Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'jeff lunden'

This Winter, More Cause For Broadway Discontent

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:04:00 EST

The recession has hit Broadway hard: Nine shows, including Young Frankenstein, closed this week, and four more have posted notices. Jeff Lunden talks to a veteran producer and a young investor to see how bad the outlook is.

'Billy Elliot' Makes The Leap To Broadway

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST

The big-ticket Broadway musical, based on the surprise-hit British film, has its opening night tonight. Jeff Lunden explains what's new and what's different — and how the story's focus expanded for the stage.

Broadway Ready For Its Bow — But Are Audiences...

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The new theater season is at hand — and with high fuel prices and a general economic downturn, you might expect showbiz types to be anxious about audiences. Reporter Jeff Lunden says you might be wrong.

Broadway's Best Musical Revival: The Overture...

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Two of this year's contenders for the musical-revival Tony Award — Gypsy and South Pacific — kick things off with a splashy, old-fashioned overture. Jeff Lunden explains why that's music to many theater-lovers' ears.

Stage Mother from Hell: Needy, Greedy Mama Rose

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Gypsy's antiherone is a woman boiling over with frustrated ambition, who channels all her energies into turning her daughters into stars Â� woe be to anyone who gets in her way. Jeff Lunden has an appreciation.

Albee at 80: Still Asking the Big Questions

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:54:00 EDT

Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee turns 80 on Wednesday. Far from resting on his laurels, he's in the midst of a busy season. And as Jeff Lunden reports, he's still as irascible as ever on the topic of what theater is "about."

Broadway's Latest Frontier: Las Vegas

Wed, 28 Sep 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Every decade or so, it seems that Las Vegas reinvents itself -- remember when it became "family friendly" in the 1990s? Now Las Vegas is the center of a new entertainment trend. New York-based reporter Jeff Lunden checks it out.

Dorothy Fields' Sweet, Various Gifts to Popular Song

Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EDT

One hundred years ago today, lyricist Dorothy Fields was born. She wrote dozens of hit songs for Broadway shows and Hollywood musicals, including Sweet Charity, which is currently being revived on Broadway. Jeff Lunden has this appreciation.

Broadway Limo Drivers Rate the Tony Nominees

Sun, 05 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Who's more in the know about tonight's Tony awards than the limo drivers who serve the Broadway community? Jeff Lunden speaks with drivers about the nominees and the theater season.

The Oldest Living Ziegfeld Girl

Sun, 24 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EDT

At the New Amsterdam Theater on 42nd Street, once home to the Ziegfeld Follies, the oldest living Ziegfeld girl recently took the stage for a charity event. Doris Eaton Travis is 101. She tells Jeff Lunden about her long life and career.

Workshop Unites Singers and Composers

Sun, 17 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Composer John Harbison and soprano Dawn Upshaw recently paired four singers with four composers, giving them the chance to collaborate from scratch. Jeff Lunden follows the process, from rehearsals to a recital at Carnegie Hall.

Bay-Atlantic: The Little Symphony That Could

Sat, 09 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT

While many or the nation's major orchestras continue to struggle financially, smaller community and regional orchestras are flourishing. Jeff Lunden profiles southern New Jersey's Bay-Atlantic Symphony.

GOP Visit to Broadway Strictly 'PG-13'

Tue, 31 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT

On Sunday, 13,000 Republicans attended Broadway musicals as guests of The New York Times. But the GOP viewing list eschewed many of Broadway's biggest hits, which touch on edgy cultural issues -- gay characters, the Vietnam War, unwed mothers. Jeff Lunden reports.

'Zippo Songs' of Vietnam

Sat, 10 Jul 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Composer Phil Kline saw lyrics in the engravings made on cigarette lighters owned by U.S. soldiers in Vietnam. Veteran William Crapser saw memories of a hell on earth. Jeff Lunden reports.

Intersections: Fred Hersch, Setting Whitman to Music

Mon, 15 Mar 2004 00:00:00 EST

Acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Fred Hersch has more than 20 recordings and two Grammy nominations to his credit. Over the last three decades, Hersch says he's drawn much inspiration from the works of poet Walt Whitman. It's the latest story in Intersections, a series on artists and their inspirations. Jeff Lunden reports.