Long-running Shows I Still Haven't Seen

If you follow this site regularly, you know that like most avid theater fans, I have, over the years, lamented missing certain shows. You can catch all of those I've discussed HERE. But it is rare that at any given time, there are so many longer running shows that I've somehow missed. Right now, there are four!

Long-running Shows I Still Haven't Seen

Three of the four shows below are jukebox musicals, and I am sure that that figures in to why I've so far missed them. But there are other reasons...

Hell's Kitchen

As this show is closing in just a few days, I suppose I could have waited and added it to my "One That Got Away" series, but I don't feel like I missed out on this one as much as others on that list. While I appreciate the work of Alicia Keys and can grasp why she is both popular and acclaimed, I'd never say she's been on the top of my playlist. But here is one show I can exactly pinpoint why I've avoided it. I found their Tony Awards performance to be a complete mess and truly off-putting. (Not to mention misleading to a public that probably thought they'd get to see Ms. Keys at the piano. She was not and never was.) And it wasn't a fluke of an off performance, either. I've felt exactly the same way every time I've seen something from it on other shows. If I regret anything, it's that I missed the debut performance of Tony-winner Maleah Joi Moon, and the other Tony-winning performance of Kecia Lewis, an actress I've long been a fan of for years.

Just In Time

The youngest of the shows here, it is still a possibility that I'll catch it. A big fan of Jeremy Jordan, it is maybe slightly more likely than the others on this list. Anyway, the most surprising thing to me about not seeing this one is that I am a huge Jonathan Groff follower. So why didn't I get to it by now? In this case, its a combination of not being a huge Bobby Darin fan, and economics. There is only so much money in my pocket earmarked for shows, and last season meant having to make hard choices. With a decidedly smaller field of new musicals to see, I might still make a splish splash to the Circle in the Square.

MJ

Of the four shows on this list, this is the one that is most personally surprising to me. As a child of the 80s, Michael Jackson was a giant part of my life. Thriller, Bad and Off the Wall are three albums I had in three formats - vinyl, cassette and CD - and I still listen to them somewhat regularly. I have seen several performances from the show on various programs and they are all consistently well-done and exciting. Yet, somehow, MJ has become the show that I keep putting off, thinking I'll get to it eventually. I hope I do, as I have heard mostly wonderful things about it from people whose opinions I respect, and I also hope this one doesn't make it to my other list!

The Great Gatsby

This show is based on my all-time favorite novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is one piece of literature that I read for pleasure, not intellectual stimulation alone. So you'd think I'd have seen this show several times, right? Except... well, it just looks (and sounds) too Disney-meets-80s-megamusical. The other recent musical version looked (and sounded) like something I'd much prefer - darker, sexier, more willing to hit those darker themes. And now, with Jeremy Jordan (and Eva Noblezada for a short while together) back for a while, it is more tempting. I also missed the national tour, when it debuted here in Baltimore, but that was definitely economic - the tickets here were more expensive than Broadway! I'm guessing I'll regret it, but I probably won't see this version. I'm holding out for Gatsby: An American Myth.

So, readers, am I missing out? If I had to pick one of these, which should I get tickets for? Let me know!  Jeff

The 2023 - 2024 Broadway Top 40 Voting Part 2

As we begin the new Broadway season, and now that we've all had a chance to get familiar with the new, original scores from last season, we are looking to create a countdown of your favorite songs of the 2023 - 2024 season! Here are the next three shows for your consideration!

The 23/24 Broadway Top 40 Part 2:

Suffs, The Great Gatsby and Stereophonic

  

HOW IT WORKS: Over the next several weeks, we'll post surveys that list the songs from 3 shows, and you'll vote for up to five from each show. All original songs from last season will be eligible (no pre-existing songs!). After voting is completed for all of them, we'll compile a Top 40 Countdown, based on your most selected choices. Your vote will be counted as soon as you tap the "Submit" button!

NOTE:

• When you look at the poll below, you may see your email listed, with a hyperlink to the chance to change addresses. We cannot see your address, only you can, and we are NOT collecting any data on you.
• You may vote once per email address each week. 

This week's poll will end at 5 pm (Eastern) on Friday, September 13th.

2023 - 2024 Broadway Musical Logos: The Great Gatsby

The first (and likely several more) Broadway musical version of The Great Gatsby began previews last week. Does the show's artwork live up to the promise of the classic novel upon which it is based?

2023 - 2024 Broadway Musical Logos:

The Great Gatsby

It is certainly fortuitous that this Roaring Twenties musical is playing the Broadway Theatre, with its art deco style facade. To that end, the chosen show art looks fantastic on the building. The gold and black of the logo works well with the theater's silver and black sign framing, and the green lit accents play into the novel's symbol of the green light - a siren of longing and desire, not to mention the color of money (as is gold and silver for that matter). To the ticket buyer in the neighborhood, this is certainly an eye-catcher.

