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By Peter Filichia   There are plenty of raised eyebrows at Connecticut Repertory Theatre as soon as many theatergoers hear the first note of the overture.   Long-time fans of Gypsy – and who isn’t? – are startled to hear a shortened version of what many consider to be the greatest of all Broadway overtures. […]

By Peter Filichia   Can’t you just see Elaine Stritch entering heaven, looking around, seeing all those angels in their wings and muttering “Does anyone still wear a halo?”   All right, in many ways Stritch wouldn’t seem to be a candidate for heaven. But in her prime, she was more than heavenly on stage. […]

By Peter Filichia   Had all gone well, a revival of Pump Boys and Dinettes would have opened on April 8, 2013.   But two months to the day before the planned opening, the six producers who’d intended to bring the 1981-82 Tony-nominated Best Musical back to Broadway said they were postponing it.   We […]

By Peter Filichia   During his long career, Ed Ames only made two appearances on Broadway. In 1962, he took over for Jerry Orbach as Paul the puppeteer in Carnival; then in 1963, he originated the role of Chief Bromden, the tortured soul who became the title character of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. […]

By Peter Filichia   I once asked Charles Strouse if he expected that “Baby, Talk to Me” would be Bye Bye Birdie’s big hit.   After all, it was the first featured song in the overture, placed and played with such authority that it seemed to say “This is the one, folks. This is the […]