All stories by Robert Simonson on BroadwayStars

Monday, December 30, 2013

The Spider-Man Chronicles II: A Guide to Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark's Final Year of Broadway Drama by Robert Simonson

Playbill.com offers a look back at the year in Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, the $75 million Broadway musical that will close Jan. 4, 2014. *

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, December 29, 2013

IN MEMORIAM: Playbill.com Remembers Those We Lost in 2013 by Robert Simonson

Playbill.com looks back at the members of the entertainment community who passed away during 2013.  * 

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:00PM
Saturday, December 28, 2013

OFF-BROADWAY SPRING 2014 PREVIEW: Nina Arianda, Sharr White, Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, Linda Lavin and More by Robert Simonson

In the winter and spring months ahead, Off-Broadway will present new works by Sarah Ruhl, Charles Busch and David Henry Hwang, as well as a revival of Bertolt Brecht's A Man's A Man.…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, December 27, 2013

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Dec. 21-27: Numbers Are Good for "Sound of Music," Less So for Andrew Lloyd Webber by Robert Simonson

On Christmas week, when all but the actors settle down for a short winter's nap, a story like who might go into a Broadway show can constitute a major news story.

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:28PM

BROADWAY SPRING 2014 PREVIEW: Rocky, If/Then, Denzel Washington, Les Misérables, Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig and More by Robert Simonson

In the winter and spring months ahead, Broadway offers Neil Patrick Harris as Hedwig, Idina Menzel in a return to the stage and Bryan Cranston going All the Way. *

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, December 25, 2013

PLAYBILL PICKS: The Stage's Ten Greatest Christmas Scenes by Robert Simonson

From to Mame to Annie, from Ibsen to Thornton Wilder, our choices for the greatest Christmas scenes in modern stage history are a varied lot. (No, we didn't include medieval nativity pla…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Broadway Box Office Analysis, Dec. 16-22, 2013; Annie Gets a Holiday Boost, While Broadway Sales Increase by Nearly $1 Million by Robert Simonson

Business ticked along fairly steadily on this week before Christmas, with box office and attendance not much changed from last week. Total collections across the 30 Broadway shows (same numb…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:37AM

PLAYBILL PICKS: The Top Theatre Stories of 2013 by Robert Simonson

It was a year for seeing theatre in duplicate, for seeing theatre on all sides, for seeing theatre from Boston. It was a good year for Jason Robert Brown, Christopher Durang and The Public T…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, December 22, 2013

So Far Away: Why Carole King Won't See the Beautiful Musical About Her Life by Robert Simonson

Playbill.com chats with Sherry Kondor, Cynthia Weil, Barry Mann and Gerry Goffin, some of the people behind the story of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, currently in previews on Broadway…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:02AM
Friday, December 20, 2013

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Dec. 14-20: Drama in the West End and The Iceman Cometh to Play BAM by Robert Simonson

While Broadway bigwigs took off to holiday on sunny beaches and in snowy chalets, leaving Times Square to the tourists, London provided a bit of excitement for the theatre world. The Aldwych…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:01PM
Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Broadway Box-Office Analysis, Dec. 9-15, 2013: Betrayal Still Box-Office Gold by Robert Simonson

Playbill's newest weekly feature examines the box-office trends of the past week. *

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:00PM
Monday, December 16, 2013

Joan Fontaine, Star of "Suspicion" and "Rebecca," Dies at 96 by Robert Simonson

Joan Fontaine, who rocketed to fame playing frightened wives in two landmark Hitchock films of the early 1940s, died Dec. 16 of natural causes at her home in Carmel, CA. She was 96.

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:56AM

Broadway Choreographer Starts Revolution With Stage Write iPad App by Robert Simonson

Playbill.com chats with Jeff Whiting, creator of the app Stage Write, which documents the stage blocking and choreography of shows and has been employed by Newsies, Mamma Mia!, The…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, December 15, 2013

Peter O'Toole, Charismatic Film Star, Dies at 81 by Robert Simonson

Peter O'Toole, the charismatic, devil-may-care film actor who brought charm, wit and intelligence to the roles he played on the screen, as well as to his daily persona and often dissolut…

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:20PM

Peter O'Toole, Charismatic Interntional Film Star, Dies at 81 by Robert Simonson

Peter O'Toole, the charismatic, devil-may-care film actor who brought charm, wit and intelligence to the roles he played on the screen, as well as to his daily persona and often dissolut…

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:19PM
Friday, December 13, 2013

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Dec. 7-13: American Psycho and Heathers Slash Their Ways to the Stage and NBC Will Hear the Sound of More Music by Robert Simonson

It turns out the producers of Eric Coble's The Velocity of Autumn meant it earlier this year when they said the new play would be coming to Broadway.

