Hello, diva lovers. Quite a few items this week. . .enjoy!

Hello, diva lovers. Quite a few items this week. . .enjoy!

We listen to two ill-conceived 1960s musicals making their belated CD debuts, Jimmy (as in Mayor James J. Walker) and the Three Men on a Horse musical, Let It Ride.

We listen to two ill-conceived 1960s musicals making their belated CD debuts, Jimmy (as in Mayor James J. Walker) and the Three Men on a Horse musical, Let It Ride.

A visitor's guide to real New York places mentioned in Broadway musicals.

The naming of Broadway theatres: The sources of "Cort," "Winter Garden" Longacre" and more.

The naming of Broadway theatres: The sources of "Cort," "Winter Garden" Longacre" and more.

He's been called, not always affectionately, the most important man in commercial theatre. As Chairman of the Shubert Organization, Gerald Schoenfeld has been at the helm of a producing team and theatre chain that includes some of the oldest and most beloved houses on the Street: the Ambassador, the Lyceum, the Winter Garden, the Majestic, the Cort, the Ethel Barrymore, etc. etc. and so forth. The Shubert Organization is the largest theater owner on the Great White Way. In addition to producing plays, the organization owns 16 Broadway theatres and owns, leases, and manages theatres outside New York (National Theatre in Washington, DC; Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles; Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia) and boasts other real estate holdings such as New York's Sardi Building. Founded in 1973, the Shubert Organization's roots can be traced back to the late 19th century when brothers Levi, Samuel, and Jacob Shubert launched their theatre empire. Schoenfeld went into the Shubert fold in 1950, teamed with Bernie Jacobs a few years later to run the organization, and shows no signs of slowing down five decades hence. He's on the Board of the Times Square Business Improvement District, serves as Vice President of the League of American Theatres and Producers, and is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and the Musical Theatre Writing department at NYU/Tisch. The winner of an Actors' Fund medal, Schoenfeld isn't without his critics. When residents of the Clinton and Hell's Kitchen district worried about the quality of life in Times Square if "air rights" were sold above the buildings on Eighth Avenue, the Shubert Org (as well as the Nederlanders, Jujamcyn and numerous Broadway luminaries) proved a powerful lobbyist for selling those rights. The request was granted in 1998, then overturned in 1999 and then, a year ago, upheld by the New York State appellate court. The high cost of theatregoing, the higher cost of theatre producing, and the kinds of shows that now make it to Broadway have also caused theatre professionals and attendees to grumble about the powers that be, but after fifty years in the business (and forty years running the business), Schoenfeld is, as the song goes, "still here," enduring the pervasiveness of television, the lure of the internet, wars overseas, economic recessions and the overall precariousness of life upon — and behind — the wicked stage. Some of that life is lavishly set forth in a new book, "The Shuberts Present: 100 Years of American Theater," published by Harry N. Abrams and written/compiled by the staff of the Shubert Archive. Schoenfeld penned the book's introduction and spent a half hour chatting with Playbill On Line about what's new — and old — in the world of the Shuberts.

