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Chess Broadway Revival Ends Its Run Next Month
theater11.245 min read

Chess Broadway Revival Ends Its Run Next Month

4 hours agoSource: TheaterMania
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Rivalry Goes on Stage: A Campy Parody That Delivers Surprising Heart
theater
4.59 min8 hours ago

Rivalry Goes on Stage: A Campy Parody That Delivers Surprising Heart

An Off-Broadway review of Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody, praising Jay Armstrong Johnson and Jimin Moon for lending surprising depth to a campy spoof of a popular TV hockey romance. The show mirrors key series moments with some tweaks, features 14 songs over about 80 minutes, and is framed by three playful narrators. Performed in a cramped sixth-floor venue, it mostly appeals to superfans, but the performers’ heft occasionally elevates the material into genuinely moving musical theater.

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Broadway's Celebrity Autobiography Lacks Laughs, Despite Starry Cast
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Broadway's Celebrity Autobiography Lacks Laughs, Despite Starry Cast

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Death Becomes Her Closes Broadway Run After Failing to Recoup Investment
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