musicals

Young Celie (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi) and young Nettie (Halle Bailey) share an unbreakable bond.

Arts

The new 'Color Purple' exudes joy, but dances past some deeper complexities

3:17pm December 19, 2023

by Aisha Harris

Drawing on four decades of debate and analysis, this reincarnation is a remarkable departure from Alice Walker's Pulitzer-winning novel and its polarizing 1985 adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg.

Spring Woods High School in Houston, Texas, is one of the schools that put on a production of The Addams Family.

These were the most frequently performed plays and musicals in high schools this year

7:01am June 05, 2023

by Elizabeth Blair

The Addams Family, Clue and Frozen JR were among the most popular shows, according to a new survey. But the report also showed that drama teachers are nervous about censorship.

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Dimly lit theater stage with closed red velvet curtain.

Arts

Adults complained about a teen theater production and the show's creators stepped in

5:01am March 09, 2023

by Elizabeth Blair

High school theater teachers fear their stages will be the next battleground in the culture war. Plays have been canceled or removed when local officials claim the content is inappropriate.

Arts

Opinion: Remembering a friendship with Terry Teachout

11:14am January 15, 2022

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon remembers theater critic and playwright Terry Teachout, who died this week at the age of 65.

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The NPR Ed team analyzed more than 100 pages of data from old issues of Dramatics magazine.

The Most Popular High School Plays And Musicals

12:47pm July 30, 2020

by Elissa Nadworny

Mary Poppins is out and Matilda is in, according to the new high school theater rankings from the Educational Theatre Association. The organization has been publishing its list since 1938.

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Arts
Economy

Broadway Lineup For Greensboro's New Tanger Center Announced

3:44pm April 11, 2019

by Bethany Chafin

Six Broadway shows will make their Triad premier when the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts opens in Greensboro next year.&nbsp

'Hamilton' Star Renée Elise Goldsberry To Keynote Wake Forest University Event

4:38am February 01, 2019

by Sean Bueter

Tony Award-winning artist Renée Elise Goldsberry, perhaps best known for her role as Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway smash, Hamilton, will appear in

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Arts

Being Aaron Burr (Sir): Leslie Odom Jr. Talks 'Hamilton,' Tragedy And Karaoke

7:50am November 15, 2017

by Sean Bueter

If you ever see Leslie Odom Jr. out on karaoke night, fair warning: the man who originated the role of Aaron Burr in Broadway's Hamilton is determined to win you over.

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For Barrow Street Theatre, pie shells are baked and filled with the chicken and vegetables, cooked in a little white truffle butter, then sprinkled with truffle zest.

In NYC, 'Sweeney Todd' Baker Serves Up Some Bloody Good Pies

4:38pm February 27, 2017

The off-Broadway musical, in which a barber's clients become filling for meat pies, may make you lose your appetite. But former White House pastry chef Bill Yosses bakes a tempting pre-theater treat.

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Kiss Me, Kate is the latest in a series of American musicals to be performed at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. "It is such a glorious theater to perform in," says director Lee Blakeley.

Arts

American Musicals Are So Popular In Paris, They're Coming Back To The U.S.

1:45pm February 10, 2016

by Eleanor Beardsley

French audiences have flocked to Paris productions of American musicals like Kiss Me, Kate, which closes this week. France's versions of some of these plays are also being exported back to the U.S.