It has been a hot summer in New York, in more ways than one. On Broadway, 24 shows continue to draw large crowds, with several musicals and plays reaching near-capacity in the final weeks of August. Here is a look at what’s happening now:
& Juliet
Okay, what if Juliet lives at the end of Shakespeare’s romance, Romeo and Juliet? That’s what the Emmy-winning Schitt’s Creek writer David West Read sought to discover, and the result is & Juliet. After some 18 months on Broadway (at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre), the musical still rocks with a winning mix of early 2000s pop songs from the likes of Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, Bon Jovi, and more. Better yet, about half of the original Broadway cast remains, including Betsy Wolfe (as Shakespeare’s wife), Justin David Sullivan (as May, a non-binary friend of Juliet’s), and Paulo Szot (as Lance, a man who has a past with Juliet’s nurse).
The fun begins almost immediately, as Shakespeare’s wife writes herself into the revised version as April, another of Juliet’s Friends (“April, May and Juliet, right?” she figures). They all travel from Verona to Paris in a plot that becomes goofier with each scene. The dismayed Shakespeare (dashingly played by Drew Gehling) retaliates by introducing a reborn Romeo (Ben Jackson Walker). It all devolves into an updated version of love and romance, regardless of one’s gender. As Shakespeare would say, “All’s well that ends well.”
If you missed the national tour, which played at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in December 2023, it's returning this year for a two-week run opening December 3 at the Cadillac Palace. You can also still see the musical on Broadway. & Juliet was nominated for nine 2023 Tony Awards, and its energetic fun is definitely worth the ticket price.
Hell's Kitchen
This jukebox musical features the music and loosely told autobiography of singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. With savvy hip-hop choreography (by Camille A. Brown) and sturdy direction (by Michael Greif), it focuses on a young teen growing up in the 1990s. The show originally ran at the Public Theater last October, and transferred to Broadway’s Shubert Theatre in late April. It scored 13 Tony nominations and won two awards.
One of these awards went to Maleah Joi Moon, who blows the lid off the theater with a powerful voice and solid acting skills in her Broadway debut. She is the stand-in for Keys, a teen who lives in a high-rise building and seems to learn more from the streets than she does in the classroom. Her mom is played by Shoshana Bean, in a show-stopping performance that is rivaled only by Kecia Lewis. She plays an elderly piano teacher who introduces Keys to the music world and shares some life lessons, as well.
Hell's Kitchen has a winning combination of street cred and musical chops to keep it afloat for many Broadway seasons to come. The show’s biggest thrill is listening to its final number, “Empire State of Mind,” while sitting in the heart of New York City itself.
Job
Despite its pedestrian title, Job (pronounced as in “get a job”) is a roller coaster ride that never allows its audience a chance to sit back and relax. The two-hander opened recently on Broadway after its sold-out Off-Broadway run was extended twice. It originally appeared in winter 2023 at Soho Playhouse.
Job consists of a single therapy session between Jane (Sydney Lemmon, the late Jack Lemmon’s granddaughter) and Loyd (Peter Friedman). Jane’s meltdown at her workplace is caught on a co-worker’s phone and goes viral. In order to return to her workplace, she must “pass” a mental physical of sorts with Friedman, who plays an older hippie-type therapist and Berkeley graduate. However, Loyd wonders whether her work in the tech world may be doing her more harm than good.
Tense and terse, with rat-a-tat delivery and a pistol that appears not once, but twice, Job is the work of playwright Max Wolf Friedlich. The dialogue is accompanied by random outbursts of loud, disturbing sounds and blinding lights—guaranteed to make the audience uncomfortable throughout the play’s 80 minutes. Good thing there’s no intermission, as one suspects that many audience members would abandon this show in mid-stream, given the chance. Be forewarned; the play is creepy, and it also asks more questions than it answers. By the play’s final scene, one can’t help but question the credibility of both characters. Not recommended for children. The play’s limited run at the Hayes Theater has been extended through October 27.
Once Upon a Mattress
Audiences and critics alike are cheering for Sutton Foster (Princess Winnifred the Woebegone) and Michael Urie (Prince Dauntless) who find love despite the plots of his scheming mother (Ana Gasteyer) in Once Upon a Mattress, now taking a bow at the Hudson Theater after its sold-out performances earlier this year in the New York City Center Encores! run. The musical opened in mid-August.
Two-time Tony Award winner Foster is at the top of her game, whether she’s making wacky faces or wiggling her butt or blowing the roof off by singing one of Winnifred’s songs. This ultra-versatile performer never seems to stop moving, even when she’s atop 20 mattresses. This clever retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s tale of “The Princess and the Pea” made an instant star out of Carol Burnett (as Winnifred) when it debuted in the 1950s. Now, the updated musical by Mary Rodgers (music) and Marshall Barer (book co-writer and lyrics) is a perfectly charming romp for audiences of all ages.
How fabulous it was to attend a performance during Kids’ Night on Broadway, where each paid adult ticket allowed parents to bring a child for free. The kids were laughing so hard at Sutton’s antics that she often had to pause her performance momentarily to let the crowd settle down, as least for a few seconds. Once Upon a Mattress continues at the Hudson Theater through November 30.
Suffs
Writer-songwriter-actor Shaina Taub probably felt that creating the musical Suffs took about as long as the historic women’s campaign for the right to vote. In reality, it took about 10 years for Taub to write the book, music and lyrics, and get the show professionally mounted. The result is a passionately acted and historically accurate musical that focuses on events leading up to the ratification of the 19th Amendment and women’s right to vote in 1920. Audiences may recognize some of the campaign’s historic leaders, such as Ida B. Wells (Nikki M. James), Carrie Chapman Catt (Jenn Colella) and Alice Paul (Shaina Taub). If those names aren’t familiar, they will be after viewing a performance of Suffs.
Like Hell’s Kitchen and many other shows, Suffs started out at the Public Theater (2022). It transferred to Broadway’s Music Box Theatre in April. The Tony Award-winning show lives up to its promise; indeed, it is essential viewing in an election year.
Audiences can see the difficulties women faced to win voting rights. One suffragist dies in her attempts to cover the US during campaign rallies, while others are imprisoned (and stage a hunger strike). The “villain” of this show is undoubtedly President Woodrow Wilson (Grace McLean). He assures the American public that the imprisoned suffragists are receiving medical care and good treatment. The show also does a good job of noting problematic issues, such as the campaign’s unfair treatment of Black women. Overall, Suffs succeeds in paying tribute to these unsung heroes who won rights that we now take for granted.
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