theater news stories on Newser

The Real Tribute to Great Theater: a Seated Ovation

Matt Cantor — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:33:05 CDT

At one time, a standing ovation may have meant something—but lately, you can hardly go to a Broadway show without being forced to join in one. Almost every show "ends with people jumping to their feet and beating their flippers together like captive sea lions when the zookeeper arrives...

National Mall's $700M Plan: Skating, Theater, Gardens

Matt Cantor — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:06:34 CDT

The National Mall is getting a serious facelift: Soon, we'll be going skating, watching outdoor theater, and exploring vibrant gardens in America's so-called "front yard." The $700 million project will mark a big change from the "overused" grass currently between the Lincoln Memorial and Capitol Building, says an architect. In...

In Today's America, Death of a Salesman Is Dead

Kevin Spak — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:56:43 CDT

Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a bravura performance in the new revival of Death of a Salesman , but as he watched, Lee Siegel wondered "why the play was revived at all," he writes in the New York Times . After all, Salesman is about the delusions of the middle class, and "the...

The 13 Most Worthless Majors

Matt Cantor — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:57:22 CDT

Hey, college students: If your life plans include getting an actual job, you may want to avoid the stars of the Daily Beast 's "most useless" majors list. Majors are ranked in terms of employment, taking into account unemployment rates among recent and experienced grads, earnings, and likely job growth...

Broadway's Most Expensive Flop Is Back

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:01:09 CST

When the musical Carrie had a sudden early death on Broadway in 1988, few were as unhappy as three men who worked hard to give it life. Lawrence D. Cohen, Michael Gore, and Dean Pitchford, who wrote the script, music, and lyrics, clearly were not happy with the final product,...

Theaters Add Tweeting Sections

Evann Gastaldo — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 09:41:05 CST

The bad news is, apparently some of us absolutely cannot sit through a play or opera or ballet performance without tweeting. The good news is, in some theaters, those tweeters will have their own section. As more theatergoers live-tweet performances, so-called "tweet seats" are becoming "a national trend," the director...

Fired Director Sues Spider-Man Show Bosses

Matt Cantor — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:21:41 CST

More drama behind the curtains for Broadway’s Spider-Man : Former director Julie Taymor is suing the show’s producers over what she says is a lack of compensation for her creative work. “The producers' actions have left her no choice but to resort to legal recourse to protect her rights,” her attorney...

Movie Theater Runs Truly Awesome Anti-Texting PSA

Evann Gastaldo — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 06:19:03 CDT

Don't like people who text or talk during movies? Then consider moving to Austin, Texas, where the Alamo Drafthouse will actually kick such people out of the theater—and then gleefully chortle about it, PSA-style. New York magazine points to what might just be the best do-not-text advertisement ever, in...

Denzel Washington Wins 1st Tony Award

M. Morris — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 22:53:51 CDT

Denzel Washington won his first Tony Award tonight for his performance in August Wilson's Fences , and Scarlett Johansson and Catherine Zeta-Jones joined the Hollywood-to-Tony parade by picking up statuettes of their own. Best play Red and best musical Memphis also enjoyed big nights, the AP reports .