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In 1994, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Passion took home four Tony Awards, including the coveted prize for Best Musical. As it stands, that was the final work by Sondheim, the late legendary songwriter, to have even been nominated in that specific Tonys category. That could change this year with Old Friends.

In the years since Passion won, Sondheim has mainly been represented on Broadway through myriad remountings of his shows. Eighteen of them were up for Best Musical Revival:

Company and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in 1996 Follies in 2001 Into the Woods (which won) in 2002 Gypsy in 2003 Assassins (which won) in 2004 Pacific Overtures in 2005 Sweeney Todd in 2006 Company (which won) in 2007 Gypsy and Sunday in the Park with George in 2008 West Side Story in 2009 A Little Night Music in 2010 Follies in 2012 Company (which won in 2022) Into the Woods and Sweeney Todd in 2023 Merrily We Roll Along...

William “Bill” Finn, the acclaimed writer and composer of the 1992 musical Falsettos and 2005’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, died Monday, April 7, following a lengthy illness. He was 73.

His death was confirmed to Deadline by his literary agent Ron Gwiazda.

Born February 28, 1952, in Natick, Massachusetts, and raised in a conservative Jewish household, Finn was a two-time Tony Award winner – Best Book and Best Original Score for the AIDS-themed Falsettos. He began crafting what would become his signature work even before the plague years began. In the late 1970s he wrote the one-act Off Off Broadway musical In Trousers, focusing on a gay man named Marvin coming to terms with his homosexuality.

In 1981, Finn wrote a sequel, March of the Falsettos, in which Marvin continues his journey of self-discovery but now with an extended family that includes his ex-wife Trina, son Jason, lover Whizzer Brown and a psychiatrist Mendel...

Broadway composer and Tony Award winner William Finn has died at the age of 73.

No cause of death was confirmed along with the announcement, but his literary agent shared the sad news with THR.

You may recognize William from some of his well-known work. He won the Tony for Falsettos in 1992 for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical alongside James Lapine.

He also wrote hits including The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Elegies, and A New Brain, which was an autobiographical look amid the news that he had to undergo brain surgery. Spelling Bee was on Broadway in 2005, and saw rising stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Celia Keenan-Bolger starring.

Our thoughts are with William Finn‘s friends, family, and loved ones during this time. Rip.

William “Bill” Finn, the Tony Award-winning writer and composer of Falsettos, has died, his literary agent, Ron Gwiazda, told The Hollywood Reporter. He was 73. The cause of death was not immediately available.

Finn is well-known in the theater world for his autobiographical, moving and lyrically clever musicals, including Falsettos, for which he won 1992 Tonys for best original score and best book of a musical, with co-writer James Lapine. The production combined two shorter musicals he had penned (March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland) into one story following Marvin and his boyfriend Whizzer, Marvin’s ex-wife Trina, their son and their psychiatrist, Mendel, that covered themes of love, family and sexual identity in the late 1970s into the 1980s.

The original Broadway production ran at the John Golden Theater in 1992 and a revival was staged on Broadway in 2016, with THR‘s review praising the continued relevance of the storyline and the song compositions,...

Turns out Kieran Culkin is more of “A Real Pain” than his recent Golden Globe-nominated performance suggests. In a recent interview with The Guardian, the “Succession” actor revealed that almost 25 years ago, while performing in a production of James Lapine’s “The Moment When,” it was he who switched Mark Ruffalo’s prop joint for one filled with real marijuana, forcing Ruffalo to perform high during opening night of the show. Ruffalo had previously recounted this experience in 2012 on The Graham Norton Show while promoting the first “Avengers” film.

“There was a play that I did that I smoked a joint in the first scene,” said Ruffalo, “and of course there was a very naughty young actor I was in the play with who on the opening night, with all the critics, he slipped a real joint onto the prop table.”

Consummate professional that he is, Ruffalo did not reveal...

Mark Ruffalo is an incredible actor and has entertained the audience with his incredible portrayals in movies, series, and plays. But even the greatest artist has a story of struggle, fear, and moments of vulnerability. For, Mark Ruffalo, one such moment came during one of the most celebrated performances of his career.

Mark Ruffalo | Credits: Infinity War / Marvel Studios

However, the night soon turned into a moment of near disaster when a younger actor pranked him, leaving Ruffalo in sheer panic. And now years later, the culprit behind Ruffalo’s panicked state has come forward.

When Mark Ruffalo had his career’s best night nearly ruined by a prank Mark Ruffalo on the Graham Norton Show | Credit: YouTube

Mark Ruffalo has not just been in movies, but he has also shown off his remarkable talent in the world of theatre. However, his journey there has not been without mishaps and...

In 2011, Kieran Culkin and Mark Ruffalo starred in the psychological drama Margaret, and while that film went off without a hitch, their time on stage together was a bit of a different story. The two appeared in the Off-Broadway production of James Lapine's The Moment When back in 1999 when Culkin was just a mischievous 17-year-old, who – as a prank – swapped out Ruffalo's fake marijuana joint for a real one. Now, 26 years later, the Succession star says he'll never try that again.

