BROADWAY

NEW YORK — (AP) — It was feast or famine at the Broadway box office as 2022 wound down, with eye-popping revenue for popular shows — including a staggering new Broadway record for “The Lion King” — not lifting all strugglers. Box office numbers had been treacherous for new works even before the holidays — early closing notices were posted for shows like "Almost Famous," "KPOP," "A Strange Loop" and "Ain't No Mo'." The 33 shows running on Broadway grossed $51,912,226 last week, the biggest seven-day period since the last week of 2019, when the box office earned $55,765,408. The Lea Michele-led revival of "Funny Girl" set a new box office record at the August Wilson Theatre with $2,405,901. And the new musical "& Juliet" broke the box office record at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, grossing $1,639,788 for nine performances.

NEW YORK — (AP) — It was feast or famine at the Broadway box office as 2022 wound down, with eye-popping revenue for popular shows — including a staggering new Broadway record for “The Lion King” — not lifting all strugglers. Box office numbers had been treacherous for new works even before the holidays — early closing notices were posted for shows like "Almost Famous," "KPOP," "A Strange Loop" and "Ain't No Mo'." The 33 shows running on Broadway grossed $51,912,226 last week, the biggest seven-day period since the last week of 2019, when the box office earned $55,765,408. The Lea Michele-led revival of "Funny Girl" set a new box office record at the August Wilson Theatre with $2,405,901. And the new musical "& Juliet" broke the box office record at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, grossing $1,639,788 for nine performances.

It was feast or famine at the Broadway box office as 2022 wound down, with eye-popping revenue for popular shows — including a staggering new Broadway record for “The Lion King” — not lifting all strugglers.

Common plays his ex-con son struggling to do right by his father. “This is a really, truly wonderful Broadway season and it reflects all of Broadway and it reflects all of America with respect to New York City. And because New York City reflects America and the world,” Henderson said. Looking out from the stage each night, the veteran actor Henderson says he sees more diversity than he’s ever seen before. Despite some early closures on Broadway this season — including "KPOP," “Ain’t No Mo” and “Almost Famous” — Common sees progress when it comes to the shows that have come to Broadway since the pandemic, including his own.

Celebrities including Tyler Perry, Shonda Rhimes and Sara Ramirez bought out performances of "Ain't No Mo'," which has been extended through Friday.

Playwright and star Jordan E. Cooper started campaigning to save his show after receiving an eviction notice telling him the play had to close on December 18.

After 35 years on Broadway, "The Phantom of the Opera" will close its doors at the Majestic Theatre on April 16.

A Maryland church's annual Christmas play "Someway, Somehow" unites Broadway and Sunday service, complete with an award-winning cast.

The producers of the Tony Awards have set June 11 for the show that celebrates the best of Broadway and are setting it in a new location — more than a hundred blocks north of New York City's theater district. The telecast will be broadcast live from the lush and elegant United Palace, a 3,400-seat venue in uptown Washington Heights that is Manhattan’s fourth-largest theater. “We are excited to bring the Tony Awards to the historic United Palace for the first time,” said Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, and Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League. "We look forward to ushering in a new golden age for the show from this majestic, golden age theater.”The awards eligibility cut-off date is April 27 and nominations for the 2023 Tony Awards will be announced May 2. For many years, the awards show has aired from the 6,000-seat Radio City Music Hall, or if not available, from the 2,900-seat Beacon Theatre on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

The February arrival of the Sondheim-Lapine musical launches a tour that will also take the show to Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

There are some interesting cocktails on offer at "The Neil Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise” on Broadway and it might not be such a bad idea to order a Sweet Clementine or a Cracklin' Rosé before you get to your seat. The show that opened Sunday at the Broadhurst Theatre is quite a depressing trip through Diamond's life, offering a respectful and, yes, fully authorized portrait that's unnecessarily boastful — “40 top 40 hits;120 million albums sold,” we're told — as well as positively cringey. The conceit is that an older Diamond is reluctantly undergoing therapy to figure out why he's such a sad sack.

Quentin Oliver Lee, a Broadway actor who played the title role in the national tour of “The Phantom of the Opera,” died Thursday after a battle with stage 4 colon cancer. >> Read more trending newsThe actor’s wife, Angie Lee Graham, confirmed his death on his official Instagram page, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Lee began his run playing in the title role of “The Phantom of the Opera” in December 2017, People reported. After seeing a doctor, Lee was diagnosed with cancer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “The Phantom of the Opera” said on its verified Instagram page, “The Phantom family is saddened to hear of the passing of Quentin Oliver Lee.

