All stories by David Rooney on BroadwayStars

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Peter and the Starcatcher: Theater Review by David Rooney

This adaptation of the Peter Pan origin story is rich in antic humor and theatrical invention, but the stardust loses potency and becomes a tad precious on a larger stage.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 09:41PM[SHARE]

Peter and the Starcatcher: Theater Review by David Rooney

Christian Borle goes from "Smash" to dastardly Black Stache in the Broadway transfer of this play with music exploring the backstory of Peter Pan, developed by Disney Theatrical and based on…

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 08:30PM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 12, 2012

Kristin Chenoweth and Jim Parsons to Announce 2012 Tony Award Nominations by David Rooney

The stars of ABC's "GCB" and CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" will co-host the nominations announcement live from Lincoln Center on May 1.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 11:42AM[SHARE]

Kristin Chenoweth and Jim Parsons to Announce 2012 Tony Award Nominations by David Rooney

The stars of ABC's "GCB" and CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" will co-host the nominations announcement live from Lincoln Center on May 1.read more

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 10:57AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Magic/Bird: Theater Review by David Rooney

Two basketball Hall of Famers get warm but dramatically insubstantial treatment in Eric Simonson's account of their decade at the top.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 09:17PM[SHARE]

Magic/Bird: Theater Review by David Rooney

The glory years of NBA superstars Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird are affectionately recalled in Eric Simonson's bio-play, from the same Broadway producing team as last season's NFL-ba…

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 09:00PM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 5, 2012

Evita: Theater Review by David Rooney

As a portrait of a political power consort who became the main event, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's warhorse has its limits, but director Michael Grandage's production dazzles.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 11:09PM[SHARE]

Evita: Theater Review by David Rooney

Reprising the role that made her a star overnight in London, Argentine discovery Elena Roger is flanked by Ricky Martin and Michael Cerveris in Broadway's first revival of the Tony-winning 1…

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 09:00PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Magic Johnson to Talk With Fans at Broadway Bio-Play 'Magic/Bird' by David Rooney

David Rooney The basketball Hall of Famer will be on hand with cast members for a post-show talkback following a special April 13 matinee performance of the new play by Eric Simonson.read mo…

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 03:22PM[SHARE]

Amy Adams to Make New York Stage Debut in 'Into the Woods' by David Rooney

David Rooney The Oscar-nominated actress will play the Baker's Wife this summer in the Public Theater revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's 1986 musical fairy-tale mashup.read more

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 02:20PM[SHARE]
Monday, April 2, 2012

End of the Rainbow: Theater Review by David Rooney

A gutsy performance trapped in a one-note play that gives us the broad outline of the tragic star but lacks the insight to penetrate her heart.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 09:18PM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 1, 2012

Gore Vidal's The Best Man: Theater Review by David Rooney

A deluxe cast breathes fresh life into this entertaining round of political marksmanship by a keen-eyed observer whose experience in the D.C. swamp informs every line.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 09:32PM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 29, 2012

Newsies: Theater Review by David Rooney

After the commercial disappointments of "Tarzan" and "The Little Mermaid" on Broadway, Disney scores by keeping it simple, spirited and engagingly old-fashioned in this winning rethink of th…

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 11:37PM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 25, 2012

Theater Review: 'Lost in Yonkers,' by Neil Simon, at Beckett Theater by David Rooney

A revival of "Lost in Yonkers" at the Beckett Theater is warmly satisfying, with a depth of character, humanity and personal investment.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:08PM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 22, 2012

Jesus Christ Superstar: Theater Review by David Rooney

The 1971 religious rock opera remains a psychologically lite relic of its time, but it gets propulsive treatment in this energized, vocally robust revival.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 11:39PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Barry Levinson and Sheryl Crow's 'Diner' Musical Sets Out-of-Town Tryout and Broadway Dates by David Rooney

The stage adaptation of the 1982 MGM film will premiere in San Francisco in the fall before bowing in New York in spring 2013 in a production directed and choreographed by Tony winner Kathle…

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 02:59PM[SHARE]
Monday, March 19, 2012

The Agony of Mike Daisey: Dramatic License or Fraud? by David Rooney

THR's theater critic looks at the questions raised by NPR's revelations concerning the veracity of Mike Daisey's monologue, "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs."

