Playbill celebrates legendary women of theatre by highlighting some of Broadway’s biggest stars in Act 2...Now What?!

Andy Karl and Barrett Doss star in the Broadway musical at the August Wilson Theatre,

Nicholas Barasch, Kyle Scatliffe, and Lauren Worsham star in the New York City Center Encores! production of Big River.

Kristin Chenoweth met up with the Playbill team at the showroom of fashion designer Christian Siriano for an interview and photo op for the November edition of the magazine. For the cover photo of her new album The Art of Elegance, Chenoweth chose to wear a Siriano gown that she will also feature in her Broadway concert event My Love Letter to Broadway. In this exclusive video, we take a look at Siriano’s work as Chenoweth explains her attraction to the gown that she has dubbed “timeless and Kristin.”

Kristin Chenoweth sat down with MetroFocus host Jack Ford to discuss her upcoming fall Broadway concert engagement My Love Letter to Broadway and her role as Velma Von Tussle in NBC’s Hairspray Live! The full interview will air on MetroFocus September 29 at 6 PM on Thirteen and at 7 PM on WLIW21. For extended interview, visit metrofocus.org.

Sara Bareilles (music and lyrics), Diane Paulus (director) and Jessie Nelson (book) took the stage at BroadwayCon to chat with Playbill's Blake Ross about the gestation of the screen-to-stage adaptation of the new musical. Bareilles capped off the event with a surprise performance.

Lisa Kron, Judy Kuhn, Michael Cerveris and Emily Skeggs took the stage at BroadwayCon to talk about the challenges of working on a musical adapted from a memoir in the form of a graphic novel.

BroadwayCon hosted a panel of Fiddler on the Roof cast members featuring Adam Kantor, Jessica Hecht, Michael C. Bernardi, Jeffrey Schecter, Alexandra Silber and Samantha Massell. Here, they discuss how their own Jewish heritages informed — or were informed by — performing in the classic musical.

LaChanze, Carly Hughes, Norm Lewis and Chuck Cooper chatted about the lasting legacy of Cabin in the Sky and the societal importance of telling stories about African-American culture.

In honor of Jewish tradition, we took to the red carpet on opening night of Fiddler on the Roof to ask the show's stars (and star-studded attendees) to decode a few Yiddish sayings. So, what does "schtup" mean, and why did Bernadette Peters pass on answering? Find out in this video.

As Sam Shepard's Fool For Love comes to the end of its Broadway run, Gordon Joseph Weiss, who plays The Old Man in the production, sat down with Playbill to ruminate upon his mysterious character. As he intersects with troubled lovers Eddie (Sam Rockwell) and May (Nina Arianda), the audience is forced to wonder if the character actually exists in the universe of the play, if he is otherworldy or if he is a figment of Eddie and May's imaginations. Performances run through Dec. 13 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. See show details.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, Christopher Jackson, Jonathan Groff and Leslie Odom, Jr. met the press after the opening night performance of Hamilton. Miranda spoke about the gestation of the show and getting recognition from President Obama. His castmates heaped praise on him and celebrated the history-making show.

Rent star Taye Diggs will return to Broadway July 22, succeeding Darren Criss in the Tony-winning revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. At a media event, Diggs spoke to Playbill about how he's been preparing for his first foray into makeup and heels, and his long-time love of the musical. Take a look at Taye Diggs in his first promo shot for Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

On June 25th, NT Live will re-broadcast a captured performance of The Audience to cinemas worldwide. 2015 Tony Award winners Helen Mirren and Richard McCabe lead the cast of Peter Morgan's play that imagines 60 years of conversations between Queen Elizabeth II and Britain's Prime Ministers. In this exclusive clip from a video that will introduce the re-broadcast, director Stephen Daldry and Mirren chat about how to reach the audience of a play vs. that of a film and how NT Live gives an audience the sense of actually being in the theatre.

