Joan Marcus

Review: BETRAYAL at Goodman Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - Feb 19, 2025

Under the direction of artistic director Susan V. Booth and bolstered by actors at the heights of their craft, the Goodman’s BETRAYAL provides audiences with a sincere and sympathetic take on a modern classic.

Photos: First Look at THE JONATHAN LARSON PROJECT
by Nicole Rosky - Feb 18, 2025

Previews are officially underway for The Jonathan Larson Project, which has an official opening on March 10 at the Orpheum Theatre for a 16 week limited engagement. Check out a first look at the cast in action here.

Exclusive: 19 Songs by Jonathan Larson That You Probably Don't Know Yet
by Jennifer Ashley Tepper - Feb 18, 2025

Previews are now underway for The Jonathan Larson Project and fans who have checked out the new musical already have intel on the more than 20 undiscovered songs, as audiences are treated to a brief breakdown as they leave the Orpheum Theatre. BroadwayWorld is excited to share an exclusive, in-depth version of the story behind each song, courtesy of the show's conceiver, Jennifer Ashley Tepper.

Review: AIN'T TOO PROUD: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS at Robinson Center
by Theresa Bertram - Feb 7, 2025

As a GenXer, I was not around to experience MoTown’s heyday, so whenever there is a performance of any kind that celebrates that era, I am there! Luckily, Celebrity Attractions is in tune to the desires of my heart and brings shows like AIN’T TOO PROUD: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS to Robinson Center in Little Rock. From January 31-February 2, Central Arkansas was on Cloud Nine as we were whisked away to a world of soulful melodies, powerful harmonies, and captivating choreography. It was all that I ever dreamed it would be.  

Photos: URINETOWN Starring Jordan Fisher, Rainn Wilson, And More Opens At City Center
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 5, 2025

Get a first look at Encores! City Center's production of Urinetown! Check out new production photos featuring Jordan Fisher (Bobby Strong), Keala Settle (Penelope Pennywise), Rainn Wilson (Caldwell B. Cladwell), and more. 

Review: PARADE at Kauffman Theatre
by Alan Portner - Jan 29, 2025

The touring company of PARADE, now playing at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, recounts the sad, but true tale of Leo Frank and Mary Phagan. Mr. Frank was almost certainly falsely convicted of Ms. Phagan’s April 27, 1913 murder due to an early twentieth century eruption of rampant antisemitism.

Interview: Jasmine Barboa of AIN'T TOO PROUD at Robinson Center
by Theresa Bertram - Jan 28, 2025

I love Motown music, so when I heard Celebrity Attractions was bringing AIN'T TOO PROUD to Robinson from Friday through Sunday, Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, I was beyond excited. I was even more thrilled to learn I’d get the chance to speak with the talented and beautiful Jasmine Barboa, who portrays the iconic Diana Ross and other influential women connected to The Temptations. 

Review: Tony-Winning Musical KIMBERLY AKIMBO Amuses at OC’s Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - Jan 28, 2025

Winner of 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical, this quirky musical comedy with an intentionally-diffused serious undertone continues performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through February 2, 2025. A generally entertaining show with lots of laughs in spite of its title character’s fatal ailment, KIMBERL AKIMBO is a thematically zig-zagging new musical that is at once intentionally endearing but also surprisingly (and amusingly) chaotic. The show is ultimately winning thanks mostly to the wonderful performances of its two leads, three-time Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello and her adorable co-star Miguel Gil.

Photos: In Rehearsals for Public Theater and Ma-Yi Theater Company's SUMO
by Nicole Rosky - Jan 27, 2025

The Public Theater and Ma-Yi Theater Company will soon present the New York premiere of SUMO, a thrilling new play written by Lisa Sanaye Dring and directed by Obie Award winner Ralph B. Peña. Check out photos from rehearsals here!

Photos: First Look at ENGLISH on Broadway
by Nicole Rosky - Jan 24, 2025

English has arrived on Broadway. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Sanaz Toossi and directed by Knud Adams, is officially open at the Todd Haimes Theatre. Check out photos of the cast in action here.

