Paula Vogel’s Mother Play is Jessica Lange’s fourth Broadway show, among the many other film and television projects that have populated her decades-long career.
But unlike her past roles, in which she has put her own spin on well-known characters, such as Mary Tryone in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, she had a chance to do something different with this play: originate a part in a new piece of theater.
“I wasn’t nervous. I just honestly had no idea what to expect,” Lange said. “It was a great unknown to me.”
In the play, Lange takes on the role of Phyllis, mom to Carl, played by Jim Parsons, and Martha played by Celia Keenan-Bolger. The story, which is loosely based on the playwright’s own family life, follows the family through several decades, and several apartments, as Phyllis, a aesthetics-focused, gin-swilling force, grapples with her circumstances as a single mom,...
But unlike her past roles, in which she has put her own spin on well-known characters, such as Mary Tryone in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, she had a chance to do something different with this play: originate a part in a new piece of theater.
“I wasn’t nervous. I just honestly had no idea what to expect,” Lange said. “It was a great unknown to me.”
In the play, Lange takes on the role of Phyllis, mom to Carl, played by Jim Parsons, and Martha played by Celia Keenan-Bolger. The story, which is loosely based on the playwright’s own family life, follows the family through several decades, and several apartments, as Phyllis, a aesthetics-focused, gin-swilling force, grapples with her circumstances as a single mom,...
- 5/9/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Two-time Oscar-winning actress Jessica Lange will receive this year’s CineMerit Award at the Munich International Film Festival, honoring her “remarkable contributions to the world of cinema.”
In addition to her two Academy Awards — for best supporting actress in Tootsie in 1983 and best actress in Blue Sky in 1995 — Lange can point to a total of six Oscar nominations, three Emmy wins (from 10 nods), five Golden Globes (from 16 noms) and one Tony award.
Alongside her impressive film career, Lange has more recently become something of a muse for Ryan Murphy, appearing in multiple seasons of American Horror Story — she’s picked up five Emmy nominations and two wins for the FX drama — and has been dazzling as Joan Crawford alongside Susan Sarandon’s Bette Davis in the FX/Hulu miniseries Feud: Bette and Joan.
Lange is currently up for a second Tony, nominated for her lead performance in Paula Vogel’s Mother Play,...
In addition to her two Academy Awards — for best supporting actress in Tootsie in 1983 and best actress in Blue Sky in 1995 — Lange can point to a total of six Oscar nominations, three Emmy wins (from 10 nods), five Golden Globes (from 16 noms) and one Tony award.
Alongside her impressive film career, Lange has more recently become something of a muse for Ryan Murphy, appearing in multiple seasons of American Horror Story — she’s picked up five Emmy nominations and two wins for the FX drama — and has been dazzling as Joan Crawford alongside Susan Sarandon’s Bette Davis in the FX/Hulu miniseries Feud: Bette and Joan.
Lange is currently up for a second Tony, nominated for her lead performance in Paula Vogel’s Mother Play,...
- 5/2/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Alicia Keys musical Hell’s Kitchen and new play Stereophonic, about a fictional band in the 1970s, led the Tony nominations with 13 nominations each.
The Outsiders, a musical based on the 1967 S.E. Hinton book, followed with 12 nominations and the revival of Cabaret, starring Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, followed with nine nods.
With its 13 noms, Stereophonic set a record for the most Tony nominations for a play, surpassing previous record holder Slave Play’s 12 noms in 2020.
Stereophonic‘s surprisingly strong performance even included a best score nomination despite it being a play.
In the best musical category, Hell’s Kitchen and The Outsiders were nominated, alongside the dance-based show Illionise, with music from Sufjan Stevens’ album and a book by Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury; Suffs, a musical about the women’s suffrage movement with a score and book by Shaina Taub; and Water for Elephants, based on the 2006 novel,...
The Outsiders, a musical based on the 1967 S.E. Hinton book, followed with 12 nominations and the revival of Cabaret, starring Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, followed with nine nods.
With its 13 noms, Stereophonic set a record for the most Tony nominations for a play, surpassing previous record holder Slave Play’s 12 noms in 2020.
Stereophonic‘s surprisingly strong performance even included a best score nomination despite it being a play.
In the best musical category, Hell’s Kitchen and The Outsiders were nominated, alongside the dance-based show Illionise, with music from Sufjan Stevens’ album and a book by Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury; Suffs, a musical about the women’s suffrage movement with a score and book by Shaina Taub; and Water for Elephants, based on the 2006 novel,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“This crazy whirlwind of a season has finally come to an end,” declares Sam Eckmann as we kick off our final Tony Awards nominations predictions slugfest of 2024. We begin our conversation with the musical categories and the ever-challenging race for Best Musical. Sam and I both feel “pretty secure” about the top three shows – “Suffs,” “Illinoise” and “Hell’s Kitchen” – and we surprisingly concur on the final two slots, predicting “Here Lies Love” and “The Outsiders.” There are so many potential nominees in contention, though, that we cite our alternate picks as I opt for “Days of Wine and Roses” as my number six, and Sam goes with “The Notebook.” Watch our full Tony Awards video slugfest above.
You can also watch both of us giving our wishlist picks, pleading to Tony nomination voters to choose some people who might be under the radar. Watch that video here.
Sam and...
You can also watch both of us giving our wishlist picks, pleading to Tony nomination voters to choose some people who might be under the radar. Watch that video here.
Sam and...
- 4/28/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Mother Play is the final show of the 2023-2024 Broadway season and its officially open!
The new play, starring Jessica Lange, celebrated its opening night performance on Thursday (April 25) at the Hayes Theater in New York City.
The legendary actress was joined on the red carpet by co-stars Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger.
Mother Play opened right before the close of the Tony Awards eligibility period and it seems like Jessica is a lock for a nomination based on the reviews.
“Keenan-Bolger and Parsons are very good indeed in Mother Play, but there’s no question to whom it belongs. Lange is magnificent, especially in this production’s most moving scene,” Time Out New York wrote.
Mother Play, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel, is billed as “a bitingly funny and unflinchingly honest new play about the hold our family has over us and the surprises we find when we unpack the past.
The new play, starring Jessica Lange, celebrated its opening night performance on Thursday (April 25) at the Hayes Theater in New York City.
The legendary actress was joined on the red carpet by co-stars Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger.
Mother Play opened right before the close of the Tony Awards eligibility period and it seems like Jessica is a lock for a nomination based on the reviews.
“Keenan-Bolger and Parsons are very good indeed in Mother Play, but there’s no question to whom it belongs. Lange is magnificent, especially in this production’s most moving scene,” Time Out New York wrote.
Mother Play, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel, is billed as “a bitingly funny and unflinchingly honest new play about the hold our family has over us and the surprises we find when we unpack the past.
- 4/26/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Forbidden Broadway on Broadway, the updated iteration of the long-running Off Broadway musical-comedy review, is postponing its scheduled summer Broadway debut at the Hayes Theatre due to what producers say is an “enormously crowded” landscape.
“We made the difficult decision today to postpone the upcoming Broadway production of Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song,” said producers Ryan Bogner, Victoria Lang and Tracey McFarland in a statement. “The Broadway landscape is enormously crowded at this moment, and while we adore Forbidden Broadway, we are disappointed that the show will not open at the Hayes on Broadway this summer. New programming for the Hayes Theater this summer will be announced soon.”
The Hayes currently is home to the Second Stage Theater production of Paula Vogel’s Mother Play starring Jessica Lange, Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger. That production opened to excellent reviews last night. When Mother Play was announced,...
“We made the difficult decision today to postpone the upcoming Broadway production of Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song,” said producers Ryan Bogner, Victoria Lang and Tracey McFarland in a statement. “The Broadway landscape is enormously crowded at this moment, and while we adore Forbidden Broadway, we are disappointed that the show will not open at the Hayes on Broadway this summer. New programming for the Hayes Theater this summer will be announced soon.”
The Hayes currently is home to the Second Stage Theater production of Paula Vogel’s Mother Play starring Jessica Lange, Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger. That production opened to excellent reviews last night. When Mother Play was announced,...
- 4/26/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Jessica Lange spoke critically of present-day Hollywood during a recent interview with Vulture, saying “there should be a law against it” when the topic came up about Warner Bros. Discovery axing already-shot movies like “Batgirl” and “Coyote vs. Acme” for tax write-off purposes. This topic became a launching pad for some of Lange’s wider criticisms of today’s entertainment industry.
