The Happy Ending

Brian Wilson, musical genius and founder of the Beach Boys, died today (Wednesday, June 11, 2025), so in honor of him, here is an article of the 40 greatest Beach Boys songs that I wrote for Broadway World two years ago.  Love & Mercy, Brian!

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

During the Roaring 1920s until its closing on July 27, 1959, West Hollywood’s landmark Garden of Allah Hotel on Sunset Blvd. hosted the Hollywood elite looking to have a great time socializing and mingling without the prying eyes of the media or autograph seekers in their faces, or their beds for that matter. I decided to speak with Romy Nordlinger, the playwright and performer of Garden of Alla in which she shares the life of Alla Nazimova, a Jewish immigrant from Tsarist Russia who became a Broadway and silent film superstar, visionary Hollywood director and producer, LGBTQIA trailblazer, and creator of the hotel which became world famous on many levels, both famous and infamous.

'Good Vibrations'? 'California Girls'? 'I Get Around'? See where your favorite Beach Boys songs land on the list!

What did our critic think of My Fair Lady at Connor Palace? What do Rogers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, Frank Loesser and Cole Porter all have in common? Yes, they are all composers of American musicals, but they are also just some of those who attempted, and failed, to make George Bernard Shaw's classical PYGMALION into a musical.

After celebrating its 25th Anniversary in residence at Theater Wit—a season that featured the world premiere, acclaimed hit Relentless, which went on to an extended run at Goodman Theatre—the company will return to its longtime home in Chicago’s Lakeview East neighborhood, located at 615 W. Wellington Avenue, for three productions.

Rarely produced in full, Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre (MET) presents the entirety of Horton Foote's nine-act  Magnus Opus “The Orphans' Home Cycle” running in repertory through November 18, 2018. This massive production utilizes over 30 veteran performers from across the Metro KC area in 64 roles throughout the expansive production.  

THE WHITEHEADED BOY opens at The ADOBE Theater today, June 10th, and runs 4 weekends through Sunday, July 3rd. Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:00pm, with a special 'Pay What You Will' performance (to benefit the cast and crew) on Thursday, June 23rd, at 7.30pm. Tickets are $17, seniors and students $15. Reservations 505-898-9222, or online at www.adobetheater.org. The Adobe Theater is located at 9813 Fourth Street NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114.

Who is "The Whiteheaded Boy"? He is the Irish equivalent of our 'Fair-haired child,' the one who can do no wrong, the one who is indulged in all that he does. He gets the largest piece of pie, the choicest piece of meat, and his favorite meal whenever he wants. He is the one who has been told since birth that he is 'different' from all the rest - special, better. He is the 'gifted' one, the boy for whom the gates of success will magically open simply because he asks. He is the one whose inevitable fall to Earth is especially painful because it is so unexpected.

Carlo Rizzi is ready to enter an exciting period of work in the New Year. The conductor's 2015/16 season continues in January with a return to the Lyric Opera of Chicago for Matthew Ozawa's new production of Verdi's Nabucco. He heads to Milan the following month to begin rehearsals for Teatro alla Scala's eagerly awaited staging of Umberto Giordano's La cena delle beffe, an opera not seen at La Scala for eight decades. Rizzi's rich schedule also includes the world premiere of Iain Bell's In Parenthesis and the double-bill of Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci, staged to celebrate the 70th birthday of Welsh National Opera (WNO).

As Park Theatre enters its third year, Artistic Director Jez Bond today announces its new season of work, including seven new writing world premieres alongside a number of exciting revivals, and a brand new British musical.