playwrights Horizons…
Review by Samuel L. Leiter . . . No, Jean Smart, the star of Call Me Izzy, now at Broadway's Studio 54, does not portray a Borough Park yeshivah boy in this one-woman play. The Izzy she p…
Paul Deo Jr as Bertram and Anique Clements as Helena in "All's Well That Ends Well."June 12, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
This piece ran yesterday on the Theater P…
Review by Ron Fassler . . . The recently closed Broadway production of Othello, which starred Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, had been charging the record-breaking top ticket price…
Review by Ron Fassler . . . If someone was in the mood this week on June 9th to celebrate Cole Porter's birthdate, then if they headed to West 44th Street in Manhattan, their wish would have…
Photo taken from my seat in the Front Mezzanine at Radio City Music Hall last night.June 9, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler.
The Tony Awards have been broadcast on na…
Review by Ron Fassler . . . For more than forty years, playwright Donald Margulies has been delighting audiences with thought-provoking plays on a range of subjects and issues. The recipient…
By Ron Fassler . . . Satirical comedy has been around a long time (Plautus, anybody?) which often means contemporizing Golden Oldies is essential so we can be in on the jokes. Of late, playw…
Performing in a cabaret setting can be accomplished successfully in a variety of ways. With someone like Marilyn Maye, who's put in the hours and is still going strong at ninety-seven, you g…
By Ron Fassler . . . For someone who has put themselves front and center entertaining audiences for nearly fifty years, the question "Who is Richard Skipper?" still has an air of mystery abo…
Charles Strouse (1928"2026).May 16, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
Composer Charles Strouse died yesterday at the age of ninety-six, just shy of his ninety-seventh birt…
Review by Ron Fassler . . . For more than a few years now, scenic design on Broadway has been obsessed with video projections. And it's here to stay, too. Sometimes the effects are tacky, as…