“We’re living in a corporate world and it certainly has rolled over into the film industry,” Lange said. “So much of the industry now is not about the creative process. Obviously, this is not across the board, but there are many instances where I feel like the artistic impulse is overwhelmed by the corporate profit motive. You look at some of the best films of the past year — what do they have in common? They’re not from America. My favorite was ‘Anatomy of a Fall.’ How often...
“We’re living in a corporate world and it certainly has rolled over into the film industry,” Lange said. “So much of the industry now is not about the creative process. Obviously, this is not across the board, but there are many instances where I feel like the artistic impulse is overwhelmed by the corporate profit motive. You look at some of the best films of the past year — what do they have in common? They’re not from America. My favorite was ‘Anatomy of a Fall.’ How often...
- 4/25/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Nominations for the 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards were announced on Tuesday, April 23. The stars of the hit Broadway revival of “Merrily We Roll Along,” Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe, read off the nominees live from the Museum of Broadway.
Off-Broadway productions ultimately out-paced Broadway with this critics group. The new David Yazbek musical “Dead Outlaw” led the pack with nine nominations. It was followed by “The Connector,” another Off-Broadway musical, and “Stereophonic,” a lauded Broadway play, with seven nominations each.
While there are no Tony nominators in the Outer Critics Circle membership, these nominations can provide some clues as to how theater aficionados are thinking about this season’s Tony race. Of the five productions cited for Best New Broadway Musical, only “Days of Wine and Roses” and “Suffs” made the cut in the all-important Best Score category. They were joined by two Off-Broadway entries, as well as...
Off-Broadway productions ultimately out-paced Broadway with this critics group. The new David Yazbek musical “Dead Outlaw” led the pack with nine nominations. It was followed by “The Connector,” another Off-Broadway musical, and “Stereophonic,” a lauded Broadway play, with seven nominations each.
While there are no Tony nominators in the Outer Critics Circle membership, these nominations can provide some clues as to how theater aficionados are thinking about this season’s Tony race. Of the five productions cited for Best New Broadway Musical, only “Days of Wine and Roses” and “Suffs” made the cut in the all-important Best Score category. They were joined by two Off-Broadway entries, as well as...
- 4/23/2024
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ critically acclaimed play Appropriate, starring Sarah Paulson and Corey Stoll, will extend its limited engagement by 13 weeks with a commercial transfer from its current home at the Hayes Theatre to the Belasco Theatre, producers Second Stage announced today.
The producers cited overwhelming ticket demand for the extension. The Belasco engagement will begin March 25 and run through June 23.
With the extension, Appropriate will be running through the potentially lucrative Tony Awards season. The production is almost certain to be in the running when awards are handed out on June 16.
The production will conclude its run at the Hayes on March 3. Mother Play, the new Paula Vogel play starring Jessica Lange, begins previews at the Hayes on April 2, with an official opening date set for April 25.
The transfer engagement will feature original company members Paulson, Stoll, Michael Esper, Natalie Gold, Graham Campbell, Alyssa Emily Marvin, Lincoln Cohen and Everett Sobers.
The producers cited overwhelming ticket demand for the extension. The Belasco engagement will begin March 25 and run through June 23.
With the extension, Appropriate will be running through the potentially lucrative Tony Awards season. The production is almost certain to be in the running when awards are handed out on June 16.
The production will conclude its run at the Hayes on March 3. Mother Play, the new Paula Vogel play starring Jessica Lange, begins previews at the Hayes on April 2, with an official opening date set for April 25.
The transfer engagement will feature original company members Paulson, Stoll, Michael Esper, Natalie Gold, Graham Campbell, Alyssa Emily Marvin, Lincoln Cohen and Everett Sobers.
- 2/13/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Elle Fanning will make her Broadway debut this December when she appears in Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate, which is set to run as part of Second Stage’s 45th anniversary season.
The Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominee will join the previously announced cast for Jacobs-Jenkins’ Broadway debut, which includes Sarah Paulson, Corey Stoll, Natalie Gold and Alyssa Emily Marvin in the Lila Neugebauer-directed play. Details were not available on Fanning’s role, and additional casting will be announced at a later date.
The story follows the Lafayette family, who has returned to the Arkansas home of their late patriarch’s in the summer to handle his estate. The eldest daughter Toni, portrayed by Paulson, has hopes the family will spend their weekend remembering and reconnecting over their father, while Stoll’s Bo is more focused on recouping the funds he spent on his end of life care.
The Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominee will join the previously announced cast for Jacobs-Jenkins’ Broadway debut, which includes Sarah Paulson, Corey Stoll, Natalie Gold and Alyssa Emily Marvin in the Lila Neugebauer-directed play. Details were not available on Fanning’s role, and additional casting will be announced at a later date.
The story follows the Lafayette family, who has returned to the Arkansas home of their late patriarch’s in the summer to handle his estate. The eldest daughter Toni, portrayed by Paulson, has hopes the family will spend their weekend remembering and reconnecting over their father, while Stoll’s Bo is more focused on recouping the funds he spent on his end of life care.
- 10/20/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jessica Lange is thinking about retirement. In a candid interview with The Telegraph, the two-time Oscar-winner revealed that she is thinking of “phasing out of filmmaking” and offered some blunt criticism for the entertainment industry’s direction over the past few years.
“Creativity is secondary now to corporate profits,” Lange said. “The emphasis becomes not on the art or the artist or the storytelling. It becomes about satisfying your stockholders. It diminishes the artist and the art of filmmaking.”
Lange, who has worked with heralded directors like Bob Fosse, Sydney Pollack, Bob Rafelson and Martin Scorsese since her big screen debut starring in the 1976 remake of “King Kong,” also shared that she “has no desire to see 90 percent” of contemporary releases. The actor cited “big comic-book franchise films,” “frantic editing” and ageism as particularly disagreeable elements of the modern business.
“They’ve sacrificed this art that we’ve been involved in…...
“Creativity is secondary now to corporate profits,” Lange said. “The emphasis becomes not on the art or the artist or the storytelling. It becomes about satisfying your stockholders. It diminishes the artist and the art of filmmaking.”
Lange, who has worked with heralded directors like Bob Fosse, Sydney Pollack, Bob Rafelson and Martin Scorsese since her big screen debut starring in the 1976 remake of “King Kong,” also shared that she “has no desire to see 90 percent” of contemporary releases. The actor cited “big comic-book franchise films,” “frantic editing” and ageism as particularly disagreeable elements of the modern business.
“They’ve sacrificed this art that we’ve been involved in…...
- 10/7/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Second Stage Theater founder Carole Rothman is leaving the company after more than 45 years at its helm.
Rothman founded Second Stage in 1979, with the mission of developing and producing works by living American playwrights. The theater company operates the Tony Kiser Theater Off-Broadway and the Helen Hayes Theater on Broadway and has produced prominent shows such as the pre-Broadway production of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s Dear Evan Hansen, Next to Normal by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt; Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis and the Broadway revival of Richard Greenberg’s Take Me Out.
Rothman will depart the organization at the end of the 2023-2024 Broadway season, which will see the world premiere of Paula Vogel’s Mother Play, starring Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jessica Lange and Jim Parsons and Appropriate, by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and starring Sarah Paulson.
“For 45 years, I have had the great honor of working...
Rothman founded Second Stage in 1979, with the mission of developing and producing works by living American playwrights. The theater company operates the Tony Kiser Theater Off-Broadway and the Helen Hayes Theater on Broadway and has produced prominent shows such as the pre-Broadway production of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s Dear Evan Hansen, Next to Normal by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt; Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis and the Broadway revival of Richard Greenberg’s Take Me Out.
Rothman will depart the organization at the end of the 2023-2024 Broadway season, which will see the world premiere of Paula Vogel’s Mother Play, starring Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jessica Lange and Jim Parsons and Appropriate, by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and starring Sarah Paulson.
“For 45 years, I have had the great honor of working...
- 9/20/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Carole Rothman, co-founder of the renowned New York theater company Second Stage responsible for such acclaimed productions as Dear Evan Hansen, Next To Normal, This Is Our Youth and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, is leaving the company she started in 1979.