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 12:22AM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 18, 2012

Once: Theater Review by David Rooney

As much a song cycle as a musical, this bittersweet fairy tale has a spellbinding charm.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 09:27PM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 15, 2012

Death of a Salesman: Theater Review by David Rooney

Mike Nichols' psychologically resonant production of this American classic is sure to rank high among the major theatrical events of the season.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 09:57PM[SHARE]

David Strathairn to Join Jessica Chastain in Broadway Revival of 'The Heiress' by David Rooney

The Emmy-winning actor will play Chastain's emotionally distant father in the stage adaptation by Ruth and Augustus Goetz of the Henry James novel, "Washington Square."

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 02:11PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Christopher Plummer's 'Barrymore' to Take Theatrical Bow by David Rooney

The recent Oscar winner reprised the acclaimed role that earned him a Tony Award in 1997 last year in Canada in this bio-play, which was captured on film by director-adapter Érik Canuel.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 03:18PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 7, 2012

That's So Broadway: Raven-Symoné Gets Into the Habit for 'Sister Act' by David Rooney

The former Disney Channel star will make her Broadway debut in the musical adaptation of the 1992 Touchstone comedy, stepping into the role originally played onscreen by producer Whoopi Gold…

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 12:30PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Theater Review: Kathleen Chalfant and John Cunningham in 'Painting Churches' by David Rooney

As a pair of self-centered Boston blue bloods, Kathleen Chalfant and John Cunningham are the heart of Tina Howe's "Painting Churches," a Keen Company revival now at the Clurman Theater.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM[SHARE]
Monday, March 5, 2012

'Animal House' Musical Heads to Broadway With Barenaked Ladies by David Rooney

A classic of the gross-out comedy genre, the 1978 John Landis feature, "National Lampoon's Animal House," will join the long list of movie hits being retooled as theatrical musicals.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 03:15PM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 4, 2012

Theater Review: 'I ♥ Alice ♥ I' by Amy Conroy at Irish Arts Center by David Rooney

"I ♥ Alice ♥ I," at the Irish Arts Center, takes a look at the intricacies of the relationship of a lesbian couple over a 30-year period.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:00PM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 1, 2012

Carrie: Theater Review by David Rooney

An infamous Broadway flop becomes just another insipid teen-angst musical in this well-intentioned but misguided revision.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 11:30PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Assistance: Theater Review by David Rooney

"Bachelorette" writer-director Leslye Headland says her play about long-suffering executive assistants is not a tell-all, but the notoriously irascible personality of her former boss, Harvey…

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 08:05PM[SHARE]

Topher Grace, Olivia Thirlby Reteam With Director Paul Weitz for New Play by David Rooney

The two will star in stage comedy "Lonely, I'm Not," premiering Off Broadway as a Second Stage Theatre production.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 02:05PM[SHARE]
Sunday, February 26, 2012

Howard Kissel: An Appreciation by David Rooney

In the age of the blogosphere, in which everyone's a critic and in which informed, impartial analysis often takes a backseat to gleeful off-the-cuff savagery or unrestrained gush, the death …

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 05:12PM[SHARE]
Saturday, February 25, 2012

Theodore Mann, Off Broadway Producer, Dies at 87 by David Rooney

Mr. Mann was a founder of the influential Circle in the Square Theater, and a driving force in the rise of Off Broadway theater in the 1950s.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:55AM[SHARE]
Thursday, February 23, 2012

Woody Allen's 'Bullets Over Broadway' Targets Broadway by David Rooney

The Oscar-winning 1994 crime caper will become the first of Woody Allen's films to get a screen-to-stage musical makeover.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter at 03:31PM[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