Do It Again! - 1971 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 1

The musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that has just landed at the Sands Theatre leans into celebrating a world of vivid invention. It keeps the heart of the beloved material and commits even further into its absurdity. It guarantees a night at the theatre that will leave you going “what…was…that.' A night you won't soon forget. 

We learn that the suburban fantasy is not sustainable, primarily because such a fantasy can only ever be a dream. The reality of suburban living, as told by Kimberly Akimbo, shows there is much more nuance to everyday life than the nuclear family with a white picket fence and a wholesome dinner at eight. If everyone got what they wanted, after all, they wouldn’t want for more.

Performances are now underway for Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere of The Balusters, a new play by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire, directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon. Meet the cast of The Balusters here!

And the winners are the audience at CT+S.

Whitney White collapses time and space to insert new perspectives into old plays

It's time to meet Broadway's best on The Muppet Show tonight! With the new special now streaming, we have rounded up some of the best of Broadway talent during the show's original run.

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 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.

Actor and beloved drag icon Charles Busch reflects on his long career in cabaret as he prepares for his upcoming New Year’s Eve cabaret on 12/31, 7 pm at 54 Below.

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.

Diane Keaton made her Broadway debut in the original Broadway production of Hair at the age of 22. The landmark musical started out at the Public Theater off-Broadway in 1967 before transferring to the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway in 1968. Keaton joined the cast for the Broadway run, originating her track in the show.

Yes this cast of Grease at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center do go together. The well known musical about life at Rydell High is a joyous, foot stamping, sing along quietly, fun production. The story follows new student Sandy Dumbrowski (Morgan Wolfe in her Metropolis debut) and Danny Zuko (Eric Amundson).

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been taped at the Ed Sullivan Theatre located on Broadway between 53rd and 54th Streets since it began in 2015. Before the Broadway-loving Colbert took over The Late Show, the host was David Letterman, who ruled late night from 1993 onward via his perch at 1697 Broadway.

The Times Square Church, located on 51st Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue, is an extremely storied New York City spot. While it may not be apparent to those who unknowingly pass by the church, the venue across from the Gershwin’s stage door was once a glorious Broadway theater… and could potentially be one again someday.

Disney alum Milo Manheim talks with BroadwayWorld about what it's like to perform with Cynthia Erivo, Adam Lambert, and others in the iconic concert staging of Jesus Christ Superstar, playing at the Hollywood Bowl.

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!

Stepping into the director’s chair for the first time at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in over four decades, London-based writer, producer, and filmmaker Donald Rice brings his cinematic eye and deep reverence for rock opera to The REV’s production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.

NEW YORK CITY CENTER will present the largest number of dance engagements in the institution’s recent history as part of the 2025 – 2026 Season. See the lineup here and learn more!

Bravo to Maestro Steven Hulsey and Director Adam Karsten. Brava to Choreographer Karen Sieber. Not a note of Andrew Lloyd Webber's brilliant score was wasted.

Grease was first staged in 1971, with music, lyrics, and a book by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. It had its debut on Broadway in 1972 until it was eventually adapted into a movie starring John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John in 1978. This play and its consequent movie were a cultural icon, with songs that persist through time and are deeply rooted in modern pop culture. And for the first time, in 2025, it was performed in Jakarta, Indonesia.

This time, the reader question was: Other than Old Friends, what are the other Sondheim revues and what makes them different? This marks the theatre world’s fifth major Sondheim revue and the first since the theatre legend passed away in 2021. 

Looking for the next musical to watch after Wicked? Whether you are a musical theatre savant or completely new to the genre, BroadwayWorld has assembled a guide of ten musicals that you and your family are encouraged to check out if you enjoyed Wicked.

Led by a brilliant performance by Jason Alexander, this lively, emotionally-grounded, classic-leaning staging still somehow manages to feel fresh, reinvigorated, and much more searing than prior iterations.This latest SoCal-area revival of the landmark 1964 musical—here directed by Lonny Price—is, at its most impressive core, one of the most thoughtful, winningly-engaging stage musicals of the year thus far, and is a definite must-not-miss production.

Read our interview with Brian Jucha of LOVE BOMB at Catastrophic Theatre.

The Cabaret Convention's three multi-performer shows are done for this year. Concluding our recaps, here's the word on what we heard during the third night: EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN, presented on October 24th. So many songs, so many singers, jammed into three nights, is the cornucopia of the Cabaret Convention concerts.