Broadway Breakdown: "Broadway 2024–2025 (So Far): Rankings and Tony Noms"

Host: Matt Koplik
Date: December 26, 2024

Overview

Matt Koplik returns for his annual wrap-up, ranking every Broadway show he’s seen from the 2024–2025 season (excluding “All In,” which he dubs “highway robbery”), offering unfiltered, passionate takes on each, sharing inside scoop, and forecasting the evolving Tony Award landscape. Listeners get Matt’s signature blend: deep knowledge, engaging stories, industry tea, and plenty of theatrical shade—all in rambunctious, often hilarious, language.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Season At a Glance & Listener Community

• Matt reads a heartfelt review from listener Joe Joe Hardy
  • [05:09] “The podcast is a gift to all those who love theater or who want to see theater.” – Joe Joe Hardy
• Reminds listeners about his play Yours Truly, available on YouTube for a limited time, and encourages joining the show’s Discord for behind-the-scenes Broadway chat.

2. Favorite Events Beyond Broadway’s Main Season

• Cats: The Jellicle Ball at PAC (Matt’s top overall pick)
  • [09:50] “It was so fantastic... both respectful of the original material and a wild take that just made the show more engaging, more fun, and for me, was a ball.”
    • Industry news: It’s eyeing a 2025 NY return, maybe Broadway or Off.
• Jonah at the Laura Pels (Off-Broadway; praise for director Danya Taymor & star Gabby Beans)
• Encores 2024
  • Jelly’s Last Jam, Once Upon a Mattress, Titanic, Ragtime
  • [16:22] Jelly’s Last Jam: “...had like four or five numbers that were really truly phenomenal, including Leslie Uggams just parking and barking at like 81 years old.”

3. Full Broadway Rankings: From Worst to Best

(See full ranked list below; select quotations and insights by Matt in each section)

The "Why Does This Exist" Zone (21–16)

• 21. Left on 10th
  • [29:18] “It is 1000% the worst thing of the season. It is one of the worst things I’ve seen on Broadway.”
• 20. McNeal
  • [33:28] “It is so forgettable... It slips through your fingers like nothing else.”
• 19. Tammy Faye
  • [35:05] “Literally no staying power... It’s an American story by an entirely British creative team which gives it an emotional and mental distance.”
• 18. Romeo and Juliet
  • [41:37] “It wants to have some of the Euphoria elements...but Euphoria ...has style. This doesn’t.”
• 17. Home
  • [45:01] “It wasn’t amateurish, it wasn’t misguided. It was just...sat there like an egg.”
• 16. The Roommate
  • [48:06] “Another one where—not necessarily super forgettable, but a giant Why... If you found it funny, that probably helped a lot. I didn’t.”

Disappointment, Missed Potential, and Slight Recommendations (15–9)

• 15. Swept Away
  • [54:20] “For me, it’s all lipstick on a pig, because I think the book is terrible... It’s not dark—it’s boring.”
• 14. A Wonderful World
  • [01:03:11] “...unfortunately weakened by its central performance. The women, the four wives, are really the reason to see this show.”
• 13. Our Town
  • [01:04:34] “Kenny Leon...a respectful director...but this time jarringly miscast. So many people in wildly different productions of Our Town.”
• 12. Gypsy
  • [01:08:16] “45 seconds where I loved this, then five minutes till those 45 seconds again...” (On Audra, “She wasn’t bad...not as deep as I wanted.”)
• 11. Once Upon a Mattress
  • [01:15:10] “Slightly better than Gypsy. Not by much...consistently mid to weak.”
• 10. Job
  • [01:16:12] “Two amazing central performances...but doesn’t totally satisfy. I think [writer/director] will do better work in the future.”
• 9. Death Becomes Her
  • [01:19:03] “At the center, once again, we have two central performances that rock...big-budget, spectacle-heavy, and tastefully designed.”

Genuine Recommendations – From "Surprisingly Good" to "Absolutely Loved" (8–1)

• 8. Elf

  • [01:23:40] “A wonderful balm...more charming and creative than it had any right to be...Thought Elf was very sweet.”

• 7. Sunset Boulevard

  • [01:25:18] “I see it more as a live show of the movie than a revival of the musical...Nicole [Scherzinger] is just objectively phenomenal.”

• 6. Yellowface

  • [01:29:02] “A very smart, surprisingly funny play...strong ensemble, direction by Leigh Silverman very good.”

• 5. Eureka Day

  • [01:31:05] “Phenomenal central performance by Jessica Hecht...the rest of the cast is strong. Not as objectively strong a play as next one, but better on messy conversation.”

• 4. Cult of Love

  • [01:31:42] “Structurally stronger than Eureka Day, incredibly tight ensemble—even funnier for me.”

• 3. Maybe Happy Ending

  • [01:34:03] “Wonderful surprise...the score is really great...Michael Arden’s most inventive staging to date.”

• 2. Oh Mary

  • [01:36:32] “Craziest surprise of the season in just how well it’s done...a genuine word-of-mouth, buzzy hit.”

• 1. The Hills of California

  • [01:38:52] “I just can’t say enough amazing things about this show...rare British transfer that improved in NY.”

  Full Rankings List Recap
  21. Left on 10th
  20. McNeal
  19. Tammy Faye
  18. Romeo and Juliet
  17. Home
  16. The Roommate
  15. Swept Away
  14. A Wonderful World
  13. Our Town
  12. Gypsy
  11. Once Upon a Mattress
  10. Job
  9. Death Becomes Her
  8. Elf
  7. Sunset Boulevard
  6. Yellowface
  5. Eureka Day
  4. Cult of Love
  3. Maybe Happy Ending
  2. Oh Mary

  1. The Hills of California

4. Sharpest Critiques & Memorable Rants

• On Tammy Faye and blame culture:
  • [37:00] “If you work in theater, commercial theater primarily: either reviews don’t matter or they do. You can’t say that reviews don’t matter and then get raves and be like, oh my God, how wonderful... At some point, you do have to look inwards and go: something didn’t connect.”
• On Swept Away’s alleged darkness:
  • [57:48] “If you think Swept Away was too dark for me, kindly go sit in the fucking corner and read a book.”
• On audiencing and Broadway marketing:
  • [58:42] “There’s what people say on social media and there’s what actually happens.”

