Howard Da Silva News

Today's Theater Stories features The St. James Theatre! Learn about the first Rodgers and Hammerstein collaboration, which Oscar-winning movie was filmed at the theater, the longest-running show to play the St. James and more!

Over the course of each Broadway season, unexpected and unique storylines inevitably pop up. This morning, with the announcement of the 2019 Tony Award nominations, a number of new narratives have come to life.

Oklahoma! is back on the Great White Way! Oklahoma! is no stranger to Broadway. In fact, it's been here five times before. Take a look back at the Broadway history of this iconic musical!

In McCoy Rigby Entertainment's production of '1776,' director Glenn Casale utilizes a mixture of young and veteran performers. In the show, seasoned actors like James Barbour (Edward Rutledge) and Peter Van Norden (Benjamin Franklin) co-star with young newcomers like Jordan Schneider (Lyman Hall) and Nick McKenna (A Courier). We spoke with Schneider and Nick Santa Maria (John Hancock) in this enlightening interview about auditions, reacting, and listening as an actor.

A brilliant cast and production highlights McCoy Rigby Entertainment's '1776,' with bravura performances from Andy Umberger (John Adams), Peter Van Norden (Benjamin Franklin) and John Barbour (Edward Rutledge).

Remember the 1981 film of Christina Crawford's book Mommie Dearest? Do you remember the actress who played Crawford's invaluable and devoted assistant Carol Ann? It was Rutanya Alda, and she's written a day by day diary of the filming of this cult classic. How delicious! All the gossipy dirt about Faye Dunaway and everyone else connected to the movie like Diana Scarwid, Mara Hobel, Steve Forrest, Howard Da Silva and director Frank Perry. Alda is honest and tells it like it was. If Dunaway was pleasant, she says so; if she was in a bitchy mood, she paints that as well.

GOOD MORNING, THEATERATI! Welcome to Thursday, May 4, 2017 - can you believe it's already this far along in the year - and that it's another #TheatreThursday? Today, we're posing the musical question: Are all our artistic efforts worth it during these oh-so-trying times? The answer, most certainly, is a resounding "YES!" You see, gentle readers, it's during times like these that the spirit of creativity, the expression of our collective imagination and the ability to transform and to transport become even more vital to the continued existence of humankind. We implore you to continue to live life dramatically!

As America celebrates its 240th Birthday today, let's talk about what is probably one of the greatest musicals ever written, and it only came about 46 years before Hamilton. 1776 dramatizes the story of how John Adams was able to persuade his colleagues to vote for American independence as well as signing the Declaration of Independence. While the musical does dramatize the most important event in American history, the story behind the musical is probably just as interesting.

Franklin impersonator Brian Patrick Mulligan as the American patriot left out of the Broadway smash.

'I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace, that two are called a law firm, and that three or more become a Congress.'

In light of the upcoming Encores! revival of Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone's Tony-winning musical 1776, New York City Center brought together original 1776 star William Daniels and Broadway's current most popular Founding Father, HAMILTON's Lin-Manuel Miranda, to talk about the over-arching themes and inspirations in both shows.

In 1970, the Broadway company of 1776 played a special performance at The White House.

When the United States government takes action to close a pro-labor musical, a little-known actress lets her voice be heard.

The restored director's cut edition of the musical 1776 was just released on Blu-ray, and Tony-winning director Peter H. Hunt revealed to the Los Angeles Times the drama behind the original 1972 release of the film -- and just how much producer Jack L. Warner left out.

1776 arrives on Blu-ray at long last!

Tickets go on sale today for New York City Center Encores! Off-Center, a new series featuring seminal Off-Broadway musicals filtered through the lens of today's most innovative artists, opening on July 10. In keeping with City Center's founding mission to make the arts accessible to all, the majority of tickets will be $25.