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

Performing Arts

Friday

Broadway's Profit-Turning, Crowd-Pleasing Christmas Story

Jordan Gelber plays Buddy the Elf in Elf on Broadway. The limited-run production may not turn a profit immediately, but producers have a multipronged strategy for making money. Joan Marcus/The Hartman Group hide caption

toggle caption
Joan Marcus/The Hartman Group

Spirit Of The Season

Broadway's Profit-Turning, Crowd-Pleasing Christmas Story

With hordes of tourists descending on New York for the Christmas season, Broadway is looking to turn a profit — by staging limited-run holiday musicals like A Christmas Story and Elf. But with production costs so high, how can these shows make money back? The answer, it turns out, is complicated.

Broadway's Profit-Turning, Crowd-Pleasing Christmas Story

Listen · 7:19
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/167467459/167772013" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

'Pullman Porter Blues' Travels Back In Time

Left to right: Actors Cleavant Derricks (as Sylvester), Warner Miller (as Cephas) and Larry Marshall (as Monroe) star in Pullman Porter Blues. Kevin Rosinbum/Arena Stage hide caption

toggle caption
Kevin Rosinbum/Arena Stage

Theater

'Pullman Porter Blues' Travels Back In Time

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with actor Larry Marshall and playwright Cheryl West about Pullman Porter Blues, a play that tells the story of three generations of African-American railway porters in 1937.

'Pullman Porter Blues' Travels Back In Time

Listen · 17:49
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/166655700/166655693" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Saturday

Hispanics Call For Kennedy Center Honors

Honorees (from left) James Levine, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Simon, Chita Rivera and James Earl Jones stand beside first lady Laura Bush and President George W. Bush during the 25th Kennedy Center Honors in 2002. Rivera was the last Hispanic recipient of the award. Shawn Thew/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Shawn Thew/AFP/Getty Images

Hispanics Call For Kennedy Center Honors

After 35 years and 186 artists, only two honorees have been Hispanic — Placido Domingo in 2000 and Chita Rivera in 2002. "When you paint that picture and you leave the Latino artist community out of it, there's a huge hole," says Felix Sanchez, president of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts.

Hispanics Call For Kennedy Center Honors

Listen · 4:43
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/166190531/166291567" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

The Peony Pavilion: A Vivid Dream In A Garden

A garden serves as the stage in the opera. Zhang Yi hide caption

toggle caption
Zhang Yi

Deceptive Cadence

The Peony Pavilion: A Vivid Dream In A Garden

Peony Pavilion is one of China's most famous operas, but uncut performances of this romantic 16th century work can take more than 22 hours. An adapted version of the dream-like opera will take place at the Metropolitan Museum.

The Peony Pavilion: A Vivid Dream In A Garden

Listen · 7:19
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/166153763/166217618" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

Kennedy Center's New Organ No Longer A Pipe Dream

After years of waiting, the Kennedy Center has a new symphonic organ replacing its old Filene organ. The $2 million project will culminate in the organ's debut on Nov. 27. William Neil (left), the National Symphony Orchestra organist, speaks with NSO Assistant Conductor Ankush Kumar Bahl (center) during the organ's test with the orchestra on Oct. 18. Kainaz Amaria/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Kainaz Amaria/NPR

National

Kennedy Center's New Organ No Longer A Pipe Dream

The old organ was in bad shape and beyond repair. Now, after more than two years of construction and installation, a new organ has arrived and will make its debut on Nov. 27.

Kennedy Center's New Organ No Longer A Pipe Dream

Listen · 7:50
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/163468916/166023585" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Princess Marty Is A Smarty If She's At A Child's Party

Mary Alice LeGrow, otherwise known as "Princess Marty," hugs a young girl during a birthday party in a Philadelphia suburb. A graphic artist and "cosplay" (costume play) fanatic, LeGrow became a full-time professional party princess to make ends meet during the economic downturn. Kainaz Amaria/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Kainaz Amaria/NPR

Princess Marty Is A Smarty If She's At A Child's Party

Her highness — known outside the big dress as Mary Alice LeGrow — is a professional party princess. She uses her best princess voice and dresses up in full regalia to charm children. But life in the kingdom isn't all candy and sugarplums; it takes a lot of muscle to be a princess.

Princess Marty Is A Smarty If She's At A Child's Party

Listen · 5:55
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/165495729/165829703" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

Circus Roboticus, Or: This Actor Is A Serious Heavyweight

The cast and creative team of Sans Objet learned the hard way that a 2,800-pound robot can be a bit of a diva: Because he's run by a computer program, he never forgets his blocking. Algae Bory hide caption

toggle caption
Algae Bory

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Circus Roboticus, Or: This Actor Is A Serious Heavyweight

A repurposed robot prototype named KUKA, originally designed by the auto industry, is the breakout star of Sans Objet, a performance piece making its debut in the U.S. this month. Randy Gener describes the rewards — and the challenges — involved in working with a nearly 3,000-pound diva.

Friday

Theater

Past is Present in 'An Enemy Of The People'

Although it was written in 1882, Henrik Ibsen's play An Enemy of the People still resonates today. Richard Thomas and Boyd Gaines, the stars of a new production of the play, join Ira Flatow to talk about the play's themes of power and truth, and the role of whistle-blowers.

