If Love Were All

What is a pro-shot and how is it different than an adapted film? Pro-shot is an abbreviation for professionally shot, denoting a stage play that was captured in its native habitat: a theatre. In general, a pro-shot seeks to film the exact experience that audience members would have at a live performance of the show, in contrast with a feature film which actually adapts the piece into a new form, including different locations, the removal of theatrical aesthetic, and changes to make the script work as a film as opposed to as a live theatrical show.

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is February 16, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed over the weekend.

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

The 2024 production earned seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, which I feel is an earned acknowledgment that speaks more to the craftsmanship, the ambition, and the emotional journey present in the show. The stage production’s direction, choreography, puppetry design, and ensemble synergy create moments of theatrical awe that are impossible to deny. What the songs lack in dramatic momentum, the production more than makes up for in its combination of narrative intimacy with large-scale visual storytelling.

Multiple lost Broadway theaters intersect with the Hammerstein family. This follows since Oscar Hammerstein I was a theater owner and builder. In addition to Hammerstein’s which was named after him and is now the Ed Sullivan, and the New Victory which he originally built, there is also the Hammerstein Ballroom. Read more here!

A new version of the classic, The Pirates of Penzance, is currently commanding the stage at Roundabout’s Todd Haimes Theatre on 42nd Street—formerly the American Airlines and before that, the Selwyn. This revisal of the beloved show is titled: Pirates! The Penzance Musical.

Two of the most famous lawyers in modern history are Ross Cellino Jr. and Steve Barnes. A hilarious dark comedy about the law partners, titled Cellino v. Barnes, has been running off-Broadway since last summer, starring Eric William Morris and Noah Weisberg and written by Mike B. Breen and David Rafailedes. 

A strange, insistent music is coming back to Broadway. BroadwayWorld has just learned that Lincoln Center Theater will soon present Ragtime at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. Performances begin September 26. Member onsale May 13. Public onsale May 28.

Tickets are now on sale for the Jacob's Pillow's full schedule of programming at this summer’s 93rd annual Dance Festival. Learn more about the upcoming events and see how to attend.

This time, the reader question was: There are only three states in America without known Broadway musicals set within their borders. Can you guess which three? WE're breaking it down state by state.

The Chicago Tribune has named Tim Rater, President and CEO, Paramount Theatre in downtown Aurora, its “2024 Chicagoan of the Year in Theater.”

In this column, I wanted to give readers 10 fun facts on firsts achieved by women on Broadway. Female writers are much more than just statistics, and women deserve recognition for more than just breaking a barrier to an accomplishment.

The cast has been revealed for the NY premiere of SUMP'N LIKE WINGS at Mint Theater Company. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.

A fantastic team of cabaret experts were on hand to empower participants to showcase the most authentic version of themselves on stage!

A musical theater about a local event almost 100 year ago which changed the area as well as Sweden - absolutely fantastic!

Mint Theater Company will present the New York Premiere of Sump'n Like Wings by Lynn Riggs. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.

Paul Vasterling, the longtime CEO and artistic director of Nashville Ballet, makes his debut as a director of musical theater with his revival of Cabaret – which he also choreographs – in a much-heralded and eagerly anticipated production for Franklin-based Studio Tenn. The timely and sumptuous revival allows audiences an opportunity to consider the prescience of the classic Broadway musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb that debuted in 1966 and which has continued to fascinate and challenge artists of the theater the world over almost 60 years later.

OKLAHOMA is beyond ‘OK’ at the Rancho Mirage Amphitheater; A truly wonderful classic brought to life.

Cleveland Play House presents a reimagined adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a haunting and highly theatrical adaptation of the classic horror story. Just in time for Halloween, this sensual, poetic adaptation by David Catlin currently running through November 12 in the Outcalt Theatre, located in the heart of Playhouse Square. Watch a teaser trailer for the production here!

An all-star cast brings the play about dreams and aspirations in the garment district back to life.

This time, the reader question was: With Harmony sharing the real story of The Comedian Harmonists, I’m wondering- how often are Broadway musicals about real people who actually existed?

Mary Shelley's shocking classic novel, Frankenstein, receives new life at Cleveland Play House. A haunting and highly theatrical adaptation of the classic horror story. Directed by Michael Barakiva, the production features Josh Bates, Madeline Calais, Ellen Grace Diehl, Gavin Michaels, and Kayodè Soyemi.

Roundabout Theatre Company has just announced additional casting for the special Benefit Reading of Noël Coward’s Fallen Angels, directed by Scott Ellis. Check out who will join previously announced Kelli O'Hara and Rose Byrne.

Go inside the complete history of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Merrily We Roll Along, playing at Broadway's Hudson Theatre now!

Thanks to Andrew Maraniss’ best-selling book Strong Inside – adapted for the stage by Tyrone L. Robinson – Wallace’s storied basketball career in the Southeastern Conference and the details of his upbringing in the segregated South are now brought vividly to life onstage in a history-making production from NCT, the third-oldest theater for younger audiences in the United States. Founded in 1931 by members of the Junior League of Nashville, there can be no denying that NCT, like its hometown itself and one of its favorite sons (Wallace), has been reflective of the growing diversity of its people and the evolution of its cultural and educational institutions.