Broadway Shows, Broadway Plays, Off Broadway, Broadway Musicals

Boston Now Hosting the Grinch

Boston theater-goers will be pleased to note that Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! the musical is appearing on stage in their hometown. Tonight is the first showing of the musical, which is being hosted by the Wang Theatre. How The Grinch Stole Christmas is one of the most well-loved tales ever written by that master of children’s literature, Dr. Seuss. The musical version promises to be one of the most entertaining renditions so far, with an excellent cast including Stefán Karl as the Grinch, Walter Charles as Old Max, and Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Young Max. Lexie Deblasio and Maya Goldman will be sharing the role of Cindy-Lou. The musical is narrrated by Old Max, the Grinch’s dog. Be sure to get your Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas tickets to enjoy this fantastic Christmas classic from today! Tickets are available at StubHub.com today!

Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Thanksgiving is coming and everyone is looking forward to the turkey, the stuffing, the cranberry sauce and the start of the Christmas season. With Thanksgiving we mark the start of everyone’s favorite time of year, and with it is coming the Macy’s Day Parade. Another icon of the Christmas season is the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and what better way to start out the season than by witnessing this spectacular event?

The show will be appearing in several cities around Thanksgiving day. In Buffalo, New York, the show will be at the Sheas Performing Arts Center on the 25, 26, 28 and beyond, including four performances on Friday the 28 and Saturday the 29th. It will be finishing in Buffalo with two performances on the 30th. At the Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont IL (near Chicago) the show will have performances on the 26, 28 and 29 appearing through December 7. Other cities that will be hosting the show are Cincinnati, Nashville, New York, and Ohio. Get your Radio City Christmas Spectacular Tickets as soon as you can! Tickets are available at StubHub.com today!

Young Frankenstein Closing

The entertaining musical comedy, Young Frankenstein, which has been entertaining crowds first as a movie by Mel Brooks and most recently on Broadway as an entertaining twist on an old classic, is sadly drawing to a close. If you have enjoyed the story of Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, then this fresh look at the story of the man who created the monster is definitely one that will have you rolling with laughter. (Those without a sense of humor need not attend.)

The musical began previews on Broadway on October 11, 2007 and had its official opening on November 8, 2007. It was named Best Broadway Musical 2008 by the Outer Critic’s Circle Award. The musical is currently starring Roger Bart as  brilliant New York brain suregeon Frederick Frankenstein, Shuler Hensley as The Monster, Beth Leavel as Frau Blucher, Fred Applegate as Inspector Kemp, Christopher Fitzgerald as Igor, Michele Ragusa as Elizabeth, and Kelly Sullivan as Inga. Be sure to get Young Frankenstein tickets soon, as the musical is now closing on January 4, 2009.

13’s Closing Doors

13, the new Broadway musical that is the first Broadway show to ever have a complete cast under the age of 18, is shutting its Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre doors January 4, 2009. The middle school stage set that has garnered comparisons to High School Musical is directed by Jeremy Sams and features a cast and orchestra composed entirely of teenagers, aged 11 thru 17. The shows began previews September 16th and opened October 5th. “In my entire career I have never seen so much talent in a single company as I have in 13. The joy and enthusiasm of the cast and band is genuinely matched by Jason’s [Robert Brown] remarkable music and the stellar creative team. I am happy to announce that although 13 is saying goodbye to Broadway, we’ve received much interest in a national and international tour,” lead producer Bob Barrett said in a statement. The show grew up at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and Goodspeed Musicals’ Norma Terris Theatre in Connecticut. Written by composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown, a Tony Award winner who has also worked on Parade and The Last Five Years, along with librettists Dan Elish and Robert Horn, the show deals with the every day struggles that middle school pre-teens face in school. The story follows Evan Goldman, a New York bred boy who must move with his recently divorced mother to a small town in Indiana, and must deal with the changes he faces entering a school full of cliches. The show has garnered loads of attention for its unique approach to stereotypes and wonderfully funny and witty music, so act now to get your very own 13 Musical tickets before they close their doors!

