Just So - 2005 - Articles Page 1

Rugged masculinity meets forbidden queer romance in Brokeback Mountain. Based on Annie Proulx’s short story (which was adapted into a buzzy 2005 film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger), Ashley Robinson’s play follows the clandestine romance between ranchers Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar over 20 years in rural Wyoming.

Two-time Tony nominee Lyle Kessler will premiere his historical drama THE GERMAN at the Durango PlayFest, featuring Victor Slezak, Kip Gilman, and Margaret Ladd, directed by Brendan Burke.

Young lovers from different worlds. What are their odds? A beautiful evening, rich in music, is a delight at Opera Theatre of St. Louis

Theater Resources Unlimited will host a Community Gathering via Zoom focused on licensing, featuring James Rocco and C. Michael Perry discussing legal rights, royalties, and how producers can navigate the licensing landscape.

If you’re looking for a fun evening that will make you want to sing along and dance in the aisles, check out Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre’s production of All Shook Up! The storyline of this jukebox musical by Joe DiPietro is inspired by Shakespeare’s comedies.

The stage production does make a lot of strides that strengthens the endurance and popularity of this love story. It repeats iconic moments from the popular 2004 film, but isn’t aping the original screenplay in any way. A new libretto offers a fresh take that borrows the basic structure of the novel and memorable film moments, whilst breathing in new voices and new scenes that add different layers to these familiar characters.

Perhaps the most well-known instance of a show changing titles during the development process belongs to the groundbreaking 1943 phenomenon, Oklahoma! The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that changed the art form in terms of subject matter, integration of elements, and more was originally titled Away We Go! when it went out of town for a New Haven tryout. Oklahoma! is far from the only instance where a musical changed its title along the development road.

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. 

Every discipline within the performing arts has a moment when a practitioner stops inheriting tradition and starts building something new. For Xin Dong, a principal aerial trapeze performer and coach with over two decades of professional experience, that moment came not on a stage but in a training room, where he began dismantling the assumptions that had long governed how high-speed aerial rotation was taught.

Astounding triple-threat talent is on display in big production numbers with attention-grabbing scenic elements by brilliant designers add to the artistic wonder of the entire production helmed by EWP Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal, choreographed by Janelle Dote Portman, with music direction by Marc Macalintal.

Trinity Repertory Company will close its 2025-26 season with NEXT TO NORMAL, the Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning rock musical directed by former Associate Artistic Director Amanda Dehnert at the Dowling Theater in Providence.

This production of Rent by Keystone Theatrics is a high-energy, passionate reminder of the importance of community. It is well worth taking the time to see this show.

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical is a unique production where a group of comedians, singers and musicians come together to create a new musical every night before an audience. Over the years it’s been running, Showstopper! has won an Olivier Award and even recently reaching 1,500 performances.

For BroadwayWorld's Debut of the Month, we are featuring Esteban Andres Cruz, who is currently making their Broadway debut in Dog Day Afternoon, opposite Jon Berthal. Read the full interview with Esteban here!

​​​​​​​Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt stars Tituss Burgess and Ellie Kemper will reunite in The Elephant & Piggie Show! for Paramount+. Additionally, Neil Patrick Harris is slated to voice “The Bus Driver” in The Pigeon Show! Starring The Pigeon.

Steve Silverman's SLIDESHOW, a monthly show featuring rotating guest performers sharing personal slides, is coming to Etcetera Theatre in Camden after years of success in Los Angeles.

Madonna has officially revealed that her anticipated new album, Confessions II, is set for release on July 3rd via Warner Records. Check out a visual preview of the album with a new teaser.

Bursting with contagious rhythm, irrepressible heart, and an abiding sense of community pride, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning 2008 original Broadway musical IN THE HEIGHTS remains one of the most vibrant and emotionally resonant contemporary musicals to emerge from the early 21st century. For Musical Theatre West, this current 2026 production of the musical—which continues performances at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach through April 26, 2026—is an anticipated return of a musical that this company first staged back in the Fall of 2017. In essence, it's nice to come home to something comfortably familiar.

Musicals and plays based on movies? Many. Based on books? Also plentiful. Based on true stories? Of course. But musicals and plays based on or inspired by magazine articles? These are a rare breed. One recently opened on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre.

Grammy Award-winning conductor-composer and SFCM alumnus Teddy Abrams will deliver the 2026 commencement address and receive a Doctorate of Music on May 22 at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.

In this edition of Words From The Wings, we catch up with Matt Manuel, who plays Mitch Mahoney in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee off-Broadway, to share some of his favorite backstage moments, must-haves, and more!

What did our critic think of CLYDE'S at Burbage Theatre Company?

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. 

We recently had met public relations pro, Riccardo Gabrielle at Felice 83 on the Upper East Side of New York City where an excellent selection of wines from regions throughout Italy was showcased.

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.