All stories by Chris Willman on BroadwayStars

Sunday, June 8, 2025

Halsey Offers a Peek Behind the 'For My Last Trick' Tour Curtain: How a Team That Includes Top Broadway Veterans Came Together to Create One of th by Chris Willman

Never ask Halsey to be just one thing at a time, whether it's on record or in person. The singer's current outing, dubbed the "For My Last Trick" Tour, is one of this year's most impressive …

SOURCE: Variety at 05:44PM[SHARE]
Friday, June 6, 2025

Cynthia Erivo Proves She's a Threat as a Singer-Songwriter, Too, With Subtle but Powerful 'I Forgive You': Album Review by Chris Willman

The queen of "Defying Gravity" engages in a high level of expectation defiance on "I Forgive You," her exemplary second album as a singer-songwriter and first release since "Wicked" firmly e…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:46AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Reimagining 'Hamlet' as a Lynchian L.A. Story: Director Robert O'Hara on Doing Shakespeare With a Noir/'Mulholland Drive' Twist at the Mark by Chris Willman

This will not be your father's "Hamlet" " or even your dead-king father's "Hamlet" " when writer-director Robert O'Hara's reinterpretation of the Shakespeare perennial opens at the Mark Tape…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:26PM[SHARE]

Patrick Ball on Playing 'Hamlet' at the Mark Taper by Night, While Shooting 'The Pitt' Season 2 by Day: 'They're Both Disgraced Princes… by Chris Willman

To sleep, or not to sleep? That is certainly a question for Patrick Ball, who will spend his nights during the coming weeks playing the title role in "Hamlet" at the Mark Taper Forum in down…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:01PM[SHARE]

A-Ha Singer Morten Harket Reveals He Has Parkinson's Disease, Says He's Not Sure if He'll Sing Again by Chris Willman

Morten Harket, the singer for A-Ha who rose to fame with the massive hit "Take on Me," has revealed that he is grappling with Parkinson's disease, and is not sure whether he will be able to …

SOURCE: Variety at 11:53AM[SHARE]
Monday, June 2, 2025

At a Jill Sobule Tribute Show in L.A., Tom Morello, Margaret Cho, Lisa Loeb, Kay Hanley and, Yes, Fabio Share the Love and Loss: Concert Review by Chris Willman

In some ways, among musicians whose catalogs are not chock-full of universally recognizable hits, Jill Sobule's catalog is exceptionally well-suited for a tribute show. The late singer-songw…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:48PM[SHARE]
Monday, May 5, 2025

Adam Lambert to Play Judas in Hollywood Bowl Production of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' by Chris Willman

"Jesus Christ Superstar" is getting starrier. The three-night production of the classic Broadway musical that is set for the Hollywood Bowl this summer is adding Adam Lambert to the cast, as…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:12PM[SHARE]
Saturday, April 19, 2025

Megan Hilty on Returning to Broadway With the Smash 'Death Becomes Her,' and Why 'There's Nothing Bigger Than Two Ladies Trying to Kill Each O by Chris Willman

"Broadway becomes her" is something it's easy to say about Megan Hilty. When the average theatergoer heads to see her in "Death Becomes Her," they may feel, with good reason, that they're bu…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:03PM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 13, 2025

Gustavo Dudamel on Why He Brought the LA Phil to Coachella, With LL Cool J and Other Guest Artists: 'Wagner Wrote His Music for a Festival… Wagner by Chris Willman

From "Also Sprach Zarathustra" to also sprach LL Cool J… Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic managed to pack something for everybody into a guest-filled appearance Saturday eveni…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:51PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 9, 2025

'Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker' Exhibition to Open at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in May by Chris Willman

A major exhibition exploring the life and career of the woman who is arguably country music's biggest living superstar, "Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker," will open at the Country Music Ha…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:27PM[SHARE]
Thursday, February 27, 2025

Sara Bareilles, Jackson Browne and Kristin Chenoweth Set as Honorees Alongside Wyclef Jean at Music Will Benefit Concert in New York (EXCLUSIVE) by Chris Willman

Sara Bareilles, Jackson Browne and Kristin Chenoweth have been added as honorees and performers, alongside the previously announced Wyclef Jean, for a concert gala in New York benefiting Mus…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:16PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Adam Lambert on Playing the Emcee in Broadway's 'Cabaret,' and Why Its Anti-Fascist Themes Hit Even Harder Now Than When He Began the Run: 'It by Chris Willman

Adam Lambert is currently living out a dream, playing the role of the Emcee in the current Broadway run of "Cabaret," or, as it's officially known in this production, "Cabaret at the Kit Kat…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:42PM[SHARE]
Sunday, February 23, 2025

'Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends' L.A. Review: Songwriting Depth and Skilled Diva Turns Make the Broadway-Bound Revue a Retrospective Joy by Chris Willman

There are the ladies who lunch. And then there are the ladies of musical theater who eat everyone else's lunch. "Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends" has plenty of the latter, and as a revue, as …

SOURCE: Variety at 08:25PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Hollywood Bowl 2025 Season to Include Hugh Jackman, Juanes, Cyndi Lauper and Diana Ross as Well as Cynthia Erivo-Led 'Jesus Christ Superstar' by Chris Willman

The LA Phil announced the full lineup for its 2025 summer season at the Hollywood Bowl Tuesday morning, with big names like Hugh Jackman, Juanes, Cyndi Lauper and Diana Ross included in the …

SOURCE: Variety at 04:45PM[SHARE]
Saturday, February 15, 2025

Allison Russell on What She's Learned Playing Persephone in Broadway's 'Hadestown,' How a Hozier Connection Helped Land the Role, and Why the by Chris Willman

Allison Russell, the Grammy-winning Americana artist, is coming back up from the underground. On Sunday night, she finishes up a 15-week run in Broadway's "Hadestown," which has left her wit…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:17PM[SHARE]

'SNL50: Homecoming Concert' Most Memorable Moments: Lady Gaga, 'Post Nirvana,' Jack White, Cher, Will Ferrell, Robyn and More by Chris Willman

John Mulaney may have spoken best to the mostly wonderful randomness of the lineup for Friday night's live "SNL50: The Homecoming Concert" special when, late in the show, he invoked the memo…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:48AM[SHARE]
Friday, February 14, 2025

Fountains of Wayne's First Live Shows in 12 Years Have Blessing of the Late Adam Schlesinger's Family by Chris Willman

Fountains of Wayne will be performing concert dates this year for the first time since 2013, and the shows are proceeding with the blessings of the family of the band's co-founder, the late …

SOURCE: Variety at 05:16PM[SHARE]
Thursday, February 13, 2025

Putting It Together, Again: Stephen Sondheim's 'Old Friends' Bernadette Peters and Cameron Mackintosh on Joining Matthew Bourne for a New L.A./B by Chris Willman

Everything's coming up you-know-what if you're a Sondheim fan on either coast this season. "Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends," the third revue to be built around the great composer's songbook …

SOURCE: Variety at 06:53PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Billie Eilish Interviews Ariana Grande at 'Wicked' Screening, Goes Full Fangirl: 'My Brother Used to Be Like: Don't Call Her 'Ari,' You Do by Chris Willman

No one lauds the "Wicked" quite like Billie Eilish, at least when she is in full Ariana Grande fangirl mode, as she was in interviewing her longtime singing heroine after a screening of the …

SOURCE: Variety at 08:26PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Dolly Parton Announces 'Dolly: An Original Musical' Will Premiere in Nashville This Summer, Prior to Planned 2026 Broadway Run by Chris Willman

Dolly Parton announced Tuesday that her autobiographical stage musical "Dolly: An Original Musical" will have its world premiere in Nashville this July, the first public stop on the way to a…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:42AM[SHARE]
Sunday, January 12, 2025

'Wicked' Music Producer Greg Wells on Losing a World-Class Studio as Well as Family Home in the Fires " and the Sorrow of Saying Goodbye to the by Chris Willman

