Category: Musicals
Seeing My Story in 'Avenue Q'
By RONNI KRASNOW
In honor of the musical's 15th anniversary, a fan looks back at how the musical continues to impact her life
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I was already in my mid-thirties when Avenue Q debuted Off-Broadway in 2003 at the Vineyard Theatre. Even though the fresh-out-of-college puppet protagonist Princeton (originally performed by John Tartaglia) was a generation younger than...
How a Nashville Songwriter Penned a New Jersey Rock Musical
By BRIAN SCOTT LIPTON
Mark Allen makes his Broadway debut with Gettin' the Band Back Together
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Nashville-born Mark Allen published his first song when he was just ten years old and spent his early years collaborating with country and gospel performers. But Broadway has always been his dream. The 39 year old has finally arrived with Gettin' the Band Back Together, a...
What's It Like to Star in a Cult Musical?
By RAVEN SNOOK
Stephanie Hsu on why her role in Be More Chill is so groundbreaking
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Stephanie Hsu realized something was happening when she started getting tagged in fan art of her Be More Chill character: theatre-obsessed teenager Christine Canigula. She was surprised that young people from all over the world had discovered an obscure musical that only ran for...
Big, Blonde and Beautiful in Her Broadway Debut
By RAVEN SNOOK
How Bonnie Milligan is breaking body stereotypes in Head Over Heels
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From the very first reading of the Go-Go's musical Head Over Heels in 2014, Bonnie Milligan knew she was perfect for the part of Pamela, a hilariously narcissistic Elizabethan princess. That's probably because the show's original book writer, Avenue Q Tony winner Jeff Whitty,...
Which Broadway Choreographer Is Making His NYC Directorial Debut?
By LAUREN PHOENIX KAY
How Joshua Bergasse is putting his own stamp on Smokey Joe's Cafe
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At a recent matinee of the Off-Broadway revival of Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Leiber & Stoller, iconic numbers such as "On Broadway" and "Hound Dog" inspired audience members to sing and dance in their seats. During "Stand By Me," an entire throng jumped up, all clapping...
Resurrecting Old New York in 'This Ain't No Disco'
By MICHAEL MARTIN
How set designer Jason Sherwood put Studio 54, The Mudd Club and Andy Warhol's Factory all on one stage
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How do you conjure three legendary hot spots from New York's past in an intimate Off-Broadway venue? That's the formidable challenge 28-year-old scenic designer Jason Sherwood faced with This Ain't No Disco at Atlantic Theater Company. A world-premiere...
How to Decide What to See at the New York Musical Festival
By RAVEN SNOOK & SHANI R. FRIEDMAN
Our guide to the 15th annual event
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The New York Musical Festival kicks off next week with a slew of tuneful offerings in Midtown. Since its founding in 2004, NYMF has helped launch more than 400 new musicals, many of which have gone on to bigger stages, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal. This year's edition features a dozen shows...
How Classic Musicals Are Being Reimagined Off-Broadway
By RAVEN SNOOK
See fresh takes on Fiddler on the Roof, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and Carmen Jones
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Off-Broadway is often a destination for adventurous theatre, free from the commercial constraints of keeping a production running on the Great White Way. So it's intriguing that this summer, three nonprofit companies have chosen to revive classic Broadway...