The York Theatre's 2025 Spring Gala Blooms by Ron Fassler

By Ron Fassler . . .   The York Theatre, founded in 1969 by Janet Hayes Walker, has rightly earned its place as an integral part of the city landscape from which it draws its name. Wal…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 2:38pm on March 27, 2025☆⚑

"MOMENTS": A BIRTHDAY SALUTE TO STEPHEN SONDHEIM by Ron Fassler

Stephen Sondheim (1930"2021). Photo by Richard Avedon.March 22, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler. "Oh, if life were made of moments,Even now and then a bad one "…

SOURCE: ronfassler.medium.com at 10:34am on March 22, 2025☆⚑

"Maybe Tomorrow" " And Baby Makes Three? by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . Upon entering A.R.T.'s Mezzanine Theatre on Manhattan's West Side for the off-Broadway premiere of Max Mondi's Maybe Tomorrow, you are greeted by a ¾ wrap-a…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 8:04am on March 21, 2025☆⚑

MEMORIES OF "1776" 56 YEARS AFTER SEEING ITS SECOND-TO-LAST PREVIEW by Ron Fassler

My ticket stub from 56 years ago (note the tape marks). It used to hang on my bedroom wall.Fifty-six years ago yesterday afternoon, I took my seat as a just-turned twelve-year old in seat…

SOURCE: ronfassler.medium.com at 9:49am on March 16, 2025☆⚑

A Mother: An Interview with Jessica Hecht on Her New Play by Ron Fassler

By Ron Fassler . . . Two-time Tony nominee Jessica Hecht, an actress who seems to always be working on the New York stage (that is when she isn't shooting films or television shows), is t…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 5:30pm on March 14, 2025☆⚑

Norbert Leo Butz Tears it Up at 54 Below by Ron Fassler

Cabaret Review by Ron Fassler . . . For those of you who only know Norbert Leo Butz from his numerous Broadway and off-Broadway credits in both musicals and straight plays (nineteen of…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:29am on March 11, 2025☆⚑

Judy Collins & Friends: 85 Years of Music & Protest by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . I was an adolescent-teenager in the 1960s and 70s when Judy Collins was among the most prolific and influential singer-songwriters of her generation. I actively l…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 1:38pm on March 10, 2025☆⚑

JOHN GARFIELD: STAND UP GUY AND A HELL OF AN ACTOR by Ron Fassler

Jacob Julius Garfinkel, also known as John Garfield (1913"1952).March 5, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler Yesterday was my birthday. I share the date with an actor born i…

SOURCE: ronfassler.medium.com at 4:29pm on March 5, 2025☆⚑

AN EVENING WITH RUTHIE ANN MILES by Ron Fassler

"Sparking greater human connections through musical storytelling, providing unforgettable performances that reflect the world around us and reimagining what the choral experience can be." Th…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 12:51pm on March 3, 2025☆⚑

THE LEGEND THAT WAS GENE HACKMAN by Ron Fassler

Gene Hackman in "Under Fire" (1983).February 27, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler. Waking up to news of the death of Gene Hackman has been a shocking blow due to circu…

SOURCE: ronfassler.medium.com at 4:23pm on February 27, 2025☆⚑

Family is Family is Family in "Grangeville" by Ron Fassler

Theatre Review by Ron Fassler . . .  The plays of the prolific Samuel D. Hunter have one common theme: connection. The Idaho born and reared Hunter, the region in which he sets the …

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 9:49pm on February 24, 2025☆⚑

Q & A with Taylor Iman Jones on "The Jonathan Larson Project." by Ron Fassler

Theater PIzzazz's Ron Fassler recently had the pleasure of discussing The Jonathan Larson Project with cast member Taylor Iman Jones. Currently in previews at the Orpheum Theatre on Second A…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 2:50pm on February 24, 2025☆⚑

A Liberating "Liberation"  by Ron Fassler

Theatre Review by Ron Fassler . . . In the 1970s, it was extremely difficult for a woman in America to experience any sense of empowerment without first getting some sort of economic or soci…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:03pm on February 20, 2025☆⚑

