NYC Theater Trip 2025: "The Picture of Dorian Gray" at The Music Box Theatre on Broadway

Show*: 5

Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Location: The Music Box Theatre

Written By: Oscar Wilde, adapted by Kip Williams

Summary: A multi-media experience of Oscar Wilde's only novel combining live performance, recorded video, and live video, with all parts performed by one actor.

NYC Theater Trip 2025: "Pirates! The Penzance Musical" by Roundabout Theatre Company at the Todd Haimes Theatre

Show*: 4

Title: Pirates! The Penzance Musical

Location: Todd Haimes Theatre

Written By: Gilbert and Sullivan, adapted by Rupert Holmes

Summary: A reimagining of the classic Gilbert and Sullivan operetta set in New Orleans, with a jazzed up score.

NYC Theater Trip 2025: "Floyd Collins" at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center

Show*: 3

Title: Floyd Collins

Location: The Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center

Written By: Adam Guettel (music and lyrics) and Tina Landau (book and additional lyrics)

Summary: In 1925 Kentucky, a man named Floyd Collins get stuck in a cave, creating a media sensation.

NYC Theater Trip 2025: "Redwood" at The Nederlander Theatre

Show*: 2

Title: Redwood

Location: The Nederlander Theatre

Written By: Tina Landau (book and lyrics) and Kate Diaz (music and lyrics)

Summary: A woman travels to Redwood National Park and learns to climb the trees as a way to process an unimaginable grief.

NYC Theater Trip 2025: "Maybe Happy Ending" at the Belasco Theatre

Show*: 1

Title: Maybe Happy Ending

Location: The Belasco Theatre

Written By: Hue Park (book and lyrics) and Will Aronson (music, book, and lyrics)

Summary: A love story between two obsolete robots.

NYC Theater Trip 2024: "Suffs" at The Music Box Theatre

Show*: 4

Title: Suffs

Location: The Music Box Theatre

Written By: Shaina Taub (music, book, and lyrics)

Summary: The story of the final leg of the fight for women's suffrage, told as a fun and modern musical with an all-female cast.

NYC Theater Trip 2024: "October 7: A Verbatim Play" at The Actors Temple Theatre Off-Broadway

Show*: 3

Title: October 7: A Verbatim Play

Location: The Actors Temple Theatre

Written By: Phelim McAleer

Summary: A docu-play about the horrific attack on Israel by the terrorist group Hamas on October 7, in which over 750 civilians were killed.

NYC Theater Trip 2024: "The Outsiders" at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

Show*: 2

Title: The Outsiders

Location: Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

Written By: Adam Rapp and Justin Levine (book), Jamestown Revival and Justine Levine (music and lyrics)

Summary: An adaptation of the 1967 novel by S. E. Hinton and the 1983 movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola, about three orphaned brothers and their "greaser" friends and rival gang of "socs" (the rich kids).

NYC Theater Trip 2024: "Merrily We Roll Along" at the Hudson Theatre

Show*: 1

Title: Merrily We Roll Along

Location: Hudson Theatre

Written By: music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by George Firth

Summary: The story of three artist friends told backwards - from the unhappy ending to the happy beginning.

NYC Theater Trip 2023: "New York, New York" at St. James Theatre

Show*: 6

Title: New York, New York

Location: St. James Theatre

Written By: book by David Thompson and Sharon Washington, music and lyrics by Kander and Ebb, additional lyrics by Lin-Manual Miranda

Summary: An adaptation of the 1977 movie about two struggling musicians in NYC (played by Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro) for which the inconic song was written, with new songs, characters, and plots added.

