Short Eyes

Recently, on the north coast of Ireland, I had lunch in a seaside bar. Outside, the wind howled, sunshine and rain were locked in a battle for supremacy and the sky was too big. I knew that feeling, as I had grown up by the sea with sandhills at the top of the road. It was ‘other’ to the adult version of me, but familiar to the childhood person. I’ve always understood that these edges are liminal spaces in which things change quickly and much (too much) is contingent.

This past season contained a higher than usual amount of Broadway shows involving death; in fact, Operation Mincemeat and Dead Outlaw both specifically revolved around transporting a corpse! And Death Becomes Her leans into the hilarity as two women become gorgeous living corpses before our very eyes, thanks to a touch of magic. But plays and musicals about death and its attendant macabre topics have been a part of the theatre landscape for many decades...

This time, the reader question was: How Often Do Broadway Musicals Tackle the Topic of War? There are actually many musicals about war in the canon. The rare feat of Operation Mincemeat lies in its tone. The show is a fast-paced, zany, comedic take on a mission that used a dead body to mislead the Axis forces, leading to the successful Allied invasion of Sicily.

Living in Palm Springs sitting down with Broadway gypsy Joe Giamalva who has played in many arenas from stage to screen as a sought-after actor/dancer/producer. He also entertained several generations of television viewers on Saturday morning children’s classics H.R. PufnStuf, Land Of The Lost, and Disney Channel favorites. Joe is working on a brand new one-man show about his life and career.

What did our critic think of GYPSY: A MUSICAL FABLE at Music Theatre Wichita At Century II Concert Hall? There is a reason the musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable is a Golden Age classic. The text, suggested by the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee and written by Authur Laurents, is economical and succinct. Jule Styne’s music varies from catchy tunes to lush, foreboding orchestral maneuvers, and Sondheim’s nascent lyrics are simple and accessible, yet cut to the core of each scene’s objective.

Did critics think The Wiz was wonderful? Read the reviews as the newest Broadway revival of the classic musical opens on Broadway!

To honour Marti's tremendous contributions to the theatre, the company will dim the lights of the Royal Alexandra upon the first performance of the start of the new season — Saturday, September 23 at 8 pm, for the Toronto premiere of the musical SIX.

In May December, Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), a popular television star, has arrived in a tight-knit island community in Savannah. Here, she will be doing intimate research for a new part, ingratiating herself into the lives of Gracie (Julianne Moore), whom she’ll be playing on-screen, and her much younger husband, Joe (Charles Melton).

School's out for summer… making it the perfect time to rock and roll during An Evening with Alice Cooper on Thursday, Aug. 10 at 8 p.m. in Overture Hall.

'Bliss Street,' a new musical recounting a significant chapter of New York's iconic 70s Rock & Roll history, is extending it's run by one week, through May 20, 2023.

'Bliss Street' is a new musical recounting a significant chapter of New York's iconic 70's Rock & Roll history.  It documents the life and legacy of Paul Sub, who founded and ran a succession of New York music clubs in the 1970's.

Pianist Hélène Grimaud's new Deutsche Grammophon album, featuring Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov's Silent Songs, will be released on March 3.

Pasadena Playhouse Producing Artistic Director Danny Feldman announced the latest news for the theater’s upcoming six-month-long celebration of the works and impact of Stephen Sondheim January 26 through June 11, 2023. 

Reviewer Peter Nason counts down the greatest 101 YACHT ROCK HITS for your summertime listening pleasure.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder with Music and Lyrics by Steven Lutvak and Book and Lyrics by Robert L. Freedman will find its way to the Lyric Stage Company of Boston after originally scheduled to open on May 15, 2020.

Both “Cry Macho” and “Malignant” will be available in theaters and on HBO Max the same day. Streaming only on the $14.99/month Ad-Free HBO Max plan for 31 days from their theatrical release.

This season looks to be very exciting at the FSCJ Artist Series with Broadway productions, concerts, ballets, operas, comedy shows, dance productions, school performances and variety shows.

Broadway might be dark, but that doesn't mean that theatre isn't happening everywhere! Below, check out where you can get your daily fix of Broadway this weekend, April 24-25, 2021.

Earlier this month, Dress Circle Publishing released THE UNTOLD STORIES OF BROADWAY, VOLUME 4, the latest in a series by acclaimed historian and producer Jennifer Ashley Tepper. Can't wait to get your hands on it? While you're waiting for your copy, let BroadwayWorld hold you over with a special sneak peek from a chapter all about the Golden Theatre.

Isolation and loneliness are certainly aspects of the human experience that more of us have felt of late. Terence Rattigan’s one-woman play, All On Her Own, has been revived in a new digital production by Jack Maple & Brian Zeilinger-Goode for MZG Theatre Productions, starring Janie Dee as Rosemary.

Film at Lincoln Center announced today that Steve McQueen’s Lovers Rock will be the Opening Night film of the 58th New York Film Festival, making its World Premiere.

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the 101 greatest Beatles songs, including some of the fab four's solo works. They're all here: 'Twist and Shout,' 'In My Life,' 'Helter Skelter,' 'Imagine,' 'Something,' 'Maybe I'm Amazed,' 'Let It Be.' See if your favorites made the grade!

Pushcart Players, New Jersey's award winning educational theater for young and family audiences has received a generous investment from The New Jersey State Bar Foundation (NJSBF) with a grant to support distance learning.

The Beatles! Rihanna! Michael Jackson! Johnny Cash! Kanye West! The Rolling Stones! Aretha Franklin! Bob Dylan! Miles Davis! Nirvana! BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the greatest albums from the rock and rap era (1950-2020); see if your favorites made the grade!

While I find Beckett's plays often too intensely intellectual for my comprehension, this was not the case with Irwin's seemingly effortless way of donning a bowler hat (or 2 or 3), juggling them until the perfect one is atop his head, and then going on to flop around the stage in his baggy pants and oversize shoes as a quintessential clown while explaining his interpretation of passages reflecting a?oethe noise of lifea?? in Beckett's a?oeText for Noting,a?? a?oeWatt,a?? a?oeWaiting for Godot,a?? a?oeEndgame,a?? and a?oeThe Unnamable.a?? It was an extraordinary evening of watching a master of the stage interpret the life and brilliance of a theatre legend.