If Love Were All - 1999 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 1

What did our critic think of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at Orpheum Theatre Memphis?

Some musicals fade with time, but more than 25 years after its London premiere, MAMMA MIA! seems determined to do the opposite. The musical continues to fill theatres around the world, introducing new audiences to the story while giving longtime fans another reason to revisit the songs they already know by heart. Few productions have maintained the kind of global appeal that MAMMA MIA! has enjoyed since its debut, and its latest stop at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, BC this week offers another reminder of why. 

The Metropolitan High School Theater Awards, known as The Metros, will celebrate 25 ceremonies at Purchase College Performing Arts Center, honoring students from 74 schools across Westchester, Rockland, Bergen, and Putnam counties.

Legendary Broadway producer Manny Azenberg, 92, talks ticket prices, the loss of playwrights to screens, the rise of investor 'producers,' and whether theater can reclaim its cultural footing.

The annual League Awards were held during The Broadway League’s 2026 Spring Road Conference as esteemed members and partners were honored for their achievements in support of Touring Broadway.

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.

AN IDEAL MAN is a fun spin on the source material, and it’s charming and affable in its delivery. I like the idea of the cast of DYNASTY suddenly being thrust into Oscar Wilde’s England via River Oaks.

We had the opportunity to interview Music Director Robert W. Butts about his career, The Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey, and the upcoming performance at The Growing Stage.

From Saarland to international fame, Andreas Gergen, a critically acclaimed director and Artistic Director, started his career on stage and was part of the original cast of Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame in Berlin, back when Drew Sarich starred as Quasimodo.

As Dionne Warwick took the stage at Groton Hill Music Center in Groton recently, before she had sung a single word, she was met by a rousing standing ovation. It was clear from the get-go that the capacity audience knew they were in the presence of a legend.

The Public Theater has announced initial casting for the Free Shakespeare in the Park production of ROMEO & JULIET at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

The time is nigh! In just a matter of days, all of Broadway will be doing the Time Warp again when The Rocky Horror Show returns at Studio 54. The revival, helmed by Tony winner Sam Pinkleton, marks the first time that the show has been on Broadway in 25 years.

Ben Jones sung 100 Years of the American Songbook in the 3/9 performance of TIMELESS. With the tender intimacy of his singing—balanced by bursts of theatricality and thrilling key changes—Jones holds the audience with him every step of the way.

Strange Fruit, directed by Venus Cuffs at Joe's Pub on 2/26, is a multimedia protest performance inspired by Billie Holiday's 1939 anti-lynching anthem. An all-LGBTQIA+ cast of Black artists explores resilience and resistance.

Tony Award winner Richard Maltby, Jr. discusses with Jennifer Ashley Tepper About Time, his new revue written with collaborator David Shire which, alongside Starting Here, Starting Now and Closer Than Ever, completes the writing team’s trilogy. They also chat about friendship with Stephen Sondheim, how Off-Broadway has evolved since the 1960s, the role Yale University has played, and more.

Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson discuss the return of MEXODUS to the New York stage and the musical’s growing audience following Lin-Manuel Miranda’s visit during its Minetta Lane run. The creators also share insights from the recording studio as the live-looping production is adapted for an Audible release. The feature includes exclusive behind-the-scenes reporting and an exclusive audio clip from the upcoming recording.

Next month, 54 Below will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond for Women's History Month, including Linda Eder, Kate Baldwin, Jenn Colella and more. 

The large majority of our 41 Broadway theaters were built to be Broadway theaters. Other than the Winter Garden, which was originally a horse exchange, the Nederlander, which was originally a carpenter’s shop, and the Broadway and Lunt-Fontanne which were originally movie theaters, every current Broadway house was intended from the beginning to present Broadway shows. As for off-Broadway? The opposite is true.

Rock legend Alice Cooper will perform at Mershon Auditorium on April 23 as part of the 'Alice’s Attic Tour', celebrating QFM96's Birthday Bash. Tickets go on sale this January.

I spoke with playwright Catherine Butterfield about the development of her play BROWNSTONE, its structure and subject matter, and her fascination with brownstones.

The Broadway production of Ragtime was a glorious accomplishment, a riveting testament to the original American musical and to all that America itself could be. The show ran for 834 performances at the Ford Center, closing in the final year of the 20th century. It was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, taking home four.

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.

La Cage aux Folles finally returns to its French roots at the Théâtre du Châtelet—and the homecoming is worth the wait. Olivier Py’s ambitious revival, led by a radiant Laurent Lafitte, blends glamour, wit, and quiet political force in a production that reclaims Jerry Herman’s musical as both spectacle and statement

In a kinder, gentler world, Ben Folds’ name would be mentioned in the same breath as piano greats Billy Joel and Elton John. Like the other two, Folds is a brilliant lyricist, a fantastic pianist, and an amazing storyteller.

In honor of the Aida’s 25th anniversary, BroadwayWorld spoke to stars Heather Headley (Aida), Adam Pascal (Radames), Sherie Rene Scott (Amneris), Schele Williams (Nehebka), as Thomas Schumacher (original producer and Disney Theatrical Group chief for its first three decades), lyricist Tim Rice, and book writer David Henry Hwang to compile an oral history of the show’s early days, transition to Broadway, and legacy beyond the boards.