From Where We Sat: The Helen Hayes Theatre

Today, we have the next in our series of seating articles based on many of your emails requests and questions, namely "how were your seats?" Sure, I'm aware of another website that provides a similar service that covers New York theaters, national theaters and concert and sporting venues. I hope to provide a bit more information and insight. That said, if there's anything more you'd like to know or want to share your own experiences please feel free to contact us on social media at JKsTheatreScene.

From Where We Sat:

The Helen Hayes Theatre

The Theatre: 

• 240 W. 44th Street
• Current capacity: 581 seats
• Orchestra and Mezzanine

What We Saw There:

• Becky Shaw (review HERE)

Where We Sat: 

• Right Side Orchestra Row J, Seats 12 & 14. The seating in this theater has average leg room. The seats themselves were comfortable and in excellent condition.

What We Paid: 

• $99.00 (Today Tix offer) These seats are normally $214.00 at the box office. 

The Location: 

• Upon entering the theater, we were directed to the second door immediately to our left.
• Row J is the ninth row from the stage.

Seat Amenities and Exiting the Theatre:

• These seats are comfortable and well maintained.
• Exiting the theatre is particularly easy and simple from here. The door to the street is about 30 feet away straight ahead. Getting out is pretty painless.   
• We were out of the theater and on our way in less than 5 minutes post curtain call.

So how was the view*?

• We were against the wall, right at the point where the wall angles in. These were definitely partial view, with everything stage left of the proscenium out of view. I don't think we missed much, but it was annoying, especially considering that they were not designated as partial view.
• I don't think people in the orchestra seating in the first couple of rows fared much better, as the stage is pretty tall from there.
• Facial expressions and set and costume details were crystal clear as we were at an otherwise perfect distance from the stage.

The bottom line:

• I would not choose these seats specifically, unless there was nothing better available. The view is definitely partial. Having been there again after all these years (it's been about 20 years), and it's fresh in my memory, even the very back row of the orchestra is considerably better.

* - Your seating preferences may vary, of course. And these seats may not be as ideal for a different production.

Other seating at The St. James Theatre

• We have seen several productions at this theater and we've sat in various locations in the orchestra, and mezzanine areas. (We even sat on stage once for Xanadu!)
• A couple of times, we sat in the center orchestra section. The seats had an average amount of leg room. You could see the whole stage at once, but it isn't too far from the stage, so you can still see the details and facial expressions. The legroom is less generous in the orchestra, but it isn't uncomfortable. The seats there have a typical rake, so seeing over others can be difficult if someone tall sits in front of you. Do with that information what you will.
• The mezzanine view is pretty great throughout, with the normal limitations of the extreme sides. Oddly, the closer you are to the front of the section, the more cramped the seating.

The 2026 JKTS Awards: Editors' Choice, Part One

Editors' Choice, Part One

Recently, you had your say with The 2026 JKTS Readers' Choice Awards (HERE). Now it is our turn! Today, we offer up our more serious awards (a few fun ones will post on Friday), honoring those theater people - new faces and familiar faces - that made the 2025-2026 Broadway season the special one that it was.

Show Folk Awards

Movers and Shapers

• Playwright: Bess Wohl (Liberation) 
• Musical Writers: The Rescues (The Lost Boys) and Jim Barne & Kit Buchan (Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York))
• Designers: Qween Jean (Liberation & Cats: The Jellicle Ball) and Dean Laffrey, Michael Arden & Jen Schriever (The Lost Boys)

These greats represent the present AND the future of Broadway. They have their fingers on the pulse of relevancy, and continue to stretch the boundaries for their respective crafts.

Mavericks of the Season 

• Queen Jean, Tony-winner for Cats: The Jellicle Ball (Best Costume Design of a Musical)
• Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue writers, stars and directors of Titanique

Much has been written about Qween Jean's historic Tony win already, but I'll just add that she inspires me to be a better member of the queer community.

