Aisha de Haas, born into a musical family, has been singing since the age of 8 right up and into Broadway’s Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk followed by Rent and Caroline, or Change. She’s toured in Disney’s 1st National Tour of Newsies and appeared...

        by Carol Rocamora   “Democracy—it works, if we didn’t have to rely on people.”   These are some of the many wise words and witticisms uttered in This House, James Graham’s timely, lively, and insightful play now streaming on NT Live on YouTube. Set in the...

  Eddie Korbich has been in many a Broadway show – – to name a few: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, A Christmas Story the Musical, The Little Mermaid, The Drowsy Chaperone, Carousel, Sweeney Todd  – – he’s that...

  “New York’s independent theaters look for rent forgiveness” by Broadway News’ Caitlin Huston – “Close to 400 attendees tuned in to a virtual town hall Thursday in which elected officials urged members to make their voices heard on state rent...

    By Sandi Durell   Looks like celebrities from Broadway are planning to bring the iconic Fiddler on the Roof to the movie screen . . . again. Did you know that Lin-Manuel Miranda is a big fan of Fiddler? He will be collaborating with his Broadway director Thomas Kail, along...

    Crooner Mark William is in great voice singing from Ohio with Mom at the piano as he offers this week’s song “Make Someone Happy.”  Good time to make anyone you know and care about happy with a song, a note, a phone call or email! www.markwilliamnyc.com  ...

    Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern announce additional special guests joining the [title of show] show Vineyard Theatre Virtual Variety Show show hosted by Hunter Bell, Susan Blackwell, Heidi Blickenstaff, and Jeff Bowen. Streaming Saturday, May 30...

          by Hazen Cuyler   Williams, Kazan, Brando, Leigh: unforgettable figures in modern theater history. The play classified Tennessee Williams as a great American writer. The Elia Kazan-directed film skyrocketed Brando to fame while simultaneously ushering...

    EVENTS: The Billie’s popular 50in50 monologue showcase) – 50in50: Love in the Time of Corona, part of The Billie’s new #StayAtHome Reading Series. With the title deriving inspiration from the classic novel Love in the Time of Cholera by Nobel prize winning Colombian author...

    Stephen Carlile is an English actor and singer. He has performed in many musicals and plays across the UK, West End, Europe, Japan and America. Over 3 years ago Stephen was invited to come to New York for one year to play Scar in The Lion King on Broadway. He never left. Now,...

  VIRTUAL HALSTON, a new early cocktail hour live-stream broadcast starring comic actress Julie Halston on Fridays at 5 p.m., has announced a fresh lineup of guest stars who will join Ms. Halston each week, starting with TOOTSIE Tony nominee Lilli Cooper on Friday, May 29 at 5 p.m. (EDT)...

    By Marilyn Lester   I’m happy to announce a new path for Theater Pizzazz: a column that regularly takes an informed look at CD releases with reviews of what’s new in the field. Born of the pandemic, with live performance and the reviewing of same at a halt, it makes sense...

by Carol Ostrow I was twenty years old when I travelled from Reno, Nevada to New York leaving Barry Ashton’s revue behind. After all, I had trained as an actress and very much wanted to see my parents again. I had already divorced the magician and dreamed of auditioning for a Broadway...

  By Samuel L. Leiter   Despite the many years gone by, those looking back on the New York theatre of 1920 through 1950 can often be charmed by how fresh much of it still can seem. Of course, the bulk of it remains buried under a carpet of old-fashioned morality, creaky artistry,...

  Multi-talented, sought after Fred Barton is a composer, lyricist, orchestrator, conductor, as well as an actor. Most recently, he was the musical conductor-arranger for the parody driven Spamilton at The Triad Theater. His arrangements are regularly played at the New York Pops at...

  by Alix Cohen   A Chronological Assortment     On a Clear Day You Can See Forever 1970 Adapted from the Broadway show by Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane. Free spirited/flighty Daisy Gamble (Barbra Streisand) attends an addiction workshop (hers is smoking) by psychiatrist...

  by Carol Rocamora   There isn’t much laughter present these days – is there? All the more reason, then, to thank PBS’s Great Performances Series for streaming Present Laughter, Noel Coward’s 1942 delicious drawing-room comedy-caper about an aging matinee idol of the London stage....

“Theatre stands on the brink of ruin” by Sonia Friedman for The Telegraph – “British theatre is on the brink of total collapse. … Without an urgent government rescue package, 70 per cent of our performing arts companies will be out of business before the end of...

    A veteran of the stage, E. Clayton Cornelious’ career spans over 22-years on Broadway. He’s here to sing John Bucchino’s “Better Than I” for #PerformersSingForFans. He can currently be seen in the hit Broadway musical, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and...