5. The Tony Awards Landscape: Early Predictions & Analysis

(Segment begins [01:45:00])

• Tony tracks are multi-factor—not only reviews or box office, but vibes:

  • [01:46:12] “It’s a combination of many things and, more importantly, what people are excited to get behind.”

• Locks and early favorites:

  • Musical: Maybe Happy Ending (original score/book), Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen possible acting noms; strong praise for Nicole Scherzinger (Sunset) and Audra McDonald (Gypsy), Jennifer Simard/Megan Hilty (Death Becomes Her), Jasmine Rogers (Boop), etc.
  • Play: The Hills of California, Oh Mary as likely nominees (“locks”), plus Eureka Day and Cult of Love squarely in the mix.
  • Musical Revival: Gypsy vs. Sunset; Once Upon a Mattress and Elf possible fill-ins, with Floyd Collins, Last 5 Years, and Pirates as wildcards.
  • Play Revival: Othello (Denzel/Jake star power), Glengarry Glen Ross, Yellowface, Our Town.

• Specific admiration for rising stars & creative teams, and smart calls on categories that aren’t public darlings (choreography, design).

6. If Matt Ran the Tonys: His “Ballot” (Highlights)

(Full detailed list [02:00:00])

• “I have forced myself to do a minimum of two nominees and a maximum of five per category. This is not necessarily who I think is gonna get in, but if you’re like, ‘Hey, Matt, who do you nominate?’...I’m gonna go at the categories people care about least and work my way up.”
• Sample selections:
  • Sound Design of a Musical: Maybe Happy Ending, Sunset Boulevard, Swept Away
  • Choreography: Liam Steel (Elf) is current #1 pick
  • Featured Actress, Musical: Jordan Tyson (Gypsy), Jenny Harding Fleming & Darlesia Searcy (A Wonderful World)
  • Featured Actor, Play: Francis Jue (Yellowface) is Matt’s "vote for the win"
  • Leading Actor, Musical: “Hot take: I would fucking vote for Gray Henson [Elf], who is doing such a good job.”
  • Leading Actress, Musical: Jennifer Simard (Death Becomes Her), “...doing the Lord’s work.”

7. Seasonal Trends & Final Takeaways

• 2024–25 has brought more surprises in disappointment than in soaring successes:

  • [02:22:24] “More surprises for me of disappointment than surprises of quality.”

• Musicals have generally underwhelmed; plays are strong.

• Missed expectations for entries like Tammy Faye, Romeo and Juliet, Gypsy, and more.

• The hope: Spring brings few letdowns and possibly some knockouts (like Dead Outlaw, maybe Boop).

  • [02:36:59] “That’s kind of it for now... There aren’t many things so far this season that I loved. I think we have Hills of California, o’ Mary, and then I would say love-minus is Maybe Happy Ending...We’ll see, we’ll see.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [08:14] “Everybody wants to feel seen, right? Feel like what they do matters in some small way... it really makes me feel good that you choose to continue to listen to me.”
• [56:32] “It’s not the job of an audience to go see something and then tell everyone else to go see it if they didn’t like it simply because it’s a new work. It’s the court of public opinion in theatre.”
• [01:38:41] “It’s one of those rare cases where something comes from London, where a British show comes from London and actually improves when it gets here.”
• [01:45:58] “You have to kind of look around and get a sense of what the vibes are. It’s not just about reviews...It’s a combination of many things and, more importantly, what people are excited to get behind.”
• [02:14:35] “If you go see Eureka Day and are maybe not sitting in the first couple rows, get there a little early so you can look at the set up close...the details...are incredible.”

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:00] - Opening, theme, welcome
• [05:09] - Listener review; community engagement
• [09:50] - Favorite event: Cats: The Jellicle Ball
• [21:30] - Quick season/year asterisks (Off-Broadway, London trip)
• [28:00] - Rankings prelude; “officially” starts list
• [29:18] - Rankings 21–16 (Worst zone)
• [53:34] - Rankings 15–9 (Disappointment/Some Recommendations)
• [01:23:40] - Recommendations & Top Tier
• [01:45:00] - Tony nominations/predictions begin
• [02:00:00] - “If Matt ran the Tonys” (ballot segment)
• [02:22:24] - Seasonal trends/Personal disappointments
• [02:35:00] - Hopes for Spring/Wrap

Final Thoughts & Upcoming Episodes

Matt closes by expressing excitement (tempered by experience) for the back half of the season, keeping an eye out for [Dead Outlaw], [Boop], and other up-in-the-air transfers, and promising future mini Tony-prediction and deep-dive episodes, including a soon-to-air Come From Away feature.

Next time: Come From Away and end of Grab Bag series!

TL;DR:

Matt Koplik delivers exhaustive candor, sharp criticism, and deep Broadway knowledge. His 2024–2025 rankings are a must-listen for anyone serious about the state of Broadway, and his Tony predictions dig deeper than the headlines. Peaks: The Hills of California, Oh Mary, Maybe Happy Ending. Bottoms: Left on 10th, McNeil, Tammy Faye. Tone: Passionately frank, opinionated, and, as ever, damn entertaining.

(All quotes are from Matt Koplik unless otherwise noted. For details/discussion/tea, join the Broadway Breakdown Discord or follow for episode alerts.)