Highlights: This is another movie I've never seen (which I don't think is uncommon); in fact I had no idea that the song so identified with Frank Sinatra was actually written for Liza Minnelli to sing in this movie. From what I hear, this one was changed a lot, and I think too many things were added. In addition to the central love story, which is compelling if a bit cliche, there's an added element of an interracial relationship, a Holocaust survivor, a mother waiting for her POW son to return (spoiler alert that's no surprise - he doesn't), a Cuban immigrant with an abusive father (who may also be gay), and more. I saw the show in previews, so it's possible they'll tighten things up before the April 26 opening, but right now it comes off as trying to do too much with too heavy a hand. But there are some great moments. Director/choreographer Susan Stroman evokes classic musicals like On the Town in her dance montages of NYC, and there's a tap dance number done on scaffolding high above the city that's a thrill. I enjoyed the mostly new score, and the cast is fantastic. Another SIX queen, Anna Uzele, makes the most of the lead role of Francine; Colton Ryan is a charming Jimmy, with more than a little Frank in his voice, but his own interesting delivery of lyrics; and Clyde Alves is a terrific dancer and sidekick as Jimmy's pal Tommy. The set is stunning (in what I heard may be the most expensive production design ever on Broadway) - multiple massive moving three-story structures representing apartment buildings with balconies and fire escapes, absolutely gorgeous recreations of many iconic NYC landmarks using lighting and backdrops, and an orchestra pit that rises up to take center stage in the final number. And that final number? The title song, of course. And the thrill of belting out "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere, come on come through, New York, New York!" with the cast, band, and a full theater, almost makes up for what the show may be lacking. There's a great musical in there, if they can carve away the extra stuff to reveal it.

*Once again, I'm using an abbreviated Fringe-style summary for my NYC 2023 trip, since I am in the greatest city in the world with much more exciting things to do than write! Click here to see all of my Broadway-related blog posts.

NYC Theater Trip 2023: "Parade" at the Barnard B. Jacobs Theatre

Show*: 5

Title: Parade

Location: Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

Written By: book by Alfred Uhry, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown

Summary: A revival of the winner of the 1999 best book and score Tonys, based on the true story of a Jewish man in Atlanta wrongly accused of murder and lynched by a mob.

Highlights: Jason Robert Brown's score is gorgeous, haunting, and unsettling. As always he perfectly captures the emotions of the story in music. And the story of Leo Frank is a dark one. A Jewish man from Brooklyn who married a local woman and ran a pencil factory in Atlanta, he was an easy scapegoat when a 14-year old girl who worked at the factory was found dead in the basement. Politicians used the case to further their career, using the anti-semitism of the community and promising to "clean up" the South, and witnesses were bribed to falsify testimony. Leo was convicted by "a jury of his peers," and when the governor eventually commuted his death sentence to a life sentence after re-examining evidence, an angry but well organized mob kidnapped him from prison, transported him to the girl's hometown, and hung him from a tree. A brutal subject for a musical, but a timely and important one with the recent rise of anti-semitism. Ben Platt (Evan Hansen all grown up) is as good as expected, a beautiful and sober performance both vocally and emotionally. As Leo's wife Lucille, his staunch defender, Micaela Diamond is a great match, with a gorgeously strong voice full of emotion. The whole cast is fantastic, many of them playing unlikable characters. The raised platform on the stage puts the main action on display, with the cast often sitting in chairs around it. The stage is decorated with early 20th Century Americana, and also a few Confederate flags - disturbing to see (the show opens during the Civil War, showing the history of bigotry in the South). As each character is introduced, the historical figure's name and photo is displayed on the back wall of the theater, reminding us that this is a true story.

Seeing Parade is a beautiful and highly emotional experience. This is not a show to see to forget the problems of the day, but rather to take a square look at the often disturbing history of this country, and how that history is reflected in the present. e.g., a Neo Nazi group protested the first preview of this show - 110 years later and this ugliness still exists in our country. The power of this show is that it gives emotion and humanity to this story that Jason Robert Brown calls "a signal event in the history of antisemitism and white supremacist terrorism in this country, and the case was behind both the creation of the Anti-Defamation League and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan." What better subject for music-theater to shine a light on?

