Broadway Games: Which Came First?

Lots of things have happened on the TheatreScene over the years, haven't they? How good is your recall? Good luck! 

Broadway Games:

Which Came First?

 

DIRECTIONS: Put each group of Broadway facts in the order in which they occurred.

1.    A. Hamilton won the Tony Award for Best Musical.

       B. The first ever Broadway revival of Cats opened.

       C. The first ever Broadway revival of Spring Awakening opened.

2.    A. Jonathan Groff made his Broadway debut.

       B. Lea Michele made her Broadway debut.

       C. John Gallagher, Jr. made his Broadway debut.

3.    A. The Hudson Theatre reopened as a Broadway house with the revival of Sunday in the Park with George.

       B. The theater currently named The Lyric reopened with Ragtime.

       C. The theater currently named The Todd Haimes reopened with a revival of The Man Who Came to Dinner.

4.    A. Kevin Adams designed the lighting for The Cher Show.

       B. Kevin Adams designed the lighting for SpongeBob Square Pants.

       C. Kevin Adams designed the lighting for Head Over Heels.

5.    During the 2012-2013 season, these revivals opened in which order?:

        A. Jekyll and Hyde

        B. Pippin

        C. Annie

6.    The Best Musical Tony Award went to:

        A. Hadestown

        B. The Band's Visit

        C. A Strange Loop

7.     The Best Play Tony Award went to:

        A. Leopoldstadt

        B. The Lehman Trilogy

        C. Stereophonic

8.    The opening of the most recent Broadway revival...

        A. ... Gypsy

        B. ... The King and I

        C. ... Fiddler on the Roof

9.    Bebe Neuwirth played (on Broadway)...

        A. ... Matron Mama Morton

        B. ... Velma Kelly

        C. ... Roxie Hart

10.    A. Lin-Manuel Miranda won his first Tony Award.

         B. Sara Bareilles made her Broadway writing debut.

         C. Ingrid Michaelson made her Broadway acting debut.

Broadway Musical Logos: 2026 - 2027 Season: The Fantasticks

 Broadway Musical Logos:

2026 - 2027 Season

The Fantasticks

Next up in our logo series is The Fantasticks, a revival decades in the making. It is the longest-running musical of all-time, and yet, until this year it has never been performed on Broadway. Beloved by theater fans worldwide, this show holds an important place in many an actor's heart, having been performed in schools, community and regional theaters everywhere.

And now, an updated same-sex romance version is headed for the big time, albeit in Broadway's smallest theater. That's totally appropriate I think. Similarly, the key art for the show has been updated, but holds firmly to its humble roots.

The title font is literally integral to The Fantasticks history, having famously been created by the show's co-creator and composer Harvey Schmidt who hand painted the title of the silk curtain of the Sullivan Theatre where the show debuted. I can't even imagine using the title any other way, and when I have seen it other ways, it simply doesn't look right.

The Logos: Left: 2026 Right: 1960

As far as the central image of this modern logo goes, the moon also appeared in the original art. It is, of course, integral to the plot, as the first act takes place in moonlight. The stars hint at a heavenly feel, mystical, ethereal... the romantic eternity of the sky and universe. Two birds, identical in size and shape, come together at the edge of the moonlit crescent and the darkness of the rest of the orb. Their opposite and complimentary colors suggest a yin-yang relationship. Their beaks coming together in a kiss perhaps. 

The simplicity mirrors the show, the details pay tribute to this seminal classic of musical theater. In short, this logo is perfect for this little jewel of a show.

Grade: A+

At This Theatre: The Eugene O'Neill

Over the years, I've been fortunate to have seen a variety of shows at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. With a play, new and revival musicals over the past 40 years of seeing shows there, "variety" is the best way to describe it. Fortunately for the venue, it's had a giant hit show there for the last 15 years; unfortunately, that means it has been that long since I've returned after seeing an early post-opening performance.

