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Performing Arts News, interviews, and commentary on theater, the arts, music, and dance.

Performing Arts

Saturday

The Magic Of Harry Houdini's Staying Power

Born Ehrich Weiss, Harry Houdini, a rabbi's son, emigrated from Budapest to Appleton, Wis., in 1878. Courtesy of The National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian Institution hide caption

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Courtesy of The National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian Institution

The Magic Of Harry Houdini's Staying Power

Harry Houdini was known for escaping from handcuffs, straitjackets and water tanks, but his greatest trick was escaping from the dustbin of history. A new exhibit at the Jewish Museum in New York asks how Houdini's fame managed to survive.

The Magic Of Harry Houdini's Staying Power

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Thursday

Look, He Made A Hat: Sondheim Talks Sondheim

Happiness is a good rhyme: Stephen Sondheim's new memoir takes its title from a lyric that captures what songwriter Paul Simon -- in a New York Times review of the book -- describes as "that feeling of joy, the little squirt of dopamine hitting the brain" when an artist is at work. Courtesy of the author hide caption

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Courtesy of the author

Theater

Look, He Made A Hat: Sondheim Talks Sondheim

Fresh Air

The musical-theater titan tells the stories behind some of his most famous work, from West Side Story to Gypsy. And he offers some surprising criticisms of other theater greats, including his mentor Oscar Hammerstein.

Look, He Made A Hat: Sondheim Talks Sondheim

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Tuesday

'Primrose': 44 Years Later, Still Sharp As Thumbtacks

Anthony Perkins and Charmian Carr starred in Stephen Sondheim's 1966 made-for-TV musical, Evening Primrose, about people living in a department store after-hours. ABC/Photofest hide caption

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ABC/Photofest

Television

'Primrose': 44 Years Later, Still Sharp As Thumbtacks

Fresh Air

Evening Primrose, Stephen Sondheim's made-for-TV musical about a poet and the girl he discovers living after hours in a department store hasn't been been televised since its 1966 premiere. David Bianculli says the musical, out Tuesday on DVD for the first time, showcases Sondheim's "early brilliance."

'Primrose': 44 Years Later, Still Sharp As Thumbtacks

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Friday

The Hammersteins' Path From Brooms To Broadway
From 'The Hammersteins'/Copyright Black Dog and Leventhal

Author Interviews

The Hammersteins' Path From Brooms To Broadway

When Oscar Hammerstein II died 50 years ago, the lights of Broadway were dimmed in his honor. He was part of a family that helped build Broadway with hit shows like Oklahoma!, and some of the first theaters in Times Square. Oscar Andrew Hammerstein's new book tells his family story.

The Hammersteins' Path From Brooms To Broadway

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The Inimitable Cherry Jones: On Hookers, Habits, Presidents And Priests

The Lady In Question: Cherry Jones, right, and Sally Hawkins learn a little more about each other than either can bear in Mrs. Warren's Profession. Joan Marcus hide caption

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Joan Marcus

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Inimitable Cherry Jones: On Hookers, Habits, Presidents And Priests

Famous as President Allison Taylor on TV's 24, she's also known for an iconic Broadway performance in Doubt. She's moved on from that play's crusading nun to play a somewhat more colorful woman: Shaw's notorious Mrs. Warren.

Thursday

Friday

Friday

'Great Gatsby' Onstage, With A White-Collar Twist

Scott Shepherd plays an office worker who gets swept away by The Great Gatsby in Gatz. Joan Marcus hide caption

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Joan Marcus

Theater

'Great Gatsby' Onstage, With A White-Collar Twist

Since its publication in 1925, F. Scott’s Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby has been adapted for film, stage, television and even opera. Now, one ambitious New York theater company has decided to put every word of the novel onstage in a 6 1/2-hour adaptation -- and it's getting rave reviews.

'Great Gatsby' Onstage, With A White-Collar Twist

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Monday

Eric Owens: Singing Grendel, Death And A Troll

Opera singer Eric Owens stars as Alberich in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Das Rheingold. Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera hide caption

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Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

Music Interviews

Eric Owens: Singing Grendel, Death And A Troll

Owens is a up-and-coming name in the world of opera. His latest performance in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Das Rheingold has generated excitement and expectations for the versatile performer.

Eric Owens: Singing Grendel, Death And A Troll

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Music News

Ukulele World Record Quest In Calif. Comes Up Short

Ukulele players tried to break the Guinness World Record for largest ukulele ensemble on Sunday. The current record, set during a London festival in 2009, is 851 strumming ukes.

Ukulele World Record Quest In Calif. Comes Up Short

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Friday

Culture

Father-Son Comedy Duo Does Reality TV

Host Michel Martin speaks to Internet comedy sensation Kevin Wu and his father Michael Wu. Kevin has had 100 million hits on his videos. They are contestants on this season's Amazing Race.

Father-Son Comedy Duo Does Reality TV

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Thursday

Theater

'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson' Rocks Broadway

President Andrew Jackson, author of the policies that lead to the Trail of Tears, may seem an unlikely subject for a Broadway musical -- but Michael Friedman, co-creator of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, feels differently.

'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson' Rocks Broadway

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Monday

Author Interviews

Backstage With Broadway Legend Patti LuPone

Tony award-winner Patti LuPone is best known for her roles in the Broadway hits Evita, Les Miserable and Gypsy but she's also seen her share of flops and feuds. In Patti LuPone: A Memoir, LuPone shares the ups, downs, firings and other dramas of the Great White Way.

Backstage With Broadway Legend Patti LuPone

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Saturday

150 Years Of Afghan History In One Theater Marathon

Danny Rahim, left, Vincent Ebrahim, kneeling, and Nabil Elouahabi perform in Monologue. John Haynes/Tricycle Theatre hide caption

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John Haynes/Tricycle Theatre

Theater

150 Years Of Afghan History In One Theater Marathon

A tiny London theater company has taken on an enormous project -- to tell the story of Western involvement in Afghanistan over the last century and half in an all-day production. The Great Game: Afghanistan was a hit in Britain and has just opened a US tour at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.

150 Years Of Afghan History In One Theater Marathon

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Sunday

Broadway Season Bets On Big Stars, Short Scripts

Miss Daisy Rides Again: Vanessa Redgrave returns to Broadway to take on a character Jessica Tandy made famous on film. Shaun Curry/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Shaun Curry/AFP/Getty Images

Broadway Season Bets On Big Stars, Short Scripts

Famous names and compact stories add up to at least two must-see plays this fall: In A Life in the Theatre, Patrick Stewart and T.R. Knight explore the relationship between an old actor and a promising newcomer. And come October, Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones turn the key on a Driving Miss Daisy revival.

Broadway Season Bets On Big Stars, Short Scripts

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