Bamako, a city of 3 million, is being squeezed by an Al-Qaeda-affiliated militia which has blocked fuel imports and made travel beyond the capital dangerous. Yet Bamakoans recently raised their spirits with a three-day festival celebrating puppetry, which has deep roots in Mali. - AP
The Muppets’ long-overdue Broadway debut is over almost as soon as it began, the show now closing this Sunday. It was originally scheduled to run until Jan. 18, 2026; instead, at the time of its closing, Playbill reports, it will have played just 20 preview performances and four regular ones. - The Daily Beast
“To succeed, critically and commercially, the stage version must balance the horror the novel describes with enough verve and spectacle to delight a discerning, CGI-attuned crowd. Are the odds in its favor?” Journalist Alexis Soloski visits the show at its purpose-built theatre in London. - The New York Times
The Last Ship flopped in its initial Broadway run in 2014-15. Sting has now revised the show, with new songs and a new director, and it will have nine performances at the Met this June after runs in Amsterdam, Paris, and Brisbane. - Playbill
Critic Zachary Stewart considers how the new immersive adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera (titled Masquerade), the drag-ball production of Cats (subtitled The Jellicle Ball), and director Jamie Lloyd’s unconventional revivals of Sunset Boulevard and Evita demonstrate how interesting the ALW shows we all thought were old chestnuts can still be. - TheaterMania
“I think theatre is a catalyst for change,” Sher said. “I don’t think you make theatre pieces to tell people how to change. We tell stories that express people’s ability to handle ambiguity, deal with problems, see conflicts and make decisions.” - New York Observer
As the union’s executive director, Al Vincent Jr., tells it, Actors’ Equity was much closer to declaring a work stoppage than we might think. - The Hollywood Reporter
“A child actor turned movie star turned director and producer and prolific tech documentarian, Winter’s career has been fitful, searching and unconventional, full of sharp left turns and voracious curiosity.” - The Guardian (UK)
"Without being clued in to the content of the play, connected with the show’s intimacy director … to go over the show’s simulated sexual choreography. They signed intimacy riders that detailed what they were agreeing to do onstage.” - The New York Times
“WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times asked some Black Chicago theater makers what has changed for them since 2020. Among those interviewed for this story, even the most optimistic back in 2020 felt no significant change in the years since. That’s despite the promise of major action by groups themselves.” - WBEZ (Chicago)
Composer Stephen Schwartz and book writer Joseph Stein spent months on a pre-Broadway tour in 1976 trying to fix the show. It didn’t work, although one song, “Meadowlark,” became a hit. Since a revival in 2002, productions have been trying to address the piece's problems, and now there's a high-profile staging Off-Broadway. - TheaterMania
The Romantic ideal of a singular creative genius remaking the rules of his era doesn’t really match William Shakespeare, who was (for a theater guy) fairly conventional. Christopher Marlowe is a better fit, and he transformed more than he gets credit for, but mythmaking distorts his image as well. - The Atlantic (Yahoo!)
“There’s an inherent theatricality to church, and a furtive spirituality to theater. In form, they’re similar: Everybody crowds into a room, usually sits facing the same direction, and focuses on a central action — at least for a while.” - The New York Times
“In a city where the so-called Theater Row has more ‘For Lease’ signs than marquees, New Theater Hollywood feels improbable. Yet since opening in early 2024, it has already become something of a small cult phenomenon.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
Cyndi Lauper isn’t thrilled, actually, about Working Girl. "Unfortunately, this story is just as relevant for women as it was when it came out in 1988. … In fact, since the rollback of Roe v. Wade, times may even be worse for women.” - American Theatre
