At This Theatre: The Eugene O'Neill

Over the years, I've been fortunate to have seen a variety of shows at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. With a play, new and revival musicals over the past 40 years of seeing shows there, "variety" is the best way to describe it. Fortunately for the venue, it's had a giant hit show there for the last 15 years; unfortunately, that means it has been that long since I've returned after seeing an early post-opening performance.

At This Theatre:

The Eugene O'Neill

This historic theater began life almost 101 years ago as the Forrest Theatre, and in 1945 was renamed the Coronet. Then, in 1959, it was renamed for playwright Eugene O'Neill. Over the years, dozens of shows have come and gone, starting with a musical called Mayflowers. In 1934, after years of short runs, the play Tobacco Road opened and stayed put until 1941; to this day, it is still one of Broadway's longest running shows. The 40s saw several original productions of Arthur Miller plays, including the very first Best Play Tony winner, All My Sons. As the Eugene O'Neill, the theater opened with a short-lived William Inge play, A Loss of Roses. Today, we'd have said the venue was cursed in the next several years of flop after flop. 

Then in the early 60s, luck seemed to change with back to back decent runs of Herb Gardner's A Thousand Clowns, and the now-classic musical, She Loves Me. Then the theater could have been renamed the Neil Simon, when it played host to a string of his plays, including the debut of The Odd Couple, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Good Doctor, California Suite and Chapter Two, among others. In 1983, the Eugene O'Neill was host to one of Broadway's most storied flops, the one-night failure, Moose Murders. The mid-80s brought another change of fortunes, with the long-running Best Musical, Big River, which is where I came in!

NUMBER OF SHOWS WE'VE SEEN THERE: 7

Big River, M. Butterfly, Grease! (1994), The Full Monty, Sweeney Todd (2005), Spring Awakening, The Book of Mormon

5 FAVORITE SHOWS WE'VE SEEN THERE:

Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1985)

Though the show opened in 1985, I didn't get to it until just over 40 years ago in 1986. What luck! A newcomer to the Broadway scene named Marin Mazzie made her debut as Mary Jane Wilkes. She was, of course, amazing. The whole show was pretty amazing, actually. One of my favorite stories of all time was made even more exciting and beautiful with the score by Roger Miller, and Des McAnuff's directorial debut (both Tony Award winners for their efforts). It remains, all these years later, one of my fondest Broadway memories.

M. Butterfly (1988)

Still one of the most stunning pieces of theater I've ever seen, this play of high drama, romance, espionage and sexual intrigue, was a sensation that earned every accolade it received. When I saw it, B.D. Wong was still mesmerizing as Song Liling, and John Rubenstein was a marvel as the duped Rene Gallimard. I remember sitting there, mouth agape throughout the play, dazzled not only by the brilliance of playwright David Henry Hwang, the music of Puccini, and the smart direction of John Dexter. The gorgeous scenic and costume designs of Eiko Ishioka and Andy Phillips' artful lighting design brought the whole thing together. Wong, Hwang and Dexter were all awarded 1988 Tony Awards for this thrilling piece of art.

The Full Monty (2001)

This was the show that made me fall in love with the musical talents of David Yazbek, who made his Broadway debut with this fun and affirming show with a book by the great Terrence McNally. This is also the show that brought the likes of Patrick Wilson, Jason Danieley and Romain Fruge to my attention, and gave me the chance to see such legends as Annie Golden, Kathleen Freeman and Andre de Shields in action. It was also the show that began my admiration of that barefoot conducting wonder that is Kimberly Grigsby. This show was my favorite of that season by a mile, even if The Producers took all of its thunder. I can't wait for the upcoming revival.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2005)

Needless to say, this Sondheim masterpiece is an all-time favorite of mine, and this unique John Doyle staging made it a must-see. Add in the great Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone as Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett and I couldn't get tickets fast enough. I don't think I'll ever forget the high comedy of Ms. LuPone prancing around playing the tuba, and the terrifying understatement of her pouring out buckets of blood as the body count rose. A complete departure from previous more lavish stagings, this minimalist approach somehow added to the thrills.

Spring Awakening (2007)

I first saw this modern masterpiece in its off-Broadway incarnation, and was both thrilled and dubious about it moving to Broadway. I loved it from the first seconds all the way through its tragic conclusion. Part of its charm, I thought, was the intimate, rustic venue at the Atlantic Theatre. Still, I had to see it again, and was happily surprised to see the nearly exact replica of the set on the O'Neill stage. My concerns vanished immediately when the show started and the young cast bounded on stage to begin. Literal books have been written about this show and its company, so I don't think I can add much. Suffice it to say, I saw this production several times over its Broadway run and several times in later years. I still love it so very much.

