Current star of Masquerade Telly Leung discusses with Jennifer Ashley Tepper playing the Phantom in the immersive production, the full circle from Rent fan to Rent actor, Gavin Creel’s leadership during a production that never was, and much more.
For Wednesday's episode of The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon recreated Sardi's restaurant for his conversation with Ethan Hawke, who stars as Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon. Watch the interview now.
Max Harwood, Marcus Collins, and others will star in the European premiere of THE JONATHAN LARSON PROJECT, showcasing the late composer's lesser-known works.
Four of Broadway’s ten longest running musicals are currently on the boards: Chicago, The Lion King, Wicked, and The Book of Mormon. One, The Phantom of the Opera, closed in 2023 after attaining the title of longest running Broadway show of all time. But what about Broadway’s longest running plays?
The large majority of our 41 Broadway theaters were built to be Broadway theaters. Other than the Winter Garden, which was originally a horse exchange, the Nederlander, which was originally a carpenter’s shop, and the Broadway and Lunt-Fontanne which were originally movie theaters, every current Broadway house was intended from the beginning to present Broadway shows. As for off-Broadway? The opposite is true.
This history gives context to the legacies of theatrical dynasties—considered to consist of at least three subsequent generations of theatre creators. In 2026, there is a stigma around any successful professional who follows a parent into their line of work, with this being seen as a pattern of nepotism.
For the past two seasons, 14 or 15 new musicals have opened on Broadway. Even in the challenging first two seasons coming out of the pandemic, Broadway saw 8 or 9 new musicals opening. And in the last four full seasons prior to the pandemic, Broadway saw an average of 11 new musicals per season. What gives?
During and prior to the Golden Age of Broadway, songs regularly premiered on stage and then charted, spending time on the radio and becoming popular worldwide. In the 1960s, Broadway songs and popular music diverged, and work from musicals was no longer synonymous with chart hits. There have certainly been a good share of exceptions since that decade, as Broadway has evolved to mirror popular, current music genres. Several of the songs that have broken through to the Billboard charts can be heard on Broadway!
The history of shows that have transferred from off-Broadway to Broadway is well documented. Hundreds of Broadway plays and musicals started out off-Broadway before making the leap to a Broadway house. But much more rare is the circumstance of a show starting out off-off-Broadway (that’s right, two ‘off’s!) and traveling all the way to the main stem. One of these shows is playing right now, and is a major theatre success story with off-off-Broadway roots!
The Broadway production of Ragtime was a glorious accomplishment, a riveting testament to the original American musical and to all that America itself could be. The show ran for 834 performances at the Ford Center, closing in the final year of the 20th century. It was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, taking home four.
Blue Moon, Richard Linklater's portrait of Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart, will be available on Blu-ray on January 27 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
It wasn’t until later on in theatre history that revivals began including shows that weren’t initially well received or financially successful in their initial engagements. As musical theatre continued to evolve, and more shows entered the canon, a consensus began to grow about shows being worthy of additional exploration even if they hadn’t been hits the first time around. What about musicals that had been ahead of their time, musicals that had fallen prey to circumstances, early works by writers who became successful later on, and of course, shows that found an audience after closing via their cast recordings?
The idea of the concept album took flight at the same time as the idea of the rock musical. A concept album introduces audiences to the score of a musical by deliberately releasing an album of the songs before any live production exists at all. The concept album ostensibly stands on its own terms.
This season, three plays are receiving Broadway debuts which already made significant noise off-Broadway in their original productions, years ago. Becky Shaw, Bug, and Marjorie Prime will all be opening on Broadway in early 2026 in brand new productions. The first and last are spending time on Broadway at the Hayes under the auspices of Second Stage while Bug is being presented by Manhattan Theatre Club at their home, the Friedman.
The Jonathan Larson Project, the New York tribute featuring previously unheard songs from the composer of Rent, will make its UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse Borough next year. Learn more here!
Check out photos from the 15th Annual Joe Iconis Christmas Extravaganza, the event at 54 Below that is considered A New York City Twisted Holiday Tradition.
One of the best parts of seeing a show in New York City is how there is often a relevant historic spot to visit, just steps away from the show you’re seeing. Here's just a few examples...
CBS Sunday Morning recently dedicated a segment to stage and screen performer Ethan Hawke, who stars as Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart in the new film Blue Moon. Watch the full segment, where the actor is surprised with his very own Sardi's portrait.
NYC has so many incredible events, but here are a few top picks to consider this week including song and dance duo Nic and Desi, a Sound of Music singalong hosted by Christine Ebersole, and more.
Next week, 54 Below will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including the 15th annusal Joe Iconis Christmas Extravaganza and more.
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