Did You Know These Broadway Revivals Started As Flops?
by Jennifer Ashley Tepper - Jan 11, 2026
It wasn’t until later on in theatre history that revivals began including shows that weren’t initially well received or financially successful in their initial engagements. As musical theatre continued to evolve, and more shows entered the canon, a consensus began to grow about shows being worthy of additional exploration even if they hadn’t been hits the first time around. What about musicals that had been ahead of their time, musicals that had fallen prey to circumstances, early works by writers who became successful later on, and of course, shows that found an audience after closing via their cast recordings?
The History of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
by Jennifer Ashley Tepper - Jun 7, 2025
A new version of the classic, The Pirates of Penzance, is currently commanding the stage at Roundabout’s Todd Haimes Theatre on 42nd Street—formerly the American Airlines and before that, the Selwyn. This revisal of the beloved show is titled: Pirates! The Penzance Musical.
SALAD DAYS Opens Tonight at Theatre Royal Winchester
by Stephi Wild - Oct 8, 2018
One of Britain's best-loved and sunniest musicals, Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds' Salad Days, heads to Theatre Royal Winchester from Monday 8 - Saturday 13 October. The production stars TV and West End star Wendi Peters (Coronation Street, Hetty Feather).
Wendi Peters to Star in UK Tour of SALAD DAYS
by Stephi Wild - Jul 24, 2018
Having charmed audiences around the world with their award-winning Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore and The Mikado, Regan De Wynter Williams returns with one of Britain's best-loved and sunniest musicals with TV and West End star Wendi Peters (Coronation Street, ITV; Hetty Feather, BBC; White Christmas, Dominion Theatre).
Lamplighters Music Theatre Announces Dennis Lickteig as Artistic Director
by BWW News Desk - Jun 2, 2017
San Francisco's internationally acclaimed Lamplighters Music Theatre is pleased to announce the appointment of Dennis Lickteig as its new Artistic Director. Lickteig has been a successful and popular stage director around the Bay Area since moving here in 1991.
The Lamplighters present the Original Musical A SONG TO SING O!: THE GIBERT & SULLIVAN STORY
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 19, 2017
The Bay Area's acclaimed Lamplighters Music Theatre closes it's 64th Season with the Company's award-winning original musical A Song to Sing, O!: The Gilbert & Sullivan Story. Featuring a salon orchestra and the phenomenal voices of the Lamplighters, this is the fascinating story of one of the greatest partnerships in theater history, as told in their own words through their letters and diaries, with musical highlights from all 13 of their comic operas.
Lamplighters Music Theatre Mourns the Death of Beloved Co-Founder Orva Hoskinson
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 27, 2017
Orva Hoskinson, co-founder of San Francisco's Lamplighters Music Theatre, passed away on Thursday, January 26, 2017. He was 92. -Orva co-founded the Lamplighters with Ann Pool Mac Nab in the summer of 1952. From the beginning, their intention was to bring the Gilbert & Sullivan canon to audiences in productions of the very highest possible artistic professional caliber within the limitations imposed on what was at the time a small group of semi-professional and amateur performers drawn from the San Francisco Bay Area community.
Lamplighters Music Theatre to Present Gilbert & Sullivan's THE MIKADO this August
by Rebecca Russo - Jul 20, 2016
Lamplighters Music Theatre will present Gilbert & Sullivan's masterpiece THE MIKADO in theatres throughout the Bay Area this summer. This new production has been moved from the traditional setting of a fictitious Japanese village to that of a bustling little town in Renaissance Italy, the world of Michelangelo, Leonardo and Botticelli, and the home of rapid cultural exchange, scientific advancement and artistic creativity.
Lamplighters Music Theatre Sets All-Gilbert & Sullivan 2016-17 Season
by Tyler Peterson - Apr 19, 2016
Lamplighters Music Theatre has announced an all-Gilbert & Sullivan program for their 2016-17 Season. The season comprises The Mikado and Patience, as well as an original musical, A Song to Sing, O! The Gilbert & Sullivan Story, and a brand new musical comedy Gala performance. Performances will run from August 5, 2016 through May 14, 2017.
The Hypocrites Returning to Actors Theatre of Louisville
by Tyler Peterson - Oct 27, 2015
Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein are delighted to welcome back Chicago's theatre renegades The Hypocrites to Louisville with their playful reimagining of H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan. Director Sean Graney and his multi-talented ensemble of actors will lead audiences on an extended voyage through a reel of rare delights as they turn W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's classic operetta on its head in this charmingly silly interpretation. Co-adapted by Sean Graney, Andra Velis Simon and Matt Kahler, H.M.S. Pinafore will run as part of the Brown-Forman Series with preview performances beginning on November 1 7, opening on November 19 and running through December 13, 2015. Single tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at ActorsTheatre.org or by calling 502.584.1205.
Dominic Chianese to Make Cafe Carlyle Debut, 4/2
by Tyler Peterson - Mar 24, 2014
Dominic Chianese has long been a man of many talents. While he is best known to most for his role as Corrado 'Junior' Soprano on 'The Sopranos,' he is an accomplished singer and guitarist. He has released two albums and performed live throughout his remarkable acting career, which includes roles in numerous films and TV shows, and on Broadway and Off-Broadway stages. Chianese will make his Cafe Carlyle debut April 2 in An Evening with Dominic Chianese, which will also feature guitarist Mark Sica and and a pianist TBA. Chianese will perform songs running the gambit of American music, from country to the Great American Songbook, as well as standards in Italian and Spanish.
BWW Reviews: The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston's H.M.S. PINAFORE is a Feel-Good Indulgence
by David Clarke - Jul 21, 2013
In 1874, W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan wrote their first of 14 comedic operas together. As a duo Gilbert and Sullivan enjoyed early success with their notable operas H.M.S. PINFORE and THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE. Moreover, modern musical theatre traces its roots to this influential theatre duo. Therefore, it is no surprise that the comedic operas penned by Gilbert and Sullivan still delight and enthrall audiences all these years later. The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston was founded by a handful of Gilbert and Sullivan aficionadas in 1952. Their inaugural summer performance was THE GONDOLIERS. This summer, they are producing a charming and enchanting production of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. PINAFORE.
Alice Childress' TROUBLE IN MIND Opens Arena Stage at the Mead Center 2011-12 Season
by Kelsey Denette - Aug 16, 2011
After a memorable and record-breaking inaugural year, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater celebrates its 61st anniversary season with Trouble in Mind, written by playwright Alice Childress. Childress was the first African-American woman to have her plays professionally produced in New York, and she became the first woman of color to win an Obie Award, in 1956 for Trouble in Mind (Best Original Production).