Category Archives: Reference

Time: Best Theater of 2021

Posted on December 23, 2021 by boz

This week, deputy editor Eben Shapiro of Time magazine published his list of “The 10 Best Theater Performances of 2021,” honoring “the best theater had to offer in this year when audiences returned, sometimes tentatively, to their seats and performers … Continue reading →

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Guardian: Favorite Stage Shows of 2021

Posted on December 22, 2021 by boz

The culture editors of The Guardian have curated a selection of theatrical offerings from around the U.K. that were among the favorites of their readers this past year. Four musicals made the list, including with the London revival of the … Continue reading →

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Los Angeles Times: Best Theater of 2021

Posted on December 21, 2021 by boz

This week, Los Angeles Times critic Charles McNulty offered “ten reasons to be grateful in another sputtering theatrical year.” He noted some “memories that cry out for commemoration,” since “ranking of the best productions of 2021 makes little sense in … Continue reading →

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Chicago Tribune: Best Theater of 2021

Posted on December 9, 2021 by boz

Yesterday, Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones published his choices for the ten best shows in the Chicago area during the past year, including seven musical offerings. Two productions still running are Cinderella, a revival of the Rodgers & Hammerstein … Continue reading →

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New York Times: Best Theater of 2021

Posted on December 6, 2021 by boz

This weekend, the New York Times theater staff gave their list of the best productions from the past year, both online and in-person. Among its 10 “Streaming Highlights” were Jason Robert Brown’s 2001 two-hander The Last Five Years, presented by Out … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: Glee

Posted on May 19, 2021 by boz

The musical TV series Glee premiered May 19, 2009, on Fox and continued for six seasons, ending its run on March 20, 2015, after 121 episodes. The show centered on the New Directions glee club at William McKinley H.S. in … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: Carrie

Posted on May 12, 2021 by boz

The legendary musical Carrie opened on May 12, 1988, at Broadway’s Virginia (now August Wilson) Theatre. In 1981, Lawrence D. Cohen, who wrote the 1976 film Carrie, and Michael Gore began work on a musical adaptation of the Stephen King … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: The Threepenny Opera

Posted on March 10, 2021 by boz

On March 10, 1954, Marc Blitzstein’s adaptation of The Threepenny Opera opened at New York’s Theatre de Lys (now Lucille Lortel). Its unprecedented success helped to launch the Off-Broadway movement. The musical’s journey began in 1927, with Elizabeth Hauptmann’s translation … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”

Posted on March 8, 2021 by boz

On March 8, 1969, the single “Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In,” a medley of the opening and closing songs from the 1967 musical Hair, made its debut on Billboard’s Hot 100, eventually rising to the top of the chart, … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: Cinderella

Posted on March 4, 2021 by boz

Cinderella, the 12th animated feature from Walt Disney Productions, went into wide release on March 4, 1950. The project was years in the making. As early as 1938, Al Perkins had written an outline for Disney based on Charles Perrault’s … Continue reading →

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