All stories by Peter Marks on BroadwayStars

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Chita Rivera’s tenacity made her one of the greatest Broadway stars by Peter Marks

Somehow Hollywood didn’t know what to do with Chita Rivera, but its loss was a win for decades of theater audiences.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:54PM
Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Yes, it’s another Sondheim revue. And so much more. by Peter Marks

Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga are just two of the stars making things bright on London stages.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 01:02PM
Monday, December 4, 2023

The best of theater in 2023 by Peter Marks

“King Lear,” “Stereophonic,” “Merrily We Roll Along” and “Sunset Boulevard” were heartening examples of theater’s enduring power.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 07:06AM
Thursday, November 30, 2023

Finally, a killer ‘Sunset Boulevard’ with the perfect Norma Desmond by Peter Marks

Director Jamie Lloyd’s stunning revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1994 musical stars Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 02:02PM
Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Woolly Mammoth’s ‘Public Obscenities’ is long on insight. Also, long. by Peter Marks

Playwright-director Shayok Misha Chowdhury invites us to India for a look at the clashes of values in “Public Obscenities.”

SOURCE: Washington Post at 01:48PM
Friday, November 24, 2023

An Avett Brothers musical is testing the waters. Next stop: Broadway? by Peter Marks

The brothers’ folk-rock songbook is featured in “Swept Away,” an Arena Stage production telling the story of a 19th-century shipwreck

SOURCE: Washington Post at 01:54PM
Wednesday, November 22, 2023

‘The Winter’s Tale’ poignantly ushers in a new era for Folger Theatre by Peter Marks

Shakespeare’s great tragicomedy is the first to be staged at the theater in Folger Shakespeare Library since a 2020 renovation.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 02:36PM
Sunday, November 19, 2023

The Alicia Keys musical, ‘Hell’s Kitchen,’ is nice, and nothing more by Peter Marks

Twenty-three Alicia Keys songs tell the coming-of-age story of a New York teenager with a musical gift.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:48PM
Friday, November 17, 2023

Arena Stage’s new leader braces for the challenges of a leaner time by Peter Marks

Hana S. Sharif, Arena Stage’s new artistic director, has no shortage of confidence or enthusiasm. “I love it,” she says, “when the small group gets loud.”

SOURCE: Washington Post at 07:02AM
Thursday, November 16, 2023

Back on Broadway, ‘Spamalot’ is funnier than ever by Peter Marks

Direct to Broadway from the Kennedy Center comes an inspired revival of ‘Monty Python’s Spamalot,’ staged and choreographed by Josh Rhodes.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 11:18PM
Tuesday, November 14, 2023

‘Danny and the Deep Blue Sea’ with Aubrey Plaza hits some rough waters by Peter Marks

The ‘White Lotus’ star makes her stage debut in an off-Broadway production with lots of fireworks but not enough fiery truth.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 08:36AM
Monday, November 13, 2023

Oh, Barry. Manilow’s overly earnest ‘Harmony’ arrives on Broadway. by Peter Marks

Barry Manilow always wanted to create a Broadway musical. “Harmony,” about a singing group disbanded by the Nazis, is no jukebox rehash of his hits.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 11:48PM
Friday, November 10, 2023

Can joy of the arts bring us together? A Boston project tests the idea. by Peter Marks

The Jar, founded in 2019, has a goal of inviting people who don’t look or think like each other to share an art-filled evening.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:42AM
Thursday, November 9, 2023

The best play of the year is David Adjmi’s shattering ‘Stereophonic’ by Peter Marks

Off-Broadway’s Playwright Horizons stages David Adjmi’s “Stereophonic,”the tumultuous story of a 1970s rock band.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 04:24PM
Monday, November 6, 2023

A ‘Ragtime’ revival percolates with musical verve at Signature Theatre by Peter Marks

Signature Theatre Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner leads a splendid cast through “Ragtime,” the musical adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s teeming novel.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 01:36PM
Thursday, November 2, 2023

