The Phantom of the Opera is a book-then-musical that leaves quite a lot of questions unanswered. You can either take the story of the love-sick Opera Ghost at face value, or theorize about possible alternatives. I chose to theorize!

Recently the 45th President of the United States of America took the time out of his self-proclaimed busy schedule to incorrectly assert that it was because of lack of interest that cause the Michael Moore's one-man Broadway show 'Terms of my Surrender' to close. The most stunning thing for me is this man has lived most of his life in New York City socializing with the top of the entertainment and art circle but does not understand the term 'limited run'? He is name-checked in at least two musicals that went on the win Tony awards ('RENT': was during the workshop years and 'Real Estate' did not make the cut. 'In the Heights': during 96,000. A local production even excluded his sign name in the choreography). And here is the underlying issue: He thinks he knows everything so he does not take a breath to verify information before letting his temper get the best of him.

I recently had the joy and privilege of seeing the national tour of Something Rotten! While I was enjoying performances, admiring costumes, and gushing over the scenic design, I couldn’t help but notice the incredible amount of physical activity the show required. As I sat several rows back from the edge of the balcony, I could see the performers in the back panting after one of the larger numbers. It validated a belief I have held for many years:

Actors are athletes.

Phone Rings, Door Chimes, In Comes COMPANY! 

Kick off Clocktower Players 40th season on Saturday, November 4th with the concert staging of legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-Winning Best Musical,COMPANY! 

My biggest theatre pet peeve is when people don't know their lines, plain and simple. From the performance side, there is nothing that can hold up the rehearsal period than someone failing to memorize their dialog. 

Can you believe it's been 9 years since [title of show] opened on Broadway? This show will always have a special place in my heart, and I know I’m not the only theater lover to feel that way. Here’s a look at 5 reasons why.

Imagine, you’re sixteen years old and sitting in high school. The teacher is prattling on about a play some dead, white man wrote over a hundred years ago. Just when you feel yourself beginning to nod off, something strikes you: did the male protagonist really just treat a woman in that way? Is the teacher just going to act like this is okay? Many of the plays taught in schools, especially the “classics” have strong sexist commentaries. These messages are objectionable for many of us in a modern setting, so why are they still being taught? Why are they still being performed?  

I love Rachel Taichman. I love Elizabeth McGovern. I think J.D. Salinger is a fine playwright. I think the acting, direction and design of the current production is good. But the Roundabout's of "Time and the Conways" is problematic. This play is one for the history books and doesn't have any business being staged in our current social, political and environmental climate.

Phoenix Theatre Ensemble announces the opening of Moliere’s great comedy Tartuffe in the New York premiere of a sizzling adaptation by David Ball.  Tartuffe will begin previews on October 21st and open on Friday, October 27st and will run for 22 performances only through November 12th at The Wild Project in NYC. 

There is so much to pay attention to in New York City that sometimes even the most important things can go completely unnoticed. I don’t walk through Union Square too terribly often, since I live 90 blocks north of it, but when I do, I have always tried to stop and look at the Union Square Theatre on East 17th Street, the first New York theatre I ever saw a show in. Apparently, I haven’t been paying as close attention to it as I thought, because walking past it the other day I noticed it’s not there anymore. Oh, the classic marble and red brick Tammany Hall façade remains, being a historic landmark and immune to demolition, but the building has been gutted, it is a hole in the ground. The theatre is gone and it is not coming back. What’s more, the process of its disappearance and the building’s reinvention has been going on for nearly two years. So I want to apologize to the Union Square Theatre for allowing this all to slip my notice and pay tribute to a building that was a key part of my theatre education.