And who doesn't love a from-the-ground-up success story? The three collaborators of Titanique represent the very ideal of creating theater. What started out as a kind of joke between friends blossomed into a tiny show that refused to die, and grew and grew until it became an international hit show. Though it may seem that Broadway is the final jewel of the ocean in its theatrical crown, I somehow suspect it is far from over. 

Welcome to Broadway 

• Anna Grace Barlow, Ragtime
• LJ Benet, The Lost Boys
• Melissa Berrera, Titanique
• Ayaan Diop, Schmigadoon!
• Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw
• Luke Evans, The Rocky Horror Show
• "Tempress" Chastity Moore, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
• Sam Tutty, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Every season brings a wonderful new crop of Broadway debuts, but these folks really stood out to us. Some came from other areas of the arts, others from across the pond. All of them generously shared their talents and unique personalities. We really hope they will all come back often.

Welcome Back to Broadway

Stephen Schwartz, The Queen of Versailles

It feels like he's always around. There have been revivals of Godspell and Pippin on Broadway, and The Baker's Wife off-Broadway. There's been a steady stream of film scores. And of course, there's the constant presence of Wicked both on Broadway and in movie theaters. It is notable that The Queen of Versailles is his first original Broadway score in 22 years, the last being Wicked. Though its demise was swift, it's always a great thing to have Schwartz's work on the boards!

Stars on the Rise

• Rodd Cyrus, Ragtime
• Sydney James Harcourt, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
• Layton Williams, Titanique
• Maria Wirries, The Lost Boys 

These four performers are all going to be big. Really big. Mark my words!

Two of them made their Broadway debuts this season to much acclaim - and a Tony nod for one of them, the third narrowly escaped eternal life as a vampire and slayed as a heroine before it was all over, and the fourth's already good career was reborn into a new Jellicle life! And all four stole the show with their dazzling performances!

Outstanding Standby Performance

Sherie Rene Scott on as Jackie Siegel in The Queen of Versailles

We specifically chose a performance with Ms. Scott on in the lead role. We didn't think too much of the show, but she did not disappoint! She really made a diamond out of a lump of coal with her genuine star turn here. What a presence! And her chemistry with her co-stars and, importantly,  the audience was palpable. Here's to a new vehicle for her to shine in all on her own.

The Egregiously Overlooked

• Sydney James Harcourt, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
• Isabelle McCalla, Schmigadoon!
• "Tempress" Chastity Moore, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
• Constantine Rousouli, Titanique
• Shaina Taub, Ragtime

No, I can't/won't say who I'd have taken off the nominee lists to make room for these overlooked geniuses, but damn, I wish there was more room then! (And yes, I know Rousouli was nominated for Best Book...). Harcourt's take on Rum Tum Tugger was both sexier and more meaningful than ever before, just as Moore's Grizabella felt deeper and stirring. Taub was better here than in Suffs, and her Union Square scene was so stirring. Rousouli's charming goof ball take on Jack was both riotous and dare I say touching? And McCalla's school marm was next level, especially in her stop-the-show-cold tap number!

Review: Becky Shaw

Review of the Saturday, June 6, 2026 matinee performance at the Helen Hayes Theatre in New York City. A play by Gina Gionfriddo. Starring Patrick Ball, Madeline Brewer, Alden Ehrenreich, Linda Emond and Lauren Patten. Scenic design by David Zinn. Costume design by Kaye Voyce. Lighting design by Stacey Derosier. Sound design by M.I. Dogg. Directed by Trip Cullman. 2 hours 30 minutes, including one intermission.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It's always fun to watch bad people at work in a play or movie (not so much in real life). Such is definitely the case with the viciously biting comedy, Becky Shaw. The people in this relationship drama are alternately mean and well-intentioned, predators and victims, self-serving and open-hearted. Full of secrets and thriving on the ability to use them as weapons, these are simply not nice human beings. But you could never tell them that.

A tricky game of manipulation over money, power and love, the lives of this soon to be less wealthy family are already on edge, when a seemingly innocent, lonely girl gets entangled in their lives. Chaos ensues and no one ends up the way they started. Obviously, there's a lot going on here, and trying to capture it all without giving too much away is a fool's errand, so I'll leave at this: this Pulitzer Prize finalist by Gina Gionfriddo is a harsh reality check for modern society, and it left me thankful not have this be in my life!

