All stories by Brent Lang on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Women Directed Just 16% of 2024’s Top 250 Grossing Movies, New Report Faults Hollywood For Lack of Progress by Brent Lang

From thrillers like “Babygirl” and “Love Lies Bleeding” to genre-bending horror flicks like “The Substance” to inspirational sports dramas like “The Fire Inside,” women direc…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:43PM

Jennifer Lopez on ‘Unstoppable,’ ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ and Playing Empowered Characters: ‘From the Minute Women Are Born, We’re Alwa by Brent Lang

Jennifer Lopez keeps having to remind Judy Robles that she deserves all the attention she’s been getting as the pair promote “Unstoppable.” The inspirational sports drama has been earn…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:42PM
Friday, December 27, 2024

‘Mufasa’ Rules Post-Christmas Box Office With $12 Million, ‘Nosferatu’ Shows Bite With $7.6 Million Thursday by Brent Lang

Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” is reigning over the holiday box office. The family film, which is a prequel to “The Lion King” (both the 1994 animated classic and the less canoni…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:23AM

Disney Recaptured Its Dominance in 2024 as Family Films and Sequels Ruled the Box Office by Brent Lang

Mark O’Meara, a Virginia-based movie theater owner, wonders and worries constantly about what exactly his customers will buy tickets to see on any given weekend. It’s not that people hav…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:36AM
Tuesday, December 17, 2024

The Southampton Playhouse Taps Maria A. Ruiz Botsacos, Eric Kohn for Leadership Roles (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

The Southampton Playhouse, a historic cinema that is being revitalized into a state-of-the-art movie theater, announced its leadership team on Tuesday. Maria A. Ruiz Botsacos, a top executiv…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:00AM
Thursday, December 5, 2024

‘Swept Away,’ Avett Brothers’ Musical About a Brutal Shipwreck, Ending Broadway Run by Brent Lang

“Swept Away,” a musical that mixed together a shipwreck, cannibalism and the music of the Avett Brothers, hoped to defy conventional wisdom about what constitutes a Broadway hit. Instea…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:30PM
Monday, December 2, 2024

Gavin Creel Honored at Broadway Memorial Service Filled With Music, Humor and Heartbreak: ‘He Was Everyone’s Favorite Person’ by Brent Lang

Gavin Creel, the Tony Award-winning star of “Hello Dolly!” and “Hair” who died in September at the age of 48, was celebrated Monday as a passionate artist and activist in an emotiona…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:15PM
Monday, November 18, 2024

How ‘Swept Away’ Writer John Logan Turned a Horrific Maritime Disaster Into an Unlikely Broadway Musical by Brent Lang

“Swept Away,” a musical about four men stranded at sea, had a landlocked genesis. John Logan, the show’s Oscar-nominated and Tony-winning writer, started teasing out the idea for the m…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:50AM
Friday, November 1, 2024

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Being Made Into Stage Musical From Producer Ken Davenport, Composer A.R. Rahman by Brent Lang

“Slumdog Millionaire,” the Oscar-winning film about a young man from an impoverished background who competes on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,” could be headed…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:48AM
Thursday, October 31, 2024

‘Sleep No More’ Sets Final Performance After Closure Was Delayed a Year (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

“Sleep No More,”  the immersive experience that revolutionized the theater scene, has announced its  final performance. The influential, site-specific show will close following the…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:00PM
Thursday, October 24, 2024

‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ Ending Broadway Run in January by Brent Lang

“Back to the Future: The Musical,” a pricey stage adaptation of the beloved sci-fi adventure, is packing up the DeLorean. The production will have its final Broadway performance on Sunda…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:00PM
Friday, October 18, 2024

In ‘The Hills of California’ Laura Donnelly Plays a Mother Whose Tragic Decision Destroys Her Family — Just Don’t Call Her a Monster by Brent Lang

“I’m smaller in real life,” Laura Donnelly tells me after I admit that I didn’t recognize her, standing pensively by the entrance to the midtown bar where we’re meeting, scanning t…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:16AM
Friday, October 11, 2024

Ryan O’Connor, Michael Wilson Hosting Industry Reading for Broadway Hopeful ‘The Cowards: A Marvelously Queer New Comedy’ (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

Playwright and actor Ryan O’Connor has written a modern, unapologetically queer take on Nöel Coward’s classic comedy “Hay Fever.” Entitled “The Cowards: A Marvelously Queer New Co…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:41PM
Monday, September 23, 2024

Tony Awards Returning to Radio City Music Hall as 2025 Ceremony Sets June Date by Brent Lang

The Tony Awards will return to Radio City Music Hall for the show’s 78th edition. It’s the first time that the annual celebration of the best of Broadway has been held at the Midtown Man…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:00PM
Thursday, September 19, 2024

Nicole Scherzinger on Bringing ‘Sunset Boulevard’ to Broadway: ‘I’m Gonna F—ing Go Out There Every Single Night Coming for Blood’ by Brent Lang

Nicole Scherzinger sounds like a kid desperately clinging to those last fleeting moments of summer break before school starts. She’s calling from an airport in Portugal, having recently wr…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:59AM
Friday, August 2, 2024

AMC Theatres Reports $32.8 Million Quarterly Loss Thanks to Hollywood Strikes, Summer Movie Flops  by Brent Lang

A frosty start to the summer movie season was devastating for AMC Theatres, the world’s biggest exhibitor. The theater chain’s quarterly earnings were severely impacted by a lack of bloc…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:44PM

Elizabeth Lail, Zane Phillips and Nic Ashe Starring in Off Broadway Premiere of ‘Pretty Perfect Lives’ (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

Elizabeth Lail, Zane Phillips and Nic Ashe are set to star in the off Broadway premiere of “Pretty Perfect Lives,” a look at sexual exploration, internet addiction and the dangers of…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:00AM
Thursday, August 1, 2024

Veteran Talent Manager and Producer Jen Namoff Joins Artists First (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

Jen Namoff, a prominent talent manager and Tony Award-winning producer, will join the New York office of Artists First. She is known for managing a deep roster of entertainment talent at her…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:00AM
Monday, July 29, 2024

Cast of Broadway Thriller ‘Job’ on Exploring Social Media’s Dark Side: ‘The Theater Just Rocks’ by Brent Lang

Peter Friedman, the star of “Job,” takes his time getting to the theater each day. Sometimes he’ll board a local train from his home on the Upper West Side instead of the express that …

SOURCE: Variety at 05:02PM
Friday, July 26, 2024

Tony-Winning Actress Betty Buckley Signs With Sugar23 (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

Betty Buckley, the Tony-winning and Grammy-nominated actor and singer, has signed with Sugar23. Best known for her performances in on stage, particularly for her soaring rendition of “Memo…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:11PM
Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Adam Lambert, ‘Moana’ Star Auli’i Cravalho Taking Over Lead Roles in Broadway’s ‘Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club’ by Brent Lang

Willkommen, bienvenue Adam Lambert and Auli’i Cravalho. There’s a new act at the Kit Kat Club. Lambert, a Grammy nominee and “American Idol” breakout, and Cravalho, the star of the m…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:05PM
Sunday, June 30, 2024

’Starlight Express’ Review: Wobbly Revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Roller-Skating Musical Never Hits Stride by Brent Lang

Is it a musical? Is it a roller derby? Is it a game-show? When the roller-skating phenomenon that is “Starlight Express” opened in London in 1984 it was all of those and more, as evidenc…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:30PM
Wednesday, June 26, 2024

‘The Constituent’ Review: James Corden Impresses in Timely but Contrived Political Play by Brent Lang

Regardless of one’s political allegiance, it’s almost universally agreed that in recent years political expediency rather than truth has been, literally, the governing principle behind s…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:44PM
Sunday, June 16, 2024

Nick Jonas, Adrienne Warren Starring on Broadway in ‘The Last Five Years’ by Brent Lang

Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren will team up for the first-ever Broadway production of Jason Robert Brown’s “The Last Five Years.” The musical, a look at the flowering and dissolution …

SOURCE: Variety at 09:23AM
Monday, June 10, 2024

‘Pitch Perfect’ and ‘Spring Awakening’ Star Skylar Astin to Host Tony Awards Simulcast (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

Actor and singer Skylar Astin will help theater lovers celebrate Broadway’s biggest night. The “Pitch Perfect” star has been tapped to host the American Express “Broadway Fanfare” …

SOURCE: Variety at 12:00PM
Friday, June 7, 2024

TodayTix Group Buys Digital Advertising Agency Arthouse (EXCLUSIVE) by Brent Lang

TodayTix Group has acquired Arthouse, a full-service digital advertising agency. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the companies said that Arthouse will operate independent…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:00AM
Friday, May 31, 2024

‘The Outsiders’ Director Danya Taymor on Making a Gritty, Violent Broadway Musical: ‘This All Needs to Take Place in the Dirt’ by Brent Lang

By the end of every performance, “The Outsiders” cast is caked in grime and dust. That’s a consequence of the Broadway musical’s sandy stage, which finds the actors who bring the the…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:15PM
Wednesday, May 8, 2024

‘Dune 2,’ ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Help AMC Theatres Quarterly Earnings Beat Projections by Brent Lang

Movie theaters can’t sell tickets if they don’t have a lot of new blockbusters to advertise on their marquees. And the actors and writers strikes that ground Hollywood to a standstill in…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:01PM
Thursday, May 2, 2024

Struggling ‘Lempicka’ Ending Broadway Run by Brent Lang

“Lempicka,” a musical about Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka, will play its final Broadway performance on Sunday, May 19. The show has struggled to draw crowds since opening on April…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:05PM
Sunday, April 28, 2024

Some Critics Don’t Understand the ‘Cabaret’ Broadway Revival. Young Women Do. (Guest Column) by Brent Lang

For more than half a century, “Cabaret” — the iconic American musical set in Nazi Germany — has been produced, revived and revived again. This story, which touches on sex work, abort…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:35PM
Thursday, April 18, 2024

How Broadway’s ‘Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club’ Pulls Off Its Audacious, Sensual 75-Minute Prologue by Brent Lang

“No extraneous commotion,” Jordan Fein, the associate director of “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club,” beseeches the small army of construction crew members who are drilling, hammering and…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:20PM

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 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime