Spotlight
Stories that deserve your attention
"Legally Blonde": Learning to Appreciate The Musical vs the Movie
“Both ‘Legally Blonde’ the musical and the movie have their pluses, but which is really the superior? If you ask me, I say hands down the musical.”
Broadway Bootlegs: Why We Watch Them and Finding Solutions So We Don't Have to Anymore
“Why, as an industry and community, are we choosing this moment in time to ignite vicious arguments about the morality of bootlegs and condemning those that watch them, instead of working together to find a solution?
Addressing the backlash to the "Ratatouille" musical benefit concert
“While I certainly understand and agree with those railing that vast changes in the industry are needed, I don’t think a one-time concert of Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical is the dartboard to be aiming at.”
Fan community rallies for Broadway stage doorman
“For years, Ernest J, Paylor has been a friendly face to many a Broadway fan. Working as a stage doorman at the Broadhurst Theatre, which currently houses Jagged Little Pill, Mr. Paylor not only protects the cast and crew but also make sure that stage door meet and greets are fun, safe, and accessible.
So when Mr. Paylor was hospitalized with a serious medical condition, those same fans didn’t hesitate to rally behind him.”
A holiday season shopping list for the Broadway lovers in your life
“Soon we’ll be singing along to the holiday stations on the radio, sipping eggnog by the fire, and decking the halls. But, oh no! What if you haven’t gone gift shopping yet? What on earth will you get for the fellow theatre-lovers in your life?
Given our current pandemic circumstances and the subsequent difficulty of shopping for presents in person, I decided I wanted to create a solid list of options for the holiday season.”
The Vampire Musical: Broadway’s Greatest Money Sucker
“On paper, the mythos of the Vampire should be a straightforward transfer to the New York stage. An inherently melodramatic story archetype, the thousands of pop culture interpretations should lend themselves to a comparable number of theatrical adaptations. This, however, has proven time and again not to be the case.”
Some thoughts on the 2020 Tony nominations - Musical
“Given the lack of shows eligible, especially on the musical side, we were going to be in for some interesting nominations. And the Tony nominating committee did not disappoint.”
Broadway's Closed till 2021, The ONLY Way It Comes Back and Thrives is with VOD
“It was announced that Broadway is going to remain closed through the end of May 2021. It’s time for Broadway producers to start thinking about how the industry can survive and thrive in the short-term. The only way I can think it can work is for productions to be available on Video On Demand.”
Broadway to remain closed till at least May 2021
“According to sources, the Broadway League will officially announce tomorrow that shows will remain closed until at least June of 2021. This means Broadway shows will remain dark for more than a year after they shut down.”
Which Broadway Quarancut Are You?
“The quarantine haircut (aka quarancut), is a pandemic of its own. Sure COVID-19 has (rightfully so) taken the spotlight and star dressing room over the past few months, but there is a comedic secondary character that deserves some applause as well - The Quarancut. Take a look to find out which Broadway star snatched your quarancut wig.”
Too Broke to Create?
It is a reality of our world that bringing creative work to life costs money. The training, whether private lessons or group classes or university studies, can become prohibitively expensive. What do we do when we, as individuals, simply don’t have the money?
'Passing Strange': Looking at travel narratives through a fresh lens
“Passing Strange is refreshing from the get-go because it is conceived and voiced by black artists in an industry dominated by white people. It is refreshing because it’s a show where non-white characters aren’t reduced to stereotypes like they are in The Book of Mormon, and they also aren’t reduced to their trauma and tragedy, like they are in Miss Saigon.”