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Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Monday, June 8, 2026
Here Are Your 2026 Tony Award Winners!
Best Musical: Schmigadoon! Best Play: Liberation Best Revival of a Musical: Ragtime Best Revival of a Play: Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Joshua Henry, Ragtime Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Caissie Levy, Ragtime Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: John Lithgow, Giant Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play: Lesley Manville, Oedipus Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Lost Boys Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Laurie Metcalf, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Best Direction of a Musical: Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: The Jellicle Ball Best Direction of a Play: Joe Mantello, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman Technical categories continued here. |
Tony Telecast:Trashy; Tony Awards: Tremendous!
The raunchiest parts revolved around the segments dedicated to The Rocky Horror Picture show and The Jellicle Ball. When you throw in the barely-clothed performer known as "Pink" as the host, well -- salacious can only begin describe it all. In fact, even some of the commercials were questionable and loaded with double entendres.
But, having said that, the awards themselves were conveyed upon the most traditional, wide audience nominees. The grand and glorious American saga musical Ragtime defeated the smutty Jellicle Ball and The Rocky Horror Picture Show for best revival of a musical -- an upset that most experts weren't expecting. The classic Death of a Salesman won best revival of a play. Let's face it: you can't find a more certified, blue-chip American drama than Salesman. Best musical honors were bestowed upon Schmigadoon, a unabashed, tongue-in-cheek homage to the big old-fashioned American musical. And while the best drama winner Liberation delves into the socio-political aspects of the women's movement, it uses the traditional format of a memory play and even incorporates an Our Town style narrator.
So, as much as Broadway attempted to shock last night, the evening's real winners played to Broadway's well-known strengths: serious, thought-provoking drama; sweeping, epic themes and sheer entertainment with talented casts, amazing vocalists and dazzling choreography.
Ragtime provides us with the best example of Broadway's return to what Broadway does best. The show succeeds because it's blessed with a very strong storyline -- one that everyone in the audience can grasp, incorporating characters that people can identify with. What's more, the music and lyrics are soaring and melodic. It's clearly the most robust, full-throated show on Broadway right now. And, to top it all off, Ragtime is a genuine heart-tugger. It's right up there with Carousel and Show Boat for its emotional impact.
We saw the original production of Ragtime in 1996. It's sheer grandeur blew us away then and, if anything, age has only made the show more meaningful and seemingly more magnificent.
Yes, the Tony Awards telecast left a lot to be desired. But the awards themselves gave us new hope for a Broadway that is journeying back to its roots and doing so with pride and penache!
Avanti!
Sunday, June 7, 2026
Our Predictions For Tonight's TONY AWARDS!
Here's who will win Broadway's Tony Awards tonight:
Best musical: SCHMIGADOON
Best musical revival: THE JELLICLE BALL
Best actress, musical: Caissie Levy, Ragtime
Best actor, musical: Joshua Henry, Ragtime
Best featured actress, musical: Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys
Best director, musical: Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, The Jellicle Ball
Best play: LIBERATION
Best play revival: DEATH OF A SALESMAN
Best actress, play: Lesley Manville, Oedipus
Best actor, play: John Lithgow, Giant
Best featured actress, play: Laurie Metcalf, Death of a Salesman
Best featured actor, play: Christopher Abbott, Death of a Salesman
Best director, play: Joe Mantello, Death of a Salesman
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
One Of Broadway's Most Famous Stunts!
David Merrick’s classic ad for the 1961 Broadway musical SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING, shown above.
Faced with lukewarm reviews, Merrick devised an elaborate stunt to bring it publicity. He found seven people who happened to have the same names as seven well-known theater critics.
He then invited these seven people to a free performance of the play and afterwards wined and dined them until they agreed to let him use their names in the ad. It was entirely truthful. Richard Watts really did say that the play was "a knockout from start to finish." However, the theater critic Richard Watts had never said those words.
Merrick later confessed that he had wanted to pull off this stunt for many years. But he couldn't find a person with the same name as the famous critic Brooks Atkinson of the Times. When Atkinson retired in 1961, Merrick seized his opportunity
H/T: Casey Childs
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Who's Coming To B'way, From Where, And Why?
Here is the breakdown summarizing 2025 from The Broadway League:
- Broadway welcomed 14.7 million attendees, the second-highest total ever recorded.
- One-quarter of all admissions came from New York City residents.
- Under 13% of tickets were purchased by people from NYC suburbs, a 30-year low. This is cause for concern, and Broadway must address it!
- 42% of audience members were visitors from other parts of the United States
- 20% came from international travelers.
- Gender identity breakdown: 63% female, 32% male, 5% non-binary/gender-fluid/other.
- The average attendee age was 41. This is good news as the age is lowering, meaning B'way is attracting younger audiences.
- 34% of audiences identified as BIPOC, the highest in three decades. BIPOC is Black, indigenous and people of color.
- Among those 25 years and older, 83% had a college degree and 43% held a graduate degree.
- Theatregoers reported an average household income of $276,465.
- The average person saw 5.4 shows, up from 4.7 last season.
- “Super-attendees” who saw 15+ shows made up 8% of the audience but bought 40%of all tickets.
- 53% said they’re attending more shows than five years ago; 27% are attending the same amount.
- 94% plan to see another Broadway show in the future. This is an impressive figure and shows that B'way has staying power.
- The average ticket price paid was $145.70, down from $154.70. Once again, this is good news -- lower ticket prices make B'way more accessible to more people.
- Personal recommendations remained the top factor for choosing a show.
- Instagram was the most commonly cited source of Broadway information. Note the dramatic shift here to social media -- and a social media platform that reaches a younger audience.
- Tickets were typically purchased 33 days before the performance.
- 22% of attendees work in New York City.
Monday, December 1, 2025
Blue Moon: A Broken HeART For Every Light . . .
As those of you who follow this blog know, we are are huge Broadway fans So, we were were really looking forward to Richard Linklater's new movie Blue Moon about the last days of Rodgers and Hart and the first night of Rodgers and Hammerstein. We hoped to see it on the big screen but it didn't hang around long enough at a local theater for us to catch it. So, we paid $19.95 to watch it on Apple TV and we can say that it was absolutely worth it, and we're here to tell you why
Director Linklater’s Blue Moon is a moody, beautifully contained portrait of lyricist Lorenz Hart on the night Oklahoma! premieres — the moment Broadway shifts away from the world he once ruled. Ethan Hawke delivers a stunning, career-peak performance, capturing Hart’s quick wit, aching vulnerability, and corrosive self-doubt with a rawness that never feels theatrical, even when the film intentionally leans into stage-like visual devices.
It's a very tightly contained movie that details one night in the life of the principals and it all takes place within the confines of the legendary theatrical haunt, Sardi's in Manhattan. Because of this the movie can seem a bit claustrophobic at times and, we must warn you, it is very wordy. But the entire cast is so good and the performances are so polished that these limitations are easily overcome.And Blue Moon is a movie that naturally leans into conversation and memory, all propelled by Hawke’s merciless charisma. It’s the sort of intimate filmmaking that we don't find anymore and it's bound to please fans of actor-driven period pieces and anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes aches of creative life. Hawke, who's in every frame of this movie, is a near certain Oscar nominee and several members of the supporting cast could be in the running as well.
Margaret Qualley brings warmth and subtle tension as the young woman who becomes Hart’s accidental confessor, while Andrew Scott offers a cool, understated turn as Richard Rodgers, hinting at the creative and emotional struggles beneath their legendary partnership. As Hart's bartender and patient listener, Bobby Cannavale is a street smart counselor, best friend and willing one-man audience all rolled into one.
There's an extended scene with Rodgers and Hart alone amidst a crowd of admirers where you get the sense that their's was a bromance that survived overwhelming early fame only to wither amidst the same ying and yang that brought them together in the first place. Rodgers was the deliberate, focused craftsman while Hart was the jittery, obsessive and ultimately self-destructive auteur who was nonetheless a lyrical genius. One can only imagine what might have been if they had more years together.
Linklater uses this intimate chamber piece to evoke the glittering Broadway of the 1920s–40s — a world shaped by Rodgers & Hart’s sophisticated, slangy, emotionally complex songs — and to show how that era gave way to the integrated, story-driven musicals of Rodgers & Hammerstein. In the process, Blue Moon becomes both an elegy for a vanished musical style and a bruising character study of a man who helped define it.
For all its wit and polish, this is not a cheerful story. Hart was a tortured soul -- acerbic, alcoholic, sexually confused and lonely. But show business is a tough racket, darlings. And you know the old saw: there's a broken heart (or, in this case Hart) for every light on Broadway.
Quiet, smart, and unexpectedly haunting, Blue Moon lingers long after the final fade-out.
Friday, November 14, 2025
Friday, October 17, 2025
287 B'way Shows! How Many Have YOU Seen?
I decided to make a list of every Broadway show I've ever seen.
And the list kept growing and growing and growing. So far I've got 287. I've just added another to the list and am about to add yet another.
Mind you, I've seen some of these shows two or three times.I've put an asterisk (*) next to some of my very favorites. I've put a pound (#) next to some of the shows I've seen more than once. And the tilde (~) represents shows that flopped.
This is still an incomplete list, but here it is up to this point:
A Bronx Tale
All American~
Amelie
Anastasia
Any Wednesday
Beetlejuice
Brigadoon
Butterflies Are Free
Coco
End Of Te Rainbow
Fiorello#
Forty Carats
Grand Hotel#
Groundhog Day
Here's Love~
I Do, I Do
I Married An Angel
It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman
Love Never Dies~
Mack & Mabel
Marat/Sade
Network
Oh! What A Lovely War
Once On This Island
Play It Again, Sam
Present Laughter
Pretty Woman
Prince of Broadway
Romulus~
She Loves Me
Shuffle Along*
Sponge Bob Square Pants
The Band Wagon
The Band's Visit
The Front Page
The Happy Time
The New Yorkers
Tootsie*
Waitress
War Paint
Legend:
* personal fave
# seen more than once
~ flop
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Monday, June 9, 2025
The Complete List Of 2025 Tony Winners!
It was Broadway's Biggest Night last night and it did not disappoint.
Here's the wrap up on the 2025 Tony Awards and the comple list of winners:
Here are the Tony wins by show:
Many Happy Endings – 6
Buena Vista Social Club – 4
Stranger Things: The First Shadow – 3
Sunset Blvd. – 3
Oh, Mary! – 2
The Picture Of Dorian Gray – 2
Purpose – 2
Death Becomes Her – 1
Eureka Day – 1
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical – 1
Yellow Face – 1
And now, the list:
Best Musical
Maybe Happy Ending
Best Play
Purpose
Best Revival of a Play
Eureka Day
Best Revival of a Musical
Sunset Blvd.
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending (shown above)
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Kara Young, Purpose
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether and 59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending
Best Costume Design of a Play
Marg Horwell, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Jack Knowles, Sunset Blvd.
Best Sound Design of a Play
Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans, Buena Vista Social Club
Best Direction of a Play
Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary!
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending
Best Choreography
Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, Buena Vista Social Club
Best Orchestrations
Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club
Best Book of a Musical
Maybe Happy Ending Will Aronson and Hue Park
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Maybe Happy Ending Music: Will Aronson Lyrics: Will Aronson and Hue Park
Thursday, June 5, 2025
Tony Memories: Mary And Ethel . . .
When you've seen this much, chances are you've experienced most of greats when they were at the top of their form. And yes, I've seen Robert Preston and Carol Channing and Gwen Verdon and Liza Minelli and Jerry Orbach and Sammy Davis Jr. and Gloria Swanson and Julie Harris and Angela Lansbury and so many others all live, on stage. But two of the greatest that still stand out were the two undisputed reigning Queens of Broadway -- Ethel Merman and Mary Martin. What a joy it was to be able to witness their incandescent talent!