Trip Cullman's direction is razor-sharp and fraught with tension, with a blistering pace and a few dramatic flares. Design-wise, the lighting (by Stacey Derosier) is unremarkable, save for some appropriately cold hues in the early scenes, and M. I. Dogg's sound was crystal clear, if at times jarring with that way too common penchant for jump scare music to punctuate the end of each scene. (Can we just stop with that already?) The biggest surprise and also the biggest disappointment was the cheap looking and, well, ugly set and costumes (by David Zinn and Kaye Voyce, respectively). Wow, just wow. Community theater on a thrift shop budget isn't really an appropriate vibe at this level or this piece.

Fortunately, there isn't a weak link in the cast. Linda Emond as the matriarch, controlled the stage every moment she was on, wielding her cane like a wicked sorcerer's staff as she made pronouncements and observations like evil incantations. Meanwhile, Patrick Ball walks a fine line between earnestly good, hopelessly naive and self-righteousness as the people-pleasing husband who nearly loses everything to help a co-worker. He says all the right things about women and how they should be treated, but always leaves some measure of doubt as to just how much he means it. As the titular Becky Shaw, Madeline Brewer makes an impressive debut as a master manipulator with pot stirring skills that are unparalleled. Her slight stature, sweet voice and demure look is the perfect disguise for such a trickster, and Brewer plays it with cunning allure - we are both smitten and repulsed at the same time.

It is with the last two actors that Becky Shaw has its real muscle. Lauren Patten is perfection as the messy and messed up Suzanna, a psychology grad student who seems to understand everyone else's issues while blind to her own. Until she isn't. Patten is intense yet not off-putting, and plays her character in such a way that you can be on her side and appalled by her at the same time. Given Suzanna's family, it's no wonder she is the way she is, and the actress navigates it all with excellence. Finally, there's newly minted Tony-winner Alden Ehrenreich, as financial advisor and almost son to this odd family. He is maddening in his indignant need to stick to his steadfast belief system - he embodies the "stay in your lane" philosophy to the point of near destruction. And yet, somehow, you find yourself thinking he's right to do so. He's a bit of an asshole, who uses his personal credo as an armor, and only later do we come to understand why. The play leaves us at a bit of a cliffhanger where he is concerned, and that makes the whole play that much more unnerving and thought-provoking.

The aesthetics of the production aside, it was a funny and challenging piece. I know I wouldn't want any of these people in my life. Gionfriddo spends a lot of time letting us know about characters outside of the play - a father, his financial advisor/lover, the mother's lover and more. The whole time I kept thinking these are the people I want to see. Is that a good thing?

📸: M. Franklin

Some Thoughts On the 2026 Tony Awards

Some Thoughts on the 2026 Tony Awards

And so another Broadway season is in the books, capped off by The 79th Tony Awards. And like every year, there were some surprises - all good ones for a change, performances - all noteworthy for a change, and plenty to dish about.

Like most of you reading this, I was hyper-focused on the whole thing. Enjoying each moment while picking it apart and Monday morning quarterbacking each winner I didn't guess correctly... Anyway, here are my ramblings written as they happened, though organized to make for better reading.

Act One (Pluto TV):

• Laura and Tituss looked fabulous. AI joke out of the way. (Thank God.)
• Book: Cinco gets the one award Schmigadoon! really deserves. 
• Costume Design/Musical: Qween! Looks fabulous. Is fabulous. (Love the fans with fans!)
• Orchestrations: The one category where all were worthy. That said, Schmigadoon! was the least challenging choice.
• Carrie Coon is my hall pass, too, Laura. Pluto TV better get their technical act together...
• Sound Design/Play: What a humble speech by Mikaal. Seems like the kind of guy I would love to work with.
• Sound Design/Musical: Did the voters even listen to The Lost Boys? Or Cats: The Jellicle Ball? Good on Kai for making a fun joke about running against himself.
• Teachers! Am I right? This award belongs on the main telecast. Period.
• Score: I knew it would win, but it isn't the best by a mile. More new musicals? Yes. The irony.

