Keep an eye out for Macy’s July 4 Fireworks and be sure to wear your mask wherever you go. On July 4th on NBC (8 – 10 pm) you can watch video of the bursts of fireworks that took place from June 29-July 1 and, atop the Empire State Building, John Legend and the Young...

  Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley announced today that Ben Stiller will join them LIVE for a very special edition of “Stars In The House,” streaming Tuesday, July 7th at 8 PM ET on the Stars In The House YouTube channel and on starsinthehouse.com. Stiller will reminisce on growing up with...

  By Carol Rocamora   Richard brings home take-out from a local Indian restaurant. Jane walks the dog. Barbara emails her students. Marian hints at a gentleman caller. “And so we come forth” with the Apple Family, as they struggle through the current crisis, along with the rest of...

A special benefit reading and discussion with the artists of Peter Hedges’ Good As New starring Julianne Moore and Kaitlyn Dever, directed by the author, to be presented on MCC’s YouTube channel on Thursday, July 16 at 7:00 PM EST. Revisiting this acclaimed work – a brutal one-act comedy...

  By Samuel L. Leiter   When this series began, my intention was to offer installments in which I described, for each season from 1920-1921 on, a small selection (five, when possible) of plays, musicals, revues, and revivals. The biggest problem I’ve run into has been deciding what...

  KPOP – The Broadway Musical continues its international search for cast in a Global Virtual Open Casting Call. Producers Tim Forbes and Joey Parnes are following social distancing guidelines as they search for talented performers of Asian descent in their 20s to submit audition...

    Legendary comic, actor, writer, producer (the man who did it all) Carl Reiner has died at the age of 98 in his home in Beverly Hills on Monday night from natural causes. He’s best known for creating and starring in TV’s The Dick Van Dyke Show. He grew up in New York,...

    By Ron Fassler   “What we are taking about is a revolution, not reform.” So said Gloria Steinem, one of the most important people in the history of the Women’s Movement, still, even after all these years, sadly in need of advocation. The theatre is as strong an outlet as...

        by Edward Medina   Feathers of Fire the stage production debuted theatrically at BAM in 2016 and was presented at the Metropolitan Museum of Art the same year. Produced, conceived, and directed by artist Hamid Rahmanian it has since gone on to play some one...

  By Carol Rocamora   Have I used up my quota of rave reviews for the summer?  I hope not!  The Bridge Theatre’s 2019 Shakespeare’s joyous A Midsummer Night’s Dream, now streaming on NT Live, is the dream production of the decade in so many respects.  Featuring a dazzling new...

  The fun and funny Adam B. Shapiro is an actor-singer currently appearing (before Covid-19) in Yiddish Fiddler as the Rabbi. He performs in both English and Yiddish and has been seen in The Normal Heart, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and in numerous shows in every cabaret room in New York...

  by Matt Smith Once a year, the theatre community gathers together to commemorate the season and salute the best of the best. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s plans were instantly, and rightfully, forced to be altered. To fill the void, in celebration of the...

York Theatre Company’s “Show (And Tell!)” Live Panel Series Continues June 29 – August 4   UPCOMING SCHEDULE OF EVENTS MONDAY, JUNE 29 AT 7:10PM LIVE PANEL: SHOW (AND TELL!): YANK! In celebration of Pride Month, we’ll have a discussion of 2010’s sold-out World War...

  American Buffalo, written by David Mamet and directed by Neil Pepe, will officially open at the Circle in the Square Theatre (235 W 50th Street) on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, exactly one year after it was  originally scheduled to open. Performances for American Buffalo will begin the...

    Mark William sings for Pride! Episode 10 of Mark & Mom brings Ahrens & Flaherty’s “Love Who You Love” from A Man Of No Importance. www.markwilliamnyc.com ...

    Karen Mason is an extraordinary presence on any stage as an an actor-singer . . . Broadway, Off Broadway and in cabaret. She’s a 13-time MAC Award Winner and received the 2019 MAC Lifetime Achievement Award. On Broadway you’ve seen her in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s...

Expert in Color and Numerology   You probably know her as the darling of Cabaret; that familiar smiling redhead that is always at everyone’s show, cheering them on, or as the incredible songwriter she is, or as the award winning producer of “It’s Just a Number.” ...

