As BroadwayWorld sadly reported yesterday, stage star Phyllis Newman passed away yesterday, September 15, at the age of 86.
Newman got her start in show business at 4 years old imitating Carmen Miranda in theatres and clubs. Her portrayal of Martha Vail in the Jule Styne/Comden and Green musical Subways Are For Sleeping - costumed only in a bath towel - earned her a Tony Award. Her other Broadway credits include Bells Are Ringing, The Apple Tree, On the Town, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, Awake and Sing, Wish You Were Here, First Impressions, and her one-woman musical The Madwoman of Central Park West, which she co-authored with Arthur Laurents. She garnered a Tony Award nomination for her highly-acclaimed performance in Neil Simon's Broadway Bound.
Take a look back at BroadwayWorld's archives as we bring you this throwback photo of Stephen Sondheim at opening night of West Side Story in 1980!
Presented by a brand new Production group, 4 Leaf Music Productions, in Association with Golden Performing Arts Center, and based on a 1934 Kaufman and Hart play of the same name, this musical tells the story of three friends, Franklin, Charley, and Mary, and the progressive decadence of their bonds and their dreams. The story is told in reverse. When it begins, in 1980, they're in their 40's: Franklin, is a rich, successful, conceited and confused noted songwriter; Charley, the lyricist in the duo, has cut off ties with his partner after a nervous breakdown and Mary is a lonely alcoholic still secretly in love with Franklin from when they first met, years and years ago. As we move forward in the play but backwards in time, we see how their friendships disintegrate, along with their aspirations and Franklin's many whirlwind marriages. Rewinding through the '70s and '60s, we end up in 1957, when the three of them meet for the first time, on a rooftop in the city, all hopeful young talents per-chance gathering to watch Sputnik go by in the pre-dawn sky. The song they sing, 'Our Time' ('We're the movers, we're the shapers/ the names in tomorrow's papers'), is undercut by some very keen irony, since we've already seen how it all turns out, at the beginning.
On March 19, 2018, Virginia's Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre honored legendary Broadway composer John Kander with the company's ninth Stephen Sondheim Award. The Stephen Sondheim Award was presented at a black-tie Gala Benefit at the Embassy of Italy and will benefit Signature Theatre's artistic, education, and community programs.
The international touring company of the beloved classic musical "West Side Story," which features music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents, will come to The Theatre at Solaire (Aseana Avenue, Solaire Resort and Casino) next month, August 10-27.
Below, BroadwayWorld sends a fond farewell to those who passed away in 2015.
Broadway fans had plenty of reasons to celebrate this year, with dozens of shows having opened since January, hundreds of actors having made their debuts, and many more having returned to the stage for critically acclaimed performances. Not all news was good though, as we also suffered a loss of an incredible amount of talent.
Below, BroadwayWorld sends a fond farewell to those who passed away in 2014.
Respect La Diva, conceived and directed by AdrIan Grant, the creator of hit international show Thriller Live, will arrive at the Garrick Theatre for a strictly limited run from 7 September until 24 September, with press night on 8 September.
Based on the Jan De Hartog play, The Fourposter, the story spans fifty years, from 1895 to 1945, as it focuses on the trials and tribulations, laughters and sorrows, and hopes and disappointments experienced by Agnes and Michael Snow throughout their marriage. I DO! I DO! is a remarkably intimate, romantic piece. We are invited into the bedroom of newlyweds Michael & Agnes who anticipate a wonderful blissful life…'Together Forever' as one of the early musical selections would have us believe. As we all know, reality sets in as the young couple struggle to maintain their happiness, passion, devotion and yes even a sense of humor, through all the joys, pains, trials and tribulations that they share in their 50 years of marriage.
Circle Theatre, a professional, contemporary regional theatre company in Sundance Square, will preview Hail Mary! by Tom Dudzick on May 14, 15, 16 (matinee). Hail Mary! officially opens Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 8:00pm. A post-show opening night celebration, follows Saturday evening's performance.
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