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HAIL TO THE CHIEFS! (11)

52 REASONS TO CELEBRATE GREASE By Peter Filichia

Considering that anniversaries are deemed significant when they end in “5” or “0,” why make a big deal of GREASE’s 52nd? Yet 52 is an apt number because young producers Ken Waissman and Maxine Fox proved that by bringing this ‘50s rock musical to Broadway they were indeed playing with a full deck. In honor […]

HAIL TO THE CHIEFS! (10)

THAT NIGHT ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW By Peter Filichia

On February 9, we’ll celebrate the 60th anniversary of what was then the most-watched event in television history. No fewer than 73,000,000 viewers tuned in to The Ed Sullivan Show that Sunday night in 1964 to see a British sensation. It was OLIVER! – the musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ OLIVER TWIST. Yes, Lionel Bart’s […]

HAIL TO THE CHIEFS! (9)

MORE THAN ONCE UPON A MATTRESS By Peter Filichia 

So, for the first time since the Sarah Jessica Parker revival in 1996, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS was back in the Broadway theater district last week. Although more than a quarter century has passed since the musical’s run at the Broadhurst, here’s betting that most everyone who attended Encores! had already seen at least one […]

HAIL TO THE CHIEFS! (8)

THE BEST CONCERT OF THE ‘80S By Peter Filichia

Ever hear of PopDaze? The website, we’re told, is “the place to learn, interact, and relive your youth with other fans, as you explore and play with the music, entertainment, and pop culture of the second half of the 20th Century.” So, PopDaze asked the question, “What was your favorite concert in the 1980s?” Some […]

HAIL TO THE CHIEFS! (7)

HELLO, 60TH! By Peter Filichia

So, what does January 16, 2024, mean to musical theater fans? The 60th anniversary of the Broadway opening of HELLO, DOLLY! Let’s celebrate with 60 facts, observations and rumors. 1. DOLLY was ostensibly adapted from Thornton Wilder’s 1955 play THE MATCHMAKER, but its true inspiration was the 1958 film version. Both dispensed with the play’s […]

Peter Filichia is the theater critic emeritus for the Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey and News 12 New Jersey.

He is a columnist each Friday for www.mtishows.com and www.kritzerland.com.

Filichia is the author of Let’s Put on a Musical, now in its third printing; Broadway Musicals: The Biggest Hit of the Season / The Biggest Flop of the Season and Broadway Musical MVPs 1960-2010: The Most Valuable Players of the Last 50 Seasons. His new book, Strippers, Showgirls, and Sharks will be published in May, 2013 by St. Martin’s Press.

He has been a columnist for Playbill, Theater.com, Theatermania and Theater Week.

Before joining the Theatre World Awards in 1996 as host and head of the selection committee, Filichia served four terms as president of the Drama Desk. He has served on an assessment panel for the National Endowment for the Arts, and is currently critic-in-residence for the University of Cincinnati-Conservatory of Music and the musical theater judge for the ASCAP Awards program.