Theatre Thursday: 2025 RoundUp

I saw 11 theatrical productions in 2025. Eight musicals and three dramas. The fall got quite busy with work travel combined with a planned surgery and then a hospital stay to conspire against seeing any live theater anywhere. Then I got sick at Christmas and had to cancel a planned 2-show day. Ah well! The goal of an average of 1 show per month is a goal, not a requirement.

Here are the shows I saw, with links to full reviews if I posted one, and short thoughts for the shows I didn’t.

January

Kowalksi, at the Duke at 42nd Street, NYC FULL REVIEW HERE. I saw it off-Broadway. In June 2025 plans were announced to bring it to Broadway in 2026, but no official announcement naming dates or a theatre has been made.

February

Titanique, at the DR Theatre in Union Square, NYC: This absolutely hysterical take on James Cameron’s Titanic, narrated by Celine Dion and featuring a ton of her songs worked into the plot, had us laughing from start to finish. The show is mostly scripted, but there are a few scenes of total improvisation that were just fantastic. We saw it off-Broadway. A short Broadway run at the St. James Theatre has been announced for spring 2026. I plan to see it if it does.

Hadestown, at the Walter Kerr Theatre, NYC. Why did I wait 5+ years to see this? Especially given my love of Graeco-Roman mythology. The music is stunning, the story eternal and yet still topical. The cast I saw included Lillias White as Hermes, Tom Hewitt as Hades, Allison Russell as Persephone, Carlos Valdez as Orpheus, and Hailey Kilgore as Eurydice. What they say is true: even knowing how the story will end, you still hope this time the ending will be different, and you still gasp when it isn’t.

March

Moulin Rouge!, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, NYC. Despite enjoying the movie 20-something years ago, this really wasn’t on my list of “must see.” But my goddaughter wanted to see it for her birthday, so I joined her. I quite enjoyed it. If I have one complaint, it’s that there were just too many rushed medleys. The actual full-song numbers tend to be more powerful and memorable (Satine’s version of “Firework,” the “Your Song” duet, Zidler’s “Chandelier” and “El Tango de Roxanne” were all showstoppers, or close to showstoppers, at our performance.). See it while you Can Can Can (see what I did there?).

Here There Are Blueberries, at the Bram Goldsmith Theatre at The Wallis, Beverly Hills CA. Written by Moises Kaufman (The Laramie Project), this ensemble piece is  a true story, about the discovery of a book of photographs taken at the Auschwitz concentration camp which show the lives of the German military and civilians who worked there and whether such images should be made public. I lucked into seeing it during its run at The Wallis during a work trip. I have no idea if it’s still touring but it if it is … see it.

April

Old Friends, at the Manhattan Theatre Club, NYC FULL REVIEW HERE

Guys and Dolls, at Beacon High School, Beacon NY. One of my favorite musicals. Beacon High School has a really great musical theatre department.

June

Passengers, at Perelman Performing Arts Center, NYC FULL REVIEW HERE

July

Pirates! The Penzance Musical, at the Todd Haimes Theatre, NYC FULL REVIEW HERE

August

Cabaret Live at the Kit Kat Club, at the August Wilson Theatre, NYC. Finally got to see this near the end of the run. Billy Porter as the Emcee. Marisha Wallace brought down the house as Sally Bowles. The rest of the cast were also excellent, in particular Fraulein Schneider.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow, at the Marquis Theatre, NYC. The stagecraft on this show is amazing. I am still unsure how they did some of the practical effects. Fans of the television show will not be disappointed (although I’m not sure why you’d see it if you were not a fan of the show). The prequel plot fills in gaps between the flashbacks we saw in seasons four and five, and so we see the high school age versions of Joyce and Lonnie Byers, Hopper, Bob Enby, the Wheelers, Dr. Brenner, and other adults from the tv show as well as Henry Creel and his family. I thought the actors playing the younger Joyce and Hopper, and Louis McCartney as Henry Creel, were particularly good.

I’ve always loved live theater, and in the past couple of years I’ve been making a stronger effort to see more of it. Theater Thursday is an occasional series where I talk about live theater, both shows I’ve seen recently and shows I’ve loved in the past.

Review: PIRATES! THE PENZANCE MUSICAL

To say I never stopped smiling throughout Roundabout Theatre Company’s Pirates! The Penzance Musical is not an over-statement or hyperbole. The show is just that much fun. The cast is clearly having fun, and that fun is infectious. I realize that standing ovations have become somewhat de rigueur, but this one was enthusiastic and well earned by everyone from the leads to the chorus to the orchestra.

I have always thought David Hyde Pierce’s comedic timing was impeccable, and I was not disappointed with this first time seeing him on stage. As both William S. Gilbert (during a pre-curtain speech) and as Major-General Stanley, his vocal inflections, facial expressions, and body language are always on point and never overdone in even the post slapstick moments. He is a total joy in the role even when winkingly acknowledging to the audience how ridiculous most of the plot is. And his “I Am The Very Model of a Modern Major-General” is truly show-stopping.

He is joined in the pre-curtain speech by Preston Truman Boyd as composer Arthur Sullivan (Boyd also plays the Sergeant of Police later in the show and has a crowd-favorite number). The patter between Gilbert and Sullivan, explaining the re-setting of the show to take place in New Orleans and making pointed commentary about copyright infringement, is perfect (illustrated best by Sullivan listing the cities the tour has played in prior to New Orleans, and Gilbert offering color commentary, starting with New York (Gilbert: a rhapsodic “Ah, New York!”) and ending with Philadelphia (Gilbert: an equally rhapsodic “Ah, New York!”).

Ramin Karimloo’ Pirate King Santiago du Bouchard (“late of the West Indies”) is every bit as swaggery and sexy as one would expect (said expectation on my part based solely on video clips, as this was also my first time seeing him on stage), from the moment he swashbuckles in on the prow of his ship with the bawdy, rousing “I Am The Pirate King” (which is NOT sung to the tune of “I, Jack, The Pumpkin King” from The Nightmare Before Christmas, despite seeming like it would scan perfectly onto that melody…) Throughout the show, characters come and go through the audience, and from my fourth row orchestra aisle seat I was close to Karimloo several times. His arms and chest are all that. (I am not usually one to include detailed male-gaze-y commentary in my reviews, but as those arm and chest muscles are a big part of the character it feels appropriate here.)

I was not sure what to expect of Jinxx Monsoon as Ruth, having only seen her as Maestro in Doctor Who and in short video clips from this show and from Chicago and Little Shop of Horrors. I will absolutely see anything else she is in (and in fact, will be looking to get tickets to Oh, Mary! When she joins the cast.) Her comedic timing is on spot and her singing (the heartbreaking “Alive and Yet Alone”) is powerhouse Diva-designation worthy.

Nicholas Barasch as Frederic and Samantha Wiliams as Mabel have great chemistry and great fun poking fun at their characters’ “insta-love.” Both have wonderful voices (Barasch’s high notes are impressive; Williams’ swings from pure ingenue to sexy Eartha Kitt growl seamless) and effortless dance skills.

I also have to give a shout out to the Ensemble playing the Pirates and the Stanley Daughters: every one of them had some identifiable character trait that enabled them to be individuals within the ensemble (not always an easy thing to do, not always something directors desire). I particularly noticed the slack-slouch (and often slack-jawed) of Tommy Gedrich (I had a hard time keeping my eyes off of him during the ensemble numbers), the arch facial expressions of Cicely Daniels, the coquettish physicality of Bronwyn Tarborton, and the “would-be second-in-command” attitude of Rick Faugno (who also had perhaps the most powerful voice of all the pirates).

Scott Ellis’ concept for this production and direction make pretty much every moment of it enjoyable, as I mentioned at the top of the review, with more than one show-stopping moment and enough self-awareness to admit this show has a very very flimsy plot without playing it too “meta.” David Rockwell’s set design evoking both the port of New Orleans and the graveyard of a remote estate is colorful and full of fun details. Linda Cho’s costume design combines classic Gilbert & Sullivan aesthetic with the vibrant colors of New Orleans, both beautiful and full of character. So is Donald Holder’s lighting design. Rich Sordelet and Christian Kelley-Sordelet’s fight choreography is thrilling and Warren Carlyle’s choreography makes the group numbers pop (in particular, the group choreography behind David Hyde Pierce on “Major General” and the act two number “Daughters With Cat-Like Tread,” which was a huge showstopper, with a full minute-plus of applause, which gave Karimloo, Barasch, Monsoon, and the Pirates time to catch their breath, which they surely needed. What a number!)

I know there’s a lot of controversy about the book for the show (and some lyrics) being rewritten by Rupert Holmes and some songs being imported from other G&S operettas, most notably in the act one ender “The ‘Sail The Ocean’ Blues” as seen on the Tony Awards. I found the additions (two songs from Iolanthe, two from HMS Pinafore, one from The Mikado) to all fit seamlessly with the story, enhancing characterization and the plot.

Pirates! The Penzance Musical is at Roundabout Theatre’s Todd Haimes Theatre through this Sunday, July 27th. I have no idea if tickets for the final few performances are still available but if they are – go see it!

I’ve always loved live theater, and in the past couple of years I’ve been making a stronger effort to see more of it. Theater Thursday is my occasional series where I talk about live theater, both shows I’ve seen recently and shows I’ve loved in the past.

Theatre Thursday: Passengers

This past weekend, we paid our first visit to the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City, down by the World Trade Center, to see Passengers by the 7 Fingers. It was an incredible experience.

Description: My hand, holding the program for Passengers, in front of the main section of seating in front of the stage

Written, directed, and choreographed by Shana Carroll, Passengers is an intriguing mix of dance, gymnastics, silkwork, trapeze, juggling, polework, acrobatics, singing, vocalization, and spoken word – truly the “multidisciplinary” show it is advertised to be. The performers (at our performance: Sereno Aguilar Izzo, Eduardo De Azevedo Grillo, Kaisha Dessalines-Wright, Marie-Christine Fournier, Marco Ingaramo, Anna Kitchtchenko, Maude Parent, Michael Patterson, and Will Underwood) were all absolutely fantastic; it would be almost impossible to single any one of them out for praise over the others. They are truly an ensemble, and it appears from looking at the Perelman PAC website that the show might change subtly depending on which members of the company are in a particular performance (for instance, the website includes a photo of a cast member doing high-wire balancing, which was not in the performance we saw).

The loose concept of the show is that the unnamed characters (and each cast member plays multiple roles if I interpreted things correctly) are all passengers on a train. Throughout the performance, they bond, fall in love, separate and reunite (romantically and platonically); they experience the highs and lows of all kinds of relationships. Their emotions run from the comic to the heart-breaking, and most of it is expressed via movement and body language only. There are a couple of compelling monologues and songs and one very funny dialogue about the nature of time travel which serve as breathers from the more physical aspects of the show (even the most talented dancers, gymnasts and acrobats need a break!), but the most poignant moments come through the physical movements. The silkwork and trapeze work were particularly stunning and emotional; the juggling was hysterically funny; the contortionist aspect was mind-boggling, and the polework was mouth-droppingly exhilarating.

The 7 Fingers are billed as “Montréal’s acclaimed contemporary physical theater group” and they absolutely lived up to that acclaim.

Passengers runs at the Perelman Performing Arts Center at 251 Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan through June 29th, 2025, only. I highly recommend seeing it before it closes if you’re in the NYC area. The 7 Fingers website indicates the show will also play in Boston for the month of September.

Description: the lobby marquee for Passengers (a photo of Grand Central Station’s main departures board) behind piles of luggage, a clock, and an empty bench.

I’ve always loved live theater, and in the past couple of years I’ve been making a stronger effort to see more of it. Theater Thursday is a new occasional series where I talk about live theater, both shows I’ve seen recently and shows I’ve loved in the past.

Theatre Thursday: Sondheim's Old Friends

Revues of the music of Stephen Sondheim are not exactly a rare thing. We’ve had Side by Side by Sondheim and Marry Me A Little (both of which younger Me wore out the vinyl/CDs of); Putting It Together (ditto, plus endless rewatches of the filmed version with Carol Burnett, George Hearn, Bronson Pinchot, John Barrowman and Ruthie Henshall), Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (okay, this was a one-night thing, but I wore out the CD and the DVD!) and Sondheim on Sondheim (back to “wore out the CD”) – none of which I ever saw on stage.

So as soon as I saw posts online about Sondheim’s Old Friends opening in London, I knew that if it came to Broadway, I’d need to see it; especially if certain members of the London cast transferred. Which they did.

Unlike Marry Me A Little and Putting It Together (each of which has a loose plot and unnamed characters, pulling Sondheim classics and cut/forgotten numbers into a new storyline) but like Side by Side by Sondheim and Sondheim on Sondheim, Sondheim’s Old Friends is a true revue: very little talking except at the very beginning and end, no new storyline, just song after amazing song after brilliant song. Two-and-a-half hours of songs, with only pauses long enough for the audience to applaud (and applaud we did. Loudly.). And several of those songs brought down the house.

The ensemble is led, just as it was in London, by the iconic duo of Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga. I’ve seen Bernadette several times before and she never disappoints. This was my first time seeing Lea live on stage, and she was as phenomenal as I’ve heard she is. They are backed up by an ensemble of 17, including Beth Leavel, Joanna Riding, Jeremy Secomb (who was out the night we saw the show), Kyle Selig, Bonnie Langford (who I was overjoyed was continuing on from the London cast, as I’ve always wanted to see her on stage), and Gavin Lee (who I last saw as Squidward in The SpongeBob Musical and who is always fun to watch).

Bernadette mentions at the start that the song selection is drawn heavily from shows Cameron Macintosh (who produced this revue) had a hand in. Thus, the show has solid sequences showcasing Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, and Follies, with a generous helping of Company interspersed, along with bits of Gypsy, Passion, and A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum. Unlike earlier revues, the show is light on Sondheim’s lesser-known material (nothing from Saturday Night or the Frogs, which usually show up in these revues, for instance) with the exception of “Live Alone and Like It” (performed jauntily by Jason Pennycooke), “The Boy From…” (performed hysterically by Kate Jennings Grant), and a bit of “Bounce” (in a sort-of-medley with “I Know Things Now,” performed with tongue planted firmly in cheek by Bernadette). Past Sondheim revues have been known for weird mashups that work well (I’m thinking of Dorothy Loudon’s “Losing My Mind/You Could Drive A Person Crazy” from the Carnegie Hall concert in particular), and the “Know Things/Bounce” combo worked as well.

Powerhouse moments of the night: Beth Leavel STOPPED. THE. SHOW. with “Ladies Who Lunch.”  Lea did the same in Act Two with “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” Both songs are acerbic and angry, and Beth and Lea let it all out. Bernadette’s renditions of “Send in the Clowns” and “Losing My Mind” had the tears flowing, as did Lea’s “Loving You” (not one of my favorite Sondheim songs, and Lea still managed to make me sob) and “Somewhere,” and all of the women singing “Not A Day Goes By” to a photo of Sondheim. Equally powerful on the comedic side: Lea as Mrs. Lovett alongside Kevin Earley as Sweeney on “Worst Pies in London” and “A Little Priest.”

Personal highlights for me: Bonnie Langford’s take on “I’m Still Here,” Gavin Lee’s “Could I Leave You?” and Gavin and Beth’s “It’s The Little Things You Do Together,” three of my favorite Sondheim songs. Those first two could easily have gone to Bernadette and Lea, who of course would have been phenomenal, but I felt something special seeing one of my favorite Doctor Who companions sing about still being in the game after all these years and seeing Gavin chew the scenery on a song from Follies usually sung by a woman (they used this conceit in Side by Side by Sondheim as well).

If most of the highlights I’ve mentioned featured the female cast members, I have to admit that the show feels more heavily weighted to them both as solo performances and in the group numbers. The women have pretty much all of the true showstoppers. Jacob Dickey does have the lead on “Being Alive,” but it quickly turns into a full-cast number; Kyle Selig shines during the “Tonight Quintet” but I would love to have seen what he would have done solo with “Maria” or “Something’s Coming.” Kyle, Jacob, and Daniel Yearwood harmonize wonderfully on “Waiting For the Girls Upstairs,” and Gavin, Jason, and Kyle are very funny on “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid,” both of which got boisterous applause. I also personally liked Jason’s “Live Alone and Like It,” one of my favorite Sondheim ditties, but let’s be honest: the song doesn’t pack the emotional heft of the songs Bernadette, Lea, and Beth have. It’s possible this sense of imbalance is because there’s no male cast member of the stature of Bernadette and Lea. Or maybe it’s just the way director Matthew Bourne put the show together and chose who would get each number.

I also have to give kudos to “the Sondheim orchestra,” on stage throughout the show, conducted by Annbritt duChateau, and to the set design by Matt Kinley, which made brilliant use of minimal set pieces to move from a classic concert staging to full scenery for the Sweeney and West Side sequences, and to Warren Letton’s lighting design and Jill Parker’s costumes.

Sondheim’s Old Friends runs through mid-June at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. It’s well worth the price of admission.

We saw the show during the annual fundraising competition for Broadway Cares. I have no idea who bought Bernadette or Lea’s earrings, offered from the stage. I did spring for a copy of the commemorative program signed by the entire cast.

I’ve always loved live theater, and in the past couple of years I’ve been making a stronger effort to see more of it. Theater Thursday is a new occasional series where I talk about live theater, both shows I’ve seen recently and shows I’ve loved in the past.