Dance musical Illinoise takes the songs of Sufjan Stevens's album of the same name and reimagines them as a series of stories told around a campfire culminating in an emotional queer coming-of-age Amongst Justin Peck's impressive and high energy choreography for Illinoise, the final new musical of the overstuffed and *insert RuPaul “meh” gif here*…
Chuck Cooper and Josh Young in "Amazing Grace" When the lights go down at the Nederlander Theatre, Thomas (Chuck Cooper) takes the stage. Thomas, a former slave, tells the audience that they may be familiar with the song "Amazing Grace," but they probably don't know the story behind it's creation. Not…
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! A joyous noise emanates from the St. James Theatre. It's the sound of uncontrollable laughter and applause. A guaranteed side effect of the funniest Broadway musical in years. It's obvious one has stumbled across something special from the opening moment of Something Rotten!. A minstrel (Michael James Scott, in glorious voice) sings…
One of the most satisfying experiences in musical theatre is when a composer taps into powerful and recognizable emotional moments, and against all odds, finds a way to set these revelations to music. The audience is left wondering: "how did they do that?". Sometimes it's a youth overwhelmed with love, as in 'On the Street…
The writer and star of The Lion, Benjamin Scheuer, enters the stage of the Lynn Redgrave Theatre with a mane of wild, tussled hair. He sits and sings a song about a toy banjo his father made for him. With his pleasant face and the intimate atmosphere, you may think you’re in for a sweet sort…
I recently took a vacation to Las Vegas only to discover it was not for me. Outside of Cirque du Soleil (which is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen); the smoke filled casinos, confusing slot machines, and overpriced everything wore me down. The trip to Vegas I took when I entered the Nederlander Theatre however,…
“Come look at the freaks” beckon the various oddities from the stage at the St. James Theatre. Given how intoxicating the revival of Side Show proves to be, you may want to take in a second or third look. The original production of Side Show has become infamous. A flop that barely lasted three months, it…
I have been humming Leonard Bernstein songs on repeat since seeing the current revival of On The Town at the Lyric Theatre. It would be impossible not to hum a few bars, even for the most cynical New Yorker, after being whisked along by the snappy and energetic production of this Broadway classic. On the…
When you walk into the Walter Kerr Theatre, home of Best Musical Tony winner A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, you have to do some preparation. You have to suspend your disbelief, let go of your expectations, and open your mind because the 2 hours and 20 minutes ahead will surprise, entertain, and leave…
“They got a n**ga shedding tears/ reminiscin’ on my past fears/Cause shit was hectic for me last year”. And so marks the beginning of the 2014-2015 Broadway season. As opening lyrics go, it’s about as far from “The hills are alive, with the sound of music” as one can go. And that is precisely what…
