News, views and reviews about the multi-talented women of the musical theatre and the concert/cabaret stage.

News, views and reviews about the multi-talented women of the musical theatre and the concert/cabaret stage.

This week's column discusses the revival of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins and Lionel Bart's ill-fated La Strada.

This week's column discusses the revival of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins and Lionel Bart's ill-fated La Strada.

Playbill looks back at the actors, directors, choreographers, and other theatremakers who died in the past year.

Hello, diva lovers! Well, I must admit it was a bit daunting to open a blank Word Perfect document this past Tuesday morning to attempt to write a millennium-based diva column while finishing our January subscription issue and starting our February theatre edition. At one point I decided I would just write a regular weekly column and not deal with the approaching 2000 mark, but then I thought I would simply list many of the women of the musical theatre/cabaret worlds who have brightened our lives throughout the past few decades. So, in alphabetical order, here they are. (I’m sure I’ve left out many of your favorites, so please excuse any omission!) Following this grand diva list are more detailed thoughts and musings about some (but not all) 25 of my very favorite gals (alphabetically, of course). I hope you enjoy reading this column, and may the New Year bring every diva lover out there much joy and happiness, and may it also be diva-filled!

Hello, diva lovers! Well, I must admit it was a bit daunting to open a blank Word Perfect document this past Tuesday morning to attempt to write a millennium-based diva column while finishing our January subscription issue and starting our February theatre edition. At one point I decided I would just write a regular weekly column and not deal with the approaching 2000 mark, but then I thought I would simply list many of the women of the musical theatre/cabaret worlds who have brightened our lives throughout the past few decades. So, in alphabetical order, here they are. (I’m sure I’ve left out many of your favorites, so please excuse any omission!) Following this grand diva list are more detailed thoughts and musings about some (but not all) 25 of my very favorite gals (alphabetically, of course). I hope you enjoy reading this column, and may the New Year bring every diva lover out there much joy and happiness, and may it also be diva-filled!

The fun of the Broadway musical The Producers derives not just from its frantic physical comedy and vaudeville moments—Max and Leo stuck in a doorway together, Leo discovered hanging inside a coat on a hanger—but also from the allusions to other shows and personalities. Some are obvious: Mel Brooks's lyrics mention Ibsen, Strindberg, and King Lear. But subtler nuggets of parody and homage can slip away in the show's cascades of laughter. Herewith, a guide to some of the choice moments in The Producers that depend on either musical or extra-textual knowledge.

BETTY BUCKLEY
Next week, on July 3, the one-and-only Betty Buckley will celebrate her 50th birthday. This multi-talented performer has been dazzling Broadway audiences since her debut on The Great White Way in the 1969 production of 1776, and she will soon be returning to the stage in the new musical Triumph of Love. In honor of BB's 50th birthday, I thought I would comprise a list of my 50 favorite tunes that I've heard Buckley sing over the years. I've also listed where you can hear them; some, unfortunately, Ms. B has yet to record (for those numbers I've included where I heard her sing the tune), but hopefully she will record these plus many more during the next 50 years. Here they are, in no particular order:

BETTY BUCKLEY
Next week, on July 3, the one-and-only Betty Buckley will celebrate her 50th birthday. This multi-talented performer has been dazzling Broadway audiences since her debut on The Great White Way in the 1969 production of 1776, and she will soon be returning to the stage in the new musical Triumph of Love. In honor of BB's 50th birthday, I thought I would comprise a list of my 50 favorite tunes that I've heard Buckley sing over the years. I've also listed where you can hear them; some, unfortunately, Ms. B has yet to record (for those numbers I've included where I heard her sing the tune), but hopefully she will record these plus many more during the next 50 years. Here they are, in no particular order:

Ragtime opens its latest production at the National Theatre in Washington DC, April 29, after beginning previews there April 14.

The directorial mastermind behind Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, reveals his never-before-published account of how the musical came to be—and how he almost got fired.

One of the more unfortunate aspects of theatre today is the enormous difficulty new writers of musicals have in establishing themselves. While there are endless readings and presentations of new work, few of them lead to full productions, and even fewer to New York mountings. When new writers ultimately find an off-Broadway production that brings them acclaim, it's no guarantee that they will go on to enjoy the kind of career that was once the rule following such a reception. Even when New York institutional productions of musicals by new talent open to considerable praise these days, it's often the case that those shows play out their limited runs but don't receive a local transfer, with hopes then pinned on subsequent regional pickups.

One of the more unfortunate aspects of theatre today is the enormous difficulty new writers of musicals have in establishing themselves. While there are endless readings and presentations of new work, few of them lead to full productions, and even fewer to New York mountings. When new writers ultimately find an off-Broadway production that brings them acclaim, it's no guarantee that they will go on to enjoy the kind of career that was once the rule following such a reception. Even when New York institutional productions of musicals by new talent open to considerable praise these days, it's often the case that those shows play out their limited runs but don't receive a local transfer, with hopes then pinned on subsequent regional pickups.

There's no music like show music. Just ask Jonathan Schwartz, the radio host, champion of the American popular song and son of Broadway composer Arthur Schwartz.

There's no music like show music. Just ask Jonathan Schwartz, the radio host, champion of the American popular song and son of Broadway composer Arthur Schwartz.