NEW YORK — (AP) — A stage musical about woke princesses that uses hit songs by Britney Spears will land on Broadway this summer. "Once Upon a One More Time," featuring Spears' tunes, including “Oops!… I Did It Again,” “Lucky,” “Stronger” and “Toxic,” will start performances in May at the Marquis Theatre. “Once Upon a One More Time” first played at The Shakespeare Theatre Company, known for it's more stately offerings. The temptation to use already proven, popular songs to fuel a musical is an old one, and on Broadway has lately led to shows with music from The Temptations, Bob Dylan, The Go Go’s, Tina Turner and Alanis Morissette. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

A stage musical about woke princesses that uses hit songs by Britney Spears will land on Broadway this summer.

HIs writing about the theater was a fixture of The Village Voice for decades.

Following its run at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, the tour will cross the country before it starts its limited engagement on Broadway in spring 2024. “The Wiz” opened on Broadway in 1975 and won seven Tonys, including best musical. She will be making her Broadway directorial debut with “The Wiz.” Previously, she was the associate director of “Motown: The Musical,” and re-conceived and directed the recent national tour of the show. A 1978 movie version of “The Wiz” starred Diana Ross, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor. The original Broadway production featured Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, Dee Dee Bridgewater as good witch Glinda and Andre De Shields as the Wiz.

A new production of “The Wiz” is heading out on a national tour next year before following the yellow brick road to Broadway.

"The Phantom of the Opera" — Broadway's longest-running show — has postponed its final performance by eight weeks, pushing its final curtain from February to April after ticket demand spiked. The musical — a fixture on Broadway since 1988, weathering recessions, war and cultural shifts — will now play its final Broadway performance on April 16. “The Lion King” is next, having begun performances in 1997. Broadway took a pounding during the pandemic, with all theaters closed for more than 18 months. Some of the most popular shows — "Hamilton," "The Lion King" and "Wicked" — have rebounded well, but other shows have struggled.

The masked man of Broadway is going out strong.

Theater may be full of romantic notions about gambling, but a choked cultural and tourist crossroads is nowhere to welcome bettors.

'& Juliet' is a new Broadway musical, with Max Martin's songs and a cheeky rewrite of "Romeo and Juliet."

A new museum celebrating the history of Broadway is now in New York's theater district.

Ralph Fiennes stars as Robert Moses, the New York City power broker and mastermind of the city’s splendid network of parks, beaches, highways and bridges,...

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Broadway musical about the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll is coming to the Dr. Phillips Center in January 2023. “Tina - The Tina Turner Musical” follows the story of Grammy Award-winning performer Tina Turner and her musical journey. Read: Celebrate Soulfully at Walt Disney World Resort during the holiday seasonShow dates run from Jan. 10-15. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Video: Basket Brigade packs food for families in need ahead of Thanksgiving (WFTV)©2022 Cox Media Group

The 1987 musical from Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine is revived by the perfect company.

Keith Wann alleges he was fired as a sign language interpreter for the Broadway musical "The Lion King" because he is White. He has filed a lawsuit over his firing.

Eligible voting members have until Dec. 28 to turn in ballots with their choices of three nominees from the songwriter category and three from the performing-songwriter category. Blue Sky” and “Evil Woman,” faces off against the “Losing My Religion” R.E.M. The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor those creating the popular music. A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song. Some already in the hall include Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond and Phil Collins.

NEW YORK — (AP) — Bob Fosse's all-singing, all-dancing 1978 revue “Dancin'” is headin' back to Broadway and the late choreographer's daughter calls “a magic carpet ride.”“Everything is in it,” Nicole Fosse tells The Associated Press. It's a series of unconnected dance pieces with a few big scenes pushing 16 dancers to the limit. “From the opening number, you're taken on a magic carpet ride through the human experience,” says Fosse. Performances begin March 2, 2023, at the Music Box Theatre, with an opening night set for March 19. The revival had a test run last spring at The Old Globe in San Diego, California.

Bob Fosse’s all-singing, all-dancing 1978 revue “Dancin’” is headin’ back to Broadway and the late choreographer’s daughter calls “a magic carpet ride.”.

One of America's great art forms has not had a permanent museum devoted to its history, until now, with an entertaining and educational exhibition of highlights from the Great White Way opening in the heart of New York City's theater district.

Sienna Miller said that she was told by a "very powerful" Broadway producer years ago to "f--- off" after she asked for the same salary as her male co-star.

The president defends American institutions, but it might be too late.

Horne's granddaughter said that renaming the theater in her honor is a "celebration of the contributions of Black women to theater history."

