Performing Arts

Every year, we remember some of the writers, actors, musicians, filmmakers and performers who died over the past year, and whose lifetime of creative work helped shape our world.

Gypsy has been called the best musical of all time. Audra McDonald is starring in a new Broadway revival, and the race-conscious casting gives the production a new frame.

Anyone can dance. As you read this comic, follow each step — and you'll be moving and grooving in no time.

Jackson made a cameo in the romantic comedy musical & Juliet on Saturday night. She told NPR: "I got a call, and someone said, 'We heard that this was your lifelong dream.' And it is."

Rachel Bloom is a comedian and songwriter. She created and starred in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The spring of 2020 was a tough time for a lot of us. It took Bloom a few years to process all that, and now we have the result: Death, Let Me Do My Special on Netflix. Bloom joins us to talk about her special. We get into what it was like to see the world grieve the loss of his writing partner, Adam Schlesingler, so publicly. Plus, we talk about Bobi, a dog who lived to be over thirty years old!

There is a historic opera house in the Amazon that is a destination for some famous singers, musicians and local fans.

Wicked – the 20-year-old – smash hit on Broadway turns the story of the "Wizard of Oz" on its head.

Now, the story of Elfaba the Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda the Good Witch, and the Wizard himself is making the shift from stage to screen.

The director bringing the Broadway hit to screens across the country is Jon M. Chu, the director of the blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians.

The movie version of Wicked is in many ways the culmination of Chu's own story as a person of color. Chu always wanted to be a filmmaker. Chu says his life experience and career lead him to tell the story of a person of color in a new way.

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Broadway theaters will dim their marquee lights on Nov. 7 in honor of Dame Maggie Smith, who died in September. Smith began her acting career on stage and took theater roles well into her 80s.

In his new play The Other Americans, John Leguizamo plays a Colombian American laundromat owner whose son is released from a mental wellness facility after suffering a trauma.

James Adomian is a comedian with a foot in two worlds. He's a stand-up comedian and impressionist who's performed on the Late Late Show, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live and many more. He's got a brand new stand-up special out now called James Adomian: Path of Most Resistance. He joins us to talk about the new special and even does a few impressions.