With my class that I’ve been taking this fall (got an A on my
midterm-huzzah!), I won’t be doing my twice annual trip to New York this fall,
and that means that I am not getting my Broadway fix. I did see Wicked two
weeks ago with the touring company (I’ve got buckets of ideas for posts at the
moment but little to no time, so I cannot promise I’ll review it, but it’s on
the list!), but it’s just not the same.
I’m hungry for Shubert Alley and for signed playbills and for mesmerizing
moments in a darkened Manhattan auditorium. By all accounts I should be avoiding Broadway World and
Playbill websites and just focusing on my April journey.
But I’m a masochist, and decided to look at the shows that I would have
seen had I gone. I usually pick by
selecting the Top 7 shows that I want to see and then asking my travelling
companions what 4-5 they want to see.
Since I’m not going with anyone, I’m going to do all of the
ranking. Here are my choices:
7. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (playing the Stephen Sondheim)
I normally don’t sign onto jukebox musicals (they’re never as good as a
true original or a revival), but put Jessie Mueller’s name in the cast and that’s
enough for me. Mueller was
dynamite in The Mystery of Edwin Drood a
while back and received a Tony nod for On
a Clear Day… in 2012 and her getting a lead role is something I fully
support.
6. The Snow Geese (playing the Samuel J. Friedman)
Mary-Louise Parker has through the years enjoyed great success in bit
film roles and major success with television series like Weeds and The West Wing. The theater, however, has also been
very good to her; she got a Tony nod for both Prelude to a Kiss and Reckless
and won every theater award known to man for her turn in Proof. I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing her on the stage, and
this play (the plot of which sounds intriguing-I love melancholy in my theater)
should be a great showcase for her talents.
5. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (playing the Walter Kerr)
I’ve only had the pleasure of seeing Jefferson Mays, who also won every
award known to man for I Am My Own Wife,
once on stage, and in a supporting role (Gore
Vidal’s The Best Man) so I would want to see what he can do with a spry,
game book, which this musical about murder (always a great topic for a musical)
seems to be.
4. Twelfth Night/Richard III (playing the Belasco)
Seeing Mark Rylance on stage is a thing of wonder. I have never seen a performance I was
so enthralled by than his work as Rooster in Jerusalem, and I’ve heard he’s absolutely aces when it comes to
Shakespeare, and for those lucky enough to see it, this is the first time he’s
done the Bard on Broadway. Of the
two, I’d be most excited to see Twelfth
Night, if only to see Tony nominee Samuel Barnett as Viola (the casts will
feature all men).
3. The Glass Menagerie (playing the Booth)
Ever since his murderous turn on AHS:
Asylum, I have been very drawn to Zachary Quinto as an actor (as a person,
I still can’t get over that anyone would breakup with Jon Groff-CRAZY!!!). Add to that this is an iconic Tennessee
Williams play and that if anyone can breathe life into the role every “actress
of a certain age” plays at some
point in her career, it’s Cherry Jones as Amanda Wingfield, and I’m onboard.
2. Betrayal (playing the Ethel Barrymore)
I could pretend to be ultra-sophisticated and talk about what a
profound effect Harold Pinter has had on the theater, but I’ve never read
anything by Harold Pinter.
Sometimes Broadway is all about seeing a movie star live, and when you
have real-life couple Daniel Craig and Oscar-Winner Rachel Weisz tackling the
boards, you simply have to get excited.
1. Big Fish (playing the Neil Simon)
Norbert Leo Butz. In a
musical. This is all you need for
number one. I heart Freddy.
Those are my Broadway productions I would be most excited about if I
was better at money management-if you’ve seen any, share in the comments! And what Broadway productions are you
most excited for for the fall?
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