All stories by Gordon Cox on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, January 9, 2024

How Kelli O’Hara Launched the 21-Year Journey of ‘Days of Wine and Roses’ by Gordon Cox

Fresh off an early workshop of “The Light in the Piazza,” the actress Kelli O’Hara had a passing thought: What if there was an ambitious musical adaptation of “Days of Wine and Roses…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:36PM
Thursday, December 14, 2023

‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ Review: West End Play Brings Netflix Series Thrillingly to Life by Gordon Cox

“We need something a little theatrical.” Boy, does excited Bob Newby (Christopher Buckley) get his wish. He’s trying to solve a staging problem in “The Dark of the Moon,” the schoo…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:00PM
Tuesday, December 12, 2023

‘Prince of Egypt’ Composer Stephen Schwartz Recalls Sneaking Into an Unauthorized Production and Gives Update on ‘Wicked’ Films by Gordon Cox

For a long time the 1998 animated film “The Prince of Egypt” didn’t have an official stage adaptation. But that didn’t stop fans from putting on live versions of the musical anyway�…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:54PM
Sunday, December 10, 2023

‘How to Dance in Ohio’ Review: Musical About Autistic Young Adults Is a Touching Broadway First by Gordon Cox

Going (or not going) to the big dance has been an irresistible storyline for musicals from “Oklahoma!” to “The Prom.” The set-up inherently inspires social stress, romantic anxiety, …

SOURCE: Variety at 10:00PM
Tuesday, December 5, 2023

How ‘Waitress’ Changed the Way Sara Bareilles Writes Music, Even for Herself by Gordon Cox

Sara Bareilles has always spoken openly about the fact that her work on the musical “Waitress” changed her life. “My life is in two categories: It’s before and after ‘Waitress,’�…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:16PM
Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Why Broadway’s ‘Spamalot’ Cast Can’t Keep a Straight Face by Gordon Cox

While the cast of the new Broadway production of “Spamalot” is cracking up audiences, they’re all trying their best not to crack up as well. Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” …

SOURCE: Variety at 06:34PM
Thursday, November 16, 2023

‘Spamalot’ Review: An Overdone Broadway Revival Opts for Excess Over Ingenuity by Gordon Cox

It may be appropriate for a musical with “spam” in the title to feel canned. But it’s a shame that the first Broadway revival of “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” now playing at the St.…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:00PM

More than just a talkback: why Broadway is embracing post-show programming by Gordon Cox

Kevin McCollum of "SIX," Diana DiMenna of "Here Lies Love," Jonathan McCrory of National Black Theatre and more share their reasoning behind auxiliary programming — and the results.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 08:00AM
Tuesday, November 14, 2023

How Sierra Boggess and Warren Carlyle Make Broadway ‘Harmony’ by Gordon Cox

To hear the actress Sierra Boggess tell it, Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman’s Broadway musical “Harmony” couldn’t have a more apt title. Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” po…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:09PM

‘Harmony’ Review: Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman’s Broadway Musical Is a Glitzy, Superficial Look at a True Story by Gordon Cox

There’s a narrator in “Harmony,” Bruce Sussman and Barry Manilow’s musical now playing at Broadway’s Ethel Barrymore Theater—an elderly rabbi, played ably by Chip Zien, who tells…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:28AM
Tuesday, September 19, 2023

‘Rebecca’ Review: Musical’s English-Language Debut Is a Remarkable Debacle by Gordon Cox

“What a terrible tragedy.” Indeed. That’s the lyric cried out as, in theory, the famously magnificent Cornish home at the heart of the story burns to the ground at the climax of the mu…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:00PM

How Rachel Bloom Turned a Standup Show Into a Death-Defying Solo Musical by Gordon Cox

Rachel Bloom remembers the exact moment that she decided her latest stage project, “Death, Let Me Do My Show,” couldn’t be the lightweight standup show she was hoping it would be. It w…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:56PM
Tuesday, September 5, 2023

‘Back to the Future,’ ‘The Shark Is Broken’ and the Secrets of Broadway Video Design by Gordon Cox

Broadway video design is a lot more complicated than it looks. And it already looks pretty complicated. Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” podcast below: On the new episode of “Sta…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:46PM
Tuesday, August 22, 2023

How The Creators of Stray Gods Made a Musical That’s a Video Game by Gordon Cox

Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, the musical “If/Then”: These aren’t the usual conversational touchpoints in a discussion about a video game. But all three of those musical theater…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:25PM

More Broadway brave summer openings — here’s why by Gordon Cox

From “The Cottage” to ”Back to the Future” to ”Here Lies Love,” more shows have bet on a summer opening than traditional logic dictates. The producers reveal their strategies.

