At This Theatre: The St. James: 1987-2011

 At This Theatre:

The St. James: 1987-2011

Through the years, I've seen more different productions at the St. James Theatre than at any other Broadway house - 21! So, in order to give them their due for this series, I've divided it into two articles. Today, we'll cover the first ten shows we saw there, beginning in 1987, when we saw the original production of 42nd Street, which famously tapped its way across 44th Street to move across the street from the Majestic Theatre to make room for The Phantom of the Opera.

Over that nearly quarter of a century of shows, we got to see ground-breaking shows, record setters, hits and flops, Broadway legends and dazzling newcomers that became legends in their own right.

Number of Shows We Saw There (1987-2011): 10

42nd Street, The Who's Tommy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, High Society, The Civil War, The Producers, Gypsy (2008), Finian's Rainbow, American Idiot, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever

  

  

   

5 Favorite Shows We Saw There (1987-2011): Not every show was great, or even our cup of tea. But here are five that really stood out as memorable even all these years later.

The Who's Tommy (1993): This production was amazing from start to finish! Loud, uncompromising, and visually stunning, it was unlike anything I'd ever seen on Broadway before. The effects - something somewhat new called video projection - supplemented the vivid colors and textures of the technical elements. And the cast was stacked, too, including such fresh faces as Alice Ripley, Sherie Rene Scott, Norm Lewis, and, in the title role, a guy named Michael Cerveris. The show has since been revived, but I don't think anything could match that first experience.

The Civil War (1999): The Broadway "it" composer of the mid to late 1990s was Frank Wildhorn, then famous for Jekyll and Hyde and The Scarlet Pimpernel. At the time, his most ambitious project was The Civil War, a revue of sorts, held together by the reading of letters written by and to union and rebel soldiers. A moving, glorious tribute to the sacrifices, bravery and sheer audacity of America's darkest hour. A blend of period sounding ballads, country music and rousing Broadway production numbers, Wildhorn's score was wide-ranging and bold. The entire production asked a lot of the audience, which I loved, and that probably caused its sadly quick demise. The enormous company included Michel Bell, Matt Bogart, Leo Burmester, Cheryl Freeman, Capathia Jenkins, and Beth Leavel.

Gypsy (2008): Before Audra changed the entire Gypsy game, there was the definitive Rose of none other than Patti LuPone, who seemed born to play the titan of all musical roles. Then there was the always delightful Boyd Gaines as her Herbie, and the absolutely devastating Laura Benanti as the titular Gypsy Rose Lee. All three won Tonys that year, but if you ask me, it was the audience that really won.

Finian's Rainbow (2009): Rarely produced for a variety of reasons, I snapped up the chance to see this show when it transferred from New York City Center's Encores! production. Enhanced from that previous incarnation, it was slightly revised to address its more problematic aspects. Overall, though, the show embraced its old-fashioned-ness, and delivered a quaint, endearing three hours' entertainment. The production starred some high quality vocalists, including Cheyenne Jackson, Kate Baldwin, Christopher Fitzgerald, Jim Norton, Chuck Cooper and Terri White. One has to wonder if the show will ever be done again, a relic trapped by its passe themes and lack of universality. Still, the Lane-Harburg score is a gem, with several standards. I'm really glad I didn't miss it.

American Idiot (2010): Here is the show that Mike absolutely adores - it is among his all-time favorites. He loves to remind me that I hated it the first time we saw it in early previews. He convinced me to return, and I loved it. What a thrill ride! Stunning imagery, edgy vocals and a powerful, cohesive score. I loved it so much, I saw it three times on Broadway, and twice on tour, including an overnight car trip to catch the premiere of the national tour in Utica, New York. Who'd have thought? And the original cast! What an opportunity! Seeing John Gallagher, Jr., Stark Sands, Michael Esper, Rebecca Naomi Jones, and new guy named Joshua Henry share the stage was something I'll never forget!

That span of 24 years gave us lots of memories. Not only the five shows above, but the other five as well. For instance, 42nd Street was a chance to see the gold standard of a dying breed of Broadway musical - glitz, glamor, snappy dialogue and a score full of tunes you left humming as your exited the theater. Forum  gave us the chance to see Nathan Lane in his musical prime, and a fresh new talent, Mary Testa. High Society was largely forgettable, but a young girl named Anna Kendrick gave a performance that you knew was just the beginning of a long career. I never did see what the big deal was about The Producers. I really hated it, but it was great to see some favorites, nonetheless, like Matthew Broderick, Roger Bart and Cady Huffman. Then there was On a Clear Day... featuring the very definition of a "phoned in" performance by Harry Connick, Jr., though it introduced me to a new favorite performer, and the talk of the season, Jesse Mueller. None of these will ever make my favorites list, but each proves one of the greatest lessons I've learned about seeing shows: every experience in the theater offers something positive!

Look for part two of this article next Monday!

