Broadway Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

How ‘Shuffle Along’ Changed Musical Theater 100 Years Ago

By NPR News May 23, 2021

American composers and musicians Noble Sissle, center left, and Eubie Blake, on piano, perform with a group of women on stage in the early 20th century. Sissle and Blake wrote the score for Shuffle Along. Anthony Barboza/Getty Images

Not only did Shuffle Along bring jazz to Broadway, it was the first African American show to be a smash hit. Its composer Eubie Blake recalled on WNYC in 1973: "When we put Shuffle Along on, on Broadway, we put negroes back to work again." Continue Read More

Where Are They Now? We Check In With Broadway Workers, Now Off Broadway Nearly A Year

By NPR News February 20, 2021

Every year, as a set-up for the Tony Awards, we take you backstage to meet people who aren't even eligible. These are Broadway's essential workers – ushers, stage managers, costumers. But this year, the Tonys seem like a faraway dream; even though nominations for the shortened season were announced in October, no date has been set. So, I decided to check in with some of Read More

13,140,000 Minutes: It’s Been 25 Years Since The First Performance Of ‘Rent’

By NPR News January 25, 2021

Daphne Rubin-Vega played Mimi in Rent. "It was a lot of fun to actually be able to practically apply my research of partying ..." she says. "I knew these people. I knew this world." She's pictured above with Adam Pascal in New York Theatre Workshop's 1996 production of rent. CREDIT: Joan Marcus

On Jan. 25, 1996, a new rock musical by a little-known writer, Jonathan Larson, gave its first performance. Friends and family filed into a small off-Broadway theater to see Rent. The show was a retelling of La Boheme, set on the Lower East Side of New York, as people were dying of AIDS. It became an international phenomenon, winning the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award, Read More

How ‘Shuffle Along’ Changed Musical Theater 100 Years Ago

Where Are They Now? We Check In With Broadway Workers, Now Off Broadway Nearly A Year

13,140,000 Minutes: It’s Been 25 Years Since The First Performance Of ‘Rent’

FILM REVIEW: David Byrne And Spike Lee Conjure Up A Joyous Vision Of ‘American Utopia’

What Will The Future Of Theater Look Like Post-Pandemic? ‘Our Artists Are Going To Lead Us’

‘We Are Freestyle Love Supreme’ Is An Accidental ‘Hamilton’ Cast Origin Story

Lin-Manuel Miranda Sees The ‘Language Of Revolution’ In ‘Hamilton’ And Today

Pre-Pandemic, Cast Of Broadway Musical ‘Hadestown’ Packs In Behind NPR’s Tiny Desk

‘Hamilton’ Coming To Disney+ On July 3, Bypassing 2021 Theatrical Release

‘Riverdance’ Turns 25, But Has Put The Celebration On Hold — For Now

NFL Star To Broadway Star: Nnamdi Asomugha Says The Stage Is Another ‘Team Sport’

‘I Done Been Through Some Things’: The Tina Turner Musical Is Now On Broadway

‘I’m A Purist’: Mary-Louise Parker Returns To Broadway For A New Challenge

THEATER REVIEW: ‘Moulin Rouge!’ Is An Extravagant, Triumphant Jukebox Musical

From The Pit To The Spotlight: Recognizing Broadway Musicians This Tony Awards Season

At This Tony-Nominated ‘Prom,’ The Theme Is Acceptance

Staging A Debate Over ‘What The Constitution Means To Me’

‘Moonlight’ Writer’s Broadway Debut Stars A Queer, Black ‘Choir Boy’

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Comes To The Broadway Stage, With A Closer Look At Atticus Finch

‘King Kong’ On Broadway Is The 2,400-Pound Gorilla In The Room

Muggles Rejoice: ‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’ Is Now On Broadway