Broadway Archives - The Culture Mom

10Jun

The 10 Best Quotes Heard Backstage at the 73rd Annual Tony Awards

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Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions This year the press room at the 73rd Annual Tony Awards was buzzing with excitement as news of the winning recipients flooded in throughout the evening. The room was full of reporters from around the world, writing for all kinds of publications from print to broadcast. It was an honor to be inside, and I relished my contact with the journalists and performers who came through to speak to us. These are people who love theater as much as I do, if not more. There weren’t too many surprises Read More

27Apr

Editor’s Pick: SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical on Broadway

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Last night this musical theater lover was jumping in her seat. The show that brought to my feet was SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Donna Summer herself once said that she was the soundtrack to many people's youths, and indeed, while watching this show, I remembered how crucial she was to not only me in my earlier years, but to the rest of the world. After the first song, where one of the three actresses who play the role of musical icon Donna Summer (LaChanze, Ariana DeBose, and Storm Lever) are Read More

09Oct

Review: “The Play That Goes Wrong” is Perfect for Teens

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The Play That Goes Wrong officially opened on Broadway on April 2 at The Lyceum Theatre, after a successful West End run in London. It's a play I've been curious about for some time, so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to review the play this week, with my 14 year-old daughter in tow. The fun started as soon as we sat down as some of the cast members were interacting with the audience, goofing around. This was very indicative of the sense of humor and type of pranks that would be cast for the next two hours over the course of the show. Read More

08Jun

Review: Anastasia on Broadway, a Musical Display of #GirlPower

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I must admit that I went in to Anastasia, a new Broadway musical, with low expectations, for no reason. I just never know how big animated motion pictures based on heroines based in another country (in this case, Russia) like this will fare on the Broadway stage. But I took my teenage daughter, and together, we went in with open hearts, ready for a play about a young heroine. Neither of us knew the story or quite what to expect. The outcome? We both loved the fact that the play focused on a strong, young woman with excellent morals and a kind heart. Read More

21May

Review: Noel Coward’s “Present Laughter”

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Present-Laugther-Play-Kevin-Kline-Broadway-Show-Tickets-500-1128

Last week I was graced with the opportunity to witness Kevin Kline once again on the NYC stage. I had seen him in several Shakespeare plays at the Delacorte, but seeing him play Garry Essendine in Noel Coward's "Present Laughter" was a treat like none other. Merely witnessing his comedic skill for 2-1/2 hours is worthwhile, so the fact that the production is excellent makes it even more so. “Present Laughter” is simply pure joy.The play takes place over the course of four scenes in two acts covering roughly 10 days as Garry prepares to leave London to Read More

14May

The Broadway Show That Changed Everything

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A few months ago, I was on an international flight and happened upon the documentary, Life Animated, the true story of an autistic boy who learned to talk watching Disney films. Tears swelled up in my eyes, thinking of the power of the arts and my own son who has ADHD and sensory issues. I had been trying to use this power in our own lives for years without much success until one day, when everything changed with a single show. I first took my cue at Stomp, which I took him to see in 2010, when he was 6 years old. He managed for the most part, but Read More

13May

Review: “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812”: An Epic Pop Opera

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My teen and I had a particularly unique theatrical experience the other night in NYC and it's called Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. All I can say is, what took me so long? I love grand historical musicals on this scale. It was also truly a great choice for my teen, too. It's a slice of history AKA War and Peace by Tolstoy, about a family in Russia circa 1812; it's a love story; it's a tragedy. It's educational; it's entertaining; the music is amazing. But it's just so much more. Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 It's a pop Read More

27Apr

“Amelie” on Broadway Captures the Movie’s Quirkiness

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Amélie, A New MusicalWALTER KERR THEATRE

Confession: I'm a movie buff. I've seen most of the classics. One could call me a cinephile as I'm a French film lover. From Godard to Truffault to Renior to Malle to Rohmer, I've seen and studied French cinema. In 2001, I saw a film called "Amelie" by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I'll never truly forget the pleasure I felt watching that movie. It starred the adorable Audrey Taotou, who played a dreamer. I remember her character zipping around Paris and delighting in the world that she lived in. She was quirky and an idealist. The film was colorful, and so Read More

23Apr

Review: Lillian Hellman’s “The Little Foxes” on Broadway

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The role of Regina Giddens in Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes has to be one of the most powerful female roles in stage history. She's a fiercely strong Southern woman who struggles for wealth and freedom within the confines of an early 20th-century society where fathers considered only sons as their legal heirs. The play is set in Alabama circa 1900 during a dinner that Regina and her brothers attend. It is there that they agree that they want more money and collaborate on a scheme to go into business with a Chicago developer who wants to build a Read More

12Apr

Review: “Significant Other” on Broadway

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Significant Other, written by Joshua Harmon, is playing at the Booth Theater for another week. For a small play that started at the Roundabout Theatre Company and made its way to Broadway following a popular run, this is a play that's definitely worth seeing. As Harmon's follow-up to Bad Jews, the play is a funny romantic comedy that revolves around three weddings and a funeral (literally). Jordan, played by Gideon Glick, plays the male lead, surrounded by mainly a cast of women. He's a gay, young, successful guy trying to find his way, while he feels Read More