Books in New Editions in ‘Flower Drum Song’ and ‘Brigadoon’
How David Henry Hwang and Alexandra Silber seek to honor 2 classic musicals’ intentions while keeping them fresh.
All Stories About musical theatre
Sorry-Grateful: 2 New Books Show the Many Sides of Sondheim
Daniel Okrent’s biography seeks the composer/lyricist’s motivation and finds complication and nuance, while Barry Joseph’s book asks what Sondheim’s games and puzzles can tell us about him.
Facial Recognition, With a Difference: How ‘Wonder’ Sees the Invisible
The author of a new musical based on a book about facial difference writes about how the show took its unique shape and gathered its like-minded team.
A ‘Working Girl’ Who Just Wants to Have Fun (and Break Glass Ceilings)
Cyndi Lauper and Theresa Rebeck’s new musical at La Jolla Playhouse, based on the hit film, eyes the absurdities of the 1980s work culture—and the inequalities that are still with us.
Charles Strouse, Jedi Master
One of the late composer’s musical theatre successors pays tribute to his elder’s craft, creativity, and unflappable professionalism.
William Finn Knew What He Liked, and Made Plenty to Love
The brilliant composer/lyricist is remembered by a Tony-winning collaborator for his unique, unpredictable taste and his fierce but unassuming craft.
Do You Hear the People Sing?
In staging a revolution and its confusing aftermath, the musical ‘We Live in Cairo’ also seeks to dramatize the everyday life of Arabs.
Throwing Toys, Facing the Music: My Cathartic 2-Show Day
How to deal with rejection and gain perspective on this crazy business? Maybe spend a day watching Broadway musicals you worked on but ultimately weren’t cast in.
Sheldon Harnick: A Blessing on His Head, Mazel Tov
He was a lyricist’s lyricist, sure, but his words spoke to everyone, and his life was as full of joy and surprise as his songs.
Itamar Moses: Every Day He Writes the Book
A playwright who finds writing musicals both impossible and irresistible, he has a new adaptation of ‘An American Tail’ opening at Children’s Theatre Company.
