1898 Composer is born in New York. He writes , "Rhapsody in Blue," , and the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, , among many other shows and songs.
1911 William Brady's Playhouse hosts the opening for Bought and Paid For, a new play by about a wealthy man who eventually wins the love of his wife. During the show's 431 performances, an actor in the show, , is elevated to stardom. Craven goes on to play the Stage Manager in the original 1938 Broadway production of 's . Brooks Atkinson once commented that Craven was "[t]he best pipe and pants-pocket actor in the business."
1933 The first major success of the , , opens at the Broadhurst Theatre. The show, written by , is about a doctor who has to deal with decisions regarding love vs. duty. Issues include abortion and social reform鈥攖he theatre style for which the Group Theatre becomes known. directs a cast of what will become a group of very influential people in the theatre: , , , and . has only one line, "Hello, sweetheart." It wins the 1934 Pulitzer Prize for drama and serves as the model for all the hospital dramas to come.
1957 "It all began tonight" at the Winter Garden Theatre as opens. The , , and musical is based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but has New York teenage gangs pitted against each other instead of Verona's dueling families. It includes such classic songs as "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere." The show is choreographed and staged by and , who came up with the show's original 1949 concept: "East Side Story." The piece evolved, with new music, a new location, and a new ethnicity to become what it is tonight. , , and star. A film version starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, and George Chakiris (who was a member of the original London cast) is released in 1961.
1968 's drama opens, beginning a six-month run that earns it 1969 Tony Award nominations for Best Play, Best Direction (), and Best Actor in a Play for , who plays a Nazi war criminal on trial.
1985 stars in 's solo play , opening at the Plymouth Theatre for a 391 performance run. Tomlin's performance earns her the 1986 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. 15 years later, Tomlin returns to Broadway in at the Booth Theatre.
1998 's newly choreographed theatrical version of the ballet , a hit both in London and Los Angeles, begins its run on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre. The dance/theatre show, with men dancing the swan roles usually assigned to women, is co-produced by and . Bourne wins two Tony Awards for the show (for Director of a Musical and Choreographer of a Musical) despite the show's ineligibility as a musical. "I am absolutely astonished," says Bourne in his acceptance speech. "Best director of a musical that's not even a musical."
2013 , , and are a family adrift in a sea of memory in a Broadway revival of ' acclaimed 1945 drama , opening at the Booth Theatre. The critically acclaimed production is directed by .
2015 In Your Arms, a "dance-theatre musical" with a score by Ragtime and Seussical composer , opens at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California. The show is made up of ten vignettes written by , , , , , h, , , , and .
2021 Fifteen months after the originally scheduled date, the 74th Annual Tony Awards are held at the Winter Garden Theatre, the ceremony's first time back in a Broadway theatre since 1999. Audra McDonald hosts the awards, which stream on Paramount+鈥攁 Tony Awards first. Leslie Odom, Jr. hosts a concert celebrating Broadway's return on CBS directly afterward. Reflecting a season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, just 14 plays and four musicals are eligible for the night's honors.
More of Today's Birthdays: (1888-1965). (1930-2018). (b. 1946). Ben Shenkman (b. 1968).
