All That's Right with 'The Play That Goes Wrong'

What, to me, was most interesting about the production was how well the ensemble, to include production staff, recreated chaos. The intent was to appear inept, which, at first thought, you’d think would be easy. Just a matter of screwing up on purpose, embarrassing yourself by being blatantly incompetent. How hard could that be, right?

But it is remarkably well-crafted and staged. To affect the kind of audience response that it earned so adequately, required a precision of purpose and execution. Split-second timing, extraordinary attention to details, an exceptional script, experienced performers and a meticulous director.

BroadwayChristopher PetersonJune 15, 2018Skip Maloney

The Unsung Winners of the 2018 Tony Awards

There were many amazing, memorable moments from the 2018 Tony Awards: The students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School's incredible and touching rendition of "Seasons of Love", the Carousel cast's show-stopping choreographed performance, Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles' quirky yet charming hosting, the Dear Evan Hansen cast's beautiful medley of "You Will Be Found" and "For Forever", Lindsay Mendez's acceptance speech, the #TonyDreaming montages, the list could go on and on.

Observations, BroadwayChristopher PetersonJune 13, 2018Sarah Cagle, Tony Awards

How Much Singing Should there be for an Acting Tony in a Musical?

A debate has arisen over Sunday night's win for Tony Shalhoub for his performance in The Band's Visit. While other nominees such as Ethan Slater sung and danced through Spongbob Sqaurepants and Joshua Henry had to take on the musical theatre doctorate known as "Soliloquoy", Mr. Shalhoub hardly sings at all. While I don't have the sheet music in front of me, having seen the show, I would guess that he sings roughly 32-64 bars in the entire show.

BroadwayChristopher PetersonJune 12, 2018Chris Peterson, Tony Awards, The Band's Visit

Playbill's Blunder Leads to Unfair Criticism of Ruthie Ann Miles

On Thursday, Playbill reported that actress Ruthie Ann Miles would be returning to her role as Lady Tiang for the West End production of "The King and I". Managing News Editor, Ryan McPhee, also reported that Miles would share the role with Naoko Mori.

The article also pointed out that "The casting update follows the news that Miles lost the unborn child she was carrying two months after a Brooklyn car crash that took the life of her four-year-old daughter."

BroadwayChristopher PetersonJune 2, 2018

Will Mean Girls' Success Lead to a Broadway Return for Heathers?

12 Tony Nominations, Critical praise and pulling in $1.4 million per week, the debate whether or not "Mean Girls" would be a success has been decided, it most definitely is. The musical is striking a cord with younger audiences and I have no doubt this will become a staple in high schools and colleges for years to come once licensing rights are available. But given its popularity and success on 42nd Street, one has to wonder if this, along with other shows like Dear Evan Hansen, will lead to more teenage-centric stories to grace Broadway stages. The same goes for shows that never got their Broadway run but have since become incredibly popular with younger audiences. The best example of this would be "Heathers".

BroadwayChristopher PetersonMay 24, 2018Chris Peterson

What About the Showgirls?

When I was 15 years old, I shimmied into a sequined leotard and balanced a feathered headpiece on my head for my high school production of George M! I distinctly recall claiming a private changing space in our closet-sized dressing room during our first dress rehearsal, only to have it dawn on me that there was no point in being modest: I’d be wearing virtually nothing onstage, so why bother hiding now?

Observations, BroadwayChristopher PetersonMay 4, 2018Maegan Clearwood

Should the Tonys Start Nominating Off-Broadway Productions?

Over the past couple of months, I've heard from more than one person that they are concerned that the over-commercialization of Broadway will mean that less "artistic" and original musicals will be recognized by the Tony Awards.

While I think they're overreacting, I don't think their concerns are completely unfounded. After all, this past year, there wasn't a single musical that wasn't based on a movie or TV show or that wasn't a jukebox collection.

How is "Wicked" Still Defying Gravity?

Next week Wicked flies into Edinburgh as part of its 2nd UK & Ireland tour. I am excited to say I will be attending press night to see how this new production compares to the previous tour and the show currently running in London's West End. However, Wicked the musical is one of, or most likely, THE most iconic musical in the world. How does it manage to maintain it's popularity 15 years after its premiere in San Francisco?

United Kingdom, BroadwayChristopher PetersonMay 1, 2018Lewis Baird

2018 Tony Nomination Surprises & Snubs

This morning the nominations were announced for the 2018 Tony Awards. As per usual there were a number of surprises and snubs in virtually every category. Let's break it down and also see how we did with our own nominee predictions.

BroadwayChristopher PetersonMay 1, 2018Chris Peterson, Tony Awards

Is "Frozen" in Tony Trouble?

While no one should be worried about whether or not Frozen is going to be a long-running Broadway smash, a concern that has been brought up to me by more than one theatre insider, is how much success will it have come June 10th at the Tony Awards.

"Disney likes to make money," my source said. "But they don't like egg on their faces. And failure to win Tonys or even be nominated would certainly be that."

BroadwayChristopher PetersonApril 28, 2018Chris Peterson

Will OSF's "Oklahoma" Open the Door for More Same-Sex Revivals?

Last year it was announced that the venerable Oregon Shakespeare Festival would be putting an interesting spin on their upcoming production of "Oklahoma" by making the couplings of Laurey/Curly and Will/Ado Annie, same sex rather than the traditional heterosexual pairing.

The announcement was met with praise but also with some skepticism. Would a recasting like this make sense? Would it work within the context of the piece?

Well, at least according to local critics who have seen the show since its opening on April 22nd, it's worked perfectly.

Broadway, ObservationsChristopher PetersonApril 27, 2018Chris Peterson

Meet the Wonderful and Talented Audrey Cardwell

Audrey Cardwell is currently starring in the National Tour of Bright Star where she is playing the central role of Alice Murphy. She has also appeared in the national tours of Cinderella (Ella), Anything Goes and Elf and has been seen regionally at The Old Globe, Asolo Repertory Theatre, The Muny, North Shore Music Theatre, Houston Theatre Under the Stars, Dallas Summer Musicals and Pennsylvania Centre Stage. She’s also an alum of Penn State University.

Broadway, National Tour, ObservationsChristopher PetersonApril 24, 2018Kevin Ray Johnson

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