At This Theatre:

The Eugene O'Neill

This historic theater began life almost 101 years ago as the Forrest Theatre, and in 1945 was renamed the Coronet. Then, in 1959, it was renamed for playwright Eugene O'Neill. Over the years, dozens of shows have come and gone, starting with a musical called Mayflowers. In 1934, after years of short runs, the play Tobacco Road opened and stayed put until 1941; to this day, it is still one of Broadway's longest running shows. The 40s saw several original productions of Arthur Miller plays, including the very first Best Play Tony winner, All My Sons. As the Eugene O'Neill, the theater opened with a short-lived William Inge play, A Loss of Roses. Today, we'd have said the venue was cursed in the next several years of flop after flop. 

Then in the early 60s, luck seemed to change with back to back decent runs of Herb Gardner's A Thousand Clowns, and the now-classic musical, She Loves Me. Then the theater could have been renamed the Neil Simon, when it played host to a string of his plays, including the debut of The Odd Couple, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Good Doctor, California Suite and Chapter Two, among others. In 1983, the Eugene O'Neill was host to one of Broadway's most storied flops, the one-night failure, Moose Murders. The mid-80s brought another change of fortunes, with the long-running Best Musical, Big River, which is where I came in!

NUMBER OF SHOWS WE'VE SEEN THERE: 7

Big River, M. Butterfly, Grease! (1994), The Full Monty, Sweeney Todd (2005), Spring Awakening, The Book of Mormon

5 FAVORITE SHOWS WE'VE SEEN THERE:

Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1985)

Though the show opened in 1985, I didn't get to it until just over 40 years ago in 1986. What luck! A newcomer to the Broadway scene named Marin Mazzie made her debut as Mary Jane Wilkes. She was, of course, amazing. The whole show was pretty amazing, actually. One of my favorite stories of all time was made even more exciting and beautiful with the score by Roger Miller, and Des McAnuff's directorial debut (both Tony Award winners for their efforts). It remains, all these years later, one of my fondest Broadway memories.

M. Butterfly (1988)

Still one of the most stunning pieces of theater I've ever seen, this play of high drama, romance, espionage and sexual intrigue, was a sensation that earned every accolade it received. When I saw it, B.D. Wong was still mesmerizing as Song Liling, and John Rubenstein was a marvel as the duped Rene Gallimard. I remember sitting there, mouth agape throughout the play, dazzled not only by the brilliance of playwright David Henry Hwang, the music of Puccini, and the smart direction of John Dexter. The gorgeous scenic and costume designs of Eiko Ishioka and Andy Phillips' artful lighting design brought the whole thing together. Wong, Hwang and Dexter were all awarded 1988 Tony Awards for this thrilling piece of art.

The Full Monty (2001)

This was the show that made me fall in love with the musical talents of David Yazbek, who made his Broadway debut with this fun and affirming show with a book by the great Terrence McNally. This is also the show that brought the likes of Patrick Wilson, Jason Danieley and Romain Fruge to my attention, and gave me the chance to see such legends as Annie Golden, Kathleen Freeman and Andre de Shields in action. It was also the show that began my admiration of that barefoot conducting wonder that is Kimberly Grigsby. This show was my favorite of that season by a mile, even if The Producers took all of its thunder. I can't wait for the upcoming revival.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2005)

Needless to say, this Sondheim masterpiece is an all-time favorite of mine, and this unique John Doyle staging made it a must-see. Add in the great Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone as Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett and I couldn't get tickets fast enough. I don't think I'll ever forget the high comedy of Ms. LuPone prancing around playing the tuba, and the terrifying understatement of her pouring out buckets of blood as the body count rose. A complete departure from previous more lavish stagings, this minimalist approach somehow added to the thrills.

