Free Republic

As protest and rallies against racial injustice and the killing of Black lives continue, there is a seismic shift happening in the country as the civic unrest is shining a blinding light on systemic racism against Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) — and the world of theater is the latest to get that spotlight. An open letter addressed to “White American Theater” was published on Monday demanding change. The letter was filled with ugly truths that those who have worked in the theater industry have experienced for decades. Among the 300 BIPOCs who signed the letter were Lin-Manuel...

Robert De Niro had a simple introduction to Bruce Springsteen’s Tony performance. “I just want to say one thing — F— Trump,” De Niro said. “It’s no longer down with Trump. It’s f— Trump.” More to come…

At Tony's Wine Warehouse, there's a sucker born every minuteOn an October evening, James Winkler works a crowd of some two dozen mostly young, attractive professionals. The group sits in rapt attention as he evangelizes for a substance that is as intimidating and inscrutable as it is coveted: wine. They laugh at his anecdotes, such as the one involving a customer who demands that her husband pour French wine over her body as she lies sprawled across a table in the buff. Champagne is poured. "I think every woman in America should start off with a glass of champagne at...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Gay puppets, transvestites, assassins and a pedophile child killer piled up Tony honors on Sunday but those shows will be shunned by Republican delegates at the political party's convention in New York this summer. Reuters Photo With thousands of Republicans set to descend on the Big Apple to nominate President Bush (news - web sites) for re-election, convention organizers decided to treat delegates to the glitz of Broadway before they knuckled down to the business of politics. But Republican organizers, selling themselves as the family-values party, decided to buy tickets to tame shows like "42nd Street"...

  Tuesday, June 10, 2003 2003 Tonys: As gay as it gets The 57th Tony Awards show was a big night for gays on Broadway, with top honors going to gay-themed productions and artists relishing the openness that has marked this theatrical season. The Best Play award went to Take Me Out, a drama about a star baseball player revealing that he is gay, and Best Musical honors went to Hairspray, whose leading actor, Harvey Fierstein, plays the gravel-voiced mother of the heroine in drag. Many of the Tony winners rode a wave of awards-night euphoria Sunday to unabashedly...