*Once again, I'm using an abbreviated Fringe-style summary for my NYC 2023 trip, since I am in the greatest city in the world with much more exciting things to do than write! Click here to see all of my Broadway-related blog posts.

NYC Theater Trip 2023: "Some Like It Hot" at the Sam S. Shubert Theatre

Show*: 4

Title: Some Like It Hot

Location: Sam S. Shubert Theatre

Written By: book by Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman

Summary: An adaptation of the 1959 movie, set in the prohibition era, about two musicians who don drag to escape from the mob.

Highlights: I wasn't expecting to love this one as much as I did; in fact, it might be my favorite of the six shows I saw on this trip. I've never seen the movie, but my friend assures me that this musical adaptation hues very close to the original (which she also tells me is regarded as one of the best movie comedies ever), with a few additions to make it more current that feel organic to the story, not forced to make a point. After Joe becomes Josephine and Jerry becomes Daphne, they join an all-women band led by Sweet Sue (the fabulous NaTasha Yvette Williams) traveling across the country to California. Serial dater Joe (there's a joke about him not remembering any woman's name) falls in love with the lead singer with Hollywood dreams, Sugar (SIX's Adrianna Hicks in a star turn). After befriending her as Josephine, Joe dons the disguise of a German screenwriter, allowing the uber talented Christian Borle to have lots of fun playing three different roles and accents. Unlike Joe, Jerry slowly discovers that he feels more like himself as Daphne than he ever has (an authentic performance by non-binary drag performer J. Harrison Ghee who wows as both versions of the character). The bad guys eventually catch up to our merry band of musicians, culminating in a tap-dancing chase scene that is simply the best thing ever. The fact that our characters are musicians allows for many fun show-within-the-show numbers, and this jazzy score by Hairspray writers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman is so great I immediately downloaded the cast recording. This is a show that is perfect for touring, a crowd-pleaser that's also really well written (by playwright Matthew Lopez and comedy writer/performer Amber Ruffin) and executed (director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw keeping things light and fun). It's based on a movie people love; it has an old fasioned musical comedy vibe, a fantastic score, and super fun dancing; and it's almost subversive in the way it works in issues of trans acceptance, feminism, and overcoming racism. And this is even without mentioning the gorgeous and versatile art deco set, the bright and lovely period costumes, and the awesome band - half of which is on stage for the entire show! This is movie adaption done right - a great score and book with slight tweaks to the original, making it feel current and relevant without changing what still works.

*Once again, I'm using an abbreviated Fringe-style summary for my NYC 2023 trip, since I am in the greatest city in the world with much more exciting things to do than write! Click here to see all of my Broadway-related blog posts.

NYC Theater Trip 2023: "Camelot" at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center

Show*: 3

Title: Camelot

Location: Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center

Written By: Lerner and Loewe, with a revised book by Aaron Sorkin

Summary: A revival of the classic 1960 musical about King Arthur and his court that feels more modern and relevant.

Highlights: When you think about it, who better to update this story of an idyllic and idealistic land that adovates "might for right" and "justice for all" than Aaron Sorkin, creator of the idyllic and idealistic worlds of The West Wing and The Newsroom? Sometimes we need to believe in a world that's better than the one we live in, although with Camelot, it aimed too high and came crashing down. The story is mostly the same, although it's been too long since I last saw the original to know exactly what was changed. But the characters and language are very Sorkin (which is a good thing in my book). Guenevere seems to have more agency and is an equal partner with Arthur, and when she doesn't (e.g., her arranged marriage as part of a peace treaty with France), it's acknowledged. The downfall of Camelot happens as a result of Mordred's machinations and some of the old guard's dissatisfaction with the ideas of equality and chivalry, rather than a woman's misdeeds. And Arthur was in on Guenevere and Lancelot's escape. There's plenty of Sorkinian banter and soliloquizing, the language and characters feel more modern, although not out of place in this world, and the magic has been replaced with science. 

Bartlett Sher has become an expert at directing classics in a fresh and exciting way, although respectful of the source (see also My Fair Lady and To Kill A Mockingbird, recently seen in the Twin Cities). The lightness and humor of the first act gives way to a darker second act. The staging and design at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre (which is similar in shape and size to the Guthrie's thrust stage) is stunning. A bare wooden stage, soldiers ascending from stairs at the back, starkly silhouetted trees, a backdrop of snow or light, a few period set pieces (set design by Michael Yeargan). The 30-piece orchestra (sitting under the stage), conducted by Music Director Kimberly Grigsby, wows on this lovely score. Period costumes are of dark royal colors, except for the etherial pastel gowns seen in "The Lusty Month of May" (costume design by Jennifer Moeller). Hamilton's Phillipa Soo is an absolute delight as Guenevere with an angelic voice; Andrew Burnap is a charmingly Sorkinian Arthur; and Jordan Donica (whom I recognized from the CW's recent Charmed reboot) is a wonderfully full of himself Lancelot. This production seems to lean towards #TeamArthur, and I have to agree; they're portrayed as two friends and partners who fall in love but can't quite bring themselves to admit it until it's too late.

Camelot is still not my favorite musical, but to borrow a Sorkin word, I was completely ensorceled at the opening night performance. The atmosphere, the excitement, the crowd dressed to the nines, the beautiful surroundings of Lincoln Center, the gorgeous show and performances, made it a night to remember.

*Once again, I'm using an abbreviated Fringe-style summary for my NYC 2023 trip, since I am in the greatest city in the world with much more exciting things to do than write! Click here to see all of my Broadway-related blog posts.

NYC Theater Trip 2023: "Without You" at New World Stages

Show*: 2

Title: Without You

Location: New World Stages

Written By: Anthony Rapp with music by Jonathan Larson

Summary: A solo show by RENT's original Mark that continues the musical's themes of grief, love, loss, and healing.

Highlights: Anthony's 2006 memoir Without You chronicles the beginnings of Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical as well as Anthony’s personal life during that time. Living with his playwright brother Adam in a small East Village apartment, they were, like the characters in RENT, trying to make it as artists in NYC. Meanwhile their mother was fighting her own battle with cancer back in their hometown just outside Chicago, and they were flying back and forth to visit her until her death during RENT's original run. Anthony adapted his book into this piece that combines storytelling, music, and photos. He plays all of the characters in the story, many with that familiar Midwestern twang. The show is a beautiful tribute to his mother, who supported his career from childhood despite her own struggles. Anthony sings multiple songs from RENT, including some that Mark doesn't sing ("One Song Glory" and the title song "Without You"). It's always a thrill to hear this music that I fell in love with 27 years ago from one of those original voices (which BTW sounds better than ever). Anthony also co-wrote a few original songs that aptly express the various stages of this journey, with David Matos, Joe Pisapia, and Daniel A. Wiess. The latter leads the awesome five-piece onstage band, as well as music directing and orchestrating. Next to Normal composer Tom Kitt provided some arrangements, making these very familiar songs sound new and interesting. The story moves briskly over 90 minutes (condensing the book, which I'm currently re-reading), and the staging has Anthony moving around the stage with a table and a few mismatched chairs in front of a brick wall, reminiscent of RENT's original set design (direction by Steven Maler, scenic and lighting design by Eric Southern).

As readers of this blog know, RENT has always held a special place in my heart, but now, 27 years after first encountering it, I'm at an age where I have experienced grief and loss. And I see my own life stretching out longer behind me than ahead of me, making this show even more meaningful. The stories around RENT (Jonathan's untimely death, Anthony's loss of his mother, and our own stories) make its themes even richer and more resonant. No day but today, indeed. Thank you Jonathan Larson, and thank you Anthony Rapp for continuing his work and his legacy.

