Gordon Cox: Last News

Gordon Cox Theater Editor Currently one of the stars of “Star Trek: Discovery,” Anthony Rapp has recently spent some time looking back and reliving his past. Off Broadway, he’s starring in “Without You,” his autobiographical show about his experiences in the original cast of “Rent” and the deaths of composer Jonathan Larson and his own mother. And in court, the actor — one of the first to come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Kevin Spacey — recently relived his experiences with Spacey during the proceedings for a civil suit brought by Rapp against Spacey. Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” podcast below:

Gordon Cox Theater Editor The new musical “Kimberly Akimbo” has already beguiled New York critics. Now it has to win over Broadway audiences.  Based on David Lindsay-Abaire’s 2001 play of the same name, “Kimberly Akimbo” is the story of a teenage girl who is aging so rapidly, she appears to be a woman in her 60s. The musical, which premiered at the Atlantic Theater Company last winter, picked up awards from nearly every organization that hands them out, including the New York Drama Critics’ Circle. And it’s not surprising: Avoiding the usual Broadway spectacle, the intimate play instead sidles up to its heartbreaking conceit with sucker-punch poignance and oddball comedy.  

Gordon Cox Theater Editor The Tony-winning Broadway revival of “Take Me Out” returns this fall, and Jesse Williams is back with it. In Richard Greenberg’s 2002 play, the “Grey’s Anatomy” actor plays a biracial baseball player who comes out as gay at the height of his career. Why bring “Take Me Out” back to Broadway? We weren’t done. We had a lot more in the tank, and I felt like we were really hitting a new stride. The possibility of coming back was brought up to me before we even finished the first run, and frankly, I didn’t want to do it; I was tired and missed my children. But once I was able to recharge at home, I just kept thinking about the show. I’d find myself running lines in the shower or just doing scenes alone while I was sailing.

Gordon Cox Theater Editor How is a Pulitzer Prize-winning play like a Marvel superhero? Ask Suzan-Lori Parks, the acclaimed writer whose 2001 outing “Topdog/Underdog” was her first show to arrive on Broadway after she’d spent years turning heads downtown with smaller-scale work. Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” podcast below:

Gordon Cox Theater Editor Broadway hasn’t been the same since the pandemic. Just consider “The Phantom of the Opera.” The recent closing announcement of the landmark long-runner underscored just how unpredictable the Street has become after the interruption of the 18-month shutdown and a bumpy restart. Over the summer, sales and attendance picked up promising momentum, and the 19 new productions that will open between Oct. 1 and the end of the year represent a lineup as robust and varied as any prior to lockdown. But backers of incoming shows know Broadway is still navigating the pandemic’s aftermath, including seemingly enduring shifts in production considerations, consumer lifestyles and buying habits.

Gordon Cox Theater Editor For the actor Gregg Mozgala, his Broadway debut in “Cost of Living” isn’t just a step forward for him — it’s a step forward for all of Broadway. Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” podcast below:

Gordon Cox Theater Editor The composer (“Once Upon a Mattress”), young adult author (“Freaky Friday”) and philanthropist Mary Rodgers wanted to write a memoir that was candid, cutting, dishy and vanity-free — the exact opposite of the books penned by her father, the legendary Broadway composer Richard Rodgers, and her mother Dorothy Rodgers. “Mary didn’t want it to be fake like her parents’ memoirs had been,” said Jesse Green, the co-author of Mary Rodgers’ recently released memoir “Shy.” Speaking on the new episode of Stagecraft, Variety‘s theater podcast, Green explained, “She wanted it to spark with the actual sound of people enjoying thinking about their lives.”

By Gordon Cox