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Bill T. Jones Takes Broadway Hit 'Fela!' On Tour

Catherine Foster, Sahr Ngaujah and Nicole de Weever perform Bill T. Jones' choreography in Fela! Monique Carboni hide caption

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Monique Carboni

Performing Arts

Bill T. Jones Takes Broadway Hit 'Fela!' On Tour

Award-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones joins NPR's Neal Conan to discuss Fela!, his hit musical about the life of Nigerian musician and human rights activist Fela Kuti. The show kicks off a national tour this month.

Bill T. Jones Takes Broadway Hit 'Fela!' On Tour

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How 'The Book Of Mormon' Cracked 'Billboard'

Matt Stone (left) and Trey Parker at the after party for the opening night of The Book of Mormon on Broadway in March. Jim Spellman/WireImage hide caption

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Jim Spellman/WireImage

The Record

How 'The Book Of Mormon' Cracked 'Billboard'

The South Park creators' musical broke cast recording sales records, thanks to fans and promotions.

How 'The Book Of Mormon' Cast Album Cracked The 'Billboard' Top 10

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'Angels In America,' 20 Years Later

Emma Thompson starred in HBO's adaptation of Tony Kushner's play Angels in America. Stephen Goldblatt/AP/HBO hide caption

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Stephen Goldblatt/AP/HBO

'Angels In America,' 20 Years Later

Twenty years ago, Angels in America made its world premiere on a stage in San Francisco. In the years since, the groundbreaking set of plays has been performed all over the world. They've been adapted for opera and television, and they've racked up numerous awards, including a Pulitzer Prize.

'Angels In America,' 20 Years Later

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'Porgy And Bess,' Adapted For Modern Times

The American Repertory Theater's production of Porgy and Bess emphasized musical theater over opera. Michael J. Lutch/Courtesy of the American Repertory Theater hide caption

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Michael J. Lutch/Courtesy of the American Repertory Theater

Review

Music

'Porgy And Bess,' Adapted For Modern Times

Fresh Air

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz just attended two productions of Porgy and Bess: an operatic performance at Tanglewood and a musical-theater version in Cambridge, Mass. He says it can work either way, "as long as Gershwin's great score remains its heart and soul."

'Porgy And Bess,' Adapted For Modern Times

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Broadway's 'Follies,' Sounding As Sumptuous As Ever

Dressy And Juicy: Jan Maxwell plays socialite and former showgirl Phyllis Rogers Stone, one of four deeply unhappy characters at the show's center. Joan Marcus hide caption

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Joan Marcus

Broadway's 'Follies,' Sounding As Sumptuous As Ever

Many Broadway revivals trim their budgets by downsizing the orchestra, but a new Follies features 28 musicians in the pit. Jeff Lunden speaks with orchestrator Jonathan Tunick about working on the Stephen Sondheim score, which evokes Broadway styles of the '20s, '30s and '40s — as well as the contemporary music of 1971.

Broadway's 'Follies,' Sounding As Sumptuous As Ever

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A Son Confronts Moscone's 'Ghost' On Stage

In Ghost Light, a director deals with his father's death while staging a version of Hamlet. Jenny Graham/Oregon Shakespeare Festival hide caption

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Jenny Graham/Oregon Shakespeare Festival

A Son Confronts Moscone's 'Ghost' On Stage

Jonathan Moscone was 14 when his father, San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, and city supervisor Harvey Milk were murdered. Milk became a gay rights icon, while the mayor remained largely a footnote in his story. The artistic director of the California Shakespeare Theater decided to change that.

A Son Confronts Moscone's 'Ghost' On Stage

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'40s Flop, 'Sweet Bye And Bye,' Could Get 2nd Chance

The 1946 musical Sweet Bye and Bye was an unmitigated disaster and never made it to Broadway. The show closed in Philadelphia and seemed to be lost forever — until the score was rediscovered in a New Jersey warehouse in 1986.

'40s Flop, 'Sweet Bye And Bye,' Could Get 2nd Chance

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Wendy Wasserstein, 'Lost' And Found

Wendy Wasserstein in 1985, beneath a poster for her play Isn't It Romantic. Wasserstein's plays examined the place where the upheaval witnessed by the baby boom generation met the demands of family and professional life. Ed Baily/AP hide caption

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Ed Baily/AP

Opinion

Wendy Wasserstein, 'Lost' And Found

The Pulitzer- and Tony-winning playwright wrote about the struggle by her generation to balance professional and family life. A new biography sheds light on the links between Wasserstein's life and the characters she created.

Wendy Wasserstein, 'Lost' And Found

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Aziz Ansari: From Business School To Hollywood

Aziz Ansari, who stars in the new film 30 Minutes or Less, says his comedy is about life and personal anecdotes. Colin Patrick Smith hide caption

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Colin Patrick Smith

Movies

Aziz Ansari: From Business School To Hollywood

When the creators of NBC's hit sitcom The Office approached Aziz Ansari about a new mocumentary-style sitcom, the 25-year-old stand-up comedian said yes — even though he had no clue what the show was going to be about.

Aziz Ansari: From Business School To Hollywood

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e-Geaux: Social Networking Without The Social Or The Networking
Courtesy of Pepys Inc.

All Tech Considered

e-Geaux: Social Networking Without The Social Or The Networking

Make your Facebook friends think you care without the time commitment of leaving a meaningful birthday message or bothering to read their ranting comments.

e-Geaux: Social Networking Without The Social Or The Networking

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'Bad Boys Of Abridgement' Reduce World Of Sports

Reed Martin (from left), Austin Tichenor and Matt Rippy reduce the entire history of athletic competition to a two-hour comedy show. Meghan Moore/ Megapix Photography hide caption

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Meghan Moore/ Megapix Photography

Performing Arts

'Bad Boys Of Abridgement' Reduce World Of Sports

The Reduced Shakespeare Company comedy troupe is known for condensing everything from American history to the Bible into 90-minute stage shows. Now, they're taking on sports. The Complete World of Sports (Abridged) aims to reduce every sport ever played in the entire history of the world.

'Bad Boys Of Abridgement' Reduce World Of Sports

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The RSC In NYC: 41 Actors, Five Plays, Six Weeks

A scene from the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of As You Like It in the specially constructed theater at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. Stephanie Berger hide caption

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Stephanie Berger

The RSC In NYC: 41 Actors, Five Plays, Six Weeks

Last week, the Royal Shakespeare Company began a six-week residency in New York, performing five of William Shakespeare's best-loved plays in repertory. The productions take place in a 975-seat replica of the company's main theater from Stratford-Upon-Avon.

The RSC In NYC: 41 Actors, Five Plays, Six Weeks

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Elaine Paige's Musical Life, Lived On Stage

Elaine Paige is known as the "First Lady of Musical Theater" and recently celebrated 40 years on the stage. For more than six years, she has also been hosting a radio show on BBC Radio 2, on which she interviews people from the theater world. Host Scott Simon speaks with Paige about her radio show and her favorite musical roles.

Elaine Paige's Musical Life, Lived On Stage

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What Does It Mean To Be 'All-American'?

'In The Blink Of An Eye,' A Change In Racial Identity

Michael Sidney Fosberg grew up thinking he was white. His mother is white. His stepfather is white. And while he never met his biological father, the assumption was that he was white too. But well into his adulthood, Fosberg found out that his father was a black man. Michele Norris speaks to him about his story that he's told in his one-man play and his book, both called Incognito.

'In The Blink Of An Eye,' A Change In Racial Identity

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