All stories by Jan Simpson on BroadwayStars

Saturday, February 24, 2018

"In the Body of the World" is an Ego Trip by Jan Simpson

It's been 20 years since the dance critic Joan Acocella declared that she wouldn't critique a piece that the choreographer Bill T. Jones had centered on terminally ill people and his own dia…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:04AM[SHARE]

Stagecraft: Martyna Majok, queens by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway.   Guest: Martyna…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM[SHARE]
Saturday, February 17, 2018

Celebrating B&Me's 11th Anniversary by Jan Simpson

It's hard to believe that I've been writing this blog for 11 years but that's what the calendar tells me. As longtime readers may remember, I posted a "Curtain-Raiser" on Feb. 14, 2007 (I've…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:27AM[SHARE]
Saturday, February 10, 2018

"[porto]" is a Romcom for Millennials to Love by Jan Simpson

[Porto],  And judging by the knowing laughter from the 20- and 30-somethings in the audience at the performance I attended, she's hit her intended mark.the oddly punctuated romantic com…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:32AM[SHARE]
Saturday, February 3, 2018

"Fire and Air" Fails to Ignite Any Passion by Jan Simpson

The creative ferment at the beginning of the last century rivaled that of the Renaissance. Painters like Pablo Picasso and Vasily Kandisnky restructured painting. Composers like Claude Debus…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:07AM[SHARE]
Saturday, January 27, 2018

"Balls" Falls Too Short of Its Ambitious Goals by Jan Simpson

People don't usually make too big a deal about a 45th anniversary. After all, the much more impressive-sounding 50th is so close. But the 1973 match between Billie Jean King, a 29-year-old t…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:51AM[SHARE]
Saturday, January 20, 2018

Why I Didn't Love "Stories By Heart" by Jan Simpson

When theater lovers want to express their deep devotion to an actor as formidably talented as John Lithgow, they often say they would be content to listen to him if he were just reading the …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 07:51AM[SHARE]

Stagecraft: Kyle Jarrow, SpongeBob SquarePants by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Kyle Jarrow…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM[SHARE]
Saturday, January 6, 2018

Dethroning "Farinelli and the King" by Jan Simpson

Is Mark Rylance the greatest actor of our time? Over the course of a three-decade career, he's won three Tonys, two Oliviers and an Oscar. Last year, the Queen knighted him for his service t…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:31AM[SHARE]

Stagecraft: Robert O'Hara, Mankind by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway.   Guest: Robe…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 30, 2017

Some of My Favorite Theater Things in 2017 by Jan Simpson

As usual, I'm late to the party of 10 Bests Lists. All the others began going up the moment Christmas trees started sprouting on New York City street corners. But my tardiness matters even l…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:06AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 23, 2017

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas... by Jan Simpson

...a belated Happy Chanukah, a tardy Good Winter Solstice, a slightly premature Joyous Kwaanza and the all-pervasive hope that however you celebrate it, your holiday season will sparkle with…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:24AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 16, 2017

Turning on the Ghost Light, Again by Jan Simpson

It's been a month since I've turned on the ghost light that theaters use when they're empty and that I use to signal that there will be no regular post today. And I'm not happy about doing i…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:33AM[SHARE]

Stagecraft: Seth Zvi Rosenfeld, Downtown Race Riot by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Seth Zvi Rosen…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 9, 2017

How I Got Stranded by "Once on This Island" by Jan Simpson

It's no fun being a party-pooper. But that's the role I find myself in when it comes to the revival of Once on This Island, the Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flahaerty musical that opened this wee…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 12:06PM[SHARE]

Stagecraft: Sarah Gancher, Hundred Days by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Sarah Gancher …

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 09:00AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 2, 2017

"School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play" Scores High Grades Across the Board by Jan Simpson

The actress Jocelyn Bioh was a total delight in such shows as An Octoroon, Men on Boats and Everybody, bringing an extra zip to every line she spoke. So I figured a play Bioh wrote might be …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:24AM[SHARE]

Stagecraft: David Cale, Author of Harry Clarke by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: David Cale Dav…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 06:00AM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 25, 2017

Too Pooped to Turn on the Ghost Light by Jan Simpson

No post today. And I'm too pooped to even turn on the ghost light that usually indicates I'm taking a break. Here's why: Over the past week, I've:'taped my first episode of TheatreTalk …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 01:06PM[SHARE]

Stagecraft: Rajiv Joseph, Author of Describe the Night by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Rajiv Joseph R…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 18, 2017

"The Portuguese Kid" is Totally Juvenile by Jan Simpson

Nobody bats a thousand. It's unfair of us theater lovers to expect our favorite writers and directors to knock one out of the park (last sports metaphor, I promise) each time they come up wi…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:48AM[SHARE]
Thursday, November 16, 2017

Stagecraft: Sarah DeLappe, Author of The Wolves by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Sarah DeLappe …

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 04:22PM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 11, 2017

"People, Places & Things" is a Good Thing by Jan Simpson

The story that British playwright Duncan Macmillan tells in People, Places & Things isn't new. But the brilliant way in which this tale about a woman's struggles with alcoholism and addi…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:06AM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 5, 2017

Stagecraft: Itamar Moses, book writer of "The Band's Visit" by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Itamar Moses I…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 06:00PM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 4, 2017

"After the Blast" Finds Uplift in a Dystopia by Jan Simpson

In these challenging times, a play that makes a convincing argument for why it's important to continue on despite overwhelming odds is especially welcomed. And that's exactly what LCT3's pro…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:12AM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 28, 2017

"The Home Place" is Underfurnished by Jan Simpson

All the comments I overhead at the Irish Repertory Theatre Company's revival of Brian Friel's The Home Place seemed to be about the set. Decorated with prettily painted flats and lots o…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:04AM[SHARE]
Friday, October 27, 2017

Stagecraft: Steve Dietz, author of "Lonely Planet" by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Steve Dietz…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 02:44PM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 21, 2017

Moments Linger in "Time and the Conways" by Jan Simpson

The word sentimental has become one of the deepest insults you can hurl at a play. But I don't mind a bit of sentimentality if it's done well. And although the Roundabout Theatre Company's r…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:18AM[SHARE]
Friday, October 20, 2017

Stagecraft: Anna Ziegler, author of "The Last Match" by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Anna Ziegle…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 04:07PM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 14, 2017

Stagecraft: Max Posner, author of "The Treasurer" by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Max Posner …

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 12:00PM[SHARE]

"Tiny Beautiful Things" is Too Small for Me by Jan Simpson

Sometimes you need to just follow your gut when it comes to deciding whether or not to see a show.  My gut told me Tiny Beautiful Things wouldn't be for me. But I wanted …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:12AM[SHARE]

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