All stories by Michael Appler on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Nik Walker Never Thought He Would Do Musicals, Now He's Dancing and Singing in Ain't Too Proud by Michael Appler

Age: 32 Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts  Current Role: Nik Walker joined the cast of Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations as Otis Williams on February 28, 2020, repla…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:06PM
Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Adam Schlesinger, Tony-Nominated Songwriter, Dies at 52 by Michael Appler

Adam Schlesinger, the alt-rock bassist and songwriter whose unique knack for storytelling begot a successful career in composing for the stage and screen, has passed away on April 1, accordi…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 10:42PM
Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Jagged Little Pill's Kathryn Gallagher on Growing Up with a Famous Father and Having Play Dates with Patti LuPone's Son by Michael Appler

Kathryn Gallagher, who was starring in Jagged Little Pill on Broadway before the COVID-19 shutdown, had a childhood few could imagine. Her father is film and television star (and '90s sex …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 05:54PM

Heaven Blessed: Watch Ramin Karimloo, Alfie Boe & More Sing ‘Bring Him Home’ in Support of Healthcare Workers by Michael Appler

Broadway alums and former Jean Valjeans Ramin Karimloo, Alfie Boe and John Owen-Jones, as well as a host of West End Les Misérables veterans, sang “Bring Him Home” on the UK chat sho…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:24PM

Watch Ben Platt, Jordan Fisher & the Cast of Dear Evan Hansen Sing ‘You Will Be Found’ by Michael Appler

The lyric “Have you ever felt like nobody was there?” somehow rings especially true these days, and original Evan Hansen Ben Platt, as well as the role’s current star, Jordan Fisher, g…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:24PM
Monday, March 30, 2020

Tony Winner Kelli O'Hara Reveals What Being in Quarantine Has Taught Her About the World, and Herself by Michael Appler

Even Tony winners and Broadway legends have bills to pay. “I realized, I can’t make a living at all, unless I have people,” Tony-winning soprano Kelli O’Hara said on #LiveAtFive: …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 08:03PM

'Go Crazy': Watch Tony Winner Leslie Odom Jr. Perform His Hit Single from Home by Michael Appler

Leslie Odom Jr., the original and Tony-winning Aaron Burr of Hamilton, is going crazy—though not why you'd think so. Odom's so-named new song, featured on his recent album Mr., dropp…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 08:03PM
Sunday, March 29, 2020

Showmance! Watch Matthew Broderick & Sarah Jessica Parker Talk About Playing Three Odd Couples in Plaza Suite by Michael Appler

"We had basically come to the conclusion, without ever having said it, that we will never really work together," Sarah Jessica Parker said on an episode of CBS Sunday Morning on March 29. "…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 03:42PM
Thursday, March 26, 2020

Mark Blum, Fixture of Off-Broadway & Loved Character Actor, Dies at 69 by Michael Appler

Mark Blum, an esteemed character actor and staple of the off-Broadway scene, has died at age 69. According to SAG-AFTRA, Blum passed away due to complications from coronavirus, a viral pand…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 09:06PM

Let Your Fantasies Unwind: Ben Crawford Says the Phantom of the Opera Is the 'Lady Gaga' of His Time by Michael Appler

Ben Crawford, The Phantom of the Opera’s current leading man—and former Broadway.com vlogger—is starting to go a little stir-crazy. “I made a boat out of some cardboard boxes, and I …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 09:06PM
Wednesday, March 25, 2020

QuaranToons: Company's Bobbie and Joanne Toast to that Invincible Bunch—Over FaceTime by Michael Appler

Broadway.com illustrator Tug Rice has been thinking up what our favorite Broadway characters are doing while theaters are closed and they're at home social distancing. For instance, what is …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 04:36PM

Lots of Company! A Look at Broadway Pets at Home with Their Starry Owners by Michael Appler

Here’s a silver lining: Broadway pets might be the only adoring fans happy to see their owners self-isolating. Used to saying goodbye to their loving theater parents eight times a week, t…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 04:36PM

Mean Girls' Reneé Rapp Says Regina George Wouldn't Be Taking COVID-19 Seriously, But You Should by Michael Appler

Reneé Rapp knows what Regina George is doing in quarantine. While the Mean Girls star has spent her time away from the stage traveling to Michigan—with her Broadway boyfriend, fellow Jim…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 04:36PM
Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Tony Winner Kelli O'Hara Recalls Her Life-Changing Decision to Move to NYC With 'No Job and No Apartment' by Michael Appler

Kelli O’Hara appeared on the one-night-only return of The Rosie O’Donnell Show to benefit The Actors Fund, and recalled what brought her to New York City 20 years ago. “I didn’t …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 06:32PM

'Company Has Every Intention of Coming Back,' Says Cast Member Matt Doyle by Michael Appler

Matt Doyle, who plays Jamie in Company, shared a confident message when he appeared on #LiveAtFive: Home Edition on March 23: “Company has every intention of coming back,” he told Broad…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 06:32PM

'We're Going to Beat This Thing': Lea Salonga On Broadway's Lasting Resilience, From the AIDS Crisis to Now by Michael Appler