Speaking with The Guardian, Culkin reflected on the moment, saying that at the time he thought it was a "good prank." Surprisingly enough, Ruffalo took it all in stride, as did a few others who got in on the action to puff-puff-pass the joint around, including veteran stage star Phyllis Newman, who sadly passed away in 2019.

"I was 17 and stupid. I'm like, 'I thought this was a good prank.

Mark Ruffalo is not an actor who is notoriously known for going method in his performances, but one night, he would unintentionally add more realism to his work. The Avengers actor told an anecdote years ago on The Graham Norton Show on BBC where he explained, “There was a play that I did where I smoked a joint in the first scene. Of course, there was a very naughty young actor I was in the play with. On the opening night with all the critics, he slipped a real joint onto the prop table. Between the two of us, we smoked a giant blunt onstage. … But at the end of the play, I got the best reviews of my entire career.”

The culprit that Ruffalo neglected to mention in the story was Succession and A Real Pain star Kieran Culkin. According to Variety, Culkin confirmed the story of what happened during this production.

How Did Kieran Culkin Prank Mark Ruffalo Back In 2000? (Photo Credit – Wikipedia)

Kieran Culkin recently reflected on his teenage mischievous antics, including a bold prank that turned a theater performance into an unforgettable night. At just 17, during the opening of James Lapine’s The Moment When in 2000, Culkin swapped a harmless prop joint for the real deal, unknowingly sending Mark Ruffalo and the cast into an impromptu high on stage.

Kiera Culkin’s Costars Embraced The Moment

Although initially regretful as the smell of marijuana wafted through the theater, Culkin’s co-stars—including Ruffalo and the legendary Phyllis Newman—surprisingly embraced the moment. “I’m like, ‘I thought this was a good prank. I’m stupid. Oh my God, I’m so sorry.’ But actually, they loved it,” Culkin told People Magazine.

“Mark says, ‘I haven’t smoked pot in 10 years; the second half’s going to be so much fun.

Kieran Culkin has finally confessed to a prank from his early acting days that turned a regular off-Broadway show into an unforgettable night. The “Succession” actor revealed he was behind a stunt during the 2000 production of James Lapine’s play The Moment When, where he acted alongside Mark Ruffalo and Tony-winning actress Phyllis Newman.

At just 17, Culkin thought it would be funny to replace a fake prop joint with a real one. “I was young and stupid,” he admitted. But as the play went on, he realized it wasn’t such a great idea. From backstage, he watched as Ruffalo unknowingly smoked the real joint, and the unmistakable smell of marijuana gave the prank away.

The reactions were mixed. Ruffalo, surprised but amused, said, “I haven’t smoked pot in 10 years. The second half’s going to be so much fun.” Another actor, who had never smoked before, mentioned how pleasant it felt.

Kieran Culkin has come forward with a confession from his early acting days that has long been a mystery. The “Succession” star recently revealed that he was responsible for a backstage prank that turned an off-Broadway performance into an unexpectedly memorable night.

The incident happened during the 2000 production of James Lapine’s play The Moment When, where Culkin performed alongside Mark Ruffalo and Tony-winning actress Phyllis Newman. At just 17 years old, Culkin decided to swap a fake prop joint with a real one, a decision he now chalks up to being “young and stupid.”

“I thought it would be funny,” Culkin admitted. But as the play unfolded, he began to regret his actions. Watching from the wings, he realized his prank had worked all too well. Ruffalo unknowingly took dramatic puffs of the real joint on stage, and the smell of marijuana quickly gave away what had happened.

Culkin wasn...

Kieran Culkin has confessed. The star of “A Real Pain” and “Succession” admitted that he once swapped a prop joint for one spiked with real marijuana when he was cast in a stage production alongside Mark Ruffalo in 2000.

“I was 17 and stupid,” Culkin said in a new interview with The Guardian. “I’m like, ‘I thought this was a good prank. I’m stupid. Oh my God, I’m so sorry.’ But actually, they loved it. Mark says, ‘I haven’t smoked pot in 10 years. The second half’s going to be so much fun.’ There was this other actor who had never smoked pot in her life. She goes, ‘Is this what being high is? This is lovely.’ And then Phyllis Newman comes in and goes, ‘I haven’t smoked pot since the 1960s. Thank you, darling.’”

Culkin, Ruffalo and their co-stars were featured in Playwright Horizons’ production of...

Although Kieran Culkin isn’t a proponent for method acting, sometimes there’s just no competing with the real thing.

Following a 2012 interview in which Mark Ruffalo revealed a “naughty young actor” once got him high on stage when switching a prop joint for the real thing during a play, the A Real Pain star confessed that he was behind the prank.

“I was 17 and stupid,” Culkin told The Guardian of when he appeared in Playwrights Horizons’ 2000 production of James Lapine’s The Moment When.