*Once again, I'm using an abbreviated Fringe-style summary for my NYC 2023 trip, since I am in the greatest city in the world with much more exciting things to do than write! Click here to see all of my Broadway-related blog posts. 

NYC Theater Trip 2023: "Leopoldstadt" at the Longacre Theatre

Show*: 1

Title: Leopoldstadt

Location: Longacre Theatre

Written By: Tom Stoppard

Summary: An epic story covering multiple generations of a Jewish family in Vienna from 1899 through 1955.

Highlights: This is prolific playwright Sir Tom Stoppard (Arcadia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, et al) at his most personal. He has woven a story of generations from his own family history. His family fled the Nazis in Czechoslovakia when he was young, and he grew up in England knowing little of that history. Now he grapples with it in a play that spans 56 years and could easily be made into a 10-episode Netflix series with the multiple characters and stories it contains, some barely hinted at. We begin in 1899, with two interwined Jewish families putting up a Christmas tree for "the papist children," a couple of its members having married Christians. In over two hours without an intermission (which is a bit long, but does contribute to the epic and unrelenting feeling of the tragic story), we follow generations of this family (children in the first act are adults in the second with children of their own that continue into the next scene) into 1924 recovering from WWI, 1938 with the impending cloud of the the Holocaust beginning to spread, and 1955 when those that are left reflect on their history. In typical Stoppard fashion there's smart and witty dialogue, a scandalous affair, a humorous misunderstanding involving a bris, and talk of mathematics and art. All of this plays out against the backdrop of this once prominent and successful family having their property, culture, and lives stolen from them.

This is one of the largest, if not the largest, casts I've ever seen in a play. 30+ actors (including children) play these characters at several different ages in a complicated family tree (helpfully displayed in the program). They're all wonderful and make the most of sometimes minimal stage time (notable cast members include Joshua Malina from The West Wing, Scandal, and more, and Minnesotan Seth Numrich who was unfortunately out the night I saw the show). The set (designed by Richard Hudson) transforms from an elegant late 19th Century Viennese apartment, to a more modern '20s home, to the desolation of pre and post WWII, all with the change of lighting, a few set pieces, and the large piece of art hanging on the back wall. These changes are happening during scene transitions behind a screen upon which is displayed historical footage of scenes from the era.

Leopoldstadt (which refers to the Jewish quarter in Vienna) is a story of generational trauma and how it affects different generations differently, even those who were not conciously aware of it (i.e., the character of Leopold/Leonard who, like the playwright, was brought up in England with an English stepfather). Specifically the generational trauma of Jewish families who saw entire branches of their family tree disappear, cut off at the root by the Holocaust and now allowed to continue. As my sociologist friend says, it's also about "the lie of assimilation." Some of the characters convert to Christianity and try to put their Jewishness behind them, but no matter what they do, they are still treated as such by the people in power when it benefits them. It's a story of family history and ancestry, and how we keep those memories and stories alive when the players are long gone. It's an epic and dense play with may layers and many questions raised, one I would like to see again. Maybe our own Six Points Theater will take it on one day, although they're going to need a bigger stage.

*Once again, I'm using an abbreviated Fringe-style summary for my NYC 2023 trip, since I am in the greatest city in the world with much more exciting things to do than write! Click here to see all of my Broadway-related blog posts.

NYC Theater Trip 2022: "The Music Man" at the Winter Garden Theatre

Show*: 5

Title: The Music Man

Location: Winter Garden Theatre

Written By: Richard Greenberg

Summary: A big, beautiful, colorful, life-affirming, revitalizing, traditional (with a few tweaks) revival of the 1957 classic, only the second Broadway revival.