Spring Awakening (2007)

I first saw this modern masterpiece in its off-Broadway incarnation, and was both thrilled and dubious about it moving to Broadway. I loved it from the first seconds all the way through its tragic conclusion. Part of its charm, I thought, was the intimate, rustic venue at the Atlantic Theatre. Still, I had to see it again, and was happily surprised to see the nearly exact replica of the set on the O'Neill stage. My concerns vanished immediately when the show started and the young cast bounded on stage to begin. Literal books have been written about this show and its company, so I don't think I can add much. Suffice it to say, I saw this production several times over its Broadway run and several times in later years. I still love it so very much.

Friday 5: Favorite Off-Broadway Theaters - The Stand Alones

Favorite Off-Broadway Theaters

(The Stand Alones)

We spend most of our New York theater budget on Broadway, but that doesn't mean we don't love off-Broadway, too! We've seen some great shows in some of the coolest, quirkiest spaces, as well as some smaller but traditional spaces, too. Here are but 5 of our favorites that stand alone on the TheatreScene:

The Lucille Lortel Theatre

This historic venue has been producing a wide range of plays and musicals since the 1950s. Any and every up and coming playwright has has work produced here, many by the theater's namesake. Today, the late Ms. Lortel's legacy continues with the annual awards named for her that honor the best of off-Broadway each season. I like the intimate seating here and the terrific sound overall. A couple of years ago, the venue played host to a little play called Oh, Mary! by a fresh upstart named Cole Escola. I personally have enjoyed several productions there, including Alice Ripley, Jay Armstrong Johnson and Gideon Glick in Wild Animals You Should Know, Jonathan Groff and Eddie Kaye Thomas in The Submission, and Carrie with Marin Mazzie, Molly Ranson and Carmen Cusak. I'm especially fond of the old-school marquee, which just adds to its downtown charm.

The New Victory Theatre

For years, this next door neighbor to Broadway's Lyric Theatre on 42nd Street, was shrouded under scaffolding and tarps, but it was worth the wait. This charming little theater is grand in all the very best ways. Ornate and tall, the levels of seating with boxes rival that of many an uptown theater. We've only been inside once, to see a holiday favorite, the stage version of Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas, starring Colin Trudell (The Lost Boys). Granted we saw it during the return from the pandemic with empty seats surrounding us, but it was extremely comfortable, the sound and the view was terrific. I kept think this is the perfect place to introduce live theater to younger children, and ideal for teaching appropriate theater etiquette in formal, if kids-sized, setting.

Stage 42/The Little Shubert Theatre

Here's another Theatre that I've only been to once (so far), but it made a big impression. When we saw Lucky Guy: The Musical starring Kyle Dean Massey, Leslie Jordan and Varla Jean Merman, I was struck by how polished this place was - a mini Broadway house, really - with a beautiful lobby and a comfortably cozy/remarkably spacious seating area. Then it was called The Little Shubert Theatre, but now goes by Stage 42, and anchors Theatre Row.

New World Stages

This multi-stage venue is the off-Broadway spot I've been to the most over the years, and in that time I've been in each of the 5 spaces at least once. I love everything about this space. Each theater, though each slightly different, offers great seating, with good views just about everywhere in the house and plenty of leg room. But, and especially, when there are shows at every stage happening concurrently I really appreciate the spacious common area in all its industrial minimalist splendor. There is room for everyone and the staff keeps things moving and organized. Among the shows I've enjoyed there include the off-Broadway run of Avenue Q, Puffs, Mimi Le Duck, Rent, Bare, Evil Dead:The Musical, and both the original and current revival of Heathers. Talk about variety!

Westside Theatre

Here is another charming and storied theater. Built in the late 19th century as a German Baptist Church, then later repurposed as a night club, the venue as we know it today became a two theater space in the early 1970s. I've only been in the upstairs (larger theater) and it is a great space, with terrific views and leg room galore. There we saw the current long-running Little Shop of Horrors just prior to the shut down with Jonathan Groff, Christian Borle, and a young actress named Joy Woods as one of the urchins. I loved the unique lobby space and quirky, original stairwells in and out of the place.

In a couple of weeks, we will be sharing a Friday 5 Favorite Off-Broadway Institutional Theaters.