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.

It’s not out of the ordinary these days for worthwhile musicals that originally premiered off-Broadway and then entered the canon to receive their Broadway debuts decades later. Floyd Collins shares this journey with shows including Assassins, Gutenberg! The Musical!, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Last 5 Years, Little Shop of Horrors, and Violet.

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.

This time, the reader question was: Who are the most Tony-nominated people of all time? Audra McDonald now holds the record for the most-nominated performer, but do you know who has the most ever?

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. 

Three of this season’s plays and two of this season’s musicals are already getting revived for the second or third time this century! Twenty-five years into the 21st century and Broadway has already seen multiple revivals of Glengarry Glen Ross, Our Town, Romeo and Juliet, Gypsy, and Sunset Boulevard. 

The terrific new musical Real Women Have Curves brings the story of a Mexican family to Broadway. Ana is a first-generation Mexican-American who dreams of becoming a journalist and must navigate being the only one with American citizenship in her family as she finds her own way in the world. Artists from Mexico have brought great and important work to the Broadway stage over the years.

This time, the reader question was: How often do legit Broadway plays and musicals include live animals in their companies? Can you name some recent examples of animals in Broadway shows?

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 play Liberation which is currently playing at Roundabout’s Laura Pels Theatre off-Broadway features nudity. How often do plays and musicals feature nudity on stage? We're breaking it down!

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.

This time, the reader question was: How often do Broadway musicals change their titles after Broadway? We're unpacking the history of shows that have been renamed.

This time, the reader question was: The Last 5 Years makes its Broadway debut this spring… but everyone you know already has the show memorized. How did that happen? Tepper unpacks the history of the beloved show.

Some of the shows that the Orpheum has been best known for are Stomp, which ran there for an astounding 29 years, from 1994 to 2023, and the original production of Little Shop of Horrors which spent over five years at the theater from 1982 to 1987. 

This time, the reader question was: Other than Old Friends, what are the other Sondheim revues and what makes them different? This marks the theatre world’s fifth major Sondheim revue and the first since the theatre legend passed away in 2021. 

With Smash about to make a splash on Broadway this season, the question was asked: how many Broadway musicals have been based on television? While historically, far more Broadway musicals have been based on books or movies, television shows have also provided source materials for several productions on the main stem.

The term “megamix” became widely known on Broadway with that game-changing jukebox musical Mamma Mia! in 2001. The British import, featuring the tunes of ABBA set within a new story, concluded with a multi-song medley after the curtain call that encouraged the audience to sing and dance along.

The majority of Broadway’s Best Musical winners and nominees become some of the most produced shows in America and beyond, for decades to come. But for a small number of the shows to be nominated for Best Musical, Broadway is one of the only places audiences will ever be able to see that piece.

With everyone hyped for the premiere of the movie Wicked this month, I have been receiving a bunch of Wicked questions. I thought it might be fun to share a few fun facts about former stars of Wicked!

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.

This time, the reader question was: What are some of the most famous Broadway ghost stories? Some Broadway houses have many haunted tales… and others seem to have no ghostly spirits at all! Let's unpack!

This time, the reader question was: What is the history of Romeo and Juliet on Broadway?

This time, the reader question was: With Yellow Face on Broadway, have there been other semi-autobiographical shows on Broadway where the writer made themself a character?

This time, the reader question was: How often do Broadway writing teams share credits for both music and lyrics? 

This time, the reader question was: I know sometimes writers perform in their own shows… but how often do writers play in the orchestra for their own musicals on Broadway?