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54 stories from The Contending

2026 Tony Nominations Reaction: Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, Ben Ahlers, ‘Joe Turner,’ Trip Cullman Unjustly Overlooked! by Frank J. Avella

A few surprises with this year’s Tony nominations, but mostly they were pretty much as expected. Best Play and Musical went exactly as predicted. Ditto Revival of a Musical. In the Play Re…

SOURCE: The Contending at 10:23am on May 5, 2026[SHARE]

2026 Tony Award Nomination Predictions: The Lost Season…For Musicals by Frank J. Avella

Heading into the May 5th announcement, here’s my take on what and who will be gifted Tony Award nominations, having seen most of the shows in contention. Note that it has been a good year …

SOURCE: The Contending at 10:00am on May 2, 2026[SHARE]

‘The Rocky Horror Show:’ Luke Evans Astounds In Campy, Queer-Tastic Revival by Frank J. Avella

My intro to Rocky Horror was a midnight showing of the film version at the Hyway Theater in Fair Lawn NJ the summer after my senior year in high school. I went with a group that were fans. I…

SOURCE: The Contending at 9:00am on May 1, 2026[SHARE]

Jamie Lloyd’s ‘Evita’ Announces Transfer to Broadway Next Season by Joey Moser

After signs that Evita might transfer to Broadway popped up around New York City in the last 24 hours, it was confirmed today that Jamie Lloyd’s heralded West End production of Andrew Lloy…

SOURCE: The Contending at 1:14pm on April 29, 2026[SHARE]

‘Beau the Musical’ & ‘Mexodus’ Lead 2026 Drama Desk Nominations by Joey Moser

Outstanding Play Caroline, Preston Max Allen Cold War Choir Practice, Ro Reddick Meet the Cartozians, Talene Monahon Prince Faggot, Jordan Tannahill The Balusters, David Lindsay-Abaire The P…

SOURCE: The Contending at 10:00am on April 29, 2026[SHARE]

‘Schmigadoon:’ Schmigafun! by Frank J. Avella

Like Titanique, Schmigadoon seems to want to capitalize on audience familiarity—not just with the Apple TV series it’s based on but with the old-fashioned Broadway musicals of the past i…

SOURCE: The Contending at 10:47am on April 27, 2026[SHARE]

‘Fallen Angels:’ Kelli O’Hara & Rose Byrne, A Fabulous, Hilarious Theatrical Dream Team by Frank J. Avella

Mad & Hell, Mame & Vera, Elphaba & Glinda–one can add to this short list of famous frenemies of stage, the names Julia and Jane, the delightful and dastardly dynamic diva duo i…

SOURCE: The Contending at 5:11pm on April 23, 2026[SHARE]

Trip Cullman: Will Tony Finally Nominate 'Becky Shaw' Director? [VIDEO] by Frank J. Avella

Trip Cullman is one of the most prolific theater directors working today both on and off Broadway as well as in London and regionally. He also happens to be one of the most gifted. The theat…

SOURCE: The Contending at 8:00am on April 20, 2026[SHARE]

'Proof:' Stirring Revival Showcases Powerful Work By Ayo Edebiri & Kara Young by Frank J. Avella

Twenty-five years ago, David Auburn's powerful play, Proof, won both the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The original production, which I found quite moving, starr…

SOURCE: The Contending at 10:00pm on April 16, 2026[SHARE]

'Titanique:' A Fabulous, Lunatic, Camp Triumph by Frank J. Avella

Full disclosure, I loved Titanique off-Broadway. Saw it twice and reveled in the  unabashed zaniness, the super gay sensibility and the show's refusal to concern itself with hyper-sensiti…

SOURCE: The Contending at 10:00pm on April 12, 2026[SHARE]

'Becky Shaw:' The Funniest, Boldest Broadway Show Of The Season So Far by Frank J. Avella

Gina Gionfriddo's hilarious, biting yet supremely satisfying dark comedy, Becky Shaw, has finally made it to Broadway and is most definitely the boldest, funniest show of the season to date.…

SOURCE: The Contending at 2:27pm on April 9, 2026[SHARE]

'Cats: The Jellicle Ball:' A Fantastically Queer Feline Frenzy by Frank J. Avella

Those pesky Andrew Lloyd Weber/T.S. Eliot Cats seem to have a lot more than nine lives. This time the divisive musical, which ran on Broadway from 1982 to 2000 (toppling A Chorus Line as the…

SOURCE: The Contending at 9:00pm on April 7, 2026[SHARE]

'Dog Day Afternoon:' Not Your Father's Take But That's Not a Bad Thing by Frank J. Avella

1975 was a banner year for cinema"just gander at the Best Picture Academy Award nominees: Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon, Steven Spielberg's Jaws, Robert Al…

