At one point in 42nd Street, the production number-heavy backstage musical about a Depression-era Broadway tryout, Julian Marsh, the director of Pretty Lady — the fictional show-within-the-show — calls it “the biggest musical this town has seen in two decades.” While that is true, he could also be referring to what the Maltz Jupiter Theatre has lovingly assembled on a … [Read more...]
Maltz’s ‘Hairspray’ is an irresistible blast
Of the many movies that have been adapted into stage musicals, John Waters’ subversive cult comedy, Hairspray, seemed unlikely to make the transfer successfully. But eight Tony Awards and a 6½-year, 2,642-performance run on Broadway later, such doubts have been put firmly to rest. And if subsequent regional productions fare as well as the high-energy, hard-driving pop rock … [Read more...]