Seeing Things 1920

This time, the reader question was: Which Broadway Theatres Have Undergone the Most Dramatic Transformations?

Red Phoenix has found a winning formula with their Festival of Shorts.

Playwright Danny Robins’ 2:22 – A Ghost Story will have its U.S. premiere November 4, 2022 (with previews starting October 29th) at the Center Theater Group’s Ahmanson. Matthew Dunster directs the cast of four: Constance Wu, Anna Camp, Adam Rothenberg, and Finn Wittrock.  I persuaded  Finn to chat about 2:22, as well as reminisce on some of his career highlights.

After a fully cancelled 2020 season and an out-door-under-a-tent 2021 season, the main stages at the Stratford Festival have finally seen some action this year. Over at the Festival Theatre, the Donna Feore choreographed and directed production of CHICAGO is a huge hit! Two major reasons for this are the phenomenal performances by the two leads. BWW had the opportunity to chat with Roxie and Velma themselves - Chelsea Preston and Jennifer Rider-Shaw, to find out what it has been like to finally do the show they had been waiting two years to mount.

DakhaBrakha returns to ArtPark July 14th for a reception, fundraising concert, and talkback. Originating from the Ukrainian experimental theatre group, Dakh, under the artistic direction of Vladislav Troitsky, the band of four friends has played worldwide in a mission to spread and celebrate Ukrainian culture.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company has announced the 2022/23 Season today. With six Steppenwolf Membership Series productions and two SYA productions, the 47th season is the storied company’s first full season in its expanded home—welcoming audiences back to experience the next chapter of Steppenwolf’s bold, visceral and muscular work.

George Maguire is known for his Olivier-Award portrayal of Dave Davies in Sunny Afternoon. Fresh from being part of The Wicker Husband cast, he is currently playing Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde at the Arts Theatre. We spoke with Maguire about the show.

Notes on David Greenspan in The Patsy, a Mets memory from Take Me Out and keeping track of New York theatre's Lenape Land Land Acknowledgements.

Battery Dance celebrates the 40th Anniversary of its free summer festival from August 12-20, 2021, in partnership with Battery Park City Authority. The 40th Annual Battery Dance Festival features 16 international dance films from August 12-14 at 7pm ET via YouTube. 40 in-person and livestreamed performances will be staged at Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park, New York City, from August 15-20 at 7pm ET. In total, 32 premieres by 53 dance companies are offered to international audiences, promoting Battery Dance’s mission of connecting the world through dance.

After thirty-seven years together, Brad Hurtado and Sean Martin Hingston are finally building their dream house, and one little TikTok video gave them an international audience and a not-quite DIY show for 2021.

Tune in today, March 18 (2pm ET) as he chats with Broadway funny lady Jackie Hoffman, who will soon join Seth Rudetsky for two very special concerts on Sunday, March 21 (3pm and 8pm).

On September 9, 1920, members of the newly formed Hurlstone Park Choral Society came together for their first performance at Randwick Hospital. This auspicious event would set them on the course to become Australia's leading choral performing arts company and a key player in establishing Sydney as an internationally renowned cultural centre.

In celebration of Womena??s Equality Day and the Centennial of the 19th Amendment, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and The Womana??s Club of Palo Alto will present a virtual performance of excerpts and songs from the dynamic musical Perfect 36, with lyrics and book by Laura Harrington, music by Mel Marvin, and direction by Mac Pirkle. Set in 1920, Perfect 36 honors the indomitable spirit of the suffragettes as they battle to secure a 36-state majority to ratify the 19th Amendment. The online event will take place at 5:30pm PDT on Wednesday, August 26th. Giovanna Sardelli, TheatreWorksa?? Artistic Associate and Director of New Works, will host the event and engage in a conversation with Laura Harrington, the showa??s book writer and lyricist. A link to stream the show will be available at TheatreWorks.org for no charge, although donations are encouraged to support TheatreWorks and The Womana??s Club of Palo Alto. BroadwayWorld recently spoke with Giovanna Sardelli from her hometown of Las Vegas where shea??s been sheltering in place with family until she can safely return to her actual home base in New York City. In addition to her role at TheatreWorks, Sardelli is enjoying quite a remarkable career as a director at theaters across the U.S., and has built a track record of developing close working relationships with notable playwrights such as Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph and Olivier Award winner Matthew Lopez. Talking to Sardelli, ita??s clear why she is so constantly in demand. She is naturally engaging, inherently upbeat without being saccharine, and passionate about expanding the possibilities of theater. Her excitement about the chance to work closely with TheatreWorksa?? new Artistic Director Tim Bond to tackle new challenges is palpable.

