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An early boy band was world famous — until the Nazis took over

Blake Roman, left, Steven Telsey, Zal Owen, Danny Kornfeld, Eric Peters and Sean Bell in Harmony. Julieta Cervantes/Harmony hide caption

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Julieta Cervantes/Harmony

An early boy band was world famous — until the Nazis took over

Long before The Backstreet Boys, a vocal sextet in Weimar Germany was silenced because three memebrs were Jewish. A new Broadway musical with a score by Barry Manilow tells their story.

An early boy band was world famous — until the Nazis took over

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Broadway costuming legend accused of sexual assault in civil suit

Costume designer William Ivey Long in New York City in 2016. Long is currently facing a civil lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault. Theo Wargo/Getty Images hide caption

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Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Culture

Broadway costuming legend accused of sexual assault in civil suit

William Ivey Long, a six-time Tony Award winner and past chairman of the American Theatre Wing, is one of the defendants in a lawsuit filed Wednesday by Court Watson, a set and costume designer.

Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse takes on the 'wild mess' of Thanksgiving

Playwright Larissa FastHorse is a 2020 MacArthur Fellow and co-founder of Indigenous Direction, a consulting firm for Indigenous arts and audiences. John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation hide caption

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John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse takes on the 'wild mess' of Thanksgiving

Fresh Air

Larissa FastHorse is updating the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to make it "less harmful" to Indigenous people. She's also consulting on a new Peter Pan and has a satire called The Thanksgiving Play.

Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse takes on the 'wild mess' of Thanksgiving

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'I've been trying to do this for over 30 years' — Billy Porter sings on his terms

Billy Porter Franz Szony/Republic Records hide caption

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Franz Szony/Republic Records

Music

'I've been trying to do this for over 30 years' — Billy Porter sings on his terms

Following star-making roles in Broadway's Kinky Boots and FX's Pose, Billy Porter has released an original album that plays out like mini-autobiographies: Black Mona Lisa.

'I've been trying to do this for over 30 years' — Billy Porter sings on his terms

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Teens wrote plays about gun violence — now they are being staged around the U.S.

The award-winning young playwrights of Enough! take a bow at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in November 2023. Jati Lindsay/The Kennedy Center hide caption

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Jati Lindsay/The Kennedy Center

Culture

Teens wrote plays about gun violence — now they are being staged around the U.S.

Around 250 young playwrights wrote and submitted work as part of the annual contest, Enough! Plays to End Gun Violence. Six were chosen as finalists and had their work performed.

Teens wrote plays about gun violence — now they are being staged around the U.S.

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The task? Finish Stephen Sondheim's last musical. No pressure.

Sondheim had the highest standards for himself, the director of Here We Are said. Emilio Madrid/Here We Are hide caption

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Emilio Madrid/Here We Are

The task? Finish Stephen Sondheim's last musical. No pressure.

When the composer/lyricist died in 2021 at age 91, he left behind a partly finished show called Here We Are. But his collaborators say Sondheim loved a puzzle — and he left them all the pieces.

The task? Finish Stephen Sondheim's last musical. No pressure.

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Even Beethoven got bad reviews. John Malkovich reads them aloud as 'The Music Critic'

John Malkovich says theater is like surfing. Actors might think they are the wave — but they're not: "The wave is created by the collision between the material and the public. You ride the wave or you don't." Malkovich is pictured above in The Music Critic. Julia Wesely/Aleksey Igudesman hide caption

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Julia Wesely/Aleksey Igudesman

Even Beethoven got bad reviews. John Malkovich reads them aloud as 'The Music Critic'

A new live stage show features actor John Malkovich transformed into some of the meanest music critics ever — in real reviews skewering the work of great composers like Beethoven, Brahms and Chopin.

Even Beethoven got bad reviews. John Malkovich reads them aloud as 'The Music Critic'

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Hasan Minhaj and the limits of representation

Stephanie Mills in The Wiz, and Hasan Minhaj on stage. Hulton Archive/Kevin Winter hide caption

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Hulton Archive/Kevin Winter

It's Been a Minute

Hasan Minhaj and the limits of representation

A recent New Yorker piece on Hasan Minhaj found that some crucial bits of his stand-up act didn't stand up to fact-checking. Stretching the truth in comedy is par for the course, but how does that work for a figure like Minhaj, who'd previously doubled down on these stories in interviews and is known for his political satire shows? Brittany is joined by writer Imran Siddiquee and journalist Allana Akhtar to make sense of an entertainment industry that created the conditions for his fame.

Hasan Minhaj and the limits of representation

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Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in 'Harry Potter,' dies at 82

Actor Michael Gambon took over the role of Albus Dumbledore in The Prisoner of Azkaban. Carl Court/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Carl Court/AFP via Getty Images

Obituaries

Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in 'Harry Potter,' dies at 82

Gambon was best known for playing Albus Dumbledore in most of the Harry Potter movies. The Irish-born actor got his start on stage and worked under Laurence Olivier.

Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in 'Harry Potter,' dies at 82

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A Jim Crow satire returns to Broadway after 62 years — and it's a romp, not a relic

Leslie Odom Jr., who won a Tony playing Aaron Burr in Hamilton, is now back on Broadway as Purlie. Marc J. Franklin/Purlie Victorious hide caption

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Marc J. Franklin/Purlie Victorious

A Jim Crow satire returns to Broadway after 62 years — and it's a romp, not a relic

In 1961, actor and Civil Rights activist Ossie Davis wrote the blistering play Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch. Now, Leslie Odom Jr. stars in the revival.

A Jim Crow satire returns to Broadway after 62 years — and it's a romp, not a relic

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Free babysitting on Broadway? This nonprofit helps parents get to the theater

Broadway tickets are expensive — add babysitting to that and the costs are often prohibitive. But a nonprofit is trying to bring free babysitting to theaters around the country. Kohei Hara/Getty Images hide caption

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Kohei Hara/Getty Images

Free babysitting on Broadway? This nonprofit helps parents get to the theater

Broadway tickets are expensive — add babysitting to that and the costs are often prohibitive. But a nonprofit is trying to bring free babysitting to theaters around the country.

Free babysitting on Broadway? This nonprofit helps parents get to the theater

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Franne Lee, who designed costumes for 'SNL' and 'Sweeney Todd,' dies at 81

Franne Lee at the New York Public Library's Hal Prince exhibition in 2019. Lee designed the costumes for Prince's Sweeney Todd and Candide. Doug Reside/New York Public Library hide caption

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Doug Reside/New York Public Library

Obituaries

Franne Lee, who designed costumes for 'SNL' and 'Sweeney Todd,' dies at 81

From SNL's Coneheads to Killer Bees, Broadway's Sweeney Todd and Candide, we remember Tony Award-winning costume designer Franne Lee who died on Aug. 27.

Franne Lee, who designed costumes for 'SNL' and 'Sweeney Todd,' dies at 81

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How 'Back to the Future: The Musical' created a DeLorean that flies

Tim Hatley's sketch shows the musical's DeLorean on stage. Tim Hatley/Back to the Future: The Musical hide caption

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Tim Hatley/Back to the Future: The Musical

How 'Back to the Future: The Musical' created a DeLorean that flies

It flies over the audience and flips over — but that's not all that it does.

How 'Back to the Future: The Musical' created a DeLorean that flies

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You can immerse yourself — literally — in this Broadway show

Arielle Jacobs and Jose Llana as Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos in Here Lives Love. Billy Bustamante, Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman hide caption

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Billy Bustamante, Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

You can immerse yourself — literally — in this Broadway show

Here Lies Love tells the story of Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos' rise and fall in the Philippines. The $22 million immersive musical production is a big Broadway gamble.

You can immerse yourself — literally — in this Broadway show

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Patti LuPone talks quitting Broadway and palming cell phones

Recording artist Patti LuPone performs on stage the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS hide caption

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Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Patti LuPone talks quitting Broadway and palming cell phones

Patti LuPone joins panelists Emmy Blotnick, Adam Felber, and Joyelle Nicole Johnson to talk birds, Broadway, and the proper way to swipe a cell phone.

Patti LuPone talks quitting Broadway and palming cell phones

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Remembering Broadway legend and 'Fiddler on the Roof' lyricist Sheldon Harnick

Fresh Air

Harnick, along with composer Jerry Bock, wrote the enduring music for Fiddler, as well as Fiorello and She Loves Me. He died June 23. Originally broadcast in 1988, 2004 and 2014.

Remembering Broadway legend and 'Fiddler on the Roof' lyricist Sheldon Harnick

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Broadway lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who wrote 'Fiddler on the Roof,' dies at 99

Broadway lyricist Sheldon Harnick at the Tony Awards in May 2016. Matthew Eisman/Getty Images hide caption

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Matthew Eisman/Getty Images

Obituaries

Broadway lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who wrote 'Fiddler on the Roof,' dies at 99

The Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning lyricist was one of the last masters of Broadway's Golden Age. His career extended over 60 years.

Broadway lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who wrote 'Fiddler on the Roof,' dies at 99

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Actor Treat Williams, star of 'Hair' and 'Everwood', is killed in a motorcycle crash

Actor Treat Williams attends the world premiere of Second Act in New York on Dec. 12, 2018. Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP hide caption

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Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Culture

Actor Treat Williams, star of 'Hair' and 'Everwood', is killed in a motorcycle crash

Actor Treat Williams, whose nearly 50-year career included starring roles in the TV series Everwood and the movie Hair, died Monday after a motorcycle crash in Vermont, state police said. He was 71.

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