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Performing Arts

After years of ever-shrinking orchestras, some Broadway musicals are going big

Annaleigh Ashford, left, and Josh Groban star in Broadway's current revival of Sweeney Todd. Ashford says it's rare for musicals to have this large of an orchestra. Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman/Sweeney Todd hide caption

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Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman/Sweeney Todd

Theater

After years of ever-shrinking orchestras, some Broadway musicals are going big

Producers have been saying for years that large Broadway orchestras are not financially feasible. In fact, the issue led to a strike 20 years ago. So why are some shows bringing them back?

After years of ever-shrinking orchestras, some Broadway musicals are going big

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Tony Awards have gendered actor categories — where do non-binary people fit?

Alex Newell has been nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Emilio Madrid/Shucked hide caption

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Emilio Madrid/Shucked

Theater

Tony Awards have gendered actor categories — where do non-binary people fit?

"We don't gender other people's professions," says actor Alex Newell. "You say ... I'm going to my dentist and I need to hire a plumber." But Broadway's highest honors have male/female distinctions.

Tony Awards have gendered actor categories — where do non-binary people fit?

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Remembering Tina Turner

Singer Tina Turner performs onstage during the 50th annual Grammy awards. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Remembering Tina Turner

The word "icon" is thrown around a lot these days, but Tina Turner was the epitome of that and more. The legendary pop star died today at the age of 83, leaving behind an indelible legacy that spanned decades across the music world, the stage, and the screen. We talk about her life and career, including her hits "River Deep, Mountain High," "Proud Mary," and "What's Love Got To Do With It."

Remembering Tina Turner

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Sara Bareilles thought 'Into the Woods' would last 2 weeks — she ended up on Broadway

Sara Bareilles plays the Baker's Wife in Into the Woods. She says the first thing she did after taking the role was give her character a real name: "I named her Rebecca." Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman /MurphyMade hide caption

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Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman /MurphyMade

Theater

Sara Bareilles thought 'Into the Woods' would last 2 weeks — she ended up on Broadway

Fresh Air

What started as a stripped-down production with a limited run became a Grammy award-winning Broadway musical with six Tony nominations. Bareilles plays the Baker's Wife: "I'm so glad that I said yes."

Sara Bareilles thought 'Into the Woods' would last 2 weeks — she ended up on Broadway

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How a mother and her daughters created an innovative Indian dance company

Aparna (from left), Ranee and Ashwini Ramaswamy. Aparna Ramaswamy hide caption

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Aparna Ramaswamy

Culture

How a mother and her daughters created an innovative Indian dance company

Ragamala Dance Company is the life work of Ranee Ramaswamy — and now her adult daughters, Aparna and Ashwini. Creative work can be lonely, Aparna says, and having "built-in companions" is a gift.

How a mother and her daughters created an innovative Indian dance company

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A Black, trans journey through TV and film; plus, inside Beyoncé's 'Renaissance' tour
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Parkwood; Ray Love Jr.

It's Been a Minute

A Black, trans journey through TV and film; plus, inside Beyoncé's 'Renaissance' tour

Since releasing one of the most critically acclaimed albums in 2022, pop titan Beyoncé has withheld the visuals for almost a year. NPR Senior Culture editor Bilal Qureshi went to the first stop on the Renaissance World Tour and joins producer Corey Antonio Rose to reveal one of the most highly anticipated musical secrets.

A Black, trans journey through TV and film; plus, inside Beyoncé's 'Renaissance' tour

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You're invited to 'Monsoon Wedding' — a musical nearly 15 years in the making

The musical adaptation of Monsoon Wedding has opened at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse. Matthew Murphy hide caption

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Matthew Murphy

Theater

You're invited to 'Monsoon Wedding' — a musical nearly 15 years in the making

Back in 2001, Monsoon Wedding was an indie darling turned international success. Now, the stage adaptation is an ambitious experiment in bridging Indian musical styles with a Broadway-style songbook.

You're invited to 'Monsoon Wedding' — a musical nearly 15 years in the making

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Beyoncé's Renaissance tour begins; revisiting house music history with DJ Honey Dijon
NPR

It's Been a Minute

Beyoncé's Renaissance tour begins; revisiting house music history with DJ Honey Dijon

Host Brittany Luse revisits her 2022 conversation with the legendary DJ Honey Dijon. As one of the only Black trans DJs playing the biggest venues in the world, she's not only become an icon of the scene, but an arbiter of the culture. It's no surprise that Beyoncé tapped Honey for her biggest album yet, Renaissance. Brittany and Honey talk house music's Black roots, the evolution of the club scene, and working with Beyoncé on "Alien Superstar" and "Cozy."