Past is Present in 'An Enemy Of The People'

Listen · 21:55
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/164181613/164181604" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

Broadway To Sandy: The Show Is Back On

Superstorm Sandy starting hitting New York on Monday. By Wednesday, life had returned to the Time Square theater district. John Lamparski/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
John Lamparski/Getty Images

Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond

Broadway To Sandy: The Show Is Back On

New York's theater workers mobilized to get their shows back up and running by Wednesday. But with no trains, very few buses and massive traffic jams, the commute wasn't easy. One actress had to walk about two hours to Manhattan from her home in Queens.

Broadway To Sandy: The Show Is Back On

Listen · 4:52
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/164108465/164136814" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Sunday

Star-Studded 'Heiress' Considers A Woman's Worth

Jessica Chastain makes her Broadway debut as Catherine Sloper in The Heiress. Chastain says she was moved by the arc of her character's story — initially defined by the men in her life, but ultimately finding strength in herself. (c) 2012 Joan Marcus hide caption

toggle caption
(c) 2012 Joan Marcus

Theater

Star-Studded 'Heiress' Considers A Woman's Worth

A much-anticipated revival of The Heiress, a 1947 play based on the Henry James novella Washington Square, opens in New York on Thursday. It marks the Broadway debut of two young stars — Jessica Chastain, the Academy Award nominee from The Help, and Dan Stevens from the hit series Downton Abbey.

Star-Studded 'Heiress' Considers A Woman's Worth

Listen · 5:17
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/163723461/163803368" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Sunday

'Beat Generation,' Kerouac's Lost Play, Hits Stage

The cast rehearses a scene from Jack Kerouac's only play, The Beat Generation. Courtesy of the Merrimack Repertory Theater hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of the Merrimack Repertory Theater

Theater

'Beat Generation,' Kerouac's Lost Play, Hits Stage

WBUR

Legendary beat novelist Jack Kerouac shot to fame with On the Road, but unknown to many fans, he also wrote a play. The Beat Generation was never produced and quickly forgotten. Rediscovered in 2004, the play is now set to premiere in the writer's hometown.

'Beat Generation,' Kerouac's Lost Play, Hits Stage

Listen · 5:20
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/162877038/162877110" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

A Celebration Of Janis Joplin And All Her Swagger

Mary Bridget Davies as Janis Joplin and Sabrina Elayne Carten as Blues Singer in the Cleveland Play House production of One Night with Janis Joplin. Janet Macoska/Arena Stage hide caption

toggle caption
Janet Macoska/Arena Stage

Theater

A Celebration Of Janis Joplin And All Her Swagger

In her short time on the scene, Joplin helped define the music of a generation with her bluesy rasp. A musical honoring her talent and her muses is playing now in Washington, D.C. While it doesn't get into the darker chapters of her life, the show is captivating lifelong fans — including the lead actress.

A Celebration Of Janis Joplin And All Her Swagger

Listen · 9:56
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/162791883/163331974" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Racial Issues, Far From 'Invisible' On D.C. Stage

Teagle F. Bougere plays the titular Invisible Man in The Studio Theatre's adaptation of Ralph Ellison's novel. Astrid Riecken/The Studio Theatre hide caption

toggle caption
Astrid Riecken/The Studio Theatre

Theater

Racial Issues, Far From 'Invisible' On D.C. Stage

An adaptation of Ralph Ellison's landmark novel The Invisible Man is electrifying audiences in the nation's capital. NPR's Audie Cornish talks to the writer, director and star about bringing a complicated story to the stage.

Racial Issues, Far From 'Invisible' On D.C. Stage

Listen · 9:48
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/162181735/162246635" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

A Broadway Mystery Worthy Of 'Rebecca'

The original Vienna production of a new musical based on the novel Rebecca didn't fall prey to the woes plaguing a planned New York staging. VBW hide caption

toggle caption
VBW

Theater

A Broadway Mystery Worthy Of 'Rebecca'

A musical adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's Gothic novel Rebecca was set to come to Broadway — until the existence of its major investor came into question. New York Times theater writer Patrick Healy discusses the mystery on All Things Considered.

A Broadway Mystery Worthy Of 'Rebecca'

Listen · 4:57
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/161752295/161778833" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

Shorts Inspire Music In 'Sounding Beckett' Trilogy

In Ohio Impromptu, one of three short plays featured in Sounding Beckett, the silent character (Philip Goodwin, left, with Ted van Griethuysen) inspired music based on knocks and repetitions. Jeremy Tressler/Sounding Beckett hide caption

toggle caption
Jeremy Tressler/Sounding Beckett

Theater

Shorts Inspire Music In 'Sounding Beckett' Trilogy

Samuel Beckett, the author of Waiting for Godot, is known for the spare, modern rhythms of his plays. Now, as Jeff Lunden explains, the off-Broadway show Sounding Beckett brings together three of the playwright's short works with new pieces of contemporary music they inspired.

Shorts Inspire Music In 'Sounding Beckett' Trilogy

Listen · 5:32
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/161344846/161369251" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript