All stories by David Buchanan on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

2024 Tony Awards nominations predictions: Multiple bids for plays ‘Patriots,’ ‘Uncle Vanya,’ ‘Appropriate’ … by David Buchanan

In the two weeks since Gold Derby launched the 2024 Tony Awards nominations predictions center, over 600 users have made their preliminary picks for which shows, performers and creatives wil…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 03:00PM
Tuesday, March 12, 2024

2024 Olivier Awards nominations: ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ ‘Guys and Dolls,’ ‘Dear England’ lead by David Buchanan

We are still approximately six weeks away from learning the nominees for the 77th Tony Awards, but across the pond the finalists for the 2024 Olivier Awards were just announced. A radical ne…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 06:00PM

2024 Tony Awards nominations predictions: Big tallies for musicals ‘Lempicka,’ ‘The Notebook,’ ‘Cabaret’ … by David Buchanan

In the two weeks since Gold Derby launched the 2024 Tony Awards nominations predictions center, over 600 users have made their preliminary picks for which shows, performers and creatives wil…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 03:00PM
Monday, January 29, 2024

‘Days of Wine and Roses’ reviews: ‘Sophisticated’ new musical stars ‘superb’ Kelli O’Hara, Brian d’Arcy James by David Buchanan

Sixty-two years after the release of the film “Days of Wine and Roses,” the Oscar-winning movie by writer J.P. Miller and director Blake Edwards, a musical adaptation has opened on Broad…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 12:00PM
Monday, October 23, 2023

‘Here We Are’ reviews: Stephen Sondheim’s final musical is ‘enchanting,’ ‘compelling’ with ‘exceptional’ cast by David Buchanan

In the penultimate song in Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Sunday in the Park with George,” Dot implores the artist George to “give us more to see.” The late maestro has done so himsel…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 03:00PM
Monday, October 16, 2023

Maria Friedman: From ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ leading lady to director by David Buchanan

In 2022, Marianne Elliott won the Tony Award for directing a revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical “Company.” In her speech, she thanked the late composer for trusting her to put a “…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 06:00PM
Wednesday, October 11, 2023

‘Merrily We Roll Along’ reviews: ‘Exquisite’ Sondheim revival stars Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, Daniel Radcliffe by David Buchanan

What a difference 40 years makes. After opening to pans and a run of only 16 official performances in 1981, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical “Merrily We Roll Along” has been…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 01:00PM
Friday, September 29, 2023

Stephen Sondheim at the Tony Awards: All 75 wins from ‘West Side Story’ to ‘Assassins’ by David Buchanan

Stephen Sondheim has almost never been more popular than in the two years since his passing in November 2021. In that time, celebrated revivals of “Company,” “Into the Woods,” and �…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 05:00PM
Sunday, June 11, 2023

2023 Tony Awards Live Blog: Who Won, Who Lost, What Does it All Mean? [UPDATING LIVE] by David Buchanan

The 76th Tony Awards will take place on Sunday, June 11 in a two-part telecast staged at the United Palace in Washington Heights. Nominations were announced on May 2, 2023. Of the 38 eligibl…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 06:52AM

2023 Tony Awards: Every winner (and nominee) in all 26 competitive categories [UPDATING LIVE] by David Buchanan

Tony Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday, May 2 by Lea Michele and Myles Frost. While the nominations for the 76th annual Tony Awards were determined by 40 theatre professionals, wi…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 06:49AM
Thursday, June 8, 2023

Tony predictions by show: ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ will lead with 6, ’Life of Pi’ and ‘Some Like It Hot’ to take 4 by David Buchanan

New musical “Kimberly Akimbo” will win the most Tony Awards, according to our official odds in all 26 categories. The latest from Tony-winning composer Jeanine Tesori and six-time Tony-n…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 03:00PM

Tony Awards 2023 predictions: Complete odds for every category by David Buchanan

After an extraordinary season boasting 38 productions of musicals, plays, and revivals, Broadway will toast its nominees and crown new winners at the upcoming 76th annual Tony Awards. If pre…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 11:00AM

2023 Tony Awards predictions: What plays and performances will win? [WATCH] by David Buchanan

The 2023 Tony Awards race for Best Play has already made history, even before the winner will be revealed on June 11. For the first time, three Pulitzer Prize-winning dramas were nominated i…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 10:00AM
Friday, May 5, 2023

2023 Tony Awards: History made in the Best Play category with three Pulitzer-winning nominees by David Buchanan

For the first time in the 76-year history of the Tony Awards, three Pulitzer Prize-winning original dramas have been nominated in the Best Play category in the same year. Only five of the 17…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 12:00PM
Thursday, May 4, 2023

Tony Awards nominations: ‘Sweeney Todd’ revival (almost) matches original 1979 production by David Buchanan

When Jesse Green wrote in his New York Times review of this season’s revival of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” that the show had been “restored to its proper size,�…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 01:00PM
Tuesday, May 2, 2023

