https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/musical-theater/RSS feed for Musical TheaterenFri, 17 Apr 2026 10:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/andrew-lloyd-webber-says-hes-writing-a-new-musical-about-the-time-the-mona-lisa-vanished-without-a-trace-in-1911-180988559/Known for spectacles like "The Phantom of the Opera," Broadway's most commercially successful composer now wants to tell the story of the world's most famous paintingFri, 17 Apr 2026 10:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/andrew-lloyd-webber-says-hes-writing-a-new-musical-about-the-time-the-mona-lisa-vanished-without-a-trace-in-1911-180988559/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-king-and-i-spotlights-an-english-governess-who-modernized-siamese-society-the-real-anna-leonowens-exaggerated-her-influence-and-lied-about-her-origins-180988394/The beloved musical is loosely based on a Eurasian schoolteacher's accounts of her time at King Mongkut's court. These memoirs masked her mixed-race status and unfairly portrayed the monarch as a tyrantFri, 27 Mar 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-king-and-i-spotlights-an-english-governess-who-modernized-siamese-society-the-real-anna-leonowens-exaggerated-her-influence-and-lied-about-her-origins-180988394/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/yankee-doodle-was-one-of-americas-earliest-protest-songs-but-its-origins-are-shrouded-in-mystery-180988157/Historians have debunked many of the popular theories surrounding the tune's creation. Still, its legacy as a patriotic anthem enduresTue, 17 Feb 2026 12:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/yankee-doodle-was-one-of-americas-earliest-protest-songs-but-its-origins-are-shrouded-in-mystery-180988157/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stings-musical-the-last-ship-docks-at-the-metropolitan-opera-house-more-than-a-decade-after-its-broadway-debut-180987734/The reimagined production follows the decline of the shipbuilding industry in Wallsend, England, where Sting grew upMon, 01 Dec 2025 19:28:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stings-musical-the-last-ship-docks-at-the-metropolitan-opera-house-more-than-a-decade-after-its-broadway-debut-180987734/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-rocky-horror-picture-show-started-out-as-a-critical-flop-fifty-years-later-the-beloved-film-is-a-cultural-phenomenon-180987393/Creator Richard O’Brien reflects on how the 1975 movie musical became a haven for the "marginalized and disenfranchised"Thu, 25 Sep 2025 15:38:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-rocky-horror-picture-show-started-out-as-a-critical-flop-fifty-years-later-the-beloved-film-is-a-cultural-phenomenon-180987393/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/david-bowie-spent-his-final-months-writing-a-musical-inspired-by-satire-and-crime-in-18th-century-london-180987304/Archivists discovered notes for the project, called "The Spectator," in the artist's New York City office after he died in 2016Mon, 15 Sep 2025 19:05:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/david-bowie-spent-his-final-months-writing-a-musical-inspired-by-satire-and-crime-in-18th-century-london-180987304/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/meet-martha-swope-the-legendary-broadway-photographer-who-captured-iconic-moments-from-hundreds-of-productions-and-rehearsals-180986773/She spent nearly 40 years taking theater and dance pictures, providing glimpses behind the scenes and creating images that the public couldn’t otherwise accessWed, 11 Jun 2025 17:25:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/meet-martha-swope-the-legendary-broadway-photographer-who-captured-iconic-moments-from-hundreds-of-productions-and-rehearsals-180986773/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/eight-historic-moments-that-took-place-at-the-waldorf-astoria-new-york-180986439/The famous hotel reopens this spring after an extensive renovation that began in 2017Wed, 16 Apr 2025 18:25:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/eight-historic-moments-that-took-place-at-the-waldorf-astoria-new-york-180986439/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-longest-running-show-in-broadway-history-opened-on-this-date-in-1988-read-why-its-legacy-is-so-controversial-180985860/“The Phantom of the Opera” entertained decades of fans—and lives on even after closingSun, 26 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-longest-running-show-in-broadway-history-opened-on-this-date-in-1988-read-why-its-legacy-is-so-controversial-180985860/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/happy-public-domain-day-popeye-rhapsody-in-blue-the-sound-and-the-fury-and-thousands-of-other-captivating-creations-are-finally-free-for-everyone-to-use-180985744/On January 1, 2025, copyrights will expire for books, films, comic strips, musical compositions and other creative works from 1929, as well as sound recordings from 1924Mon, 30 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/happy-public-domain-day-popeye-rhapsody-in-blue-the-sound-and-the-fury-and-thousands-of-other-captivating-creations-are-finally-free-for-everyone-to-use-180985744/