For most of the film and TV industry, the devastating L.A.-area fires of the last week have at least avoided scorching the studios where the work largely occurs. But there's no such consolat…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:20PM[SHARE]
Sunday, January 5, 2025

'Wicked' Music Producer Greg Wells on Going Big With the Soundtrack " and Hearing Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's Voices Merge Into One in R by Chris Willman

Although most of Greg Wells' professional life has involved producing or writing for big pop artists (including Adele, Katy Perry, OneRepublic & Timbaland, Twenty One Pilots and John Leg…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:52PM[SHARE]
Saturday, January 4, 2025

Making the Public Domain Even More Horrifying: Modest Proposals for Turning 1920s Classics Into Slasher Fare, From Mickey to Hemingway (Column) by Chris Willman

It's become an annual ritual: Every Jan. 1, more classic works of art or characters enter the public domain, and exploitation filmmakers with a tiny budget and a big taste for grisliness are…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:57AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 31, 2024

The Music of 'Wicked': Stephen Schwartz and Arranger Stephen Oremus on What It Took to Make a Classic Broadway Song Score Even More Popular by Chris Willman

Stephen Schwartz will see you now. The worthier wizard of "Wicked" is the one who wrote one of Broadway's all-time top song scores and now, a little over two decades later, has overseen the …

SOURCE: Variety at 02:20PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 3, 2024

'Shucked' Actor Kevin Cahoon on Starring in Pasadena's 'La Cage aux Folles' Revival: 'It's 2024, and We're Still Talking About People by Chris Willman

When Kevin Cahoon got his Tony and Drama Desk nominations in 2023 as a featured actor in Broadway's "Shucked," he played a hayseed character whose sexuality might or might not have been know…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:37PM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 23, 2024

'Wicked: The Soundtrack' Album Review: Stephen Schwartz's World-Beating Song Score Gets Its Due, and So Do the Divas Who Deliver It by Chris Willman

When the sing-along screenings of "Wicked" go down beginning Christmas Day, I'll be there " but not because I have any intention of personally raising my voice in song. (Or maybe I'll join i…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:50PM[SHARE]
Friday, November 15, 2024

Ojai Playhouse Reopens as State-of-the-Art Coastal Showcase for Oscar Contenders, Revival Films and Live Shows, After 10-Year Closure by Chris Willman

The city of Ojai has a long-established reputation as one of California's most quintessentially laid-back small towns. But residents and frequent visitors who have a love for movies may actu…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:00PM[SHARE]
Friday, October 11, 2024

Yola on the 'Gig Energy' of Playing Persephone in Broadway's 'Hadestown,' and Why She's Taking a Turn in Her Music Career to Do Things Her by Chris Willman

The name Yola is not to be confused with YOLO, but if her moniker were to be an acronym, it might stand for You Only Live Awe-Inspiringly. The British-born singer has been expanding her hori…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:33PM[SHARE]
Friday, September 27, 2024

'Randy Newman's Faust,' the Songwriter's Brilliant but Rarely Produced Stage Musical, Rises Again for a Weekend in L.A. at the Soraya by Chris Willman

The devil is making them do it… or maybe it's actually an exercise in divine justice. "Randy Newman's Faust," the only musical comedy ever written for the stage by the dean of barbed Ameri…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:43PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Grammy Winner Allison Russell to Step Into Broadway's 'Hadestown' as Persephone by Chris Willman

Singer-songwriter Allison Russell had a song called "Persephone" on her debut solo album, so there may be some destiny in the fact that she will soon step into a role with that name in the B…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:29AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Sara Bareilles' First Orchestral Concert at Hollywood Bowl Features Ravishing Treatments of Broadway Hits, Feminist Anthems and New Material: Concer by Chris Willman

Whatever counts as Sara Bareilles' day job right now, it's not regualrly releasing albums and touring. Her last studio album (2019's "Amidst the Chaos") and tour are both five years in the r…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:49PM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off