Selected Articles
The Unsung Woman Behind 'Funny Girl'
June 21, 2022
For Hey Alma:
Before there was Beanie, or even Barbra, there was Isobel.
Isobel Lennart was the unsung woman behind “Funny Girl.” She wrote the original story, the book for the Broadway musical and the screenplay for the film adaptation. She was an ambitious and funny Jewish woman whose best-known work was about an ambitious and funny Jewish woman, but her achievements have been virtually forgotten in musical theatre history.
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My Unfair Lady: Why Are Smart Women in Musicals Treated So Poorly By Men?
July 13, 2023
For TDF Stages: A personal essay exploring why intelligent, ambitious women deserve better musical theatre role models.
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Learn about Oscar Levant before seeing 'Good Night, Oscar' on Broadway
May 3, 2023
For New York Theatre Guide: Doug Wright's new Broadway play focuses on the day the pianist and composer went down in history for his wit, candidly discussing his mental health on live TV.
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Making History By Making 'KPOP' Bops
November 23, 2022
The Unsung Jewish Woman Behind "Funny Girl"
June 21, 2022
For Hey Alma: Before Beanie or Babs, there was Isobel Lennart. It's time to reclaim her legacy.
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Describing How Art Feels and Checking Bias: My Week at Virtual Critics Camp
July 28, 2020
For American Theatre: If the work of criticism is engaging empathetically with the world, the work is never done, as this year’s Zoom-only National Critics Institute affirmed.
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Jayne Houdyshell and Elizabeth Marvel in Conversation
May 28, 2019
For The Interval: I recently sat down with Jayne Houdyshell and Elizabeth Marvel for a conversation about asserting oneself in a man’s world, the nihilism of King Lear, and why Shakespeare defies time, space, and gender.
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Season of the Female Music Director
December 17, 2018
For The Interval: Over the past three months, I’ve interviewed music directors, ranging from well-established to early career. Many spoke of the challenges they’ve faced, but they were also fairly optimistic about the direction in which the industry is headed, and interested in attempts to right the systemic wrongs of gender bias within theatre.
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Kenita Miller on “Once on This Island”
March 14, 2018
For The Interval: I recently spoke with Kenita Miller about how her own mom’s missionary work in hurricane-ravaged Haiti inspired her current portrayal of Mama Euralie and why she thinks art can be a conversation starter about rebuilding community, as well as a reflection of life.
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Lillian Hellman’s Regina Giddens: The Theatre’s Original “Nasty Woman”
June 9, 2017
For The Interval: Nearly 80 years after "Little Foxes" debuted, the play is still fighting to prove its worth. Just as there is no male equivalent for “bitch,” there seems to have historically been no real equivalent critical response to similarly strong, complex female characters in plays by men.
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How Hal Prince's Spirit Helped Beowulf Boritt with the Set for 'New York, New York'
June 2, 2023
For TDF Stages: The Tony-winning scenic designer talks about how he made it through his busiest Broadway season ever
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She Danced for Fosse, Now She's Updating Him
March 16, 2023
For TDF Stages: After performing in the original production, Kirsten Childs returns to Bob Fosse's Dancin' in a new role: writer.
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The Power of Putting New Faces on Our Founding Fathers in "1776"
October 6, 2022
For TDF Stages: Carolee Carmello and Allyson Kaye Daniel on starring in the reimagined Broadway revival.
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Music Coordinators on Broadway
June 20, 2022
For Maestra: How are Broadway music coordinators becoming powerful tools for fostering equity instead of perpetuating the status quo?
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Celebrating Maestras in the Time of COVID
June 30, 2020
For Maestra: What was it lik to achieve a longtime career goal only to find the entire industry (and the world at large) grinding to a halt?
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Stephanie Hsu on "Be More Chill" and More
April 23, 2019
For The Interval: I recently spoke with Stephanie Hsu about the similarities and differences between experimental and commercial theatre, what playing Christine in "Be More Chill" has taught her, and why she enjoys originating roles.
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An Interview with Set Designer Christine Jones
May 31, 2018
For The Interval: I recently spoke with Tony Award winner Christine Jones about her approach to designing the set for the well-known and beloved wizarding world and her impressions of the ways in which the field of set design has changed for young women who are just starting out.
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From Anatevka to “Rags”: Judy Kuhn and Samantha Massell
November 17, 2017
For The Interval: I recently spoke with former "Fiddler" mother and daughter Judy Kuhn and Samantha Massell about their respective experiences working on the original Broadway production of "Rags" and on the current revisal at the Goodspeed Opera House.
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V-Day in TrumpLand: Exploring the Relevance of “The Vagina Monologues”
February 13, 2017
For The Interval: In the days surrounding Trump’s inauguration, I spoke with students involved in V-Day productions of "The Vagina Monologues" on campuses in red states and swing states in the heart of the country.
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How 'The Thanksgiving Play' Is a Cautionary Tale About Education
May 3, 2023
For TDF Stages: Playwright Larissa FastHorse and director Rachel Chavkin on why this show hits so hard right now.
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Micaela Diamond’s Jewishness Shines Through in ‘Parade’
March 15, 2023
For Hey Alma: In the Broadway musical opening this week, Diamond's Lucille Frank struggles to reconcile her Jewish and Southern identities.
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Jodi Picoult and the Team Behind Between the Lines Reflect on the Power of Female Voices in Theater
August 5, 2022
For TheaterMania: Between the Lines writers Samsel, Anderson, and Picoult, as well as performer Julia Murney, recently shared their experiences working on this new musical and what it means to tell stories by women and about women — especially at this moment in time.
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Maestras Back on Broadway: A Look at Theater’s Reopening from the Perspective of Women Musicians
January 7, 2022
For Maestra: Broadway is back! But what was it like to return to the Broadway stage (or pit) after so many months away?
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Why Do We Reduce “Little Women’s” March Sisters to Types?
February 7, 2020
For Women and Hollywood: Ever since “Little Women” was published in 1868, critics struggled to view the March sisters as fully actualized young women, instead of dolls to typecast.
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Kate Baldwin on "Superhero," Developing New Musicals, and More
March 25, 2019
For The Interval: I recently sat down with two time Tony Award nominee Kate Baldwin for a conversation about her approach to the character of Charlotte in "Superhero," why working on new musicals is a deep emotional investment, and what ambition means to her.
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An Interview with Lauren Ridloff
May 2, 2018
For The Interval: I recently sat down with Children of a Lesser God's Lauren Ridloff, as well as with her interpreter Candace Broecker-Penn, for a conversation on the ways in which Lauren relates to her character Sarah, how the play helps her empower her own children, and the importance of people truly listening to one another.
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Theatre Without Borders: Teaching Artists in 2017
September 28, 2017
For The Interval: As the country sizzled with intolerance and fear in the wake of Charlottesville, I spoke with eleven theatrical teaching artists about why providing arts education opportunities to students who might not have it otherwise is even more crucial in our current turbulent times.
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Elizabeth Swados: A Legacy
June 27, 2016
For The Interval: Elizabeth Swados left behind an impressive theatrical legacy not only in terms of her shows, but also in how profoundly she impacted young people, and notably, the young women with whom she had worked.
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