Recent Press
How a slow-going musical could save the old soul of Broadway
Musical Broadway was long a boutique business. Independent producers conceived ideas, honed them out on the road, then ideally rode a wave of good reviews to profitability back in Manhattan.
The Alanis Morissette Album From the ’90s America Needs Now
Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill,” which just had its 22nd anniversary, is not only one of the landmark albums of the ’90s; it has proved evergreen even as time has left other albums of similar aesthetic and acclaim behind.
The Season’s Best New Musical
Some shows are so full of heart and so overflowing with integrity — of talent, of skill and of purpose – that a critic is torn between singing its praises from the rooftops and wanting to protect something rare and fragile.
Nothing Lost in Translation
As delightful as well-done big-budget musicals can be, I’m certain that the future of the musical as an art form lies in the stripped-down style of small-scale production pioneered by John Doyle in his landmark revival of “Sweeney Todd.”
Desert Awakening in ‘The Band’s Visit’
Boredom has never sounded sexier than it does in “The Band’s Visit,” the beautiful new musical by David Yazbek and Itamar Moses that opened on Thursday night at the Atlantic Theater Company.
'A Bronx Tale’ Explores the Struggle for a Boy’s Soul
Sometimes plain old pasta with red sauce is just what the doctor ordered. “A Bronx Tale,” which opened at the Longacre Theater on Broadway on Thursday, might be called the musical-theater equivalent of that classic comfort food.
The tills are alive
Musicals are risky in real life, too. So when David Geffen, a showbiz mogul, approached Mr Brooks about turning his movie into a musical over a decade ago, Mr Brooks dragged his feet. Mr Geffen tried to convince him it was worth the hassle: he had made more money on the musical “Cats” than on any film he had ever made.
The new song of Broadway
The entertainment buzz this summer doesn't just center on how many million more boys will watch the "Transformers" sequel or how many million more songs Michael Jackson can sell posthumously. For certain showbiz cognoscenti, eyes are on another kind of potential blockbuster -- don't laugh -- the adaptation of the "Spider-Man" franchise as a Broadway musical.
Live Nation sells off theater division
Live Nation has at last sold off its theatrical biz, with Key Brand Entertainment, a private investment company owned by Brit theater producer John Gore and American Film Executive Tom McGrath, acquiring the legit division for $90.4 million.