Mary Martin and Ethel Merman were towering figures of Broadway’s golden age—two women whose names became synonymous with the very essence of American musical theatre from the 1930s into the 1960s. Though their careers unfolded on the same grand stages, their paths, styles, and legacies reflect two very different sides of the Broadway coin, or for that matter the Tony Award itself, as both were Tony winners.
Mary Martin exuded warmth. With a lilting soprano voice, radiant smile, and natural grace, she brought a sense of sweetness and emotional depth to her roles. Audiences fell in love with her as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific, as the boy who wouldn't grow up in Peter Pan, and as the optimistic Maria in The Sound of Music. She became the quintessential Rodgers and Hammerstein heroine—wholesome, sincere, and utterly captivating. Her performances were not about overpowering the audience but about drawing them in. There was an emotional intimacy to Martin’s work; she seemed to sing from the heart, and her characters always felt grounded in a kind of gentle truth. I had the unique experience of seeing Martin perform both in concert and in a Broadway show and all of these qualities were on full display.
Ethel Merman, by contrast, was Broadway’s brass and bravado. With a booming mezzo-soprano that could cut through a full orchestra without amplification, Merman didn’t just sing—she belted. Her voice and her stage presence were larger than life. She commanded attention in every scene, whether as the sharp-shooting Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, the evangelist-turned-singer Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, or the fearsome Mama Rose in Gypsy, a role many critics consider the greatest female role in musical theatre. Where Martin soothed, Merman soared. She reveled in big, brassy showstoppers and punchy comedic timing, representing the quintessential showbiz dynamo. I also saw Merman in concert and on the Broadway stage in Annie Get Your Gun. Even in front of a full symphony orchestra, she never needed a microphone.
At the 1960 Tony Awards both Martin and Merman were nominated for Best Actress in a Musical, Merman for Gypsy and Martin for The Sound of Music. Merman's performance was a dazzling tour de force and she gave it her all, leaving everything on the stage. But Martin won the Tony for portraying Maria von Trapp whose story included her time as a novitiate. Merman's comment? "How are you gonna buck a nun?"
Their differences extended beyond performance styles. Martin was often described as gracious and maternal offstage—quietly influential and beloved by colleagues. Merman, meanwhile, had a famously bold personality. She was tough, outspoken, and unapologetically direct, much like the characters she played. While Martin worked closely with Rodgers and Hammerstein, Merman was the darling of composers like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and the Gershwins—masters of the pre-“book musical” era who valued vocal fireworks and vaudevillian flair.
Maybe the differences in style can in part be attributed to the fact that Mary Martin was married to a man who diligently handled all of her professional affairs through the bulk of her career while Merman never had much success at marriage and pretty much faced the music alone. Martin's husband/manager cushioned her from the rough 'n tumble of show business while Merman had no such built-in protection. And let's not forget that Merman hailed from New York City (Astoria, Queens) while Martin was born in the small town of Weatherford, Texas.
And yet, for all their differences, both Mary Martin and Ethel Merman defined what it meant to be a Broadway star. They both worked incredibly hard, toured with their shows ands never missed performances. Both theatrical troupers, they originated some of the most iconic roles in theatre history, won countless awards, and helped shape the very idea of the Broadway musical. If Martin represented the heart and soul of the evolving American musical—its turn toward emotional storytelling and sincerity—Merman embodied its exuberance and theatrical punch.
Yes, they were competitors but, in the end, they weren’t so much rivals as they were complementary, each keenly aware of her unique appeal and her audience. Merman and Martin each illuminated a different side of the stage, and together, they set a standard that Broadway performers still aspire to today.
As Tony Night approaches, let's remember them fondly and give thanks for Broadway's illustrious legacy.
