The Show Off - 1968 - Broadway Articles Page 1

On Thursday, August 27th at 7:30pm, Thanasis Theatre Company will be making its New York City debut with an industry staged reading of Mart Crowley’s The Boys in The Band at The Producer’s Club on west 44th St. Tickets are free. 

Gibson Garage London will host free acoustic performances this August, featuring Thea Stewart, Two Ways Home, and The Damn Truth, presented in partnership with Busk In London.

Theatre has always intersected with politics, and the presence of American presidents in Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional theatre plays and musicals is a major part of this. Did you know that all of our heads of state have been featured in shows, whether as characters or as plot points that are part of the action? Dramatizing current and former leaders of our nation is a way to examine their affect on society at the time and how political events, even those of many years ago, still impact us all. 

Princeton Summer Theater will wrap up its 2026 season this weekend with the final performances of True West and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Lastly, speaking of generations, this show lands differently in 2026. Hair is a celebration of peace, love, and joy associated with the youth culture of the Boomer generation. When the show was first produced, it was easy to go along with the idealism and righteousness that the story celebrates. However, with time and reflection, the question that kept nagging me as an audience member was when and why did this generation change their priorities?

Princeton Summer Theater closes its 2026 season with Sam Shepard's TRUE WEST, directed by Wasif Sami, featuring a cast of four at the Hamilton Murray Theater in Princeton, NJ.

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres will present Tuesdays with Morrie from October 27 through November 29. Directed by Serena Brook, the production stars Gabriele Angieri as Morrie and Ryan London Levin as Mitch.

Musical Theatre West's brand new presentation of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT marks the fifth time the 74-season-old institution is revisiting this ubiquitous musical, this time starring hunky Broadway alum and America's Got Talent standout Brian Justin Crum. For all intents and purposes, their result is certainly a genuinely entertaining one, propelled mostly by its musically-gifted lead performers, but also its entire ensemble, all of whom act, sing, and move as if they're all having a sassy, gay ol' time. But their smile-inducing antics do require some leeway.

Peter Michael Marino's tabletop sci-fi parody PLANET OF THE GRAPES makes its world premiere at the Pleasance Courtyard, following sold-out US previews. The show reimagines the 1968 film Planet of the Apes with puppets and kitchen supplies.

“Politics have no place in theatre,” says a person who has no idea that some of the first-ever plays from Ancient Greece were political. From Antigone by Sophocles to Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, there has been no shortage of bold theatre spreading a message.

Peter Michael Marino's sci-fi tabletop comedy Planet of the Grapes, a lockdown-era hit, is set to play Under St. Marks on the Lower East Side before heading to Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Whatever Jerome Elliott's magic touches--writing, performing, directing, and more--has always brought me to my feet.  This time, it also brought me to tears--of joy and appreciation for all his conributions to the Coachella Valley.  Jerome's solo show, The Bridges I Have Maniacally Crossed, played for one night last April at the Palm Springs Cultural Center.. Those who had the privilege of seeing it rose spomtaneously.  Those who didn't:  Cross your fingers that Jerome will bring it back.

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that longtime stage and screen performer Tom Ligon, known for his screen roles in projects like Paint Your Wagon and The Young and the Restless, passed away at 85 years old on June 26, 2026.

This Fourth of July, Pure Life Theatre, the City of Raleigh, and Seed Art Share will be presenting the 1968 groundbreaking rock musical, HAIR, in concert at Fred Fletcher Park. I recently got in touch with two of the people involved: Dylan Bailey, who's on the board of directors for Seed Art Share as president, and Wade Newhouse, who happens to be the director of this event. We discussed a lot of this and more.

Ensemble Studio Theatre and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation announced ten recipients for their 2026 Science and Technology New Play Commissions, continuing a 25-year program that has developed over 300 plays exploring science.

wild project has revealed a slate of upcoming programming at its Lower East Side venue, including a solo polaroid exhibition by Rob Roth, staged readings from Cherry Picking, and the launch of a new live music series, Sound Stage.

When it comes to experimental theatre in North America, few have a legacy as long, dedicated, and influential as Richard Foreman. When Foreman died in 2025, he left an archive of over 50 years of work from his Ontological-Hysteric Theatre company, founded in 1968. Foreman’s theatrical explorations prioritized immediacy and the present over a fixed sense of narrative, focusing on the process of the play’s creation and the audience’s interpretation.

Much has been written about the proliferation of pop singer-songwriters writing new musicals for Broadway and off-Broadway. Less covered is the trend of pop singers performing on Broadway, which has made for a number of memorable appearances in current and recent seasons. 

There is plenty of fun to be had in this light-hearted musical.

Deep Flight Productions will present an encore engagement of WHO WE BECOME, a program of rarely produced Lanford Wilson one-acts, at Factory Series at the Chain Studio Theatre in New York.

The production of The Boys in the Band at Open Stage may be one of the most emotionally intense performances of the season. The two-hour run time doesn’t feel nearly that long as the actors breathe life into the characters and their stories.

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is May 26, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed over the weekend.

Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins have revealed the 2026/2027 Season line-up, beginning this fall. With 12 productions—five world or Chicago premieres, a reinvestigated classic and more.

Planet of the Grapes, a tabletop sci-fi comedy where talking grapes enslave humans, will play Brooklyn and the Lower East Side before heading to Edinburgh Festival Fringe, performed by creator Peter Michael Marino.

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.