All stories by Jonathan Mandell on BroadwayStars

Friday, January 1, 2021

Watch New Year's Eve 2021: The Times Square Ball Drop, Concert For Peace, Natalie Douglas by Jonathan Mandell

Miss New Year's Eve 2021? Watch it below  " the festivities at Times Square, the annual Concert for Peace at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the annual Natalie Douglas New Year's Ev…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:41AM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 31, 2020

Ring IN The Old: Broadway Veterans age 89-106 by Jonathan Mandell

At a time when matters of mortality are taking center stage, let's ring in the new (and hopefully far better) year by saluting  Broadway veterans who are aged 89 to 106, many of them stil…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 02:57PM[SHARE]

Watch 20 Stunning Broadway Music Videos from 2020 by Jonathan Mandell

Below are ten stunning music videos put together by Broadway stars, often for a political cause,  some just for kicks (literally.) Then below those:  ten of the most popular videos I p…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 01:28AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Memorable New York stage moments I covered for DC Theatre Scene by Jonathan Mandell

Were there magical moments on New York stages in 2020? The question is debatable " just like the definition of "theater" is being debated " since nobody has been performing on any actual sta…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 11:32AM[SHARE]

Year-End Theater Quiz: A Look Back at 2020 by Jonathan Mandell

How much do you remember of this unprecedented year in theater?  (How much would anybody want to remember of 2020?) Answer these 20 questions to find out. Loading…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 07:58AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Theater Books of 2020 To Read in 2021 by Jonathan Mandell

Below is a list of theater books to read in 2021, most of which were published in 2020.‡ Click on the titles to find more information and to purchase these books, grouped under five…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:10AM[SHARE]
Monday, December 28, 2020

2020 as a Year of Sondheim. 2021 as a Year of Reinvention. #Stageworthy News of the Week by Jonathan Mandell

The year that's ending was one of shock and sorrow, but more uplifting to think of it as a year full of Sondheim " starting from the  New York Philharmonic's  "Celebrating Sondheim" co…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 08:52AM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 27, 2020

Top Posts of 2020: Hamilton on Stage, On Screen and in Japanese. Broadway from A to Z. 11 Interviews on What We've Lived Through by Jonathan Mandell

Below are some of the most popular posts and the best reads in 2020, starting with 11 interviews with theater makers and news makers about the theater-related issues and events in this most …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 02:14PM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 26, 2020

New Year's Eve 2021 in New York City: Last Minute Plans by Jonathan Mandell

This is my annual New Year's Eve last-minute guide to events that are still available on New Year's Eve 2021 (when 2020 turns into 2021) in New York City. Times Square. theater. concerts. di…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:11PM[SHARE]
Friday, December 25, 2020

Rest in Peace: Theater Community Members Who Died in 2020 by Jonathan Mandell

Below are some of the people from the theater community who died in 2020, listed alphabetically. Click on any photograph to read the caption. Also: In Memoriam to New York City's frontline h…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 11:05AM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 24, 2020

Trees the Musical and Mur its Creator by Jonathan Mandell

The artist who calls himself Mur has written a musical about trees. On the surface, artist and subject differ greatly. Trees can live for thousands of years; a spruce in Sweden is said to be…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 03:47PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Top 10 lists of Top 10 Theater in 2020: Take Me To The World by Jonathan Mandell

Yes, there was good theater this year, enough to fill the Top 10 lists below.  "Take Me To The World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration"  followed by "Russian Troll Farm," "The Line…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:33PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Review: From Feinstein's/54 Below, the return of Sondheim Unplugged by Jonathan Mandell

"Being Alive"and "Losing My Mind" " are there any better Sondheim songs to sing at the close of a year full of loss, unrequited yearning and obsession? That they are sung by performers who h…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 05:32PM[SHARE]

Sondheim Unplugged: Review, pics and video by Jonathan Mandell

"Being Alive"and "Losing My Mind" " are there any better Sondheim to sing at the close of a year full of loss, unrequited yearning and obsession? That they are sung by performers who have mo…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:34PM[SHARE]
Monday, December 21, 2020

Congress Agrees on $15 Billion Save Our Stages Bill As Part of Stimulus Plan. 2020 Summed Up. #Stageworthy News by Jonathan Mandell

Congressional leaders announced an agreement on a nearly $900 billion stimulus package on Sunday that includes some $15 billion for theaters and other cultural venues in the Save Our Stag…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 07:45AM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 20, 2020

My Vision of 2020 in Hindsight: 7 Trends in Theater Revisited by Jonathan Mandell

On January 1, 2020, I explored seven possible major theater trends  of the new decade, asking: What will the future of theater turn out to be? The future arrived abruptly without warning …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:07PM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 19, 2020

20 Favorite New York Stage Performances in 2020 by Jonathan Mandell

My ten favorite individual New York stage performances from 2020 are listed alphabetically, with explanations for my choices largely excerpted from my reviews. I say "New York stage performa…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 05:10PM[SHARE]
Friday, December 18, 2020

Holiday Shows 2020 Guide: All the Nutcrackers, A Christmas Carols and Other Annual Traditions You Love, This Year Online by Jonathan Mandell

The beloved annual holiday shows return this year with two distinct differences: All are online, and many are free. That includes the two oldest and best-known: Radio City Christmas Spectacu…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:28PM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 17, 2020

Review: Taylor Mac's Holiday Sauce Pandemic! by Jonathan Mandell

What kind of weird holiday show is this?  That was my initial reaction " not my usual reaction to a show by Taylor Mac, which is more  often: Wow ( to Hir, and A 24 Decade History o…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 11:36AM[SHARE]

Theater Heroes of 2020 by Jonathan Mandell

Many people in the theater community have stepped up to this moment of multiple crises, including those I detail below, listed roughly in alphabetical order. They stand in for all the others…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:16AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Taylor Mac's Holiday Sauce Pandemic! Review and Pics by Jonathan Mandell

What kind of weird holiday show is this?  That was my initial reaction…"Taylor Mac's Holiday Sauce Pandemic!" begins with the star looking like a tropical fruit monster, or as Mac had …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:17PM[SHARE]

Estella Scrooge Review: A Christmas Carol that twists like the Dickens by Jonathan Mandell

How do you make your "A Christmas Carol" so different that it stands out in a season piled high with streaming versions of Dickens' heartwarming tale? That seems to be the main aim of Stream…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 10:16AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 15, 2020

I Am Sending You The Sacred Face Review: A Drag Mother Teresa in a Christian Musical by Jonathan Mandell

A solo musical about Mother Teresa performed in drag inside a closet? This may sound like an irreverent campy nun musical boosted to greater sacrilege because she is now officially Saint Ter…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 06:04PM[SHARE]

Ann Reinking, 71, Mourned by Jonathan Mandell

Ann Reinking, Tony-winning choreographer, dancer, actor, Broadway veteran (Cabaret, Coco, Chicago, A Chorus Line, etc)  Bob Fosse's muse and lover, has died at the age of 71. The cause wa…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 07:13AM[SHARE]
Monday, December 14, 2020

Dancing in the Streets! August Wilson Lives! William Shakespeare Gets Vaccinated! #Stageworthy News by Jonathan Mandell

August Wilson will be a "forever" stamp starting in January, the U.S. Postal Service announced last week, but the playwright is already forever stamped on American culture, which is clearer …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 07:21AM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 13, 2020

Meet Me in St. Louis Review. 6 Reasons to Love the Irish Rep Stream by Jonathan Mandell

The first reason I love the Irish Repertory Theater's "performance on screen" of "Meet Me in St. Louis" will sound like a backhanded compliment: It got me to watch the original 1944 Judy Gar…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 12:03PM[SHARE]

André De Shields' Lifetime Achievement: How He Navigated His Theater Career Through Thick and Thin by Jonathan Mandell

On the occasion of 74-year-old André De Shields' lifetime achievement Audelco award, I resurrect this speech by the long-time Broadway veteran from a decade ago, before his newfound acclaim…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 10:01AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 12, 2020

Broadway Princess Holiday Party Review: Cinderella, Belle and Princess Jasmine go virtual at 54 Below by Jonathan Mandell

Even those who treat holiday cheer as a seasonal tyranny have to admire the pluck of the three Broadway princesses " Laura Osnes, Susan Egan and Courtney Reed (who portrayed Ella in Rodgers …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:30PM[SHARE]
Friday, December 11, 2020

Watch Nicole Kidman in Zazz. Read my review of The Prom by Jonathan Mandell

See  below a video of "Zazz," the musical number starring Nicole Kidman and Jo Ellen Pellman,  from The Prom, the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, released today on Netflix " t…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:27PM[SHARE]

One Night Only: The Best of Broadway. But was it the best? by Jonathan Mandell

For those who missed the special last night, NBC is offering  "One Night Only: The Best of Broadway" online.  I'm not sorry I saw it; among the pile-up of familiar songs from famili…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:19AM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 10, 2020

Broadway: Happy Hanukkah. The Folksbiene Chanukah Spectacular by Jonathan Mandell

Joel Grey sings "Give My Regards to Broadway" " in Yiddish. And he's not alone among the 50 performers of the Folksbiene Chanukah Spectacular, a fast-moving, entertaining 80 minutes that is …

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 07:06PM[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