Mister Johnson 1956

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best musical theatre characters from 1940-2020; see if your favorites are on our list of the best characters from Broadway musicals.

Before Mamma Mia!, before The Marvelous Wonderettes, and before Jersey Boys, there was Return to the Forbidden Planet, an Off-Broadway space farce that was one of the first musicals to incorporate pop hits into its score. A spoof of the 1956 cult sci-fi film, Forbidden Planet, Bob Carlton's musical utilizes the language and general storyline of William Shakespeare's The Tempest in relating the adventures of an interstellar space ship, which is drawn to a mysterious planet by a mad scientist and his beauteous daughter. The show is being staged at the Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura in a colorful, lively production directed and choreographed by Kirby Ward.

Broadway fans had plenty of reasons to celebrate this year, with dozens of shows having opened since January, hundreds of actors having made their debuts, and many more having returned to the stage for critically acclaimed performances. Not all news was good though, as we also suffered a loss of an incredible amount of talent. Below, BroadwayWorld sends a fond farewell to those who passed away in 2014.

Mauckingbird Theatre Company delves into the lives of two influential gay writers Truman Capote and James Baldwin - both authors of literary touchstones of the mid-twentieth century.

Mauckingbird Theatre Company delves into the lives of two influential gay writers Truman Capote and James Baldwin - both authors of literary touchstones of the mid-twentieth century.

Mauckingbird Theatre Company delves into the lives of two influential gay writers Truman Capote and James Baldwin - both authors of literary touchstones of the mid-twentieth century.