Looking Forward to Fall: September - November 2024

Where did summer go? Personally, I'm happy for the fall - it'll get cooler, the leaves will turn, and the new Broadway season will be in full swing! As always, though, before we look ahead, we like to take stock of where we've been. Over the past three months, we've had The Tony Awards (congrats to The Outsiders, Stereophonic, etc.), and we saw Suffs before the awards. Though it wasn't really one of my favorites, I do appreciate how suddenly it has become even more relevant than ever. Maybe I was too hard on it. We also got to revisit an old favorite of mine in a moving, all-star revival at City Center - I'm talking about the magnificent Titanic. Before it ended its acclaimed limited run, we also got to see Illinoise one more time, and it was even more ravishing than the first time. Importantly, we ended the summer with the chance to see two of the 2024-2025 season's first offerings: the outrageously funny Oh, Mary!, and the utterly charming revival of Once Upon a Mattress. Both bode well for another thrilling Broadway season!

So, what are we looking forward to most this autumn?

Looking Forward to Fall:

September - November 2024

Well, there's a lot of potentially great stuff coming this fall, and I wish I had time (and money) to see them all. And I am pretty sure a few of these will have to wait until winter,,, but these all arrive this autumn, so hear we go!

Gypsy (Broadway - Majestic Theatre)

Unbelievably, it's been 16 years since we last saw a production of this classic, and yet, I feel like I'm suffering from Gypsy fatigue. Still, a chance to see the newly refurbished Majestic might be enough to get me to see it. I'm serious. But of course, the show's star, an unknown named Audra McDonald and an amazing director, George C. Wolfe are certainly compelling. If anyone can do something new and interesting with it, it's those two.

Death Becomes Her (Broadway - Lunt-Fontanne Theatre)

Although I don't love the movie that this is based on, how could the siren song of three of my all-time Broadway favorites be ignored? The triple-play of Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard and Christopher Sieber practically guarantees that I won't miss this one!

Maybe Happy Ending (Broadway - Belasco Theatre)

I generally love anything Darren Criss does, so that may be reason enough to see this one. Then there's the chance to see a potentially new Broadway star in Helen J. Shen. Also, I simply cannot stop watching the video the show has released - is it coded to mesmerize me? And this is a big reason to see this show: directing is Michael Arden. I'd pay to watch him organize a grocery store shelf...

Our Town (Broadway - Barrymore Theatre)

One of my favorite plays + one of my favorite (and always interesting) directors, Kenny Leon + a stacked cast including Jim Parsons, Richard Thomas, Julie Halston, Katie Holmes and Ephraim Sykes = an exciting trip to Grover's Corners, U.S.A.! 

Ragtime (Off-Broadway - New York City Center)

For me, the score of this show is far superior to the show itself. The original Broadway production was a "meh" for me. But a largely unfettered, mostly concert version with a fantastic orchestra might just get me to see it again. Will the absolutely stellar cast (Caissie Levy! Brandon Uranowitz! Joshua Henry! Joy Woods!) change my mind about this one? 

Romeo and Juliet (Broadway - Circle in the Square Theater)

For me, the play isn't the thing with this one, but I am excited by the possibilities of an intense modern retelling as suggested by their creative ad campaign! Then, too, the chance to see this exciting, young and diverse company is thrilling - especially the opportunity to see another star from Netflix's Heartstopper, Kit Connor and West Side Story's Rachel Zegler as the star-crossed lovers is really something to look forward to!

Sunset Boulevard (Broadway - St. James Theatre)

Any chance to see a professional production of one of my all-time favorite musicals, is a guarantee that Jeff will be attending. I am so curious to see a no-frills, modernist staging of one of Broadway's most epic productions. This one is already the stuff of legend, and with most of the West End's original principal cast, I don't think I could be any more intrigued. Will I be a Jamie Lloyd fan when all is said and done? Stay tuned!

Swept Away (Broadway - Longacre Theatre)

The story intrigues me. The advertising excites me. Michael Mayer directing has me feeling confident. The cast has me over the moon - John Gallagher, Jr. and Stark Sands are amazing in everything they do. An American Idiot reunion with a show that has nothing else in common has the potential to be theater-life changing. Very excited for this one, for sure!