Originally published on CastAlbums.org. Donnybrook! Is one of the rare golden age cast albums that’s never received a proper digital transfer, despite the near-mania for releasing so m…
Originally published in Equity News. When tragedy strikes, everyone responds individually. For Equity member Blair Baker and Zac Kline, co-Artistic Directors of Missing Bolts Productions,…
Originally published in Equity News. The grassroots #FairWageOnstage (#FWOS) movement scored a major victory in November 2016 when Equity signed a new agreement with the Off-Broadway League.…
While I'll Say She Is has been largely ignored by the theatre historian crowd, it's always been an object of fascination for students of comedy. Two sketches from the revue are well-known am…
Originally published on 250 Word Reviews. (Off-Broadway at LCT3) So much of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's latest is summed up in its name, War. The title simultaneously refers to a family at odds…
Originally published on CastAlbums.org. Paint Your Wagon is exactly the kind of show Encores does best. It was an early effort by one of Broadway’s most successful songwriting teams (L…
Originally published on CastAlbums.org. Alfred Drake is having a moment. Sure, he died nearly a quarter-century ago, but with three of his albums newly available, it's a great time to be an …
Originally published on 250 Word Reviews. RED SPEEDO (Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop) The intersection of fame and family " and the tremendous pressure that each can produce " ani…
Originally published on CastAlbums.org. If you’ve ever uttered the phrase “they don’t make ’em like they used to anymore,” I would kindly direct your attention …
Originally published in Billboard. Fox made a bold step into the live television musical arena tonight with Grease: Live!, a technically ambitious production that upped the ante…
Originally published on CastAlbums.org. If you only know The Hunchback of Notre Dame from the 1996 Disney animated film, you’re in for a surprise the first time you listen to the n…
The destructive potential of the American Dream Originally published in The Sondheim Review. Stephen Sondheim has distanced himself from the practice of reusing discarded songs from old s…
Originally published on itsdlevy.net. I'm not sure how many shows I saw this year, and I didn't keep good enough record to count. Suffice it to say, I saw a lot, but not everything. Therefor…
Originally published on TalkinBroadway.com. In Passion, Fosca sings, “If you have no expectations, you can never have a disappointment.” These are wise words to bring with you to…
Originally published on 250 Word Reviews. PUFFS, OR: SEVEN INCREASINGLY EVENTFUL YEARS AT A CERTAIN SCHOOL OF MAGIC & MAGIC (Off-off-Broadway: The Peoples Improv Theater) Churchill said,…
Originally published on 250 Word Reviews. THE PAVILION (Off-off-Broadway: The Producer's Club) You know the story: middle-aged white guy has a mid-life crisis, so attends high school reunion…
Originally published on 250 Word Reviews. DADA WOOF PAPA HOT (Off-Broadway: Lincoln Center Theater at the Mitzi E. Newhouse) Most gay men of a certain age never envisioned a world in which t…
Originally published on 250 Word Reviews. ON YOUR FEET:THE STORY OF EMILIO & GLORIA ESTEFAN (Broadway: Marquis Theatre) One gets the feeling about halfway through the first act of On You…
Originally published on 250 Word Reviews. SYLVIA (Broadway: Cort Theatre) If there's one reason to see Sylvia, A. R. Gurney's 1995 canine comedy making its Broadway debut, it's Annaleigh Ash…
Originally published on 250 Word Reviews. DAMES AT SEA (Broadway: The Helen Hayes Theatre) Dames at Sea first delighted audiences in 1966 with its low-budget, can-do spunk. A gentle spoof of…
Originally published on CastAlbums.org. There are certain shows by the giants of musical theater that have lesser reputations. While often these reputations are earned (e.g. late-period Andr…
Originally published on CastAlbums.org. I don’t think any of us expected to hear a cast recording from Doctor Zhivago, a show that had more above-the-title producers than performances …
Originally published on CastAlbums.org. When Side Show hit Broadway in 1998, I became fascinated with the career of lyricist Bill Russell. I had never heard of him before, but I discovered h…
Originally published on CastAlbums.org. The Golden Apple is one of those scores that has taken on something of a mythic air, which is entirely appropriate for this Broadway rethinking of The…
Originally published on Medium. I found myself with an unexpected case of "the feels" last night at Little Shop of Horrors at Encores! Off-Center, so I sat down to word-vomit a bit on Tumblr…