Review: PARADE at Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis
by Jared Fessler - Jan 23, 2025

The National Tour of Parade, currently gracing the stage of the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, is a poignant and breathtakingly raw production that resonates deeply with audiences. Directed with precision by Michael Arden, this revival of the Tony Award-winning musical by Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown is both timely and timeless, delivering an emotionally charged portrayal of love, justice, and societal prejudice.

Interview: Sarah Lynn Marion of KIMBERLY AKIMBO at Segerstrom Center For The Arts
by Melissa Heckscher - Jan 21, 2025

Orange County native Sarah Lynn Marion talks with BroadwayWorld about her Broadway debut—and what it’s like to be an understudy for two roles in the show. 

Review: MAMMA MIA! Wins Me Over at Last �" Dr. Phillips Center
by Aaron Wallace - Jan 17, 2025

Silly stories like this work better on stage, where the particulars of the real world aren’t around to underscore implausibility. It’s quite a setup: 20-year-old bride-to-be Sophie has never known a father, but by the time the prologue is over, she has already swiped her mom’s diary, identified three old flames as the could-be dad, invited each of them to a remote Greek island for her upcoming wedding, and concocted an elaborate rouse to keep all of this from her betrothed, her mother, the men, and her mom’s two best friends. The objective: lay eyes on each potential pop for a “vibes check” in hopes of finally IDing her dad.

Review: HAMILTON at Belk Theater
by Vickie Evans - Jan 16, 2025

'Hamilton' is in the top three of my all-time favorite musicals. This cast left an indelible impression on me with their precise articulation and energetic dance moves. This is my third time seeing this remarkable production, I am ecstatic.

Review: KIMBERLY AKIMBO at Keller Auditorium
by Krista Garver - Jan 15, 2025

This quirky gem of a musical, which won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, is the kind of show that makes you laugh, cry, and fundamentally reassess your perspective on life.

Interview: Chris Shyer of PARADE at Proctors
by Jared West - Jan 12, 2025

Here at Proctors in Schenectady, the Broadway tour of the acclaimed revival of Jason Robert Brown’s PARADE is kicking off its run after teching on-site. For those unfamiliar, PARADE tells the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man living in Georgia in the early 1900s who was accused of murder. I had the privilege of speaking with Chris Shyer, who portrays Governor John (Jack) Slaton in this production.

Review: KIMBERLY AKIMBO at The Paramount Theatre
by Jay Irwin - Jan 8, 2025

Dear Readers, first off let me wish you a Happy New Year and here’s hoping we’re in for some outstanding theater in 2025. But for now let’s set the not so way back machine to 2021 where I managed to see a new musical in previews Off-Broadway, “Kimberly Akimbo”. And let me say, Readers, it didn’t blow me away. It was cute with some fun songs but didn’t thrill me. Then it went to Broadway, and everyone lost their minds over it, and it won the Tony. Now, here we are in 2025, and that same show is at the Paramount, and while I found it a tighter show and certainly adorable and charming, I still have issue with the lack of memorable songs and, honestly, its Tony win especially when stacked up against some other shows that season.

Review: KIMBERLY AKIMBO Kicks Off the New Year at Broadway Sacramento
by Courtney Symes - Jan 2, 2025

Broadway Sacramento is kicking off the new year with a bang with the much-anticipated, multi-Tony Award-winning phenomenon, Kimberly Akimbo. David Lindsay-Abaire’s book and lyrics, based on his 2001 play, are accompanied by Jeanine Tesori’s beautiful score in this hilariously dazzling take on love and loss.

Photos: The New York Public Library Opens the Harvey Fierstein Theatre Lab
by Bruce Glikas - Dec 23, 2024

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center recently unveiled its new theater incubator space, the Harvey Fierstein Theatre Lab, which is now complete and open and accessible to the public. Check out photos from the opening here!

Review: ONCE UPON A MATTRESS at Ahmanson Theatre
by Jonas Schwartz-Owen - Dec 18, 2024

Lear deBessonet’s rollicking production of Once Upon A Mattress brings festive glee to the Southland.