Theater

Arts

Honored Playwright Terrence McNally Dies Of Coronavirus At Age 81

6:24am March 25, 2020

by Jeff Lunden

McNally had suffered from lung cancer and pulmonary problems. He won his first Tony Award for Kiss of the Spider Woman. He also won Tonys for Love! Valor! Compassion!, Master Class and Ragtime.

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A portrait of playwright Terrence McNally, taken in his home in New York City on March 2. McNally died of complications related to coronavirus on Tuesday.

Arts

Terrence McNally, Honored American Playwright, Has Died Of Coronavirus

11:33pm March 24, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The five-time Tony Award winner whose work spanned some four dozen plays and musicals died Tuesday at age 81 due to complications related to COVID-19.

Arts

Playwright Terrence McNally Dies Of COVID-19 Complications At 81

4:36pm March 24, 2020

by Jeff Lunden

The revered playwright Terrence McNally, who wrote Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune and Ragtime, has died from COVID-19. McNally was 81 and had suffered from lung cancer and pulmonary problems.

Laura Benanti performs in Washington in 2015. She recently asked high school students to send her videos of their musical theater performances after many of them were canceled.

A Broadway Star And #SunshineSongs Bring High School Musical Theater To Small Screens

1:37pm March 17, 2020

High school musicals are canceled around the country over coronavirus concerns. Broadway star Laura Benanti asked disappointed high school singers for the next best thing: performance videos.

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The current production of Riverdance was updated for its 25th anniversary. But performances have been postponed for the rest of the month because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Arts

'Riverdance' Turns 25, But Has Put The Celebration On Hold — For Now

12:35pm March 17, 2020

by Jeff Lunden

The Irish dance spectacle has been performed for audiences all over the world. The current production was polished for the anniversary, but has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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An empty Lincoln Center will be a much more common sight over the coming weeks; all its constituent organizations have all closed temporarily due to coronavirus worries.

Performing Arts And Cultural Organizations Close Their Doors Due To Coronavirus

5:10pm March 12, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Arts and cultural events and institutions across the country are announcing cancellations and closures, including SXSW in Austin, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

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Mart Crowley, Playwright of 'The Boys In The Band,' Dies At 84

6:25am March 10, 2020

by Jeff Lunden

When playwright Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band premiered off-Broadway in 1968, it was the first realistic, mainstream portrayal of gay men on stage. Crowley won a Tony Award for it.

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Working on Coal Country helped Steve Earle write his upcoming album, Ghosts of West Virginia. Seven songs from that record are featured in the play.

Featuring Music From Steve Earle, 'Coal Country' Recounts Deadly Mine Explosion

11:04am March 07, 2020

by Rick Karr

A new play tells the story of the 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine disaster in West Virginia. Songwriter Steve Earle used it as a creative challenge to write his forthcoming album, Ghosts of West Virginia.

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Jerry Minor plays Michael Jackson's glove in For the Love of a Glove. The unauthorized, satirical musical is playing at The Carl Sagan & Ann Druyan Theater until March 22.

New Musical Imagines Michael Jackson's Story As Told By His Famous Glove

11:47am March 01, 2020

by Andrew Limbong

For the Love of a Glove explores an alternate history in which Michael Jackson meets a sparkly silver glove from outer space named Thrihil-Lha who gives Michael his talents in exchange for blood.

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Arts

'West Side Story' Gets A Modern Reboot On Broadway

6:05pm February 23, 2020

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Shereen Pimentel and Isaac Powell, who play the lead roles in West Side Story, about this latest revival that's set in modern day New York.

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