News

`Is He Dead?' Announces March 9 Closing

The comedy will close March 9 at the Lyceum Theatre after 109 performances...

Broadway's Is He Dead? to Close March 9

Is He Dead?, the obscure 1898 comedy by Mark Twain that was reworked for Broadway, will play its final performance on March 9, producers announced...

Is He Dead? Is Alive

My New York: Jenn Gambatese

Jenn Gambatese has spent so much time in and around Times Square, it's no surprise that the charming actress has uncovered some terrific places to shop and eat in the theater district.

Is He Dead?: A Backstage Tour

Is an artist's work more valuable when he is alive, or after he dies? That's the theme of a hit Broadway play. WCBSTV's Dana Tyler has a backstage tour with Norbert Leo Butz, star of Is He Dead?.

Twain Role No Drag for Butz

Now that he's hit 40, Is He Dead?'s Norbert Leo Butz claims he's "hung up all my tight rock 'n' roll pants for good."

David Ives: My Broadway Collaboration with Mark Twain

When the production team of Is He Dead? needed an adapter to trim and shape Mark Twain's original script before the play's Broadway debut, they smartly tapped David Ives, best-known for the aptly titled theatrical evening All in the Timing.

Broadway Plays Its Strong Suit

At midseason, dramas steal the Rialto spotlight.

Is He Dead? Yes, but Twain Play Lives On

Director Michael Blakemore is baffled by some of the reviews of "Is He Dead?"

Fresh Face: Jeremy Bobb

Broadway.com gets the scoop on Is He Dead?'s Jeremy Bobb.

Is He Dead? Star Byron Jennings Wins 2007 Joe A. Calloway Award

Byron Jennings has been selected by the Actors' Equity Foundation to receive the 2007 Joe A. Callaway Award.

What a Farce

Norbert Leo Butz skipped Young Frankenstein for old Mark Twain. Good call.

Butz in a Bustle

How Norbert Leo Butz made Daisy, the drag heroine of Mark Twain's "Is He Dead?," a liberated woman.

Is He Dead? Opened on Broadway December 9

Is He Dead?, a new comedy by Mark Twain, opened on Broadway December 9, 2007.  Broadway.  Broadway.com captured some exclusive video!

Favorite Performances of 2007 - Norbert Leo Butz

John Simon has named Norbert Leo Butz in Is He Dead? as one of his favorite performances of 2007.

It’s Not Life on the Mississippi, Jean-François Honey

“Is He Dead?,” a previously unproduced play by the long-dead Mark Twain, has at last made its Broadway debut.

Butz livens Twain's 'Dead'

Step aside, "Young Frankenstein." Kneel, ye knights of "Monty Python's Spamalot." Bow low, other Rialto mirth-makers: Right now the funniest man on Broadway is Norbert Leo Butz, a splendid actor and a total riot in "Is He Dead?"

A Painter's Demise Produces Profits

Norbert Leo Butz in crimson ringlets and silk taffeta (pink in the first act and robin's egg blue after intermission) is a sight to behold.

Is He Dead?

It's a welcome surprise that in its Broadway premiere, director Michael Blakemore, adapter David Ives and a spirited cast led by human whoopee cushion Norbert Leo Butz have turned this trifle into a ripely enjoyable confection.

Is He Dead?

Where Mark Twain's "new comedy" Is He Dead? is concerned, it's a delightful and welcome case of better late than never.

Mark Twain farce raised from the 'Dead'

Director Michael Blakemore ("Noises Off") hasn't just awakened the "Dead." He and his cast, some of the best comic actors in New York, have turned an old-fashioned, sometimes wobbly piece of material into a delightfully silly and entertaining evening. 

Norbert Butz in Drag Turns Twain's Broadway Debut Topsy Turvy

In the winter of 1898, Mark Twain wrote ``Is He Dead?'' -- the last of his failed efforts to write for the stage, for which he had no real talent. ``Is He Dead?'' did, however, contain a comic idea that, in David Ives's adaptation, has blossomed into a comic play.

Twain Today

Norbert Leo Butz stars in Mark Twains new comedy, Is He Dead?

'Is He Dead?' Offers $26.50 Ticket Discount

Broadway is back in business and the producers of Is He Dead? are pleased to offer four special performances for playgoers to see this new, highly anticipated Broadway play for only $26.50

Not Dead! Twain Comedy Is He Dead? Gets New Opening Night — Dec. 9

The "new" Mark Twain comedy, Is He Dead?, was to have officially opened Nov. 29, but a labor dispute killed that. The play, adapted by David Ives and directed by Michael Blakemore, will now open Dec. 9, producers announced.

Mark Twain Seeks Broadway Hit 133 Years After Downtown Smash

Mark Twain died 97 years ago and theater folk have been feeding off his carcass ever since, so maybe it's finally his turn.

Adventures of a Lost Farce

A comic play by Mark Twain is about to open on Broadway after lying for a century in a library drawer