NEW YORK — (AP) — The debut of a giant "Bluey" balloon, Lea Michele and the Broadway cast of "Funny Girl" and the legendary Dionne Warwick are some of the highlights slated for this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. In addition to “Funny Girl,” Broadway will be represented by the casts of “A Beautiful Noise,” “Some Like It Hot," ”The Lion King," which is celebrating its 25th year on Broadway. This will be Warwick’s third parade; she also appeared in 1967 and 1984. The Macy’s parade has been a traditional holiday season kickoff and spectators often line up a half-dozen deep along the route to cheer the marchers, floats, entertainers and marching bands. Marching bands this year will represent South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, California, New York, South Dakota, Florida, Missouri, Texas and Veracruz, Mexico.

Concert halls are the castles for these Broadway Disney princesses coming to the Dr. Phillips Center this November.

NEW YORK — (AP) — Lucy Simon, the composer who received a Tony nomination in 1991 for her work on the long-running Broadway musical “The Secret Garden,” has died. Simon, sister of pop superstar Carly Simon, died Thursday at her home in Piedmont, New York, a family spokesperson said. She was the second oldest of four children Joanna, Lucy, Carly and Peter. While Carly Simon would find huge success with such hits as “Anticipation,” “Haven’t Got Time for the Pain” and “You’re So Vain,” Lucy went to nursing school. After marrying and having children, Lucy Simon recorded two solo albums, “Lucy Simon” (1975) and “Stolen Time” (1977), for RCA.

Caesars Entertainment and developer SL Green have announced a joint bid for a casino located in New York’s Times Square.

Award-winning stage actor and singer Patti LuPone announced that she has given up her union membership, adding she would not be onstage for a "very long time."

This production uses a cast of multi-racial actors who are female, non-binary and trans – people who weren't even considered in the Declaration of Independence.

He joined the performing arts center in 1971 as an usher and worked his way into theater programming.

About 30 employees at an Amazon warehouse in Joliet joined the protest Tuesday afternoon, according to an organizer's estimate.

MALIBU, Calif. — (AP) — Eileen Ryan, an actor who appeared on TV, in films and on Broadway and the matriarch of the steeped-in-the-arts Penn family, has died. Ryan, who was the mother of actors Sean Penn and Christopher Penn and musician Michael Penn, died at her home in Malibu, California, on Sunday, according to family spokesperson Mara Buxbaum. “We lost mom yesterday,” Michael Penn tweeted with a broken heart emoji. In 1957, Ryan was at rehearsals for “Iceman Cometh” when she met Leo Penn, who had taken over for Jason Robards at the Circle in the Square production. Leo Penn died in 1998.

The legendary playwright is out with a new play, reflecting on his family’s history in the Holocaust. Plus, the contributor Jeannie Suk Gersen on what’s next for the Supreme Court.

NEW YORK — (AP) — Andrew Lloyd Webber is saying goodbye to his last remaining show on Broadway and welcoming another. “Bad Cinderella” — borrowing the title from a key song in the show rather than using London West End's blander name “Cinderella” — will star Linedy Genao in the title role. The stage musical features a brand new score from Lloyd Webber with a book by Emerald Fennell and lyrics by David Zippel. Lloyd Webber is closing his "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway in 2023. A fixture on Broadway since 1988, it will close Feb. 18, a day after previews begin for "Bad Cinderella," meaning a Lloyd Webber musical will have been performing on Broadway every single playing night since September 1979.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is saying goodbye to his last remaining show on Broadway and welcoming another.

"The Phantom of the Opera," Broadway’s longest running show, is taking its final bow after 35 years. The final performance will be on February 18th, 2023.

After 35 years on Broadway in New York, longest-running musical 'Phantom of the Opera' has announced it will perform its last show at The Majestic Theater in February 2023.

NEW YORK — Broadway’s longest-running show, “Phantom of the Opera,” is expected to close in February 2023 due to attendance rates after the pandemic. >> Read more trending newsAccording to The Associated Press, “Phantom of the Opera” has been a staple on Broadway since 1988. The New York Times reported that since Broadway returned following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, theatergoing crowds had not fully returned to pre-COVID attendance rates. “Phantom of the Opera” is based on a book written by Gaston Leroux that is about a deformed composer who haunted the Paris Opera House, according to The AP. A spokesperson told the NYT said the final show of “Phantom of the Opera” will be on February 18.

The musical — a fixture on Broadway since 1988, weathering recessions, war and cultural shifts — will play its final performance in New York on Feb. 18, 2023.