SOURCE: Broadway News Subscription at 07:00AM
Friday, August 11, 2023

‘The Shark is Broken’ Review: Broadway Play About the Making of ‘Jaws’ is No Blockbuster by Gordon Cox

Anything that has to do with Steven Spielberg’s award-winning 1975 film “Jaws” should be fun. After all, it’s a movie about the sudden appearance of a freakishly large, man-eating sh…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:06AM
Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Why Theater Is (Not) Doomed, According to Three Leaders in the Trenches by Gordon Cox

News has been grim in the theater sector lately, as economic headwinds have forced organizations around the country to reduce programming, lay off staff, pause production or, in some cases, …

SOURCE: Variety at 07:17PM
Thursday, August 3, 2023

‘Back to the Future’ Review: Broadway Musical’s Car Is the Star in Underwhelming Screen-to-Stage Duplication by Gordon Cox

Yogi Berra said the future ain’t what it used to be. We know how he feels. The Broadway arrival of the West End hit “Back to the Future” continues the march of Hollywood brand extensio…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:00PM
Tuesday, July 25, 2023

‘The Cottage’ on Broadway Is Just the Beginning of Jason Alexander’s Busy Theater Schedule by Gordon Cox

Jason Alexander’s latest theater project, the new comedy “The Cottage,” opened on Broadway last night — and it’s just the first of a string of theater projects that stand poised to…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:21PM
Monday, July 24, 2023

‘The Cottage’ Review: Sex Farce Directed by Jason Alexander Delivers Limp, Familiar Comedy by Gordon Cox

A posh country estate where half a dozen lovers unveil their infidelities is the setting of “The Cottage,” which opened at Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theater tonight. Set in 1923, this com…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:30PM
Thursday, July 20, 2023

‘Here Lies Love’ Review: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Musical About Imelda Marcos Sacrifices Substance for Style by Gordon Cox

Imelda Marcos demands to know, near the end of “Here Lies Love,” why we don’t love her. The unlikely belle of this propulsive and glittering ball, from musicians David Byrne and Fatboy…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:00PM
Thursday, July 13, 2023

‘Dr. Semmelweis’ Review: Mark Rylance’s Compelling Performance Outshines an Overworked Bio-Drama by Gordon Cox

All the elements are there: a forgotten but fascinatingly tragic, true-life story about a world-changing medical discovery that saved the lives of millions; a large-cast, grand-scale product…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:45PM
Tuesday, July 11, 2023

How Theater Kids Improvised Their Way to a Sundance Success With ‘Theater Camp’ by Gordon Cox

The movie comedy “Theater Camp” is one of those dreams-come-true success stories that sometimes emerge from the Sundance Film Festival: Scrappy indie movie debuts in Park City, the audie…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:57PM
Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Why Conrad Ricamora Would Happily Play Queer Characters for the Rest of His Life by Gordon Cox

With a resumé that includes “How to Get Away With Murder,” “Fire Island” and the upcoming comedy “How to Die Alone,” Conrad Ricamora has gotten some of his best screen work play…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:46PM
Monday, June 26, 2023

‘Just For Us’ Review: Alex Edelman’s Broadway Stand-up Show is Irresistible by Gordon Cox

Alex Edelman wants to know that you’re having a good time. The 34-year-old comedian, whose nimbly clever solo show “Just For Us” is now on Broadway, describes himself as “solicitous�…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:00PM
Thursday, June 22, 2023

‘Once Upon a One More Time’ Review: Britney Spears Hits Push Broadway Princesses to Break Free of Fairy Tales by Gordon Cox

While it is debatable that the life of the newly emancipated Britney Spears is a fairy tale at present, the singer’s catalog of hits surely has the feel of a fable with feminist-forward em…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:00PM
Tuesday, June 20, 2023

‘The Third Man’ Review: Theatrical Hitmakers Can’t Make This Misbegotten Thriller Sing by Gordon Cox

“What was I thinking when I made this deal?” So sings Holly Martins (Sam Underwood) towards the end of the new musical adaptation of “The Third Man.” Indeed. As it turns out, the mys…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:25PM
Saturday, June 17, 2023

How One Striking TV Writer Has Kept Busy in Theater by Gordon Cox

With TV series like “Citadel,” “Hunters” and “Solos” under her belt, Tori Sampson is one of TV’s busiest young writers — and right now, that means she’s busy striking in so…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:26PM
Thursday, June 15, 2023

‘Romeo and Juliet’ Review: ‘Ted Lasso’ Star Toheeb Jimoh Is the Expressive Heart of Rebecca Frecknall’s Passionate Production by Gordon Cox

Having the audacity to harness stabs and slashes of Prokofiev’s celebrated ballet score for “Romeo and Juliet” for a production of Shakespeare’s play suggests remarkable confidence o…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:10PM
Sunday, June 11, 2023

Tony Awards 2023: All the Snubs, Surprises and Standouts From Broadway’s Biggest Night by Gordon Cox

In a Broadway awards ceremony without a script, there were bound to be unexpected twists, turns and upsets. Here are the biggest snubs, surprises and standouts from the 2023 Tony Awards. SNU…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:51PM
Friday, June 9, 2023

‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ Review: Good-Hearted Musical Is Long on Incident but Short on Drama by Gordon Cox

Smartly refusing to be doggedly faithful, bookwriter and director Jethro Compton retains the arc of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s (very) short, fable-like story “The Curious Case of Benjamin But…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:08AM

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