With a bag of prop joints backstage, Culkin couldn’t resist the urge to switch one out. “Uh-oh. I believe it’s happened,” he said to himself weeks later as he smelled a familiar scent and “just watched” Ruffalo take a hit and pass to their co-star.

At intermission, Culkin had to come clean. “I’m like, ‘I thought this was a good prank. I’m stupid.

In stunning and sad news, Gavin Creel, one of Broadway’s most popular and acclaimed leading men, died in Manhattan today just two months after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of sarcoma. He was 48.

His death was confirmed by his partner Alex Temple Ward. Creel had undergone treatment at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering for metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma after being diagnosed in July. After his treatment at the hospital, he transitioned to hospice care at his home.

One of Broadway’s top musical theater artists, Creel made his Broadway debut in 2002 in a lead role of Thoroughly Modern Millie, earning a Tony Award nomination, a feat he’d repeat seven years later in what would become a signature performance as Claude in the 2009 Broadway revival of Hair.

From 2012 to 2015, he starred as Elder Price in The Book of Mormon, a role he’d...

At this year’s Tony Awards “Suffs” managed to win prizes for Best Musical Book and Best Score, both of which went to Shaina Taub. Historically, winning those two accolades in particular would bode well for a show’s chances at Best Musical. Yet in a shocking turn of events, the top award went to “The Outsiders.” But this is not the first time something like this has happened.

SEETony Awards: Every winner (and nominee) in all 26 competitive categories

In 1978 “On the Twentieth Century” won Tonys for Best Score and Best Book (Comden and Green). It also won Best Actor in a Musical (John Cullum), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Kevin Kline), and Best Scenic Design (Robin Wagner). Yet Best Musical that year went to Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby Jr.‘s revue “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” A tribute to the music of Fats Waller, it also won Tonys for Best...

“I was sleeping when the nominations happened because I just didn’t expect to get one,” confesses Sky Lakota-Lynch about the morning of the 2024 Tony Awards nominations. When he heard that he had received recognition for his performance at Johnny Cade in the new musical “The Outsiders,” he thought folks might be confusing him with fellow nominee Steven Skybell of “Cabaret” because they both have “sky” in their names, but he says that after he read the list a few dozen times to confirm that he did indeed get nominated, “I couldn’t catch my breath.” His castmates Brody Grant and Joshua Boone are nominees as well, and he thanks the Tony nominators for giving their characters “their flowers after 60 years.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

The musical is based on the 1967 novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton, which was “the first book” Lakota-Lynch read. He...

Quick Links Some Parents Weren't Happy With Into the Woods Theft Is an Important Plot Point in Into the Woods Into the Woods Features Several Key Character Deaths Into the Woods Is a Disturbing Adventure for Young Children Disney's happy endings shine in classic fairy tale adaptations like Cinderella and Rapunzel with joyful conclusions. Disney's 2014 release Into the Woods drew criticism from parents for its dark themes, including theft, infidelity, and character deaths. The movie features a twisted plot involving Disney princesses and iconic fairy tale characters with a bleak and grim ending.

By now, audiences have figured out that Disneys versions of classic fairy tales have vastly outperformed their original Grimm counterparts. This is because the endings are much more joyous. In Cinderella, for instance, The Grand Duke and the princess get married soon after he finds out that the coveted glass slipper fits on her foot perfectly. In Rapunzel,...

Hello, and welcome to the Scene 2 Seen Podcast. I am Valerie Complex, an associate editor and film writer at Deadline. Today I’m chatting with Power Book III: Raising Kanan star, Patina Miller. As a major talent across film, television and musical theater Miller portrays Raquel “Raq” Thomas on the Starz original series which is coming up on the end of its third season.

Raising Kanan is the third show in the Power Universe. This one is about a young Kanan Stark (played by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s character from the first series) and how he joins his family’s growing and dangerous drug business. It takes place in Queens, New York during the 1990’s.

Raq is the mother of Kanan. To Kanan, she might come across as affectionate, yet on the streets, she embodies the epitome of toughness, navigating the male-dominated world with a blend of coldness, determination,...

The Baker. Mendel. Rabbi. Three iconic roles created by beloved stage veteran Chip Zien. The last of those three comes from “Harmony,” the new musical from Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, which played its final performance on February 4. But closing notices be damned; Zien is giving the performance of his life in this juicy role. The actor somehow missed out on Tony nominations for those other classic characters, but after a Broadway career that has spanned five decades, voters simply mustn’t pass up the chance to give this actor his very first Tony nomination.

Zien first came to prominence for originating the role of The Baker in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods” in 1987. Though that classic musical received 10 Tony nominations (including a lead actress victory for his co-star Joanna Gleason as the Baker’s Wife), Zien was not one of them. This was the start...

Oscar-nominated director Matthew Heineman and late filmmaker Nancy Buirski will be honored at the Hamptons Doc Fest in New York next month.

Heineman, whose latest film, American Symphony, premiered to acclaim at the Telluride Film Festival, will receive the prestigious Pennebaker Career Achievement Award, named for the legendary filmmaker and pioneer of “direct cinema” D.A. Pennebaker. Heineman is expected to be on hand to receive the honor, which has previously gone to Richard Leacock, Susan Lacy, Barbara Kopple, Stanley Nelson Jr., Alex Gibney, Liz Garbus, Sheila Nevins, Frederick Wiseman, Dawn Porter, Sam Pollard, and to Pennebaker and and his wife and filmmaking partner Chris Hegedus.

Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’

Hamptons Doc Fest will screen American Symphony, which has been acquired by the Obamas’ production company Higher Ground through the former first couple’s deal with Netflix. The documentary about Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste and his wife, the musician Suleika Jaouad,...

André Bishop will conclude his 33-year leadership tenure at Lincoln Center Theater in June 2025 at the conclusion of the non-profit theater company’s 40th anniversary 2024-25 season.

Bishop, whose celebrated tenure as Lct’s Artistic Director and more recently Producing Artistic Director included the premieres of such acclaimed new works as Tom Stoppard’s The Coast of Utopia and Arcadia, Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Wendy Wasserstein’s The Sisters Rosensweig, and The Light in the Piazza by Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel, to name a very few, announced his intended departure today.

“My years at Lincoln Center Theater have been happy ones,” he said in a statement, “and I will miss working with all my friends and colleagues. But the time has come, as it inevitably does, for the next generation to step in and step up. I look forward to that. Lct has...

A trio of docs and a wider-than-usual run for a Vertical thriller populate a specialty weekend with fewer new openings as theaters stick with Asteroid City and devote screens to Indiana Jones and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Call it jittery Friday as the indie community like the rest of Hollywood awaits news from SAG-AFTRA as the guild’s contract is set to expire tonight.

Opening: Julie Cohen’s documentary Every Body from Focus Features arrives on 250+ screens. Produced in partnership with NBC Studios, the exploration of the intersex experience through personal stories premiered at Tribeca last month. This film follows three individuals who have moved from childhoods marked by shame, secrecy and non-consensual surgeries to thriving adulthood after each decided to set aside medical advice to keep their bodies a secret and,...

Out of all the winners (and also-rans) in the 26 competitive categories at the 2023 Tony Awards, 34 results stand out as particularly noteworthy when considered in the context of history. So what were this year’s most interesting facts, records, and milestones? Check out the complete list of winners here.

1. The productions that received multiple Tony nominations, but went home empty-handed were “& Juliet,” “Ain’t No Mo’,” “Between Riverside and Crazy” “Camelot,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Cost of Living,” “Death of a Salesman,” “A Doll’s House,” “Fat Ham,” “Into the Woods,” “Kpop,” and “The Piano Lesson.”

2. This year marked the first time a Broadway production of “Into the Woods” didn’t win a single Tony. The original won three awards in 1987 for Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason), Best Book of a Musical (James Lapine), and Best Original Score (Stephen Sondheim). The 2002 remounting won two for Best Revival of a Musical...

Revivals have been a mainstay of Broadway for decades. But it wasn’t until the 31st ceremony in 1977 that the Tony Awards added a new category honoring these productions. The nominees for the inaugural prize were “Guys and Dolls,” “The Cherry Orchard” and “The Three Penny Opera” with “Porgy and Bess” taking the honors. Other winners over the years included “The Pirates of Penzance,” “Anything Goes,” “Death of a Salesman,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Gypsy.”

In 1994, the category was divided into best revival of a musical with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” winning the award and “An Inspector Calls” taking home the best revival of a play honor.

This year’s nominees in both categories celebrate the work of Stephen Sondheim, Henrik Ibsen and three landmark black playwrights: August Wilson, Suzan-Lori Parks and Lorraine Hansberry. Here’s a closer look at this year’s contenders.

Best Revival of a Musical

“Into the Woods”

“Company,...

"Informative and enlightening." Greenwich Entertainment has revealed an official trailer for a documentary film titled In the Company of Rose, a new biopic doc about an intriguing woman. The film premiered last year at Doc NYC and played at the Cleveland Film Festival a few months ago, with a final release set for June this summer. Here's the brief intro to the film via Doc NYC: "On Martha's Vineyard, three-time Tony-winning playwright and director James Lapine meets Rose Styron, the widow of the great American novelist William Styron. Over six years of periodic meetings, Rose shares the fascinating story of her complex life as a poet, journalist, human rights activist, and a life partner to William. The result is the tale infused with life wisdom for all ages." This sounds fascinating, and I always think there's some worthwhile wisdom to glean from these kind of people who have so many stories to tell.

This year’s Tony race for Best Musical Revival has two Stephen Sondheim shows (“Into the Woods” and “Sweeney Todd”) in contention. Will one of them win or will they cancel each other out? Let’s go over both of them.

“Into the Woods” combines several fairy tales and explores the consequences of the characters’ quests. The main storyline focuses on a childless baker and his wife as they go into the woods to break a spell set upon them by a witch. There they run into various classic fairy tale characters, all before revealing what happens after “happily ever after.”

The original production won three Tonys in 1988 for Best Actress (Musical) for Joanna Gleason, Best Musical Book for James Lapine, and Best Original Score for Sondheim. Meanwhile, Best Musical that year went to “The Phantom of the Opera,” which wound up with six other awards. The last remounting of...

NatGeo’s widely acclaimed new limited series “A Small Light” chronicles the heroism of Miep Gies and several other brave Amsterdam residents who hid Anne Frank and her family, as well as four other people from the Nazis in a hidden attic apartment in Otto Frank’s office building. After the eight Jewish residents were arrested and sent to concentration camps in 1944, it was Gies who saved Anne’s diary and kept it in her desk drawer. Otto Frank, who was the only member of the immediate family who survived the camps — Anne died of typhus in March 1945 at Bergen-Belson — returned to Amsterdam, Gies gave him Anne’s diary. And in 1947 “The Diary of a Young Girl” was published in Europe. Five years later, “Diary” made its way to America. It has been translated into over 67 languages.

Anne had received a red checkered autograph book for her 13th birthday on...

A new stage musical based on the classic Nancy Drew adventure book series is in the works from Little Mermaid composer Alan Menken, Legally Blonde lyricist Nell Benjamin, book by two-time Oscar winner Sarah Kernochan and direction by frequent Stephen Sondheim collaborator James Lapine.

Nancy Drew and the Mystery at Spotlight Manor: A Musical will be based on the Simon & Schuster book series and, according to the announcement from producers Daryl Roth, Lauren Mitchell, Revilo Imaginations (Beckett Swede and Ilana Landsberg-Lewis) and Bill & Laurie Benenson, “seeks to bring her story to a whole new audience while celebrating the power of her legacy which has inspired generations.”

Specific information of a production timeline or casting was not disclosed.

Lapine, who directed and wrote books for the musicals Into The Woods and, most recently, Flying Over Sunset, among many others, said in a statement, “After 175 Nancy Drew mysteries that span from her...

“It was an extraordinary group of people,” says Brian d’Arcy James as he thinks of his “Into the Woods” co-stars. The actor notes that he was “the new kid on the block” given that the hit revival transferred to Broadway after a limited run at City Center, in which he did not partake. But the all-star cast who welcomed him into the fold. Magic-like chemistry with his fellow actors, combined with the extraordinary lyrics and dialogue of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, created a true fairytale experience for James. Watch the exclusive video interview above.

In the lead role of the Baker, James spent a majority of his scenes with Sara Bareilles as the Baker’s Wife. The pair journey through the titular woods on a quest to break a curse so that they can finally have a child. Their duet on the Sondheim classic “It Takes Two” was a comedic,...

This year’s Tonys will be held on June 11, so the American Theatre Wing will likely be announcing their lifetime achievement award recipient in the near future. Who do you think should be taking home this prestigious trophy? Scroll down to let us know in our poll which behind-the-scenes creative deserves the honor this year.

The Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre honors an individual’s body of work, and in some years we’ve gotten multiple recipients. Last year legendary five-time Tony winner Angela Lansbury received this honor about four months before her death on October 11 at the age of 96. The following living creatives have already received this award so they’re not eligible to be chosen again: Paul Gemignani, Alan Ayckbourn, Athol Fugard, Jane Greenwood, Sheldon Harnick, Marshall W. Mason, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Harold Wheeler, and Graciela Daniele.

Here are 10 possibilities, all of them creatives over the...

You wish to have the curse reversed? You’ll need to win a Tony first! Brian d’Arcy James gave an impressive performance as the Baker in the recent revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods.” Despite an impressive stage career, James has never won a Tony Award. That could all change thanks to one of the biggest hits of the 2022-23 Broadway season, and he would break a major Tony stat in the process.

James has amassed a whopping 15 Broadway credits over the course of his career, including “Into the Woods.” He scored his first Tony nomination for the musical “Sweet Smell of Success” in 2002 before picking up additional bids as the titular ogre in “Shrek the Musical” (2010) and for the farce “Something Rotten!” (2015).

The actor also had a hand in shaping characters from two Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning musicals. He originated the roles of Dan...

At the last Grammys, the presumed front-runner for Best Musical Theater Album didn’t end up winning. “Les Misérables: The Staged Concert” was out front to win according to Gold Derby’s racetrack odds, but lost in a big upset to “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.” So what could that mean for this year’s race?

