All tagged Jerry Zaks

The Dolly Levi of Donna Murphy

The Dolly Levi of Donna Murphy

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

If you have not made it a priority to do so, I urge any fan of musical theatre to make an effort to see Ms. Donna Murphy in Hello, Dolly! as soon as you can. What I am speaking of is a priority assignment that you must follow through on. I am not aware of how long Ms. Murphy will be staying with the show and if she will continue her tenure during the Bernadette Peters months that will replace Bette Midler’s iconic run, but I insist, if you want to see this show performed with verve, heart, and a bravura star turn that is so layered with honesty and magic, you need to find one of the dates that Murphy is on and go. Just GO!

Broadway Musical Time Machine: Looking Back at Assassins

Broadway Musical Time Machine: Looking Back at Assassins

Mark Robinson
Theatre Time Machine

A new musical by Stephen Sondheim is usually met with rabid curiosity and excitement leading up to its opening, so in 1990 when the musical Assassins readied itself at Off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons, theatre fans couldn't wait to see the result. We were all more than ready to see how Mr. Sondheim would create songs for the disillusioned men and women who attempted (and sometimes succeeded) killing Presidents of the United States. John Weidman would provide a book that used the failed American Dream as the through line to bring these notorious character into the same world. With Jerry Zaks at the helm as director, and a cast that included a vast array of Broadway's finest talent (Victor Garber, Terrence Mann, Debra Monk, Annie Golden, Jonathan Hadary, Lee Wilkof among them) Assassins looked to be something unique in musical theatre terms. Everyone assumed it would be well-received and then transfer to Broadway where it would settle in for an artful but not particularly long run. It didn't.