Friday 5: Favorite Off-Broadway Theaters - The Stand Alones

Favorite Off-Broadway Theaters

(The Stand Alones)

We spend most of our New York theater budget on Broadway, but that doesn't mean we don't love off-Broadway, too! We've seen some great shows in some of the coolest, quirkiest spaces, as well as some smaller but traditional spaces, too. Here are but 5 of our favorites that stand alone on the TheatreScene:

The Lucille Lortel Theatre

This historic venue has been producing a wide range of plays and musicals since the 1950s. Any and every up and coming playwright has has work produced here, many by the theater's namesake. Today, the late Ms. Lortel's legacy continues with the annual awards named for her that honor the best of off-Broadway each season. I like the intimate seating here and the terrific sound overall. A couple of years ago, the venue played host to a little play called Oh, Mary! by a fresh upstart named Cole Escola. I personally have enjoyed several productions there, including Alice Ripley, Jay Armstrong Johnson and Gideon Glick in Wild Animals You Should Know, Jonathan Groff and Eddie Kaye Thomas in The Submission, and Carrie with Marin Mazzie, Molly Ranson and Carmen Cusak. I'm especially fond of the old-school marquee, which just adds to its downtown charm.

The New Victory Theatre

For years, this next door neighbor to Broadway's Lyric Theatre on 42nd Street, was shrouded under scaffolding and tarps, but it was worth the wait. This charming little theater is grand in all the very best ways. Ornate and tall, the levels of seating with boxes rival that of many an uptown theater. We've only been inside once, to see a holiday favorite, the stage version of Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas, starring Colin Trudell (The Lost Boys). Granted we saw it during the return from the pandemic with empty seats surrounding us, but it was extremely comfortable, the sound and the view was terrific. I kept think this is the perfect place to introduce live theater to younger children, and ideal for teaching appropriate theater etiquette in formal, if kids-sized, setting.

Stage 42/The Little Shubert Theatre

Here's another Theatre that I've only been to once (so far), but it made a big impression. When we saw Lucky Guy: The Musical starring Kyle Dean Massey, Leslie Jordan and Varla Jean Merman, I was struck by how polished this place was - a mini Broadway house, really - with a beautiful lobby and a comfortably cozy/remarkably spacious seating area. Then it was called The Little Shubert Theatre, but now goes by Stage 42, and anchors Theatre Row.

New World Stages

This multi-stage venue is the off-Broadway spot I've been to the most over the years, and in that time I've been in each of the 5 spaces at least once. I love everything about this space. Each theater, though each slightly different, offers great seating, with good views just about everywhere in the house and plenty of leg room. But, and especially, when there are shows at every stage happening concurrently I really appreciate the spacious common area in all its industrial minimalist splendor. There is room for everyone and the staff keeps things moving and organized. Among the shows I've enjoyed there include the off-Broadway run of Avenue Q, Puffs, Mimi Le Duck, Rent, Bare, Evil Dead:The Musical, and both the original and current revival of Heathers. Talk about variety!

Westside Theatre

Here is another charming and storied theater. Built in the late 19th century as a German Baptist Church, then later repurposed as a night club, the venue as we know it today became a two theater space in the early 1970s. I've only been in the upstairs (larger theater) and it is a great space, with terrific views and leg room galore. There we saw the current long-running Little Shop of Horrors just prior to the shut down with Jonathan Groff, Christian Borle, and a young actress named Joy Woods as one of the urchins. I loved the unique lobby space and quirky, original stairwells in and out of the place.

In a couple of weeks, we will be sharing a Friday 5 Favorite Off-Broadway Institutional Theaters.

Broadway Games: The Stars of the 2026-2027 Season

The 2026-2027 theater season is starting to really heat up, and today's game is all about the stars of those shows!

Broadway Games:

The Stars of the 2026-2027 Season

DIRECTIONS: Name the actor and their 26-27 show based on the given description. Good luck!

1. She starred in the Broadway musical version of 9 to 5, in the role made famous in the film by Tony winner Lily Tomlin.

2. She made her Broadway debut a couple of years ago as one of the title characters in a Shakespearean tragedy.

3. She starred as Penny Lane in Almost Famous, and did a stint as Satine in Moulin Rouge!

4. She's getting ready to co-star in a Jamie Lloyd revival on Broadway, but she's probably best known to US audiences for her roles in the Marvel Universe films and the Mission: Impossible franchise. (I loved her as Nick's aunt in Heartstopper.)

5. She won a Tony Award for her role in The King and I.

6. He was in the revival of Boeing Boeing several years ago, but is probably best known for his roles on TV's The West Wing and The Handmaid's Tale.

7. He last appeared on Broadway in Mr. Saturday Night.

8. He may just be a Jamie Lloyd muse, after proving himself as both Artie and Joe Gillis in Sunset Blvd., and now again in a role he originated in the West End.

9. He's a popular Tony Awards host and a gender-bending Tony Award winner.

10. A three-time Tony nominee, he hasn't been on Broadway since he starred in Leap of Faith.