To Lea Salonga, the COVID-19 pandemic feels familiar. By the time Salonga made her Broadway debut in Miss Saigon (1991), earning a Tony Award, the AIDS crisis had already taken root on Bro…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 04:12PM

From Friends You May Not Have Met: Broadway Couple Stephanie J. Block & Sebastian Arcelus Sing 'Help Is on the Way' by Michael Appler

Tony winner Stephanie J. Block and Broadway-alum hubby Sebastian Arcelus were supposed to appear on the one-night-only return of The Rosie O’Donnell Show in support of The Actors Fund, bu…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 02:03PM

Love Isn't Lying: Watch Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez Sing 'Helplessly Hoping' with Their Daughters by Michael Appler

What better use for Crosby, Stills & Nash’s three-part harmonies of peace and good times than the Lopez family? The Academy Award- and Grammy-winning Frozen composers Kristen Anders…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 02:03PM

Watch Kelli O'Hara Perform a Beautiful 'Take Me to the World' and Recall What Brought Her to New York by Michael Appler

Kelli O’Hara appeared on the one-night-only return of The Rosie O’Donnell Show to benefit The Actors Fund, and recalled what brought her to New York City 20 years ago. “I didn’t …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 02:03PM
Monday, March 23, 2020

Magic! Cooking Disasters! Bathtub Sax! See 11 Surprising Moments from The Rosie O'Donnell Show Benefit by Michael Appler

There was plenty to make us smile or even laugh out loud in the one-night-only return of The Rosie O’Donnell Show on March 22, which served as a benefit for The Actors Fund. O’Donnell…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 07:42PM

Watch Darren Criss Sing a Heartfelt Acoustic Rendition of 'Being Alive' from Company by Michael Appler

“I’m so nervous right now. I’ve been watching this whole damn show,” said Darren Criss. The Golden Globe winner (whose Broadway play American Buffalo was postponed) joined the st…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 06:36PM

Moulin Rouge! Star Aaron Tveit Tests Positive for Coronavirus and Offers Message: 'This Can Affect Anyone' by Michael Appler

Moulin Rouge! leading man Aaron Tveit announced on Instagram March 23 that he has tested positive for coronavirus. He is the first Broadway star to publicly announce a positive test result…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 03:18PM

Momma's Gonna Show It to You: Watch Patti LuPone Give a Quarantine Basement Tour After Her Rosie Show Performance by Michael Appler

Oh, to be a fly on Patti LuPone’s basement wall. If you tuned in to Broadway.com’s one-night-only return of The Rosie O’Donnell Show on March 22 and caught LuPone’s basement a cappe…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:03PM

Side by Side: Watch Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim Sing Happy Birthday to Each Other by Michael Appler

There are 16 Tony Awards and 49 Broadway shows between Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber, two of the most influential composers in the history of musical theater. On March 22, Lloyd…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 01:06AM
Sunday, March 22, 2020

Right-Hand Man: Javier Muñoz & Broadway Costumers Volunteer to Manufacture Masks for Struggling Hospitals by Michael Appler

Hamilton and In the Heights alum Javier Muñoz has joined the ongoing effort to provide overwhelmed hospitals and medical workers with valuable resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 01:06PM

Tony-Winning Once On This Island Ends National Tour Early in Response to COVID-19 by Michael Appler

The national tour of Once On This Island has ended its scheduled run early, Tony-nominated director Michael Arden announced on Instagram on March 21. While many national tours have canceled…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 01:06PM

Julia Miles, Influential Founder of the Women's Project Theater Off-Broadway, Passes Away by Michael Appler

Julia Miles, founder of off-Broadway’s seminal Women’s Project who championed the cause of female playwrights and theater artists, died on March 18. According to a statement from WP Th…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 01:03AM

Ruthie Ann Miles, Tony Winner Whose Life Was Touched by Tragedy, Is Expecting a New Baby by Michael Appler

Ruthie Ann Miles, the Tony-winning actress whose life was met with unimaginable tragedy in 2018, announced heartwarming news on March 21. Miles and her husband, Jonathan Blumenstein, are ex…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 01:03AM
Saturday, March 21, 2020

Broadway League, Unions Announce Aid Package to Pay Broadway Employees During COVID-19 Shutdown by Michael Appler

The Broadway League and The Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds (COBUG) have reached an emergency relief agreement to pay Broadway employees and provide them with health insurance while …

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 12:54PM
Friday, March 20, 2020

Forget These Wide-Eyed Fears: Watch Andrew Lloyd Webber Perform Phan Favorites at Home by Michael Appler

Like another Tony-winning composer stuck at home, Andrew Lloyd Webber has been drawn to the side of his piano. The seven-time Tony winner took to Twitter recently to entertain fans, posti…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 06:18PM

Sutton Foster Says She's Dancing in Her Closet Right Now—And You Should Be, Too by Michael Appler

Not to worry; Sutton Foster is healthy and happy. While the spread of COVID-19 has temporarily shuttered Broadway, the two-time Tony winner, set to return to the stage in a star-studded rev…

SOURCE: Broadway.com at 03:03PM

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