All stories by Peter Filichia on BroadwayStars

Monday, May 25, 2015

The Most Underrated Musical of the New Millennium by Peter Filichia

By Peter FilichiaHow well I remember the early morning of Friday, March 15, 2002.I had to go out-of-town, and my friend Ken Bloom had volunteered to drive me to the airport, even though I wa…

SOURCE: Masterworks Broadway at 05:58PM[SHARE]

BELLS AND WHISTLES by Peter Filichia

Ghost is nearly see-through as a musical, but the special effect shine bright.

SOURCE: Theater News Online at 05:58PM[SHARE]

PLASTIC CROSS by Peter Filichia

A con man turns up in Sweetwater, Kansas, pretending to be a man of God and selling it in song.

SOURCE: Theater News Online at 05:58PM[SHARE]

BLOWING SMOKE by Peter Filichia

This show could be hazardous to your theatergoing health.

SOURCE: Theater News Online at 05:58PM[SHARE]
Friday, May 22, 2015

Filichia Features: Creating the Magic with Michael Presser by Peter Filichia

When Michael Presser was a wee student in junior high (which is what we used to call middle school), he opened up the newspaper and saw a full-page ad for the then-new musical HOW TO SUCCEED…

SOURCE: Music Theatre International at 09:45AM[SHARE]

'Filichia on Friday': The 2015 Broadway University Final Exam Answers' by Peter Filichia

It’s an honor to bring Peter Filichia’s column every week on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday’ to our readers on DCMetroTheaterArts. This Week:  Her…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:28AM[SHARE]

The 2015 Broadway University Final Exam Answers by Peter Filichia

All hail Fred Abramowitz, Jason Flum, Susan Berlin, Bill Bickel, Byrd Bonner, Brigadude, Gary Cherpakov, Seth Christenfeld, Dennis Dorner, Adrian Durlester, Paul Ford, Laura Frankos, Ingrid …

SOURCE: Kritzerland at 01:42AM[SHARE]
Saturday, May 16, 2015

'Filichia on Friday': 'Give Your Regards to Cagney and Creighton' by Peter Filichia

It’s an honor to bring Peter Filichia’s column every week on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday’ to our readers on DCMetroTheaterArts. This Week:  Giv…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, May 15, 2015

Filichia Features: The Gospel Truth on GODSPELL by Peter Filichia

On March 8, 1971, Stephen Schwartz " making all of $22.50 a week thanks to one of his songs — agreed to provide music and some additional lyrics for an upcoming off-Broadway show. Neve…

SOURCE: Music Theatre International at 11:03AM[SHARE]

GIVE YOUR REGARDS TO CAGNEY AND CREIGHTON by Peter Filichia

Come to the York Theatre Company and see Robert Creighton in drag. "What's he doing?" you ask. "LA CAGE? ROCKY HORROR? PAGEANT?" No, a musical about James Cagney.

SOURCE: Kritzerland at 03:18AM[SHARE]
Saturday, May 9, 2015

Filichia on Friday: 'The 2015 Broadway University Final Exam' by Peter Filichia

It’s an honor to bring Peter Filichia’s column every week on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday’ to our readers on DCMetroTheaterArts. This Week:  The…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:47AM[SHARE]
Friday, May 8, 2015

The 2015 Broadway University Final Exam by Peter Filichia

Musicals have always been consumed with time. Time signatures, curtain time, A TIME FOR SINGING. GOODTIME CHARLEY, "As Time Goes By" (which originated in a musical and not CASABLANCA), and T…

SOURCE: Kritzerland at 04:12AM[SHARE]
Friday, May 1, 2015

Filichia Features: PETER PAN Flies Once More by Peter Filichia

Go ahead. Name a star entrance that's greater than Peter Pan's. Try to name one that's more certain to get applause. You can't, can you? Of course, such PETER PAN stars as Mary Martin, Sandy…

SOURCE: Music Theatre International at 12:51PM[SHARE]

