All stories by Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 21 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1903 Dorothy, The Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are first seen on Broadway today in the original musical The Wizard of Oz, with music by Paul Tietjens and book and lyrics by L…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, January 14, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 14 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1903 Opening night of The Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett play about a child, much in the same vein as her The Secret Garden. Little Princess will run just 34 performances.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, January 12, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 12 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1878 Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár (1878-1952) is born today in Budapest. He will write The Good Fairy, The Play's the Thing, The Guardsman, The Swan and Liliom, the latter of which wi…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, January 2, 2014

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 2 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1910 American actress Agnes Booth dies today at age of 63. She was the wife of Junius Brutus Booth, Jr. and the sister-in-law of Edwin Booth.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, February 3, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: FEBRUARY 3 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Ann Bradley

1938 When a grandfather holds off Death (by chasing him up a tree) so he can be sure his grandson will be taken care of, he's working On Borrowed Time. This comedy was adapted by Paul Os…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, January 11, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 11 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1899 "I would rather play Ibsen than eat — and that's often what it amounts to," said Eva Le Gallienne, born in London today. Her determination and drive will lead her to a st…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, January 3, 2013

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 3 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1909 Birthday of Victor Borge (1909-2000), pianist and comedian whose 1953 Comedy in Music ran 888 performances, the longest run ever for a solo musical on Broadway. He followed it with Come…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, December 24, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: DECEMBER 24 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1904 Lillian Russell, a.k.a Diamond Lil, stars in Lady Teazle, a musical based on The School for Scandal. John Kendrick Bangs and Roderic C. Penfield provide the music to a score by A. Baldw…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, December 20, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 20 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1912 Laurette Taylor stars in Peg O' My Heart, written and directed by her husband, J. Hartley Manners. This story of a winsome orphan becomes a vehicle for Taylor, and she will revive it of…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, December 19, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 19 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1865 Birthday of Mary Augusta Davey, who acted under the names Minnie Maddern, Minnie Maddern Fiske and Mrs. Fiske (1865-1932). Performer, director and producer of many dramas before and aft…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, December 13, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 13 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1925 Birthday in West Plains, MO, of actor Dick Van Dyke, who will appear on Broadway in Bye Bye Birdie and The Girls Against the Boys, and create memorable TV and film roles in "The Di…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, December 12, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 12 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld, Sam Maher and Anne Bradley

1902 There will be two debuts in Everyman. Edith Wynne Matthison makes her American debut, and Charles Rann Kennedy makes his stage debut.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, December 11, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 11 by David Gewirtzman and Anne Bradley, Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Sam Maher

1893 Oscar Wilde gets his second Broadway production in a year with the U.S. premiere of his play A Woman of No Importance at Miner's Fifth Avenue Theatre.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, December 8, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 8 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld, Sam Maher and Anne Bradley

1903 Mam'selle Napoleon is Anna Held in this musical at the Knickerbocker Theatre. Produced by Held's husband Florenz Ziegfeld, with a score by Gustav Luders, this show will have a 4…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, December 6, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 6 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1896 Birthday of Ira Gershwin (1896-1983), one of Broadway's most sterling lyricists, mainly in collaboration with his brother George Gershwin. Ira's musicals will include Porgy and …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, December 1, 2012

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: DECEMBER 1 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1907 Theatrical producer Herman Levin is born in Philadelphia, PA.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, January 14, 2012

Today In Theatre History: JANUARY 14 by David Gewirtzman and Robert Viagas, Christopher Reichheld and Anne Bradley

1903 Opening night of The Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett play about a child, much in the same vein as her Secret Garden. Little Princess will run just 34 performances.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

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