Michael Riedel

This season the new musical New York, New York is bringing the hopes and dreams of young artists to the Broadway stage in a new musical from iconic duo John Kander and Fred Ebb. From their meeting in 1964, Kander and Ebb have forged one of the longest-running and most successful partnerships in Broadway history, crafting beloved hits like Flora, the Red Menace, Cabaret, Zorba, Chicago, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Curtains, The Scottsboro Boys and many more. 

Royal Road Productions is proud to present a new documentary about the life and legacy of Eric Bentley, one of the most respected theater critics, playwrights, editors and translators of our time.

Nothing has been more exciting than our announcement last week of our 20th Anniversary Celebration set to take place on May 21, 2023 at Sony Hall in the theatre district. The event will be hosted by none other than BroadwayWorld’s Richard Ridge and Tony Award-Winning Broadway Legend Chita Rivera.

It’s no secret that Broadway has not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. The Thanksgiving week box office gross was $37,475,773, compared to $41,687,333 for Thanksgiving week 2019. (While fewer shows were playing, capacity was also down, as was average ticket price.) The list of reasons for this is long: tourism is not fully back, we have a strong dollar, Covid is still keeping many traditional theatergoers away, at-home entertainment is booming, crime is constantly in the news, etcetera.

The award winning production of The Spider Queen, based on the behind the scenes tale of the greatest flop in Broadway history, opens in New York tonight as part of the New York Theater Festival’s WinterFest.

The Clive & Valerie Barnes Foundation has announced the date for the 12th Annual Clive Barnes Awards. Hosted by New York 1's Frank DiLella, the presentation of the awards recognizing excellence in theater and dance will take place on Sunday, September 18th, 2022 at 3pm at the Westbeth Studio.

The award winning production of The Spider Queen, based on the behind the scenes tale of the greatest flop in Broadway history, will premiere in New York this November as part of the New York Theater Festival's WinterFest.

A while back. I was in an audience of theatre fans watching an onstage conversation between Frank Rich and Stephen Sondheim and the subject of unauthorized changes made in regional and amateur productions came up. The composer/lyricist mentioned that he had heard of a production of Company that ended with Bobby committing suicide by shooting himself.

The producers of the upcoming Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman hosted a reception for Sharon D. Clarke on her 2022 Tony Award nomination for Caroline, Or Change at the Redeye Grill.

This year’s honorees have all starred on the Urban Stages stage during their careers and include Tony Award winner Reed Birney will be presented with Urban Stages’ Luminary Award and Terence Archie, Nikki M. James, and AJ Shively will receive a mid-career award.

I Was Better Last Night, the new memoir by cultural icon, gay rights activist, and four-time Tony Award®-winning actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein is available today on Alfred A. Knopf.

This past month, I had the opportunity to speak with Tim Dolan, the owner of Broadway Up Close, a company of storytellers who share stories to help visitors get a closer look at the world of Broadway. There are three different components that make up Broadway Up Close - Tours, gifts, and workshops. The tours are given both in-person and virtually, going over a range of different topics related to Broadway.

Today's top stories include a first look at The Avett Brothers musical Swept Away, which opens tonight at Berkeley Rep. Plus, the full screenplay has been released for the West Side Story film, and you can read it now!

Hugh Jackman recently sat down with Vanity Fair for a new interview about The Music Man. In the interview, he chatted with Michael Riedel about Scott Rudin's departure from the production, Broadway's changing landscape, how the show has survived the pandemic, and more.

There have been lots of Sinatra type tribute shows over the years performed by many talented artists. However, the one that brings you the closest you will ever come to the man and his music was performed by Bob Anderson last night at Carnegie Hall.  

The Phantom of the Opera is officially back and Broadway is Broadway again! As a part of the celebration, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and producer Cameron Mackintosh took the stage for a special speech, and afterwards Webber took to the streets for a special DJ set in front of The Majestic. BroadwayWorld was there for the big night!

The evening began with a special Ham4Ham performance from Lin-Manuel Miranda and various members of the cast. Then, go inside the theatre as Miranda gives opening remarks, and the cast takes its first bow back on stage at the Richard Rodgers Theatre since March 2020.

The Friars club is back and better than ever. The summer season started out with a sold out series called  “BACK TO BROADWAY, Part 1 ” The event was produced by Friar Jane Shevell. Ms. Shevell ’s productions at  the Friars Club has earned the reputation of “must see”. 

Urban Stages Artistic Producing Director, Frances Hill, has announced Stories from Our Stage, a virtual event celebrating the many different stories and voices that their award-winning Off-Broadway stage amplify, from June 24 to June 28, 2021.

Urban Stages has announced Stories from Our Stage, a virtual event celebrating the many different stories and voices that their award-winning Off-Broadway stage amplify. From June 24 to June 28, 2021, this special presentation will feature excerpts from select plays and musicals that premiered at Urban Stages.