SOURCE: The Contending at 9:49am on April 6, 2026[SHARE]

A Breathless Daniel Radcliffe Enchants in 'Every Brilliant Thing' On Broadway by Frank J. Avella

Boundless enthusiasm and sheer ebullience go a very long way towards making Duncan Macmillan's hopeful, if slight one-man play, Every Brilliant Thing, soar. The show is currently wowing audi…

SOURCE: The Contending at 10:00am on March 23, 2026[SHARE]

Dorian Theater Awards Announces Key Dates, New Categories for 4th Annual Ceremony by Joey Moser

New York, N.Y.: GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics has announced key dates and new categories for the 4th annual Dorian Theater Awards, set to honor Broadway and Off-Broad…

SOURCE: The Contending at 7:30am on March 23, 2026[SHARE]

2025's 13 Best NYC Shows: 'John Proctor,' 'Dead Outlaw,' 'Oedipus,' 'Purpose,' 'Liberation,' 'Ghosts' & 'Punch' Top by Frank J. Avella

Theater on-and off-Broadway, started out quite strong in 2025, but the promise of an exciting fall never really materialized, with a few key exceptions, and instead the biggest box office hi…

SOURCE: The Contending at 6:41pm on December 18, 2025[SHARE]

VIDEO: Maria Friedman On Sondheim Connection, Translating Stage To Screen With 'Merrily We Roll Along' by Frank J. Avella

Maria Friedman is one of the UK's most celebrated stage performers and has been nominated for nine Olivier Awards, winning four. Her first major role onstage was originating Dot/Marie in Ste…

SOURCE: The Contending at 9:45am on December 1, 2025[SHARE]

'Chess' Broadway Revival: Tremendous Showcase For Lea Michele & Aaron Tveit by Frank J. Avella

The musical Chess has had quite the checkered and tumultuous past. Much like Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, the show began life as a concept album, written by lyricist Tim Rice and compos…

SOURCE: The Contending at 10:44am on November 25, 2025[SHARE]

'Ragtime:' A Sensational, Too-Timely Broadway Revival by Frank J. Avella

Lincoln Center Theater's sensational new production of the musical Ragtime, which began its renewed life as a Gala produced in 2024 by New York City Center, is a theatrical wonder for the ey…

SOURCE: The Contending at 9:58am on November 12, 2025[SHARE]

'Liberation:' Poignant, Hilarious, Timely Broadway Play By Bess Wohl by Frank J. Avella

The memory play is a genre that has grown a bit stale since Tennessee Williams shattered it with The Glass Menagerie's Broadway premiere in 1944. But Tony-nominee Bess Wohl has breathed new,…

SOURCE: The Contending at 9:11am on November 3, 2025[SHARE]

London Calling: West End Musicals Boast A Dazzling 'Burlesque,' Enjoyable 'Devil Wears Prada,' & Rousing 'Oliver!' Revival by Frank J. Avella

Evita was the definite highlight of my recent London theatergoing experience. The production is truly inspired and I am so excited for it's Broadway run. You can read my rave HERE. But I did…

SOURCE: The Contending at 4:58pm on September 11, 2025[SHARE]

'Evita' Review: Zegler Stuns In Vigorous, Passionate Theatre by Frank J. Avella

Even as someone who has special childhood memories tied to the show, I can admit Evita is a flawed work. It's more rock opera than book musical. The politics can get a bit muddled. And the f…

SOURCE: The Contending at 9:08pm on August 24, 2025[SHARE]

'Beau the Musical' Dazzling Lead Matt Rodin On the Importance of Queer Representation [VIDEO] by Frank J. Avella

A true star performance is on display seven times a week in a smallish off-Broadway house on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village. Matt Rodin takes the stage at Theater 154 and metaphoric…

SOURCE: The Contending at 8:00am on July 1, 2025[SHARE]

'Beau The Musical' Hidden Queer-Themed Off-Broadway Gem Playing In Greenwich Village by Frank J. Avella

There's a (nearly) hidden, gay-themed gem playing this Pride season in Greenwich Village. A musical, seven-years in the making, that is rousing, disturbing and, ultimately, empowering. Beau …

SOURCE: The Contending at 12:25pm on June 24, 2025[SHARE]

'Pirates! The Penzance Musical' Breakout Star Nicholas Barasch Discusses Performing On The Tonys With Seven Stitches On His Face by Frank J. Avella

Nicholas Barasch is currently wowing audiences as young Frederic in the Roundabout Theatre Company's splendid reworking of Gilbert & Sullivan's comic opera, now titled, Pirates! The Penz…

SOURCE: The Contending at 5:42pm on June 20, 2025[SHARE]
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