1918 Birthday of composer , who bridged the worlds of classical and Broadway, both as conductor for the New York Philharmonic and as composer of classic scores including , , , and .
1936 Broadway sees its first new comedy of the season as 's opens at the Empire Theatre. and star in the play about a woman determined to win the heart of a Yale man about to leave for a two-year trip to Russia. Also in the cast, playing the role of a know-it-all named "The Lippincott," is a young .
1980 A Broadway-sized mix of tragedy and triumph as the Great White Way's new musical smash, , opens at the Winter Garden Theatre. 42nd Street, based on the 1930s film musical of the same name, stars , , , and . At the curtain call of the opening night performance, producer announces that the musical's director and choreographer, , died that afternoon. Among Champion's finest musical credits were the original Broadway productions of , , and .
2001 The Tony-winning musical revue closes after 1,093 performances at the Broadhurst Theatre.
2015 Benedict Cumberbatch returns to the stage as Hamlet at the Barbican Centre in London.
More of Today's Birthdays: (1910-1993). (1916-2008). (1917-2008). (b. 1930). (b. 1941). Simon McBurney (b. 1957). Blair Underwood (b. 1964). Jessica Boevers (b. 1972). Katie Rose Clarke (b. 1984). Ato Blankson-Wood (b. 1984).