  One of the treasures of American musical theater, The Music Man, has had audiences looking forward to its return here on Broadway for sometime. Originally scheduled to begin rehearsals June 29, with Covid-19 still looming, the pushback now finds the favorite starring Hugh Jackman and...

  by Carol Rocamora   Attention, lovers of theatre legendry!  A delectable offering from Broadway history is being dished up on-line.  It’s called Act One, the 2014 production now live-streaming by Lincoln Center Theater.  James Lapine’s scrumptious adaptation of Moss Hart’s memoir...

Four Recent Cast Albums   By Marilyn Lester Broadway Bounty Hunter (Ghostlight Records) the Off-Broadway musical co-written by Joe Iconis and Lance Rubin may well be remembered for Iconis’ music and lyrics rather than its offbeat plot about a down-on-her-luck actress who becomes a...

  by Marcina Zaccaria   In State vs. Natasha Banina, Arlekin Players, out of Boston, MA and produced and presented by the Cherry Orchard Festival, provided a highly interactive drama that stretched the bounds of technology. Music held the audience in a waiting area. Then, computer...

  *Broadway shows expected to remain closed through at least Jan. 3, according to sources familiar with the matter. The Broadway League is expected to make an announcement about the new date this week. The League had previously announced a shutdown of all Broadway shows through Sept. 4,...

  by Carol Rocamora   The choice of Small Island in the current crop of NT Live-streaming productions couldn’t be more timely and more meaningful.  This sweeping epic, dramatizing the wave of Jamaican immigrants arriving on England’s shores in 1948 and the racism they encounter, is...

The Forest of Arden in the Hudson River Valley – Alone Together   Tony Award nominated director Michael Arden has convened a company for the development of an entirely new immersive, part walking/part drive-through theatrical experience, taking place next week in New York’s Hudson...

  By Samuel L. Leiter   A few weeks back, when I began this series, I said my intention was to provide in each installment a survey of a few significant shows for each year from the 1920s onward in the categories of plays, musicals, revues, and revivals, in that order. Today,...

      Happy to add jazz singer Stephanie Nakasian to the list of #PerformersSingForFans. Stephanie has recorded 14 albums and wants to share her thoughts, and this song, with you.   “Hi everyone – it’s a pleasure to be here with you all.  This video...

An Intimate Cabaret Experience in Your Living Room: Danny Bacher on Metropolitan Zoom     by Melissa Griegel   On Friday June 19, I got ready to go out for a night of cabaret. I got dressed, poured a drink, and headed to my living room. For the next hour and half, I was...

  A Broadway By The Year Fan? Then you won’t want to miss this tonight. Here is the link for a broadcast you will absolutely enjoy!       https://youtu.be/Lc3FzIn270w See never-before-seen video clips of five exciting performances from Broadway by the Year concert at Town Hall...

Part 2 #PerformersSingForFans has some of the best jazz babes, boyz and songwriters singing for fans during Covid-19. Take a peek and listen to: Vivian Reed, Veronica Swift, Allan Harris, Spider Saloff, Barbara Fasano/Eric Comstock, Marieann Meringolo, Todd Murray, Anais Reno, Michele...

  One of the most extraordinary young singers to study at 92Y School of Music and the only jazz vocalist among the current Recanati-Kaplan Scholars, 16-year-old Anaïs Reno has a voice that belies her years. Soulful and deep, it has already caught the ears and attention of many, with...

  REOPENING: “Nearly Two Thirds of U.S. Venues Plan Fall 2020 Comeback, Study Shows” by American Theatre – “The study, titled “Arts and Culture 2020 Comeback,” finds that as many as 63 percent of U.S. venues are planning some kind of return to live performance in...

  Interview by Carole Di Tosti   You are probably familiar with Mattea Conforti if you saw her on Broadway in the title role of Matilda the Musical at age 9. Since then this shining star has appeared in Sunday in the Park with George opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Disney’s Frozen as Young...

SuperYou is THE FIRST musical to perform a socially distanced concert on June 27 & 28 at Drive-In Theater on PICK UP TRUCKS, one month after Postponed New York City Theatrical Opening    After postponing its theatrical opening in New York City due to the pandemic, the powerhouse...

