Jeff Lunden

'Matilda' Brings Beloved Book To Broadway

Jeff Lunden — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:32:00 +0000

Matilda is a well-loved book by Roald Dahl, who's been called the greatest children's storyteller of the 20th century. It's about a much-put-upon little girl with tremendous gifts.

Tom Hanks And Nora Ephron's 'Lucky Guy' Make Their Broadway Debuts

Jeff Lunden — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:25:00 +0000

Several years ago, when Nora Ephron handed Tom Hanks an early draft of Lucky Guy, her play about tabloid journalist Mike McAlary, he had a pretty strong reaction.

"I said, 'Well, that guy's sure a jerk!' I used another word besides jerk — I know what you can say on NPR," he says. "And she laughed and she said, 'Well, he kinda was.

Singing The Praises Of Pre-Dawn Walks

Jeff Lunden — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 07:18:00 +0000

Minnesota-born composer Maria Schneider has called New York home for more than 30 years, and she knows how to find nature in the middle of the city. Because her new album is called Winter Morning Walks, we walked to her favorite bird-watching spot in Central Park on a chilly February morning.

"This part right here in the Ramble and this Azalea Pond area is just teeming with warblers," Schneider says. "On a good day, you can see 18 warbler species in the morning, maybe even more.

For This Pair Of Clowns, 'Old Hats' Mean New Laughs

Jeff Lunden — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 23:20:00 +0000

Twenty years ago, theatrical clowns Bill Irwin and David Shiner collaborated on a Broadway show called Fool Moon — a giddy mixture of slapstick, improv and audience participation that proved such a success that it came back to Broadway for two more runs and toured both the U.S. and Europe.

Grand Central, A Cathedral For Commuters, Celebrates 100

Jeff Lunden — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 08:40:00 +0000

Friday marks the day that 100 years ago, Grand Central Terminal opened its doors for business for the very first time. The largest railroad terminal in the world, the magnificent Beaux-Arts building is in the heart of New York City on 42nd St.

25 Years Strong, 'Phantom Of The Opera' Kills And Kills Again

Jeff Lunden — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:31:00 +0000

The longest-running Broadway musical ever, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, celebrated Saturday another milestone: its 25th anniversary.

When it all started Jan. 26, 1988, Ronald Reagan was president of the United States, a gallon of gas cost about 90 cents and a ticket to The Phantom of the Opera was a whopping $50.

The Composer Who Tested Fighter Planes And Partied With Sinatra

Jeff Lunden — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 07:03:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTUKHMlbYGA

A Vet's Haunted Homecoming In 'Water By The Spoonful'

Jeff Lunden — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 08:47:00 +0000

The cliche about writers is they should write what they know, and that old saw has certainly worked for Quiara Alegria Hudes. The 35-year-old playwright has mined her Puerto Rican family's stories into a series of plays, a musical and even a children's book.

Anonymous 4 Marks A Milestone Year, Together And Alone

Jeff Lunden — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 08:29:00 +0000

As of this year, the vocal group Anonymous 4 has been introducing modern audiences to medieval music for a quarter century. When the all-female quartet asked David Lang to help mark the occasion by writing them some music, he didn't need any convincing. The Pulitzer Prize-winning composer was already a big fan.

"I really like the fact that they had dedicated themselves to keeping alive this music from 800 years ago," Lang says.

The Peony Pavilion: A Vivid Dream In A Garden

Jeff Lunden — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:03:00 +0000

The Peony Pavilion is one of China's most famous operas, but uncut performances of this romantic 16th century work can take more than 22 hours. Chinese composer Tan Dun, who's best known for his Academy Award-winning score for the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, has adapted the work into a compact 75 minutes.