Blog

Steve Lawrence’s death on March 7 reminded me of the time when many Broadway observers assumed that producer Joseph Cates had lost his mind. In 1963, Cates was about to produce a musical version of Budd Schulberg’s classic 1941 novel WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN? It would again center on Sammy Glick, a young man who’d […]

Frank Loesser, of GUYS AND DOLLS and HOW TO SUCCEED fame, once asked “What are you doing New Year’s Eve?” Instead, I’ll ask “What are you doing on Tuesday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m.?” If you’re in town, do drop by the Drama Book Shop to hear me interview Ellis Nassour, the esteemed author of […]

Memories of 1989 came flooding back. Last week, Walter Willison, an original cast member of GRAND HOTEL, edited, produced and directed a marvelous 35th anniversary tribute to the musical. It reiterated what a miraculous entertainment this show was – and is. It started out as a 1958 musical called AT THE GRAND. Luther Davis, its […]

So, did you know that February 27th is National Retro Day? I remembered this while approaching the August Wilson Theatre. The great playwright for whom the theater was named had the brilliant notion, as well as the talent and fortitude, to write a play set in each of the ten decades of the 20th century. […]

When a celebrity reaches an advanced age, journalists start writing an obituary, knowing that the star’s death could come at any moment. Considering that all others who write about theater had had their Chita Rivera obituaries ready to go, readers have been asking me why I didn’t. I guess there was a part of me […]