“For 45 years, I have had the great honor of working with countless incredible artists and playwrights, many at the beginning of their careers, who are now among the brightest stars in the industry,” said Rothman in a statement. “The shows we have brought to life have been award-winners, conversation-starters, and groundbreakers. I’m forever grateful to all the people who have helped make Second Stage the creative springboard it is today. I’m so proud of what we have accomplished together.”
Rothman’s announcement did not state a specific reason for her departure or her immediate plans.
Since its founding by Rothman and Robyn Goodman (who left...
“For 45 years, I have had the great honor of working with countless incredible artists and playwrights, many at the beginning of their careers, who are now among the brightest stars in the industry,” said Rothman in a statement. “The shows we have brought to life have been award-winners, conversation-starters, and groundbreakers. I’m forever grateful to all the people who have helped make Second Stage the creative springboard it is today. I’m so proud of what we have accomplished together.”
Rothman’s announcement did not state a specific reason for her departure or her immediate plans.
Since its founding by Rothman and Robyn Goodman (who left...
- 9/20/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Jessica Lange, Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger will star in the world premiere of Mother Play on Broadway.
The play, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel, who wrote How I Learned to Drive and Indecent, and directed by Tina Landau, will play a limited engagement at Second Stage’s Hayes Theater starting April 3, with an opening night on April 25.
This marks Lange’s first return to Broadway since she starred as Mary Tyrone in the 2016 revival of A Long Day’s Journey Into Night, for which she received a Tony Award for lead actress in a play. The American Horror Story and Tootsie star made her Broadway debut in A Streetcar Named Desire and also appeared in The Glass Menagerie on Broadway.
Parsons, who starred in the long-running sitcom The Big Bang Theory, recently appeared Off-Broadway in a revival of A Man of No Importance. He has starred on...
The play, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel, who wrote How I Learned to Drive and Indecent, and directed by Tina Landau, will play a limited engagement at Second Stage’s Hayes Theater starting April 3, with an opening night on April 25.
This marks Lange’s first return to Broadway since she starred as Mary Tyrone in the 2016 revival of A Long Day’s Journey Into Night, for which she received a Tony Award for lead actress in a play. The American Horror Story and Tootsie star made her Broadway debut in A Streetcar Named Desire and also appeared in The Glass Menagerie on Broadway.
Parsons, who starred in the long-running sitcom The Big Bang Theory, recently appeared Off-Broadway in a revival of A Man of No Importance. He has starred on...
- 9/6/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jessica Lange, Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger will star on Broadway this spring in a world premiere production of Paula Vogel’s new Mother Play, to be directed by Tina Landau.
The Second Stage Theater production will begin a limited engagement at Second Stage’s Hayes Theater on Wednesday, April 3, with an official opening on Thursday, April 25.
Mother Play by Pulitzer Prize winner Vogel (How I Learned to Drive) is described by Second Stage as “a bitingly funny and unflinchingly honest new play about the hold our family has over us and the surprises we find when we unpack the past.”
The synopsis: “It’s 1962, just outside of D.C., and matriarch Phyllis is supervising her teenage children, Carl and Martha, as they move into a new apartment. Phyllis has strong ideas about what her children need to do and be to succeed, and woe be the child who finds their own path.
The Second Stage Theater production will begin a limited engagement at Second Stage’s Hayes Theater on Wednesday, April 3, with an official opening on Thursday, April 25.
Mother Play by Pulitzer Prize winner Vogel (How I Learned to Drive) is described by Second Stage as “a bitingly funny and unflinchingly honest new play about the hold our family has over us and the surprises we find when we unpack the past.”
The synopsis: “It’s 1962, just outside of D.C., and matriarch Phyllis is supervising her teenage children, Carl and Martha, as they move into a new apartment. Phyllis has strong ideas about what her children need to do and be to succeed, and woe be the child who finds their own path.
- 9/6/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
New plays by Pulitzer Prize-winning Paula Vogel and Obie-winning Branden Jacobs-Jenkins will be among the Broadway offering of the Second Stage Theater 2023-24 season, the company announced today.
In addition to the two Broadway productions, the Second Stage season also will include an Off Broadway world premiere staging of Jen Silverman’s Spain.
Additional Second Stage productions will be announced in the coming months.
The company’s 45th Anniversary season will kick off in November with Spain, directed by Tyne Rafaeli, at one of Second Stage’s Off Broadway venues, the Tony Kiser Theater. Set in 1936, Spain follows two filmmakers who, according to the synopsis, “have landed their next big project: a sweeping Spanish Civil War film with the potential to change American hearts and minds. It just happens to be bankrolled by the Kgb. This seductive and funny new play about the art of propaganda and the dangerous ongoing...
In addition to the two Broadway productions, the Second Stage season also will include an Off Broadway world premiere staging of Jen Silverman’s Spain.
Additional Second Stage productions will be announced in the coming months.
The company’s 45th Anniversary season will kick off in November with Spain, directed by Tyne Rafaeli, at one of Second Stage’s Off Broadway venues, the Tony Kiser Theater. Set in 1936, Spain follows two filmmakers who, according to the synopsis, “have landed their next big project: a sweeping Spanish Civil War film with the potential to change American hearts and minds. It just happens to be bankrolled by the Kgb. This seductive and funny new play about the art of propaganda and the dangerous ongoing...
- 6/15/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s Tonys will be held on June 11, so the American Theatre Wing will likely be announcing their lifetime achievement award recipient in the near future. Who do you think should be taking home this prestigious trophy? Scroll down to let us know in our poll which behind-the-scenes creative deserves the honor this year.
The Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre honors an individual’s body of work, and in some years we’ve gotten multiple recipients. Last year legendary five-time Tony winner Angela Lansbury received this honor about four months before her death on October 11 at the age of 96. The following living creatives have already received this award so they’re not eligible to be chosen again: Paul Gemignani, Alan Ayckbourn, Athol Fugard, Jane Greenwood, Sheldon Harnick, Marshall W. Mason, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Harold Wheeler, and Graciela Daniele.
Here are 10 possibilities, all of them creatives over the...
The Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre honors an individual’s body of work, and in some years we’ve gotten multiple recipients. Last year legendary five-time Tony winner Angela Lansbury received this honor about four months before her death on October 11 at the age of 96. The following living creatives have already received this award so they’re not eligible to be chosen again: Paul Gemignani, Alan Ayckbourn, Athol Fugard, Jane Greenwood, Sheldon Harnick, Marshall W. Mason, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Harold Wheeler, and Graciela Daniele.
Here are 10 possibilities, all of them creatives over the...
- 3/21/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Jesús I. Valles’ play Bathhouse.pptx has been awarded the prestigious 2023 Yale Drama Series Prize, with the honor’s judge Jeremy O. Harris calling the new work an exploration of “a queer history that is quickly being erased.”
The prize for emerging playwrights, now in its 16th year, was selected from more than 1,500 entries. As is the prize’s custom, Harris, the author of Slave Play and a Yale alum, was the selection process’ presiding playwright, or sole judge. Previous judges have included Edward Albee, David Hare, John Guare, Marsha Norman, Nicholas Wright, Ayad Akhtar and Paula Vogel.
“This is one of the most exciting speculative fictions I’ve encountered in years,” Harris said, “using a unique dramaturgy to explore a queer history that is quickly being erased. It brought to mind the works of many heroes like Samuel Delaney, Martin Crimp, and Kathy Acker.”
Winning playwright Velles said,...
The prize for emerging playwrights, now in its 16th year, was selected from more than 1,500 entries. As is the prize’s custom, Harris, the author of Slave Play and a Yale alum, was the selection process’ presiding playwright, or sole judge. Previous judges have included Edward Albee, David Hare, John Guare, Marsha Norman, Nicholas Wright, Ayad Akhtar and Paula Vogel.
“This is one of the most exciting speculative fictions I’ve encountered in years,” Harris said, “using a unique dramaturgy to explore a queer history that is quickly being erased. It brought to mind the works of many heroes like Samuel Delaney, Martin Crimp, and Kathy Acker.”
Winning playwright Velles said,...
- 3/16/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Barry Grove will step down as the Executive Producer of Manhattan Theatre Club, a major Broadway and Off Broadway institution, at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 season.