NEW YORK — (AP) — “The Phantom of the Opera” — Broadway’s longest-running show — is scheduled to close in February 2023, the biggest victim victim yet of the post-pandemic softening in theater attendance in New York. The musical — a fixture on Broadway since 1988, weathering recessions, war and cultural shifts — will play its final performance on Broadway on Feb. 18, a spokesperson told The Associated Press on Friday. On Broadway alone, the musical has played more than 13,500 performances to 19 million people at The Majestic Theatre. The closing of “Phantom” would mean the longest running show crown would go to “Chicago,” which started in 1996. Broadway took a pounding during the pandemic, with all theaters closed for more than 18 months.

“The Phantom of the Opera” — Broadway’s longest-running show — is scheduled to close in February 2023, a victim of post-pandemic softening in theater attendance in New York.

NEW YORK — (AP) — Rapper and actor Common will make his Broadway debut this fall in Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Between Riverside and Crazy.”The Oscar-, Emmy-, and Grammy Award-winner will join actors Stephen McKinley Henderson, Elizabeth Canavan, Liza Colón-Zayas, Victor Almanzar, Michael Rispoli and Rosal Colón — who all premiered the work off-Broadway in 2015. Common will play the ex-cop's newly paroled son, Junior. “Between Riverside and Crazy” will begin previews Nov. 30 and will officially open on Dec. 19 at Second Stage’s Hayes Theater. Common starred in the Oscar-nominated film, “Selma,” and co-wrote with John Legend the song, “Glory,” for which he won the 2015 Oscar and 2016 Grammy Award for best original song. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Rapper and actor Common will make his Broadway debut this fall in Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Between Riverside and Crazy.”.

TORONTO — (AP) — Since he was a high school student, Hugh Jackman wanted to play the roguish traveling salesman Professor Harold Hill in “The Music Man” on Broadway. On the red carpet at the Toronto Film Festival, Jackman told The Associated Press that the revival will play its last performance at the beginning of the new year,“Jan. So if you haven’t seen it, please come and see,” Jackman said after conferring with his publicist. Jackman said he had a blast doing the show, which has double Tony Award winner Sutton Foster playing his love interest. It’s got classic songs like ″Seventy-Six Trombones,” ″Goodnight My Someone,” ″Gary, Indiana” and “Till There Was You.”The musical revival was delayed several times due to the pandemic, finally opening in February.

Fans of Lea Michele will have to wait a little more to see her singing in "Funny Girl" on Broadway.

Lea Michele was forced to miss several performances of “Funny Girl” on Broadway after she tested positive for COVID-19. >> Read more trending newsThe “Glee” actress, 36, was forced to miss Saturday’s matinee and evening performances at New York City’s August Wilson Theatre, Deadline reported. Michele, a New York native, took over the lead role of Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl” on Tuesday, according to the website. Benko, who stars as Fanny Brice on Thursdays, will return to the role until Michele returns, according to The Associated Press. 'Funny Girl' star Lea Michele has announced she will miss Saturday's performances of the Broadway musical due to 'early signs and symptoms of COVID' and 'an inconclusive test result.'

Fans of Lea Michele hoping to finally see her singing and dancing in “Funny Girl” on Broadway will have to be patient. Julie Benko, who had been slated to play Fanny on Thursdays in the revival, will be performing the role now until Michele is back. Michele took over from Beanie Feldstein and said the role was a lifetime goal. Starting in July, vaccine requirements for Broadway audience members were lifted and theatergoers had the option to wear a mask in all 41 of New York’s Broadway theaters. One production, “The Kite Runner,” pushed back, asking audiences at Wednesday matinees and Friday night to mask up.

Fans of Lea Michele will have to wait a little more to see her singing in “Funny Girl” on Broadway.

Jared Kushner said that Donald Trump called Ivanka after he asked the former president for his daughter's hand in marriage.

Bob LuPone, who as an actor earned a Tony nomination in the original run of “A Chorus Line” and went on to help lead the influential off-Broadway theater company MCC Theater for almost 40 years, has died.

“Pose” star Angelica Ross is set to make her Broadway debut in the musical “Chicago” this fall, becoming the first openly transgender actor to play the murderous vixen Roxie Hart.

Good Vibes Theatre Co. is set to present its rendition of the rock musical "Rent" at Penguin Point Productions in the Oviedo Mall this August.

Lea Michele has been tapped to step in and lead the Broadway revival of the beleaguered “Funny Girl" this fall.

“Hamilton” is returning to the Walt Disney Theater at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and tickets for the show go on sale next week.