2023 Tony Awards nominations surprises: ‘Ain’t No Mo’’ and ‘Cost of Living’ exceed expectations by David Buchanan

In a Broadway season bursting at the seams with critically-acclaimed production — 38 musicals, plays, and revivals opened during the 2022-2023 eligibility window — it is no surprise that…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 10:45AM

2023 Tony Awards nominations snubs: ‘Life of Pi,’ ‘Death of a Salesman,’ Phillippa Soo … by David Buchanan

With 38 productions eligible for this year’s Tony Awards, there were plenty of names missing when nominations were announced on Tuesday morning. Among the most surprising 2023 Tony nominat…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 10:15AM

2023 Tony Awards nominations: ‘Some Like It Hot’ leads with 13, three plays tie with 6 by David Buchanan

With the announcement of the Tony Awards nominations on May 2, we now know the shows and performers in contention for the 76th annual ceremony. The 40 members of the Tony nominating committe…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 10:00AM

Meet the 2023 Tony Awards nominating committee: Priscilla Lopez, Daphne Rubin-Vega … by David Buchanan

Unlike other major awards bodies, the Tony Awards decide their nominations via a committee of industry members who commit to seeing every single production that opens during the Broadway sea…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 08:30AM
Monday, May 1, 2023

2023 Tonys predictions: Complete odds for 76th annual Tony Awards nominations by David Buchanan

The 2022-2023 Broadway season that began way back last July with the opening of “The Kite Runner” featured a whopping 38 productions of new musicals, plays, and revivals. The incredibly …

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 02:00PM

2023 Tony predictions by show: ‘Some Like it Hot,’ ‘Kimberly Akimbo’, ‘Into the Woods’ will lead by David Buchanan

Two new musicals and a starry revival will dominate the 2023 Tony Awards nominations, according to our official odds in 17 of the 26 categories. “Some Like It Hot” and “Kimberly Akimbo…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 12:00PM
Sunday, April 30, 2023

2023 Tony Awards slugfest: Final predictions for play nominations [WATCH] by David Buchanan

“Out of all the Tony categories this season, this could be the most complicated,” notes Sam Eckmann about the race for the top Broadway honor of Best Play. It’s a sentiment we share ab…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 09:00AM
Thursday, April 6, 2023

How often does a closed play revival win at the Tonys? by David Buchanan

The contest for Best Play Revival at this year’s Tony Awards is shaping up to be a true nail-biter, even in the nominations round of voting. Five of the eligible productions — “A Doll�…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 12:15PM
Wednesday, April 5, 2023

‘Shucked’ reviews: ‘Deliciously corny’ new musical boasts punny book, ‘excellent’ performances by David Buchanan

The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye in Broadway’s latest musical comedy “Shucked.” The new original show is an intentionally corny riff on classic Golden Age musicals: it sets a…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 09:00AM
Monday, April 3, 2023

2023 Olivier Award winners: ‘My Neighbour Totoro,’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ … by David Buchanan

The top honorees at the 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards were plays that focused on cultures outside of London. “My Neighbour Totoro,” which is based on the beloved Japanese film of the same…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 09:00AM
Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Tony Awards history in the making: 3 Pulitzer Prize winners up for Best Play? by David Buchanan

The Tony Awards contest for the top honor of Best Play is the most crowded it has been in at least a decade. A whopping 17 new dramatic works will vie for only five slots that recognize the …

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 05:00PM
Monday, March 27, 2023

‘Sweeney Todd’ reviews: ‘Irresistible’ revival of Stephen Sondheim masterpiece by David Buchanan

First “Company,” then “Into the Woods,” and now the demon barber of Fleet Street. In the year or so since legendary composer Stephen Sondheim’s death, Broadway has seen an increasi…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 11:00AM
Wednesday, March 22, 2023

2023 Tony Awards slugfest: 15 productions vie for places in Musical races [WATCH] by David Buchanan

In the lead-up to Tony nominations being announced on May 2, Sam Eckmann and I are predicting 10 of the Musical categories, where new breakout shows like “Kimberly Akimbo” and “Some Li…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 10:00AM
Friday, March 10, 2023

‘A Doll’s House’ reviews: An ‘impeccable’ production brings Jessica Chastain and Nora Helmer back to Broadway by David Buchanan

Henrik Ibsen’s world-(in)famous play “A Doll’s House” has not been seen on Broadway in over 25 years, when Janet McTeer led a production under the direction of Anthony Page. Now, int…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 09:00AM
Wednesday, March 1, 2023

2023 Olivier Awards nominations: ‘My Neighbour Toroto,’ ‘Standing at the Sky’s Edge’ lead by David Buchanan

Two new works based on existing material dominated the nominations for the 2023 Olivier Awards, the top theatre honor in Britain. “My Neighbour Toroto” and “Standing at the Sky’s Edg…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 04:30PM
Friday, December 9, 2022

‘Ohio State Murders’: ‘Sublime’ Audra McDonald returns to the stage in ‘bracing’ Adrienne Kennedy play by David Buchanan

Fans of the extraordinary Audra McDonald have had a long wait for her return to the Broadway stage. Yes, she did host the 2021 Tony Awards that were previously postponed by the pandemic, and…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 06:30PM

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