All stories by Terry Gross on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

As a 'Seasoned Professional,' Jenny Slate now finds strength in her sensitivity by Terry Gross

The comic can pick up on the "micro bad mood" of whoever she's talking to. And when she wants her 3-year-old daughter to open up, she talks to her in the voice of Marcel the Shell with Shoes…

SOURCE: npr.org at 05:02PM
Tuesday, January 2, 2024

To become the 'Maestro,' Bradley Cooper learned to live the music by Terry Gross

In his new biopic Maestro, Cooper was determined not to imitate the legendary Leonard Bernstein. Instead, the actor worked with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin to find his own rhythm.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:18PM
Friday, June 30, 2023

Remembering Broadway legend and 'Fiddler on the Roof' lyricist Sheldon Harnick by Terry Gross

Harnick, along with composer Jerry Bock, wrote the enduring music for Fiddler, as well as Fiorello and She Loves Me. He died June 23. Originally broadcast in 1988, 2004 and 2014.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 07:04PM
Wednesday, April 19, 2023

'Fresh Air' pays tribute to the music of John Kander and Fred Ebb by Terry Gross

The new Broadway musical New York, New York includes Kander and Ebb's songs from Scorsese's 1977 film. We listen back to an '83 interview with Kander and Ebb, plus '91 and '15 interviews wit…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:54PM
Friday, March 24, 2023

NYC drag queen Linda Simpson reflects on the scene that set the stage for RuPaul by Terry Gross

Linda Simpson performed in and chronicled the drag scene in the '80s and '90s, taking some 5,000 photos of performers. She calls Tennessee's anti-drag legislation "ridiculous."

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 03:18AM
Thursday, March 16, 2023

Drag queen (and ordained minister) Bella DuBalle won't be silenced by new Tenn. law by Terry Gross

DuBalle says the legislators behind a new law criminalizing public drag shows don't understand the art: "They think that every drag performer is doing something hypersexual or obscene."

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 12:51PM
Saturday, November 19, 2022

Yiddish 'Fiddler On The Roof' is a dream come true for its lead actor by Terry Gross

The Yiddish language production of the musical is back. Steven Skybell, who plays Tevye, and Joel Grey, who directed the original, explain the musical's resonance. Originally broadcast July …

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:03AM
Monday, November 14, 2022

'It chips away at you': Misty Copeland on the whiteness of ballet by Terry Gross

For years Copeland was told that her skin color, her body and her hair didn't conform to what ballerinas were supposed to look like. Her memoir is The Wind at My Back.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 03:32PM
Friday, November 4, 2022

Billy Porter makes peace with himself: 'I set myself free, honey. No more secrets' by Terry Gross

Porter won an Emmy for Pose, and a Tony for the Broadway musical Kinky Boots. In addition to performing, he's also a star on the red carpet. His memoir is Unprotected. Originally broadcast i…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:32PM
Friday, October 21, 2022

Remembering Angela Lansbury, a legend of the stage and screen by Terry Gross

The Tony Award-winning actor starred in the Broadway musicals Mame, Gypsy and Sweeney Todd, as well as the TV series Murder, She Wrote. Lansbury died Oct. 11. Originally broadcast in 2000.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 12:07PM
Monday, July 18, 2022

'A Strange Loop' writer and composer started out on Broadway as an usher by Terry Gross

Michael R. Jackson's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical is about a young Black gay musical theater writer named Usher, who works as an usher at a Broadway show — just like Jackson onc…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:54PM
Friday, June 10, 2022

Julie Andrews says she's not the squeaky clean lady you might expect by Terry Gross

The Sound of Music star will soon be honored with the AFI's Life Achievement Award. In 2008 and 2019, she spoke to Fresh Air about growing up during WWII and performing in her parents' vaude…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:42PM
Friday, May 27, 2022

Angela Lansbury looks back on her great performances on stage and screen by Terry Gross

In June, Lansbury will receive the Tony Award for lifetime achievement. The Murder, She Wrote star previously won Tonys for her performances in Gypsy and Sweeney Todd. Originally broadcast i…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:33PM
Saturday, May 14, 2022

Anthony Roth Costanzo nearly lost his voice to cancer. Now he's back as 'Akhnaten' by Terry Gross

A decade ago, Costanzo had surgery that threatened to destroy his singing voice. Now he stars as a gender-fluid Egyptian pharaoh in the Met Opera's production. Originally broadcast Oct. 7, 2…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 01:36PM
Monday, April 4, 2022

Conductor Marin Alsop talks about the joys and challenges of leading an orchestra by Terry Gross

