1888 Broadway premiere of the & operetta The Yeomen of the Guard.
1915 is born in New York City. The multiple Tony and Pulitzer winner becomes one of the foremost American playwrights of the post-WWII era, with dramas like , , and his magnum opus , that look deeply into the nation's soul.
1946 Birth in Scotland of mega-producer whose four giant international hits, , , , and make him the richest and most successful stage producer ever.
1951 's first day as "guest critic" at the Herald-Tribune. He ends up staying for 15 years, leaving only because of the demise of the paper. In his first review, he classifies the show A Sleep of Prisoners by as "vigorous, dignified and overly intellectualized." Kerr is best known for his work at the New York Times, whose staff he joins in 1966. The Ritz Theatre is in 1990.
1954 Birth of , who dominates Broadway at the turn of the 21st century with productions including , , , and , putting her at the forefront of her generation of choreographer-directors.
1960 and follow their Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical with , opening at the 46th Street Theatre for a 216 performance run. stars as Reverend Brock, a preacher who is determined to rid 1890s New York City of its red-light district. The score includes the song "Artificial Flowers," which becomes a popular hit when recorded by Bobby Darrin.
1965 and star in the reincarnation musical , with music by and lyrics by . A revised version of the musical, starring , , and , .
1966 La MaMa Experimental Theatre Company is the subject of headlines when artistic director threatens to close the theatre because of 's refusal to allow her actors to work below scale. Her 74-seat theatre prevents her company from making enough money to pay her actors the minimum wage required by Equity. After a month, Equity concedes and allows her actors to work below scale.
1973 A family's wedding preparations are the subject of 's play The Contractor, which opens at the Chelsea Manhattan Theatre. is in the cast, along with and . The show runs 72 performances.
1982 A revival of 's True West opens at the Cherry Lane Theatre. directs and stars in the show, which runs 762 performances. Co-stars are , , and Margaret Thomson. Although the original production at the Public Theater in 1980 was repudiated by its author, he says he appreciates the new version, as do critics and theatregoers, who come to regard the mounting as a landmark. True West , with and alternating roles at Circle in the Square.
1999 "Hello, my little possums!" is the rallying cry on Broadway as (a.k.a. Barry Humphries) opens on Broadway. Dame Edna charms U.S. audiences in her talk-show-esque performance in which she uses her wit and presence to rant and lecture on just about anything. The show runs 297 performances.
2001 's begins Broadway previews鈥�26 years after it debuted under the title Jeeves in London. The musical has a 10-week run, Lloyd Webber's shortest on Broadway.
2002 A revival of and 's opens on Broadway, with a new book by Tony-winning playwright , who addresses what he calls long-standing ethnic sensitivities about the show. Hwang says he has tried to write the libretto Hammerstein would have written had he been Asian-American.
2003 , who played pretty sister Madge in Broadway's , opposite a young in the early 1950s, dies at her home in Manhattan at age 72. Rule's Broadway credits included playing Diana in (1961), a musical version of Lysistrata; (1958); ' (1954); and the musical, (1949).
2012 Future Tony Award-winning musical opens its world premiere engagement at Chicago's Bank of America Theatre. With music and lyrics by and a book by , the production opens on Broadway the following April.
2013 stars in the 's revival of 's classic drama about family loyalty, , opening at the American Airlines Theatre. directs a cast that also features , , and .
2018 A gender-switched revival of and 鈥檚 musical Company opens at the Gielgud Theatre in London. Rosalie Craig plays the central role of Bobbie (bachelor Bobby in previous productions), a single woman who is celebrating her 35th birthday with her married friends. Director worked with Sondheim on the revisions, which also include changing flight attendant April to Andy, and cold-footed bride Amy to cold-footed groom Jamie. (Joanne) and Jonathan Bailey (Jamie) both win Olivier Awards for their performances, and the production wins Best Musical Revival.
More of Today's Birthdays: (1900-1991). (1902-1973). (1920-1966). (1921-2007). (1932-2004). (b. 1935). Michael McKean (b. 1947). (b. 1952). (b. 1960). (b. 1964). (b. 1980).
