All stories by Anthony Tommasini on BroadwayStars

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Stephen Sondheim, as Great a Composer as He Was a Lyricist by Anthony Tommasini

Our chief classical music critic remembers playing and teaching the unforgettable scores of “Sweeney Todd,” “Sunday in the Park With George” and other shows.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:42PM
Monday, February 3, 2020

Review: ‘Eurydice,’ a New Opera, Looks Back All Too Tamely by Anthony Tommasini

The composer Matthew Aucoin is deferential to Sarah Ruhl’s text, in a Los Angeles production that comes to the Met Opera next year.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:42PM
Monday, January 27, 2020

Review: ‘Das Barbecü’ Is Wagner’s ‘Ring’ With a Side of Brisket by Anthony Tommasini

This country-western parody of the operatic epic is set amid dining tables at a Manhattan barbecue restaurant.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:12PM
Thursday, March 9, 2017

Review: ‘Aging Magician,’ a Fable Complete With Complexities by Anthony Tommasini

This hybrid theatrical work, about a children’s book author and the story he hopes to finish, combines elements of opera, drama, puppet show and chorus.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:48PM
Monday, January 9, 2017

Review: The Adventures of ‘Candide,’ and of City Opera by Anthony Tommasini

This production of the Leonard Bernstein 1956 operetta, which hovers between opera and musical theater, is a step toward a totally revamped City Opera.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:06PM
Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Why You’ll Probably Never Hear a Sondheim Concerto by Anthony Tommasini

As he works on a new musical, Stephen Sondheim talks about the role of words in his work and how Oscar Hammerstein II influenced that.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:39PM
Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Debating ‘Otello,’ Blackface and Casting Trends by Ben Brantley and Anthony Tommasini

Ben Brantley and Anthony Tommasini weigh in on the debate set off by the Metropolitan Opera’s decision to forgo darkening makeup in its latest production.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:04PM
Thursday, August 27, 2015

Exploring ‘Hamilton’ and Hip-Hop Steeped in Heritage by Anthony Tommasini and Jon Caramanica

Anthony Tommasini and Jon Caramanica discuss Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:27AM
Thursday, July 9, 2015

Broadway Skills in Opera: They’re a Puzzlement by Anthony Tommasini

Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, has brought more theater directors into opera, which presents challenges but has resulted in inventive productions.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:20PM
Monday, May 25, 2015

Amorous Confusion in Pasatieri’s Adaptation of Chekhov’s Play by ANTHONY TOMMASINI

A conservative composer’s “Seagull” at Dicapo Opera Theater.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

The Gods Get Their Bridge at 'Rheingold' by ANTHONY TOMMASINI

Technical mishaps from the debut of "Ring" appear to have been fixed.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Shirley Verrett, Opera Singer of Power and Grace, Is Dead at 79 by ANTHONY TOMMASINI

Ms. Verrett, called the Black Callas, sang both mezzo-soprano and soprano roles, including Lady Macbeth, Carmen and Tosca.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

When Youthful Desire Grows Into Regret by ANTHONY TOMMASINI

“Summer and Smoke,” at the Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater, tells of two young adults who grew up together in a small town but whose desire for each other is never realiz…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Top 10 Composers: Hailing Opera's Shakespeare, and Its Proust by Anthony Tommasini

Verdi and Wagner were great students of Beethoven, and their operas have symphonic sweep, architectonic integrity and orchestral richness galore. In addition, you cannot discount their endur…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Top 10 Composers: The Female Factor by Anthony Tommasini

The sad truth is that until relatively recent decades, women have had severely limited opportunities within all the arts, especially music and, even more, composition.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

'Anna Nicole' Reimagined at Covent Garden by ANTHONY TOMMASINI

"Anna Nicole," the new opera about the American sex symbol, proved a weirdly inspired work, an engrossing, outrageous, entertaining and, ultimately, a deeply moving improbable triumph.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM

Stravinsky’s Tales, Dunked in the Spin Cycle by ANTHONY TOMMASINI

Robert Lepage directed the Canadian Opera Company in works by Stravinsky. Largely based on fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, they incorporated water and puppets.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:58PM
Thursday, January 1, 2015

Opera Review: Susan Stroman’s ‘The Merry Widow’ at the Met by Anthony Tommasini

A new production of “The Merry Widow,” directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, underlines the challenges of presenting spoken dialogue in the vast Metropolitan Opera hall.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:41PM
Sunday, December 21, 2014

Opera Review: Two-Course Feast of Stage and Song by Anthony Tommasini

Two versions of “The Long Christmas Dinner” were performed on Friday at Alice Tully Hall.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:50PM
Sunday, September 7, 2014

Opera Review: ‘Here Be Sirens,’ a Little Philosophy Included by Anthony Tommasini

“Here Be Sirens,” by Kate Soper, is a hybrid of opera, play and musical theater that presents these creatures as avian-humanoid femme fatales.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:56PM
Thursday, May 22, 2014

ArtsBeat: A Critic Picks Songs of the Broadway Season by Anthony Tommasini

Anthony Tommasini on this season’s musical theater songs that stood out and that have potential for independent afterlives.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:41PM

Eclectic Scores in the Season’s Broadway Crop by Anthony Tommasini

This season’s Broadway scores were clearly influenced by numerous musical styles, including country, gospel, jazz and the folk songs of other nations.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:35PM
Friday, April 4, 2014

Theater Review: ‘Guys and Dolls’ Is Performed as a Benefit for Carnegie Hall by Anthony Tommasini

A one-night-only performance of “Guys and Dolls” at Carnegie Hall on Thursday starred Nathan Lane, Patrick Wilson, Sierra Boggess and Megan Mullally.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:08PM
Sunday, March 30, 2014

Winners Named in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions by Anthony Tommasini

Five winners were selected in the finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in New York.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:50PM
Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Music Review: Philharmonic’s ‘Symphonic Sondheim’ at Avery Fisher Hall by Anthony Tommasini

The New York Philharmonic performed orchestral arrangements of suites from Sondheim musicals on Tuesday at Avery Fisher Hall.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:52PM
Monday, December 17, 2012

Musical Moments, Part V: 'La Bohème' by Anthony Tommasini

A reader finds transcendence in the anguish at the end of Puccini's "Bohème."

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 11:12AM
Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Musical Moments, Part IV: Stravinsky's 'Symphony of Psalms' by Anthony Tommasini

The fourth and final in a series of short videos I have made discussing some of my favorite magical moments in music.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:44AM
Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Musical Moments, Part III: Two Operas by Anthony Tommasini

The third in a series of short videos I have made discussing some of my favorite magical moments in music.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:16AM
Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Critic's Notebook: Gifts of Voice That Keep on Giving by Anthony Tommasini

Following singers’ career arcs into their 70s and 80s, as Barbara Cook and Barbra Streisand deal with voice changes.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:31PM
Monday, April 23, 2012

Critic’s Notebook: Anthony de Mare’s ‘Liaisons: Reimaging Sondheim’ by Anthony Tommasini

The pianist Anthony de Mare performed pieces from his “Reimagining Sondheim” project in a concert at Symphony Space.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:15PM
Sunday, March 11, 2012

Some Ground Rules for Revising Operas and Musicals by Anthony Tommasini

Why do some elaborate revisions of operas and musicals draw so much fire, but not others?

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 12:47PM

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