All stories by Jonathan Mandell on BroadwayStars

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Constellations Review: Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson Lick Elbows, Cosmically by Jonathan Mandell

"Constellations" is a kind of stage version of the film "Groundhog Day" except instead of Bill Murray endlessly repeating a single day, Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson " both making their Br…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:37PM[SHARE]

Happy Birthday James Earl Jones #84thBeWithYou by Jonathan Mandell

James Earl Jones, currently appearing in “You Can’t Take It With You,” his 19th Broadway production, was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi on January 17, 1931 – 84 years…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, January 16, 2015

Stephen Sondheim and Hal Prince, Old Friends/Now You Know by Jonathan Mandell

“Putting together an evening of Sondheim material has become almost impossible,” explained David Loud, who just put together an evening of Sondheim songs — some of the most…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 03:38PM[SHARE]

Heidi Chronicles Marquee Slideshow by Jonathan Mandell

These images flash across the marquee of Broadway’s Music Box Theater where a revival of The Heidi Chronicles by Wendy Wasserstein, starring Elisabeth Moss, Jason Biggs and Bryce Pinkh…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 01:56AM[SHARE]
Thursday, January 15, 2015

Honeymoon in Vegas Review: Tony Danza Seduces in Old-Fashioned Broadway Dessert by Jonathan Mandell

When mid-way through "Honeymoon in Vegas," Tony Danza is handed a ukulele and serenades Brynn O'Malley, there's something so charming about him, in a low-key way — although he plays a …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 07:30PM[SHARE]

2015 Oscar Nominations by Jonathan Mandell

Birdman, the film about Broadway (sort of), received nine Oscars nominations, the most of any film, matched only by The Grand Budapest Hotel. A couple of new Oscar nominees are currently in …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:07AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Cultural Sensitivity or Censorship? Three Tales, Many Questions by Jonathan Mandell

The terrorist killing of French cartoonists was so shocking that it might seem offensive, at least initially, to pair that story with two happening in North Carolina. Tonight was the culmina…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 11:34PM[SHARE]
Monday, January 12, 2015

The Good Wife Gets A Theater Award. On Broadway: Jennifer Hudson Debuts; Chita Rivera Returns; Helen Hayes Disappears? Week in New York Theater by Jonathan Mandell

The Good Wife is getting a theater award, which seems to raise the question yet again: What does “theater” mean in an age of screens? (See link in January 9th below) In this case…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 10:55AM[SHARE]
Saturday, January 10, 2015

Chita Theater " Chita Rivera, 60 Years on Broadway by Jonathan Mandell

Chita Rivera, who turns 82 on January 23, will star on Broadway once again as the richest woman in the world who returns to her hometown set on revenge in "The Visit," the last Kander-Ebb co…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:15AM[SHARE]
Friday, January 9, 2015

Watch: Lea Michele Sings Let It Go in Glee Final Season by Jonathan Mandell

The Oscar-winning song by Bobby Lopez and Kristin Anderson-Lopez gets a new workout in the premiere episode of the sixth and final season of Glee. Here is the original version from the anima…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 10:36AM[SHARE]

Live Theater in the Age of Screens by Jonathan Mandell

At a time when the most talked about "theater" is happening on screens " Peter Pan Live, Into The Woods, and now Galavant — has the definition of theater changed? Can you call it theat…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 12:35AM[SHARE]
Thursday, January 8, 2015

#JeSuisCharlie #CharlieHebdo: Cartoonists Respond by Jonathan Mandell

The world continues to respond to the murder Wednesday of 12 people in the offices of the satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo by masked terrorists – especially the world’s c…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 03:15AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Theater Vs. Theatre, Revisited by Jonathan Mandell

Another publication for which I write has decided after several years to switch from spelling theater the standard American way — “theater” — to the British “th…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 07:57PM[SHARE]

Disgraced: Win Signed Script, Playbill. Closing Too Early? by Jonathan Mandell

Win a script signed by the playwright or a Playbill signed by the entire cast of Disgraced, the Pulitzer Prize winning play by Ayad Akhtar that just announced it will close on Broadway on Ma…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 02:09PM[SHARE]

What To See, Spring 2015. Closing: The Last Ship, Disgraced, Cabaret. Week of New York Theater by Jonathan Mandell

This week, six shows closed on Broadway and three more announced they would be closing, in the theater's brutal version of ringing out the old. But it was also a week to ring in the new. I p…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:00AM[SHARE]
Monday, January 5, 2015

January 2015 Openings Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway by Jonathan Mandell

If January is traditionally considered a kind of theatrical time out after the theatergoing intensity of the holidays — a time to take stock of the year ahead (here’s my Broadway…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 08:35AM[SHARE]
Sunday, January 4, 2015

Off-Broadway Spring 2015 Theater Guide by Jonathan Mandell

Live theater is supposed to exist only for the moment, but some of the biggest hits Off-Broadway are returning for the Spring 2015 season. Two of them, “Fun Home” and “Hand…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 07:27PM[SHARE]
Saturday, January 3, 2015

Winter Theater Festivals in New York City 2015 by Jonathan Mandell

January is the month for theater festivals in New York – more than at any time other than the summer - The reason these festivals have blossomed over the past decade is the pr…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:40PM[SHARE]

Poll: Most Exciting Broadway Spring 2015 Show? by Jonathan Mandell

Choose the show that you are most looking forward to. The list below is for shows that have opening dates on Broadway in Spring 2015 as of this writing, and they are listed chronologically b…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 01:21AM[SHARE]
Friday, January 2, 2015

Broadway Theater Spring 2015 Preview Guide by Jonathan Mandell

Below are the shows scheduled to open in Broadway theaters between January and April, 2015, listed chronologically by opening date. This is a work in progress. I don’t mean I have stuf…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 05:28PM[SHARE]
Thursday, January 1, 2015

60-Hour Record-Breaking Cabaret Show at Metropolitan Room by Jonathan Mandell

Tony Danza, Richard Pryor Jr., Christine Pedi and cabaret legend Marilyn Maye are among the at least TWO HUNDRED SIXTY FIVE people planning to perform at The Metropolitan Room starting this …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:37PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Magical Moments on Stage in 2014 by Jonathan Mandell

Many of the most magical moments on stage are purely visual, such as the breathtaking sunsets in “The Oldest Boy” this year at Lincoln Center, or the astonishing effects that the…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 02:04PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 30, 2014

New York Theater December 2014 Quiz by Jonathan Mandell

How well were you paying attention to the theater news in the month, and the year? Answer these 13 questions and find out.

SOURCE: New York Theater at 08:57AM[SHARE]
Monday, December 29, 2014

Best-Read Stories in 2014 on NewYorkTheater.Me by Jonathan Mandell

Continuing a tradition I started when I began this blog " here are the most-read stories of 2013 and of 2012 – here are the most-read reviews and essays that I wrote in 2014. …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 10:07PM[SHARE]

New Year's Eve in New York City 2015 Last Minute Plans by Jonathan Mandell

The Broadway show schedule for New Year’s week, and a list of other shows, parties, concerts, intimate dinners, cruises and outdoor events you can still do on New Year's Eve 2015 (when…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 02:11PM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 28, 2014

Celebrating: The Best of 2014, Into The Woods, Broadway Movies. Week in New York Theater by Jonathan Mandell

What if Into The Woods had been directed by Vincente Minnelli for MGM around, say, 1949. “The theater is one of the few places left in the bright and noisy world where we sit in the qu…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 08:22PM[SHARE]

100 Essays I Don't Have Time To Write…Sarah Ruhl's Tweets on Theater by Jonathan Mandell

Sarah Ruhl is the only playwright who’s an author of one of the 100 Notable Books of 2014 selected by the New York Times – and the book they selected is not a play.  It is …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 01:34PM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 27, 2014

Top (and Weirdest) Theater Stories of 2014. by Jonathan Mandell

The year 2014 in theater was one of protest, and of cult obsessions " theater people trying to engage in the wider world, and retreating from it. It was the year of critic bashing, and the y…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 02:13PM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 25, 2014

Into the Woods Movie Review and Photographs: Disney Does Sondheim by Jonathan Mandell

The long-awaited, visually sumptuous film version of "Into The Woods" is likely to please theatergoers who are already fans of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's clever 1987 musical mashup …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 02:30AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Religion on Broadway by Jonathan Mandell

The shows this season that have touched on religion offer different approaches, as I point out in an article in Howlround entitled "Does God Exist on Stage? Theater and Religion"  Some ri…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 11:33AM[SHARE]
Monday, December 22, 2014

Some 60 Artistic Directors Protest Dismissal of Ari Roth From Theater J by Jonathan Mandell

The following is the text of letter protesting the dismissal of Ari Roth as the artistic director of Theater J in Washington D.C. "We, the undersigned Artistic Directors, are outraged by the…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 01:11PM[SHARE]

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