They Wrote That? - 2004 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 2

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.

During his prolific and storied career, Sondheim collaborated with many other artists, from book writers to directors, from actors to musicians. Seeing Sondheim’s regular collaborators, close friends, one-time associates, mentors, and rare connections make appearances in his collection was both moving and illuminating.

It is a show that is so close to my heart! When I was living in New York, from 2004 to 2008 was when it came to Broadway, and I saw it there. I was brought in quite a bit for Olive at the time. I'm too old for that [role] now!

As the fight for women to have equal rights and opportunities has evolved, so has the presence of plays telling these stories. When I wrote my book, Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that the History Books Left Out, the first-ever book about female musical theatre writers, I researched many musicals that are in this genre as well.

BroadwayWorld chats with pioneering lesbian playwright and performer Terry Baum about her latest show 'Lesbo Solo: My Gay History Play' running at The Marsh Berkeley through October 12th. Her hilarious and deeply moving piece won 'Best of Fringe' at the San Francisco Fringe Festival.

The National Tour of THE NOTEBOOK is now underway! The tour launched on September 6, 2025, at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, OH. Read the reviews here!

BroadwayWorld is here with your fall 2025 guide to all the shows lighting up New York’s stages. From world premieres to long-awaited revivals, this season’s Off-Broadway lineup delivers something for every kind of theater fan!

With Disney's Hercules now playing on the West End, take a look at the rich evolution of this musical, which has seen several iterations throughout the years both on stage and screen.

Be quick to book if you need a good laugh.

The Used frontman Bert McCracken has announced the upcoming release of his book, In Love and Death: The Lost Notebook. Inside is home to his intimate, long-lost artifact — composed of handwritten lyrics, poems, sketches, and personal reflections from nearly twenty years ago.

Loosely based on Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson’s 2004 novel, Peter and the Starcatcher upends the classic story of how a miserable young orphan became The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up, otherwise known as Peter Pan. It begins when he and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by the evil King Zarboff.

 It’s Only Life, a revue featuring the sophisticated, deeply felt music and lyrics of John Bucchino, will be performed by six talented teenagers at Palm Beach Dramaworks.

Wilbury Theatre Group concludes its season with a powerful, spirited, heart-stopping production of “American Idiot,” a musical based on rock band Green Day’s concept album of the same name.

Up next at New Jewish Theatre is Wendy Wasserstein’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony winning play The Heidi Chronicles, a semi-autobiographical story of Wasserstein’s life experiences over three decades. The play is considered groundbreaking for its examination of feminism, the changing roles of women, relationships, social consciousness, and shifting cultural norms. The comedic drama premiered Off-Broadway in 1988 before transferring to Broadway where it played 622 performances.  

Charles Strouse, 96, the celebrated and multi-award-winning American film, television, and Broadway musical composer, died at his home in New York City on May 15.

The new musical Goddess can currently be seen in its New York premiere production at the Public Theater on Lafayette Street. Directed by the Public’s associate artistic director and resident director Saheem Ali, who is currently Tony Award-nominated for directing Buena Vista Social Club, Goddess is playing at the Public’s largest space by capacity, the Newman Theatre.

Lake Tahoe Dance Collective will present the 13th Annual Lake Tahoe Dance Festival from July 22 - 25, 2025, featuring artists from New York City Ballet, Broadway, Boston Ballet, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and more.

On Saturday, April 26, at 7:30pm, the San Francisco Symphony celebrates Music Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas's 80th birthday with a one-night-only performance.

Bernadette Peters, Halle Bailey, Bonnie Milligan & more join Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti in Jesse Eisenberg's untitled musical comedy film.

I have had a couple of run-ins. I've been married three times. I have three kids that I know of. I was doing things and I never thought I would be a Tupperware lady. I was doing things that normally weren't panning out from where I was from. My mama said, “I'm not pretty enough to work at this strip club!”

I like to write all the time and generally write two plays a year, just because I take very seriously the notion of this being my profession. I would say playwright is spelled WRIGHT [write]. It's like a Cartwright or a wheelwright. It's somebody who rolls up their sleeves and does their work.

Additional cast members will join Kevin McHale, the Grammy-nominated and SAG Award winning actor, best known for playing Artie Abrams on the Fox TV series Glee, in The Frogs at Southwark Playhouse Borough. Learn more!

Bay Area-based pianists Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers have recorded composer D. Riley Nicholson’s UP for two pianos, a work that they commissioned in 2020. The new recording of the 30-minute piece will be released digitally on April 25, 2025.

The Decemberists have announced a short North American Summer Tour. The band will play two Canadian festival dates - Ottawa Blues Festival and Halifax Jazz Festival before headlining a string of Northeast and Midwest shows.

Centenary Stage Company enters the last weekend of its run of the dark comedy, The Receptionist by Adam Bock this weekend with more performances following a successful opening weekend.