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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 […]

Considering that anniversaries are deemed significant when they end in “5” or “0,” why make a big deal of GREASE’s 52nd? Yet 52 is an apt number because young producers Ken Waissman and Maxine Fox proved that by bringing this ‘50s rock musical to Broadway they were indeed playing with a full deck. In honor […]