He's been called, not always affectionately, the most important man in commercial theatre. As Chairman of the Shubert Organization, Gerald Schoenfeld has been at the helm of a producing team and theatre chain that includes some of the oldest and most beloved houses on the Street: the Ambassador, the Lyceum, the Winter Garden, the Majestic, the Cort, the Ethel Barrymore, etc. etc. and so forth. The Shubert Organization is the largest theater owner on the Great White Way. In addition to producing plays, the organization owns 16 Broadway theatres and owns, leases, and manages theatres outside New York (National Theatre in Washington, DC; Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles; Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia) and boasts other real estate holdings such as New York's Sardi Building. Founded in 1973, the Shubert Organization's roots can be traced back to the late 19th century when brothers Levi, Samuel, and Jacob Shubert launched their theatre empire. Schoenfeld went into the Shubert fold in 1950, teamed with Bernie Jacobs a few years later to run the organization, and shows no signs of slowing down five decades hence. He's on the Board of the Times Square Business Improvement District, serves as Vice President of the League of American Theatres and Producers, and is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and the Musical Theatre Writing department at NYU/Tisch. The winner of an Actors' Fund medal, Schoenfeld isn't without his critics. When residents of the Clinton and Hell's Kitchen district worried about the quality of life in Times Square if "air rights" were sold above the buildings on Eighth Avenue, the Shubert Org (as well as the Nederlanders, Jujamcyn and numerous Broadway luminaries) proved a powerful lobbyist for selling those rights. The request was granted in 1998, then overturned in 1999 and then, a year ago, upheld by the New York State appellate court. The high cost of theatregoing, the higher cost of theatre producing, and the kinds of shows that now make it to Broadway have also caused theatre professionals and attendees to grumble about the powers that be, but after fifty years in the business (and forty years running the business), Schoenfeld is, as the song goes, "still here," enduring the pervasiveness of television, the lure of the internet, wars overseas, economic recessions and the overall precariousness of life upon — and behind — the wicked stage. Some of that life is lavishly set forth in a new book, "The Shuberts Present: 100 Years of American Theater," published by Harry N. Abrams and written/compiled by the staff of the Shubert Archive. Schoenfeld penned the book's introduction and spent a half hour chatting with Playbill On Line about what's new — and old — in the world of the Shuberts.

The 36th annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards Ceremony, celebrating excellence in non-union theatre in Chicago, will be held June 8 at the Park West.

Nominations for the Non-Equity Jeff Awards, celebrating excellence in Chicago's non-union professional theatre community, were announced April 29. Lifeline Theatre and Theo Ubique are the top-nominated companies, with 14 and 13 nominations, respectively.

From Ramin Karimloo and Ruthie Ann Miles at the Kennedy Center to new works by Tony winner Robert Schenkkan and Heather Raffo, here’s what to see in the Capitol city.

What's announced and what's in previews in the West End.

A visitor’s guide to real New York places mentioned in Broadway musicals.

Playbill.com gives an overview of the plays considered leading contenders for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama by industry insiders.

Playbill.com gives an overview of the plays considered leading contenders for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama by industry insiders.

A visitor's guide to real New York places mentioned in Broadway musicals.

BETTY BUCKLEY
It looks like it will be a busy fall for the one-and-only Betty Buckley whose new CD and DVD/video (“Stars and the Moon: Betty Buckley Live at the Donmar”) will be released on Sept. 11, the CD from Concord Records and the DVD/video from Image Entertainment. The track listing for each follows:
the CD:
“Not a Day Goes By” (Sondheim)
“Just the Way You Look Tonight (Kern/Fields)
“Stars and the Moon (Brown)
“Finding Home (Gordon/Landau)
“Answer Me (Winkler/Rauch/Sigman)
“Migratory V (Guettel) /Horse with Wings (Gordon)
“Fire and Rain (James Taylor)
Medley: “The Red Dress” (Gordon/Parker); “Souvenir” (Gordon/St. Vincent Millay); “Will There Really Be a Morning?” (Gordon/Dickinson)
“Old Friend” (Ford and Cryer)
“Send in the Clowns” (Sondheim)
“Close to Home” (Mayes)
“Amazing Grace” (John Newton -attrib.)

BETTY BUCKLEY
It looks like it will be a busy fall for the one-and-only Betty Buckley whose new CD and DVD/video (“Stars and the Moon: Betty Buckley Live at the Donmar”) will be released on Sept. 11, the CD from Concord Records and the DVD/video from Image Entertainment. The track listing for each follows:
the CD:
“Not a Day Goes By” (Sondheim)
“Just the Way You Look Tonight (Kern/Fields)
“Stars and the Moon (Brown)
“Finding Home (Gordon/Landau)
“Answer Me (Winkler/Rauch/Sigman)
“Migratory V (Guettel) /Horse with Wings (Gordon)
“Fire and Rain (James Taylor)
Medley: “The Red Dress” (Gordon/Parker); “Souvenir” (Gordon/St. Vincent Millay); “Will There Really Be a Morning?” (Gordon/Dickinson)
“Old Friend” (Ford and Cryer)
“Send in the Clowns” (Sondheim)
“Close to Home” (Mayes)
“Amazing Grace” (John Newton -attrib.)