The reason I come up to New York at this specific time of the year is that it is the final week of Tony Award eligibility, when there is a last burst of openings for the season. But in addition, this is the week of the Easter Bonnet Competition, a two-performance celebration of the end of the annual fund-raising begathon drive at New York theaters for Broadway Cares/Equity … [Read more...]

Being the conscientious reviewer that I am, I spent Monday morning watching the 1992 movie Newsies, in preparation for seeing the much-touted stage version Monday night. Having revitalized its core business of animated features with such Alan Menken musicals as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, Disney tried a live-action musical 20 years ago with this fact-based … [Read more...]