archive
Star-Studded 'Heiress' Considers A Woman's Worth
October 28, 2012 A much-anticipated revival of The Heiress, a 1947 play based on the Henry James novella Washington Square, opens in New York on Thursday. It marks the Broadway debut of two young stars — Jessica Chastain, the Academy Award nominee from The Help, and Dan Stevens from the hit series Downton Abbey.
A Celebration Of Janis Joplin And All Her Swagger
October 21, 2012 In her short time on the scene, Joplin helped define the music of a generation with her bluesy rasp. A musical honoring her talent and her muses is playing now in Washington, D.C. While it doesn't get into the darker chapters of her life, the show is captivating lifelong fans — including the lead actress.
'Beat Generation,' Kerouac's Lost Play, Hits Stage
October 14, 2012 WBURLegendary beat novelist Jack Kerouac shot to fame with On the Road, but unknown to many fans, he also wrote a play. The Beat Generation was never produced and quickly forgotten. Rediscovered in 2004, the play is now set to premiere in the writer's hometown.
Racial Issues, Far From 'Invisible' On D.C. Stage
October 3, 2012 An adaptation of Ralph Ellison's landmark novel The Invisible Man is electrifying audiences in the nation's capital. NPR's Audie Cornish talks to the writer, director and star about bringing a complicated story to the stage.
A Broadway Mystery Worthy Of 'Rebecca'
September 25, 2012 A musical adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's Gothic novel Rebecca was set to come to Broadway — until the existence of its major investor came into question. New York Times theater writer Patrick Healy discusses the mystery on All Things Considered.
Shorts Inspire Music In 'Sounding Beckett' Trilogy
September 18, 2012 Samuel Beckett, the author of Waiting for Godot, is known for the spare, modern rhythms of his plays. Now, as Jeff Lunden explains, the off-Broadway show Sounding Beckett brings together three of the playwright's short works with new pieces of contemporary music they inspired.
Performing Arts
In New York, Two Big Arts Institutions Go Small
September 6, 2012 Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music recently opened new, smaller theater spaces designed by architect Hugh Hardy. There, new works can be performed without the financial pressure of filling a large theater — and with cheaper tickets, they can attract the younger generation, too.
Turner Channels Molly Ivins In 'Red Hot Patriot'
September 6, 2012 Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Kathleen Turner stars as the sassy Texas newspaper columnist in the comedic one-woman show. Turner talks about the role, her career and the challenges of playing a political character.
Broadway Spoofers Return To 'Forbidden' Territory
September 2, 2012 After a three-year hiatus, satirist Gerard Alessandrini is back with Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking! Alongside Once and The Book of Mormon, they also target the Broadway-centric TV series Smash — but like all good parody, the skewering comes from a loving place.
George Takei Takes Story Of Internment To The Stage
September 1, 2012 The actor was born in 1937 to a Japanese-American family that, after Pearl Harbor, was sent to live in internment camps for the duration of World War II. His experience growing up in the camps inspired a new musical, Allegiance, which Takei also stars in.