By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) Tom Stoppard has long established his credentials as one of the 20th century’s leading playwrights and authors. Raised a proud Englishman with a proper British name and bearing, Stoppard was in his fifties before he ever learned the full extent of his Jewish heritage. His mother, who […]
By EDWARD RUBIN Sometimes, a gripping story with universal relevance sells big. Such was the case of “The Kite Runner,” Khaled Hossein’s 2003 semi-autobiographical novel which was turned into a movie, A graphic novel, an audio tape, and now a Broadway play. Topping the New York Times Bestseller list for over two years – thanks […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) Back when I was still in high school, writer Peter Stone and composer and lyricist Sherman Edwards got together to reimagine a patriotic musical that covered the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Starring William Daniels in the pivotal role of revolutionary John Adams, 1776 won three […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) From the first few lines in the opening number (“We’re Live”) of “Mr. Saturday Night,” it is apparent this is a throwback to Broadway spectaculars of the past. With a huge crescendo of Jason Robert Brown’s music and Amanda Green’s incisive lyrics, the story of Buddy Young, […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) It’s taken more than two years to finally open the revival of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite at the Hudson Theatre, a show that was preparing to begin previews in 2020 when the pandemic set in and closed Broadway until recent times. With real-life married stars Sarah Jessica Parker […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) Coming just a year after the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and last summer’s massive Black Lives Matter responsive protests, the recently-opened revival of Jeanine Tessori and Tony Kushner’s Caroline, or Change by the Roundabout Theatre Company gives Broadway musical audiences a powerful […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) Any child of the Sixties or worthy Deadhead would probably bet their monthly Social Security check that Harvard professor Timothy Leary first popularized Lysergic acid diethylamide – LSD-25 – and that its usage was actively pioneered and promoted by rock icons such as Jerry Garcia, Jim Morrison, […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) John Cullum, the two-time Tony Award winning leading Broadway actor, might have been content to rest on his well-deserved laurels. But as he admonishes us, he has been working as a performer since he was “knee high to a grasshopper” (what Broadway star uses a term like […]
Rebecca Luker, a much-praised Broadway actress and singer who earned three Tony Award nominations during her 30-year career, died on Wednesday, Dec. 23 in a Manhattan hospital. She was 59. Luker’s agent, Sarah Fargo, confirmed her death. The Broadway star announced in February that doctors diagnosed her with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as A.L.S. […]
By AARON KRAUSE While we still do not know when the 2020 virtual Tony Awards broadcast will take place, we at least now know the nominees. The Tony Awards’ presenters, The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, announced the nominees on Thursday. Alanis Morissette’s musical, Jagged Little Pill, leads the way with 15 nominations. In […]