The shiny, metallic gold color, with certain points glitter against black does look good on the Playbill, and, one assumes, will look good on t-shirts, magnets and window cards. The font evokes the elegance and class of a bygone era. And the meaningful addition of that green beacon of light on the "t" is a nice touch. The logo itself is perfectly fine, if not, well, obvious. 

As a fan of the book, I like it, though I can't help thinking that they could have been a touch more creative. Maybe they could have added some art deco style figures that represent more of the story? Maybe they could have added something, anything, that could portray that this is a musical, and therefore, not just the novel we all read in high school. (The small print tagline "A New Musical" is by now so typical it could go completely unnoticed.)

One hopes that the production works a little harder to differentiate itself from the source. Jay Gatsby and company deserve first class, thoughtful treatment. Serviceable may just not be enough.

Grade: C+

Looking Forward to Spring: March - May 2024

Looking Forward to Spring: March - May 2024

At the start of each calendar season, we look forward to what we are hoping to see in the coming three months, as well as the titles of productions we are keeping an eye on. As the weather begins to warm, and the theater scene begins to rev up, there are a lot of exciting things on the horizon. Seeing everything is simply not in the cards time wise or (especially) economically - a nice, if frustrating, problem to have. After all, I'd rather have too much to see than not enough!

Before I look ahead, though, I always like to look back. Starting this year, you may have noticed that I no longer give letter grades with our reviews. But for our purposes here, I'll simply name which shows we saw and whether or not we'd recommend seeing them. Between last December and February, we saw Days of Wine and Roses, Harmony, Here We Are, The Notebook, the new cast of Sweeney Todd, and Purlie Victorious. As of this writing, three of those shows have closed, but I thought Purlie Victorious had the most to recommend, and I still think about Harmony, so there's definitely something there. And as a fan of the master, I really appreciated the opportunity to experience Here We Are, and I mostly enjoyed it. Sweeney Todd, my favorite of all the Sondheim masterpieces continues to thrill with its new trio of stars. But my favorite new theater of the winter, and the show I'd most highly recommend, was the intense Days of Wine and Roses. (The Notebook has not yet opened, so I won't discuss my feelings about that piece here.)

Shows we have booked:

Merrily We Roll Along - Hudson Theatre

At long last! Finally going to see what all the fuss is about. Of course, we are looking forward to seeing the Big 3, but also the A-list supporting cast, like Krystal Joy Brown and Katie Rose Clarke.

Lempicka - Longacre Theatre

The fabulous vocals of long-time favorite Eden Espinosa on the just as fabulous single from the show, "Woman Is" sold me on grabbing tickets fast. Then there's the top-tier supporting cast, including Amber Imam, Natalie Joy Johnson, George Abud, Andrew Samonsky, and the incomparable Beth Leavel. And I'm looking forward to maybe learning something along with the entertainment!

Water For Elephants - Imperial Theatre

I loved the book so much, and their logo/advertising has me intrigued. Here's another show where their music releases have me really excited. Also, looking forward to seeing Grant Gustin make his overdue Broadway debut, not to mention the palpable chemistry he shares with his leading lady, Isabelle McCalla. Broadway veterans like Gregg Edelman and Paul Alexander Nolan only sweetens the deal!

The Outsiders - Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

Based on one of my all-time favorite young adult novels, I'm very excited by the potential of this one. Featuring a youthful cast (many making their debuts), and a book by a favorite playwright of mine, Adam Rapp, with Justin Levine (who also co-writes the music and lyrics with Jamestown Revival). The potential here is big - I'm trying not to have unreasonable expectations... Can't wait to meet Ponyboy and Johnny again.

The Who's Tommy - Nederlander Theatre

When I saw the original production back in the 90s, I went in blind (no pun intended), never having seen the film, and never having heard a note of the score. I was blown away - the show was simply electric. Can lightning strike twice? I'm hoping so. In the meantime, I've gotten out my cast recording and am getting ready for the Pinball Wizard once again.

Shows we are keeping our eye on:

Suffs - Music Box Theatre

Even with a great cast - including three of my all-time favorite stage actresses: Emily Skinner, Jenn Colella and Nikki M. James - we're a little wary of the mixed reviews of the off-Broadway iteration and Shaina Taub's willingness to make changes. I hope everyone involved can do just that.

Cabaret - Kit Kat Klub at the August Wilson Theatre

Maybe it's Kit Kat fatigue... but as interesting as this production looks, I'm having some trouble justifying the ridiculous ticket prices for a show that seems to pop up every few years... still, seeing Bebe Neuwirth again could just get me there...

The Great Gatsby - Broadway Theatre

Full disclosure: F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel is my absolute favorite ever. And it shocks me to say I'm worried about this production. Will any show version of this property satisfy me? They seem to have rushed to bring this one in, and I have to wonder why it couldn't wait until the much less crowded 24-25 season? The decidedly mixed reviews and even more mixed audience reviews should call for time to work on it. We shall see.