Touch and Go 1950

What did our critic think of THE CRUCIBLE at Bay Street Theatre?

Does Stephanie J Block reinvent the wheel with her recording of SLEIGH RIDE? Nope, but with her voice, she doesn’t have to.

The choices made for a satisfying potpourri that didn’t seem to be trying to overdo the “think outside the box” approach or check every possible box to ensure variety in every possible way.

SHARON, now playing at Cygnet Theatre through July 2nd is a wonderfully acted world, smart, and suspenseful premiere that asks the question of family, and truth, and is full of dark humor. 

Atlantic Theater Company presents the world premiere musical Days of Wine and Roses. Adapted from the 1962 film and original 1958 teleplay, the new musical features a book by Tony Award nominee Craig Lucas, music & lyrics by Tony Award winner Adam Guettel, and direction by Tony Award nominee Michael Greif. Read reviews for the new musical here!

Irish Repertory Theatre will present The Letters Series, featuring Dear Liar by Jerome Kilty & George Bernard Shaw, directed by Charlotte Moore. See who is starring, and learn how to purchase tickets!

It took 3 years and one pandemic, but Will Cooper’s world premiere satire gUnTOPIA has finally opened to audiences at The Roustabouts Theatre Co. The show is a dark comedy pondering what life and society could look like if gun ownership was universal, and not carrying a weapon was against the law.   gUnTOPIA is playing through April 2nd.

Christmas traditions may come and go, but watching the film WHITE CHRISTMAS has always been an obligatory part of the holiday season for me. And for the past 20 years or so, audiences can experience Irving Berlin's classic  live on stage. The Shaw Festival is presenting their joyous version this year on the Festival stage and the result is pure technicolor heaven.

This new production of Home, I'm Darling opens at the Theatre Royal Windsor on 25 January 2023, prior to the play's first extensive national tour. Leading the cast are BAFTA award winner Jessica Ransom (Doc Martin, Armstrong and Miller, Horrible Histories) as Judy, Diane Keen (Doctors, The Cuckoo Waltz) as Sylvia and Neil McDermott (Eastenders, The Royal) as Johnny, with further casting to be announced.

Broadway Center Stage brings one of the greatest shows of the Golden Age of Musicals to the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theatre for a limited engagement.

Opera Theatre Saint Louis opens its 47th season with a splendid 'Carmen'. Read our BWW critic's review.

Award-winning actor/director Frank Ferrante re-creates his acclaimed New York and London stage portrayal celebrating America's greatest comedian - Groucho Marx.  You will feel as though Groucho is back, as Ferrante sings, dances and performs classic routines on the North Coast Rep stage, May 2nd & 3rd, 2022 at 7:30pm.

The most important figure in musical theatre history is gone; let's celebrate his life by listening to his incredible works. Reviewer Peter Nason gets you started by listing his choices for the 91 greatest Sondheim songs.

ELIZABETH IRELAND McCANN, the iconoclastic Broadway producer who won nine Tony Awards during a 60-year career in theater, died after a bout with cancer on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021 at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, according to her longtime associate and friend, Kristen Luciani.  She was 90 years old. 

On October 10, pianist Jeffrey Siegel officially relaunches indoor Hylton Presents performances in Merchant Hall with his concerts with commentary Keyboard Conversations Classics Declassified. Siegel hands off the baton to the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra on October 30 for their Big Band Era performance Swingin' with the Met.

If you're out for a night of good music, dazzling choreography, a touch of nostalgia and a story that still hits too close to home, West Side Story is the place to go.

After the myriad stresses of the past year, we could all use some straight-up entertainment and 42nd Street Moon is providing just that with Don’t Touch That Dial: DC and Peter’s Glorious Romp Through the Golden Age of TV Theme Songs. Conceived and directed by DC Scarpelli and Peter Budinger, the show promises, a light-hearted, celebratory stroll down memory lane as Scarpelli and Budinger guide us through the decades of catchy sitcom themes and the evolution of television. The large, diverse cast also includes Moon stalwarts like Meg McKay and Keith Pinto among a host of multi-talented performers who may be new to you. Don’t Touch That Dial is available to stream from June 5 – 27, 2021 as part of 42nd Street Moon’s paid virtual ticketed MoonBeams series. Tickets and further information are available at www.42ndstmoon.org/moonbeams. ​​​​​​​I had the pleasure of speaking with Budinger and Scarpelli last week as they were still putting the finishing touches on the video presentation. As Scarpelli says, “We’re not satisfied with any musical number until it’s utterly dripping with charm and delight.” If you ever run into them at a party, these are definitely the guys you want to talk to as they are both a barrel of fun and an endless font of information about classic TV and musical theater. A married couple, the two have been working together for years as well as performing individually, and their combined theater credits read like a recent history of Bay Area musical theater. The freewheeling conversation covered how they conceived the show and put it together, which obscure songs didn’t make the final cut, and shows they’d love for Moon to mount in the future.

This week's list includes The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia, the original cast recording of Fangirls, and a book of interviews with Broadway's leading men, including Joel Grey, Ben Vereen, Norm Lewis, Gavin Creel, Cheyenne Jackson, and Jonathan Groff.

Check out this week's list of new and upcoming releases, including Live Your Life: My Story of Loving and Losing Nick Cordero, Once On This Island on orange vinyl, R&H Goes Pop!, and more!

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the 91 greatest Sondheim songs from stage, screen and beyond. See if your favorites made the cut! What's at #1?

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the 101 greatest protest songs from 1939-2020. See if your favorite songs or artists made the list!

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the 101 greatest Motown songs from 1960-1994. See if your favorite songs or artists made the list!

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the 101 greatest scenes in cinema from 1901 to 2020. See if your favorite movie moments made the list!

Ten questions asking local theaters about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on operations.