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[0:05] Mark Peikert: Good morning, theater lover, and happy September.

[0:08] Mark Peikert: I'm Mark Peikert, host of Today in Theatre History, and you're tuning in to September 14th through September 20th.

[0:18] Mark Peikert: In 1916, the Longacre Theater is the host for the September 14th opening night of New Comedy by James Montgomery, Nothing But the Truth.

[0:27] Mark Peikert: William Collier stars in the play that follows a stockbroker, trying not to tell a lie for 24 hours in order to win a $10,000 bet.

[0:39] Mark Peikert: In 1960, Betty Davis, Clark Allen, and Leif Erickson take part in staged readings of The World of Carl Sandberg.

[0:48] Mark Peikert: The poetry-based piece runs at Henry Miller's Theatre until October 8th.

[0:55] Mark Peikert: 1972 sees the opening night of Jason Miller's That Championship Season about the reunion of a high school basketball team at which many long-buried truths are revealed.

[1:05] Mark Peikert: It runs 700 performances and wins the Pulitzer Prize for drama.

[1:12] Mark Peikert: In 1989, the first Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's musical Sweeney Todd opens at the Circle in the Square.

[1:19] Mark Peikert: Beth Fowler and Bob Gunton star in the production, which previously played a sold-out off-Broadway engagement at the York Theater Company.

[1:27] Mark Peikert: It runs 188 performances.

[1:45] Mark Peikert: The musical features classic songs of the 50s and 60s in a journey back to the 1958 Springfield High School Prom.

[1:54] Mark Peikert: In 2015, Nicole Kidman returns to the London stage for the first time since 1998's The Blue Room in Anna Ziegler's Photograph 51, opening at the Noel Coward Theater.

[2:08] Mark Peikert: September 15, 1925, Michael Arlen's romantic drama The Green Hat opens at the Broadhurst.

[2:15] Mark Peikert: Catherine Cornell stars as Iris March, a character who is described by Alexander Wolcott as a shameful, shameless lady.

[2:22] Mark Peikert: Leslie Howard co-stars.

[2:27] Mark Peikert: September 16, 1924, Lauren Bacall is born.

[2:31] Mark Peikert: Bacall, who enjoys a long career in Hollywood before turning increasingly to theater in the 60s, stars in such Broadway shows as Cactus Flower, Waiting in the Wings, Applaws, and Woman of the Year.

[2:43] Mark Peikert: She wins Tony Awards as Best Actress in a Musical for her performances in the latter two shows.

[2:53] Mark Peikert: In 1926, a detective story titled Broadway opens a 600 performance run.

[2:58] Mark Peikert: It's co-written and co-directed by future Broadway legend George Abbott, his first big hit in those two capacities.

[3:08] Mark Peikert: September 17th, 2000, the first Broadway revival of Gore Vidal's 1960 political drama, The Best Man, opens at the Virginia Theater.

[3:17] Mark Peikert: The production plays a limited run through December 31st, closing after 121 performances.

[3:23] Mark Peikert: The production is memorable for setting up a voting booth in the lobby and letting ticket holders vote for the president.

[3:30] Mark Peikert: Vice President Al Gore beats Governor George W. Bush decisively, but the November general election has a surprise in store.

[3:40] Mark Peikert: September 18th, 1985, Song and Dance, an interpretation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's music, opens at the Royale Theater.

[3:47] Mark Peikert: Bernadette Peters co-stars with Christopher Dambois.

[3:50] Mark Peikert: The musical ran in London for several previous years and includes the music of Lloyd Webber's album Variations, and the songs from a cycle by Webber and Don Black called Tell Me on a Sunday.

[4:00] Mark Peikert: It runs on Broadway for 474 performances.

[4:04] Mark Peikert: Bernadette Peters wins the Tony Award, and Betty Buckley is eventually her replacement.

[4:12] Mark Peikert: In 2014, a Broadway revival of A.R. Gurney's Love Letters, featuring a rotating company of stars, opens at the Brooks Atkinson Theater.

[4:20] Mark Peikert: Brian Dennehy and Mia Farrow are the first to appear, with Carol Burnett, Alan Alda, and Candace Bergen joining later in the run.

[4:28] Mark Peikert: Although Angelica Houston, Stacey Keach, Diana Rigg, and Martin Sheen are announced to join the production in its later weeks.

[4:35] Mark Peikert: Poor ticket sales force it to close before their planned start dates.

[4:41] Mark Peikert: September 20, 1955, The Threepenny Opera was a flop in its 1933 original Broadway production, but its off-Broadway revival, with a new translation by Mark Blitzstein, is a sensation and goes on to run more than 2,600 performances.

[4:57] Mark Peikert: The cast includes B. Arthur, John Aston, Joe Sullivan, and Vile's widow, Lotta Lenya.

[5:03] Mark Peikert: Despite being an off-Broadway production, Scott Merrill and Lenya are both nominated for Tony Awards, and Lenya wins for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

[5:14] Mark Peikert: In 1978, the musical revue Yubi, celebrating the music of Yubi Blake, opens at Broadway's Ambassador Theater.

[5:22] Mark Peikert: The production features Gregory Hines and brother Maurice Hines in the cast.

[5:26] Mark Peikert: At the opening night curtain, 95-year-old Blake takes a bow.

[5:29] Mark Peikert: The show lasts 439 performances.

[5:36] Mark Peikert: In 2001, Greg Cotis and Mark Holman's Year in Town opens on Broadway, having worked its way up from Fringe Festival to Off-Broadway to Broadway, and having postponed its planned September 13th opening in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

[5:50] Mark Peikert: The oddly titled and themed musical goes on to win 2002 Tony Awards for Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Direction of a Musical for John Rando.

[6:03] Mark Peikert: For more theater history, visit Playbill.com.

[6:06] Mark Peikert: And for more great podcasts, visit BroadwayPodcastNetwork.com.