Sea Dog Theater, 1 March & 5 April
In addition to being "the grandfather on Blue Bloods"™️, Len Cariou is a highly accomplished theatre actor, and I count myself lucky to have seen him twice in this intimate performance of Tuesdays with Morrie. Both Len and Chris Domig delivered exquisite, deeply felt, and sincere performances that made the dialog feel natural and conversational and elevated the script and overall message of the play from descending to mere platitudes. The fact that this production was staged in a church made it even more special and added an extra layer of gravitas.
SoHo Playhouse, 7 April
Drew Droege, the man behind the Chloë videos, continues to create brilliant works that capture the essence of certain people and archetypes with both affection and snark. Where Happy Birthday Doug examined and skewered the taxonomy of LA gays, Messy White Gays turns its sights on NYC. This staged reading was absolutely hilarious and I don't think I laughed harder at any other show this year. Pete Zias as Thacker absolutely stole the show, which is saying something given the chaos happening at all times on stage. If this gets a full production, I will definitely be purchasing a ticket.
St. Ann's Warehouse, 12 May
Of course I was aware of the Grenfell tower fire in London, but I didn't know many of the details behind this tragedy. This powerful play, with most of the dialog taken from real-life interviews with survivors and transcripts from the official inquiry, illuminates a tale of corporate greed and lax regulations that favor corporations over citizens. The cast of this show was incredible, and they brought such compassion and dignity to their portrayal of the survivors.
Skirball Center For The Performing Arts, 7 September
This production came from Australia, and it was clear that the whole company was thrilled to be performing in New York, which enhanced the energy of the show. Before seeing Counting and Cracking, Sri Lanka's history was also something of which I had passing knowledge (I learned a lot at the theatre this year!), but now I feel quite well acquainted with the country's modern history (1953 to 2004) through the fictional (though semi-autobiographical) story of one Tamil family across several generations. Much of the dialog is in languages other than English with near simultaneous translation by other actors on stage, a surprisingly effective way to give a sense of other cultures without losing any meaning. While the play could have easily become too heavy, there were many cheeky small touches throughout that helped to keep things light without impacting the gravity of the more serious moments. Like Grenfell, Counting and Cracking sheds light on important, but lesser known (at least in America) events in an accessible way.
Belasco Theatre, 7 December
This is one of those shows that gave me the feeling I was watching something very special, precious, and unique while I was watching it, which is a pretty rare occurrence. The songs are very good, the acting is excellent, and the set design is gorgeously inventive. The scene with fireflies is just as magical and awe-inspiring as the flying carpet in Aladdin. The story raises so many intriguing questions about consciousness and love and mortality; I got some Never Let Me Go and After Yang vibes from it. Maybe Happy Ending is speculative SciFi done in an exceptionally accessible way, and like the best SciFi, it presents much to think about and unpack. This show would likely benefit from repeat viewing, and I can't wait to buy the cast recording when it's released in the spring.
New World Stages, 22 November
I bought a ticket for Drag because I wanted to see Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block on stage as the "straight man" character, but I ended up falling in love the big heart and infectious energy of this show. Nick Adams is phenomenal as Alexis, the songs are super fun, and the dialog is clever on so many levels. This show has the same let's-put-on-a-show heart as To Wong Foo with a little sprinkle of The Birdcage, and some Priscilla energy for good measure. Other than Maybe Happy Ending, Drag is one of the best new, original musicals I have seen in quite a while. I have already have a second viewing lined up. Oh, and Joey McIntyre was fabulous; I'm glad his presence led me to this show.
Irish Arts Center, 5 May
Another play that taught me quite a bit about a UK event that I was aware of, but didn't know that much about - this time: the 1998 Northern Ireland peace talks and the Good Friday agreement (to be fair, not something I really cared about when I was 14). This production was fascinating, informative, and often quite funny; it made me think and engaged my intellectually. It also made complicated political maneuvering easy to understand and follow. The West Wing, but make it Northern Irish. The cast was brilliant, especially Martin Hutson as Tony Blair and Andrea Irvine as Mo Mowlam. Overall, Agreement brings home how and why so little is accomplished by politicians due to a lack of willingness to compromise.
Todd Haimes Theatre, 27 September
I laughed hard and often while watching Yellow Face. Daniel Dae Kim was great, but the supporting cast really stole the show taking on multiple bit-part roles including BD Wong (a pitch-perfect impression) and Jane Krakowski, as well as random fictional characters. Plus, Francis Jue was excellent as the protagonist's father. There was an Oliver North joke (most of the play is set in the 90s); there were lots of inside-theatre vibes; the script was super smart and clever; and it was all a bit meta in the best possible way. Yellow Face is one of the rare plays that manages to be entertaining while also challenging the audience to think about things from different perspectives.
Imperial Theatre, 26 May & 13 July
I wasn't sure what to expect going into Water for Elephants, but I ended up loving it so much that I had to go see it again. The circus performers and animal puppetry brought a true sense of spectacle to the show, and I was impressed by the passion and talent of the cast, especially Grant Gustin, Isabelle McCalla, Gregg Edelman, Paul Alexander Nolan, and Wade McCollum, who all made their characters feel so sincere and lived-in. While the songs aren't particularly memorable (with the exception of "Silver Stars" and "Wild"), they are often beautiful and moved the story along nicely.
St. James Theatre, 18 June & 12 July
Other than a yearly contemporary ballet performance, I'm not usually much of a dance person, but there was something about Illinoise that intrigued me, and I'm glad I took the leap to check it out. The music of Sufjan Stevens is gorgeously played and sung, the dancing isn't too wacky or interpretive (i.e. I understood the connection between the choreography and the music), and the narrative strikes a good balance between coherent and abstract. The whole production has a quiet, simple beauty to it. The first time I saw the show it was from the mezzanine, and the second time was from a side orchestra seat, and it was almost like seeing two different shows: the mezz provided a better overview of the choreography, but sitting in the orchestra created a more immersive experience.
Rattlestick Theatre, 9 February
Dael Orlandersmith is such a force, and her latest show is thought-provoking and engagingly performed. Spiritus / Virgil's Dance is about life and death, passion and vocation, and our relationship with time. Heady stuff with lots to unpack. The set was very cool and used projections in a highly effective way. Rattlestick continues to support valuable work and amplify unique creative voices. It's so satisfying to see a talented multi-hyphenate's vision brought to life in such an effective way as it was here.
Signature Center, 20 August
This is a fantastic play about grief that managed to be truly funny in an authentic, non-cringey way. The acting was excellent all around, and the chemistry among the cast was spot-on, allowing me to become highly invested in all of the characters. The ending was a bit odd and veered into the potentially supernatural, but that was easy to overlook because the rest of the play was so compelling. At the time I saw this play, I was much in need of something to take me out of my own head and life for 90 minutes, and Someone Spectacular ably did the job.
McCarter Theatre Center, 8 September
Ever since seeing the original off-Broadway cast of Hadestown, I have been a fan of Damon Daunno and his Jeff Buckley-esque voice, so his presence as Rex Manning in this production of Empire Records was enough to make a trek to Princeton worthwhile. Surprisingly, Corey and Rex don't get many songs; rather it's Gina and AJ who get the spotlight here. Liam Pearce as AJ does Johnny Whitworth proud, and Samantha Williams as Gina has a great voice for the 90s-style rock songs that fuel the show. The musical does a great job of hitting all the iconic moments from the movie, with the enthusiastic cast capturing the young energy of the film perfectly and lots of fun music moments in the original songs that nail the whole 90s vibe. I will be curious to see where this show goes next.
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