> As you see elsewhere on this page, ShowbuzzDaily isn’t just about movies. And since, as it happens, Your Faithful Correspondent is in New York for the week, we’ll have a few days of thoughts about some of the hot new shows on Broadway. For anyone who doesn’t already know, THE BOOK OF MORMON is […]
> There’s an inescapable irony in Theresa Rebeck’s play SEMINAR when the bilious novelist (Alan Rickman) who’s reluctantly teaching a group of aspiring young writers launches an attack on one of them by predicting that his “whorishness” will make him more suited for a life in Hollywood than one in the finer precincts of the […]
Even the acceptance speeches are classier on THE TONY AWARDS. Tonight’s telecast featured a eloquent salute to “All those who say ‘Yes’” in the name of theatre from the lead producer of Best Play winner Clybourne Park, and a little later on, an anecdote from Best Musical winner Once‘s producer incorporating Harold Clurman and Constantin […]
> Once there was a time when Broadway musicals didn’t have to say anything about society, politics, art, literature, or really much of anything. They were exercises in style, excuses for glamorous people to get up on stage in fancy costumes and sing tuneful, ingenious songs while dancing up a storm. That’s the world of […]
> CARRIE the musical is no longer a joke, and since it’s been a reliable punchline for almost a quarter of a century (a book about Broadway disasters was titled “Not Since Carrie“), that’s quite an accomplishment. Carrie carried a load of baggage before it even opened to a paying Broadway crowd. The original novel […]
> For a new play, WAR HORSE has strong movie connections. The play is adapted for the stage by Nick Stafford from the 1982 novel by Michael Morpurgo, and that novel is also the basis of Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film, which will be in theatres for Christmas (the script for which is by Lee Hall […]
> One of the most heartening developments of the past couple of years has been the spreading popularity in theaters of cultural events presented in HD video. Operas and ballets have become monthly features in many cities, and stage shows are now joining in: Britain’s National Theatre has been presenting several productions on screen for […]
> Although a great work of art is great forever, the relevance of a given piece to a current moment in time does tend to fluctuate. It turns out that Arthur Miller’s DEATH OF A SALESMAN, written 63 years ago, is so remarkably attuned to this here and now that despite its period setting, it […]