Ann Hampton Callaway's new cabaret show On My Way to You takes its title from the Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman tune that wonders if even slightly different paths taken might have kept lovers apart. In this exclusive video celebrating Playbill's 30 Days of Pride, Callaway performs the song, discusses how she crossed paths with her wife (they were married in November) and how she celebrates her identity "shouting to the rooftops."

An Act of God and "The Big Bang Theory" star Jim Parsons chatted with Playbill at a recent media day and revealed how coming out was a "necessary thing" and how he sees the honesty about his identity affecting his professional life. See highlights from An Act of God.

At a recent media event, stars Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo and Danielle Brooks were joined by director John Doyle to chat about the upcoming Broadway revival of The Color Purple, the power of the story and their connection to the original source material. The pared-down production was first seen at London's Menier Chocolate Factory, directed and designed by Doyle. Read the Playbill story.

Jonathan Groff will star in New York City Center's Encores! Off Center Production of A New Brain, a show he's loved since he was a young theatre fan. The William Finn (book, music and lyrics) and James Lapine (book) musical draws from Finn's real life experiences battling a brain tumor. Here, Groff tells the tale of a surreal phone call from Jeanine Tesori that brought him to the production.

An Act of God is a David Javerbaum's new comedy in which Jim Parsons plays the most holy and divine of beings, with Tim Kazurinsky and Christopher Fitzgerald as his attending angels. Here, the cast and creator chat about how the show takes on religion in a fun and funny way.

April 13 was the biggest night of the year in West End theatre as the Olivier Awards were presented in a ceremony held at London's Royal Opera House. Dame Judi Dench (Peter and Alice), Gavin Creel (The Book of Mormon), Lesley Manville (Ghosts), Douglas Hodge (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and many other nominees were joined on the red carpet by hosts Gemma Arterton and Stephen Mangan, as well as several presenters and special guest performers. Big winners included Broadway transfers The Book of Mormon and Once. Read the Playbill story.

Wicked alumni Julia Murney, Joel Grey, Teal Wicks, Jayne Houdyshell, Katie Rose Clarke and Michelle Federer chatted with Playbill immediately following the historic 10th anniversary performance of the Broadway production. The group reflected on their own experiences in the show, the current cast and why the Stephen Schwartz musical has become a modern classic. See the interviews with the current Wicked cast.

The August episode of "On Stage Across America" features an in-depth interview with legendary The Who rocker, Pete Townshend, who discusses Tommy and a new production of the famous rock musical being staged at the Stratford Festival. "On Stage Across America" co-hosts, NY1's Frank DiLella and Playbill's own Blake Ross, try their hands at a Broadway "first date" with the stars of the new musical First Date, Krysta Rodriguez and Zachary Levi. The show also travels to Lincoln, Nebraska for the 50th annual Thespian Festival, a right of passage for aspiring musical theatre performers. On the first Saturday of each month, "On Stage Across America" will bring interviews with Broadway stars, writers, producers and directors, as well as the latest backstage theatre scoop, to Time Warner subscribers across the U.S. Click here for your local listings.

The next episode of "On Stage Across America" will feature an exclusive with "Glee"'s Matthew Morrison, a behind-the-scenes chat with the newly-minted 2013 Tony Award winners, an on the road look at the sensational group The Midtown Men and more!
On the first Saturday of each month, "On Stage Across America" — a new monthly series uniting Playbill Magazine and Time Warner Cable news channel NY1 — will bring interviews with Broadway stars, writers, producers and directors, as well as the latest backstage theatre scoop, to Time Warner subscribers across the U.S. Each show will also include a list of theatre events relevant to your local market. The series will also be available on local On Demand channels in TWC markets. Click here for your local listings.

Stars Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez were joined by librettist Austin Winsberg ("Gossip Girl"), songwriters Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner (Secondhand Lions, Twice Charmed), director Bill Berry, choreographer Josh Rhodes and several company members as they sat down to chat about the new musical First Date, as well as their own real life experiences on first dates.