Alsop talks about the rejection she faced on the way to becoming the first woman to lead a major American orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony. She's now the subject of a new documentary, The C…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 04:24PM
Wednesday, February 9, 2022

How the Method transformed film — and made acting more human by Terry Gross

Method acting is more than mining personal experiences to play a character — or physically transforming for a role. Author Isaac Butler traces the history of the technique in The Method.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:24PM
Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Mel Brooks says his only regret as a comedian is the jokes he didn't tell by Terry Gross

Brooks wrote countless edgy jokes over the years, but he doesn't regret any of them. He calls comedy his "delicious refuge" from the world. "I hide in humor," he says. His new memoir is All …

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:54AM
Friday, December 3, 2021

'Fresh Air' remembers Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim (Part 3) by Terry Gross

We conclude our tribute to Sondheim by listening to archival interviews with collaborators and performers, including Stephen Colbert, James Lapine, Paul Gemignani and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 07:12PM
Thursday, December 2, 2021

'Fresh Air' remembers Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim (Part 2) by Terry Gross

We continue our tribute to Sondheim by listening back to a 2010 interview in which he shared the stories behind some of his most famous songs and gave his take on other great lyricists.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:48PM

'Fresh Air' remembers Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim (Part 1) by Terry Gross

Sondheim, who died Nov. 26, was the lyricist and composer who gave us Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and other shows. In 2010 he spoke about his writing process, from rhyming to finding the r…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:36AM
Saturday, November 20, 2021

Neither the pandemic nor age can keep choreographer Twyla Tharp from her work by Terry Gross

Twyla Moves, a documentary by PBS American Masters, tells the story of the legendary choreographer, who got her start performing on subway platforms in the 1960s. Originally broadcast April …

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 02:33AM
Saturday, October 30, 2021

'Fresh Air' celebrates master magician Ricky Jay by Terry Gross

The noted sleight-of-hand artist, who died in 2018, was also a scholar of con games and oddities. This week, Sotheby's auctioned off part of Jay's 10,000-item collection. Originally broadcas…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 12:42AM
Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Billy Porter makes peace with himself: 'I set myself free, honey. No more secrets' by Terry Gross

Fourteen years after his initial diagnosis, the Pose actor revealed publicly that he is HIV-positive. Porter says being open about his health status felt like a rebirth. His new memoir is Un…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:06PM
Monday, September 27, 2021

'Dear Evan Hansen' Actor Ben Platt Escapes From Anxiety By Being In The Spotlight by Terry Gross

Platt frequently worries about the past and what's to come, but there's one place where his anxiety tends to subside. "Being on stage, for me, is kind of the antidote to that," he says.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:42PM
Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Finishing 'Sunday In The Park': Behind-The-Scenes Stories Of Working With Sondheim by Terry Gross

James Lapine worked with Stephen Sondheim on Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods and Passion. In Putting it Together, he draws on interviews with Sondheim and members of the cast …

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 04:48PM
Friday, May 14, 2021

Remembering NYC Ballet Principal Dancer Jacques D'Amboise by Terry Gross

D'Amboise, who died May 2, began dancing at 7 and joined the New York City Ballet at 15. He later founded the National Dance Institute, which teaches dance to children. Originally broadcast …

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:42PM
Thursday, April 8, 2021

'Dance Can Give Community': Twyla Tharp On Choreographing Through Lockdown by Terry Gross

Twyla Moves, a new documentary by PBS American Masters, tells the story of the legendary choreographer, who got her start performing on subway platforms and rooftops in the 1960s.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 11:03PM
Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Remembering Broadway Star Rebecca Luker by Terry Gross

Luker, who died of ALS Dec. 23, received Tony nominations for her performances in Showboat, The Music Man and Mary Poppins. She spoke to Fresh Air in 1999, 2000, 2013 and 2020.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 03:24PM
Sunday, November 8, 2020

Remembering Dancer And Choreographer Marge Champion by Terry Gross

Champion, who died Oct. 21, danced with her husband Gower in the movie musicals Till the Clouds Roll By, Showboat and Lovely to Look At. Originally broadcast in 2001.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 02:03AM
Friday, October 16, 2020

How Women Have Been 'Profoundly' Left Out Of The U.S. Constitution by Terry Gross

As a teen, Heidi Schreck debated the Constitution in competitions. A film of her Broadway play, What the Constitution Means to Me, is now available on Amazon Prime. Originally broadcast Marc…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:24PM

2 Broadway Stars Grapple With COVID And ALS: 'We're Adapting To A New Reality' by Terry Gross

Married Broadway stars Danny Burstein and Rebecca Luker both contracted COVID in the spring. Burstein was hospitalized. Luker's case was less severe, but it came soon after she was diagnosed…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:12AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards