Character Man - 2014 - Off-Off-Broadway Articles Page 2

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.”

Pablo Picasso’s obsession with his work often destroyed those he professed to love. Brilliantly incarnated by Tate in a challenging, powerfully intelligent study, Picasso passionately defends his reputation in an explosive, often disturbing voyage of self-revelation.

Friendship is nearly always a side element in musicals. From the comic sidekick of the leading character to the backup pals who provide background vocals, friends are part of the fabric of many shows—but rarely are they the main event. 

Soulpepper Theatre will present the world premiere of TIGER BRIDE, a punk-rock song cycle adapted from Angela Carter's gothic short story, starring Dora Award-winning performer Hailey Gillis.

Center Theatre Group has added ten new members to its Board of Directors: Stephen Cheung, Nancy Dennis, Sutton Foster, Jennifer Lewis, and more, bringing the number up to 56.

Marco Di Stefano's Via Crucis, a solo verse play inspired by young Italians who died in police custody, has been named the winner of the 2026 In Scena! Playwright Award by the Italian Theater Festival NY.

Ten years ago, we introduced the world to a two-foot puppet made of cloth at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe. Little did we know that Fred would take us to over 145 cities across 20 countries and three continents, seen by 25,000 people. Not bad for a scrap of fabric with something to say.

Two decades after Spring Awakening first premiered on Broadway, BroadwayWorld is taking a look back at what the cast of this era-defining musical, including Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff, and more has been up to.

Broadway has a long history of one-person shows, including many that have been added to the canon in this century.  Seeing one actor powerfully create a whole world on stage can be an exceptional experience. Of course, one handers are hardly one-person projects; while there may only be one actor on stage, they are collaborating with an entire team of creatives, designers, and behind-the-scenes personnel to bring a show to life. 

Pacific Opera Project’s production of Puccini’s final opera, Turandot features the husband and wife team of tenor Clay Hilley and soprano Sara Duchovnay in the roles of Calàf and Liù respectively. I spoke to them about peforming together onstage.

The Broadway premiere of Duncan MacMillan’s EVERY BRILLIANT THING, starring Tony Award winner Daniel Radcliffe opens at Broadway's Hudson Theatre tonight. Read the reviews!

On March 13th & 14th, the North Carolina Symphony will be presenting HOLLYWOOD HITS. Two guest vocalists are coming down to the Triangle area to perform iconic songs from memorable movies and binge-worthy TV such as A STAR IS BORN, TOMMY, ROCKETMAN, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, ROCK OF AGES, LOVE ACTUALLY, TOP GUN, ELVIS, and more.

It’s… Hairspray! BroadwayWorld is taking a look back at what the cast of this beloved musical has been up to since the show first graced the Broadway stage!

Darwin Prakash burst onto the opera scene in 2019, when he made his professional debut in the chorus at Glyndebourne. Five years before that, he didn’t read music and had no formal singing training. The Indian baritone discusses his meteoric career trajectory and singing the role of Guglielmo in English National Opera (ENO)’s forthcoming production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte...

Desert Ensemble Theatre’s (DET’s) world premiere production of DISPERSION OF LIGHT, a historical drama by Richard Rubin, is, as usual, brilliantly directed and acted and technically superb. Mr. Rubin has written a dark psychological study that requires a great deal of thought on the audience’s part. The production is a must-see.

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!

What did our critic think of FUN HOME at The Huntington? A funeral home may seem an unlikely setting for a Broadway musical, but it turns out to be an ideal backdrop for the deeply moving “Fun Home.”

BroadwayWorld chats with Bay Area favorite Heather Orth who is appearing as Cinderella's Stepmother in Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine's 'Into the Woods' at San Francisco Playhouse through January 17th.

Samuel D. Hunter’s plays have quietly shaped contemporary American drama. Known for their compassionate look at working-class lives in his native Idaho, Hunter’s works explore faith, loneliness, community, and redemption with remarkable empathy. Hunter (finally) just made his Broadway debut in 2025 with Little Bear Ridge Road, now running at the Booth Theatre.

Comedian, writer, producer, and musician Fred Armisen is this year’s recipient of the annual Ernie Kovacs Award at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 22, at the historic Texas Theatre.

Drag culture in La Cage aux Folles isn’t just the “bold face” of the gay community; it’s a celebration of visibility itself, a way of inviting even those on the periphery to understand more deeply what it means to live authentically, unbothered, and unashamed.

Every Brilliant Thing, now on in the West End, never be the same show, so it could be watched 10 times, 100 times, a million and still reach deep into the heart of you. It won't be for everyone. It may come across as over-sentimental or simplistic to some. I'm not one of those people.

Since the early 1970s, Penelope Wilton has established herself as a major player on the British stage, and we are taking a look back at her expansive theatrical career, just in time for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.

BroadwayWorld has just learned the complete cast for the first-ever Broadway revival of CHESS. Find out who will join previously announced Tony Award winner Aaron Tveit, Emmy Award nominee Lea Michele and Nicholas Christopher. We have all of the details!

This one of its kind world premiere event also pays tribute to Bernstein’s passion for education, with proceeds supporting MTG’s Youth Education Outreach programs.