2025 in Review: The Movers and Moments of the Year

We were fortunate to have seen 17 different productions in 2025: 14 on Broadway and 3 off-Broadway. These are the shows we considered in all categories this year: Bat Boy: The Musical. Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaw, Death Becomes Her, Floyd Collins, Gypsy, Heathers, John Proctor is the Villain, Operation Mincemeat, The Queen of Versailles, Ragtime, Real Women Have Curves, Redwood, Romeo + Juliet, Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) and Urinetown. There were two productions we paid another visit to: Hadestown and Sunset Boulevard and considered only those elements which were new to us this time around. We made our selections separately, so below you'll see where we agreed, where we differed, and those things we each just had to include. Our selections are arranged in alphabetical order below.

How did we compare to your favorites? Let us know via social media - @jkstheatresecene on all platforms. (X, Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky and Yahoo mail)

2025 in Review:

The Movers and Moments of the Year 

The New Faces of 2025:

Outstanding Performers

As Sondheim wrote in Merrily We Roll Along, "these are the movers, these are the shapers," and here we present ten of those performers who burst onto the theater scene with outstanding Broadway debuts. This year, the list includes leading roles, supporting roles and ensemblists (and even a few who are already stars in other disciplines) who we think will continue to move us with their talents and shape the future of theater.  

Anna Grace Barlow - Ragtime   Kit Connor - Romeo + Juliet

Tatianna Cordoba - Real Women Have Curves

Tommy Dorfman - Romeo + Juliet   Lizzy McAlpine - Floyd Collins

Joanna Riding - Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends

Sam Tutty - Two Strangers   Jack Wolfe - Hadestown

Amalia Yoo - John Proctor is the Villain   Rachel Zegler - Romeo + Juliet

The New Faces of 2025:

Outstanding Creatives

This past season gave us a cornucopia of thrilling theatrical events, stunning revivals and shows that have already established themselves as new classics. Theater, of course, does not exist in a vacuum, and so these "new faces" are not new to their creative endeavors. All of them made significant, career-changing contributions in 2025. We look forward to seeing them all in new, exciting productions in the years to come!

 

Kimberly Belflower - Playwright - John Proctor is the Villain

The Original Buena Vista Social Club

  

Jim Barne & Kit Buchan - Book, Music and Lyrics - Two Strangers

Robert Hastie - Director - Operation Mincemeat

Julia Mattison & Noel Carey - Music and Lyrics - Death Becomes Her

The Movers of 2025

One of the greatest pleasures we get from being regular theatergoers is seeing performers we've admired for years continuing to grow and contribute to the theater scene. This year, there was an abundance of such talent - many in multiple roles. Some have become award-winners, others breaking new ground in their careers. All of them made this past year memorable.

Natalie Venetia Belcon - Buena Vista Social Club   Jeb Brown - Dead Outlaw

Danny Burstein - Gypsy   Kerry Butler - Bat Boy   Andrew Durand - Dead Outlaw

Gabriel Ebert - John Proctor is the Villain   Jason Gotay - Floyd Collins

Joshua Henry - Ragtime  Jeremy Jordan - Floyd Collins 

Julia Knitel - Dead Outlaw

Cassie Levy - Ragtime   Justina Machado - Real Women Have Curves

Diego Andres Rodriguez - Sunset Blvd.   Lea Salonga - Old Friends

Nicole Scherzinger - Sunset Blvd.

Sherie Rene Scott - The Queen of Versailles  

Sadie Sink & Fina Strazza - John Proctor is the Villain

Paulo Szot - Hadestown  Nina White - The Queen of Versailles

Performer of the Year

This year, there were many stunning performing achievements, and I assure you both Mike and I wrestled with what actor to choose. Here are our choices for 2025.

Jeff's Selection:

Taylor Trensch

Floyd Collins/Bat Boy

I've been a fan of Taylor throughout his career, and over the years he has been consistently excellent. This year, his performances - he was in two critically acclaimed productions - were exceptional. On Broadway, he played reporter Skeets Miller in Floyd Collins, showing a dramatic maturity that earned him his first Tony Award nomination. He followed that with the starring role in Encores' Bat Boy: The Musical, a tour de force performance of exciting physicality and surprising depth and emotional range. In both, he was captivating. He made my year.

Mike's Selection:

Audra McDonald

Gypsy

Audra, playing one of the greatest roles in one of the greatest musicals ever written, is a recipe for musical theater Nirvana. Her Madame Rose offered a fresh and unique perspective while remaining fully respectful to the classic material. We saw some amazing performances in 2025, but for me this was easily the best.

The Moments of 2025

Over the past 12 months, we have had the privilege of seeing some truly great moments. Years of theater going have continued to raise the bar of expectation, and yet every year, the creative teams, writers and performers continue to raise that bar even more. As with everything else, we had to whittle down these moments, and on any given day, this list could be completely different. Here they are, arranged alphabetically by show title:

Buena Vista Social Club - Every time the band played 

Music by Buena Vista Social Club

Musical Direction by Marco Peguia

Literally every single time the Special Tony Award-winning band played the hair on my arms went straight up and I leaned forward in my seat in order to take it in even more. Somehow, the ears just aren't enough to fully experience such bliss. Wow. Just wow.

Gypsy - "Rose's Turn" 

Performed by Audra McDonald

Music by Jule Styne

Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Directed by Geoge C. Wolfe

One of the top three most electrifying moments I have witnessed live in over four decades of seeing Broadway shows. Everything Mike said above and more. It was a privilege to be in the room to witness it for myself.

John Proctor is the Villain - The Class Project Sequence 

Performed by Sadie Sink, Amalia Yoo and the Company

Song: "Green Light" by Lorde

Playwright Kimberly Belflower

Direction by Danya Taymor

In a play so intense, it was almost hard to believe that the build up to the classic projects finale of the piece didn't really prepare the audience for the actual moment, but when it happened, it was even more intense! A brilliant melding of The Crucible and the realities of the #MeToo movement, I think I held my breath the entire time. The dance, the song, the circumstance of the play... the audience was screaming its approval, and I screamed right along with them. 

Ragtime - The arrival of the Company 

Direction by Lear deBessonet

Choreography by Ellenore Scott

As if the stunning opening number by Ahrens and Flaherty wasn't thrilling enough, the grand entrance of the cast via a center stage elevator was elegant in its simplicity and just so powerful to witness. No wonder the audience erupted in applause the second it started. And to think it was just the first of many such moments created by Ms. deBessonet and Ms.Scott.

Redwood - The aerial choreography 

Performed by Idina Menzel, Michael Park and Khaila Wilcoxon

Vertical Movement/Vertical Choreography by BANDALOOP

It didn't last very long, but Redwood had its strengths. Among them were the moments "way up in the sky" as the cast was tethered to a giant redwood tree. And they sang while they did it! My mouth was agape, and I was glad to see it.

At This Theatre: The Majestic

At This Theatre:

The Majestic

Lately, the Majestic Theatre has been in the news lately. First, after more than three and a half decades, it lost its longest-running tenant, The Phantom of the Opera. Then it was in the headlines after it began a major refurbishment inside and out. Who'd have thought a new marquee, the sanding of exterior paints, and the repainting of its biggest sign from black to its former signature red would make headlines?!

Of course, when a theater has been open for 97 years (it turns 98 on March 28), there have been several headline-making shows there. For several years in the 1930s, the 44th Street theater was home to Gilbert and Sullivan revivals in repertory. Later, it was home to two Rodgers and Hart classics, On Your Toes and Babes in Arms. Perhaps this was the house that should have been re-named the Rodgers, because here was where Rogers and Hammerstein debuted Carousel, Allegro, Me and Juliet and South Pacific. Many of Broadway's greatest musicals played here (and a few legendary flops, too) like The Music Man, A Little Night Music, Golden Boy, Funny Girl, Anyone Can Whistle, Ballroom and the never opened Breakfast at Tiffany's.

    

For the last forty plus years, the Majestic has had just three tenants: a transfer of the original production of 42nd Street, The Phantom of the Opera and now, the hit revival of Gypsy. It's fun to think that many of today's most hardcore theater fans have only known the last two on the marquee in their lifetimes! It says, for better or for worse, a lot about my age that I've seen all three there... 42nd Street was my second Broadway show ever.

The Majestic Refurbished:

  

Number of Shows We've Seen There: 3

42nd Street, The Phantom of the Opera, Gypsy

      

42nd Street (March 30, 1981 - April 5, 1987) As I said, my second Broadway show ever, and it really made an impression. Big dance numbers, huge scenery, lavish costumes and classic songs played by a big orchestra - everything that defined a "musical." Today, I look back on it with nostalgia and respect. It was a living history lesson. My tastes have evolved, but it still remains a prime example of that type of show for me.

The Phantom of the Opera (January 26, 1988 - April 16, 2023) Over its three plus decade run, I saw the show there several times. It was, and still is, a show I respect more than love. The pinnacle of 80s mega musical excess, it sure checks all the boxes for that sub-genre. My favorite Phantom was Howard McGillin, but it was the last time I saw it that I really appreciated is artistry and influence. Turns out it was the final company, headed by Ben Crawford, whose gritty portrayal was actually frightening. What impressed me most was that it was a pristine production, as fresh as if it had opened that week.

Gypsy (December 19, 2024 - still running) Seems that every time I step foot in the Majestic, I'm witnessing history. Not only was the refurbishment a sight to see, but one of Broadway's greatest shows of all time arrived in a stunning, history-making revival headlined by the reigning queen of Broadway, Audra McDonald. Lavish, daring and brilliant as always, it is the perfect show to continue the grand tradition this venerable theater.