In this preview for the next episode of "On Stage Across America," we catch up with Broadway's Aaron Tveit, chat with the 2013 Tony nominees, examine the ultimate real-life "High School Musical," and visit a 70-year-old theatre tradition. On the first Saturday of each month, "On Stage Across America" — a new monthly series uniting Playbill Magazine and Time Warner Cable news channel NY1 — will bring interviews with Broadway stars, writers, producers and directors, as well as the latest backstage theatre scoop, to Time Warner subscribers across the U.S. Each show will also include a list of theatre events relevant to your local market. The series will also be available on local On Demand channels in TWC markets. Click here for your local listings.

Laura Osnes (nominated for Best Actress in a Musical) and Douglas Carter Beane (nominated for Best Book of a Musical) represented Cinderella at the 2013 Tony nominations media junket. Osnes spoke of high school theatre roles and her commitment to the Broadway stage; Beane spoke of an early-in-life connection to Cinderella, as well as his process for revamping the book of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Watch interviews with the Tony-nominated stars of Pippin.

Valisia LeKae (Best Actress in a Musical) and Charl Brown (Best Featured Actor in a Musical) received 2013 Tony nominations for their work in Berry Gordy's Motown The Musical, a true-to-life account of the early days of the famous record label. The two stars met with Playbill to chat about the unforgettable music, working with Gordy and meeting Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson, the real-life icons they portrayed in the show. Watch interviews with the Tony-nominated stars of Pippin.

Patina Miller, Andrea Martin and Terrence Mann represented Pippin at the 2013 Tony nominee media day which was held at NYC's Millennium Broadway Hotel. The nominated trio (Best Actress in a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical, respectively) chatted about why the revival of the Stephen Schwartz classic followed along in the tradition of Bob Fosse while at the same time adding a new (and very challenging!) cirque element. Watch interviews with Matilda's 2013 Tony nominees.

In a reimagined Pippin on Broadway, director Diane Paulus brings new and old to the coming-of-age musical: She weaves new circus elements with Bob Fosse-style choreography based on the original 1972 production. Paulus sought out Chet Walker, himself a member of the original company of the Stephen Schwartz classic, to channel the work of the master choreographer Fosse. Paulus, Walker, cirque creator Gypsy Snider and stars Patina Miller and Matthew James Thomas talk about the techniques and experience of melding the two worlds. Read the Playbill interview with Paulus at the time of the A.R.T. tryout of Pippin.

New York City Center Encores! opens its 2013 season Jan. 30-Feb. 3 with Fiorello!, the same musical that kicked off its inaugural season back in 1994. The Pulitzer Prize-winning 1959 show charts the rise of New York City Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia as he went from immigrant's son to feisty Congressman battling the political machine. Cast members Danny Rutigliano, Shuler Hensley and Emily Skinner, and lyricist Sheldon Harnick, talked to Playbill about the legendary mayor, the show's music and the experience of working on an Encores! concert production. Read Encores! artistic director Jack Viertel's essay about the musical Concert-Revival, and the Playbill interview with Harnick.

The cast and creatives of Golden Age took time out from a promotional photo shoot to chat about the rueful new backstage comedy, the world of opera and the work of playwright Terrence McNally. Stars Lee Pace (who plays 19th-century composer Vincenzo Bellini), Bebe Neuwirth (as famous opera singer Maria Malibran) and Will Rogers (as patron and friend Francesco Florimo) are joined by Manhattan Theatre Club artistic director Lynne Meadow, MTC artistic producer Mandy Greenfield and director Walter Bobbie to chat about their passion for this fictional look at the opening night of the opera I Puritani. Read the recent interview with McNally here.

