"West Side Story" will now open on February 20th; "To Kill a Mockingbird" will play a special free performance at Madison Square Garden on February 26th for 18,000 students; Daniel Fish will premiere a new production of Frank Loesser's 1956 musical "The Most Happy Fella" at the Bard SummerScape Festival; 2019 Broadway grosses were 3.7% below the record set in 2018, but attendance reached a record 90.51%; Greta Gerwig is writing a new musical that will feature tap dance; RIP composer Allee Willis, playwright Pamela Payton-Wright, composer Jerry Herman, and production designer Peter Larkin
All tagged Daniel Fish
FEATURE: Top 10 of the 2010s
As we begin a new decade, I look back at my past decade of theatre-going and pick my top 10 favorite plays and musicals.
REVIEW: Reinterpreted for today, “Oklahoma!” on Broadway is a must-see
Fresh from an acclaimed Off-Broadway run, director Daniel Fish’s reinterpretation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s groundbreaking 1943 musical “Oklahoma!” completely deconstructs this canonical and totemic masterpiece of American musical theatre by stripping it of its corn and highlighting the darker themes of violence and injustice that have always been simmering underneath. Sexually charged and presented with a striking naturalism, this bold new production is a revelation and a must-see.
FEATURE: Top 10 Shows of 2018
By my count, I’ve attended 246 performances of theatre, dance, music, opera, and cabaret during 2018. Out of a field that large, it’s hard to pick just ten, but nevertheless, here are my top ten favorite shows I saw in New York (including no new musicals and only three Broadway shows!).
"Summer: The Donna Summer Musical" to close December 30th and “Once On This Island" to close January 6th; rumor is “Girl from the North Country” will take the Lunt-Fontanne; wishful thinking is "Oklahoma!" will take the Circle in the Square; "Falsettos" tour will feature Nick Adams, Eden Espinosa, and Max von Essen; watch Cher and Stephanie J. Block sing "If I Could Turn Back Time", and the Netflix trailer for "Springsteen on Broadway"; read a travel Q&A with Patti LuPone; RIP Stephen Hillenburg and John Wulp
REVIEW: Not your Aunt Eller’s “Oklahoma!”
Director Daniel Fish delivers a glorious and terrifying production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s groundbreaking 1943 musical “Oklahoma!” at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, completely deconstructing this canonical and totemic masterpiece of American musical theatre by stripping it of its corn and highlighting the darker themes of violence and injustice that have always been simmering underneath. Sexually charged and presented with a striking naturalism, this masterful new production is a revelation.