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:00PM

Cause of Death Revealed for Actor Christopher Evan Welch by Adam Hetrick and Robert Simonson

Christopher Evan Welch, the prolific stage and film character actor who died Dec. 2 at the age of 48, had been diagnosed with lung cancer, according to a family statement that was sent to th…

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:43AM
Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Broadway Box-Office Analysis, Dec. 2-8, 2013: Spider-Man and Rylance Double-Bill Tix Selling Fast by Robert Simonson

Playbill's newest weekly feature examines the box-office trends of the past week. *

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:31PM

Eleanor Parker, Versatile "Sound of Music" Film Actress, Dies at 91 by Robert Simonson

Eleanor Parker, a film actress known for her versatility and wide variety of portrayals, died Dec. 9 at a medical facility near her home in Palm Springs. She was 91.

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:34AM

Eleanor Parker, Versatile Film Actress, Dies at 91 by Robert Simonson

Eleanor Parker, a film actress known for her versatility and wide variety of portrayals, died Dec. 9 at a medical facility near her home in Palm Springs. She was 91.

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:30AM
Monday, December 9, 2013

A Return to August — Ruben Santiago-Hudson Fulfills August Wilson's Wish by Robert Simonson

In the New York premiere of How I Learned What I Learned, Tony winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson takes on the role of playwright August Wilson — who also happened to be his collaborator and…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, December 6, 2013

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Nov. 30-Dec. 6: Marin Mazzie Nabs Leading Role in Bullets Over Broadway and Ratings Soar for The Sound of Musi by Robert Simonson

Three-time Tony Award nominee Marin Mazzie landed her biggest stage assignment in some time this week. She won the much-coveted part of temperamental stage diva Helen Sinclair in the new Bro…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:00PM
Tuesday, December 3, 2013

A Record-Breaking Thanksgiving: Broadway Box-Office Analysis, Nov. 25-Dec. 1, 2013 by Robert Simonson

Playbill's newest weekly feature examines the box-office trends of the past week. *

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:16PM

Broadway Box-Office Analysis, Nov. 25-Dec. 1, 2013 by Robert Simonson

Playbill's newest weekly feature examines the box-office trends of the past week. *

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:15PM

Christopher Evan Welch, Character Actor of Stage and Film, Dies at 48 by Robert Simonson

Christopher Evan Welch, a prolific character actor in television and film who performed in a host of plays on the New York stage, died Dec. 2 at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 48. The cause …

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:13AM
Monday, December 2, 2013

Jane Kean, Television and Stage Actress, Dead at 90 by Robert Simonson

Jane Kean, an actress with stage and cabaret credits who was best known for playing Art Carney's wife Trixie in a 1960s revival of the Jackie Gleason sitcom "The Honeymooners,"…

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:24AM
Sunday, December 1, 2013

New Software Artfully Connects Theatres With Their Audiences by Robert Simonson

Playbill.com chats with the founder of Fractured Atlas, a nonprofit dedicated "to building smart technology for artists," which recently launched the new software system …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, November 29, 2013

PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Nov. 23-29: Of Mice and Men and Violet Coming to Broadway, Stewart and McKellen Open to Raves and The Flea to E by Robert Simonson

Film actor James Franco seems to have done a little bit of everything with his still young career — acting, screenwriting, directing, teaching and being a famously truant NYU graduate …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Broadway Box-Office Analysis, Nov. 18-24, 2013 by Robert Simonson

Playbill's newest weekly feature examines the box-office trends of the past week. *

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00PM
Monday, November 25, 2013

James Lapine, Frank Rich and Stephen Sondheim Discuss "Six by Sondheim," New HBO Film About Composer by Robert Simonson

Director James Lapine, journalist Frank Rich and composer Stephen Sondheim chat with Playbill.com about HBO's new film "Six by Sondheim."  * 

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, November 24, 2013

The 12 Shows of Christmas: How Broadway Performers Handle Holiday Schedules by Robert Simonson

For the majority of workers in most fields of endeavor, the holiday season means a few days off to relax and enjoy the familiar comforts of hearth and home. For Broadway performers, however,…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

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