SEECher just ahead of Cyndi Lauper, Mariah Carey as your choice for 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [Poll Results]

According to our current combined predictions, the reigning Tony winner for Best Musical, “A Strange Loop,” is expected to win with 11/2 odds. Thirteen of the American Theatre Wing’s previous champions in that category throughout the 21st century also won here. Among them are “The Producers,” “Hairspray,” “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” “Jersey Boys,” “Spring Awakening,” “In the Heights,” “The Book of Mormon,” “Once,” “Kinky Boots,” “Hamilton,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Band’s Visit,” and “Hadestown.”

On paper,...

Rebecca Halpern on Chef Charlie Trotter: “He loved very challenging films like Fitzcarraldo by Werner Herzog. And he loved books by people like Ayn Rand, which are not that popular frankly.” Photo: courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment

Rebecca Halpern’s revealing and savoury Love, Charlie: The Rise And Fall Of Chef Charlie Trotter features on-camera in-person interviews with Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Grant Achatz, Norman Van Aken, Carrie Nahabedian, Rick Bayless, Della Gossett, Michelle Gayer, David LeFevre, Guillermo Tellez, Reggie Watkins, Rahm Emanuel, Gordon Sinclair, Art Smith, farmer Lee Jones, and Trotter’s ex-wife Lisa Ehrlich.

Rebecca is also the producer of Danny Lee’s Who is Stan Smith?, executive produced by LeBron James.

Rebecca Halpern with Anne-Katrin Titze on Charlie Trotter’s: “His vegetarian dishes were beautiful and multi-layered and nuanced and remarkable.”

I spoke with Chef Mauro Colagreco (featured in Vérane Frédiani and Franck Ribière’s...

The Broadway hit musical revival of Into The Woods will be extended one final time, through Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, producers announced today.

The acclaimed New York City Center Encores! production of the James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim musical transferred to the St. James Theatre in June following its Off Broadway engagement at City Center. Last night, the show’s new cast began performances, including Montego Glover, Stephanie J. Block, Sebastian Arcelus Krysta Rodriguez, Katy Geraghty, Jim Stanek, and Andy Karl.

Casting announcements for the rest of the extended run will be made soon.

Performances at the St. James began on June 28, with the show initially set to run through August 21.

The extension was announced today by Jordan Roth, President of Jujamcyn Theaters. The revival is directed by Lear deBessonet, with music direction by Rob Berman with The Encores! Orchestra, and choreography by Lorin Latarro. This production is dedicated to the memory of Sondheim.

Just shy of one month ago, a revival of legendary composer Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Company” took home five Tony Awards, including the top prize for Best Revival. Now a remounting of one of his most popular works, “Into the Woods,” has just kicked off the new 2022-2023 Broadway season. The production, which opened at the St. James Theatre on July 10 for an extremely limited run, originated as a starry two-week gala at New York City Center in May and earned such acclaim that it quickly announced this Broadway engagement with most of its cast in tact.

Brilliantly weaving together different fairytale characters, “Into the Woods” is a beautiful and moving fable (and cautionary tale) about parenting and community and of childhood wonder and the loss of innocence. The musical features a libretto by James Lapine, and Lear deBessonet helms this production. The enviable ensemble includes Tony nominees Sara Bareilles,...

Exclusive: Cheyenne Jackson will step into the roles of Cinderella’s Prince and Red Riding Hood’s Wolf for a weeklong stint in Broadway’s hit revival Into the Woods, taking over for Gavin Creel during a previously scheduled absence.

Jackson will play the roles from July 24-August 2 while Creel fulfills prior commitments. The latter will return to the production on August 6 following a residence at The O’Neill National Musical Theatre Conference performing the project he wrote, Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice.

“I’m honored and elated to have been asked to return to my Broadway roots and join this enchanted production of Into the Woods alongside these beautiful artists,” Jackson said. “As a father of two young children, this piece resonates even deeper for me now, and I cannot wait to return to the St James Theatre and go Into the Woods once more.”

Lee Daniels...

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Of all the canonical musicals left behind by Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods perhaps more than any other lends itself to elaborate design treatment, with its pile-up of fairy-tale characters both high- and low-born and its forest setting yielding equal parts enchantment and disillusionment. Recent New York productions have painstakingly conjured that storybook environment with scenic splendor or crafty props, while Rob Marshall’s starry 2014 film was a sumptuous blend of Brothers Grimm and Disney aesthetics. But the 1987 show about the uneasy awakening that follows “happily ever after” works just as well in a stripped-down presentation, putting the emphasis on the questioning revisionism of James Lapine’s libretto and Sondheim’s lyrics.

That’s the case with Lear deBessonet’s gorgeous production, which began as a semi-staged concert in the Encores! series this spring and now moves to Broadway for a limited 8-week run,...

Even in a second- or third-rate production, Into the Woods is delightful, big and lovable and accessible and loaded with some of Stephen Sondheim’s most gorgeous and endearing songs.

In a top-flight production, the 1986 musical is transcendent. And make no mistake: Whatever else this summer will be remembered for, we can say this: New Yorkers and visitors to this city currently have a chance to witness the transcendence of a musical theater masterpiece.