Singing the Flops: Beyond the Walls of Joe Allen's Restaurant by Ron Fassler

Cabaret Review by Ron Fassler . . . If you're a theatre fan then you are probably aware of Charles Kirsch's podcast "Backstage Babble." The now seventeen-year-old has recorded more than 2…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 5:20pm on February 20, 2025☆⚑

ON HAL HOLBROOK'S 100TH BIRTHDAY by Ron Fassler

Hal Holbrook on the left and his alter ego, Mark Twain, on the right.February 18, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler Yesterday marked 100 years since the birth of Harold…

SOURCE: ronfassler.medium.com at 12:18pm on February 18, 2025☆⚑

Joaquina Kalukango Burns it Up at 54 Below by Ron Fassler

Cabaret Review by Ron Fassler . . . It was a pleasure on Saturday evening to catch the final performance of Joaquina Kalukango's four-night engagement at 54 Below. It was her birthday, which…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 1:33pm on February 17, 2025☆⚑

Someone in a Tree: "Redwood" Opens on Broadway by Ron Fassler

Theatre Review by Ron Fassler . . . Idina Menzel's career in musical theatre was launched nearly thirty years ago as Maureen in the original company of Rent. A few years after that, she t…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:26pm on February 13, 2025☆⚑

The Epistolary Charms of "Dear Jack, Dear Louise" by Ron Fassler

Theatre Review by Ron Fassler . . . I only got to Ken Ludwig's 2019 play Dear Jack, Dear Louise last night and since it closes this weekend please take my word that it's well worth rus…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 6:44pm on February 12, 2025☆⚑

ON KIM STANLEY'S 100 BIRTHDAY by Ron Fassler

Actress Kim Stanley (1925"2001).February 11, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler The actress Kim Stanley (born Patricia Reid) was born 100 years ago today. On Broadway in 19…

SOURCE: ronfassler.medium.com at 12:07pm on February 11, 2025☆⚑

TINKLE, TINKLE . . . "URINETOWN" IS BACK IN TOWN by Ron Fassler

TINKLE, TINKLE . . . "URINETOWN" IS BACK IN TOWN Stephanie Styles (center) surrounded by member of the "Urinetown" company (photo by Joan Marcus).February 10, 2025: Theatre Ye…

SOURCE: ronfassler.medium.com at 3:08pm on February 10, 2025☆⚑

Two Steady People Set Off-Balance in "Still" by Ron Fassler

Theatre Review by Ron Fassler . . . When the curtain goes up on Lia Romeo's new play Still, we join two extremely attractive people, Helen and Mark, in mid-conversation at a hotel bar. He…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 8:03pm on February 6, 2025☆⚑

"Blind Injustice" Or "What Makes a Person?" by Ron Fassler

Theatre Review by Ron Fassler . . . Starting and ending with the question "What makes a person?," the new American opera Blind Injustice deals head on with weighty matters of existenti…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:49am on February 4, 2025☆⚑

When Tennessee Met Marlon: "Kowalski" at the Duke on 42nd Street by Ron Fassler

Theatre Review by Ron Fassler . . . Gregg Ostrin's new comedy-drama Kowalski, which opened Monday at the Duke on 42nd Street, falls into a category of plays I call, "The Day Something …

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 9:23pm on January 27, 2025☆⚑

"Nina": A Bold and Exciting New Comedy by Ron Fassler

Theatre Review by Ron Fassler . . . Attending showcases in New York of new works is almost always a mixed bag. Sometimes you see some lovely acting in a not very good play, or sometimes it's…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 2:07pm on January 26, 2025☆⚑

Charming and Delightful, Lee Roy Reams Shines with "Me and Betty" at 54 Below by Ron Fassler

Cabaret Review by Ron Fassler . . . Lee Roy Reams has been a sparkling personality in the world of show biz for more than sixty years. A musical theatre wunderkind, a cabaret performer, a…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 1:40pm on January 26, 2025☆⚑