From the Archives

From the Archives: Into the Woods Is a Cautionary Fairy Tale for the '80s

By Sheryl Flatow | November 4, 2022

James Lapine, Chip Zien, Joanna Gleason, and Paul Gemignani explain how Into the Woods changed up until opening night on Broadway, November 5, 1987.
From the Archives: See The Original Layout of Playbill's 1972 Interview With the Broadway Cast of Company

By Playbill Staff | January 21, 2022

For more exclusive archival content, subscribe to the Playbill magazine.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: The Top 10 Songs by Stephen Sondheim

By Ben Rimalower | November 28, 2021

We toiled to narrow down this list of the Top 10 Songs by Stephen Sondheim.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, and More Broadway Songwriters Choose Their Most Cherished Sondheim Songs

By Kenneth Jones | November 26, 2021

To mark the 80th birthday of composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim in 2010, Playbill.com asked Broadway songwriters to do the impossible—pick their favorite songs by the master.
When Me and My Girl Opened the Marquis Theatre in 1986

By Sheridan Morley | August 10, 2021

Read Playbill's vintage feature about the soon-to-be-a-smash-hit musical, starring Robert Lindsay, Maryann Plunkett, and George S. Irving .
Revisit The Magic Show, Stephen Schwartz's Other Huge '70s Hit

By Playbill Staff | May 28, 2021

The Doug Henning-led musical with a score from the composer of Wicked and Pippin opened May 28, 1974, and ran for 1,920 performances.
In the Throes of Passion in 1994

By Sheryl Flatow | May 9, 2021

James Lapine, Stephen Sondheim, and star Donna Murphy sat down with Playbill for this interview before Passion opened on Broadway May 9, 1994.
Look Back at the Original Production of Damn Yankees on Broadway

By Marc J. Franklin | May 5, 2021

The Tony Award-winning musical, starring Gwen Verdon and Stephen Douglass, opened at the 46th Street Theatre May 5, 1955.
Look Back at the Original Broadway Production of Angels in America: Millennium Approaches

By Playbill Staff | May 4, 2021

The first part of Tony Kushner's epic Angels in America premiered on Broadway May 4, 1993.
When As Is and The Normal Heart Both the Tackled AIDS Epidemic

By Howard Kissel | May 1, 2021

In a 1985 feature, Playbill spoke to the playwright of groundbreaking As Is before its May 1 Broadway opening, and reported from a rehearsal of the Off-Broadway premiere of The Normal Heart.
Revisit the Short-Lived Revival of Cole Porter's Can-Can With This Feature From the Playbill Archives

By Louis Botto | April 30, 2021

Starring Zizi Jeanmaire, the heavily revised production opened April 30, 1981, at the MInskoff Theatre.
Walking the Walk: Revisit This Article From When The Life Opened on Broadway in 1997

By Harry Haun | April 26, 2021

The Cy Coleman, Ira Gasman, David Newman musical, which opened April 26, 1997, put a human face on the inhabitants of 42nd Street.
When Kathleen Turner Returned to Broadway in 1995's Indiscretions, Co-Starring Jude Law and Eileen Atkins

By Mervyn Rothstein | April 25, 2021

Turner sat down with Playbill for this interview before opening in the adaptation of Jean Cocteau's Les Parents Terrible April 27, 1995.
Remembering the Original Broadway Production of Carousel

By Ted Chapin | April 19, 2021

The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic first opened on Broadway April 19, 1945.
Revisit Maggie Smith's 1990 Interview About Starring in Lettice and Lovage on Broadway

By Sheridan Morley | March 25, 2021

One of Britain’s “national treasures” opened on Broadway in Peter Shaffer’s acclaimed comedy March 25, 1990—and ultimately earned a Tony Award.
When Kathleen Turner Brought Maggie the Cat Back to Broadway

By Harry Haun | March 21, 2021

Look back at Playbill's 1990 interview with the stage and screen star about her performance in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which opened March 21, 1990.
Revisit This 1986 Interview With Andrew Lloyd Webber About His Then-New Musical Starlight Express

By Michael Owen | March 15, 2021

Before the musical opened at the Gershwin Theatre March 15, 1986, its composer sat down with Playbill to talk about lessons learned from London, and his career since Cats.
Look Back at the Original Broadway Production of A Raisin in the Sun

By Playbill Staff | March 11, 2021

Lorraine Hansberry's seminal drama about the experiences of a Black family in Chicago opened on Broadway on March 11, 1959.
Celebrate More Than 40 Years of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd on Broadway

By Marc J. Franklin | March 1, 2021

The Tony-winning musical, starring Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou, opened at the Uris Theatre March 1, 1979.
Look Back Dear World on Starring Angela Lansbury on Broadway

