Broadway Breakdown – “Notebooks, Elephants and Protestors OH MY! (Reviews and Updates on the Season)”

Host: Matt Koplik
Date: March 21, 2024

Overview

Host Matt Koplik returns for a rare solo episode, offering his raw, unfiltered takes on the ongoing 2023–2024 Broadway season as Tony Award buzz heats up. Matt reviews major new musicals (“Water for Elephants,” “The Notebook”), a high-profile revival (“An Enemy of the People”), and provides insider perspective on the evolving awards race, upcoming transfers (notably, “Illinois”), and the state of Broadway. The episode delivers sharp, detailed show breakdowns, witty observations, and several memorable moments tied to Matt’s passionate, candid tone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Show Reviews and Reactions

Water for Elephants

• Creative Team & Cast: Book by Rick Elice, score by PigPen Theatre Co., directed by Jessica Stone; starring Grant Gustin, Isabel McCalla, Paul Alexander Nolan, and Greg Edelman.
• Plot Recap: Revolves around Jacob Jankowski, a young man who joins a traveling circus during the Great Depression, framed by narration from an older version of Jacob.
• Matt’s Take:
  • Went in with low expectations due to negative pre-release chatter, but found the show “not bad… not great… it just aggressively exists.”
  • Praises Paul Alexander Nolan as a “masterful” villain who adds depth to an otherwise toxic role, making the love triangle believable.
  • Enjoyed the creative staging and “phenomenal” lighting, but notes the show isn’t a visual spectacle as some expect from circus musicals.
  • Critiques the reliance on narration and the whiplash of time jumps:

    “The back and forth… gives you a lot of whiplash and we don't really care a lot about the Greg Edelman narration.” (41:20)

  • Describes the score as unmemorable but pleasant:

    “…mostly, like, pure liquid… washes over you nicely enough… and then when the song ends, it just rolls off your back like water off a duck’s back, as Jinkx Monsoon would say.” (50:40)

  • Observes that some musical numbers overstay their welcome, with notable giggles during Act II’s lengthy “dream ballet” (57:30).
  • Predicts modest Tony potential for design and a couple of acting nods but sees the show as a middle-tier contender overall.

The Notebook

• Creative Team & Cast: Score by Ingrid Michaelson; stars divided into three Allie/Noah couples (older, middle, and younger) with Marian Plunkett and Dorian Harewood as the older pair.
• Plot Recap: Based on Nicholas Sparks’ bestselling novel and film, the musical centers on an elderly man reading a love story to a woman with dementia, gradually revealing their identities as the lovers.
• Matt’s Take:
  • Enjoyed the production, calling it “my favorite of the new musicals so far,” but less enthusiastic than the early Chicago hype would suggest.
  • Singled out Marian Plunkett for delivering one of the strongest performances of the season:

    “She is so lived in. It’s so natural. It’s sweet and sad without feeling saccharine or cloying. It is definitely the best performance in the production.” (1:15:15)

  • Praises the score as “very pretty… a slightly softer Bareilles score on Waitress,” and finds some lyrics rough but highlights strong writing in intimate scenes.
  • Notes a lack of the film’s “fire” (i.e., sexual chemistry), saying:

    “There’s a lot of water in this show… I think it could use a little more fire.” (1:18:00)

  • Criticizes thin secondary characters, especially Allie’s fiancé, but credits the show for a focused and effective memory-narrative device.
  • Cautions that critical reviews have been mixed, but reminds listeners that past Tony winners (e.g., Millie, Will Rogers Follies) were not critic darlings.
  • Assigns the score a “gentleman’s 7 out of 10.” (1:27:10)

An Enemy of the People

• Creative Team & Cast: Amy Herzog adaptation, directed by Sam Gold, starring Jeremy Strong, Michael Imperioli, Victoria Pedretti.
• Unique Moment: At the show Matt attended, climate change protestors interrupted the town hall scene—so seamlessly that the audience couldn’t tell if it was scripted or real.

  • “We all thought for a solid two minutes that it was part of the show, because, again, it happened very seamlessly. If we’re being honest, it kind of sounds like something Sam Gold would do.” (1:30:40)

• Matt’s Take:
  • Declares it “fantastic… officially usurped Jaja’s African Hair Braiding as my favorite thing this season.” (1:35:05)
  • Praises the entire cast, particularly Jeremy Strong (“wonderful”) and Victoria Pedretti (“so wonderful”).
  • Applauds design elements, calling the production “wonderful” and expecting multiple Tony nods.
  • Asserts the adaptation is “laser-focused,” providing a model for how to update classic theater for contemporary audiences.

