Recently the comments area of Suite101.com Theatre has seen a lot of activity. People have been writing in requesting that we revisit their sites or provide links. For the most part their sites are well worth the attention.
Here are some words on a few of them.
Contributors to Talkin' Broadway have been nudzing us for a while now to revisit their site, complaining that the mention they receive here is out-dated and undernourished. A recent visit proved that their complaints should not go unheard. Now in it's third year, Talkin' Broadway has grown from being a loosely assembled (albeit graphically gorgeous) group pages surrounding the writings of the pseudonymous "V.J." to a full fledged, full featured, all around theatre site. The site is still one of the most artistically visually outstanding theatre sites (with, of course, a correspondingly lengthy download time), but with 27 contributors you'll find reviews from all over the US, Canada, and London, reviews of cast albums, of Broadway and off-, and of NY theatre district restaurants, interviews with theatre luminaries, Robert C. Rusie's fabulous history of Broadway (with an accompanying photo gallery), and the requisite listing of current shows on and off-Broadway and in London. The site's chat area continues its tradition of high volume (and here you'll see non-professional reviews of shows still in previews). But for me the heart of Talkin' Broadway continues to be the stories and essays of V.J.
(The changes to the site warrant a move to the Suite101.com Theatre's Top 5.)
Many of you may remember our enthusiasm for Gaëtan L. Charlebois' Encyclopedia of Canadian Theatre on the WWW may also have been wondering when the corresponding US-centric site would be mentioned in our pages. Well, until recently there really was no corresponding site. To the rescue come Keith Scollick & Co., with their Internet Theatre Database (ITDb). According to the site, the authors got tired of waiting for someone else to come up with the theatrical equivalent to the Internet Movie Database. The site is cleanly designed with a straightforward interface, and though in its early stages, the ITDb is already jam-packed with actors, directors, writers, creative and technical personnel, cross-linked to the shows they were involved with, in an actual, searchable database. Currently focussed on the last fifty years of Broadway shows, they have plans to expand into off-Broadway, regional, and West End listings. They also maintain or link to listings of current productions at home and abroad. We hope that future plans involve more details, including biographies.
(A prediction of extensive growth is cause to add this site to Suite101.com Theatre's Search Sites.)
Originally published at Suite101.com Theatre, 9/14/99
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