100 stories by "Chip Deffaa"
Westchester Broadway's Ain't Misbehavin'--the 208th offering at this venerable dinner theater--is indeed in good hands. For starters, it is directed by none other than Richard Maltby Jr., w…
Adapting Broadway shows for "live" TV is never easy. And this production was hampered by some extraordinary bad luck. One of the stars, Brennin Hunt, ("Roger") broke his foot at the last min…
She encouraged me to dream big, grab opportunities when they came, and work full steam--and not to wait, because none of us know how much time we have. (I thought she'd live forever.) When…
No one loves Berlin's music more than I do. But the creators of this stage adaptation have tried to jam too many well-known songs into the show. I think that cutting a couple of the songs…
The generous spirit of Jonathan Larson (1960-1996) certainly was felt in New York's great supper club, Feinstein's/54 Below, the night I went to see The Jonathan Larson Project (which filled…
Today’s column will be focusing on theatrical rights. The first rule in the theater, for anyone contemplating presenting a play: make sure you have the right to present the work. That …
If you're in the mood for a night of laughter, "The Outsider""a new comedy by Paul Slade Smith, receiving its East Coast premiere in January and February at the Paper Mill Playhouse--is grea…
I'm sorry to note the passing of David Cassidy. And I want to share a few  remembrances of him--as a performer and as a person.
He was capable of conveying magic in his concerts--a "Peter…
Memo to Broadway producers: You need to do everything you can to hook the next generation while they're young. I got hooked on theater because I saw the greatest performers, the greatest sh…
In the first half of her career, Barbara Cook was a top leading lady in musical theater, famously originating roles in such Broadway shows as "The Music Man" and "She Loves Me." (Decades lat…
I've seen "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" many times, many places. I didn't see the original Broadway production, alas"although I loved the cast album"but I've enjoyed…
I am so happy I got to see my longtime friend Victoria Leacock Hoffman--a very special person; kind, smart, instinctive, and "giving" by nature--honored by the Keen Company in New York City.…
The three new albums are "The Chip Deffaa Songbook" (39 of my theater songs, from shows I've written over the years); "Chip Deffaa's Irving Berlin Revisited" (featuring rare, and in many cas…
There were a number of fine performances on the stage. But the performance I enjoyed the most was given by the fellow who, I noted last year, gave the most commanding performance of any fell…
I've always liked Andrew Keenan-Bolger's work. He was a memorable child actor, playing leads on Broadway in shows like "Beauty and the Beast" and "Seussical," when he was around 13 or 14 yea…
This month, the 13th Street Repertory Theater will kick off its celebration of Founder/Artistic Director Edith O'Hara's 100th year. Appropriately"since O'Hara has spent so much of her…
it's significant that Steve Martin has won five Grammy Awards for albums he's made"two in the category of "comedy," and three in the category of "music." He loves to play the banjo (an ins…
Man! There's nothing more exciting than seeing a brand new musical that works. I was enthralled from beginning to an end by A Bronx Tale"currently getting its world-premiere production at …
It did my heart good to see Matanya Solomon dancing all-out after being pretty much sidelined as a "Nutcracker" dancer, due to injury, for the last two years. I greatly admire all good dance…
This post is by Chip Deffaa, Editor-at-Large
I'm glad I got to attend the opening night of "The Bandstand""an intriguing, ambitious, original musical--at Paper Mill Playhouse. Does the show"…
This post is by Chip Deffaa, Editor-at-Large
Tommy Tune, just walking down the aisle to his seat in the orchestra, had more style and grace and class than much of the broadcast. I couldn't h…
This post is by Chip Deffaa, Editor-at-Large
The Visit “The Visit”–with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, and book by Terrence McNally, based on the play by Fri…
This post is by Chip Deffaa, Editor-at-Large
Although I usually focus on performances in New York in this column, this week I'm leading with commentary on a couple of shows I've just caught …
This post is by Chip Deffaa
Joe helped me in countless ways over the years"more than I could detail here--and I dedicated one of the books I wrote to him. He's been a good force in my life s…
This post is by Chip Deffaa
As the year winds down, I'd like to use today's column to look back on some productions or performances that, for one reason or another, have lodged themselves in…