• Mary Mitchell Campbell is indeed a worthy icon. Thank you!
• Jules Fisher really is a lighting magician. An amazing career across the history of Broadway.
• Lighting Design/Musical: One of the best lighting designs in YEARS, and totally deserving. Kudos, to Michael Arden for getting all of the other nominees into his speech so they get recognized in case he doesn't get the chance later.
• James Lapine is amazing on every level, no matter his role in a production.
• Scenic Design/Musical: Totally deserving, Dane Laffery has done amazing work here, but let's look at his career. That is some massive talent.
• Choreography: The category is Most Amazing Moves. These people took iconic dance moves and moved Cats into a whole new era. Bravo!

I am very thankful Pluto took up the mantle, but the technical quality of this was embarrassing.

So far, Mike is 5 for 8 in predictions, while I am 4 for 8.

The Tony Awards (National Telecast):

The best opening number I can remember. The joy reminds me of the feeling I had when I saw The Jellicle Ball. Bravo to all 170 people involved and for leaving egos at the door (Go, Lea!). I sat here alone and applauded like a maniac.

Lead Actor in a Play: Lithgow spun the Tony! I admire him so much. Congrats.

Schmigadoon! - This really captures the show perfectly, and clearly the staging was fit onto the huge stage with care and an understanding of the needs of filming for television. The writing for this was sharp, too. If I hadn't already seen it, this would make me want to buy tickets. And that is really the point, right? Well done!

Featured Actress in a Play: Laurie looks FABULOUS. Generous to a fault. How to make a speech not about yourself.

Ragtime - How awesome that the nation got the thrill of that same entrance! One of musical theater's greatest opening numbers, superbly rendered for television. An obvious choice, but a great one, nonetheless. Another one that should sell whatever tickets are left.

TITANP¡NQUE

Best Direction of a Musical: I am waving a fan at the screen! Love this for them and the show. The most joyous experience I have had in the theater in many years, and it is largely due to their amazing vision. The category is: fuck yeah!

Best Direction of a Play: There is nothing Joe Mantello can't do. Talk about multi-talented. And gracious.

Titanique - "What do you say?/My Heart Will Go On" plus that great intro, a great encapsulation. They should have had longer screen time. I hope this gets them a boost at the box office. They deserve it.

Love how they are bringing back "legit" hosts to "support" Pink. Not that she needs it. I think she's wonderful.

Featured Actress in a Musical: I am so thrilled for Shoshana Bean! And LJ weeping into a hug... I'm crying. I admit it.

Cats: The Jellicle Ball - Amazing that it translated that well to television! The camera work was spectacular. Kudos to Paul Rudd for keeping it together when the Rum Tum Tugger came a-sniffing. I will say it again: the feeling of joy that gives me is off the charts. Buy those tickets!!!

Best Play: I'm kicking myself for missing Liberation. Bess Wohl is a phenomenal human being.

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - Inevitable as it was "New York" was a great way to start this number, into "American Express." And their chemistry is off the charts. Great how just the two of them, some great camera work and perfect use of their set pieces combined to still feel like a big production number. Fingers crossed they get some ticket sales from this. Well done!

Featured Actor in a Musical: Yes!!! A wonderful surprise! He is so terrific in the role, and such a great human. I was a big fan, now an even bigger one.

Chicago - Alex Newell is sublime as Mama. Pink as Velma? Sign me up! What a thrilling tribute.

Lead Actress in a Play: I think Lesley Manville is a person I want to know. That's all I can say.

The Rocky Horror Show - Luke Evans was and is spectacular. This was so much better that what we saw at Studio 54. Lesson learned: early previews aren't always a good choice even if they are cheaper. And some more amazing camera work. 

Best Revival of a Musical: No matter who won, I knew I'd be happy for the winner. But I also knew I'd be disappointed for the loser. And here we are.

In Memorium: Ah. "Without You" makes me really get into my feelings. Tears are being shed. And Leslie Odom, Jr. sang it beautifully. A lovely tribute befitting Broadway.

Featured Actor in a Play: The only play performance I saw this year, so maybe I'm biased. But he was really terrific and I'm glad he won. And I'm even more glad that he doesn't seem to be anything like his character.

  

The Lost Boys - Like the intro says, you have to see it to believe it. I appreciate that they gave space to both the family drama ("No More Monsters") and the sinister hard-rocking danger of the dark side of the piece ("I Have to Have You").

Best Revival of a Play: It seems inevitable that Salesman that should win. It is so rich that no matter how it is done, it offers new revelations. Can't wait to see it.

The Book of Mormon - A high energy medley, wonderfully performed, still leaves me cold on the show. I've never been a fan. And just as I felt 15 years ago when I saw it, I'm grateful that I don't have (and never did) maggots on my scrotum.

A Chorus Line - "What I Did For Love" is a great song, and Rachel sang it beautifully. But it should have been "One."

Lead Actress in a Musical: Not a surprise, but no less deserved. I have never seen her in anything where she was less than superlative. She really earned this one.

Lead Actor in a Musical: Not a surprise, but no less deserved. I have never seen him in anything where he was less than superlative. He really earned this one.

I can say this with sincerity, both Caissie and Joshua are two of my all time favorite performers, who effortlessly elevate every single thing they do. It is a real privilege to have seen them both several times. Can't wait to see them both again.

Best Musical: Not really surprised, I guess, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. Of all the nominees, it is the one show I saw, I was glad I saw it, and enjoyed it. But I haven't really given it much thought since. The others are on my mind regularly. Oh, well. the boys still did very well. Here's to a long run for all the nominees!

The best Tonys in a very long time. By a wide margin.

Biggest takeaway: Pink needs to be on Broadway.

In the end, Mike got an impressive 12 out of 15 predictions correct. I was much less impressive with 8 out of 15. Until next year!

The 2026 Tony Awards: Our Predictions

The 2026 Tony Awards: Our Predictions

It feels like this year, more than many recent years, how the Tony Awards will pan out is anybody's guess. Maybe it's because there are fewer possible entries than in recent years, or maybe it's because the cream really rose to the top this season, and most, if not all of the nominees in any given category are award-worthy. Probably it's both.

Could this be the year that we see a tie or two? Will the Tony voters reward traditional works or daring, boundary pushing storytelling? Will the Tonys be spread among all of the productions, or will one or two shows shut out all the rest? The only sure thing is that this year, nothing is a given and it will probably hold many surprises.

For us, the biggest potential spoiler among the new musicals could be Two Strangers, a sweet little musical that is solid in all respects, but has been largely ignored thanks to recent, huge new shows. As for the revivals, we had strong, mostly negative feelings about The Rocky Horror Show, but will it be a spoiler for the two biggies, Cats: The Jellicle Ball and Ragtime, which seem to be pitted against each other by the fans? Could Rocky come in when the votes are split between the two camps?

At any rate, as always we are putting our predictions out there, this year only in the musical categories, as we didn't see a single play this season. (You'll see that we marked the two scores nominations from plays as "n/a" below.) What we did was pick who we think the Tony Award will go to, as well as rank each list with our personal choices, 1 being our top pick through 5 being our last pick. Mike and I agree on two things: in nearly all cases, the Tony could go to any of them, and at any given moment any nominee could be given a different ranking!

Here are our predictions:

    

Jeff	Tony	Category & Nominees	Tony	Mike
		Best Score Written for theTheatre (Music &/or Lyrics)
n/a		Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman - Music - Caroline Shaw		n/a
n/a		August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone - Music - Steve Bargonetti		n/a
1	x	The Lost Boys - Music and Lyrics - The Rescues		1
2		Schmigadoon! - Music and Lyrics - Cinco Paul		3
3		Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - Music and Lyrics - Jim Barne and Kit Buchan	x	2
		Best Book of a Musical
1		The Lost Boys - David Hornsby and Chris Hoch		1
2	x	Schmigadoon! - Cinco Paul	x	3
4		Titanique - Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue		2
3		Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - Jim Barne and Kit Buchan		4
		Best Orchestrations
5		Doug Besterman and Mike Morris - Schmigadoon!		5
1		Ethan Popp, Adrianne "AG" Gonzalez, Gabriel Mann, Kyler England - The Lost Boys		2
4		Lux Pyramid - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)		4
2	x	Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Wilson, Trevor Holder and Doug Schadt - Cats: The Jellicle Ball	x	3
3		Brian Usifer - Chess		1

  

  

Jeff	Tony	Category & Nominees	Tony	Mike
		Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
1		Ali Louis Bourzgui - The Lost Boys		1
4		André De Shields - Cats: The Jellicle Ball		4
5		Bryce Pinkham - Chess		5
2	x	Ben Levi Ross - Ragtime	x	2
3		Layton Williams - Titanique		3
		Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
1	x	Shoshana Bean - The Lost Boys	x	1
4		Hannah Cruz - Chess		3
5		Rachel Dratch - Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show		5
2		Ana Gasteyer - Schmigadoon!		4
3		Nichelle Lewis - Ragtime		2
		Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
2		Nicholas Christopher - Chess		2
5		Luke Evans - Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show		5
1	x	Joshua Henry - Ragtime	x	1
3		Sam Tutty - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)		3
4		Brandon Uranowitz - Ragtime		4
		Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
4		Sara Chase - Schmigadoon!		4
5		Stephanie Hsu - Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show		5
1	x	Caissie Levy- Ragtime	x	1
3		Marla Mindelle - Titanique		2
2		Christiani Pitts - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)		3

  

Jeff	Tony	Category & Nominees	Tony	Mike
		Best Direction of a Musical
2		Michael Arden - The Lost Boys		2
3	x	Lear deBessonet - Ragtime		3
4		Christopher Gattelli - Schmigadoon!		4
5		Tim Jackson - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)		5
1		Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch - Cats: The Jellicle Ball	x	1
		Best Choreography
1	x	Christopher Gattelli - Schmigadoon!		3
3		Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant - The Lost Boys		2
2		Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons - Cats: The Jellicle Ball	x	1
4		Ellenore Scott - Ragtime		4
5		Ani Taj - Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show		5

  

  

Jeff	Tony	Category & Nominees	Tony	Mike
		Best Scenic Design of a Musical
5		dots - Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show		5
4		Soutra Gilmour - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)		4
3		Rachel Hauck - Cats: The Jellicle Ball		3
1	x	Dane Laffrey - The Lost Boys	x	1
2		Scott Pask - Schmigadoon!		2
		Best Costume Design of a Musical		2
1		Linda Cho - Ragtime		2
4		Linda Cho - Schmigadoon!		4
3	x	Qween Jean - Cats: The Jellicle Ball	x	1
2		Ryan Park - The Lost Boys		3
5		David I. Reynoso - Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show		5
		Best Lighting Design of a Musical
2		Kevin Adams - Chess		2
1	x	Jen Schriever and Michael Arden - The Lost Boys	x	1
5		Jane Cox - Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show		3
4		Adam Honoré and Donald Holder (Lighting Design) and 59 Studio (Projection Design) - Ragtime		5
3		Donald Holder - Schmigadoon!		4
		Best Sound Design of a Musical
1	x	Adam Fisher - The Lost Boys	x	1
2		Kai Harada - Cats: The Jellicle Ball		4
4		Kai Harada - Ragtime		3
5		Brian Ronan - Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show		5
3		Walter Trarbach - Schmigadoon!		2

  

Jeff	Tony	Category & Nominees	Tony	Mike
		Best Revival of a Musical
1	x	Cats: The Jellicle Ball		1
2		Ragtime	x	2
3		Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show		3
		Best Musical
1	x	The Lost Boys		1
4		Schmigadoon!	x	4
3		Titanique		2
2		Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)		3