Broadway's Bright Lights

We cover the creative decisions and the business calculations, the artful collaborations and the boffo ballyhooing, the gossip columnists and the critics, the stars and the chorus lines, the composers, lyricists, playwrights, directors, designers, and producers.

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES:

LEMPICKA

The Broadway musical "Lempicka" delved into the life of Tamara de Lempicka, celebrating her as a complex figure who navigated Paris's art scene with lies and ambition, portrayed by Eden Espinosa. The show, a collaboration between writer Carson Kreitzer and composer Matt Gould, sheds light on Lempicka's struggles and triumphs as a culturally Jewish, bisexual immigrant artist, with director Rachel Chavkin infusing the production with vibrant visuals and a focus on Lempicka's perseverance. As Broadway welcomes more female-led productions, "Lempicka" emerged as a unique narrative that challenges conventions, offering a timely exploration of identity, artistry, and the enduring legacy of a remarkable woman.

THE GREAT GATSBY(S)

Two different musicals based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel are on their way to Broadway, ever since the property entered public domain in 2021. The first, backed by Korean producer Chunsoo Shin, is titled "The Great Gatsby" debuts this April after a pre-Broadway run at the Paper Mill Playhouse, featuring Jeremy Jordan as Jay Gatsby and Eva Noblezada as Daisy Buchanan. The second, simply "Gatsby," goes up at Boston's ART directed by Rachel Chavkin, in June. Surely the success of the first will have some bearing on whether the second will indeed transfer, and we'll be keeping an eye on both!

HADESTOWN Based on the 2010 folk concept album of the same name by Anais Mitchell, this new musical is a retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth from Greek mythology. The setting has been adapted here to represent a post-apocalyptic world inspired by the Great Depression. After its success as an album, the piece was staged at the New York Theater Workshop. We talk with director Rachel Chavkin about that production and how the musical was reshaped for Broadway where it opened in the Spring of 2019 at the Walter Kerr Theater. Hadestown went on to become only the second show in history with an all-female creative team to win the Tony Award for Best Musical. (The other being Fun Home)

ROOMMATES

Icons Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow are starring together in the new Broadway play “The Roommate,” which begins previews and opens on September 12, 2024, at the Booth Theater. Directed by Jack O’Brien, the play explores the dynamic between two women from very different backgrounds who become roommates. LuPone and Farrow, longtime friends and Connecticut neighbors, play characters with contrasting personalities—Farrow as the sweet Iowan and LuPone as the salty Bronxite.

The play marks Farrow's return to a full-dress Broadway production since 1979 and LuPone's latest role following her Tony-winning performance in “Company.” The production delves into themes of identity and perception, with both actresses bringing their unique qualities to the stage. Despite their differences, they share a deep respect for each other's craft and have a strong personal connection, reflecting on their careers and experiences in theater and beyond.

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We’ll use our inside connections to bring you the latest news coming out of Broadway and take you behind the scenes to see this world in all its dynamically diverse aspects.

Indispensables: the making of a Broadway show is a collaborative process. We’ll take you inside and showcase the essential contenders, from wardrobe to stage hands, absent from the spotlight but without whom the show can’t go on. With the different perspectives this detailed and informative feature will provide, you may never look at a theater production the same way again.

Inside scoop: Broadway is the home base for our Hound, and you’ll find Talk of the Hound featured on this page with plenty to say. He’ll sniff around and find the latest scoop, investigating all the rumors floating around 42nd street. From shows in the works, up-and-coming stars and offstage battles, the Hound will report back—and no topic is off grounds.

The Forum: We’ll spark conversation with a currently debated topic giving our readers a venue to voice opinions and ideas. Example: Revivals– Some of Broadway’s greatest shows return again and again. No one production is alike. Sometimes, a revival is a bold new interpretation; at other times, it’s an attempt at mimicking the original’s success. Critics differ. Take Gypsy: Out of the five Broadway productions of Gypsy, which did you see? And which Mama Rose did you like the most and why?