Broadway stepped up its game Aug. 1 when Bring It On: The Musical, the new pop-fueled musical inspired by the popular film franchise about rival cheerleading teams, opened on Broadway. The musical's creators Tom Kitt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Amanda Green and Andy Blankenbuehler talk about the musical's journey from workshop to Broadway, and some of the 32 performers making their Broadway debut talk about the excitement of originating a role in a new musical.

Brian O’Brien is a stage veteran with almost 20 years of Broadway experience under his belt including turns in Beauty and the Beast, Chicago, Steel Pier, Annie Get Your Gun, and Promises, Promises. O’Brien was a Gypsy Robe recipient for The Pirate Queen. To read more about The Gypsy Project, a collaboration with “CBS Sunday Morning,” click here. To see more interviews, click here.

Richard Korthaze has been a part of the Broadway productions of Anything Goes; Take Me Along; The American Dance Machine; Dancin'; Chicago; Pippin; Promises, Promise; Walking Happy; Skyscraper; How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; The Conquering Hero; Happy Hunting; and Phoenix '55. To read more about The Gypsy Project, a collaboration with “CBS Sunday Morning,” click here. To see more interviews, click here.

After watching the award-winning 1997 S. R. Bindler documentary about the endurance contest in which entrants must keep one hand on the surface of a vehicle at all times in order to win a brand new pickup truck, librettist Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife) was inspired to begin work on a musical Hands on a Hardbody. With composer Trey Anastasio (famous for his work in jam band Phish), lyricist-composer Amanda Green (Bring It On: The Musical) and director Neil Pepe (A Behanding in Spokane) in tow, the new musical premieres at California's La Jolla Playhouse April 27-June 17. In a La Jolla-produced video, Wright, Anastasio, Green and Pepe share their passion for the Texas-set show.

On the occasion of Tony Award winner Carol Channing's 91st birthday on Jan. 31, Playbill launches a handful of exclusive outtakes from the new documentary feature "Carol Channing: Larger Than Life," which gets its New York City release Feb. 3 at the AMC Empire. In this outtake from the film, Tony-winning actor-director-choreographer Tommy Tune reflects on the one-of-a-kind Channing, and her ability to reach the balcony. Look for more of these DVD-bound clips on Playbill.com in the coming days. Read our interview with the film's director Dori Berinstein here.

"Smash" cast (Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee, Jack Davenport) and creatives (Theresa Rebeck, Michael Mayer, Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman) were joined by a famous fan of the show after a special industry screening at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. They spoke about how Broadway reality and TV reality converge to create the world of "Smash," and Marilyn, the play within the show. To see more interviews with cast and creatives, click here.

NBC's "Smash" held a special preview of the series at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. Stars Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee and the rest of the cast, along with director Michael Mayer, writer/executive producer Theresa Rebeck, executive producer/composer/co-lyricist Marc Shaiman and executive producer/co-lyricist Scott Wittman were on hand to talk musicals, Broadway and, of course, Marilyn (the subject of “Smash”’s obsession).

In preparation for his guest-starring turn with the New York Pops for its concert Cheyenne Jackson's Cocktail Hour, Music of the 'Mad Men' Era, Broadway's Cheyenne Jackson performs Irving Berlin's classic "What'll I Do?," in rehearsal with guitarist Steve Bargonetti. Curated by Jackson and Pops musical director/conductor Steven Reineke, the concert will feature a broad selection of popular music from the late 1950s and early 1960s, as well as some more modern/retro surprises. To view the Jackson/Reineke interview, click here.

As director-choreographer Rob Ashford readied the 50th Anniversary revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying for Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre, he sat down with the show's leading man Daniel Radcliffe for an in-depth conversation.

The legendary Carol Channing returns "home" to New York to debut her new CD, For Heaven's Sake, and talks to Playbill about how she kept Dolly fresh even after 30 years, her advice to a young Al Pacino and the importance of keeping the arts alive in public schools.

Highlights from 2010 Tony Nominee for Best Play Red, featuring interviews with stars Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne.