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Why Are Theater Tickets Cheaper On The West End Than On Broadway?

Matilda is currently being performed on both Broadway in New York, pictured here, and the West End in London. In New York, according to the Broadway League, the average ticket price for all shows just crossed $100 for the first time. Joan Marcus/AP/Boneau/Bryan-Brown hide caption

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Joan Marcus/AP/Boneau/Bryan-Brown

Why Are Theater Tickets Cheaper On The West End Than On Broadway?

In London, a matinee ticket for Matilda costs about $60; in New York, it's $137. What's going on? The West End has weaker unions and subsidized theater, while Broadway has amenities.

Why Are Theater Tickets Cheaper On The West End Than On Broadway?

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Performer Rita Moreno's Famed Career Was 'Meant To Be'

Rita Moreno is the only Latina to have won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards. In this encore conversation, host Michel Martin speaks to her about the highlights and challenges of her long career.

Performer Rita Moreno's Famed Career Was 'Meant To Be'

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This Year, Avignon Festival Is A Stage For Both Plays And Protest

Dutch actors perform during a dress rehearsal of the show HUIS at the 68th Avignon Theater Festival in France. The festival has been international since 1966 and today French performances make up only 20 percent of all acts. Boris Horvat/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Boris Horvat/AFP/Getty Images

This Year, Avignon Festival Is A Stage For Both Plays And Protest

The French theater event has long been a pillar of the performing arts world. But talk of changes to festival workers' off-season benefits has cast a shadow over this year's celebration.

This Year, Avignon Festival Is A Stage For Both Plays And Protest

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By Trolley, Train, Show Boat Or Surrey, These Musicals Will Move You

Barbra Streisand does a lot of singing on transit — over the course of Funny Girl, Funny Lady, Yentl and Hello Dolly (above) she sings aboard a train, a plane, a taxi a tugboat, and an ocean liner. 20th Century Fox/Chenault/The Kobal Collection hide caption

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20th Century Fox/Chenault/The Kobal Collection

Book Your Trip

By Trolley, Train, Show Boat Or Surrey, These Musicals Will Move You

When we asked movie critic Bob Mondello to contribute to our Book Your Trip series, he immediately began humming show tunes. Spend six minutes listening to this story and you'll be singing along, too.

By Trolley, Train, Show Boat Or Surrey, These Musicals Will Move You

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At Monty Python Reunion Show, The Circus Makes One Last Flight

Michael Palin, left, and Terry Gilliam perform on the opening night of Monty Python Live (Mostly). The final performance of the reunion show, on Sunday, will be live-streamed at theaters around the world. Dave J Hogan/Getty Images hide caption

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Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

Performing Arts

At Monty Python Reunion Show, The Circus Makes One Last Flight

The British comedy troupe has reunited for what they say is the final time in Monty Python Live (Mostly). Fans around the world will watch the last show Sunday, either in London or via live stream.

At Monty Python Reunion Show, The Circus Makes One Last Flight

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With Humor, 'Dead And Breathing' Dives Into End-Of-Life Struggles

Lizan Mitchell (left) as the wealthy and crotchety Carolyn and N.L. Graham as Veronika, her nurse, in the play Dead and Breathing. Seth Freeman hide caption

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Seth Freeman

With Humor, 'Dead And Breathing' Dives Into End-Of-Life Struggles

Carolyn, 68, is ready to let go. Dying of cancer, she tries to get her nurse to assist in her suicide. Playwright Chisa Hutchinson drew on real-life inspirations for this dark comedy's characters.

With Humor, 'Dead And Breathing' Dives Into End-Of-Life Struggles

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Obituaries

Broadway Legend Elaine Stritch Dies At 89

Elaine Stritch, whose career spanned more than half a century and went from stage to screen to TV and back to stage again, died Thursday at her home in Birmingham, Mich.

Broadway Legend Elaine Stritch Dies At 89

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Actress Elaine Stritch, 'Her Own Greatest Character,' Dies At 89

"I don't think I'm gonna die tomorrow or even two weeks from now, or even ever," Stritch told NPR'S Scott Simon in 2014. "I just don't know ... who the hell knows what's gonna happen to them? Nobody! Isn't that comforting? Nobody has a clue. I like that we don't know. And I like that it's somebody else's decision, not mine." AP/Sundance Selects hide caption

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AP/Sundance Selects

Actress Elaine Stritch, 'Her Own Greatest Character,' Dies At 89

In a career that stretched back to the '40s, Stritch did it all: theater, TV, movies. Candid about just about everything, she said she didn't mind the word aging — after all "it applies to everyone."

Actress Elaine Stritch, 'Her Own Greatest Character,' Dies At 89

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Actress And Singer Elaine Stritch Has Died

Elaine Stritch in her final engagement at the Cafe Carlyle in New York in 2013. Stritch bade farewell to New York with a series of concerts last spring; she died Thursday in Michigan. Walter McBride/The O M Co./AP hide caption

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Walter McBride/The O M Co./AP

The Two-Way

Actress And Singer Elaine Stritch Has Died

Elaine Stritch, whose talent led to a substantial career on Broadway and in cabarets, died today at age 89. She had been living in her native Michigan, where she moved last year from New York.

Actress And Singer Elaine Stritch Has Died

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In Stories Of Muslim Identity, Playwright Explores Fault Lines Of Faith

Between Eli and Zarina (Greg Keller and Nadine Malouf), a family's Muslim faith undergoes rupture and renewal. Erin Baiano/Courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater hide caption

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Erin Baiano/Courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Code Switch

In Stories Of Muslim Identity, Playwright Explores Fault Lines Of Faith

Ayad Akhtar plumbs his past to grapple with what it means to be Muslim in America. While some accuse him of airing dirty laundry, Akhtar uses such questions not just for rupture but also for renewal.

In Stories Of Muslim Identity, Playwright Explores Fault Lines Of Faith

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Music Interviews

For Audra McDonald, Experience And Raw Emotions Make Better Music

McDonald has won more Tony Awards than any other actress in Broadway history. In this encore broadcast, McDonald talks about funneling her personal emotions into the songs she sings on stage.

For Audra McDonald, Experience And Raw Emotions Make Better Music

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Even Broadway Has Its B-Sides

A scene from the 1994 London revival of Fiddler on the Roof. Robbie Jack/Corbis hide caption

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Robbie Jack/Corbis

Music News

Even Broadway Has Its B-Sides

Sheldon Harnick, the lyricist of Fiddler on the Roof and Fiorello!, wrote dozens of songs for those shows and others that never saw the stage.

Even Broadway Has Its B-Sides: The Lost Songs Of Sheldon Harnick

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Arts & Life

Remembering Ruby Dee: 'Think Of Me And Feel Encouraged'

In remembrance of the life of actress and activist Ruby Dee, Tell Me More presents an encore broadcast of Michel Martin's 2007 interview with the legendary actress and activist.

Remembering Ruby Dee: 'Think Of Me And Feel Encouraged'

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Performing Arts

Audra McDonald Racks Up The Tonys, This Time As Billie Holiday

Audra McDonald just won her sixth Tony, the most wins by anyone to date. McDonald is a Broadway staple, and she earned her latest Tony playing Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill.

Audra McDonald Racks Up The Tonys, This Time As Billie Holiday

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