“MJ,” the hit-filled Broadway musical about the King of Pop, got a huge bump at the box office after nabbing four Tony Awards and getting valuable exposure in front of millions during its electric telecast performance.

In another sign that the world of entertainment is returning to pre-pandemic normal, Broadway theaters will no longer demand audiences wear masks starting in July.

Three people have been critically injured after a taxi cab turning onto a narrow section of Broadway hit a bicyclist, swerved onto a Manhattan sidewalk and into a group of pedestrians.

“A Strange Loop,” an irreverent, sexually frank work about Blackness and queerness took home the best new musical crown at the Tony Awards on Sunday, as voters celebrated Broadway’s most racially diverse season by choosing an envelope-pushing Black voice.

The Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts 2022-23 season, featuring “Chicago,” “STOMP,” “On Your Feet! The Musical – The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan,” “RESPECT: A Musical Journey of Women,” and “Fiddler on the Roof,” runs from Oct. 13, 2022 to April 11, 2023.

Have you ever had dreams of starring in a Broadway show and singing your heart out to hundreds of people in a packed New York theater?

Tickets for two of 10 shows coming to Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts this October will be on sale soon.

For the first full season since the death of George Floyd reignited a conversation about race and representation in America, Broadway responded with one of its most diverse Tony slates yet.

The Florida Theatrical Association is set to present their rendition of the musical ‘Blood Brothers’ at The Abbey entertainment venue starting June 10.

Video of a naked Jesse Williams captured onstage in a shower scene from a Broadway play has been posted online, prompting an outcry from the producers and the union that represents actors and stage managers.

“A Strange Loop,” Michael R.

The American Theatre Guild is set to present the Broadway musical “WAITRESS” this June at the Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne.

New Academy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Ariana DeBose will host this year’s Tony Awards.

The most commonly held taboo in the arts is uttering the word “Macbeth” inside a theater.

Dozens of notebooks, scripts, speeches, drafts of letters, artwork and even signed baseballs owned by the late playwright Neil Simon have been donated to the Library of Congress.

Broadway theatergoers will have to keep their masks up through at least May 31, the Broadway League said Friday.

The U.S. is getting a first glimpse of what it’s like to experience COVID-19 outbreaks during this new phase of living with the virus, and the roster of the newly infected is studded with stars.

The second shoe has dropped at “Plaza Suite” on Broadway.

Nashville, Tennessee has become a hotspot for tourism in recent years, and if you ever decide to visit, you’ll understand why immediately.

Could it be the curse of the Scottish play.

“Girl from the North Country,” the Depression-era drama set to the songs of Bob Dylan, will reopen on Broadway this spring, a little more than three months after going on hiatus because of coronavirus concerns.

The stage musical about the making of the classic film “Jaws” has speared its leading man — Jarrod Spector.

The Broadway showtunes you’ve been blasting on repeat in your car will soon come to life and find a new sound at the Dr. Phillips Center.

The Shubert Organization's Cort Theatre on Broadway will be renamed after James Earl Jones, fulfilling a promise by the theater giant to honor a Black artist in such a way.

A classic play by the late Ntozake Shange is being reissued in book form in April to coincide with its Broadway revival by the director-choreographer Camille A.

Before he made history by becoming the first African American to play coveted Broadway roles, such as Javert in Les Miserables and the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera, Norm Lewis spent his years growing up in Eatonville, a town located just to the north of Orlando.

A double-decker public bus in London has crashed into a building and emergency workers say that five people required hospital treatment.

The actor playing Harry Potter has been fired from the Broadway production of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” following a complaint by a co-star about his conduct.

If you can’t make it to New York to see Sutton Foster on Broadway in the classic musical “The Music Man,” don’t worry.

Keenan Scott II made his Broadway acting debut this week in “Thoughts of a Colored Man,” which is a remarkable milestone.

Many stages on both Broadway and the West End have been forced to go dark once more as the live theater community grapples with new backstage outbreaks of the coronavirus and its variants.

It’s still hard to believe for fans of musical theater, but Broadway icon and legend Stephen Sondheim passed away over the weekend at the age of 91.

Even as visitors again crowd below the jumbo screens in New York’s Times Square, the souvenir shops, restaurants, hotels and entrepreneurs within the iconic U.S. landmark are still reeling from a staggering pandemic.

Audra McDonald is going from host of the Tony Awards to another stage role.

As he brings “American Utopia” back to Broadway following the pandemic pause, David Byrne says it's evident how thrilled people are simply to be enjoying live entertainment again.