One of the most unique interpreters of song and jazz is Barb Jungr. Here she is joining #PerformersSingForFans from the north of England. “Hello everyone! What times! But I hope you enjoy this lockdown version of Proud (M People) which I make with the wonderful Jamie Safir accompaniment and,...

      by Hazen Cuyler   The National Theatre at Home series continues their YouTube presentations throughout July, but I’ll be stepping away for just a few weeks to focus on my work within The Greenhouse Ensemble. Critiquing digital theatre is rewarding and I’m looking...

  For the first time in its 60+ year history, Lincoln Center lights its iconic plaza with a rainbow design and flies the Pride flag in front of its campus. For the rest of June, these activations acknowledge the histories, struggles, and contributions of LGBTQIA+ communities, and...

      Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley announced today that stage and screen favorite Vanessa Williams will join them LIVE on “Stars In The House” on Wednesday, June 24th at 8 PM ET on the Stars In The House YouTube channel and on starsinthehouse.com. Vanessa will share favorite...

  Jersey City’s Premier Classical Theater Company presents a FREE ‘Radio Play’ Season beginning with Shakespeare’s Richard II adapted and directed by Sean Hagerty launching on Wed. July 1st. The tradition will continue delivering accessible interpretations of classic works with a focus...

  Congratulations are in order for Michael Colby, otherwise referred to as “The Algonquin Kid,”who is now part of Wikipedia! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Colby You can read more about this musical theater librettist, lyricist, musical playwright’s extensive...

  Exclusive behind-the-scenes updates on Plan’s worldwide response to the pandemic June 25 at 6 pm and ways you can give to help girls right now, especially a group of girls in Zimbabwe who are hoping to finish high school. Musical performances by talented friends of the Council...

by Hazen Cuyler   Each time I have leafed through “Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man,” within a few pages I’ve set it down, always determined to return but never quite having the needed patience for James Joyce’s disjointed, stream of conscious writing. Thankfully, Guild Hall has...

  Ballet Hispánico, America’s leading Latino dance organization known for “piercing stereotypes” (The New York Times), continues to celebrate 50 years of uniting people through dance with Noche Unidos on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 from 7:30-8:15pm EDT...

  “Refund or donation: Which do most ticket holders to COVID-canceled shows choose?” by The Los Angeles Times’ Makeda Easter – “With the cost of tickets ranging from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars, calling for ticket donations is a strategy many...

  By Marilyn Lester   It’s been six years since the multi-Grammy Award-winning singer-pianist Diane Schuur released an album (I Remember You: Love to Stan and Frank), and during that time she’s been deeply thinking about the state of the world and her place in it. The result is the...

  By Carol Ostrow   It was Thanksgiving weekend in 1982. I was visiting my brother Philip for the holiday in the big city. Philly was much older, always treated me like someone he wanted to avoid. Never the less, as his baby sister, he introduced me to Opera, Ballet, Broadway and...

  IN DEVELOPMENT: “New Musical From ‘Buyer & Cellar’ Writer, ‘War Paint’ Team Commissioned by New Works Provincetown” by Variety’s Brent Lang – “New Works Provincetown … has commissioned its first full length musical entitled “The Last Diva.” The...

  The one and only MARK NADLER will be giving a half-hour introduction to Cabaret for GIRLS NITE IN at 7:30 pm on Zoom featuring classes led by different women whose income has been affected by COVID-19. Support the #girltribe!   Click Here to...

  By Samuel L. Leiter   The Twinkling Twenties probably never twinkled more tantalizingly than when they focused their peepers on revues, both those with one-time-only titles, and those that returned annually with their titles differentiated only by the year. The Ziegfeld Follies of...

  You probably know Sharon McNight as a red hot mama singer-comedienne. You’ve seen her in clubs from east to west coast and she’s famous for her portrayal as the icon in “The Sophie Tucker Songbook.” She’s won numerous cabaret awards especially for Best...

  To help lift spirits during the worldwide lockdown while providing a lively musical event, Step Forward Entertainment is producing a special virtual concert celebrating the music of the legendary artist, Neil Sedaka to benefit The Actors Fund Covid-19 Relief efforts. The concert...

  The 65th Annual Drama Desk Awards went virtual on the evening of June 13 hosted by Frank DiLella of NY1 in a pre-recorded video, which was available on Facebook and at the Drama Desk website, with appearances by Kristin Chenoweth, Tituss Burgess, Drama Desk Award winner James Corden,...

    Last night June 11, the premiere of the first-ever Ailey Spirit Benefit global broadcast united over 200,000 viewers with an uplifting evening featuring all aspects of Ailey, from the young students from The Ailey School to the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater....

TV: “Laura Benanti-Produced Homeschool Musical Series Holds Online Open Call” by Playbill’s Logan Culwell-Block – “Students aged 15–18 can upload audition videos for a chance to be in Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020 … ” http://bway.ly/a95y2s READING:...

  Willy Falk is best known for his Tony-nominated role as the original “Chris” in Miss Saigon, and Marilyn Monroe’s obsessed teenage fan “Tommy”  in Marilyn: An American Fable. He has many other Broadway and Off-Broadway credits and recently performed his solo cabaret in New York,...

 June 12 Weekend This weekend, you can take a guided tour through the archives of Jay Jaxon, a Queens-born couturier; get your art fix; celebrate Pride Month with a Pride Prom; and hit up a quiet beach – Wolfe’s Pond Beach in Staten Island (with a mask, of course!), buy a...

Grab a front row seat and join BETTE and her Two Oscars for a virtual run.  Wear your best set of pearls! Presentation Directed by Karen Carpenter June 11th, June 18th, 7:30PM LIVE ON FACEBOOK View the show on BETTE’s FB https://www.facebook.com/BetteDavisAintForSissies View the show:...

  Jelani Alladin (Frozen, Hercules at the Public Theatre) will host this year’s sixth annual event, which has previously been performed live on a Broadway stage, on Monday June 15 at 7 pm ET streaming on www.shubert.nyc. Guest presenters will include Broadway stars Adam...

  by Melissa Griegel   Veteran Broadway actor-producer Erik Liberman has launched a new platform for upcoming and aspiring actors to learn from the masters. His Bridge to Broadway series offers online master classes and interactive conversations where emerging artists have an...

    by Carol Rocamora   Special times inspire special solutions.   Leave it to playwright Alan Ayckbourn to come up with an ingenious dramatic form that brings theatre to life during these dark days.  Anno Domino, a captivating comedy about marriage, family, and the...

  On Friday, June 12 at 3:00 p.m., The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture, the arts center of the Archdiocese of New York, presents Poetry In America-Live featuring “Finishing The Hat”by Stephen Sondheim.The free streaming event can be viewed online at www.SheenCenter.Org or on The...

  One of our favorite crooners Mark William keeps up the pace as part of his series “Mark and Mom” continues, here featuring some unexpected guests, Mila and Aria, during Week 9, with Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”  ...

  “The Antonyo Awards to Celebrate Black theatre on Juneteenth…Audra McDonald, Tituss Burgess & more to appear” by Broadway Black – “Broadway Black … is pleased to announce the inaugural Antonyo Awards, a celebration of the Black Broadway and...

  By Hazen Cuyler   As we approach The National Theatre at Home’s final chapters, we find ourselves inside the spray-painted walls of a starved, dystopian empire. We meet General Caius Martius, a legendary force of nature driven by violent willpower. Played by Tom Hiddleston, his...

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Leiter Looks Back: Five Musicals of 1920-1921 (Part 3)     By Samuel L. Leiter   Note: The function of this column is to describe either five plays, musicals, revues, or revivals for a specific year, from the 1920s on. Today Leiter looks back briefly at musicals from the...

Timely Films from African Diaspora, The Middle East and Latin America Spotlighting Independent Filmmakers of Color   The Billie Holiday Theatre has partnered with the Nova Frontier Film Festival  and The Laurel Channel TV to launch the Nova Frontier Film Festival 2020 (NFFF 2020), a...

  The 65th Annual Drama Desk Awards will air Saturday, June 13th, at 7:30pm ET. The special presentation will air on Spectrum News NY1’s and stream on NY1.com, and DramaDeskAwards.com. (If for any reason the telecast is unable to air in that time slot on Spectrum News NY1, it will still...

  By Carol Ostrow   I knew on my honeymoon that Alvin Ostrow was a big mistake. Husband #2, handsome, brilliant, (although I did not realize at the time, fabulously wealthy), was a playboy who never worked a day in his life. I was wearing a 10 carat diamond ring and miserable. Oh...

  Christian Holder is an artist on numerous levels. He was a leading dancer with the Joffrey Ballet here in New York working with Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille, Leonide Massine. He was also the stage wardrobe designer for Tina Turner. Like his father Boscoe Holder, he is an accomplished...

  REOPENING: “You Live Outside New York. Are You Ready to Return to Broadway?” by The New York Times – “New Yorkers are reluctant to return to the theater this fall, according to a survey commissioned by The New York Times. What about out-of-towners, who make up...

    by Sandi Durell If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch the individual videos sent by many Broadway and Cabaret artists who are participating in #PerformersSingForFans campaign at Theater Pizzazz, here is the first of several parts so you can view them – maybe...

    “‘Slave Play’ Team Pledges $10K To National Bailout Fund, Challenges Broadway Community” by Deadline’s Greg Evans – “The creative team and producers of Jeremy O. Harris’ Slave Play have donated $10,000 to the National Bailout Fund in support of...

Born and bred in New York City, Analise Scarpaci was about ready to open on Broadway April 5 in the cast of Mrs. Doubtfire, the Musical” when Covid-19 struck. See interview with Analise and the cast on Feb. 19 at the meet & greet here. For one so young, she already has had quite the...

by Sandi Durell   Last night, Thursday June 4, was the second evening that featured dancer Mercedes Ellington in conversation with Eddie Mueller on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) as we gathered more insights from Duke Ellington’s granddaughter about the 1943 musical Cabin in the Sky...

    As 41 year old Nick Cordero keeps recovering from coronavirus related complications his wife, Amanda Kloots, continues  to show her inner strength. She’s not giving up on him even though she’s been told a couple of times he won’t make it and that “it...

  Joan Copeland, Broadway actor/singer and  sister of playwright Arthur Miller,  celebrated her 98th birthday on Zoom on Monday afternoon June 1. Many friends gathered virtually to wish her a Happy Birthday. She was amazed to see so many of her friends on the computer celebrating her in...

  With Broadway and Off Broadway’s cancellation of the Broadway Sings for Pride’s 10th Charity Concert, due to Covid 19, the show must go on! And it will – virtually – at Westchester Pride’s Kick-Off via Zoom. It’s Free! Various elected officials will kick off the event with...

  Wynton Marsalis’ response to George Floyd’s killing should be read by everyone. Wynton is an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, educator and a leading advocate of American culture. He is the Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. On May 31,...

  By Marilyn Lester   Willy Falk: Mostly Love   Following a brilliant 35-year career on Broadway, in concert halls and beyond, actor-singer Willy Falk (Tony nominated for his role as Chris in Miss Saigon) followed his recent solo cabaret debut, Mostly Love, with another first, an...

    Anaïs Reno offers Harlem Nocturne (Earle Hagen/Dick Rogers, 1939) to #PerformersSingForFans.  Accompanying her are Julie Kurtzman on violin and Pete Malinverni on piano who is the head of the jazz program at Suny Purchase. Anaïs Reno, a 16 year old drama student at LaGuardia...

  by Adam Cohen   AC: Who inspired you?  Who inspired you enough to write a letter of thanks? RJ: We live in a culture where those blessed with good photography skills and a solid sense of their great angles become famous.  Some may have actual talents, intellect, besides luck,...

  By Samuel L. Leiter   Leiter Looks Back looks back again to the 1920-1921 New York theater season, for which we’ve already commented on two commercially successful shows. Following our plan, I’m offering three more straight plays, one predominantly commercial, the others...

  NYC: “NYC Officially Under Curfew; Second Set for Tuesday Night, de Blasio Says” by NY1 – “… de Blasio said a curfew would be in place for the city the following day as well, from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday.” http://bway.ly/0f363f *Publisher...

      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,...