24 Broadway News Stories from 2024

Here is a selection of 24 in-depth stories from Broadway News in 2024. We'll see you in 2025!

How ‘Hills of California’ author Jez Butterworth writes plays that haunt

The Tony Award-winning scribe of “The Ferryman” discusses the impetus behind his latest drama, his lengthy process and the distinctions between “Hills” and his other works.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

Creating a ‘cutting-edge’ musical with ‘Redwood’

Co-conceivers Tina Landau and Idina Menzel, producer Eva Price and other team members walk us through their unprecedented process.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

How Michael Jackson’s former choreographers and a ballet director united to create the dance of ‘MJ The Musical’

Director-choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and Jackson movement experts Rich + Tone describe staging the hit show.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

How ‘Hadestown’ went from surprise Off-Broadway hit to Broadway mainstay

Producer Mara Isaacs discusses the choices she and her team made to get “Hadestown” to its fifth anniversary on Broadway.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

How a new generation of producers is transforming Broadway

A cohort of producers, including Ben Holtzman, Thomas Laub, Sammy Lopez, Greg Nobile, Alyah Chanelle Scott, Heather Shields and Rachel Sussman, discuss their vision for Broadway.

Broadway NewsGordon Cox

‘The Outsiders’: anatomy of a rumble

Tony Award-nominated director Danya Taymor, choreographers Rick and Jeff Kuperman, sound designer Cody Spencer and more describe what it took to create the breathtaking brawl in the new Broadway musical.

Broadway NewsJeryl Brunner

Gareth Owen explains how he makes sonic experiences on Broadway

The Tony Award-winning sound designer of “MJ,” now nominated for “Hell’s Kitchen,” breaks down the obstacles he overcomes to create award-worthy sound design.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

Meet the two best friends managing the 2024 Tony Award-winning best shows

“Stereophonic” company manager Lizz Cone and “Outsiders” production stage manager Beverly Jenkins came up in the industry together.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

Inside the design innovation of ‘Back to the Future’

Video designer Finn Ross on creating onstage time travel

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

American Theatre Wing’s Heather Hitchens on creating a national culture of theater

In the final part of this Q&A series, the Wing’s president and CEO proposes a necessary reframing of the arts in American society and how to start.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

What do ‘Days of Wine and Roses,’ ‘The Notebook’ and ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ have in common? Director Michael Greif

With a 28-year Broadway directing career, Greif has crafted three entirely different but equally cogent musicals for one helluva season.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

Is a January slump inevitable or surmountable?

Charlotte St. Martin, TodayTix’s Tracy Geltman and more discuss why the start of a new year is historically tough for Broadway, what to expect for January 2024 and how shows can weather the winter months.

Broadway NewsNaveen Kumar

Unlocking the score of Broadway’s ‘Outsiders’

Songwriters Justin Levine and Jamestown Revival’s Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance explain how freeing themselves from a “musical theater sound” led to the most authentic musical theater sound of all.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

Broadway’s ‘Aladdin’ used to be an entirely different show

Upon celebrating its 10th anniversary, producers Thomas Schumacher and Anne Quart, director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw and librettist Chad Beguelin detail the overhaul between the out-of-town and Main Stem productions that they credit with making the musical a long-running success.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

13 must-know moments from inside the Tony Awards press room

Sarah Paulson, Jeremy Strong, Kara Young, Will Brill and more share previously unknown details about their respective shows, react to the broadcast in real time and celebrate Broadway.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

With ‘Days of Wine and Roses,’ Adam Guettel offers profound emotional exploration through music

The composer-lyricist, with stars Kelli O’Hara and Brian d’Arcy James and director Michael Greif, dissects the viscerality in the new musical’s score.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

When scenic designers transform entire theaters

Tony Award nominees David Korins and Tom Scutt delve into their processes of designing and remodeling Broadway houses to tell the stories of musicals “Here Lies Love” and “Cabaret,” respectively.

Broadway NewsNaveen Kumar

Musicals vs. Plays: How the 2023-2024 Broadway season measures up to those past

Broadway News examines the total number of openings in the 2023-2024 Broadway season compared to years past.

Broadway NewsMichael Abourizk

In ‘Water for Elephants,’ circus moves aren’t just tricks; they’re storytelling

Co-choreographer and circus designer Shana Carroll and co-choreographer Jesse Robb describe crafting the musical’s seamless movement through acrobatics and dance.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

CAST ALBUM WEEK: In this series, Broadway News delved into the creation of a cast recording. Each part breaks down a single phase of the process: pre-production (preparations before recording), production (recording in the studio), post-production (editing, mixing and mastering after recording) and the selling of the final album.

What it takes to win the Best Musical Theater Album Grammy Award — and more

The Recording Academy’s musical theater genre manager breaks down eligibility, the entry and voting processes, category changes that affect theater artists and what voters are listening for.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

How to make a cast album

Tony Award winner Tom Kitt, Sony Masterworks’ Scott Farthing and more reveal their process — starting with everything that happens before recording.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

Inside the cast album recording studio

In the next part of the cast album series, learn what happens during recording.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

The final steps for making a cast album

Breaking down the post-production process of editing, mixing and mastering that yields the finished recording

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

The marketing of cast albums

Sony Masterworks’ Scott Farthing discusses not only how the label markets albums, but how albums are a crucial tool to market Broadway.

Broadway NewsRuthie Fierberg

PODCASTS: Broadway News launched three new podcasts this year!

"Who Were The Comedian Harmonists? The True Story Behind Broadway's Harmony" - “Harmony” and Broadway News collaborated to create a companion podcast to the musical in order to uncover the full story of the Comedian Harmonists, beyond what audiences could witness onstage. Listen here!

“5 minutes with a Tony nominee” - Two days after Tony nominations were announced, the press had a chance to speak with the individual artists nominated for 2024 Tony Awards at a press junket. With approximately 140 nominees, Broadway News' Ruthie Fierberg spoke with as many as she could— which resulted in bite-size but rewarding conversations. Listen here!

“Broadway Press Day with Ruthie Fierberg” - This audio series takes listeners inside the press junkets for new productions on the Main Stem including A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, Our Town, Left on Tenth, Maybe Happy Ending, Gypsy and Eureka Day. Listen here!