Cast of Characters - 1982 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 2

For years, Broadway musicals have spawned multiple film adaptations, from the early days of cinema to Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story. Take a look at our list of 15 musicals that have danced their way to the screen more than once!

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is July 8, 2025 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.

Following on the heels of a nostalgically, romantic ANASTASIA, Maine State Music Theatre’s second main stage show this season, TOOTSIE, demonstrates the company’s ability to turn on a dime. The 2018 David Yazbek musical, based on the 1982 film starring Dustin Hoffman, is a big, boisterous Broadway show that is joyous, tender, and thought provoking all at once and provides the audience with an evening filled with exhilaration and elation.

“I am always drawn to characters and stories in which there is a deep transformation.  In TOOTSIE Michael’s huge catalyst for change occurs when he begins to step into the shoes of another person – a woman.”  His journey awakens “new empathy, new compassion in him.  He is able to see that Dorothy is a part of him.  All of us have a masculine and feminine side within us; the trick is to balance the two, to dissolve old stereotypes, and to discover how powerful the softer feminine side can actually be.”

“What makes a man try to fly in a lawn chair?” is 42 BALLOONS most repeated lyric. It’s on the nose — and it’s repeated across six interludes in Jack Godfrey’s new musical. Based on the real-life story of Larry Walters, who in 1982 reached a height of 16,000 feet flying a lawn chair accompanied by 42 leather balloons, the musical is squarely focused on that answer.

A new version of the classic, The Pirates of Penzance, is currently commanding the stage at Roundabout’s Todd Haimes Theatre on 42nd Street—formerly the American Airlines and before that, the Selwyn. This revisal of the beloved show is titled: Pirates! The Penzance Musical.

Next month, 54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including Tracie Thoms, Jenn Colella and more. See the full lineup here!

54 BELOW will honor the LGBTQ+ performers, producers, and artists who are vital members of our artistic community this Pride Month. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.

Charles Strouse, 96, the celebrated and multi-award-winning American film, television, and Broadway musical composer, died at his home in New York City on May 15.

The new musical Goddess can currently be seen in its New York premiere production at the Public Theater on Lafayette Street. Directed by the Public’s associate artistic director and resident director Saheem Ali, who is currently Tony Award-nominated for directing Buena Vista Social Club, Goddess is playing at the Public’s largest space by capacity, the Newman Theatre.

The newest production – and it is new in every way – at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora is Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats. Director Trent Stork and a cast of 31 will leave you breathless with this new interpretation.

What's happening off-Broadway? BroadwayWorld is here to guide you through the top picks for theatre for the month of May! Learn more about upcoming Off-Broadway shows.

Acclaimed Australian musical theatre icon Anthony Warlow reprises his performance of Billionaire Oliver Warbucks alongside a new generation of talented young performers, and of course an adorable dog, as ANNIE returns to the Sydney stage.

In the Unlikely Event of an Actual Emergency, a compelling new play written by John Mullican, directed by Rickie Peete, and produced by Andrea Meshel is slated for a limited engagement run.

With Othello, Kenny Leon returns to the rehearsal room for the third time this season. He brought Samm-Art Williams' Home to Broadway last June and was the mastermind behind the recent revival of Our Town, which opened last fall. How did he land on Shakespeare for his next project?

Stage and screen actor John Lithgow has been cast as Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, in the new Harry Potter series in development at HBO. 

ATC's BLUES IN THE NIGHT: It’s about feeling - pure, raw, and undeniable...if you’re looking to be wrapped up in a night of sensational voices and music that hums in your bones, this is a show to get lost in.

CATS…Now and Forever. That catchphrase of marketing served the blockbuster Broadway musical well. The show ran for over 18 years, and although often maligned, is indelibly chiseled into the canon of classic musicals. It introduced countless tourists to an immersive theatrical experience, never seen before. In 1982 the Winter Garden Theatre was literally transformed into a larger than life sized back alley, with actors dressed as cats crawling through the audience and climbing across the mezzanine rails. The hit song “Memory” earned Betty Buckley a TONY Award for her portrayal of Grizabella, and Andrew Lloyd Weber cemented his role as blockbuster composer. He was fresh off of the success of EVITA and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA would be his next huge hit.

Details have been announced for the RSC's Summer 2025 season and upcoming festive family show, The BFG. Learn more about the full season lineup and how to get tickets here!

What did BroadwayWorld's critic think of Noises Off at Burlington County Footlighters? Read the review here and learn more about the Footlighters production.

With more than thirty episodes having aired so far across its three seasons, BroadwayWorld has put together an exhaustive list of all the Broadway stars we could find who have appeared in CBS' Elsbeth.

Playwright August Wilson will be honored posthumously with the 2,799th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Learn more about the honor and how to stream the ceremony here!

Who should you keep your eye on as the spring season begins and awards season approaches? Check out our list of just 25 performers and creatives to watch out for in the new year! ​ ​

The 1982 film 'Himala,' directed by National Artist Ismael Bernal, follows the story of a barrio Cupang lass, Elsa, played by a young Nora Aunor, who allegedly saw an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 'Himala,' retitled 'Isang Himala,' is back on the big screen as a musical film, an official entry to the 50th-anniversary of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

The world premiere of All In: Comedy About Love will premiere on Broadway on December 11. All In will be performed with a rotating cast of actors. Meet the first cast members taking the stage in the show here!