(l to r) Shereen Pimentel, Isaac Powell and the company of ‘West Side Story.’ (Photo: Jan Versweyveld)
True, a good portion of Broadway’s 20-21 season was canceled or postponed. Also true: theaters across the country have been forced to furlough or permanently let go of some of their most beloved employees, also canceling a countless number of performances. But the Ghostlight emerged out of the darkness — an iconic symbol confirming that no pandemic can squelch the creative community.
Theater reimagined itself, migrating online — first relying on basic streaming technology but quickly evolving into an art form in and of itself. Here’s a look at some of the iconic moments we covered in 2020. May the coming year bring us back to the theater, where we can gather under one roof together to laugh, cry and leap to our feet to celebrate an art form that has been pushed to the brink but refuses to back down.
Up Close and Personal with Ryan J. Haddad
Actor-writer Ryan J. Haddad chatted with The Broadway Blog about his new solo work, Falling For Make Believe, appearing on Netflix’s hit show, The Politician, and where his career is headed next.
In ‘A Soldier’s Play,’ A Full Throttle Revival Reveals the Complexities of Racism
David Alan Grier and Blair Underwood co-starred in a captivating revival of Charles Fuller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘A Soldier’s Play.’
(l to r) David Alan Grier, Blair Underwood and Billy Eugene Jones in ‘A Soldier’s Play.’ (Photo: Joan Marcus)
Could Be, Who Knows: Ivo Van Hove’s ‘West Side Story’ Captivates and Confuses
Ivo van Hove’s reimagining of West Side Story arrived on Broadway but did his perspective shine a new light on the iconic musical?
Beth Malone Talks ‘Molly Brown,’ Politics and Beer
Tony Award nominee Beth Malone chatted with the Broadway Blog about her starring role in Transport Group’s reimagining of The Unsinkable Molly Brown, directed and choreographed by Tony winner Kathleen Marshall.
‘Dana H.’ – A Harrowing Story of Adapting to Maladaptation
In Dana H., a series of taped interviews provided the narrative for Lucas Hnath’s captivating theater piece about his mother’s five-and-a-half-month abduction.
Stars in the House Kicks Off with Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley
Kelli O’Hara was the first guest in this digital streaming series, which has since featured hundreds of Broadway actors and reunite casts from theater, television and film.
Remembering Terrence McNally
The award-winning playwright died at the age of 81 due to complications from COVID-19.
New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award Winners
Heroes of the Fourth Turning and A Strange Loop took top honors from this year’s New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards.
‘A Strange Loop’ Wins Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Michael R. Jackson’s meta-musical A Strange Loop made history by winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as the first to take top honors without appearing on Broadway, and its author the first Black writer to win for penning a musical.
Larry Owens (center) in ‘A Strange Loop.’ (Photo: Joan Marcus)
Reimagining Rodgers and Hammerstein with Laura Osnes
Laura Osnes, host of R&H Goes Pop!, shared what makes Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musicals so special and how they are being reimagined for a new generation.
Mourning the Death of Nick Cordero
Broadway actor Nick Cordero succumbed to COVID-19 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on July 5 after a months-long battle that gripped the theater community and the nation.
EGOT! Alan Menken Wins Emmy Award
Composer Alan Menken (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast) became the 16th person to achieve EGOT status, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for best original song in a children’s, young adult or animated program.
New York Times Theater Critic Ben Brantley Retires
His cultural legacy at one of the country’s most formidable papers lasted 27 years, but in October, Ben Brantley stepped down as the chief theater critic of the New York Times.
Jennifer Holliday on ‘Dreamgirls,’ Being an LGBTQ Icon and Turning 60
Here’s what the Tony winner had to say about decades of performing, working with Michael Bennett and becoming an LGBTQ icon.
American Dance Machine for the 21st Century: “The Music and the Mirror”
Twenty-seven dancers filmed themselves performing “The Music and the Mirror” from “A Chorus Line” — this was the result.