April's Leftovers and May's Brainteaser by Peter Filichia

I was excited to hear that Thornton Wilder's lost manuscript for A DAY IN SANTA FE has finally been found. Rumors had abounded for years that Wilder did not limit his full-length play output…

SOURCE: Kritzerland at 02:39AM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 26, 2015

Filichia on Friday: "Paris Makes Me Thorny" by Peter Filichia by Peter Filichia

It’s an honor to bring Peter Filichia’s column every week on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday’ to our readers on DCMetroTheaterArts. This Week:  Par…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 10:18AM[SHARE]
Friday, April 24, 2015

Filichia Features: The debut of THE LION KING, JR. by Peter Filichia

Spencer Lau was quite proud of his pride of lions, his cackle of hyenas and every other group of animals he'd put on stage. For Lau — the music director at Woodruff School in Seabrook,…

SOURCE: Music Theatre International at 11:01AM[SHARE]

PARIS MAKE ME THORNY by Peter Filichia

Of all the Oscar-winning films I've seen, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS is the one I like the least.

SOURCE: Kritzerland at 02:23AM[SHARE]
Friday, April 17, 2015

Filichia Features: When Alan Menken said "God Bless You" by Peter Filichia

If you were in college in the '60s and '70s, you were probably reading Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. even during the time you'd earmarked for physical science or calculus. The Baby Boomer generation wa…

SOURCE: Music Theatre International at 10:31AM[SHARE]

Filichia on Friday: 'Gigi's New Gig' by Peter Filichia

It’s an honor to bring Peter Filichia’s column every week on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday’ to our readers on DCMetroTheaterArts. This Week:  Gig…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 03:07AM[SHARE]

GIGI'S NEW GIG by Peter Filichia

Nine nominations yielded nine Oscars. Never before had a film with so many nominations made a clean sweep. But that's what GIGI achieved when it won the Academy Award for 1958's Best Picture…

SOURCE: Kritzerland at 02:16AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Hello, Hazel Flagg! by Peter Filichia

By Peter Filichia   If you didn't get to the Lion Theatre last month, then you missed your chance.   Musicals Tonight! did an excellent staged reading of Hazel Flagg.   At lea…

SOURCE: Masterworks Broadway at 02:58AM[SHARE]
Friday, April 10, 2015

Filichia Features: Lonny Price and SWEENEY TODD by Peter Filichia

So in 1970, when the nation was entranced with The Carpenters' "(They Long to Be) Close to You," Lonny Price was more interested in someone who didn't necessarily want a girlfriend to be clo…

SOURCE: Music Theatre International at 10:35AM[SHARE]

TWO NOTORIOUS THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES by Peter Filichia

Think of how joyous that Friday night must have been. Only five days earlier, the four-year war had ended. Now at last there could be unmitigated happiness. That was especially true in the n…

SOURCE: Kritzerland at 03:37AM[SHARE]
Monday, April 6, 2015

WHEN A LYRIC PICKS UP A NEW RELEVANCE by Peter Filichia

By Peter Filichia   Every now and then, a lyric written long ago assumes a new and suddenly relevant meaning.   That happened with the 1962 TV-special Julie and Carol at Carnegie H…

SOURCE: Masterworks Broadway at 09:41PM[SHARE]
Friday, April 3, 2015

'Filichia on Friday': 'If You Insist on Hearing My Opinion …' by Peter Filichia

It’s an honor to bring Peter Filichia’s column every week on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday’ to our readers on DCMetroTheaterArts. This Week:  If …

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 11:40AM[SHARE]

Filichia Features: My Own Version of March Madness by Peter Filichia

It was "The Road to the Final Four," as CBS Sports trumpeted all month long. The National Collegiate Athletic Association's College Basketball Tournament " more chummily known as "March Madn…

SOURCE: Music Theatre International at 10:46AM[SHARE]

If You Insist on Hearing My Opinion … by Peter Filichia

At first it was only a few, but then more and more of you wrote in. "Aren't you going to say anything about FISH IN THE DARK?" I answered "Well, you know what they say. If you haven't anythi…

SOURCE: Kritzerland at 01:57AM[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