Musical Theater

Meet Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Genius Behind "Hamilton," Broadway's Newest Hit

Composer, lyricist and performer, Miranda wows audiences and upends U.S. history with his dazzlingly fresh hip-hop musical

Tony Award winner Geoffrey Holder's ingenious design used a skillet to complete the Tin Man’s hat in the 1975 Broadway production of The Wiz.

The Tin Man's Hat From "The Wiz" Offers Just a Hint of the Musical's Beating Heart

When the all-black musical production opened on Broadway 40 years ago, critics scoffed, but audiences embraced it

From left: Princess Tiger Lily, Indian Chief and Peter Pan as depicted in the 1953 film.

The Racist History of Peter Pan's Indian Tribe

Even in the early 20th century, though, critics saw Tiger Lily and her fellow "Picaninnies" as caricatures

Zero Mostel in the original Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof.

Six Things You May Not Have Known About Fiddler on the Roof

As the acclaimed musical turns 50 years old this week, relive the tradition with these interesting factoids

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You Otter Believe These Zoo Animals Can Play the Piano, the Harmonica and the Xylophone

D.C.'s hottest summer concert is brought to us by an unlikely source: a bevy of animal musicians

New to the collections: Actor Reeve Carney's red and blue spandex bodysuit, which he wore while starring in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

'Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark' Suit Receives a Lifetime Encore at the American History Museum

After a two-year run on Broadway, the web-slinging stage show's iconic superhero costume is heading to the Smithsonian.

Hustle through America's Huckster History with a Smithsonian Curator as Your Guide

A blow by blow of the flimflams and tales of hustlers throughout history, art and literature

Tenor Darren Abraham plays Albert White, the previously unsung steelworker and bicycling champ.

An Opera for an English Olympic Hero

Lal White was forgotten by many, even residents of his small English factory town, but the whimsical Cycle Song hopes to change that

Neil Young

Musicians on the Road: Film vs. Reality

How Hollywood portrays musicians—rock, jazz and country—as they tour

Julia Roberts and Lily Collins star in Relativity Media's Mirror Mirror

Which is the Fairest Snow White of Them All?

With two big-screen adaptations about to arrive, here are earlier versions of the fairy tale that you might want to see

A poster for the musical Stormy Weather

Celebrating the Nicholas Brothers

A compilation tribute to the extraordinary dance team of Fayard and Harold Nicholas

Stephen King's Carrie was a best-selling novel and a popular 1976 film, but it did not, however, make for an equally successful Broadway musical in 1988.

Broadway’s Top Ten Musical Flops

With the imminent re-opening of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, we look back on some of the most memorable failures in musical theater history

George Gershwin's time in the Carolinas launched the musician on such a spree of creativity that it led to what some critics call one of his finest works.

Summertime for George Gershwin

Porgy and Bess debuted 75 years ago this fall, but a visit to South Carolina the year before gave life to Gershwin's masterpiece

Irving Berlin singing at the dedication of the Los Angeles City Hall.

Jewish Songwriters, American Songs

Poet David Lehman talks about the brilliant Jewish composers and lyricists whose work largely comprises the great American songbook

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On the Job: Broadway Producer

Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller tells us what it takes to stage a hit musical

"We must have run up and down that street 300 times," recalls co-star Carol Lawrence (with Larry Kert).

West Side Glory

Out of Hell's Kitchen came an image that would epitomize one of Broadway's greatest love stories

The Curiosity of Cats

When the musical opened on Broadway, 25 years ago, few predicted its amazing success—or what it would mean for composer Andrew Lloyd Webber

Radio City Music Hall at Rockefeller Center in New York City

Encore, Encore: Brand-Name Broadway

Jeff Marx and Bobby Lopez at work on Avenue Q.

Broadway, Inc.

With shows like Legally Blonde and Wicked, the era of the name-brand musical is in full swing

Although loosely based on The Supremes (above), the movie Dreamgirls is a work of fiction. The real story of the 1960s girl groups, however, changed American music forever.

The Real Dreamgirls

How girl groups changed American music

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