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the greatest theatrical works (non-musical) from 1920-2020; see if your favorites made the list!

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best film musicals since the sound era began; see if your favorites made the list!

How do we make a list of the 101 greatest show tunes from the past 100 years? Well, we did the near-impossible task.  Check out our full list here! 

After a raucous sold-out performance this summer, Amber Martin returns with her tribute to the legendary Continental Baths and Bathhouse-era Bette Midler... in Bathhouse Bette. This performance focuses on the early 70's era of Bette Midler during Continental Baths days singing with her as yet unknown accompanist was Barry Manilow. As per the fashion of Bette... copious amounts of singing, stories, and dancing ensue!

25 Shows & Performances in the Tampa Bay Area That Rocked Our World from 2010 to 2019!

'Dear Jack, Dear Louise' is a moving, funny, and heartbreaking show with a sweetly earnest cast and a formidable production team. Based on the true story of playwright Ken Ludwig's parents' letters and courtship during World War II, 'Dear Jack, Dear Louise' is a lovingly told and timeless romance, and a pleasurable reminder of the past and of our humanity.

a?oeGypsya?? is undeniably one of the all-time great achievements of the American musical theater. It possesses a thrilling combination of showbiz razzmatazz and dramatic intensity, grounded in Arthur Laurents' complex book and wrapped in an incomparably tuneful and stirring score by Jule Styne & Stephen Sondheim. For anyone who has not yet had the pleasure of seeing a?oeGypsy,a?? here's the basic rundown. This a?oemusical fablea?? is pretty much the ultimate backstage musical, set in the 1920's/30's against the backdrop of the dying vaudeville circuit and based on the true tale of the ultimate stage mother and her two daughters. Momma Rose, dissatisfied with the lousy cards life has dealt her, pushes her two young daughters to careers in show business as a way of fulfilling her own dreams. In real life, one eventually became successful actress June Havoc, and the other perhaps the most famous American stripper of all time, Gypsy Rose Lee. The show is replete with kiddie acts, charm songs, comic numbers and roof-raising anthems, all performed with a dual edge of gusto and desperation.

David Hirata is the creator and sole performer of a?oeA Box Without a Bottom (Soko-nashi Bako)a?? currently running at The Marsh Berkeley. Within the context of a magic show, Mr. Hirata connects his own personal story to that of earlier Japanese magicians in a way that explores the illusions of race and identity in America. Talking with him, it's evident that he's a true magic geek as he delights in sharing his extensive knowledge about the history of magic and finding hidden links to his heritage as a Japanese American.

When thinking of the great composers and playwrights whose works have graced Arena Stage, these are the names that come to mind. So when Disney's Newsies was announced for this season, it is understandable why some were shaking their head quizzically.

George Gershwin loved going to nightclubs. One evening when he was “on the town' with his pal Fred Astaire as they were in a club enjoying a group of entertainers George turned to Fred and said…”Where do all these new young talented people come from”?

The F. Scott Fitzgerald classic 'The Great Gatsby' is almost 100 years old, but the story still resonates.

If Jayne Atkinson were looking for a tour-de-force, then she found one as the late Texas governor holding court at Arena Stage in Ann. Written by Holland Taylor, Ann is a one woman play about the late Texas Governor Ann Richards that is part reflective autobiography, part homage to public service, and always entertaining.