Jeff Lunden : NPR

Classics in Concert

Music Returns To Renovated Alice Tully Hall

WNYC Radio

February 22, 2009 • One of America's premier concert halls has just been remodeled, with a pedestrian-friendly feel, glow-in-the-dark wood paneling and a suspended dance studio. Hear the opening-night concert from Alice Tully Hall, at New York's Lincoln Center.

Music Returns To Renovated Alice Tully Hall

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Music News

In Lean Times, Fat Lady Sings For Some Operas

February 18, 2009 • Things are tough all over, even in the rarefied world of opera. Singers, stagehands and management are tightening their belts at companies around the country — and some ensembles are in danger.

In Lean Times, Fat Lady Sings For Some Operas

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Arts & Life

In 'Ruined,' Women Bear Grim Witness To War

February 7, 2009 • MacArthur Award-winning playwright Lynn Nottage has a new play that confronts the brutality of war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, seeking hope in its wake. Can beauty rise from the ruins?

In 'Ruined,' Women Bear Grim Witness To War

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Performing Arts

In 'Freshwater,' A Lighter Side Of Virginia Woolf

January 25, 2009 • The Bloomsbury novelist was a Serious Writer, and as English Lit students know, her brooding ways didn't end well. But her only play, Freshwater, reflects a bright sense of humor. It's getting a New York production at last.

In 'Freshwater,' A Lighter Side Of Virginia Woolf

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Performing Arts

A Bridge Project Built To Span Theatrical Worlds

January 14, 2009 • Director Sam Mendes leads a three-year endeavor that brings together British and American stars of stage and screen for performances of classic works. First up: two plays from two very different traditions.

A Bridge Project Built To Span Theatrical Worlds

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Performing Arts

This Winter, More Cause For Broadway Discontent

January 7, 2009 • The recession has hit Broadway hard: Nine shows, including Young Frankenstein, closed this week, and four more have posted notices. Jeff Lunden talks to a veteran producer and a young investor to see how bad the outlook is.

This Winter, More Cause For Broadway Discontent

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Performing Arts

In Hammerstein's Words, 'Something Wonderful'

December 20, 2008 • From Show Boat to The King and I, he and his partners wrote shows as substantive as they were entertaining. Hammerstein's lyrics — now collected in a single book — are a big part of why.

In Hammerstein's Words, 'Something Wonderful'

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Performing Arts

'Pal Joey' Returns, Hoping To Be Understood

December 18, 2008 • The Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey thrilled and confused audiences in 1940 with its story of adultery and blackmail. Tastes have changed — and now a revival of Pal Joey is opening on Broadway.

'Pal Joey' Returns, Hoping To Be Understood

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Arts & Life

'Shrek' Leads DreamWorks Into Broadway Battle

December 14, 2008 • Since turning its animated film Beauty and the Beast into a Broadway hit 14 years ago, the Walt Disney Co. has had the stage to itself for large-scale family entertainment. Now DreamWorks is challenging it with Shrek: The Musical. The big green ogre debuts on the Great White Way on Sunday.

'Shrek' Leads DreamWorks Into Broadway Battle

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Arts & Life

Will Audiences Give Their Regards To Broadway?

November 26, 2008 • Thanksgiving traditionally kicks off Broadway's most lucrative season. Last year, most shows were closed for the holiday because of a strike by stagehands. The theaters are open for business this year. However, with the economic downturn, will people buy tickets?

Will Audiences Give Their Regards To Broadway?

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Performing Arts

After Years, Sondheim's 'Road Show' Pulls Into N.Y.

November 18, 2008 • Stephen Sondheim's new musical has been around in various forms for a decade or more. But Broadway's living legend says his fascination with the scandalous story of the Mizner brothers goes back 50-plus years.

After Years, Sondheim's 'Road Show' Pulls Into N.Y.

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Performing Arts

'Billy Elliot' Makes The Leap To Broadway

November 13, 2008 • The big-ticket Broadway musical, based on the surprise-hit British film, has its opening night Thursday. Jeff Lunden explains what's new and what's different — and how the story's focus expanded for the stage.

'Billy Elliot' Makes The Leap To Broadway

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Pop Culture

'Celebrity Autobiography,' Playing With The Truth

November 6, 2008 • Every Monday, a motley crew of actors and comics takes the stage in a Manhattan cabaret to read, in a less-than-reverent way, from the memoirs of other stars. (Including, yes, Motley Crue.)

'Celebrity Autobiography,' Playing With The Truth

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Music Interviews

'Chasing Light': Music Made For 50 States

November 3, 2008 • The Ford Made in America project brings new music to regional orchestras that can't afford to commission music by an internationally recognized composer like Joseph Schwantner. His piece, Chasing Light..., will be performed in all 50 states.

'Chasing Light': Music Made For 50 States

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Performing Arts

Free Theater Night Brings New Audiences

October 25, 2008 • There may not be free lunch, but last week, all across the country, there was free theater. More than 600 non-profit theaters in 120 cities offered a Free Night of Theater, to hook new audiences.

Free Theater Night Brings New Audiences

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