Just did an interview with NPR. Slated for Morning Edition Sunday. Hope I make the edit. Stay tuned!
Howard Sherman
@hesherman.bsky.social
Arts admin, writer & advocate. Author, "Another Day’s Begun.” Enthusiast, not critic. Anti-censorship. Ayckbourniac. Lifelong theatre kid.
Wow. @lincolncenter.bsky.social has just announced a one-night concert with members of the original 2016 cast of "Shuffle Along," marking its 10th anniversary.
"Oh, Mary!" is heading into the record books for Broadway in the 21st Century. Perhaps producers can learn a lesson about the ever-growing corps of Marys when it comes to sustaining plays on the Great White Way.
Broadway Plays Can Take a Message From “Mary”
Successor casting to sustain non-musicals can be an opportunity, if producers are willing to take the risk
hesherman1.substack.com
Remember: broken box office records in theatre mean that tickets cost more. There aren't more performances per week or seats in the theatre.
This week "Hadestown" announced that Geno Segers would appear in the new Broadway cast. They released this statement at noon: "The producers of Hadestown and Geno Segers have mutually agreed that Mr. Segers will no longer join the Broadway production. Additional casting will be announced shortly."
After boffo first week, expect Hadestown film grosses to drop precipitously. Surveying NYC screen times, few theatres are offering night shows & many only a single screening each day, often in the a.m. Late decision to extend will boost gross, but falloff will be due not to demand, but availability.
“The ending of the tours comes after a volunteer tour guide was featured in a New York Times article detailing President Trump’s gutting of the iconic cultural institution... three volunteers had expressed worries to a reporter that the Kennedy Center would target the tour program in retribution.”
Kennedy Center Halts Free Public Tours After Five Decades of Service (Gift Article)
The decision to suspend tours indefinitely came after a volunteer tour guide was featured in a Times article detailing President Trump’s dramatic revamp of the Kennedy Center.
nytimes.com
Oskar Eustis said, "The American nonprofit theatre movement is over." After getting over the shock, I had thoughts. A lot of thoughts. Read them on my Substack. Please consider subscribing (for free). We've got a lot to talk about.
A movement may be over. But nonprofit theatre lives.
Founding impulses fade. That doesn't mean it's time to count out what they created and what it's become.
hesherman1.substack.com
The movie of "Hadestown" grossed a very strong $9.7 million at the box office this weekend. Some thoughts on its success and what it might mean for more "proshots" of Broadway shows on my new Substack, "Downstage Center." Give it a read and consider subscribing. It's free!
“Hadestown” Movie is Livin’ It Up at Box Office
Proshot of stage musical is the highest grossing new release of the week
hesherman1.substack.com
There was a gathering of Spider-Men yesterday in Washington Square Park. Had I entered the Spider-Verse?
There may be only a handful of films of "The Odyssey." But on live stages, plays and musicals have been exploring Homer's tale for decades.
You've Seen It Big. But Have You Seen It Live On Stage?
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is taking up a lot of Homeric air. Let's remember that the story has been in legit theatres for years.
hesherman1.substack.com
Like so many arts writers, I've been the victim of downsizing. But I'll continue to write and you can find my work here, for free. Maybe I'll be a respite from all the political Substacks. Thanks!
Yes, Yet Another Substack. But On The Arts.
15 years after launching my website, I have adopted the platform de jour.
hesherman1.substack.com
York Theatre has announced the NYC premiere, in their works in development series, of "All The Way Home," titled "Knoxville" in its 2023 debut at the Asolo. Show is written by the "Ragtime" team of Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens and the late Frank Galati. Josh Rhodes will direct and choreograph.
While expected, Oskar Eustis has confirmed plans to step down from The Public.
Oskar Eustis Is Stepping Down From the Public Theater (Gift Article)
Eustis has been the Public Theater’s artistic director for 21 years, stewarding Free Shakespeare in the Park, nurturing “Hamilton” and navigating the coronavirus pandemic.
nytimes.com
The biggest fallout from yesterday's World Cup game seems to be people wondering about the evident rift that resulted in The Electric Mayhem performing without Dr. Teeth.
And now for the World Cup Halftime Celebrity Superfun International Pop Extravaganza.
Did we really need the "let's get ready to rumble" guy at the World Cup?
Waiting for the soccer match to start at 5. I usually root for the underdog when I watch sports, but these are essentially both underdogs which is why they're battling it out for third place. Not sure what to do.
A confession: I never read The Odyssey. When I see the movie this week, I'll be seeing it entirely on its own terms, while aware of its general outline & place in history. I'm thinking it's not a bad way to take in Nolan's version. Then maybe I'll go back to the original (in translation). Thoughts?
I will not be seeing any movie at 2 am, even for 70mm IMAX.
Hydration break: no World Cup watching today at Lincoln Center. 94 degrees.
“Racially incendiary and antisemitic comments were made under social media photos of the diverse cast, which includes students of color and women playing the Founding Fathers as they debate forging a new nation and ultimately adopt the Declaration of Independence.”
Racist backlash roiled these high schoolers' production of '1776.' It strengthened their resolve.
Racially incendiary and antisemitic comments were made under social media photos of the diverse cast, which includes students of color and women playing the Founding Fathers.
inquirer.com
Dear @cnn.com: stop trying to make "Independence Day Eve" happen.
It's been three days since the NY Times first reported it, yet the Washington Post has yet to report on the departure of Hana Sharif from Arena Stage. A sad comment on the state of arts journalism.
Arena Stage artistic director Hana Sharif has resigned after three years at the Washington DC company. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/t...
Washington Theater Leader Is Out on Opening Night of TLC Musical
nytimes.com
The very best way to celebrate Richard Thomas's 75th birthday is with Richard Thomas. Just saw him again in David Lindsay-Abaire's "The Balusters."