By Nathan Skethway | February 6, 2021

Lansbury took home a Tony Award for her performance in the Jerry Herman musical, which opened on Broadway 52 years ago today.
From the Archives: How The Wiz Went From Nearly Closing on Opening Night to Becoming a Tony-Winning Hit

By Colette Dowling | January 5, 2021

Revisit this original piece, published in the May 1975 edition of Playbill Magazine, in honor of the musical's 46th Broadway anniversary.
As Salieri in Amadeus, These Were the 3 Most-Asked Questions of Ian McKellen

By Ian McKellen | December 17, 2020

While starring in Peter Shaffer’s drama—which opened on Broadway December 17, 1980—Ian McKellen wrote about the hazards of impersonating historical characters for Playbill.
From the Archives: Harold Prince on Why Parade Was the Musical He'd Been Waiting For

By Jerry Tallmer | December 17, 2020

As the Alfred Uhry-Jason Robert Brown show readied to open December 17, 1998, Prince and Uhry spoke to Playbill about why the show demanded to be produced.
From the Archives: A Conversation with The Heiress's Cherry Jones

By Kathy Henderson | November 21, 2020

Playbill looks back to when Jones, who celebrates her birthday November 21, first broke out in her Tony-winning turn in The Heiress.
Reflecting on 61 Years of The Sound of Music

By Ted Chapin | November 16, 2020

The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical opened November 16, 1959.
Broadway's Epistolary Romance With A.R. Gurney's Love Letters

By Rebecca Morehouse | October 31, 2020

The original Broadway production opened at the Edison Theatre October 31, 1989.
When Angela Lansbury Returned to Broadway in Triumph in Gypsy

By Fran Weil | September 23, 2020

Fifteen years after the original production opened on Broadway, the then-two-time Tony Award winner made Rose all her own and sat down with Playbill for a candid conversation about it.
From the Archives: Lauren Bacall Returned to Broadway in 1981's Woman of the Year

By Fran Weil | September 16, 2020

In honor of her birthday, read Bacall's interview with Playbill as she prepared for the March 29 opening night of Kander and Ebb's adaptation of the Hepburn-Tracy classic.
When Naked Boys Singing! First Appeared Off-Broadway

By Ken Jones | July 22, 2020

The hit Los Angeles musical revue opened in New York July 22, 1999, and Playbill spoke to its costume designer (yes, really).
Flashback to When Nathan Lane Resurrected Stephen Sondheim's The Frogs

By Mervyn Rothstein | July 22, 2020

Does art matter? That’s the question posed and answered in the 2004 production, directed by Susan Stroman.
Revisit Lin-Manuel Miranda's Interview About Performing The Hamilton Mixtape

By Robert Simonson | July 2, 2020

The future Pulitzer Prize winner spoke to Playbill in 2012 about his then song cycle shortly before performing it with a star-studded cast as part of Lincoln Center's American Songbook Series
Read Critics' Original Reviews for Hamilton on Broadway

By Playbill Staff | July 2, 2020

The Broadway transfer of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical opened August 6, 2015, at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.
Lena Horne Reveals How The Lady and Her Music Came to Broadway in a 1981 Interview

By Chris Chase | June 30, 2020

In honor of Lena Horne's birthday, we unearth an original interview with the Tony winner about her legendary show
James Baldwin on Blues For Mister Charlie, Arthur Miller, and the American Theatre

By Walter Wager | June 8, 2020

In 1964, Playbill sat down with the critically acclaimed writer to discuss his Broadway show and the "drab Shubert Alley route" he refused to take as a playwright.
Celebrating Rodgers & Hammerstein's Me and Juliet

By Mark Peikert | May 28, 2020

The duo's sixth collaboration opened May 28, 1953.
From the Archives: Joan Collins Made Her Broadway Debut in Noel Coward's Private Lives

By William Wolf | May 23, 2020

In honor of Collins' birthday May 23, Playbill looks back at her interview from the February 1992 issue.
Celebrating 7 Decades of Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun

By Ted Chapin | May 16, 2020

The classic musical, which gave the world the anthem "There's No Business Like Show Business," opened at the Imperial Theatre May 16, 1946.
Look Back at Katharine Hepburn as Chanel in Coco on Broadway

By Marc J. Franklin | May 12, 2020

André Previn and Alan Jay Lerner's musical about designer Coco Chanel opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre December 18, 1969.
Inside the Creation of the Tony-Winning Musical Nine

By Louis Botto | May 9, 2020

In this 1982 interview, Maury Yeston reveals how Fellini’s autobiographical film 8 1/2 inspired Nine, which opened May 9, 1982 and went on to win five Tony Awards.
Look Back at Donna Murphy, Marin Mazzie, and Jere Shea in Passion on Broadway

By Nathan Skethway | May 9, 2020

The Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical opened on Broadway May 9, 1994.
Revisit Playbill's 2001 Interview With By Jeeves Star John Scherer Before Streaming the Musical

By Kenneth Jones | May 8, 2020

The adaptation of P.G. Wodehouse's classic tales opened at the Helen Hayes in 2001, and can be streamed though May 10 on composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's YouTube Channel The Shows Must Go On.
Read Elizabeth Taylor's 1981 Interview Held in the Back of a White Rolls-Royce

By Phyllis Funke | May 7, 2020

Taylor spoke to Playbill on the occasion of her Broadway debut in The Little Foxes, which opened May 7, 1981.
Celebrate International Dance Day With 6 Decades of The King and I

By Mark Peikert | April 29, 2020

From Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner to Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe (and Elaine Stritch!), look back at these waltzing couples.
Look Back at the Original Broadway Production of The Secret Garden

By Playbill Staff | April 25, 2020

The musical, Starring Mandy Patinkin, Rebecca Luker, Alison Fraser, Daisy Eagan, John Cameron Mitchell, and more, opened at the St. James Theatre April 25, 1991.
Revisit Victoria Clark's 2005 Interview About Starring in The Light in the Piazza

By Doug Sturdivant | April 18, 2020

Clark opened in the show—which brought her a Tony Award—April 18, 2005.
Feathers, Fringe, and Les Cagelles Returned to Broadway in 2010

By Ruth Leon | April 18, 2020

Stars Douglas Hodge and Kelsey Grammer spoke about bringing La Cage Aux Folles to the Longacre, where it opened April 18, 2010.
Look Back at A Streetcar Named Desire With Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin

By Marc J. Franklin | April 12, 2020

The revival of Tennessee William’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre April 12, 1992.
From the Archives: Antonio Banderas, Chita Rivera, Jane Krakowski, and Mary Stuart Masterson Reveal Broadway's New Nine

By Ernio Hernandez | April 10, 2020

The revival of the Arthur Kopit-Maury Yeston musical, directed by David Leveaux, opened on Broadway April 10, 2003.
Celebrate Fred Ebb With These 16 Broadway Shows

By Playbill Staff | April 8, 2020

The late Chicago and Cabaret lyricist was born April 8, 1928.
Celebrating 71 Years of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific

By Ted Chapin | April 7, 2020

The original Broadway production, which won 10 Tony Awards, opened at the Majestic Theatre April 7, 1949.
Playbill Viewing: Jeremy Jordan, Krysta Rodriguez, Andy Mientus, Carrie Manolakos Prove to Be a 'Smash' in 54 Below's Hit List Concert

By Michael Gioia | April 6, 2020

Hit List made its much-anticipated debut December 8, 2013, at Feinstein's/54 Below.
Stephanie J. Block and Hadley Fraser Opened in The Pirate Queen April 5, 2007

By Kenneth Jones | April 5, 2020

The epic musical, drawn from Irish history by the creators of Les Misérables and Riverdance, was directed by Frank Galati.
Looking Back at Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents' Anyone Can Whistle Starring Angela Lansbury

By Marc J. Franklin | April 4, 2020

The original production opened April 4, 1964, at the Majestic Theatre.
Relive Highlights From Tracie Bennett's Tony-Nominated Performance as Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow

By Mark Peikert | April 2, 2020

The Peter Quilter drama, about Judy Garland's final concerts in London, opened at the Belasco Theatre April 2, 2012.
Red, Starring Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne, Splashed Onto Broadway in 2010

By Playbill Staff | April 1, 2020

Watch video from the Donmar Warehouse production of John Logan's play about abstract-impressionist painter Mark Rothko, which opened on Broadway April 1, 2010.
The Best Man, a Political Drama Wrapped in Star Packaging, Returned to Broadway in 2012

By Harry Haun | April 1, 2020

James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, Candice Bergen, Eric McCormack, and John Larroquette were among the many boldface names on the ticket when the revival opened on Broadway April 1, 2012.
When Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Simultaneously Starred on Broadway

By Harry Haun | April 1, 2020

Playbill spoke to the Oscar-nominated Reynolds (born April 1) as she prepared to star in Woman of the Year in 1983.
From the Archives: Ben Whishaw Finds Himself in Hot Water in The Crucible

By Harry Haun | March 31, 2020

The actor talked complexity, ambiguity, and unanswerable questions in the most recent revival of the Arthur Miller classic, which opened at the Walter Kerr Theatre March 31, 2016
Remembering the Original Broadway Production of The King and I

By Ted Chapin | March 29, 2020

Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner opened in the show that would win them both Tony Awards March 29, 1951.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Michael Urie Shares His 10 Favorite Theatregoing Experiences

By Andrew Gans | March 19, 2020

In 2012, stage and screen star Michael Urie, then making his Broadway debut in the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, shared the performances that most affected him as part of the audience.

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