Highlights: I unabashedly love The Music Man, the story of a con man who "gets his foot caught in the door" on his way out of town, because someone saw through his slick veneer to his true self, and loved him anyway. He's not selling a band, he's selling hope, a common goal, community, and something to believe in. Marian is a woman with standards, and finally meets an intelligent man who meets them, and brings life back to her family and town. This production is a joyous celebration of all of that. And maybe it is corny and old-fashioned, but that's OK with me. This lovely, talented, diverse, and huge cast is such fun to watch, especially the young ones who are unbelievably confident and capable amongst the pros. Hugh Jackman is an absolute charmer, a spellbinder who has everyone in River City and the theater believing his every word, a twinkle in his eye that can be seen from the last row of the theater (or at least the 2nd to last where I was sitting). He has a great match in two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster, whose Marion doesn't suffer fools. She's tough and smart, and watching these two warm to each other and their easy natural chemistry is a joy. Meredith Wilson's beloved classic score sounds simply scrumptious as played by the 20+ piece orchestra tucked under the stage; I stayed to hear every last note. There are a couple of rewritten lyrics, most notably in "Shipoopi" to make it a little more palatable in the #metoo era, and a new (or old) intro to "My White Knight." The choreography (by Warren Carlye) is divine. "76 Trombones" is the highlight, absolutely stunning as each group of (mimed) instruments comes forward and takes turns, the groups of dancers weaving together and creating a beautiful symphony. The library scene is also a delight, as is the final tap number. As expected, costumes are luscious, overflowing with bustles and hats and flounces, and sets are genius, with a "curtain" made up of the red planks of a barn. It opens in various ways and rises into the ceiling, revealing two-dimensional backdrops and set pieces in the Grant Wood style (set and costumes designed by Santo Loquasto). This was my final show of the trip, and it left me on a high, marveling at the wonder and magic of theater. Everything about it is so wonderful, a balm to a world-weary soul. I had tears in my eyes throughout the show, at the beauty of the story and the storytelling, and remembering how long we had to live without it. Only one of the five shows I saw didn't have an understudy in a lead or featured role, but we're finding a way for the show to go on safely. Broadway is unquestionably back, and The Music Man represents that traditional musical that we love so much.

*Once again, I'm using an abbreviated Fringe-style summary for my NYC 2022 trip, since I am in the greatest city in the world with much more exciting things to do than write! Click here to see all of my Broadway-related blog posts.

NYC Theatre Trip 2022: "A Strange Loop" at the Lyceum Theatre

Show*: 4

Title: A Strange Loop

Location: Lyceum Theatre

Written By: Michael R. Jackson

Summary: In the 2020 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama (just the tenth musical to do so), a queer black writer is writing a musical about a queer black writer writing a musical about a queer black writer writing a musical…

Highlights: This very meta theater play features a unique voice and a unique story that needs to be heard. Composer/lyricist/playwright Michael R. Jackson's "emotionally autobiographical" story features a self-described queer black fat boy, with an inner white girl, working as an usher at the Lion King while writing his show. As he's writing the show, he's discovering and living the hard truths he's writing about. Truths about his career (should he sell out and write a Tyler Perry gospel play, which would make his mom happy?), his family life, his love life (or lack thereof). In a clever storytelling device, his embodied thoughts help and hinder him along the way, representing those ugly little voices all of us have in our heads. It's a very specific story, with very graphic language and subject matter (my friend and I wondered what they could possibly sing on the Tony's), but with universal and relatable themes of family, identity, and finding ones place in the world. I saw an understudy in the lead role, Kyle Ramar Freeman, who did a beautiful job filling in for Tony nominated Jaquel Spivey, so endearing and sympathetic, with a great voice and stage presence. Six talented and hard-working actors play his "thoughts" and multiple other characters, dressed in chic neutral athleisure wear with added pieces to create characters. (Side note: #THTheater actor Jon-Michael Reese is an understudy for several of these roles and recently made his Broadway debut, much deserved!) The story takes place primarily on a simple set consisting of six open doors and a few set pieces, which are later removed to reveal the set of the much talked about and finally seen Tyler Perry gospel play (set design by Arnulfo Maldanado, costume design by Montana Levi Blanco). A Strange Loop may not appeal to the tourist crowd (that's OK, they have plenty of jukebox musicals and revivals to choose from), but it's an exciting and unique new musical that pushes the boundaries of what music-theater, and in particular Broadway musicals, can do and be and say.

