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April 16, 2020: Jesus Christ Superstar and Of Mice and Men return to Broadway, and Kelli O’Hara celebrated her birthday in style with Lincoln Center

April 16, 2020: Jesus Christ Superstar and Of Mice and Men return to Broadway, and Kelli O’Hara celebrated her birthday in style with Lincoln Center... Read More

From the show: Today in Theatre History, presented by Playbill

3 mins
4/16/20

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April 16, 2020: Jesus Christ Superstar and Of Mice and Men return to Broadway, and Kelli O’Hara celebrated her birthday in style with Lincoln Center

Transcript

This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:05] Mark Peikert: Good morning and happy April 16th.

[0:08] Mark Peikert: I'm Mark Peikert, the editor in chief of Playbill, and you're listening to Today in Theatre History.

[0:15] Mark Peikert: Fifi Dorsay was born today in 1904.

[0:18] Mark Peikert: The Canadian postal clerk's daughter moved to New York City, told everyone she was from France and had worked at the Follies Bergère, and became Fifi Dorsay.

[0:28] Mark Peikert: The last name came from a favorite perfume.

[0:31] Mark Peikert: Known today for her turn in Follies on Broadway, she was responsible for popularizing the phrase Oulala in America.

[0:38] Mark Peikert: She never visited France.

[0:42] Mark Peikert: August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, the 1930s installment of his Century Cycle, opened at the Walter Kerr Theater in 1990.

[0:51] Mark Peikert: Charles S. Dutton starred alongside Essa Patha Merkison as siblings in 1930s Pittsburgh, who struggle over the choice to sell a family heirloom.

[1:00] Mark Peikert: The play earned Playwright Wilson his second Pulitzer Prize for drama.

[1:07] Mark Peikert: Palm Sunday in 2000 saw the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar open on Broadway at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

[1:16] Mark Peikert: A year later, Proof won the Pulitzer Prize for Playwright David Auburn on April 16th.

[1:41] Mark Peikert: The memorable title from an Eleanor Wiley poem.

[1:47] Mark Peikert: James Franco and Chris O'Dowd made their Broadway debuts in a 2014 revival of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men at the Long Acre Theater.

[1:56] Mark Peikert: Anna DeShapiro directed the play, which Steinbeck had adapted from his novel, About Two Migrant Field Hands During the Great Depression.

[2:06] Mark Peikert: Kelli O'Hara celebrated her birthday in style today in 2015 when Lincoln Center Theater's revival of The King and I, starring O'Hara and Ken Watanabe, opened on Broadway.

[2:17] Mark Peikert: The production took home four Tony Awards, including Best Actress.

[2:23] Mark Peikert: For more theater history, visit Playbill.com.

[2:26] Mark Peikert: And for more great podcasts, visit BroadwayPodcastNetwork.com.

© Broadway Podcast Network, All Rights Reserved

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