All stories by Jeff Lunden on BroadwayStars

Sunday, June 12, 2022

These essential workers aren't eligible to win Tonys but deserve the spotlight by Jeff Lunden

Music directors aren't eligible for awards at tonight's Tonys. We hear from three from Tony-nominated shows, talking about their craft and the challenges of conducting eight performances a w…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 12:24PM
Friday, May 13, 2022

Iranian-American playwright is set on breaking expectations by Jeff Lunden

Sanaz Toossi is having a moment – her first production ever, English, just won a Lucille Lortel award for outstanding new off-Broadway play, and Wish You Were Here opened last week.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:33PM
Monday, May 9, 2022

'A Strange Loop' garners 11 Tony nominations, including Best Musical by Jeff Lunden

These nominations are for Broadway's first season after the 2020 COVID shutdown.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 10:12PM
Saturday, May 7, 2022

Photos: The Golden Age of Broadway is celebrated in a new online exhibit by Jeff Lunden

A new virtual art exhibition celebrates theater, movies and television with original sketches by Broadway set and costume designers.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:18PM
Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Broadway's 'POTUS': Should these women save the president? by Jeff Lunden

Seven comic actresses star in a new play by a 28-year-old up-and-coming playwright.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:24AM
Friday, April 22, 2022

From Fanny to Barbra to Beanie: 'Funny Girl' comes back to Broadway by Jeff Lunden

In 1964, the musical made a star out of 21-year-old Barbra Streisand. Now a new version features Beanie Feldstein.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:42AM
Sunday, April 17, 2022

Young playwrights confront gun violence with their art and say #Enough by Jeff Lunden

Across the country, theaters and civic organizations commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Columbine school shootings by presenting readings of eight short plays by teenagers.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 01:54PM

On the date of Columbine, 8 plays on gun violence will be read across the U.S. by Jeff Lunden

Young playwrights highlight the damage done by gun violence after winning a competition called #enough. Their performances are scheduled to occur on the date of the 1999 Columbine school sho…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 01:54PM
Thursday, April 14, 2022

A stripped-down 'Cyrano' — a London import — is all about language by Jeff Lunden

James McAvoy stars in this Olivier-winning production that includes beatboxing — but no prosthetic nose.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:37AM
Sunday, March 20, 2022

At the Broadway Makers Marketplace, theater fans find both crafts and community by Jeff Lunden

A pop-up shop in a New York subway station is home to all things Broadway: memorabilia, live performances and handmade goods created by fans. Now, the shop's owners hope to find a permanent …

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 03:18PM
Monday, March 14, 2022

Norwegian opera singer Lise Davidsen is on the verge of superstardom by Jeff Lunden

Lise Davidsen is in her mid-thirties, and she didn't even hear an opera live until she was in her twenties. Now, she's a sought-after opera singer.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:18AM
Monday, February 14, 2022

A machine turns Black people white in the musical 'Black No More' by Jeff Lunden

An off-Broadway show, based on a 1931 novel, explores the results when a scientist charges Black people $50 each to change their race with his new invention.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:33AM
Saturday, January 29, 2022

Theater stars spring to life on the pages of 'B is for Broadway' by Jeff Lunden

A few years ago, a children's book called A is for Audra celebrated musical theater divas. Its creators have written a new book, B is for Broadway, celebrating theater from auditions to Zieg…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:42PM
Sunday, January 23, 2022

Omicron hampers Broadway. Fewer tourists are there for just a score of shows by Jeff Lunden

Tickets may be easier and cheaper to get for the plays that are still open. Some producers reopened until the virus raced through the cast and crew. Future productions are hard to see on th…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:06AM
Friday, January 14, 2022

Two-time Pulitzer winner Lynn Nottage turns a triple play in New York City by Jeff Lunden

Nottage, the only woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice, has a new play on Broadway, an opera at Lincoln Center and a Michael Jackson musical opening soon.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:12AM
Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Cecily Strong finds 'Signs of Intelligent Life' in a celebrated one-woman show by Jeff Lunden

The 'Saturday Night Live' cast member and 'Schmigadoon!' star performs in "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe," a one-woman show made famous by Lily Tomlin.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:42PM
Monday, January 3, 2022

With COVID outbreaks, Broadway's understudies take center stage by Jeff Lunden

Breakthrough infections from the omicron variant have been spreading like wildfire among casts and crews, so understudies and swing performers have been helping keep shows afloat.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:33AM
Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Latest COVID surge hits Broadway during the lucrative holiday season by Jeff Lunden

While most shows are maintaining a regular schedule, nine popular musicals and plays announced they would take a hiatus until after Christmas because of breakthrough infections.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:48AM
Sunday, December 12, 2021

As theater reopens, how directors are putting their reimaginations into action by Jeff Lunden

During the height of pandemic closures, three artistic directors spoke about their hopes for what theater would look like when it reopened. More than a year later, we check in to see what's …

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 03:03AM
Monday, December 6, 2021

A prescient play about race in America has its long-overdue Broadway premiere by Jeff Lunden

Playwright Alice Childress took an unflinching look at racism in society and in the theater with "Trouble in Mind" in 1955. Now in its overdue Broadway premiere, the play proves prescient an…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:06AM
Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater brings 2 dances made for the web to the stage by Jeff Lunden

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater shifted to streaming presentations online during pandemic. Now, two dances conceived for the web are included in the company's return to in-person perf…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:06PM
Saturday, November 27, 2021

Stephen Sondheim, the Broadway legend, has died at 91 by Jeff Lunden

The celebrated composer-songwriter died on Friday. He had won several Tonys and Grammys, as well as an Oscar and Pulitzer, for musicals including West Side Story and Company.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 03:42AM
Wednesday, November 24, 2021

In 'Eurydice,' Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl recast opera's foundational myth by Jeff Lunden

Composer, conductor and MacArthur "genius" Mathew Aucoin just debuted his opera, 'Eurydice,' at the Met. The new work reinterprets an ancient, archetypal myth from the perspective of its nam…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:24AM
Tuesday, November 23, 2021

In 'Eurydice,' Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl recast opera's foundational myth by Jeff Lunden

Composer, conductor, pianist and MacArthur "genius" Aucoin adapted playwright Ruhl's work, which reinterprets an ancient, archetypal myth from the perspective of its namesake.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:03AM
Sunday, November 7, 2021

Broadway returns as theater rethinks on-stage representation by Jeff Lunden

After more than a year of closures and reflection, Broadway is back making changes to who is represented on stage.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 02:32PM
Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein illuminates a lifetime in art with a new multimedia concert by Jeff Lunden

The eloquent pianist used a work break imposed by the pandemic to learn something new: stage directing, a skill set she put to use in creating a multimedia recital.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 10:54AM
Sunday, October 10, 2021

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein illuminates a lifetime in art with a new multimedia concert by Jeff Lunden

The eloquent pianist used a work break imposed by pandemic to learn something new: stage directing, a skill set she put to use in creating a multimedia recital.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 10:12PM
Monday, September 27, 2021

'Moulin Rouge! The Musical' Dominated The Tony Awards by Jeff Lunden

Sunday night, more than 15 months after they were originally scheduled, the 74th Annual Tony Awards were presented.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 11:12AM
Sunday, September 26, 2021

4 Things To Know Ahead Of The 2021 Tony Awards by Jeff Lunden

The 74th Annual Tony Awards will be presented on Sunday, September 26 more than 15 months after they were previously scheduled. But these pandemic Tonys are by no means business as usual.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 12:12PM
Saturday, September 4, 2021

'Hadestown' Returns To Broadway by Jeff Lunden

Broadway is coming roaring back on Sept. 2 and one of the musicals to open that day is Hadestown. We follow the cast and crew as they remount the show and celebrate opening night.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:36PM
Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Curtains Up! Broadway Musicals Return, But COVID Concerns Are Center Stage by Jeff Lunden

Broadway shows have implemented strict protocols, but anxiety is high. "The culture of 'the show must go on,' it has to be left behind," says the executive director of the Actors' Equity Ass…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 07:24AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime