When the curtain comes down on a Broadway musical, what happens to its choreography? That’s the question Broadway dancer and choreographer Lee Theodore sought to address when she launched American Dance Machine in 1978. Her goal was to create a “living archive” of musical theater choreography, so that great works—and the techniques behind them—would be […]
Many things start in September, and the theater season used to be one of them. But once air-conditioning arrived, theatergoing became possible even during a New York summer. So the 2016–17 theater season began in July, with the return of two oldies but goodies. Motown: The Musical brought the life story of music legend Berry […]
The 2016 Drama Desk Awards were last night, and although Hamilton wasn’t eligible (it won seven awards last year as an Off-Broadway production), dance was still prevalent amongst the winners. Shuffle Along was named Outstanding Musical, with Savion Glover taking home the award for Outstanding Choreography. Also nominated in the choreography category: Joshua Bergasse‘s old-school tapping in Cagney, Spencer Liff’s integration […]
The runaway hit is carving out new possibilities for dance on Broadway. Hamilton cast members Jon Rua, Morgan Marcell and Austin Smith. All photos by Jayme Thornton. Picture a group of dancers who can do it all. Place them in an unlikely musical about America’s first treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton—think city streets pulsing with revolution, […]
Sutton Foster in costume for Anything Goes. Photo by Matthew Karas. Our favorite tap-dancing, high-belting triple threat is returning to the stage, in the kind of show-stopping role she was made for. Sutton Foster, who has starred on TV Land’s Younger for the past year, will play the title role in Sweet Charity at the Off-Broadway […]
In Broadway’s An American in Paris, Allison Walsh whirls through the streets of the City of Light with the aplomb of a veteran musical theater dancer. In The Lion King, Jaysin McCollum stalks the jungle with the presence required of a performer dedicated to the Great White Way. Though both are clearly at home on […]
Sometimes I just don’t understand why a terrific Broadway musical closes. On the Town bursts onto the stage with ingenious songs by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, jazzy music by Leonard Bernstein, and a fabulous and funny cast that included, in its last two weeks, Misty Copeland. I saw it at the beginning of the […]
Lin-Manuel Miranda (as Hamilton) and the ensemble. Photo by Joan Marcus, courtesy Hamilton. On Broadway, there’s a certain excitement that comes with old shows (or not so old shows) closing. A closed show means a newly empty theater, a space for a newer, fresher, hopefully dancier show. Yesterday, I was reminded of the Broadway […]
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