*Once again, I'm using an abbreviated Fringe-style summary for my NYC 2022 trip, since I am in the greatest city in the world with much more exciting things to do than write! Click here to see all of my Broadway-related blog posts.

NYC Theater Trip 2022: "Take Me Out" at Second Stage at the Hayes Theater

Show*: 3

Title: Take Me Out

Location: Second Stage at the Hayes Theater

Written By: Richard Greenberg

Summary: In this very funny and loving tribute to the best sport in the world - baseball - a superstar player comes out as gay in the middle of the season, leading to all sorts of drama, and even tragedy.

Highlights: I loved this play so much I just bought the script. As a lifelong Twins fan, I am familiar with the joy and the heartbreak that is baseball. And this play, while covering lots of relevant social issues, is at its heart an ode to baseball. Will people who don't like baseball like this play? I couldn't say, because I could never understand a person who doesn't love a game that's so perfect, so symmetric, so democratic. Jesse Tyler Ferguson (who was on Broadway long before he became known as Mitchell Pritchett) plays a business manager who starts watching baseball when he takes on said superstar, Darren, as a client (played by Grey's Anatomy's Jesse Williams in his Broadway debut), and over the course of half a season, he falls in love with the game. He has a couple of fantastic soliloquys (the play is framed by narration directly to the audience, mostly by Darren's best friend, played by Suits' Patrick J. Adams) about the beautiful oddities of baseball, and the many reasons we love it so much (I need a t-shirt with the quote "baseball is better than democracy" but sadly there was no merch table). But back to the drama. After the superstar comes out publicly as gay (which, BTW, no active MLB player has ever done, although a couple of minor leagers and retired players have, including Billy Bean, current MLB VP and special assistant to the commissioner), a recent call-up from double-A (Michael Oberholtzer) makes a racist and homophobic statement to the press (think John Rocker, or rather don't think about him). He's suspended and suddenly Darren finds himself at the center of a movement, something he never wanted; he just wants to play ball as usual. More drama unfolds over the course of the season, some of it shocking. The season ends and so does the play, after exploring baseball as a microcosm of America, the good, the bad, and the ugly. The fantastic cast (Jesse Tyler Ferguson in particular is such a gem, so funny and natural on stage, and deserves to win his first Tony for this) on the simple but cool set comprised of a set of clubhouse lockers that turn around to form a backdrop for projections, and showers with actual running water (which yes, means they're naked, as people usually are in the shower), makes it feel like you're really in the clubhouse with these guys as they journey through this unexpectedly eventful season. 

On that eventual day, and it will come, when the MLB accepts openly gay players and allows them to be themselves without threat of ridicule, retaliation, or damage to their career, I will only love baseball more than I do now. I'll leave you with the closing lines of the play, the lament of every Twins fan at the end of every season throughout history except for two ('87 and '91!):

This season was tragic.

What will we do until spring?!

*Once again, I'm using an abbreviated Fringe-style summary for my NYC 2022 trip, since I am in the greatest city in the world with much more exciting things to do than write! Click here to see all of my Broadway-related blog posts.

NYC Theater Trip 2022: "Paradise Square" at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre

Show*: 2

Title: Paradise Square

Location: Ethel Barrymore Theatre

Written By: Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas, and Larry Kirwan (book), Jason Howland (music), Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare (lyrics)

Summary: A new original musical (with ten Tony nominations) about Irish immigrants and free Black people living together in the Five Points neighborhood of NYC, until various factors including the draft riots of 1863 brought it to an end.

