Broadway

In theory, the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark had a lot going for it, including a popular Marvel superhero and songs by U2 stars Bono and the Edge. But one thing the critically savaged show doesn't have going for it is a monetary investment from Bono.

A few weeks ago, the orchestra for Broadway's West Side Story was gutted. In a cost-cutting measure, five violinists were told to clean out their lockers, and their parts were replaced by a synthesizer piped in from another room. Overnight, Leonard Bernstein's lush score, widely considered a...

Why do Broadway tickets cost so much? I feel like I've been asking this question my whole life, but prices continue to rise like an entertainment arms race. For instance, if you'd like to see Denzel Washington in August Wilson's Fences, a premium ticket goes for $351.50. Denzel's a great actor...

Something is very wrong on Broadway: There's a standing ovation for every performance. Last week, I went to see the new musical The Addams Family at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. A day later, the New York Times proclaimed it "genuinely ghastly" and a "collapsing tomb." Reuters said its "artistic...

When it comes to big-ticket musicals, it looks like theatergoers want Broadway to play it again, Sam -- and again, and again, and again. Gawker reports that New York City tourists spent a record amount on shows this Thanksgiving weekend -- but that most of the cash was pooled around longtime...

When most people hear that someone is planning a Broadway musical version of the Spider-Man franchise, the reaction is usually the same: "They're what?" Well, that's what we thought about The Lion King, too, and sure enough, that stage version turned into one of the biggest smashes of our...

With the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett Thursday, it was not difficult to notice that Twitter and Facebook are now the places where people gather when wanting to reminisce or reach out. "Stepped off a 10-hour flight to discover Twitter is essentially a wake for recently departed...

They say that in lean times, the entertainment biz booms. That's not completely true this time around. Although box office receipts are up 17% compared to a year ago, studios are buying fewer features, and Hollywood still hasn't figured out how to deal with the long-term onslaught of new media and...

Oh, Times Square, that infamous midtown neighborhood that New Yorkers avoid like the plague and tourists from all over the world flock to. That place is remarkable for its blinding, building-size advertisements and how you can't step a foot without walking into a European tourist's photo. You can't...

What was that old saying that the only sure industries in a recession were sin, sex, and entertainment? Word must not have filtered down to 42nd Street, because in the past few weeks, the cream of Broadway's musicals have soured. By the end of January, six long-runners--most of them once tipped to...