Performing Arts

Mary Martin won a Tony Award playing the lead role in the 1954 Broadway production of Peter Pan.

Hate The Idea Of 'Peter Pan Live'? NBC Is Counting On It

10:40am December 04, 2014

by Eric Deggans

NBC's Peter Pan Live! production seems to be utterly in earnest — but TV critic Eric Deggans wonders if the show will need a viewership boost from critics snarking on Twitter to really succeed.

Queue Listen Now

Documentary Recalls The Talented, Difficult Life Of Bing Crosby

12:05pm November 29, 2014

Bing Crosby has long been the voice of the Christmas season, and now he's the subject of a new American Masters documentary. NPR's Scott Simon talks to Kathryn and Mary Crosby about his legacy.

Queue Listen Now

Justin Hopkins sings during a tribute show for Booker Wright, who worked in a whites-only restaurant in the Mississippi Delta.

A Musical Tribute For A Waiter Who Spoke Out Against Racism

12:05pm November 29, 2014

by Debbie Elliott

Fifty years after the desegregation of the South, an oratorio will pay tribute to an unlikely civil rights activist — a waiter named Booker Wright who spoke out about discrimination on the job.

Queue Listen Now

Chad Coleman, left and Sonequa Martin-Green star as Tyreese and Sasha on AMC's The Walking Dead.

Arts

Diversity On 'The Walking Dead' Wasn't Always Handled Well

6:22pm November 28, 2014

by Eric Deggans

AMC's hit zombie drama The Walking Dead airs its midseason finale Sunday. It's now one of TV's most diverse shows, but critic Eric Deggans says it hasn't always served non-white characters well.

Queue Listen Now

Mae West is said to have worn these super platform shoes both on screen and off.

Arts

Gold-Plated Gowns And 8-inch Pumps: The Stuff That Made Starlets Shimmer

7:16am November 28, 2014

by Susan Stamberg

Actress Mae West was petite, but on screen — thanks to a pair of platform shoes — she looked larger than life. A show in Boston examines the fashion and jewelry of Hollywood's golden age.

Queue Listen Now

A commentary on the American dream, Allegro tells the story of Joe Taylor Jr., a small-town doctor who moves to Chicago.

Reviving 'Allegro': Even Rodgers And Hammerstein Had Flops

2:42pm November 24, 2014

by Jeff Lunden

Allegro arrived on Broadway with a cast of close to 100 and the biggest advance ticket sales in Broadway history at the time. But reviews were mixed and the musical only lasted a season.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

For Alan Cumming, Life Is (Once Again) A Cabaret

1:23pm November 21, 2014

This is the third time Cumming has starred in the musical. He talks about the new production — everything from his costume (which he calls a "Wonder Bra" for men) to the darker themes of the show.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Mike Nichols: Remembering The Ellipses After The Story Ends

3:01pm November 20, 2014

by Linda Holmes

We consider the work of writer-director-performer Mike Nichols, who died Wednesday.

Queue Listen Now

Renowned Theater And Film Director Mike Nichols Dies

12:43pm November 20, 2014

by Bob Mondello

Nichols, perhaps best known for his 1967 classic film, The Graduate, won Emmy, Oscar, Tony and Grammy awards. He died Wednesday at age 83.

Queue Listen Now

Mike Nichols was an ultimate Hollywood insider who won every major show business award directing for stage, film and TV. But his life in America began as an immigrant from Germany. Nichols was honored with an AFI Life Achievement Award in June 2010.

Arts

Mike Nichols, Award-Winning Director Of 'The Graduate,' 'Silkwood,' Dies

11:31am November 20, 2014

by Eric Deggans

Mike Nichols was an ultimate Hollywood insider who won every major show business award directing for stage, film and TV. But his life in America began as an outsider immigrant from Germany.