In his 48 years collaborating with Mtc’s founder and Artistic Director Lynne Meadow, Grove has been a driving force in the production of nearly 450 American and world premieres, earning Mtc 28 Tony Awards, 7 Pulitzer Prizes, 50 Drama Desk Awards and numerous Obie, Outer Critics Circle, and other honors.
Among the productions staged by the subscription-based non-profit company in the decades under Grove and Meadow are seminal works by playwrights Alan Ayckbourn; Richard Greenberg, Harvey Fierstein, Paula Vogel, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Charlayne Woodard and Matthew Lopez, to name a few. Pulitzer Prize and Tony winners include Cost of Living by Martyna Majok (Pulitzer); Crimes of the Heart (Pulitzer) by Beth Henley; Doubt by John Patrick Shanley (Pulitzer and Tony); Love! Valour! Compassion! (Tony) by Terrence McNally; Rabbit...
In his 48 years collaborating with Mtc’s founder and Artistic Director Lynne Meadow, Grove has been a driving force in the production of nearly 450 American and world premieres, earning Mtc 28 Tony Awards, 7 Pulitzer Prizes, 50 Drama Desk Awards and numerous Obie, Outer Critics Circle, and other honors.
Among the productions staged by the subscription-based non-profit company in the decades under Grove and Meadow are seminal works by playwrights Alan Ayckbourn; Richard Greenberg, Harvey Fierstein, Paula Vogel, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Charlayne Woodard and Matthew Lopez, to name a few. Pulitzer Prize and Tony winners include Cost of Living by Martyna Majok (Pulitzer); Crimes of the Heart (Pulitzer) by Beth Henley; Doubt by John Patrick Shanley (Pulitzer and Tony); Love! Valour! Compassion! (Tony) by Terrence McNally; Rabbit...
- 1/11/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
After starting a campaign to save the show from closing, Broadway play Ain’t No Mo‘ has extended its run for another week through Dec. 23.
The new play, written by Jordan E. Cooper and produced by Lee Daniels, was originally scheduled to close Dec. 18. However, after receiving the closing notice one week after the play’s opening, Cooper and the show launched a press and social media effort to encourage ticket buying and extend past the closing.
Along the way, Cooper received support from celebrity friends, as well as famous co-producers associated with the play. Co-producers Lena Waithe and RuPaul were scheduled to host talkbacks this week after the show, and Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith bought out a performance of the Broadway show, as did Tyler Perry, as well as Shonda Rhimes, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Queen Latifah and Sara Ramirez,...
After starting a campaign to save the show from closing, Broadway play Ain’t No Mo‘ has extended its run for another week through Dec. 23.
The new play, written by Jordan E. Cooper and produced by Lee Daniels, was originally scheduled to close Dec. 18. However, after receiving the closing notice one week after the play’s opening, Cooper and the show launched a press and social media effort to encourage ticket buying and extend past the closing.
Along the way, Cooper received support from celebrity friends, as well as famous co-producers associated with the play. Co-producers Lena Waithe and RuPaul were scheduled to host talkbacks this week after the show, and Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith bought out a performance of the Broadway show, as did Tyler Perry, as well as Shonda Rhimes, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Queen Latifah and Sara Ramirez,...
- 12/16/2022
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tom Kirdahy, Broadway producer and husband of the late theater icon Terrence McNally, announced today the creation of the Terrence McNally Foundation, “continuing the legendary playwright’s singular legacy of mentorship and activism.”
Today would have been the playwright’s 84th birthday. He died of complications from Covid at age 81 on March 24, 2020.
The nonprofit organization will be committed to supporting what today’s announcement describes as “bold new voices in the American Theatre” by providing financial and institutional support to early-career playwrights. In addition, the Terrence McNally Foundation is committed to supporting LGBTQ+ causes, as McNally did throughout his life.
“Art and activism were central to Terrence’s life,” said Kirdahy in a statement. “At a time when living as an out gay man came at great professional cost, Terrence wrote and loved fearlessly. Terrence was a truth teller who never wrote in code. His groundbreaking plays and musicals fundamentally...
Today would have been the playwright’s 84th birthday. He died of complications from Covid at age 81 on March 24, 2020.
The nonprofit organization will be committed to supporting what today’s announcement describes as “bold new voices in the American Theatre” by providing financial and institutional support to early-career playwrights. In addition, the Terrence McNally Foundation is committed to supporting LGBTQ+ causes, as McNally did throughout his life.
“Art and activism were central to Terrence’s life,” said Kirdahy in a statement. “At a time when living as an out gay man came at great professional cost, Terrence wrote and loved fearlessly. Terrence was a truth teller who never wrote in code. His groundbreaking plays and musicals fundamentally...
- 11/3/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Check out Variety’s Must Attend calendar listings.
July 7, Thursday
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” opens followed by an opening night reception at The Highlight Room at the Dream Hotel.
Hollywood Pantages, Hollywood
July 8, Friday
Lana Condor and Christina Ricci are honored at the Maui Film Festival.
Stardust Cinema, Maui
Hilary Clinton hosts BroadwayCon’s Here’s to the Ladies panel, featuring Vanessa Williams, Julie White and Lachanze.
Manhattan Center, New York
July 9, Saturday
Milo Manheim, Meg Donnelly and Chandler Kinney attend the “Zombies 3” premiere.
Barker Hangar, Santa Monica
Karl Urban attends the premiere of “The Sea Beast.”
Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles
July 10, Sunday
“Into the Woods” stars Sara Bareilles, Brian D’Arcy James, Patina Miller, Phillipa Soo and Gavin Creel celebrate the revival’s opening night.
St. James Theatre, New York
“Jeopardy” champion Amy Schneider is the Grand Marshal of the Long Beach Pride parade. Paulina Rubio...
July 7, Thursday
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” opens followed by an opening night reception at The Highlight Room at the Dream Hotel.
Hollywood Pantages, Hollywood
July 8, Friday
Lana Condor and Christina Ricci are honored at the Maui Film Festival.
Stardust Cinema, Maui
Hilary Clinton hosts BroadwayCon’s Here’s to the Ladies panel, featuring Vanessa Williams, Julie White and Lachanze.
Manhattan Center, New York
July 9, Saturday
Milo Manheim, Meg Donnelly and Chandler Kinney attend the “Zombies 3” premiere.
Barker Hangar, Santa Monica
Karl Urban attends the premiere of “The Sea Beast.”
Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles
July 10, Sunday
“Into the Woods” stars Sara Bareilles, Brian D’Arcy James, Patina Miller, Phillipa Soo and Gavin Creel celebrate the revival’s opening night.
St. James Theatre, New York
“Jeopardy” champion Amy Schneider is the Grand Marshal of the Long Beach Pride parade. Paulina Rubio...
- 7/6/2022
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Another Tony Awards season has come to a close! My colleagues Susan Haskins-Doloff and David Buchanan rubbed open our weary eyes after a long night celebrating the best of Broadway to recap the highs and lows of the 75th Annual Tony Awards. Watch the exclusive season wrap up above.
With a total running time of four hours (when you combine the “Act One” presentation on Paramount+ and the main telecast on CBS), this ceremony was packed with incredible performances. But we thought that one number managed to tower above them all: newly minted Tony Award winner Joaquina Kalukango in “Paradise Square.” I had the thrilling privilege of sitting in the audience at Radio City Music Hall, and I admit that while watching her belt out “Let It Burn,” I was aware that I was watching an iconic Tony moment be created in real time. Susan also notes that “Billy Crystal...
With a total running time of four hours (when you combine the “Act One” presentation on Paramount+ and the main telecast on CBS), this ceremony was packed with incredible performances. But we thought that one number managed to tower above them all: newly minted Tony Award winner Joaquina Kalukango in “Paradise Square.” I had the thrilling privilege of sitting in the audience at Radio City Music Hall, and I admit that while watching her belt out “Let It Burn,” I was aware that I was watching an iconic Tony moment be created in real time. Susan also notes that “Billy Crystal...
- 6/13/2022
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Leading up to the 75th Annual Tony Awards, BroadwayWorld is getting up close and personal with the nominees. Today we're studying up on Paula Vogel 'After the first rehearsal was the only time in my life that I relaxed,' said Paula. 'The cast was so brilliant around the table doing the reading. I was like, 'Vogel, you have nothing to do than wear the sandwich board on the street.''...
- 6/10/2022
- by BroadwayWorld TV
- BroadwayWorld.com
For a Broadway season that will go down in the record books for its abbreviated 42-week length, Covid cancelations and stark decline in attendance attributable at least in part to New York City’s pandemic-era dearth of tourists, the 2021-22 theatrical season was surprisingly healthy in one very significant way: As this year’s Tony Awards nomination roster makes clear, Broadway venues were well-stocked with the talent and quality that can make trophy-voting an endless cycle of on-the-other-hand second guessing and nitpicking.
In a Broadway season that made noticeable (if never enough) strides in presenting new creative voices – Black artists, Queer artists, artists who brought downtown avant-garde sensibilities uptown – so much of the work represented in this year’s Tony nominations roster is bold in ways that would have been unthinkable just a couple seasons ago before the disaster of Covid and the miracle of Black Lives Matter arrived to shake things up.
In a Broadway season that made noticeable (if never enough) strides in presenting new creative voices – Black artists, Queer artists, artists who brought downtown avant-garde sensibilities uptown – so much of the work represented in this year’s Tony nominations roster is bold in ways that would have been unthinkable just a couple seasons ago before the disaster of Covid and the miracle of Black Lives Matter arrived to shake things up.
- 6/10/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
With just days to go before the 75th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 12, Gold Derby’s trio of Broadway pundits gathered together to dish which shows are ahead in the race. Susan Haskins-Doloff and David Buchanan join me to hash out the 11 play categories, where “The Lehman Trilogy” dominates the race for new work while the popularity of five revivals muddy the tea leaves as to which classic will emerge victorious. Top top it off, a reduced number of eligible voters has thrown the race into chaos. Watch the full video slugfest above.
I suggest that “there’s a lot more opportunity for surprises” when it comes to the play categories, because we may have the lowest pool of eligible voters in modern Tony history. Broadway fans will remember that the Tony Awards recently instituted a virtual portal where every voter must log the performance they attended of every nominated production.
I suggest that “there’s a lot more opportunity for surprises” when it comes to the play categories, because we may have the lowest pool of eligible voters in modern Tony history. Broadway fans will remember that the Tony Awards recently instituted a virtual portal where every voter must log the performance they attended of every nominated production.
- 6/9/2022
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Click here to read the full article.
Ahead of the 75th Tony Awards, which will be held at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, The Hollywood Reporter gathered five of this Broadway season’s acting nominees for a conversation about the challenges and rewards of working on Broadway, generally, and specifically this season, in the middle of a global pandemic.
Two already have Tonys to their name: Australian Hugh Jackman, a best actor in a musical nominee for The Music Man, in which he plays a conman who brings trouble to small-town Iowa (the Hollywood A-lister, who played Wolverine in the X-Men film franchise, previously won for the musical The Boy from Oz in 2004 and received a special Tony in 2012); and American Mary-Louise Parker, a best actress in a play nominee for How I Learned to Drive, in which she plays a woman recounting childhood molestation at the hands of...
Ahead of the 75th Tony Awards, which will be held at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, The Hollywood Reporter gathered five of this Broadway season’s acting nominees for a conversation about the challenges and rewards of working on Broadway, generally, and specifically this season, in the middle of a global pandemic.
Two already have Tonys to their name: Australian Hugh Jackman, a best actor in a musical nominee for The Music Man, in which he plays a conman who brings trouble to small-town Iowa (the Hollywood A-lister, who played Wolverine in the X-Men film franchise, previously won for the musical The Boy from Oz in 2004 and received a special Tony in 2012); and American Mary-Louise Parker, a best actress in a play nominee for How I Learned to Drive, in which she plays a woman recounting childhood molestation at the hands of...
- 6/8/2022
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Thank you for this work that’s just so magic and so worth it,” expressed Mary-Louise Parker when she accepted the Tony Award from presenter Gwyneth Paltrow in 2001 for her unforgettable performance in “Proof.” This year, Parker competes for the same prize for starring in the first Broadway production of Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “How I Learned to Drive” and could take home the third trophy of her career for it. Below, see a list of all five of Mary-Louise Parker’s Tony nominations and two wins.
See Mary-Louise Parker (‘How I Learned to Drive’) poised to make Tony Awards history
Parker originated the role of Li’l Bit in the original Off-Broadway production of “How I Learned to Drive” 25 years ago. This Broadway revival reunited her with costars David Morse and Johanna Day as well as director Mark Brokaw. The drama is a haunting memory play that...
See Mary-Louise Parker (‘How I Learned to Drive’) poised to make Tony Awards history
Parker originated the role of Li’l Bit in the original Off-Broadway production of “How I Learned to Drive” 25 years ago. This Broadway revival reunited her with costars David Morse and Johanna Day as well as director Mark Brokaw. The drama is a haunting memory play that...
- 6/7/2022
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
The 2022 Tony Award nominations have been unveiled and, per usual, we have opinions! Susan Haskins joined us in a lively discussion to dissect this crop of nominees. We reveal what we think were the cruelest snubs, most pleasant surprises, and analyze how this set of nominees may change the Tony race as we head towards the June 12th ceremony. Watch the full video above.
While our panel was happy overall with how much the Tony nominators were able to spread the wealth this year, not every production made the cut. Sam noted that “all the plays were standouts this year,” but five stellar new works were totally skunked: “Birthday Candles,” “Chicken & Biscuits,” “Is This a Room,” “Pass Over,” and “Thoughts of a Colored Man.” There’s not enough slots for everyone, but when we saw so many categories expand due to ties in voting (“how many ties can you have?...
While our panel was happy overall with how much the Tony nominators were able to spread the wealth this year, not every production made the cut. Sam noted that “all the plays were standouts this year,” but five stellar new works were totally skunked: “Birthday Candles,” “Chicken & Biscuits,” “Is This a Room,” “Pass Over,” and “Thoughts of a Colored Man.” There’s not enough slots for everyone, but when we saw so many categories expand due to ties in voting (“how many ties can you have?...
- 5/16/2022
- by Sam Eckmann and David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Update, with Girl From The North Country Broadway’s Mrs. Doubtfire will unplug the vacuum cleaner and hang up the apron earlier than expected: The musical, which has been posting middling box office numbers during the industry’s crowded spring season, will end its run at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on May 29, producers announced.
“Even though New York City is getting stronger every day and ticket sales are slowly improving,” said producer Kevin McCollum, “theatre-going tourists and, especially for our show, family audiences have not returned as soon as we anticipated. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to run the show without those sales, especially when capitalizing with Broadway economics on three separate occasions.”
Mrs. Doubtfire, which stars the Tony-nominated Rob McClure in the title role (the show’s sole nomination), originally began preview performances on March 9, 2020, just three days before Broadway’s pandemic shutdown. Performances of the musical resumed on...
“Even though New York City is getting stronger every day and ticket sales are slowly improving,” said producer Kevin McCollum, “theatre-going tourists and, especially for our show, family audiences have not returned as soon as we anticipated. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to run the show without those sales, especially when capitalizing with Broadway economics on three separate occasions.”
Mrs. Doubtfire, which stars the Tony-nominated Rob McClure in the title role (the show’s sole nomination), originally began preview performances on March 9, 2020, just three days before Broadway’s pandemic shutdown. Performances of the musical resumed on...
- 5/13/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Fresh off of her second Tony Award victory last year for “The Sound Inside,” Mary-Louise Parker has earned a follow-up nomination in the same category for her work in the revival of Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “How I Learned to Drive.” Parker returned to the haunting piece 25 years after she originated the role Off-Broadway, reuniting with costars David Morse – who also reaped a bid – and Johanna Day, plus director Mark Brokaw.
This nomination not only celebrates her exemplary performance, but also moves Parker into an extremely exclusive list of performers who have earned at least five nominations in the Best Play Actress category. Her first bid dates back to 1990, when she contended for “Prelude to a Kiss.” Over a decade later, Parker earned her second nomination for “Proof” and went on to win the prize. In the following two decades, she earned another nom for “Reckless” in 2005 and last year for “The Sound Inside,...
This nomination not only celebrates her exemplary performance, but also moves Parker into an extremely exclusive list of performers who have earned at least five nominations in the Best Play Actress category. Her first bid dates back to 1990, when she contended for “Prelude to a Kiss.” Over a decade later, Parker earned her second nomination for “Proof” and went on to win the prize. In the following two decades, she earned another nom for “Reckless” in 2005 and last year for “The Sound Inside,...
- 5/10/2022
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Jeremy O. Harris, the Tony-nominated author of Slave Play, has been named the presiding playwright for the 2023 Yale Drama Series Prize, one of the theater world’s most prestigious playwriting prizes. As the presiding playwright, Harris, a Yale alum, becomes a judging panel of one to select an emerging playwright to receive the annual prize.
Harris joins the ranks of such previous presiding playwrights as Edward Albee, David Hare, John Guare, Marsha Norman, Nicholas Wright, Ayad Akhtar and, most recently, Paula Vogel.
“If only the entire theater world was as democratic, meritocratic, and pluralistic as the Yale Drama Prize,” said Harris in a statement. “There is an entire generation of playwrights who have been fighting to be heard – especially in light of the pause button pushed by the pandemic, and this is our opportunity to thrust a chosen few directly into the global cultural conversation. These are the next...
Harris joins the ranks of such previous presiding playwrights as Edward Albee, David Hare, John Guare, Marsha Norman, Nicholas Wright, Ayad Akhtar and, most recently, Paula Vogel.
“If only the entire theater world was as democratic, meritocratic, and pluralistic as the Yale Drama Prize,” said Harris in a statement. “There is an entire generation of playwrights who have been fighting to be heard – especially in light of the pause button pushed by the pandemic, and this is our opportunity to thrust a chosen few directly into the global cultural conversation. These are the next...
- 5/10/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Drama Leauge announced the nominations for the 2022 Drama League Awards on Monday morning. Deneé Benton and André DeShields announced the nominees at this morning’s official event at The New York Library for the Performing Arts. The Drama League honors both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions in their annual celebration. Winners will be announced at the 88th Annual Drama League Awards, which will be held at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on Friday, May 20.
While the League doles out four production prizes, what makes them unique is their “Distinguished Performance” award. Up to fifty performers are nominated for the honor each year in a category that combines roles of all genders and sizes. An actor can only win this prize once in their career, and once they have prevailed they can not be nominated again. This year, forty three performers contend in the category.
SEE2022 Tony Awards nominations announcement moving to May 9
This year,...
While the League doles out four production prizes, what makes them unique is their “Distinguished Performance” award. Up to fifty performers are nominated for the honor each year in a category that combines roles of all genders and sizes. An actor can only win this prize once in their career, and once they have prevailed they can not be nominated again. This year, forty three performers contend in the category.
SEE2022 Tony Awards nominations announcement moving to May 9
This year,...
- 4/25/2022
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
“I can feel who I am now, bringing stuff to this that wasn’t there before,” reveals “How I Learned to Drive” star David Morse. The actor is stepping back into the shoes of Uncle Peck in the Broadway production of Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama 25 years after originating the role Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in 1997. He is joined by fellow original cast members Mary-Louise Parker and Johanna Day in this Manhattan Theatre Club revival, and the actors have had plenty of time to reflect on the ways in which their 25 years of life experiences have “enriched” this production. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Morse says that the question “why now?” was an important one that hung in the air when starting work on this production. Vogel and Parker had attempted to bring the play to Broadway for many years, but scheduling and theater availability became perpetual obstacles.
Morse says that the question “why now?” was an important one that hung in the air when starting work on this production. Vogel and Parker had attempted to bring the play to Broadway for many years, but scheduling and theater availability became perpetual obstacles.
- 4/21/2022
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Twenty five years after the Off-Broadway debut of Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “How I Learned to Drive,” the contemporary American classic has at long last made its bow on Broadway. Fittingly for a memory play, the stars of that first production have returned to their roles: Mary-Louise Parker as Li’l Bit, who recalls her relationship with her predatory Uncle Peck – played by David Morse – who gave her driving lessons. The original director Mark Brokaw once again leads the production, which opened at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Friedman Theatre on April 19 for a limited run.
This long-awaited mounting of “How I Learned to Drive” earned rapturous reviews from critics. Maya Phillips (New York Times) calls the production “unforgettable” and labels it a Critic’s Pick. She credits playwright Vogel, who’s “script creates its own piercing language for assault,” and notes how despite the heaviness of the subject,...
This long-awaited mounting of “How I Learned to Drive” earned rapturous reviews from critics. Maya Phillips (New York Times) calls the production “unforgettable” and labels it a Critic’s Pick. She credits playwright Vogel, who’s “script creates its own piercing language for assault,” and notes how despite the heaviness of the subject,...
- 4/20/2022
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
In the 25 years since Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse first performed Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play How I Learned To Drive, the name for the disturbing process that we witness being depicted on stage has long since entered widespread usage. If audiences can now readily label what happens as “grooming,” Vogel’s emotionally complex masterwork remains as unsettling, disarmingly funny and as deeply moving as ever.
Parker and Morse, so beautifully playing the roles they originated all those years ago under the same director, Mark Brokaw, fill the larger Broadway stage – the 1997 production was produced Off Broadway – with performances not so much expanded but deepened by time. Parker’s character, in particular, is intensified by the years, as if the burden of her childhood victimization has only grown heavier in middle age, her desire to understand it unabated.
How I Learned To Drive, opening tonight in a first-rate Manhattan Theatre Club...
Parker and Morse, so beautifully playing the roles they originated all those years ago under the same director, Mark Brokaw, fill the larger Broadway stage – the 1997 production was produced Off Broadway – with performances not so much expanded but deepened by time. Parker’s character, in particular, is intensified by the years, as if the burden of her childhood victimization has only grown heavier in middle age, her desire to understand it unabated.
How I Learned To Drive, opening tonight in a first-rate Manhattan Theatre Club...
- 4/20/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
“It’s been a great season for Black playwrights,” Sam Eckmann says as he introduces Gold Derby’s first slugfest of the 2022 Tony Awards season. A whopping 20 new plays and play revivals are eligible this season, with many of those written by, directed by, and starring Black artists. Sam and I met six weeks ahead of the nominations – which will be announced on May 3 – to debate which productions, actors, and directors will make the shortlists. Watch the full video above.
From the jump, we tackle one of the biggest categories of the ceremony with Best Play but choose different frontrunners. While I have “The Lehman Trilogy” in first place for now since so many of the contenders have not yet even started previews, Sam warns, “You have to go back to 2007 with ‘Coast of Utopia’ to find a play that was closed by the time of the Tony ceremony that won.
From the jump, we tackle one of the biggest categories of the ceremony with Best Play but choose different frontrunners. While I have “The Lehman Trilogy” in first place for now since so many of the contenders have not yet even started previews, Sam warns, “You have to go back to 2007 with ‘Coast of Utopia’ to find a play that was closed by the time of the Tony ceremony that won.
- 4/2/2022
- by David Buchanan and Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Like so many of you, I had a lengthy hiatus from Broadway due to Covid, beginning the day after a part-time usher at “Six” was diagnosed in March 2020 with the disease and Broadway began its shut down. In fact, I had just seen “Six,” a day or so before that, and even had a brief conversation with an usher there, so I was a little nervous. However, unlike so many others, I did not return in the fall. Having a project to finish in Chicago, I did not get back to Broadway until February 9, when I went to see the current revival of one of my all-time favorites, “The Music Man.”
Front and side, at the Winter Garden Theater, I had a great time. I was particularly taken with Benjamin Payjak, playing Winthrop Paroo. When Benjamin sang his verse in the “The Wells Fargo Wagon” number, it was so wonderful that I teared up,...
Front and side, at the Winter Garden Theater, I had a great time. I was particularly taken with Benjamin Payjak, playing Winthrop Paroo. When Benjamin sang his verse in the “The Wells Fargo Wagon” number, it was so wonderful that I teared up,...
- 3/4/2022
- by Susan Haskins-Doloff
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: The prestigious Yale Drama Series Prize for emerging playwrights has announced eight contenders selected for its first-ever short list.
Prize organizers opted this year to announce the short list, rather than the traditional announcement of the winning play only, to “better reflect the pluralism of its applicant pool, and to provide a broader context about the state of the American Theater at the emerging level.”
Also for the first time, the play selections were chosen by a six-member judging panel rather than one playwright. Past winners were chosen by such playwrights as Edward Albee, David Hare, Marsha Norman and Paula Vogel.
