Ella Briggs, Duke Lafoon and the cast Photo Credit: Diane Sobolewski By Ed Lieberman Christmas came early to the Goodspeed Opera House this year, in the form of a new production of A Wonderful Life, the Sheldon Harnick (book and lyrics)/Joe Raposo (music) adaptation of the iconic Frank Capra holiday film, It’s a Wonderful Life, which…
By Ed Lieberman One of the truly ground breaking Broadway musicals of all time in a gorgeous must-see production. WBT has another hit on its hands! The “Cotton Blossom” riverboat has steamed its way north to the Hudson and anchored in Elmsford for a three month layover. Cap’n Andy and crew are putting on…
Paul Alexander Nolan and Megan McGinnis by Michall Jeffers One thing’s for sure; if you put on a play with only two actors, they better be really good. Daddy Long Legs is most fortunate in having Megan McGinnis as the orphan Jerusha, and Paul Alexander Nolan as her benefactor, Jervis. Nolan is handsome, earnest,…
Darien Crago (Ginger Rogers) and Jeremy Benton (Fred Astaire). Photos by John Vecchiolla by Eugene Paul If you were ungallant enough to compare the star original, Ginger Rogers, to her enactor, Darien Crago, star of the current bio-musical Backwards in High Heels, you’d end up with our silver screen favorite winning big in the…
By Parker Sargent David Auxier has penned a musical called The Engaygement, that keeps with the tradition of Gilbert and Sullivan (clearly his greatest influences), but brings their style of humor and pathos into the twenty-first century. With a cast of only six performers, Auxier has found a way to tell a big story…
Photos by John Vecchiolla. By Ed Lieberman A nostalgic look at religion and morality from the flower-power generation In an era of irreverent, cynical and even snarky shows using religion and religious groups as their theme or backdrop (i.e. Book of Mormon, An Act of God, Hand to God), Westchester BroadwayTheatre takes us…
–L to R: TORI MURRAY as Tina Denmark and KIM MARESCA as her mother photos Carol Rosegg by Glenn Giron Ruthless! spends 90 minutes poking fun at the structure and ideals of American musical comedies and movie musicals. Writer and director Joel Paley, who helmed the original 92′ Off-Broadway production, hasn’t written a single…
Jonathan Groff & Aaron Lazar photos by Joan Marcus by Julia Polonsky Bravo to all the artists involved in re-imagining and updating William Finn’s A New Brain for Encores! Off-Center. The endlessly talented James Lapine not only co-authored A New Brain, but directs this production, with gusto and brio and smashing style. Encores! Off Center productions, which are effectively staged…
Ever After at Paper Mill Playhouse; Photo by Jerry Dalia; Margo Seibert (Danielle) and James Snyder (Henry). by David Schultz Paper Mill Playhouse is currently presenting the world premiere of a new musical based on the 1989 film. Fairy tale musicals have been around a very long time, and this new riff on the fairy…
Ruthie Ann Miles, Jose Llana Photo by Joan Marcus by Stewart Schulman There’s a new trend in musical theater, and it seems to be taking the industry by storm. It involves attempting to tell a story with as little traditional ‘book’ as possible. For example: String a libretto of pop-rock-style songs together. Hire an…