2. The State of the Broadway Season & Tony Predictions

General Observations on the Season

• Repeatedly states, “The plays are just mopping the floor with the musicals this season.” (29:55)
• Finds most new musicals lacking, with only The Notebook standing out (“barely,” in a normal season).
• Highlights Off-Broadway as a source of more daring work (e.g., Jonah, Oh Mary).

Outsiders Gaining Momentum

• Ponders why The Outsiders is suddenly selling out, credits effective marketing and “violent Newsies” energy.
• Foresees The Outsiders as a possible surprise contender for nominations and box office despite early skepticism:

  “At this point it’s sort of like, well, is the show any good? At this point, who cares?” (1:09:15)

• Notes change in ticket-buying habits post-COVID, with most people now waiting to buy until the week or day of the show.

Anticipating Illinois Transfer

• Illinois (Sufjan Stevens’ concept album dance piece, choreographed by Justin Peck) is transferring “just under the Tony cutoff.”
• Will be considered a new musical, much like Movin’ Out or Fosse. Not eligible for Best Score, but likely eligible for Orchestrations and Choreography.
• Expects “Illinois” to shake up the already crowded categories in the final weeks before nominations.
• Discusses Tony rules regarding original vs. compilation scores, using cases like Contact, State Fair, Millie, and Tommy as precedents (2:00:50).

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Water for Elephants:

  “I would describe it in the same way I would describe How to Dance in Ohio—both of them are shows that just aggressively exist.” (36:30)

• On Paul Alexander Nolan (WFE):

  “Once again, he brings it to every ball… he takes a character that is very easy to just fully hate… and you get a sense of danger from him… masterful acting.” (42:50)

• On The Notebook's lead performance:

  “When I tell you Marian Plunkett is giving one of the best performances of the season, I truly mean it.” (1:15:15)

• On New Musicals This Year:

  “As I said before, the plays have been mopping the floor with the musicals this season.” (29:55)

• On Illinois as a Tony contender:

  “Why else would they bring it in on that day if they didn’t care about Tony nominations?” (1:57:15)

• On Tony history:

  “Millie got worse reviews than Mamma Mia and Urinetown and it won [Best Musical]… Will Rogers Follies absolutely had the worst reviews of that category, and it won.” (1:28:45)

• On theater ticket-buying post-COVID:

  “People like to buy week of. They like to buy day of. Very rarely do people buy weeks in advance now.” (1:11:25)

• On show set designs this season:

  “Ugly, ugly sets. I’m just going, what are we fucking doing here?” (1:53:37)

• On Tony prediction game:

  “I’m going to have some more Tony prediction episodes coming up and conversations about the season and how sort of do some smart betting.” (2:09:10)

• Classic Matt Koplik:

  “My spring is getting just as packed as, you know, a loose bottom on Fire Island.” (1:55:58)

4. Broadway Rankings (Matt’s “Current Top Shows”)

(Broadway only, ranked by preference)

1. Enemy of the People
2. Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
3. Appropriate
4. Pearly Victorious
5. The Notebook
6. Merrily We Roll Along
7. Gutenberg
8. Here Lies Love
9. Prayer for the French Republic
10. Days of Wine and Roses
11. Water for Elephants
12. Doubt

“After Pearly Victorious, we are out of the ‘I loved it’ mentality and into the ‘I liked it and have caveats’... then ‘I didn’t really like this.’” (1:37:30)

Important Timestamps

• Water for Elephants Review: 29:55 – 1:03:12
• The Notebook Review: 1:10:00 – 1:28:00
• An Enemy of the People & Protestors: 1:30:30 – 1:40:00
• Break, Tommy ticketing chaos, & Reflection on Ticket-Buying: 1:44:10 – 1:48:20
• Illinois Transfer, Tony Eligibility Rules: 1:54:10 – 2:03:00
• Tony Featured Categories & Actress Conversations: 2:05:30 – 2:07:35
• Lempicka & Closing Season Thoughts: 2:07:35 – 2:09:00

Tone & Final Takeaways

Matt remains as opinionated (“most opinionated of all the Broadway podcast hosts”) and irreverent (plenty of quips, eff-bombs, and inside-theater jokes) as ever. The episode offers not just reviews, but crunchy, encyclopedic analysis of Tony processes, Broadway history, and the dynamics of an unusually uneven season.

The upshot for listeners:

• Water for Elephants and The Notebook are solid but not extraordinary new musicals, with the latter marginally outperforming due to lead performances and execution.
• An Enemy of the People is the critical standout thus far.
• The plays are generally outshining the musicals this year.
• Last-minute arrivals (Illinois, Outsiders) have potential to disrupt Tony predictions.
• Broadway is still, as always, full of surprises—no one should declare the awards sorted just yet.

For More

• Full reviews and updates: Matt’s Instagram
• Upcoming “My First Sondheim” concert at 54 Below: March 22
• More Tony analysis and Broadway gossip on future Broadway Breakdown episodes!