All stories by Jan Simpson on BroadwayStars

Saturday, April 28, 2018

...And We're Off Into Awards Season 2018 by Jan Simpson

Let the games begin.  The spring theater season officially closed Thursday night with the opening of The Iceman Cometh, which means the Tony nominators will be toting up their scorecard…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:06AM
Sunday, April 22, 2018

My Last "King Lear"...At Least for A While by Jan Simpson

Traditions says that King Lear is the most difficult role in the English-speaking theatrical canon. So as soon as actors hit their 50s, they start itching to take on the challenge. Which exp…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 04:48PM
Saturday, April 14, 2018

A Totally Winning Revival of "Lobby Hero" by Jan Simpson

Few things make me happier than seeing my husband K enjoy a good laugh while he's watching a show. And so that alone would be reason enough for me to cheer the revival (and Broadway debut) o…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:01AM

Stagecraft: Lindsey Ferrentino, “This Flat Earth” and “Amy and the Orphans” by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Lindsey Ferren…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM
Saturday, April 7, 2018

Against the Odds With "The Lucky Ones" by Jan Simpson

We're in the midst of an American musicals renascence so vibrant that even people who can't name the Big Five R&H shows know the names Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pasek & Paul and Kristen An…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:01AM
Saturday, March 31, 2018

"Escape to Margaritaville" and "Frozen" Are Aimed Directly at Their Fans' Sweet Spots by Jan Simpson

Tourists now make up 60% of the Broadway audience and seeing a Broadway show for most of those folks means seeing a big, splashy musical. And if it has a title they already know, so much the…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 03:38PM
Saturday, March 24, 2018

"Admissions" Only Partially Succeeds by Jan Simpson

Race has long been—long as in ever since white settlers arrived in the New World, took territory from the natives and then imported enslaved Africans to work that land—a divisive issue i…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:16AM
Saturday, March 17, 2018

Turning on the Ghost Light and Heading West... by Jan Simpson

No post this week because my husband K and I have gone off on a quick vacation to the west coast.  But the theater season is kicking into high gear and I'll be back next week.  In …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:41AM
Saturday, March 10, 2018

"A Letter to Harvey Milk" is Truly Sincere by Jan Simpson

There is an unapologetic sweetness to the musical A Letter to Harvey Milk that won me over despite the many flaws of this show which opened this week in the Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row.Base…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 07:24AM
Saturday, March 3, 2018

Yes, There Are Shows I Like: "Edward Albee's At Home At the Zoo" and "Hangmen" by Jan Simpson

A couple of weeks ago, a friend remarked that most of my recent reviews have been negative. "Haven't you liked anything you've seen," she asked. Well, yes I have. But since starting the Stag…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 01:50PM

Stagecraft: Hammaad Chaudry, “An Ordinary Muslim” by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway.   Guest: Hammaad…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM
Saturday, February 24, 2018

"In the Body of the World" is an Ego Trip by Jan Simpson

It's been 20 years since the dance critic Joan Acocella declared that she wouldn't critique a piece that the choreographer Bill T. Jones had centered on terminally ill people and his own dia…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:04AM

Stagecraft: Martyna Majok, queens by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway.   Guest: Martyna…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM
Saturday, February 17, 2018

Celebrating B&Me's 11th Anniversary by Jan Simpson

It's hard to believe that I've been writing this blog for 11 years but that's what the calendar tells me. As longtime readers may remember, I posted a "Curtain-Raiser" on Feb. 14, 2007 (I've…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:27AM
Saturday, February 10, 2018

"[porto]" is a Romcom for Millennials to Love by Jan Simpson

[Porto],  And judging by the knowing laughter from the 20- and 30-somethings in the audience at the performance I attended, she's hit her intended mark.the oddly punctuated romantic com…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:32AM
Saturday, February 3, 2018

"Fire and Air" Fails to Ignite Any Passion by Jan Simpson

The creative ferment at the beginning of the last century rivaled that of the Renaissance. Painters like Pablo Picasso and Vasily Kandisnky restructured painting. Composers like Claude Debus…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:07AM
Saturday, January 27, 2018

"Balls" Falls Too Short of Its Ambitious Goals by Jan Simpson

People don't usually make too big a deal about a 45th anniversary. After all, the much more impressive-sounding 50th is so close. But the 1973 match between Billie Jean King, a 29-year-old t…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:51AM
Saturday, January 20, 2018

Why I Didn't Love "Stories By Heart" by Jan Simpson

When theater lovers want to express their deep devotion to an actor as formidably talented as John Lithgow, they often say they would be content to listen to him if he were just reading the …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 07:51AM

Stagecraft: Kyle Jarrow, SpongeBob SquarePants by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Kyle Jarrow K…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM
Saturday, January 6, 2018

Dethroning "Farinelli and the King" by Jan Simpson

Is Mark Rylance the greatest actor of our time? Over the course of a three-decade career, he's won three Tonys, two Oliviers and an Oscar. Last year, the Queen knighted him for his service t…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 08:31AM

Stagecraft: Robert O’Hara, Mankind by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway.   Guest: Robert…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM
Saturday, December 30, 2017

Some of My Favorite Theater Things in 2017 by Jan Simpson

As usual, I'm late to the party of 10 Bests Lists. All the others began going up the moment Christmas trees started sprouting on New York City street corners. But my tardiness matters even l…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 09:06AM
Saturday, December 23, 2017

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas... by Jan Simpson

...a belated Happy Chanukah, a tardy Good Winter Solstice, a slightly premature Joyous Kwaanza and the all-pervasive hope that however you celebrate it, your holiday season will sparkle with…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:24AM
Saturday, December 16, 2017

Turning on the Ghost Light, Again by Jan Simpson

It's been a month since I've turned on the ghost light that theaters use when they're empty and that I use to signal that there will be no regular post today. And I'm not happy about doing i…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 10:33AM

Stagecraft: Seth Zvi Rosenfeld, Downtown Race Riot by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Seth Zvi Rosen…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM
Saturday, December 9, 2017

How I Got Stranded by "Once on This Island" by Jan Simpson

It's no fun being a party-pooper. But that's the role I find myself in when it comes to the revival of Once on This Island, the Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flahaerty musical that opened this wee…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 12:06PM

Stagecraft: Sarah Gancher, Hundred Days by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Sarah Gancher …

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 09:00AM
Saturday, December 2, 2017

"School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play" Scores High Grades Across the Board by Jan Simpson

The actress Jocelyn Bioh was a total delight in such shows as An Octoroon, Men on Boats and Everybody, bringing an extra zip to every line she spoke. So I figured a play Bioh wrote might be …

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 11:24AM

Stagecraft: David Cale, Author of Harry Clarke by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: David Cale Dav…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 06:00AM
Saturday, November 25, 2017

Too Pooped to Turn on the Ghost Light by Jan Simpson

No post today. And I'm too pooped to even turn on the ghost light that usually indicates I'm taking a break. Here's why: Over the past week, I've:•taped my first episode of TheatreTal…

SOURCE: Broadway & Me at 01:06PM

Stagecraft: Rajiv Joseph, Author of Describe the Night by Jan Simpson

The Stagecraft podcast is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of interviews with playwrights (and musical book writers) of shows opening on Broadway and off-Broadway. Guest: Rajiv Joseph R…

SOURCE: BroadwayRadio at 05:55AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Nov 17, 2024: Elf - Marquis 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