      It’s Mark & Mom!  Week 7 as Mark William finds inspiration with Dick Van Dyke in Bye, Bye Birdie! Kinda like a one-man musical in this rendition.  Enjoy www.markwilliamnyc.com  ...

  BROADWAY AND OFF: BREAKING: “‘Smash’ musical aims for Broadway” by Broadway News’ Caitlin Huston – “The musical, based on the NBC television show, will feature a book by Bob Martin and Rick Elice and music from Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman,...

  by Alix Cohen   Live Streamed under the aegis of the 92Y which continues its diverse programs online https://www.92y.org/ Today’s event opens with a black and white television clip of young Frank Sinatra singing a no-fuss “One For My Baby (and one more for the road.)” The bluesy...

  Joshua is the creator and host of his own cabaret and variety show that recently caught the eye of The Broadway Podcast Network. The company loved that he used his platform to help raise funds for The Actors Fund, which supports those in the entertainment industry who were suddenly...

Social Dance for Social Distance presented by Tony Nominee Camille A. Brown Tony nominated director and choreographer Camille A Brown is presenting a new series of free dance classes and lectures online through her award winning company, Camille A Brown and Dancers. Explore the history of...

Getting to Know Carol Ostrow   Carol Ostrow is an accomplished theatrical producer. She started in show business as Miss Brooklyn when she was 5 years old. Because of her mother’s push to achieve more and more, it resulted in Carol running away from home at age 17 with a magician whom...

MCC Theater will present the one act play The Sentinels, written by Matthew Lopez as part of their new Live Labs: One Acts on Wednesday, May 20th at 5:30 pm EST.  It will be presented live on the MCC YouTube Channel.  Under the direction of Rebecca Taichman, the cast features Jane...

            by Hazen Cuyler   We enter a barber shop. Not a discount franchise money-maker but an indispensable cultural refuge. Certain rules exist here. Fighting isn’t allowed, talking is a requisite and elders must be respected. We enter a barber shop...

    President of OBA Peter Breger welcomed the virtual audience this morning and introduced the very first Legends of Off Broadway who received their awards ten years ago – Charles Busch and Julie Halston. At the time, they were starring in Divine Sisters. Their individual careers...

  by Adam Cohen   40 years ago, Fame hit the big screen.  The film chronicled four years of students at Music & Art High School in New York.  It spawned a television show and a theatrical incarnation – all of which preserve the anthemic title theme by Dean Pitchford and Michael...

  by Alix Cohen A Chronological Assortment     Bye Bye Birdie 1963 Adapted from the stage musical by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams. Inspired by Elvis Presley’s induction into the army. Directed by George Sidney. Presley was asked to play the role but his manager objected to the...

  By Sandi Durell   This yearly gala raises money for kids on the street, kids who need a home, direction and help and for many years, throughout the world, they get that help from Covenant House. Needless to say, the problems have increased dramatically with Covid-19. Last night’s...

    by Marcina Zaccaria   After we’ve codified what virtual media could be, it’s time to consider what isn’t virtual. Should we rely on Zoom, YouTube and Instagram to carry our message, or should we find out-side the box techniques to remain in communication...

    By Samuel L. Leiter   I just saw a video on Facebook that cites all the plagues and wars that failed to kill the theater. But it left out one moment, neither a plague nor a war, which nearly destroyed, if not the theater, then its usually throbbing commercial heart, the...

  SHUTDOWN: “Broadway will be dark this summer amid the coronavirus — 3 reasons theaters could remain closed for the foreseeable future” by MarketWatch’s Jacob Passy – “No. 1: Nearly 16% of Broadway theatergoers are over the age of 65. And once you remove...

Liam Forde is an actor, vocalist, instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and recent sourdough baker. How is yours coming along? Off-Broadway: The Mountains Look Different (Mint Theater Co.), Much Ado About Nothing (TFANA), Big, Six Wives (York Theatre Co.). Regional: Hand to God (Studio...

  With the roster still building, Theater for the New City has currently scheduled over 150 performing arts organizations, independent artists, poets, puppeteers and film makers for its 25th annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, which will be mounted virtually for the first time...

JOHN LEE BEATTY, PORTRAIT OF THE DESIGNER AS A YOUNG MAN: A LOST INTERVIEW Part 15: “I’m a Designer; A Designer Designs”     As told to Samuel L. Leiter   This is the fifteenth and final installment in my previously unpublished 1980 interview with designer John Lee Beatty, which is...

    By Samuel L. Leiter   I’m happy to announce the beginning of Leiter Looks Back, my new series on Theater Pizzazz, a retrospective of popular, significant, or simply interesting New York stage productions, beginning with the 1920s and—depending on how long the pandemic keeps...

  Actress/Singer Alexandra Silber has a gorgeous, lilting soprano and is a Broadway veteran having also appeared in numerous productions (London’s West End: Indecent, Kiss Me, Kate, Carousel, Woman in White) and concerts worldwide and most recently on Broadway as Tzeitel opposite...

  Broadway On Demand, the new streaming platform for theater devotees, is proud to announce its initial slate of programming entitled “30 Days of Opening Nights.” The platform, which officially goes live on Sunday, May 17, will offer an array of headline events, including the online...

  REOPENING: “NYC & Company forms recovery coalition with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Broadway League” by Broadway News’ Caitlin Huston – “The coalition is led by Charles Flateman, executive vice president of the Shubert Organization and chairman of NYC &...

    By Brian Scott Lipton   In just 31 years, Corbin Bleu has accomplished a great deal as an entertainer from his star-making role as Chad Danforth in Disney’s High School Musical series to his run on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live and especially his acclaimed Broadway...

      Crooner Mark William continues the series of Mark & Mom with the beautiful, touching ballad written by John Bucchino “Grateful,” as we all make our way together through...

    Theater Pizzazz would like to congratulate our Cooper Lawrence on her impressive Gracie Award win. This is Cooper’s third Gracie and one that represents her unique expertise in radio. Her award is for best co-host of a local show in a major market where Cooper stood out as...

  by Sandi Durell   This zany, funfilled song and dance film musical is making its debut on May 15 worldwide on DVD and Digital on numerous platforms (Amazon, ITunes, Google Play) via JJSpotlightProductions.com. You can pre-order now! It’s filled with the tales, trials and...

  “Curtains for Broadway: No Shows Until Labor Day, at Least”by The New York Times’ Michael Paulson – “The announcement is not a surprise … It remains unclear when Broadway might reopen. Many industry officials believe it will be considerably later...

    by Carol Rocamora   From the very first moment when that boat sails into the harbor and onto the stage, we’re enveloped in the warm, wonderful embrace of an immortal Rodgers & Hammerstein classic.  That was the magic then when The King and I opened at Lincoln Center in...

  Amanda Green is an actress/ singer/songwriter who recently wrote “The Last Time I Looked”  – with lyrics by Amanda Green and music by Larry Grossman – for and about her fabulous mom, singer/actress Phyllis Newman who passed away September 15, 2019.  Amanda grew...

A Virtual Venue With Visible Live Audiences And All The Services of a Live Venue   Imagine this: You’re going to perform for an audience of up to XX hundred people. You’ve sold tickets, you’ve had a tech rehearsal, your sound and lights look great, and your audience is waiting for you to...

JOHN LEE BEATTY, PORTRAIT OF THE DESIGNER AS A YOUNG MAN: A LOST INTERVIEW Part 14: “I Get the Most Out of Plays That Have No Scenery”     As told to Samuel L. Leiter   This is the fourteenth installment in my previously unpublished 1980 interview with designer John Lee Beatty,...

    The Walt Disney Company, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeffrey Seller and Thomas Kail are pleased to announce that Disney+ will fast track the premiere of the filmed version of the original Broadway production of “Hamilton,” bringing the 11-time-Tony Award®-, GRAMMY Award®-, Olivier...

  by Alix Cohen   A Chronological Assortment   Showboat  1929- filmed as a partial talkie, then reshot in 1936 Directed by James Whale. With Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan. Available to purchase, not to stream.   Showboat 1951 Based...

          by Carol Rocamora   If you like your Shakespeare fast and furious, then jump on-line and watch the Royal National Theatre’s hot 2019 production of Antony and Cleopatra while it’s still streaming (and steaming).  Indeed, “hot” describes the combined...

    The Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of writers on New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers and national publications, present the recipients of this year’s special honors for the 2019-2020 Broadway and Off-Broadway season. Past OCC Award honorees Kristin...

  The Al Hirschfeld Foundation is proud to announce the first in a series of online exhibitions exploring the work of one of the most iconic artists of the last century. On May 11, the Foundation will open a special exhibition for these times: “SOCIALLY DISTANT THEATER: The Solo...

  by Adam Cohen   Mile Square Theatre sits in a corner of Hoboken, New Jersey.  Their jewel of a theater creates innovative productions with working professional actors, designers, and directors.  There is a beautiful intimacy to their space allowing the promise of each play or...

  Luba Mason is an Award-winning Broadway and recording artist, star of Girl From the North Country, Chicago, How To Succeed…last year, Luba created a brand-new show titled “Luba Mason 5’10” ” which she brought to 54 Below this past December and was recently live-streamed on...

From the Red Carpet to Masks   by Melissa Griegel   Designer David Josef is known for his fabulous gowns but with all red carpet events, award shows, weddings, and other big celebrations on hold, David has found a new way to use his talents and also help people. His design studio...

            by Hazen Cuyler   Hideous and scarred and abandoned, a nameless creature roams the countryside. He’s shaped like a man and educated by a blind, retired professor over the course of a year. After learning of love, The Creature ventures to confront...

    By Marilyn Lester   Linda Purl’s fifth album, Taking A Chance On Love, is a delightful mix of classic American Songbook standards with new pop classics, themed as the singer declares, to “explore life and love’s grand possibilities when you dare to chase your dreams.”...

  She may be small but, oh my, is she powerful! Christina Bianco is a singer, actor, impressionist who has made her mark on TV, in theater and as a powerhouse singer, doing impressions from Garland to Streisand – dubbed “the girl of a thousand voices.” She makes...

JOHN LEE BEATTY, PORTRAIT OF THE DESIGNER AS A YOUNG MAN:   A LOST INTERVIEW Part 13: “Stage Designing Is Not Going to Make Anyone Rich”   As told to Samuel L. Leiter   This is the thirteenth installment in my previously unpublished 1980 interview with designer John Lee Beatty, which is...

  A new spoken word series featuring star-studded casts performing short comedy plays by Emmy-nominated & Drama Desk-winner Eugene Pack (Celebrity Autobiography), has officially launched online and will benefit The Actors Fund (www.ActorsFund.org) and Feeding...

  Call a lawyer and sue me. “Arts Groups Fight Their Insurers Over Coverage on Virus Losses” by The New York Times’ Julia Jacobs – ” … insurance companies have issued a torrent of denials, prompting lawsuits across the country and legislative efforts...

    Theater Pizzazz’ Sandi Durell got some insight and information from Julianne Boyd, the Artistic Director of Barrington Stage Company, regarding how they are planning to handle live theater, during Covid-19, and reopen this summer in August in their Mainstage Theatre. On...

  Karen Oberlin has received the Mabel Mercer Foundation’s Donald F. Smith Award, 2 MAC’s, a Bistro, a Nightlife Award and a Broadway World Award. When not confined to her home, she tours all over the country in clubs and concert halls, and performs annually in London. Tedd...

  by Alix Cohen Streamed live through the aegis of 92 Street Y. Composer George Gershwin called him “the greatest songwriter that has ever lived.” According to composer Jerome Kern, “Irving Berlin has no place in American music—he is American music.” Irving Berlin, (born Israel Isidore Beilin...

  By Marcina Zaccaria   With virtual performances now so readily available on YouTube or thru Zoom, artists and audiences alike are considering the feeling that we are missing when the stage is replaced by the screen. How are we embracing technology to experiment with new formats...

  Tony-nominee Melissa Errico appears with her longtime friend Tony-nominee Raul Esparza on PBS’ upcoming Poetry in America about Stephen Sondheim and Sunday in the Park with George called “Finishing the Hat” which premieres on May 9 at 7:30pm. It features them performing and also...

  Broadway’s Best Shows, a new platform for streaming and written content, will feature a series of one-night-only plays including a star-studded performance of David Mamet’s “November” and A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters” featuring Bryan Cranston and Sally Field. The platform, founded...

Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Lowe Musicals     by Alix Cohen Paint Your Wagon 1959 Adapted from the stage musical by Paddy Chayefsky. Directed by Joshua Logan. In Gold Rush California, prospector Ben Rumson (Lee Marvin) rescues Sylvester Newel (Clint Eastwood), from an accident...

JOHN LEE BEATTY, PORTRAIT OF THE DESIGNER AS A YOUNG MAN: A LOST INTERVIEW Part 12: “Think, Think, Think”     As told to Samuel L. Leiter   This is the twelfth installment in my previously unpublished 1980 interview with designer John Lee Beatty, which is being serialized in...

Mark William and Mom, in this continuing series #PerformersSingforFans, take us to Grandma’s house for a change of scenery and a medley of songs – just in time for Mother’s Day!...

Encores! Music Director Rob Berman takes you into the orchestra this week for an adventure through song from City Center’s musicals that have painstakingly been restored with Encores! Archives Project. Juno, Lady, Be Good! and The New Yorkers have all been reconstructed and you’ll get an...

Check this Week’s Concerts! I Am Woman: A Concert for Female Empowerment – Friday, May 1 at 6:30pm It’s time for us to roar into 2020! I Am Woman is an evening of story and song that destroys the “taboo” surrounding the discussion of women’s issues. Join some of your...

  Become a producer on Scott Siegel’s Concert Series where performers get paid! The idea, as you can see from the first concert, is to create shows that feature New York’s most talented performers. The concerts will appear on Facebook , YouTube,  Twitter,  on...

  Jonathan Karrant is a jazz stylist whose album, “On and On” hit #4 on the Billboard Jazz charts and his album Live hit #2 on the iTunes Jazz Charts. He has received honors throughout the states including; the New York City Cabaret Jazz Honors, “Best Singer” for the Bravo California...

  “Theater Producers “Completely Aligned” With New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Re-Opening Process And Planning, Says Broadway League President” by Deadline’s Greg Evans – ” … the state and the theater industry are working closely on how to re-start … According...

  The 35th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway were presented this evening in 19 categories, and two honorary awards were bestowed. Award recipients were announced during a special livestream broadcast hosted by Mario Cantone as a benefit for The Actors...

JOHN LEE BEATTY, PORTRAIT OF THE DESIGNER AS A YOUNG MAN: A LOST INTERVIEW Part 11 “Most People Don’t Know What Design is Really About”     As told to Samuel L. Leiter   This is the eleventh installment in my previously unpublished 1980 interview with designer John Lee Beatty,...

Live Your Life Campaign by Sandi Durell If you saw Nick Cordero singing-dancing in “A Bronx Tale” a couple of years back, you’ll know who we’re talking about and why this campaign to help him, his wife Amanda Kloots and 10 month old son Elvis, is so important. Nick has...

    by Carol Rocamora   Rarely does a play come along that captures a moment in time as vividly, as acutely, and as affectingly, as What Do We Need To Talk About?,  Richard Nelson’s remarkable new play that premiered this past Wednesday on the Public Theater’s website and runs...

Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II   by Alix Cohen   The songs, the dancing!   State Fair 1945 An adaptation of the 1933 film, itself an adaption of the novel by Phil Stong. Music and lyrics by Rodgers & Hammerstein. Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes, Vivian...

    Judy Blazer has had a multi faceted career from soap opera to Mozart, to leading roles on and off Broadway (Me and My Girl, Titanic) to running a theater school. Her voice has been heard on numerous voiceovers and animated films. She’s garnered many awards in her career....

THE CAST OF “THE GOODBYE GIRL” WILL REUNITE  AND REMINISCE ON “STARS IN THE HOUSE” Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley to Co-Host Live Stream May 1st at 8:00 PM ET in Support of The Actors Fund   Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley announced that the three stars of “The Goodbye Girl,” Richard...

  Leave it to Mr. Show Biz, Mark Nadler, to find just the right song during our stay-at-home Covid19 time! Traveling back to 1940 and WWII for some words that make a lot of sense . . . even to Fig!   www.MarkNadler.com ...

In Conversation With Jeanna De Waal   by Adam Cohen   Covid-19 may have shuttered Broadway, the West End and tours across the world.  But it didn’t extinguish the dream actress Jeanna De Waal and her sister Dani had five years ago.  That dream, of bringing the Broadway experience to...

    By Brian Scott Lipton In his multi-decade career on the New York stage, Francis Jue has become no stranger to taking part in great shows, including Pacific Overtures and Thoroughly Modern Millie, or winning awards. But this past theatrical season was still a high-water mark for...

  by Marcina Zaccaria   Feelings of alienation from audiences not yet able to enter traditional theater spaces leave us to ask: Is this Virtual Revolution So Great after all?  Artistic Directors, Executive Directors, and Artists continue to respond on how they feel about the Virtual...

  Honoring Sheldon Harnick’s 96th birthday, Thursday, April 30, producer Arnold Mittelman and National Jewish Theater Foundation in conjunction with JAY Records are offering a free audio stream of the cast recording of the re-imagined The Rothschilds musical, aptly titled, Rothschild...

      Joan Ryan travels back and forth between L.A. and New York as though the two cities were literally next door to one another.  She’s currently safely ensconced in her L.A. home.  You may know her from her role in the L.A. cast of Ruthless and as Tina Paladrino on the...

        By Hazen Cuyler   Continuing their efforts to battle our theater-deprived quarantine blues, The National Theatre’s showcase this week is William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Directed by Simon Godwin, featuring a fantastic cast and only streaming through April...

David Goodside of The Beach Cafe, home of the world famous Beach Burger, and now one of the most important and intimate Cabaret venues in NYC, has news about this neighborhood institution located at 1326 Second Avenue on the corner of east 70th St. that has been there for over 50...