Although FINIAN'S RAINBOW asks, "How are things in Glocca Morra," let's instead enquire, "How are things in Germany and South Korea? Where Broadway musicals are concerned, David Savran assur…
And speaking of Comden and Green " which I did last Tuesday " J2 Spotlight Productions will present their 1960 musical DO RE MI this week and next. Make no mistake: DO RE MI has nothing to d…
Here's a different slant on "There are no small parts " just small actors." Mallory Portnoy and Nick Blaemire were lucky and talented enough to land the roles of Betty Comden and Adolph Gree…
Those of us who attended THE WHO'S TOMMY on March 27 learned that it was a special evening. Before the show, director Des McAnuff stood near the orchestra pit and told us that this was "Alum…
"A blank page or canvas" aren't the only things that offer "so many possibilities," as SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE tells us. So does a bare stage. Eamon Foley certainly knew how to use it…
Steve Lawrence's death on March 7 reminded me of the time when many Broadway observers assumed that producer Joseph Cates had lost his mind. In 1963, Cates was about to produce a musical ver…
Frank Loesser, of GUYS AND DOLLS and HOW TO SUCCEED fame, once asked "What are you doing New Year's Eve?" Instead, I'll ask "What are you doing on Tuesday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m.?" If you're …
Memories of 1989 came flooding back. Last week, Walter Willison, an original cast member of GRAND HOTEL, edited, produced and directed a marvelous 35th anniversary tribute to the musical. It…
So, did you know that February 27th is National Retro Day? I remembered this while approaching the August Wilson Theatre. The great playwright for whom the theater was named had the brillian…
When a celebrity reaches an advanced age, journalists start writing an obituary, knowing that the star's death could come at any moment. Considering that all others who write about theater h…
Considering that anniversaries are deemed significant when they end in "5" or "0," why make a big deal of GREASE's 52nd? Yet 52 is an apt number because young producers Ken Waissman and Maxi…
On February 9, we'll celebrate the 60th anniversary of what was then the most-watched event in television history. No fewer than 73,000,000 viewers tuned in to The Ed Sullivan Show that Sund…
So, for the first time since the Sarah Jessica Parker revival in 1996, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS was back in the Broadway theater district last week. Although more than a quarter century has pass…
Ever hear of PopDaze? The website, we're told, is "the place to learn, interact, and relive your youth with other fans, as you explore and play with the music, entertainment, and pop culture…
So, what does January 16, 2024, mean to musical theater fans? The 60th anniversary of the Broadway opening of HELLO, DOLLY! Let's celebrate with 60 facts, observations and rumors. 1. DOLLY w…
So far, 351 people have given their opinions on a question I asked on Facebook. And, my, have I been surprised with what so many wrote. Let's start at the very beginning. My beloved Linda ap…
No, Henry does not have commitment issues. Clare knows that's not the reason why the boyfriend who became her husband doesn't see her for long periods of time. From the outset, she knew that…
No, Oxford's "Word of the Year" for 2023 is not a nickname for a character in GREASE. But by now, you probably know that "rizz" doesn't refer to Rizzo. It's a short way of saying "charisma."…
Whether you loved it 42 years ago or sometime after, here's a way to have even more respect for MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. Read the original play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. You'll find …
Stephen Sondheim is getting closer to breaking his own record. His 1964 musical ANYONE CAN WHISTLE ran a mere nine performances but has received three cast albums. First, the one with the or…
Has this ever happened before? Go to the August Wilson Theatre, and you'll see the words "The Kit Kat Club" on all three sides of the marquee. Above it is a two-sided sign that says the same…
Channel-surfing brought me to a program that started me thinking and made me disagree with what it had to say. It was a first-season episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE called "A Nice Place to Visi…
Granted, hearing most any song with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart is a pleasure. However, some theatergoers were disappointed to hear so many of them in the recent PAL J…
Whether you're discovering or revisiting Harold Rome's score for I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE, you'll have a splendid time. The 1962 musical was not his biggest hit. The revues PINS AND NE…
He's the one who put together dozens of interviews for his previous tomes. One was called A Wonderful Guy: Conversations with the Great Men of Musical Theater. Before that, though, he provid…