Originally staged at New York City Center Encores!, Lear deBessonet’s magnificent, starry Into The Woods all but demanded a Broadway transfer, with sold-out crowds packing City Center and those left out wanting in. Last week at a Broadway preview, the audience was so stoked for this show and this cast that a loud and prolonged cacophony of applause greeted the rise of the curtain. Clearly, this Into The Woods preceded itself.

To say it delivers...

Following its sold-out Off Broadway Encores! run this past spring, the revival of Into The Woods continued drawing audiences in the first performances of its Broadway transfer, filling 94 of seats at the St. James Theatre and grossing a big 1,380,760.

The revival of the James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim classic, featuring a cast that includes Sara Bareilles, Brian D’Arcy James, Patina Miller, Phillipa Soo and Gavin Creel, which officially opens July 10, helped keep Broadway box office steady last week. In all, the 28 productions grossed a total 29,926,106, a tiny 2.8 slip from the previous week.

Attendance for the week ending July 3 was 238,943, a 4.2 increase from the previous week. Average ticket price dropped from 134 to 125 over the week.

Part of the overall b.o. dip can be attributed to a previously scheduled shortened week for Plaza Suite, the smash Neil Simon revival starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. The show played only six performances,...

One of the spring’s hottest Off Broadway tickets will make the move to Broadway this summer: The acclaimed, sold-out Encores! production of the James Lapine-Stephen Sondheim classic Into The Wood will transfer to Broadway’s St. James Theatre on June 28 for a strictly limited eight-week engagement.

Making the move from New York City Center to the St. James will be Sara Bareilles (as the Baker’s Wife) and Gavin Creel (as the Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince). Not along for the ride: Neil Patrick Harris and Heather Headley.

Taking over the role of the Baker from Harris will be Brian D’Arcy James, while Patina Miller will play the Witch, taking over for Headley. Phillipa Soo will play Cinderella (Denée Benton at City Center) and Joshua Henry will take over for Jordan Donica as Rapunzel’s Prince.

Also making the move to Broadway will be City Center cast members Ta’Nika Gibson as Lucinda,...

Out of all the nominees spread across the 26 categories at the 2022 Tony Awards, a number of them stand out as particularly noteworthy. Check out the complete list of nominees here.

SEEJennifer Hudson may Egot at the Tonys: ‘Strange Loop’ producer already has an Oscar, Emmy, and 2 Grammys

1. The following productions nominated this year were originally scheduled to open in the 2019-20 Broadway season before performances shut down due to Covid-19: “American Buffalo,” “Caroline, or Change,” “Company,” “Diana,” “Flying Over Sunset,” “Hangmen,” “How I Learned to Drive,” “The Lehman Trilogy,” “The Minutes,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Plaza Suite,” “Six,” and “Take Me Out.” While “Girl From the North County” did actually open just the week before Broadway shutdown, it was too late for that show to be eligible for the 74th Tony Awards as not enough voters were even able to see it then.

2. The following shows that only received one Tony nomination are: “Diana,...

With 34 productions eligible for this year’s Tony Awards, there were plenty of names missing when nominations were announced on Monday morning. Among the most surprising 2022 Tony Awards nominations snubs was Katrina Lenk, who plays Bobbie in Marianne Elliott’s reimagining of the late Stephen Sondheim’s “Company.” The production merited nine nominations, including Best Musical Revival, Best Director, Best Featured Actor (Matt Doyle), and Best Featured Actress. Lenk previously won a Tony Award for her performance in Best Musical-winner “The Band’s Visit.”

See the complete list of 2022 Tony Awards nominees

Original musical “Flying Over Sunset” also underperformed. Even though the shuttered production scored four nominations, including Best Actress (Carmen Cusack) and Best Score, it missed out on the top category of Best Musical and Best Book for librettist James Lapine.

The star-studded revival of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” also missed out on a number of key nominations. Director Sam Gold...

With the announcement of the Tony Awards nominations on May 9, we now know the shows and performers in contention for the 75th annual ceremony. The 29 members of the Tony nominating committee recognized 29 of the 34 eligible productions across 25 competitive categories.

See the complete list of 2022 Tony Awards nominees

The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “A Strange Loop” with score and book by Michael R. Jackson leads with 11 nominations, including Best Musical and for three of its cast members. Two other new musicals — “Mj The Musical” and “Paradise Square” — are right behind with 10 bids apiece. Both took slots in the top category of Best Musical and performed exceedingly well in the design categories. From the four eligible musical revivals, the late Stephen Sondheim‘s “Company” leads with nine nominations.

All 13 eligible musicals and musical revivals earned at least one nomination. Smash success “Six: The Musical” reaped eight bids, but as our users predicted, none...

