Not only did Shuffle Along bring jazz to Broadway, it was the first African American show to be a smash hit. Its composer Eubie Blake recalled on WNYC in 1973: "When we put Shuffle Along on, on Broadway, we put negroes back to work again."Read More
Every year, as a set-up for the Tony Awards, we take you backstage to meet people who aren't even eligible. These are Broadway's essential workers – ushers, stage managers, costumers. But this year, the Tonys seem like a faraway dream; even though nominations for the shortened season were announced in October, no date has been set. So, I decided to check in with some of Read More
On Jan. 25, 1996, a new rock musical by a little-known writer, Jonathan Larson, gave its first performance. Friends and family filed into a small off-Broadway theater to see Rent. The show was a retelling of La Boheme, set on the Lower East Side of New York, as people were dying of AIDS. It became an international phenomenon, winning the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award, Read More
Lee's new film for HBO captures a live performance of Byrne's acclaimed Broadway show. David Byrne's American Utopia is a rousing blend of song, dance and revival meeting. Read More
It's hard to predict exactly how theater will come back after the pandemic, but here are a couple guesses: Fewer crowds, more collective imagination, and a focus on racial and environmental justice.Read More
A new documentary catalogs the rise of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Christopher Jackson and other members of the hip-hop group Freestyle Love Supreme in the mid-2000s before they became famous on Broadway.Read More
Lin-Manuel Miranda says his musical Hamilton, which starts streaming on Disney+ this week, shows "everything that's past is present."Read More
The cast and musicians of the hit Broadway musical Hadestown pack into the Tiny Desk for a truly glorious performance of its greatest songs.Read More
A film of the original Broadway cast performing Hamilton was scheduled to hit theaters on Oct. 15, 2021. Now, it's coming to Disney+ 15 months ahead of schedule.Read More
The Irish dance spectacle has been performed for audiences all over the world. The current production was polished for the anniversary, but has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.Read More
Nnamdi Asomugha, a four-time All-Pro NFL cornerback, is making his Broadway debut in A Soldier's Play. It's been "a pretty surreal journey," he says.Read More
Tina playwright Katori Hall and star Adrienne Warren have plenty to say about working with the star, depicting domestic violence and learning to sing in a new voice.Read More
The actor discusses her "arduous" role as a 53-year-old Yale professor in the dark play, The Sound Inside. "It requires a lot of technique," she said. "Because I don't want you to see the technique."Read More
With 71 hit songs performed on a decadent nightclub set, the new stage adaptation, based on Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film, is not particularly profound. It is nonetheless a knockout night at the theater.Read More
Musicals get Tony Awards. Scores get Tony Awards. Orchestrators get Tony Awards. But this year, a number of Broadway musicians are stepping out of the pit and onto the stage.Read More
In the Broadway musical The Prom, a high school PTA cancels the dance rather than allowing two girls to attend together. The show was just nominated for seven Tony Awards.Read More
The play is a personal memoir and a civics town hall. It recreates the debate contests Heidi Schreck attended in high school and explores how the Constitution hasn't protected all Americans equally.Read More
Like many teenage dramas. Tarell Alvin McCraney's play is set in a prep school. But this one, populated by African-American boys and infused with spirituals and step routines, is a specific story.Read More
After lawsuits and pushback from her estate. Harper Lee's beloved 1960 novel is now a play. And now, Atticus Finch looks and sounds a little different than he did in the book.Read More
In a new $35 million musical, the star attraction is 20 feet tall and requires 15 people to operate. He's an engineering marvel — and also basically a giant monkey puppet.Read More
The play, co-written by J.K. Rowling, opened on Sunday and picks up where the last novel left off, with Harry sending his son off to Hogwarts. Read More
