Theater

People line up to see the Broadway hit Hamilton on Nov. 19 in New York.

The Room Where It Didn't Happen: A Case Of Mistaken 'Hamilton' Identity

3:49pm November 24, 2016

by Laura Wagner

A small theater company in Montana, Hamilton Players, faced the wrath of online commenters after the cast of the hit musical Hamilton addressed a message to Vice President-elect Mike Pence last week.

Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo and Ariana DeBose with Lin-Manuel Miranda with the cast during their final performance curtain call of "Hamilton" in July.

'Hamilton' To Pence: 'We Are The Diverse America Who Are Alarmed'

11:27am November 19, 2016

by Jessica Taylor

Pence was met with boos and cheers as he came to see the show, and afterwards the diverse cast and crew delivered a pointed statement about what they believe really makes America great.

'Hamilton' Cast Makes Appeal To Attendee Mike Pence, Amid Emotional Audience

8:12am November 19, 2016

Vice president-elect Mike Pence attended the Broadway production of Hamilton last night. At the end of the musical, the cast of the show had a message for him.

Anna Kendrick began performing in community theater when she was 6; by 12 years old, she had made it to Broadway.

Anna Kendrick Says Acting Is 'The Way That I Learn About Other People'

11:31am November 15, 2016

The Pitch Perfect star started acting when she was 6. Back then, she says, she likely just did it for the attention. "Then it sort of transformed into something that was really meaningful for me."

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Debbie Allen's FREEZE FRAME...Stop the Madness is a musical featuring dance, video and visual art that explores gun violence in cities.

Arts

Debbie Allen's 'Weapons' To Stop Gun Violence Are Dance And Music

5:00pm October 30, 2016

by NPR Staff

Director, actor and choreographer Debbie Allen's multimedia musical Freeze Frame examines the lives of young people living in cities with the backdrop of violence and police shootings.

'Falsettos' Still Resonates In Changed Social Landscape

6:19pm October 27, 2016

by Jeff Lunden

When Falsettos first premiered in 1981, this frank, funny musical about gay, Jewish life in New York City was covering new territory. Now a revival is in the works, but will it still feel resonant in an age where gay rights have become mainstream?

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Books
Arts

Christopher Marlowe Credited As Shakespeare's Co-Author On Henry VI Plays

6:40pm October 24, 2016

True authorship of Shakespeare has been debated for centuries. Now, the New Oxford Shakespeare edition will list Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe as co-author on the three Henry VI plays, part one, two and three. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Florida State University professor Gary Taylor, one of the general editors of the new volume.

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Chris Gethard co-stars in Comedy Central's Broad City and in Mike Birbiglia's film Don't Think Twice. His one-man show, Career Suicide, details his experiences with depression.

Manic And Depressed, 'I Didn't Like Who I Was,' Says Comic Chris Gethard

4:47pm October 24, 2016

Gethard tells stories of hitting rock bottom in his new one-man off-Broadway show, which is billed as a comedy about "suicide, depression, alcoholism and all the other funniest parts of life."

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A sketch of the costume Justice Ginsburg will wear.

Justice Ginsburg Will Make Her Operatic Debut — Sort Of

11:55am October 21, 2016

by Nina Totenberg

The Supreme Court justice is set to play a nonsinging role on opening night of the Donizetti opera "The Daughter of the Regiment" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Kathleen Turner stars as Joan Didion in Arena Stage's production of The Year of Magical Thinking.

Arts

'It's Very Lonely': Kathleen Turner Stars As Joan Didion In 'Magical Thinking'

7:28am October 16, 2016

by Susan Stamberg

Turner appears in a new production of The Year of Magical Thinking, based on Didion's 2005 memoir. In one year, Didion's daughter fell into a coma and her husband of 40 years had a fatal heart attack.