Theater

Behind the scenes during the golden age of the Broadway musical: Susan Loesser, daughter of Frank Loesser, composer of the classic songs "Heart and Soul" and "Baby It's Cold Outside". He also wrote the score for "Guys and Dolls" which is now being revived on Broadway. Loesser's new memoir of her father is called "A Most Remarkable Fella."

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the highly-anticiapted Stephen Spielberg film, adapted from the book by Michael Crichton.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new movie by first-time directors, the Hughes Brothers.

Handler has played leading roles in seven Broadway productions including, "Six Degrees of Separation," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," and "Master Harold. . . and the boys." He's 32 now; seven years ago he was diagnosed with leukemia. He had a bone marrow transplant, and he's now considered free of the disease. He has a new monologue, "Time on Fire," about his four year struggle with leukemia.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews a new mystery-comedy series NBC seems eager to kill -- once called Smoldering Lust, it's now in a bad time slot with the title "Black-Tie Affair."

The theater director and actor is a member of playwright David Mamet's circle of theater innovators. Macy has most recently starred in Mamet's new play "Oleanna", and was featured in his film "Homocide". They co-founded the Atlantic Theater Company, an ensemble which performs mainly original works by American writers. Members of the company wrote "A Practical Handbook For The Actor", from notes taken during acting workshops led by Mr. Macy. One critic writes that the ensemble "has rescued theater from the mindless".

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Cliffhanger," a flawed movie that somehow works. It stars Sylvester Stallone on a mountaintop.

Regular Stephen Schiff is covering the final days of the Cannes Film Festival. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead fills in with a review of "Sliver".

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead fills in for our regular film reviewer Stephen Schiff. Whitehead reviews "Posse," a new Western by Mario Van Peebles.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews "Wild Palms," the new series coming up on ABC. It's a futuristic drama produced by Oliver Stone.

Verdon starred in "Damn Yankees," "Sweet Charity." "Redhead," and "Chicago." She won four Tony awards, and she's about to receive a lifetime achievement award from the New Dramatists Playwrights Workshop.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new film directed Taylor Hackford, about Chicano gang life in L.A.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews VHS release of Handel's opera Julius Caesar. It's directed by the innovative Peter Sellars. Schwartz says all five hours just fly by.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the "This Boy's Life," based on the book of the same name. The movie stars Robert DeNiro and Ellen Barkin, and features a great performance by star Leonardo DiCaprio.

Gomez is based in San Francisco. Her new show, "Memory Tricks," is running at the Public Theater in New York. Gomez talks about her mother, who worked as an exotic dancer, and who now suffers from Alzheimer's disease.

Paul Rudnick is an essayist, novelist, and playwright. His latest play on off-Broadway is a comedy called "Jeffrey," about a man who swears off love and sex because of his fear of AIDS. Rudnick also wrote the Broadway play, "I Hate Hamlet," about John Barrymore's ghost. He writes a column in "Premiere," called "If You Ask Me," in which he adopts the voice of a quintessential Jewish mother who critiques movie stars' personal lives.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the second TV movie about the Texas mother who wanted to secure her daughter's place on the cheer leading squad by conspiring to kill a rival student and her mother. This one is on HBO, called "The Positively True Adentures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom."

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews Luis Mandoki's latest movie, starring John Goodman, Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new crime show on Fox, produced by Robert De Niro.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Point of No Return," directed by John Badham. Schiff says, despite the movie's sleaze, it may be good for Bridget Fonda's career.