Beyoncé's Renaissance tour begins; revisiting house music history with DJ Honey Dijon

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John Mulaney's 'Baby J' turns the spotlight on himself

John Mulaney in his latest Netflix comedy special Baby J. Marcus Russell Price/Netflix hide caption

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Marcus Russell Price/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

John Mulaney's 'Baby J' turns the spotlight on himself

John Mulaney wants to talk about drugs. In his latest Netflix comedy special, Baby J, he recounts the intervention in late 2020 that sent him to rehab. He talks about his resistance to giving up cocaine, his schemes to avoid sobriety, and how it feels to have your star-studded friends tell you how worried they are over Zoom.

John Mulaney's 'Baby J' turns the spotlight on himself

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Opera Ebony broke boundaries in classical music for 50 years — but what comes next?

Benjamin Matthews, one of the founders of Opera Ebony. Opera Ebony hide caption

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Opera Ebony

Culture

Opera Ebony broke boundaries in classical music for 50 years — but what comes next?

Opera Ebony was formed when opportunities for Black singers were few and far between. The company celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, but may not survive its 81-year-old founder.

Opera Ebony broke boundaries in classical music for 50 years — but what comes next?

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Writer Neil Gaiman debuts his first music album with an Australian string quartet

Writer Neil Gaiman (center) makes music with FourPlay (L-R: Peter Hollo, Shenton Gregory aka Shenzo Gregorio, Lara Goodridge and Tim Hollo) Chris Frape/Riot Act Media hide caption

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Chris Frape/Riot Act Media

Music News

Writer Neil Gaiman debuts his first music album with an Australian string quartet

British writer and comic book author Neil Gaiman launches first studio music album with Australia's FourPlay String Quartet.

Writer Neil Gaiman debuts his first music album with an Australian string quartet

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Dame Edna creator Barry Humphries dies at age 89

Barry Humphries performs as Dame Edna for a farewell tour in London on Nov. 13, 2013. Tony Award-winning comedian Barry Humphries, internationally renowned for his garish stage persona Dame Edna Everage, died on Saturday in Sydney. Joel Ryan/Joel Ryan/Invision/AP hide caption

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Joel Ryan/Joel Ryan/Invision/AP

Obituaries

Dame Edna creator Barry Humphries dies at age 89

The Tony Award-winning comedian was internationally renowned for his garish stage persona Dame Edna Everage, a condescending snob whose evolving character delighted audiences over seven decades.

Broadway legend Chita Rivera dances through her life in a new memoir

Chita Rivera as Anita in the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story. AP hide caption

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AP

Culture

Broadway legend Chita Rivera dances through her life in a new memoir

In Chita: A Memoir, Rivera recounts her career originating roles in major Broadway shows. Now 90, Rivera remembers West Side Story from the beginning: "I was there at the first flicker of the skirt!"

Broadway legend Chita Rivera dances through her life in a new memoir

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'Phantom of the Opera' takes a final Broadway bow after 13,981 performances

John Riddle as Raoul, Laird Mackintosh as the Phantom and Emilie Kouatchou as Christine, take a bow at the end of the final performance of the Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theater in New York City on April 16, 2023. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Theater

'Phantom of the Opera' takes a final Broadway bow after 13,981 performances

On Sunday night the curtain will fall on the longest-running show in Broadway history: Andrew Lloyd Webber's mega hit ran for more than 35 years. "I got the gig of a lifetime," says one cast member.

'Phantom of the Opera' takes a final Broadway bow after 13,981 performances

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Death and grief in 'Succession'; plus, privacy and the abortion pill

The third episode in season four of the HBO hit 'Succession' has the dysfunctional Roys dealing with grief and death. HBO hide caption

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HBO

It's Been a Minute

Death and grief in 'Succession'; plus, privacy and the abortion pill

This week, host Brittany Luse is joined by UC Berkeley Law professor Khiara Bridges to connect the dots between the recent legal battles over the abortion pill mifepristone and our constitutional right to privacy. Then, Linda Holmes of NPR's 'Pop Culture Happy Hour' stops by to chat about the television episode that still has our group chats in a chokehold, and how it eloquently captured the way we experience death and grief in real life.

Death and grief in 'Succession'; plus, privacy and the abortion pill

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