Friday, January 3, 2025

Broadway Games: Musicals in 3 Clues III

Broadway Games:
Musicals in 3 Clues III

DIRECTIONS: Can you name the Broadway musical we are looking for based on the three clues we provide? We'll give you a character's name, a song and a setting clue for each. There are possible shows from the 1940s - today! Good luck! 


1. ???

Character: Harry Bright

Song: “Super Trouper”

Setting: A taverna on a small island


2. ???

Character: Patty Simcox

Song: “Born to Hand Jive”

Setting: Rydell High


3. ???

Character: Two-Bit Matthews

Song: “Tulsa ‘67”

Setting: Tulsa, 1967



4. ????

Character: Rosemary Pillkington

Song: “A Secretary Is Not a Toy”

Setting: The World Wide Wicket Company


5. ??? 

Character: Conrad Birdie

Song: “One Last Kiss”

Setting: Sweet Apple, Ohio


6. ???

Character: Iago

Song: “Prince Ali”

Setting: Agrabah


7. ??? 

Character: Eve Harrington

Song: “Fasten Your Seat Belts”

Setting: Margo Channing’s New York apartment



8. ???

Character: Polly Baker

Song: “Slap That Bass”

Setting: Deadrock, Nevada 


9. ??? 

Character: Percy Blakeney

Song: “Madame Guillotine” 

Setting: England and France, 1794


10. ??? 

Character: Whatsername

Song: “21 Guns”

Setting: Jingletown, USA


Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Theatrical Resolutions: 2025 Edition

Happy New Year! With 2024 behind us, it seems only appropriate to take stock of the year that was, and to look ahead at those things we hope to accomplish in 2025.


Theatrical Resolutions:
2025 Edition

First things first. How did we do with last year's resolutions?
  • See as many new musicals as possible. Considering how many new musicals opened this past year, I guess seeing 10 was good, not great. And we did see 5 new productions of classic musicals.
  • See theater in a variety of venues and genres. Well, I never did make it to a dinner theater as I planned, but I managed to see a show in a new venue (Here We Are at The Shed). As for new genres, well, maybe nothing new there, but I did see a rarity: a melodrama (Oh, Mary!) and a dance musical (Illinoise - twice!).
  • Bring my average paid ticket price down. I can't verify it exactly, since I don't know my average from 2023, but I think I did pretty well. Here are some facts and figures:
    • No. of shows seen: 23
      • 2 off-Broadway
      • 21 Broadway
        • 2 repeats - Illinoise, Maybe Happy Ending
    • Tickets
      • Total paid: $2,189.45
      • Total of all discounts: -$1,584.05
      • Average ticket: $95.19
      • Average discount: -$68.87
      • Most Expensive: $143.70 - Illinoise
      • Least Expensive: $40.00 - Purlie Victorious
      • Best Bargain: $94.25 for a premium seat to Harmony, -$223.75 off face value
    • Discount Breakdown:
      • Box Office Tickets: 3
      • Show discounts: 11
      • Audience Rewards: 3
      • TKTS: 2
      • Today Tix: 2
      • Seat Geek: 1
      • Lottery: 1


So, what about 2025?

I think I'll keep the same 3 - basically:
  • See as many new productions as possible. There are plenty of new plays, musicals and revivals coming in this year, and I want to see everything!
  • See theater in a variety of venues. Broadway, off-Broadway, of course, but I hope to see some regional, touring, and maybe even some college shows. And maybe '25 will mark my return to a dinner theater! 
  • Bring my average paid ticket price down. Saving money is always a good thing, and I'm already off to a great start, with substantial discounts already securing tickets to Gypsy (-$40) and Floyd Collins (-$80). Plus, I've shopped around and got an excellent seat for Romeo + Juliet at the box office for just over $100!

Before we go, we'd like to thank you for your continued support, and to thank you for the thousands of views for our most popular feature, our reviews. And here are our most popular 2024 show reviews in order:

  1. The Notebook 

  2. Sweeney Todd (2nd Cast)

  3. Stereophonic 

  4. Appropriate 

  5. Maybe Happy Ending 

  6. The Outsiders

  7. Merrily We Roll Along 

  8. Lempicka 

  9. Suffs 

  10. Swept Away 

  11. Sunset Boulevard 

  12. Water For Elephants 

  13. Oh, Mary 

  14. Illinoise 

  15. Once Upon a Mattress 

  16. The Who’s Tommy 

  17. Our Town 

  18. Harmony 

  19. Days of Wine and Roses 

  20. Purlie Victorious 

  21. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum 

  22. Here We Are 

  23. Titanic 


Here's to a happy, healthy and theater-filled 2025 for all of us!

Monday, December 30, 2024

2024 in Review: Our Favorite Productions

Before we sign off for 2024, Mike and I thought we'd weigh in on our favorite productions that we saw over the past twelve months. Overall, the shows we loved far outweighed those we didn't. That said, there were those we felt were the cream of the cream of the crop. Here they are:

2024 in Review:
Our Favorite Productions


Most Surprising Production of 2024

Mike: Illinoise
MIKE SAYS: "There are several good candidates here, but for me it has to be Illinoise, because dance usually isn't my thing and I never expected to love it like I did and see it twice during its brief run."

Jeff: Once Upon a Mattress
JEFF SAYS: "I went into it looking forward to seeing Sutton Foster and Michael Urie (they did not disappoint), but expecting a quaint, old-fashioned (read: boring) show, but I loved it so much! It was quaint and old fashioned, but in a timeless, hilarious way!"

Most Disappointing Production of 2024

Jeff: The Who's Tommy
JEFF SAYS: "From the minute they announced it was coming back to Broadway, I couldn't wait to see Tommy. One of my all-time favorite shows, I adore the score and the thrilling presentation of the original. Still, I was excited to see what its creators could come up with for the 21st century. Instead, it was a messy, boring 2 hours I'll never get back."

Mike: Suffs
MIKE SAYS: "Suffs had a fascinating story to tell, talented creators, and some great performers, but the elements just didn't come together to make for a satisfying experience."

Favorite Non-Broadway Production of 2024

Titanic
City Center Encores!
WHAT WE SAID: "And so it seems Encores! has returned to its roots of 30 years ago: infrequently produced classics with simple staging that emphasizes the music, book and acting. Its sheer size and the physical requirements practically demanded by audiences, makes Titanic the ideal production for this series, as we may never see something like this fully staged again."

Favorite Revival of a Play

Appropriate
by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Direction by Lila Neugebauer
WHAT WE SAID: "It is a credit to the playwright, the direction and the cast alike that the play never devolves into soap opera melodrama, and, instead gives us captivating, edge-of-your-seat theater. One of my favorite plays. Ever."

Favorite Revival of a Musical
TIE
Once Upon a Mattress
Book by Jay Thompson, Marshall Barer, Dean Fuller
Music by Mary Rodgers  Lyrics by Marshall Barer
Choreography by Lorin Latarro
Direction by Lear deBessonet
WHAT WE SAID: "I am so glad I gave this chestnut of a show a chance. I left the Hudson on a cloud of absolute happiness with a goofy grin plastered on my face. What a great feeling! This is one not to miss!"

Sunset Boulevard
Book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Choreography by Fabian Aloise
Direction by Jamie Lloyd
WHAT WE SAID: "On paper, and in billing, Norma Desmond is the star of the show, and Nicole Scherzinger leaves everything on the stage. There are no crumbs left. Her Norma is  everything you've read about and more. A twisted and ever-changing mess of emotions and strange ticks only seem to endear her, even as she repulses. And though there are some really bizarre anachronisms in several of her line readings, this is an accomplished, fully fleshed out performance. It is certainly the most...athletic...descent into madness the role has seen."


Favorite New Play
Stereophonic
by David Adjmi
Original Music by Will Butler
Direction by Daniel Aukin
WHAT WE SAID: "Life is happening on stage as it would in life, and he sets us up to get to know these people without thinking about it; the big events in this process of creation are as much a surprise to us as they are to the characters. The specificity of this situation (and its obvious parallels to Fleetwood Mac making their seminal album, Rumours) brings out amazing universal truths. The word brilliant gets thrown around a lot these days (I use it too much myself), but this really is." 

Favorite New Musicals
(in alphabetical order)

Days of Wine and Roses
Book by Craig Lucas
Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel
Choreography by Sergio Trujillo and Karla Puno Garcia
Direction by Michael Greif
WHAT WE SAID: "This is not a show for the casual, let's-see-a-musical crowd. If you only like brassy, dance-y spectaculars, this won't be for you. But if you like dramatic, thought-provoking theater that expects you to engage, get a ticket and buckle up. Guettel's jazzy, complex score and Lucas' tension filled book, along with brilliant, once-in-a-lifetime performances will remind you that musicals are, indeed, art."

Illinoise
Book by Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury
Music and lyrics by Sufjan Stevens
Direction and choreography by Justin Peck
WHAT WE SAID: "Technically a "jukebox" musical, I dare say this has safely and confidently turned that sub-genre on its ear, and expanded the definition by leaps and bounds. I've admitted before that I've grown weary of such endeavors, but this really is a gorgeous, ravishing game changer. A new bar has been set. I say this with all sincerity: nothing I could possibly write about Illinoise could do it justice. Here is art that demands to be seen felt by all of the senses."

Maybe Happy Ending
Book, music and lyrics by Will Aronson and Hue Park
Direction by Michael Arden
WHAT WE SAID: "This is a heartwarming escape, perfect for these perilous times. Of course, from now on, I'll never be able to upgrade my phone or laptop again without thinking of where they'll end up. Will they miss me? Will they even think of me? I hope so. That would be a maybe happy ending."

The Notebook
Book by Bekah Brunstetter
Music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson
Choreography by Katie Spelman
Direction by Michael Greif and Schelle Williams
WHAT WE SAID: "This show does what all of the best stage adaptations of well-known properties do: it creates a fresh take in a purely theatrical way, leaning into, not away from what makes live theater so different from other mediums."

The Outsiders
Book by Adam Rapp and Justin Levine
Music and lyrics by Jamestown Revival and Justin Levine
Choreography by Rick and Jeff Kuperman
Direction by Danya Taymor
WHAT WE SAID: "In a season full of possibilities, The Outsiders joins a list of shows rising like cream to the top. There are no weak elements here. This one is the real deal, destined to become a classic, just like its source."

2024 in Review: The Final Totals
Another year has passed, and we've had so many great things to enjoy and celebrate. Over the past week or so, we've honored over 150 performers, creatives and their shows. Here's a list of how many each production received:
 
Maybe Happy Ending - 18
Illinoise - 16
The Outsiders 16
Sunset Boulevard - 13
Appropriate - 10
Water For Elephants 10
The Notebook - 9
Stereophonic - 8
Days of Wine and Roses - 7
Oh, Mary! 7
Lempicka - 6
Swept Away - 5
Once Upon a Mattress - 4
Purlie Victorious 4
Suffs 4
Titanic 4
Harmony - 3
Here We Are 3
Merrily We Roll Along 2
Sweeney Todd 2
The Who's Tommy 2
Our Town - 1



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...