Highlights: This show reminded me a lot of Theater Latte Da's original musical Five Points, with similar themes, characters, setting, and dance styles. But while Latte Da's story centered around two historical dancers, Paradise Square is a fictional story about two Irish siblings married to free Black people and working together to run a pub called Paradise Square. Sister Annie (Chilina Kennedy) is married to Reverend Sam (Nathaniel Stampley), who works with the Underground Railroad to ferry escaped slaves to Canada, and brother Willie O'Brien (Matt Bogart) is married to Nelly (Tony nominated Joaquina Kalukango), who inherited the pub from her father. Things get even more complicated when Willie goes off to fight in the Civil War (easy to guess how that goes); the O'Briens' nephew Owen (Tony nominated A.J. Shively) arrives from Ireland needing work and a place to stay; the family takes in an escaped slave who takes the name Washington (Alan Wiggins beautifully filling in for the third Tony nominated actor in the cast, Sidney DuPont); politicians try to force Nellie out of her bar; and a draft is announced, causing unrest among the poor population who can't afford to pay the $300 fee to get out of it. The drama centers around a dance competition at the pub that will hopefully earn enough money to save it, with Owen and Washington competing to win the money and secure their freedom. There's a lot going on, perhaps too much, but this look into an early American multi-cultural society is interesting and inspiring, and the manipulation of the populace by businessmen and politicians once again reminds us that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Six people collaborated to write the music, book, and lyrics, pulling in many different voices to tell this story. Both the score and the choreography (by Bill T. Jones) combine the influence of Irish, African, and Black American traditions, and the dancing is truly phenomenal and thrilling, impeccably performed by the large and talented cast. How often do you see Irish step-dancing in a show that isn't Riverdance?! Lastly, the impressive set (designed by Allen Moyer) features a rotating two-story piece that represents the pub, inside and out, plus three narrow three-story pieces representing the tenement buildings. This epic and truly American story has a depressing ending, but "the door is always open to Paradise Square" provides a moment of hope.

*Once again, I'm using an abbreviated Fringe-style summary for my NYC 2022 trip, since I am in the greatest city in the world with much more exciting things to do than write! Click here to see all of my Broadway-related blog posts.

NYC Theater Trip 2022: "The Minutes" at Studio 54

Show*: 1

Title: The Minutes

Location: Studio 54

Written By: Tracy Letts

Summary: A small town city council meeting turns ugly when truths about the town's past are revealed, but not accepted by the people in power.

Highlights: Tracy Letts wrote and stars in this 90-minute very funny and real little play that you think is one thing, until it turns into another. The writing, direction (by Anna D. Shapiro), and performances by this fantastic cast (also including Jessie Mueller, Noah Reid of Schitt's Creek, Blair Brown, and scene stealer Austin Pendleton) are full of little details that define these specific characters and fill out the world in the town of Big Cherry, USA. Combined with a detailed and realistic set (designed by David Zinn), from the water stains on the ceiling, to the rolling snack cart, to the ambiguous mural, it feels like we're eavesdropping on a real meeting. The trouble arises when the newest council member returns from a week away, only to hear that something big happened last week resulting in one of the members being ousted from the council. The titular meeting minutes are not available, but he keeps digging until finally they're produced, revealing an argument about the annual heritage festival. The ousted member had produced the statement of an indigenous person that contradicts the local legend about the hero who saved the town from the "Sioux uprising" (which might sound familiar to those of us in Minnesotan, and really anywhere in the US). The mayor will not accept this, and goes to extreme lengths to make sure his version of history is the one that stands ("who lives, who dies, who tells your story"). What starts as an odd and funny little character study of a town and its residents (think Parks and Recreation) turns into a not so subtle statement about the true history of this country. 

*Once again, I'm using an abbreviated Fringe-style summary for my NYC 2022 trip, since I am in the greatest city in the world with much more exciting things to do than write! Click here to see all of my Broadway-related blog posts.