Each of this year’s six judges are all past winners of the Yale prize, and each read more than 250 playwriting contenders.
The eight plays selected for the short list are:
Jordan Ramirez Puckett’s A Driving Beat Lilly Camp’s All Eight Matthew Paul Olmos’ a home...
Prize organizers opted this year to announce the short list, rather than the traditional announcement of the winning play only, to “better reflect the pluralism of its applicant pool, and to provide a broader context about the state of the American Theater at the emerging level.”
Also for the first time, the play selections were chosen by a six-member judging panel rather than one playwright. Past winners were chosen by such playwrights as Edward Albee, David Hare, Marsha Norman and Paula Vogel.
Each of this year’s six judges are all past winners of the Yale prize, and each read more than 250 playwriting contenders.
The eight plays selected for the short list are:
Jordan Ramirez Puckett’s A Driving Beat Lilly Camp’s All Eight Matthew Paul Olmos’ a home...
- 2/25/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Many plays and musicals have had to wait a long year and a half to open on Broadway, with premieres delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. But none are more overdue than Alice Childress’ “Trouble in Mind.” First staged in 1955, the play never arrived on Broadway until now. After almost seven decades, “Trouble in Mind” opened at the Roundabout Theatre Company’s American Airlines Theatre on Nov. 18.
“Trouble In Mind” centers on the rehearsals of a poorly-written play about lynching in the South penned by a white playwright. Tony Award winner Lachanze stars as Wiletta, an actress in the play who knows how to navigate the racism of show business but is becoming increasingly exasperated doing so, especially as she works with condescending director Al Manners, played by Michael Zegen. Charles Randolph-Wright directs the ensemble cast.
See ‘Caroline, or Change’ reviews: ‘Thrilling’ revival showcases Sharon D Clarke’s ‘titanic’ performance...
“Trouble In Mind” centers on the rehearsals of a poorly-written play about lynching in the South penned by a white playwright. Tony Award winner Lachanze stars as Wiletta, an actress in the play who knows how to navigate the racism of show business but is becoming increasingly exasperated doing so, especially as she works with condescending director Al Manners, played by Michael Zegen. Charles Randolph-Wright directs the ensemble cast.
See ‘Caroline, or Change’ reviews: ‘Thrilling’ revival showcases Sharon D Clarke’s ‘titanic’ performance...
- 11/19/2021
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Twenty years after Ruben Santiago-Hudson first brought the town of Lackawanna, New York to life Off-Broadway, his autobiographical play “Lackawanna Blues” has arrived on Broadway. The solo show features playwright and director Santiago-Hudson inhabiting 25 different characters from the steeltown in the 1950s as he brings the memorable figures of his childhood to life. At the center of the play is Rachel Crosby, or “Nanny,” the boarding-house proprietor who takes these unforgettable characters under her wing. The play opened on Oct. 7 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
“Lackawanna Blues” marks Santiago-Hudson’s first Broadway performance in nearly a decade. He last starred on Broadway in “Stick Fly” (2011) and won a Tony Award for his featured role in August Wilson’s “Seven Guitars” (1996). In recent years, he has gravitated toward directing works on Broadway, earning a Tony nomination for his mounting of Wilson’s “Jitney” (2017). He will also helm Dominique Morisseau’s “Skeleton Crew” later this season.
“Lackawanna Blues” marks Santiago-Hudson’s first Broadway performance in nearly a decade. He last starred on Broadway in “Stick Fly” (2011) and won a Tony Award for his featured role in August Wilson’s “Seven Guitars” (1996). In recent years, he has gravitated toward directing works on Broadway, earning a Tony nomination for his mounting of Wilson’s “Jitney” (2017). He will also helm Dominique Morisseau’s “Skeleton Crew” later this season.
- 10/8/2021
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Two decades ago Mary-Louise Parker won her first Tony Award for her enthralling performance in David Auburn’s “Proof.” Five Broadway appearances later, Parker is on the cusp of winning the second Tony of her career for her searing turn in Adam Rapp’s “The Sound Inside,” according to our exclusive Tony Awards predictions. “The Sound Inside” has six nominations, including Best Play.
Parker earned the best reviews of her stage career for “The Sound Inside,” topping even the rapturous notices she received for “Proof.” Back then, John Simon (New York Magazine) called Parker’s work in “Proof” “a performance of genius.” In his rave review of “The Sound Inside,” Jesse Green (New York Times) wrote, “Parker, never better in her 30-year stage career, has dug even deeper into Bella, treating each line as if it were an archaeological site; she builds her performance on artifacts, not theories.” Vinson Cunningham...
Parker earned the best reviews of her stage career for “The Sound Inside,” topping even the rapturous notices she received for “Proof.” Back then, John Simon (New York Magazine) called Parker’s work in “Proof” “a performance of genius.” In his rave review of “The Sound Inside,” Jesse Green (New York Times) wrote, “Parker, never better in her 30-year stage career, has dug even deeper into Bella, treating each line as if it were an archaeological site; she builds her performance on artifacts, not theories.” Vinson Cunningham...
- 9/25/2021
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Liz McCann, a groundbreaking Broadway producer who, as one of the first and most successful women to achieve a prominent leadership role in the theater industry – a term she hated, preferring “theater community” — died Thursday of cancer at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx. She was 90.
Her death was announced by her longtime associate and friend Kristen Luciani.
Elizabeth Ireland McCann — known throughout the Broadway community simply as Liz — started her career in theater as a production assistant and manager with Proscenium Productions at the Cherry Lane Theatre in the 1950s. In 1955, the company would be the first Off Broadway theater to win a Special Tony Award for its seminal productions of The Way of the World and Thieves’ Carnival.
Following a series of short-term theater jobs, McCann, who had acted in plays during her student years at Manhattanville College, completed a law degree at Fordham University. She later earned a...
Her death was announced by her longtime associate and friend Kristen Luciani.
Elizabeth Ireland McCann — known throughout the Broadway community simply as Liz — started her career in theater as a production assistant and manager with Proscenium Productions at the Cherry Lane Theatre in the 1950s. In 1955, the company would be the first Off Broadway theater to win a Special Tony Award for its seminal productions of The Way of the World and Thieves’ Carnival.
Following a series of short-term theater jobs, McCann, who had acted in plays during her student years at Manhattanville College, completed a law degree at Fordham University. She later earned a...
- 9/9/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Travis Coles and Michael Urie are starring in “Summoning Sylvia,” a LGBTQ+ horror comedy.
The feature film recently wrapped production, and its previously unannounced cast also includes Frankie Grande (“Henry Danger”), Nicholas Logan (“I Care a Lot”), Troy Iwata (“Dash & Lily”), Noah Ricketts (Frozen), Sean Grandillo (“Scream: The TV Series”), Camden Garcia (“Station 19”), and Veanne Cox (“You’ve Got Mail”). “Summoning Sylvia” was written and directed by Wesley Taylor and Alex Wyse, who previously created the Emmy-nominated digital series “Indoor Boys.”
“Summoning Sylvia” centers on a gay bachelor party that takes a spooky turn when sinister spirits are suddenly summoned. Larry (Coles) and his three best friends Nico (Grande), Reggie (Iwata), and Kevin (Ricketts) take off for a weekend getaway at a haunted house. But Larry forgot he’d promised his fiancé Jamie (Urie) that he’d entertain his mysterious future brother-in-law Harrison (Logan) that same weekend. After he...
The feature film recently wrapped production, and its previously unannounced cast also includes Frankie Grande (“Henry Danger”), Nicholas Logan (“I Care a Lot”), Troy Iwata (“Dash & Lily”), Noah Ricketts (Frozen), Sean Grandillo (“Scream: The TV Series”), Camden Garcia (“Station 19”), and Veanne Cox (“You’ve Got Mail”). “Summoning Sylvia” was written and directed by Wesley Taylor and Alex Wyse, who previously created the Emmy-nominated digital series “Indoor Boys.”
“Summoning Sylvia” centers on a gay bachelor party that takes a spooky turn when sinister spirits are suddenly summoned. Larry (Coles) and his three best friends Nico (Grande), Reggie (Iwata), and Kevin (Ricketts) take off for a weekend getaway at a haunted house. But Larry forgot he’d promised his fiancé Jamie (Urie) that he’d entertain his mysterious future brother-in-law Harrison (Logan) that same weekend. After he...
