For many people in the United Kingdom, the Christmas season includes a visit to a pantomime or a silly comedy musical. This story originally aired on Dec. 25, 2014 on All Things Considered.
In 1955 and '56, NBC aired live telecasts of the Broadway hit Peter Pan, starring Mary Martin. Critic Lloyd Schwartz calls the performances, now available on Blu-ray, a "tribute to freedom a…
NPR's Robert Siegel talks with actor Mark Strong about his Broadway debut playing Eddie Carbone in Arthur Miller's, A View from the Bridge.
Kliph Nesteroff's book digs into the origins of modern comedy, from the segregated Chitlin' Circuit to the vaudeville refugees who found a new home in the Catskills, to the very first female…
The moment he looked at an American villain and saw a human being, Leslie Odom Jr.'s life changed. The Hamilton star looks back on a career-making year in the biggest show on Broadway.
Russia's Bolshoi Ballet was rocked following the 2013 acid attack on the company's artistic director. A new documentary airing Monday on HBO, Bolshoi Babylon, looks at the culture of the com…
Cynthia Erivo stars on Broadway as Celie in The Color Purple. She talks with NPR's Scott Simon about the production, and revisits one of the first songs she sang for an audience: Silent Nigh…
Netflix's latest venture into the Marvel universe follows Jessica Jones, an unlikely ex-superhero who tries to keep her powers hidden while she works to defeat the telepathic villain who abu…
The acclaimed Amazon show about a transgender woman and her dysfunctional family has just returned for a second season. TV critic Eric Deggans praises the show's drama, nuance and complexity.
This week on Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam looks at what we find funny and what, well, crosses the line. Comedian Bill Burr joins us to talk about why race, gender and Caitlin Jenner can be…
The composer teamed up with Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey, to create the new rock musical adaptation of the 2003 movie.
Lloyd Webber teamed up with Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey, to create the new rock musical adaptation of the 2003 movie.
Through powerful monologues, Anna Deavere Smith has tackled race riots, integration and health care. In Notes from the Field, she's using her characters to explore the school-to-prison pipel…
Forget the Merry Wives of Windsor, NPR's Scott Simon recalls a time when Shakespeare spent the night with a groupie.
Based on co-writer Griffin Matthews' experiences in the country, Invisible Thread explores the connection between an American gay couple and a group of Ugandan orphans.
Black Mountain College was only open for 24 years, but it helped foment the work of several artists, musicians, dancers and filmmakers, including John Cage, Merce Cunningham and Cy Twombly. …
For 50 years the Roundabout has survived by presenting revivals of plays and musicals that other theaters won't. Though rates are meager, it still manages to attract major stars for its prod…
For 50 years the Roundabout has survived by presenting revivals of plays and musicals that other theaters won't. Though rates are meager, it still manages to attract major stars for its prod…
A new stage play finds Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf at the controls of an oddly horror-free version of the Stephen King novel.
At 95, Norma Miller is the last living member of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, the pioneering group that helped popularize swing dancing. These days, though, she's swapped dance floors for a stand…
Since she was in her 20s, the dancer and choreographer has been rewriting the rules for what dance can be. Now she's on her 50th anniversary tour, premiering new works with longtime collabor…
Inspired by Takei's own childhood experiences, the musical spotlights a dark era in American history: The internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
Brooklyn photographer and writer Julia Sherman first established salad as a serious medium with her Salad for President blog. Now she's making salad with artists from around the country at t…
Tony Award winner Lea Salonga has long been a star on stage and screen. But she learned her grit and confidence years earlier " when she overcame allergy (and dog) attacks to win the role of…
Hopscotch is a new opera that does just that " it literally hops from location to location across Los Angeles. Cars shepherd the audience and the performers from place to place.