WESTCHESTER, NY – For those of you who are in denial over the unofficial end of summer, we have the perfect antidote.  The Westchester Broadway Theatre is now offering (through October 7) the legendary Cole Porter celebrated musical ‘Can-Can.’ The stellar cast, led by Tony Lawson and Glory Crampton, takes us on a stunning trip back into time, to the working-class area of Paris, France in 1893. Newly installed Judge Aristede Fostier joins his learned legal colleagues in the prosecution of La Mome Pistache, propietress of Bal Du Paradis, a dance hall in which the long-legged Bohemian femme-fatales offer their patrons a...

WESTCHESTER, NY – Friday evening, June 8, was a special evening for the opening night of the Westchester Broadway Theatre’s current musical production of ‘George M!’ The 20th Annual Memorial Bob Fitzsimmons Scholarship Award was given to Archbishop Stepinac graduating senior Albert Stenaj who is planning for a career in theatre. Sitting in the audience was actress Patti Mariano who, as a child in 1957, played George M. Cohen’s little sister Josie in the TV movie ‘Mr. Broadway.’ Ms. Mariano’s association with the father of musical comedy continued when she played in the ensemble of the original...

NEW YORK, NY – The Longacre Theater, whose name harkens to the original name of Times Square, is apropos for a play that longs to capture the most famous basketball rivalry of the 1980s, Larry Bird and his Celts to Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Sports aficionados will appreciate the sometimes-humorous caricatures that were made out of Magic and Bird and their sometimes-overzealous fans. “A Lakers fan walks into a bar…” is made real here, especially when the bar is in Boston. But the play’s producers, who have brought sports to Broadway before, reveal what may have been an equal intent of the play: to paint a picture not only of...

WESTCHESTER, NY – The new musical, Hairspray, currently playing at the Westchester Broadway Theatre, has something for everyone.  It is a light-hearted story that tackles some very serious issues.  It validates the concept that if one perseveres long enough, success will be met.  Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.  And, reminds us all, that we are equal, regardless of skin color. The musical’s road to Broadway was a long and winding one.  It began as a cult film by John Waters in 1988, with Rikki Lake in the title role of the pleasingly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad.  The late drag queen, Divine, played her mother....

WESTCHESTER, NY – Actress Reese Witherspoon rocketed to stardom, in 2001, in the box office hit movie ‘Legally Blonde.’  Admittedly, I did not see the film.  So, when I recently saw the opening night performance of ‘Legally Blonde: The Musical’ at the Westchester Broadway Theatre, I came in with no preconceived opinions of the show. But, I was completely won over by this brisk and bouncy musical, that tells the story that many of us can relate to. An underdog, facing indomitable obstacles, can succeed if he or she puts her mind to it. As the musical begins, we meet Elle Woods (Kelly Felthous) who is a Southern...

WESTCHESTER, NY – Springtime is just around the corner.  The old adage tells us that Spring is the season in which a young man’s fancy turns to love. The Westchester Broadway Theatre is currently showcasing Ray Roderick’s “S Wonderful”  The show is a musical tribute to two giants of the American Musical Theatre, George (1898-1937)  and Ira Gershwin (1896-1983). Mr. Roderick conceived, wrote and directed this production, which takes us on a musical journey across the United States and Europe, covering a span from 1928 to the present. Along the way, the audience is re-introduced to the Gershwins’ most...