- 6/30/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Covid-postponed Broadway premiere of How I Learned to Drive, Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama starring Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse, will begin preview performances at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, with an official opening on Tuesday, April 19.
The new dates were announced today by the Manhattan Theatre Club. The much-anticipated production will reunite Parker, Morse and director Mark Brokaw, who teamed on the original and acclaimed Off Broadway staging of the play in 1997. Parker and Morse will take on the same roles they created – an adult woman and her once-beloved uncle coming to terms with long-ago sexual molestation.
The Manhattan Theatre Club will produce the Broadway production with Daryl Roth and Cody Lassen in association with the Vineyard Theatre, where the Off Broadway production was staged in ’97.
How I Learned To Drive was in rehearsals when the industry shut down in March 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
The new dates were announced today by the Manhattan Theatre Club. The much-anticipated production will reunite Parker, Morse and director Mark Brokaw, who teamed on the original and acclaimed Off Broadway staging of the play in 1997. Parker and Morse will take on the same roles they created – an adult woman and her once-beloved uncle coming to terms with long-ago sexual molestation.
The Manhattan Theatre Club will produce the Broadway production with Daryl Roth and Cody Lassen in association with the Vineyard Theatre, where the Off Broadway production was staged in ’97.
How I Learned To Drive was in rehearsals when the industry shut down in March 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
- 6/7/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s Lackawanna Blues is now the fifth show set to begin performances on Sept. 14, the first day of Broadway’s post-shutdown reopening. The play – written, performed and directed by Santiago-Hudson (Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) – will be the season’s first Broadway production by a nonprofit theater company.
Mtc also announced today that its much-anticipated Broadway production of Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play How I Learned to Drive, starring Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse, will, as expected, begin performances in Spring 2022, two years after its initially scheduled production was scuttled due to the pandemic.
Lackawanna Blues will begin performances Tuesday, September 14, and open Tuesday, September 28, at Mtc’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. The play will feature original music by Bill Sims, Jr. performed on stage by blues guitarist Junior Mack.
Off Broadway, Mtc will stage the previously announced world premiere...
Mtc also announced today that its much-anticipated Broadway production of Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play How I Learned to Drive, starring Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse, will, as expected, begin performances in Spring 2022, two years after its initially scheduled production was scuttled due to the pandemic.
Lackawanna Blues will begin performances Tuesday, September 14, and open Tuesday, September 28, at Mtc’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. The play will feature original music by Bill Sims, Jr. performed on stage by blues guitarist Junior Mack.
Off Broadway, Mtc will stage the previously announced world premiere...
- 5/17/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
This Thursday, April 29 8pm Et'Spotlight on Plays' series will continue with Paula Vogel's The Baltimore Waltz, starring Emmy Award winner Eric McCormack, Brandon Burton andMary-Louise Parker, and directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz.Paula Vogel's comic and dramatic fantasia based on the love and adventures of a brother and sister, one of whom has a fatal disease. Winner of the 1992 Obie Award for Best New American Play.
- 4/28/2021
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Update Eric McCormack will join the previously announced Mary-Louise Parker in the virtual performance of Paula Vogel’s The Baltimore Waltz, directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, premiering on Thursday, April 29 as part of the virtual Spotlight on Plays series. Brandon Burton has also joined the cast.
Also announced today was the April 8 premiere date of Pearl Cleage’s Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous.
Previous, March 23 Meryl Streep, Mary-Louise Parker and Carla Gugino have joined the line-up of actors taking part in this year’s virtual Spotlight on Plays series benefitting The Actors Fund, with Streep reuniting with her Sophie’s Choice co-star Kevin Kline on Sarah Ruhl’s Dear Elizabeth.
Parker is set to perform in Paula Vogel’s The Baltimore Waltz. Gugino will be teamed with the previously announced Ellen Burstyn in Lillian Hellman’s Watch on the Rhine.
Others previously announced, in addition to Kline and Burstyn, are Kathryn Hahn,...
Also announced today was the April 8 premiere date of Pearl Cleage’s Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous.
Previous, March 23 Meryl Streep, Mary-Louise Parker and Carla Gugino have joined the line-up of actors taking part in this year’s virtual Spotlight on Plays series benefitting The Actors Fund, with Streep reuniting with her Sophie’s Choice co-star Kevin Kline on Sarah Ruhl’s Dear Elizabeth.
Parker is set to perform in Paula Vogel’s The Baltimore Waltz. Gugino will be teamed with the previously announced Ellen Burstyn in Lillian Hellman’s Watch on the Rhine.
Others previously announced, in addition to Kline and Burstyn, are Kathryn Hahn,...
- 4/7/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Dramatists Play Service, the theatrical licensing and publishing agency formed in 1936 that represents scores the stage’s most prominent playwrights, has been acquired by Broadway Licensing in what the companies are calling a landmark agreement.
Broadway Licensing, a full-service theatrical licensing partner specializing in the development, production and worldwide distribution of new and established theatrical properties, will now house Dps under its slate of brands. Among the dramatists now represented under this newly formed umbrella are Ayad Akhtar, Edward Albee, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Christopher Durang, Horton Foote, Richard Greenberg, Katori Hall, Beth Henley, George S. Kaufman, Tracy Letts, Martyna Majok, Donald Margulies, Terrence McNally, Arthur Miller, Lynn Nottage, Eugene O’Neill, Susan-Lori Parks, John Patrick Shanley, Alfred Uhry, Paula Vogel, Wendy Wasserstein, Tennessee Williams, Lanford Wilson, and Doug Wright.
The deal was announced today by Sean Cercone, CEO/President, Broadway Licensing, and David J. Moore, Acting President, Dramatists Play Service.
Broadway Licensing, a full-service theatrical licensing partner specializing in the development, production and worldwide distribution of new and established theatrical properties, will now house Dps under its slate of brands. Among the dramatists now represented under this newly formed umbrella are Ayad Akhtar, Edward Albee, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Christopher Durang, Horton Foote, Richard Greenberg, Katori Hall, Beth Henley, George S. Kaufman, Tracy Letts, Martyna Majok, Donald Margulies, Terrence McNally, Arthur Miller, Lynn Nottage, Eugene O’Neill, Susan-Lori Parks, John Patrick Shanley, Alfred Uhry, Paula Vogel, Wendy Wasserstein, Tennessee Williams, Lanford Wilson, and Doug Wright.
The deal was announced today by Sean Cercone, CEO/President, Broadway Licensing, and David J. Moore, Acting President, Dramatists Play Service.
- 3/23/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Kathryn Hahn, Keanu Reeves, Debbie Allen, Ellen Burstyn and Bobby Cannavale are among the actors who’ll take part in this year’s virtual Spotlight on Plays series benefitting The Actors Fund.
Performers and directors were announced today by producer Jeffrey Richards for the series that kicks off March 25 with Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play, to be directed by Leigh Silverman.
Other artists to be featured in the spring series include Kevin Kline, Audra McDonald, Phylicia Rashad, Heidi Schreck, Alia Shawkat, Heather Alicia Simms, Alicia Stith and more, with additional details to be announced.
The play series, launched last year on the Broadway’s Best Shows website, features actors performing the works remotely, with the readings pre-recorded and edited. This year’s line-up of plays and directors include:
The Thanksgiving Play (March 25)
By Larissa FastHorse, Directed by Leigh Silverman
Angry, Raucous And Shamelessly Gorgeous (April 9)
By Pearl Cleage, Directed...
Performers and directors were announced today by producer Jeffrey Richards for the series that kicks off March 25 with Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play, to be directed by Leigh Silverman.
Other artists to be featured in the spring series include Kevin Kline, Audra McDonald, Phylicia Rashad, Heidi Schreck, Alia Shawkat, Heather Alicia Simms, Alicia Stith and more, with additional details to be announced.
The play series, launched last year on the Broadway’s Best Shows website, features actors performing the works remotely, with the readings pre-recorded and edited. This year’s line-up of plays and directors include:
The Thanksgiving Play (March 25)
By Larissa FastHorse, Directed by Leigh Silverman
Angry, Raucous And Shamelessly Gorgeous (April 9)
By Pearl Cleage, Directed...
- 3/8/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
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