130 stories from Theatre Aficionado at Large
Recently, I referred to the 1956 musical The Most Happy Fella, Frank Loesser’s lush romantic masterpiece, as a “grown-up musical for grown-ups.” Much of the current Broa…
I’ve been collecting Playbills for years. Not only the shows I have seen, but also ones that I’ve picked up at the Broadway Flea Market or in various shops. It started initially …
One of my prized possessions is a copy of the 4-LP original Broadway cast album of Edward Albee’s masterpiece Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Â It’s a handsomely packaged…
Dear Ms. Thompson, This past week, I had the unmitigated pleasure of witnessing you make your New York stage debut in the exciting New York Philharmonic concert of Sweeney Todd. I have long …
I have a soft spot for depictions of romance between historical figures. Often, there is a greater antagonizing force that heightens the intimacy significantly, and also captures me on an in…
Another year of movie watching gone! The same rules for my list like every year: each film was watched in its entirety and an asterisk indicates a film watched for the first time…
While I have seen my fair share of theatre in 2013, work and life managed to get in the way of my blogging. These are three productions that meant a great deal to me, and I felt compelled in…
How do you solve a problem like Maria, that chipper almost-nun turned nanny who saves a broken family and outwits the Nazis? Not only is she based on an actual person, but she’s …
When asked if I thought there would be a Broadway cast recording of Matilda, my response was “Don’t hold your breath.” Not that I didn’t want one; I believe all music…
I get the feeling that if you were to go back in time and tell 11 year old Laura Benanti that she would one day be one of Broadway’s most beloved stars, she would’ve thought you …
Masterworks Broadway is the gift that keeps on giving. There have been so many interesting releases and reissues that it’s been almost dizzying to try and keep up. Their output is cons…
The idea of a Tuesday matinee is a such a novelty to me, having grown up on the Broadway regimen of Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm. But in London, there are matinee options for Tuesday, Wedne…
It’s a heated race in many of the musical categories this year with a lot of Kinky Boots vs. Matilda vs. Pippin going on. Some races are neck and neck, creating actual suspense R…
While planning my trip to London, I hoped I might be able to catch Dame Judi Dench and Dame Helen Mirren on stage, both of whom were appearing in the West End for limited seasons. I didnR…
One of the reasons I planned my trip to London when I did was to see the first staged UK production of Darling of the Day at the Union Theatre in Southwark. The tiny London theatre has been …
Little Me Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh Book: Neil Simon Starring: Christian Borle February 5-9, 2014 The Most Happy Fella Music, Lyrics & Book: Frank Loesser Starring: Shuler …
 When I traveled to England this year, I had made a firm decision that I wouldn’t see anything that I had already seen, or could possibly see, in New York. The first time I saw the…
The 2013 Theatre World Award Winners for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance during the 2012-2013 theatrical season have been announced! The ceremony will take place on Mo…
I’ve been itching to get back to London ever since my 2012 visit came to an end. I took the opportunity to fly back when I learned that The Union Theatre was going to be presenting the…
When asked if I wanted to take a physical comedy course, my gut instinct was to find an excuse to say no. I hadn’t attended a class of this sort in probably ten years and my memories o…
There’s a moment in the finale of It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman in which the company sings (and I quote) “A-wah-o-wah-o-wah-o-wah-o.̶…
When I was in eighth grade, I went to my first audition. There was going to be a local production of The Sound of Music, and since the film was a big part of my growing up (and just that …
Last night I had the great fortune to attend TCM‘s 40th anniversary screening of the film version of Cabaret at the Ziegfeld Theatre on 54th Street. After waiting for what seemed an et…
I once did a book report on The Mystery of Edwin Drood in 8th grade because I procrastinated and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Frankly, I don’t remember much, except that the…
My 2013 theatergoing started with my first trip to the Metropolitan Opera in about 4 1/2 years. Out of the blue, I got a message from Roxie asking me if I was interested in seeing Turandot a…