Even relatable Danny DeVito can’t rescue this play about a hoarder by Peter Marks

“I Need That” is among a new crop of shows presenting tough challenges to splendid stage actors including DeVito. They don’t all pay off.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 09:32PM
Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Studio Theatre serves up a delectable platter of ‘Fat Ham’ by Peter Marks

“Fat Ham,” James Ijames’s comic riff on “Hamlet,” features a fine Studio Theatre cast headed by Marquis D. Gibson.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 05:02PM

What’s next, AI writing an off-Broadway musical? It already has. by Peter Marks

“Artificial Flavors” by the Civilians generates new musicals nightly, courtesy of Chat GPT.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:25AM
Tuesday, October 31, 2023

In ‘Night of the Living Dead Live,’ ghouls just want to have fun by Peter Marks

Rorschach Theatre stages a parody of George A. Romero’s 1968 horror classic, “Night of the Living Dead.”

SOURCE: Washington Post at 04:07PM
Thursday, October 26, 2023

A busy, Broadway-bound ‘Wiz’ doesn’t quite ease on down the road by Peter Marks

A revival of 1975’s “The Wiz” stops at D.C.’s National Theatre for the week, before a planned Broadway run this spring.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 05:19PM
Tuesday, October 24, 2023

The votes have been tabulated. ‘POTUS’ at Arena Stage is a winner. by Peter Marks

Selina Fillinger’s White House farce was a riot last year on Broadway, and it’s even funnier in D.C.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 02:43PM
Monday, October 23, 2023

Eddie Redmayne, Gayle Rankin to star in new a Broadway ‘Cabaret’ by Peter Marks

A Broadway revival of “Cabaret,” directed by Rebecca Frecknall and co-starring Gayle Rankin, will transform the August Wilson Theatre into a decadent Berlin club.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 09:03AM

‘Here We Are’ brings Sondheim back to us. Just not as a raging success. by Peter Marks

The world premiere of Stephen Sondheim and David Ives’s “Here We Are” has a dazzling cast and design, but a sense of incompleteness diminishes its impact.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 12:13AM
Friday, October 20, 2023

‘The Chameleon’ aims for sharp satire. It’s blunted by a frantic pace. by Peter Marks

Theater J’s “The Chameleon,” a comedy about Jewish life in America, arrives at a delicate moment.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 04:07PM

Leslie Odom Jr. is in a scathing Broadway romp. It’s his happy place. by Peter Marks

“Purlie Victorious” by Ossie Davis finds Tony-winning “Hamilton” star Leslie Odom Jr. back in the Times Square limelight

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:13AM
Thursday, October 19, 2023

‘Hadestown’ comes to the Library of Congress to make music and history by Peter Marks

The Library of Congress receives artifacts from the Broadway musical for archiving.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 07:07AM
Friday, October 13, 2023

Like many new Broadway shows, ‘Here Lies Love’ struggles to stay alive by Peter Marks

A sluggish environment complicates the business fortunes of productions birthed on Broadway since the pandemic.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 07:04AM
Thursday, October 12, 2023

‘Gutenberg!’: A ‘bad’ musical done right by Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells by Peter Marks

“Gutenberg! The Musical” runs on comic fuel supplied by a pair of consummate Broadway clowns.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:13PM
Tuesday, October 10, 2023

‘Merrily We Roll Along’ gets the stunning Broadway revival it deserves by Peter Marks

Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez breathe new life into Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s “Merrily We Roll Along”

SOURCE: Washington Post at 08:37AM
Thursday, October 5, 2023

In anti-drag Texas, ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ is now a political act by Peter Marks

A state law seeking to bar anyone under 18 from “sexually oriented” live shows content has a chilling effect

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:34AM
Tuesday, October 3, 2023

In Jocelyn Bioh’s sparkling new show, hair braiding is irresistible art by Peter Marks

Jocelyn Bioh’s wickedly entertaining comedy, “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” opens on Broadway

SOURCE: Washington Post at 09:33PM

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