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Thursday, May 1, 2025
The Complete List Of 2025 Tony Nominees
They've just been announced, so here is the complete list of 2025 Tony nominees:
Best Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Death Becomes Her
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat
Best Play
English
The Hills of California
John Proctor Is the Villain
Oh, Mary!
Purpose
Best Revival of a Play
Eureka Day
Romeo and Juliet
Our Town
Yellow Face
Best Revival of a Musical
Floyd Collins
Gypsy
Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Sunset Blvd.
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw
Tom Francis, Sunset Boulevard
Jonathan Groff, Just in Time
James Monroe Iglehart, A Wonderful World
Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her
Audra McDonald, Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers, Boop! The Musical
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
Jon Michael Hill, Purpose
Daniel Dae Kim, Yellow Face
Harry Lennix, Purpose
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
Mia Farrow, The Roommate
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose
Sadie Sink, John Proctor Is the Villian
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, SMASH
Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw
Danny Burstein, Gypsy
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club
Julia Knitel, Dead Outlaw
Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time
Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves: The Musical
Joy Woods, Gypsy
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Glenn Davis, Purpose
Gabriel Ebert, John Proctor is the Villain
Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Bob Odenkirk, Glengarry Glen Ross
Conrad Ricamora, Oh, Mary!
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Tala Ashe, English
Jessica Hecht, Eureka Day
Marjan Neshat, English
Fina Strazza, John Proctor is the Villain
Kara Young, Purpose
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Marsha Ginsberg, English
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Marg Horwell and David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Miriam Buether and 59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Scott Pask, Good Night, and Good Luck
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Rachel Hauck, Swept Away
Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending
Arnulfo Maldonado, Buena Vista Social Club
Derek McLane, Death Becomes Her
Derek McLane, Just in Time
Best Costume Design of a Play
Brenda Abbandandolo, Good Night, and Good Luck
Marg Horwell, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Holly Pierson, Oh, Mary!
Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Dede Ayite, Buena Vista Social Club
Gregg Barnes, BOOP! The Musical
Clint Ramos, Maybe Happy Ending
Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her
Catherine Zuber, Just in Time
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Natasha Chivers, The Hills of California
Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Heather Gilbert and David Bengali, Good Night, and Good Luck
Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski, John Proctor is the Villain
Nick Schlieper, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Jack Knowles, Sunset Blvd.
Tyler Micoleau, Buena Vista Social Club
Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun, Floyd Collins
Ben Stanton, Maybe Happy Ending
Justin Townsend, Death Becomes Her
Best Sound Design of a Play
Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Palmer Hefferan, John Proctor is the Villain
Daniel Kluger, Good Night, and Good Luck
Nick Powell, The Hills of California
Clemence Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans, Buena Vista Social Club
Adam Fisher, Sunset Blvd.
Peter Hylenski, Just in Time
Peter Hylenski, Maybe Happy Ending
Dan Moses Schreier, Floyd Collins
Best Direction of a Play
Knud Adams, English
Sam Mendes, The Hills of California
Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary!
Danya Taymor, John Proctor is the Villain
Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Direction of a Musical
Saheem Ali, Buena Vista Social Club
Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending
David Cromer, Dead Outlaw
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Blvd.
Best Choreography
Joshua Bergasse, SMASH
Camille A. Brown, Gypsy
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Jerry Mitchell, BOOP! The Musical
Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, Buena Vista Social Club
Best Orchestrations
Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Just in Time
Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending
Bruce Coughlin, Floyd Collins
Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club
David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sunset Blvd.
Best Book of a Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Marco Ramirez
Dead Outlaw
Itamar Moses
Death Becomes Her
Marco Pennette
Maybe Happy Ending
Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Dead Outlaw
Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna
Death Becomes Her
Music & Lyrics: Julia Mattison and Noel Carey
Maybe Happy Ending
Music: Will Aronson
Lyrics: Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Music & Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts
Real Women Have Curves: The Musical
Music & Lyrics: Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez

