Cast of Characters - 1982 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 1

Classic Stage Company has revealed their 2026-27 slate of productions for CSC’s 59th season, including Clifford Odets’ Waiting for Lefty directed by Steven Pasquale and more.

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM is a well-acted, slow-burn character study. August Wilson’s 1982 play centers on a fictitious 1927 Chicago album recording, as the musicians gather and wait for the notorious Ma Rainey (or Madam Rainey, as she demands they call her) to record her latest album. Ma Rainey has some dramatic tendencies — she’s an hour late to her own recording session and then comes in with a whirl of demands and suggestions for the session. 

There ain’t nothin’ dirty goin’ on at the Granite Theatre’s lively, enjoyable production of ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,’ the 1978 Broadway musical written by Larry L. King and Peter Masterson with music and lyrics by Carol Hall, nominated for seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, and the basis for the 1982 movie starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds.

Directed magnificently by Elijah Green, with energetic choreography by Katie Powers-Faulk and musical direction by Miki Yokomizo, the totally entertaining and artistically brilliant production pulled me in from the moment it started.

BBC Radio 4's The Archers will mark its 75th anniversary this summer with a major live stage tour and Fane Productions have announced which members of the Radio 4 cast will be appearing live on stage.

The Spring 2026 season has officially begun, and with it, comes new plays for theatre lovers of all kinds. Whether you live for intense dramas or would rather escape with zany comedies, there's something for everyone both on and off-Broadway in March 2026.

Pontine Theatre will present an original stage adaptation of The Flat Iron Lot, written in 1899 by Hampton Falls NH author Alice Brown. Learn more here!

Next week, 54 Below will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including Allison Bailey, Jordan Tyson and more. 

A world premiere, a Hoosier playwright, and a little piece of fascinating but overlooked history. Borrowed Babies has all the makings of a great play. American Lives Theatre’s (ALT) current production is on stage at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre right now. ALT produced playwright Jennifer Blackmer’s Predictor in 2023. That show demonstrated Blackmer could highlight a piece of history while breathing life into it and developing rich characters.

Deathtrap is a two-act stage play by Ira Levin (The Stepford Wives & Rosemary’s Baby) that premiered on Broadway in 1978 at the Music Box Theatre under the direction of Robert Moore. It holds the record as the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway, and Tony nominations for Best Play, Best Actor (Victor Garber), and Best Direction (Robert Moore).

The Spring 2026 season has officially begun, and with it, comes new plays for theatre lovers of all kinds. Whether you live for intense dramas or would rather escape with zany comedies, there's something for everyone both on and off-Broadway in February 2026.

How do you tell that your play is a success?   Not so easy if it’s a drama; you might detect a little silent sobbing.  But with a comedy?  That roar of laughter is a sure sign you’ve got a hit!  Well, the folks at the Clayton Community Theatre have a hit on their hands with their production of Michael Frayn’s madcap farce, Noises Off.

The High Life will return in a new musical spectacular featuring all four original cast members - Alan Cumming, Forbes Masson, Siobhan Redmond and Patrick Ryecart. Learn more here!

The cult BBC comedy series The High Life comes to Scottish stages as a brand-new musical, with Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson teaming up with writer Johnny McKnight and director Andrew Panton.

You will meet a young single mother, Doris, played by Bryn Walker and her daughter Susan, played by Savannah Desrocher. A painful divorce lead her to close her heart off to love and lean heavily toward cynicism. A good hearted old man, Kris Kringle, helped heal her heart and restored her faith, and those around him during a holiday season in New York City. Steve Brown gave a flawless performance of Kris Kringle. He has perfected his performance since first being cast as Kris Kringle in 1997.

Every once in awhile you go to see a show not knowing what the final product is going to be. The epic musical Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 was one of those musicals that was very specific to its original staging because of it’s tent location. It was totally immersive. When the show moved to Broadway, it didn’t have the same effect.

Sabrina Carpenter is coming to screens near you in a new movie musical from Universal Pictures based on Lewis Carroll's classic story, Alice in Wonderland.

As the fight for women to have equal rights and opportunities has evolved, so has the presence of plays telling these stories. When I wrote my book, Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that the History Books Left Out, the first-ever book about female musical theatre writers, I researched many musicals that are in this genre as well.

What did our critic think of NOISES OFF at SF Playhouse?

Fall has officially arrived and a new season is very much in swing. Catch up on all the latest from the week ending September 19, 2025 with videos from Hadestown, The Outsiders, and more!

Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? opened on Broadway in 1982. Based on the book by John R Powers, this show features music and lyrics by James Quinn and Alaric Jans.

Disney has unveiled some of the new projects, as well as some sneak peeks into upcoming ones, at the Destination D23: A Journey Around the Worlds of Disney showcase. Some of the new projects include Toy Story 5 and Hexed, and more.

Gateway Playhouse in Somers Point will present Into the Woods September 25–October 5, 2025. Directed by Phil Pallitto, the production features two casts, introduces Thursday-night performances for the first time, and stars a real-life mother-daughter duo.

See what the critics are saying about Sing Street at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre! Learn more about the show and read BroadwayWorld's review roundup here.

This past season contained a higher than usual amount of Broadway shows involving death; in fact, Operation Mincemeat and Dead Outlaw both specifically revolved around transporting a corpse! And Death Becomes Her leans into the hilarity as two women become gorgeous living corpses before our very eyes, thanks to a touch of magic. But plays and musicals about death and its attendant macabre topics have been a part of the theatre landscape for many decades...