Dazzling and diverse new titles debuting in January include the comedy hit,  Peter Pan Goes Wrong from Mischief Theater, Sam Harris’ Ham and Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella.

January 6, 2021: BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for theater fans is kicking off 2021 with a dazzling lineup, including the comedy hit Peter Pan Goes Wrong from Mischief, Sam Harris’ HAM: A Musical Memoir, and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella starring Lesley Ann Warren, Ginger Rogers, and Celeste Holm.   

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BROADWAY REMEMBERS, an in memoriam video, honors the memories of those the Broadway community has lost since June 2019.

January 1, 2020: “Broadway Remembers,” a just released in memoriam video tribute, honors the memories of some of those the Broadway community lost between June 2019 and December 2020. Directed by Raúl Esparza, music direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, and produced and conceived by Mike Karns and Steven Tartick, the approximately 8-minute video features original vocal performances by Sierra Boggess and Esparza and celebrates the lives of more than 100 people from all areas and disciplines within the theatrical community.  

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By: Samuel L. Leiter

(No. 20 in the series)

December 31, 2020: For this column’s last entry in the horrific year of the pandemic, I thought it might be interesting to see what opened on New York’s stages on New Year’s Eve, December 31, during the three decades covered in this series. What with all the tumult normally associated with that date in the theatre district, it would seem an unlikely time to venture forth to see a show, much less to open one. For the record, the celebration of New Year’s Eve in Times Square began in 1904, although it wasn’t until three years later that the first version of the ball drop was inaugurated. You can read the fascinating story here. 

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Broadway HD celebrates the 50^th anniversary or Godspell with the return of a special award winning concert that will debut on their platform December 22.

December 21, 2020: Following a successful online run in the summer, the award-winning digital concert rendition of Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak’s Godspell will be returning due to popular demand when it launches on BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater, on December 22nd. The Godspell 50th Anniversary Concert features unmissable performances from theatrical legends Ruthie Henshall (Chicago; Billy Elliot) and Darren Day (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat; Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) – reprising their roles from the 1993 cast recording – alongside Sam Tutty (Dear Evan Hansen), Ria Jones (Sunset Boulevard; High Society), Jenna Russell (The Bridges of Madison County; Fun Home), and other popular West End performers. 

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BroadwayHD continues the Holiday Celebration with debut of the incredibly popular British hit A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, as well as exciting , exclusive events including Forever Plaid 20th Anniversary Special and Christmas Concert in Strasbourg. Revelers are Invited to fete the New Year Garden State-Style with the “Jersey Boys” movie directed by Clint Eastwood Arriving on the Platform January 1^st

December 14, 2020: Theater lovers are in for a treat as BroadwayHD gifts viewers with an extra helping of new holiday-themed titles leading into the Yuletide season.  Fans of the “Goes Wrong Show” British comedy series developed by Mischief Theatre will be excited to see A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong arrive on the service on December 14^th.  Christmas Eve has everyone feeling nostalgic so why not spend the evening paying musical homage to the close-harmony ‘guy groups’ of the 1950s with the Forever Plaid Anniversary Special.   In the mood for a beautiful choral performance? Then you’ll want to check out the Christmas Concert in Strasbourg on December 22^nd.

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By: Samuel L. Leiter

(No. 19 in the series)

December 13, 2020: December 13 may have provided only four openings in the 1940s, but all of them are worth revisiting. Two were revivals, one of recent vintage, the other a classic. The first was Rachel Crothers’s 1937 hit, Susan and God. The classic was Maurice Evans’s newest rendering of Hamlet. The remaining shows were Norman Krasna’s Dear Ruth, one of biggest hits of the war years, and Wandering Stars,a Yiddish show borrowed from Sholem Aleichem (the source of Fiddler on the Roof).

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Ryan Murphy’s Adaptation of The Prom Premieres with Starry Cast on Netflix

By: Ellis Nassour

December 10, 2020: Ryan Murphy brings Chad Beguelin, Matthew Sklar and Bob Martin’s big-hearted, quick-witted, and boisterous 2018 Tony-nominated Broadway musical The Prom to Netflix beginning Friday, December 11. 

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BroadwayHD presents a dazzling line up of holiday classics and the premier of Peter Rothstein’s All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 plus Forever Plaid 20th Anniversary Special.

November 30, 2020 – ‘Tis the season to be jolly! BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for theater fans, is spreading holiday cheer in December with a dazzling line up of holiday classics, anniversary specials and more. Kicking off on December 1st is Mame starring Lucille Ball, a musical revolving around the antics of Mame Dennis, a fun-loving, wealthy eccentric with a flair for life and a razor-sharp wit. The film also stars Bea Arthur reprising her Tony Award Winning role of Vera. Shakespeare’s famous pastoral comedy of love and disguise, As You Like It, is reimagined with darker, more somber undertones in this production out on December 3rd. Next, on December 15th is the streaming premiere of Peter Rothstein’s All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, followed by a video capture of Private Lives on December 16th, which will celebrate Noël Coward’s birthday.

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By: Samuel L. Leiter

(No. 18 in the series)

November 29, 2020: For the time being, this column will be settling into the groove of covering only one decade at a time in its description of shows that opened on a particular date during the 1920’s, 1930’s, and 1940’s. Those decades, even as their overall numbers slid following the Depression, were unusually active, and only the sparse summer months slowed down enough to allow for coverage here of more than one decade at a time. 

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BROADWAYHD WINS TWO GLOBAL BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS

November 20, 2020: BroadwayHD was named winner in the Outstanding Innovation category and the winner of the Outstanding Product/Service category at the 2020 Global Business Excellence Awards.

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Tonys Delayed and Shows Reschedule

By: David Sheward

November 20, 2020: The lights on Broadway will remain dim for even longer due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Last month, the Broadway League announced that all 41 of its member theaters will be shuttered until May 30, 2021. This is the latest in a series of extended closures since the stages closed on March 13. In the wake of this announcement, many shows have had to reshuffle their schedules and the Tony Awards have been pushed back even further. Broadway’s highest honors for the abortive 2019-20 season have been delayed numerous times but the nominations were given out on Oct. 15 with Jagged Little Pill netting the most with 15 and Moulin Rouge garnering 14. Slave Play took 12. It was expected that the awards would be handed out online sometime in late fall. But with Broadway shows not returning until June of next year, Broadway League president Charlotte St. Martin has stated in an interview with Sirius XM host Julie James, “We don’t have  a decision date yet. Since we’re not opening in March, we have more planning time.” 

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The Humane Society of the United States raised over 2 million dollars at “To the Rescue!” gala to help save animals . Hosted by Cecily Strong and Audra McDonald hosting the pre-show with a special performance.

November 16, 2020: The Humane Society of the United States hosted its 2020 To the Rescue! gala raising over 2 million dollars to benefit the organization’s animal rescue efforts. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held virtually.

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THE NEW INITIATIVE IS COMPRISED OF 20 NATIONALLY-RENOWNED DIRECTORS AND ALUMNI TO ADVISE ON THE ORGANIZATION’S DIRECTOR-FOCUSED PROGRAMMING AND THE FUTURE OF THEATER AS THE INDUSTRY PREPARES FOR REOPENING

November 14, 2020: The Drama League (Artistic Director, Gabriel Stelian-Shanks; Executive Director, Bevin Ross) announces the formation of its first Directors Council, featuring nationally-renowned directors Daniel Banks, Melia Bensussen, Christopher Burris, Jillian Carucci, Jennifer Chang, Desdemona Chiang, R.J. Cutler, Estefanía Fadul, Raz Golden, Brian Eugenio Herrera, Adam Immerwahr, Gwynn MacDonald, Tony Phelan, Lisa Portes, Lisa Rothe, Gabriel Stelian-Shanks, Rob Urbinati, Nicole A. Watson, Sharifa Yasmin, and Pirronne Yousefzadeh.

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By: Samuel L. Leiter

(No. 17 in the series)

November 13, 2020: As per the last entry in this series, I again confine myself to a single decade—in today’s case, the 1930s—in describing what shows opened on a particular day. The one I’ve chosen, November 13, was not especially prolific or even productive of more than a single memorable work. What most attracted it to me was a play that opened at the very start of the decade, Grand Hotel, which would become the inspiration for one of my all-time favorite movies (Garbo! Barrymore! Crawford!), produced in 1932, and the source for a modestly successful 1989 Broadway musical, each known by the original play’s name.

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