Broadway to Honor Clive Barnes

Tonight, every Broadway theater will honor long-time critic Clive Barnes by dimming their marquees for one minute at 8 p.m.   Barnes passed away yesterday at the age of 81 and had been a fixture on the Broadway scene for more than four decades.  The dimming of the marquees will serve as a moment of silence of sorts, only a moment of darkness in this case.  “A true lover of the arts, Clive Barnes wrote his way into our hearts and popular culture,” said Charlotte St Martin, executive director of the Broadway League, the national trade organization for the Broadway industry. “The Broadway community will miss his great style and talent.”

Barnes was an appreciator of everything New York, but primarily the Broadway scene.  “If you dimmed the lights in a car,” a fellow critic once told Time magazine, “Clive would have tried to review it.”  A man known for his passion, Barnes sported a tireless work ethic.  It was not uncommon for the critic to write four reviews in a given day.  He was man that truly loved his craft and will certainly be missed by any fan of the arts.  Barnes had recently been diagnosed with liver cancer and passed away at Manhattan’s Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Get your Broadway tickets at StubHub.com.

Harriell Joins In the Heights

The smash hit show In the Heights surprised everyone by becoming a favorite at the last Tony Awards, taking the award for Best Musical as well as three other Tony Awards. The show now gets a new injection of talent with Marcy Harriell joining the cast as the hairdresser Vanessa. She previewed the role starting on November 15 and took over the role officially on the 18. She takes over for Karen Olivio, who originated the role. Olivio has started rehearsals with the newest Broadway revival of West Side Story, where she will play the role of Anita.

Harriell is no stranger to Broadway as she has appeared in Rent and Lennon. She has also been seen on stage in shows like Lucky Duck, Kismet, Little Fish and Company. She has been in films like Death Proof by Quentin Tarantino as well as on TV in shows like N.C.I.S. and Ed. Some of the other cast members that she will be joining are Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janet Dacal, Robin De Jesús, Mandy Gonzalez, Christopher Jackson, Priscilla Lopez, Carlos Gomez, Andréa Burns, Olga Merediz and Seth Stewart. Both Merediz and De Jesús were nominated for Tony Awards. Be sure to reserve your Broadway tickets at StubHub.com.

Haley Joel Osment sees live people

American Buffalo, David Mamet’s hit play, is coming back to the stage. The truly intriguing thing is who’s coming back to the stage as part of the cast.

The play features some pretty unique casting choices, including John Leguizamo, Cedric the Entertainer and Haley Joel Osment in its lead roles. Haley Joel Osment. No? Doesn’t ring a bell? The Sixth Sense kid? After A.I., button-cute Haley Joel seemed to dissappear from the public light. What happened, according to his IMDB page, is he made some easy money providing the voice of various video game and animated characters. Appearing in a Mamet play is sure to raise his profile once again. Good thinking on that–it seems to have worked for Daniel Radcliffe, who starred in Equus and has so impressed critics on both sides of the Atlantic that you hear them talking more about that disturbing psychological drama than the Harry Potter series.

Haley Joel could use a public boost to break him away from the roles he was known for as a child actor. The question, of course, is how will audiences respond? Only one way to find out–grab some Broadway tickets and see him live. You can get them at StubHub.com.

Friday-Sounding Broadway Productions

It’s Friday, loyal Broadway Blog readers, and that means a few things. First of all, the weekend is almost here. Second of all, the Broadway Blog has decided to do a special list to commemorate Broadway productions (well, more like just the title of the Broadway productions) that make us think about the joy that is Friday. So here are a few nice, Friday-sounding titles to get you pumped about the day.

The Top Ten Friday-Sounding Broadway Titles

1. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
2. Dancin’
3. Ain’t Misbehaving
4. Barefoot in the Park
5. Me and My Girl
6. Smokey Joe’s Cafe
7. Funny Girl
8. They’re Playing Our Song
9. Hairspray
10. Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk

To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Veteran’s Day Broadway List

Tuesday was Veterans Day, so hopefully you were lucky enough to get some time off to think about all that America’s veterans have done for you. Some people put up a flag and say prayers, while others attend service member events. Here at the Broadway Blog, we took the day off to commemorate the brave men and women of the armed services. We’re also going to list the top five Broadway shows (currently playing) in New York that in some way are involved with military or veterans. Here they are:

The Top Five Most Veteran’s Day-Centric