American Notes - 1988 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 1

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art will present 'Soul, Sound, and Voice: The Art of Jerry Pinkney,' a retrospective of over 75 works exploring music's influence on the late illustrator's career.

Italy's Arena di Verona Opera Festival will present six classic opera productions, ballet, and multimedia concerts in its 10,000-seat open-air Roman amphitheater, featuring stars including Plácido Domingo, Anna Netrebko, and Roberto Alagna.

In most, if not all, other mountings of “Hairspray: The Broadway Musical,” Tracy Turnblad is tucked under her bedcovers when audiences first see the young heroine, ready to show off her high-teased bouffant and let loose with the first notes of the rousing opener, “Good Morning, Baltimore.”

August Wilson is back on Broadway with Taraji P. Henson and Cedric “The Entertainer” and more in a new production of Joe Turner's Come and Gone, directed by  the legendary Debbie Allen. The critics are weighing in on the show! See what they're saying in tonight's review roundup!

Hosted since its founding in the 10,000-seat, open-air Roman amphitheater at the heart of the Italian city of Verona, the Arena di Verona Opera Festival is the largest, oldest, and most international opera festival in the world.

Tanglewood has revealed the details of its 2026 season, opening in late June and continuing to Labor Day weekend. The schedule brings many of the world’s most exciting musicians to the beautiful Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts.

In January of 2026, 54 Below will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, Matthew Morrison and many more. 

The Broadway revival of Chess, starring Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele, and Nicholas Christopher, is now officially open at the Imperial Theatre. Find out what the critics had to say about the show here!

During his prolific and storied career, Sondheim collaborated with many other artists, from book writers to directors, from actors to musicians. Seeing Sondheim’s regular collaborators, close friends, one-time associates, mentors, and rare connections make appearances in his collection was both moving and illuminating.

While different tryout theaters have different relationships to the development of new shows, it’s worth looking at both which commercial rental theaters and which non-profit theaters have had the most Best Musical Tony Award winners come from their stages.

Perhaps no one is more surprised Steve Hackett is doing a retrospective on THE LAMB 50 years after the fact than the guitarist himself. THE LAMB was ranked in the top ten of Rolling Stone magazine’s top 50 progressive rock albums of all time. The BBC called it a “conceptual masterpiece.” Hackett has another word for it: an anomaly.

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park will present the 2025 Annual Festival in Tivoli, NY. The festival will feature offerings and original performances by artists innovating in dance, music, film, archiving, storytelling, and more.Learn more about the festival!

A tale of community and the frailty of Tinseltown dreams, YANKEE DAWG is given a full-throated production by actors Daniel J. Kim and Kelvin Han Yee under the direction of Jennifer Chang.

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park will present the 2025 Annual Festival in Tivoli, NY, featuring original performances by artists innovating in dance, music, film, archiving, storytelling, and more. Learn how to attend.

Brian Wilson, musical genius and founder of the Beach Boys, died today (Wednesday, June 11, 2025), so in honor of him, here is an article of the 40 greatest Beach Boys songs that I wrote for Broadway World two years ago.  Love & Mercy, Brian!

The New York Virtuoso Singers, Harold Rosenbaum, Artistic Director, will perform Compose Yourself! at Church of St. Luke in the Fields. Learn more and see how to attend.

54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond in September. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.

The Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival announced that 19 restaurants will offer food and beverage tastings at the Taste of Jazz event on September 20, providing a culinary experience alongside live jazz performances.

The Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival (PIJF) has always spotlighted homegrown, home-nurtured talent, and the tradition of featuring musicians with ties to the city continues with Sean Jones, Howie Alexander, Thomas Wendt, Selecta and DJ Big Phill and more. 

Explore the captivating exhibition of Iranian artist Shahpour Pouyan at the Frist Art Museum. Dive into the unique blend of history, culture, and personal narrative through his work.

The New York Virtuoso Singers, led by Harold Rosenbaum, will present 10 world premieres by BMI Young Composer Award recipients. Learn how to purchase tickets.

See SCHOOLS ON POETRY, a live poetry reading event at the Lincoln Theatre on May 11. Experience the power of words and the beauty of spoken verse.

Caroline Eiseman stars as the lovable Tracy Turnblad in this crowd-pleasing musical.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will return to Boston for its annual performances this May. Learn more about the lineup here!

Need a great book to spring into the new season? This spring, Broadway's best have put pen to paper to turn out theatre page-turners of every kind. From theatre biographies to theatre fiction; theatre books for kids to theatre history; check out our collection of 24 new Broadway books for every theatre lover's spring reading list.