Ginger on Broadway

Disclaimer: I have not seen all the nominated shows, so i can not speak to the ones i haven’t seen :)  Best Musical Will win: Schmigadoon Should win: The Lost Boys Compared to last season, this one was a bit of a dud for new, fresh, and exciting GOOD QUALITY original theater. The Lost Boys felt not just original (despite being based on a beloved cult movie), but ambitious, sexy, a little scary, fresh, and groundbreaking. With its astounding special effects, gorgeous 80’s inspired score, outstanding performances, jaw dropping sets, and beautiful costumes, it screams BIG BROADWAY SHOW even if it doesn’t look like one at first    I do think Schmigadoon has a fairly good shot at beating out The Lost Boys. Like The Lost Boys, it relies heavily on audience nostalgia. But while The Lost Boys is aimed at fans of the movie, 80’s film buffs, vampire fans, horror fans, and young women, Schmigadoon caters to a wider audience, fans of all ages who love old fashioned Broadway song...

“Can anything be called art?” “Can a blank canvas be art?” “Is art subjective?” “What makes art what it is?” “What gives expensive art its value?” “Can friendship survive intense disagreements?” These are the questions that the play Art poses, which it does while making audiences laugh until they wet their pants. After a disappointing matinee at Queen of Versailles, I had high hopes for Art. Especially with the flashy cast attached, particularly James Corden whom I consider one of the greatest comedians of the generation. Seeing Corden live was a bucket list item. Love him or hate him Corden is talented with a capital T. In addition to Corden, Neil Patrick Harris and Bobby Canavelle round out the trio. I'd seen Harris previously but had no idea who Canavelle was.    The show tells the story of Serge, played by Harris, who has recently purchased an expensive painting consisting of a white canvas with fine white lines. Marc, played by Canavelle, thinks Serge has lost his mind an...

“And there was music playing, catching a nation in its prime, beggar and millionaire, everyone everywhere, moving to the ragtime.”  The first word that comes to mind when discussing this musical is “powerful.” This show is powerful in its scope, musical stylings, voices, performances, and story.  Ragtime is hailed as one of the greatest musicals of all time. I was supposed to see it on Broadway when I was sixteen, but sadly, the show closed the week before the trip. 15 years later, a revival was staged at New York City Center, which I also missed. This is a difficult show for community and school theaters to do, so it felt like the universe was telling me “you’ll never see Ragtime. Get over it.” Imagine my excitement when the New York City Center revival announced a transfer to the famous Lincoln Center Theater with most of the original NYCC cast.  I was not sure what to expect from this show. I knew that it was a story of immigrants, racism, and an examination of class d...

  Let them eat cake! No, seriously….let them eat cake, if only it were available to buy with an EBT card. I don’t usually get political in my reviews, or at all, but in analyzing this musical and the drama surrounding it, how could I not? When news broke that the original Broadway Glinda and acclaimed soprano Kristin Chenoweth was reuniting with composer Steven Schwartz and partnering with director Michael Arden on a new original musical, I thought they had a mega hit on their hands, or at least something decent, given Arden’s recent track record. Then, news broke that the musical was actually an adaptation of the controversial documentary “The Queen of Versailles.” This is the story of the CEO of a timeshare company, his trophy wife, their desire to build the biggest home in America modeled after the Palace of Versailles, and their fall from grace during the stock market crash, which caused their financial status to fall from billionaires to millionaires. In a time where many are ...

  On July 12th I took my seat at a cabaret table in the front row of Broadway’s Circle In The Square, unaware of the magical moment that was about to take place during the evening performance of Just in Time, my favorite show currently on Broadway. I’d dressed the part of an attendee at a classy 1950s Coppacabbana style supperclub, and even got my hair and makeup done. For those unfamiliar with the show, Just in Time tells the story of Bobby Darin, a singer from the 1950’s and 60’s. Bobby Darin was known for his primal passion for performing and connecting with his audiences. There are stories of how Darin would go into the aisles and hug audience members, dance with them, kiss a pretty girl on the cheek or hand, serenade couples, etc. It’s been said that Darin knew how to make someone feel like the only person in a room, and you left a Darin show feeling like he was your friend Jonathan Groff, one of Broadway’s most extraordinary talents (and my longtime crush), plays Darin with a...

I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine. Chess is one of my parents’ favorite musicals. They saw it on their honeymoon in London and still talk about how thrilling it was. After 30 years, it's finally back on Broadway with a sexy, flashy young cast. Naturally, I was excited, but also hesitant, as the original was a flop in both London and New York. A modern makeover of a show isn't always a guarantee of success, and as I learned from The Last Five Years, an actor I love won't always make a show work. So, my friend and I bought tickets thinking we'd just enjoy the music and look at the gorgeous Aaron Tveit. Fans, even the ones who saw and loved the original productions, were divided, which added to my lower expectations. Those who enjoyed it loved it and spoke about the incredible vocal performances, the chemistry between the cast members, and the amazing soundtrack. Those who didn’t enjoy it were quite passionate in their opinions about the acting performances and...