“She was such a trailblazer,” says Carmen Cusack of Clare Booth Luce. The Tony-nominated actress (“Bright Star”) played the multifaceted author and politician in the musical “Flying Over Sunset.” The one of a kind show explores the surprising ways in which Luce (along with Cary Grant and Aldous Huxley) experimented with LSD as a form of therapy. “I couldn’t believe I had never heard of her,” reveals Cusack, “she was doing it all. She was navigating the political climate when there were no other women in that situation.” By exploring Luce’s highs and lows on stage, she developed a deep appreciation for this “fascinating” woman. Watch the exclusive video interview above.

The opportunity to take on this role happened at precisely the right moment. While visiting her father in Seattle, Cusack opened her inbox to discover an unexpected email from James Lapine. The Broadway legend pitched Cusack on...

This year’s Oscars telecast incorporated reunions of cast members from classic movies such as “The Godfather,” “Pulp Fiction,” and “Juno.” Last year’s Tony Awards actually did something similar, bringing together cast members from different Broadway classics such as “Hairspray,” “Ragtime,” “Rent,” and “Wicked” for performances as the industry was fighting to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the Tonys will be presenting their landmark 75th annual ceremony this year, I think it would be even more fitting if they reunite more co-stars from Broadway classics of yesteryear to perform or even present awards. Here are some suggestions. Vote in our poll at the bottom of this post to let us know which you’d most like to see.

SEE2022 Tony Awards: Full awards season calendar revealed

Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury – “Sweeney Todd”

In 1979 Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler‘s adaptation of Christopher Bond‘s 1973 stage play won...

“It’s a pleasure that we have so many to choose from!” exclaims David Buchanan of the 13 new musicals and musical revivals competing for the 2022 Tony Awards. After the pandemic decimated Broadway and resulted in only a handful of eligible tuners at the last ceremony, it’s a joy to be able to discuss a genuinely competitive lineup of musicals from the 2021-2022 Broadway season. David and I sat down six weeks before nominations are announced – on May 3 – to dish which productions, actors, and creatives will make the cut. Watch the full video above.

David and I are both in agreement that “Six” and “A Strange Loop” are leaders of the pack when it comes to the Best Musical race. The former casts the six wives of Henry VIII as pop divas while the later is a transfer of an Off-Broadway smash about a black, gay writer trying to navigate the theater world.

Hillary Rodham Clinton to tackle Sondheim? Well, in a way. The former First Lady will voice an off-stage role for an upcoming Arkansas Repertory Theatre production of the musical Into The Woods.

No singing required.

Clinton will voice the role of The Giant in the fairy tale retelling, a small, off-stage speaking role that’s traditionally pre-recorded for inclusion in the musical. The production is scheduled for April 19 through May 15 at the Arkansas Rep in Little Rock.

Clinton, of course, is no stranger to Arkansas – she was the state’s First Lady during husband Bill’s governorship.

“Real news, and I’m really excited!,” Rodham Clinton tweeted today. “Check out the production if you’re in Little Rock.”

Though the Arkansas Rep lists the character as The Giant, the role is traditionally billed as The Giant’s Wife, and has been voiced by, among others, Glenn Close, Judi Dench and Whoopi Goldberg.

This morning, Broadway legends Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, and James Lapine stopped by CBS Sunday Morning to discuss their work on the Sondheim musical, Sunday in the Park with George. The musical was inspired by George Seurat's 1886 pointilist painting, 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.' The group visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art to inspect a smaller study by Seurat of the same piece. Lapine discusses visiting Sondheim with a postcard image of the painting and how they went about dissecting the artwork for their Broadway classic.

Exclusive: WME has signed The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando Bloom for representation. The globally recognized actor has been a part of two of the largest film franchises of all time and recently was seen in the independent feature Retaliation.

He also recently starred in Rod Lurie’s The Outpost, which chronicles the true story of 53 U.S. soldiers who battled a force of 400 enemy insurgents in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. The film was recognized by the National Board of Review as one of the 10 best independent films in 2020 and received a 2021 Critics Choice Super Award for Best Action Movie. As for upcoming projects, Bloom recently wrapped production on Season 2 of Amazon’s Carnival Row, which he stars in and executive produces. Its second season will bow in 2022.

As a producer, Bloom recently extended his first-look deal with Amazon Studios and has...

Flying Over Sunset will end its limited engagement Broadway run three weeks earlier than planned, producer Lincoln Center Theater announced today. The musical, which imagines a meeting of the three real-life figures Aldous Huxley, Clare Boothe Luce and Cary Grant, will play its final performance at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on the afternoon of Sunday, Jan. 16.

The production, which began previews on Nov. 11 and opened Dec. 13, was originally scheduled to run through Feb. 6. The show recently canceled a number of performances due to the detection of Covid within the company.

When it closes, the production will have played 28 previews and 35 regular performances.

Flying Over Sunset, which received mixed-to-positive reviews (and made Deadline’s Top 10 year-end best list), features a book and direction by James Lapine, music by Tom Kitt, lyrics by Michael Korie, and choreography by Michelle Dorrance. The cast included Harry Hadden-Paton as Huxley, Carmen Cusack as Luce and Tony Yazbeck as Grant,...