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The best and worst things about Broadway shows | Reviewing every play and musical on Broadway
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Mickey Jo
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Mickey Jo
So I've been reviewing theatre full time for a few years now and I've been traveling around the world seeing shows in half a dozen countries across three continents. I've seen the same show twice in one day in two different countries. I've woken up and seen 10 shows in a single day before. But right now I'm going to attempt one of my biggest critical challenges to date. I am about to review every show currently on Broadway, including the ones I have never seen. Let me explain. Oh my God. Hey. Welcome back to my theatre themed YouTube channel. Or hello to those of you listening to this on podcast platforms. My name is Mickey Jo and I am obsessed with all things theatre and I'm also not currently here, by which I mean I have filmed this in advance of heading to New York to go and see as many Broadway and Off Broadway shows as possible for a couple of weeks, with all of that content to arrive soon wherever you are seeing or hearing this. But in the meantime I prepared some content for you to enjoy in my absence, including today's in which I'm going to attempt to tell you the best and worst thing about every show currently on Broadway. Now, not all of these will be shows that I have previously seen. Some of these answers might be a little bit tongue in cheek, but some of them I think are entirely accurate and it might be details about the material, it might be details about the theatre going experience or the wider cultural context of the show. You will have to stay tuned and find out. But as always I am hugely interested in what you say in the comments. Feel free to agree or entirely disagree any of the points that I make here. And if you really want to feel free to share your own version of this list in the comments section down below. What is the best and worst thing about each of these Broadway shows? Now, if you enjoy this and for some reason haven't already subscribed to my theatre themed YouTube channel, what are you doing? Feel free to hit subscribe and turn on notifications or go follow me on podcast platforms. In the meantime, in 30 minutes or less, hopefully, Here is the best and worst thing about every single show on Broadway. Okay, so I have a list here which I'm pretty sure contains every single show that is currently playing, whether it is open, whether it's in previews, if it's on Broadway right now, I'm about to talk about it. So for no particular reason we are going to do this in reverse alphabetical order which means we are starting with Wicked, currently playing at the Gershwin Theatre. Now the best thing about Wicked on Broadway is Defying Gravity. I think Defying Gravity is the defining moment of Wicked, the musical on stage. It's still maybe the best Act 1 finale that there is. Certainly I think the best one that there is on Broadway right now. That's an incredible experience in the theater. The worst thing about Wicked on stage is that Wicked the movie now exists across two parts and was able to flesh out the story and these scenes and these characters. So now when we go back and see it on stage, we're going to long for those moments that they found on film and the nuance that they found. And the whole thing is going to feel a little bit faster because it is. Next up, Waiting for Godot. The best thing about Waiting For Godot is that by all accounts it seems like they are finding a slightly more playful route through it and using characters of Bill and Ted and sort of subverting the iconic status of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in order to reframe the story a little bit. The worst thing about Waiting for Godot, I'm sorry, Samuel Beckett, is that it's Waiting for Godot. Next up, Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York. The best part of Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York is it's the kind of story we don't see on stage very much. It's this little intimate, honest, charming, heartwarming, down to earth sort of cinematic love story between these characters set on the charming streets of New York. The worst thing about Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York is every time I see it, it makes me want to go and eat cake. Or the fact that I want to know what happens to these characters after the show and I don't get to because they haven't written a sequel. I need to see the show. Two strangers call each other six months later to discuss how everything's getting on. Next up, Stranger Things, the First Shadow, currently playing at the Marriott Marquis Theatre. The best thing about Stranger Things, the first Shadow is the stage effects and the really awe inspiring and genuinely frightening stuff that they are Achie leaving. It's the best version of that show because they tinkered with it a little bit post West End. I would say the worst thing about Stranger Things, the First Shadow as a stage play is it doesn't really expand that much on the universe we already knew because it's within the constraints of the TV show. And when you do a prequel, these characters that you are taking, they can't discover too much because they don't know that much already in the TV show. So without retconning a lot of detail, it's hard to create a new story when you're moving backwards in time. So it pretty much just tells us everything that we already knew about the backstory of the Stranger Things world. Six the Musical the best thing about six the Musical is the way that its casting allows for these different performers to come in and make the show their own. This is why to this day, I think it's still the show I've seen the most times because it's just like going back to see a band that you love. In concert, except for the fact that the lineup is different every single time, and they always bring in phenomenal talent. But from one show to the next, the Aragon or the Cleaves or the Seymour that you see could play and sing the role completely differently. The worst thing about six the musical on Broadway, I would say the American accent can be a little bit jarring, but once you get past that, it's not that big a deal. Maybe it's the fact that it's inherently a little bit insubstantial. Like, it is a kind of a concert vibe. There is still a narrative, there are still characters. It is still teaching you a meaningful lesson, especially to young people. But it's one of the lighter Broadway shows that you could go and see. Next up. Oh, this one's easy. Rob Lake Magic with special guests, the Muppets. The best part of this that I have not seen yet is the Muppets, who I love. And the worst part of this is the fact that it features magic, which I have had an incapacitating fear of since childhood. I love the Muppets and I have an irrational fear of magicians that's quite personal to me. Apologies to Rob Lake. Sorry to that man. Next up, we have Ragtime. Oh, my gosh. The best thing about Ragtime is it's one of the greatest book musicals ever written. It's that particular sequence of four or five songs in a row that are just increasingly epic bangers because you have wheels of a dream out of new music into to something else. It's this string of, like, relentlessly great and extraordinary and huge songs all in a row, which allows for these extraordinary performances. The worst thing about Ragtime, and I will say with this production specifically, is the tendency to want to let the score and the material simply speak and sing for itself, and the reluctance to give us a fully staged production. I love the score. I love the script. I would also love a set. Then we have the Queen of Versailles, which I have not seen yet. The best thing about the Queen of Versailles is that show. Renee Scott is back on Broadway in a musical for the first time in over a decade. Standing by for Kristin Chenoweth. The worst thing I think about the Queen of Versailles is existing in this exact political moment, telling the story of someone who is endeared to President Donald Trump. And a story of extraordinary wealth at a time when a great many people around the world are struggling and suffering in poverty. Next up, we have the Outsiders. The best thing about the Outsiders is the sequence in the second act when they Fight in the Rain. The staging of that is absolutely extraordinary. Really fantastic. Worth going to see the show just to see that moment. The worst thing about the Outsiders is the way that the script still sort of feels as though it's behaving like a book. And we have all of these moments of narration when you have enough characters on stage and you have the capacity to simply write dialogue and to simply write scenes instead, we are still behaving a little bit like we're a book. Next up, Operation Mincemeat. The best thing about Operation Mincemeat is probably the Dear Bill moment, performed by Tony Award and Olivier Award winner Jack Malone. This part of the show, in the middle of the first act that goes from zany, silly comedy to heartbreaking emotional sincerity and depth and pathos, taking everyone by surprise. The worst thing, perhaps about Operation Mincemeat, this isn't about the London production. If it was, I would talk about the pricing structure. The worst thing about the Broadway production of Operation Mincemeat, I don't think too British can be a shortcoming. Maybe it's the sound design at the Golden Theatre. Maybe it's a combination of the Britishness of it with the sound design at the Golden Theatre and the fact that a majority of audience members might be struggling to understand the words that are being said which are very important to the comedy of the show. Speaking of comedy, next up, we have O Mary, currently playing at the Lyceum Theatre. The best thing about Omar on Broadway is the ingenious casting by the incredible team working on that show, this succession of brilliant and completely varied stars. Playing the role of Mary Todd Lincoln. After original star and writer Cole Escola, Betty Gilpin, Titus Burgess, Jinx Monsoon, now Jane Krakowski. It's unhinged, it's campy and it's fantastic. And it's keeping audiences like me helplessly returning to the show time after time after time. The worst thing about oh Mary, I think, might be the fact that we don't get more musical numbers and we have a madcap musical medley at the end. But they have a tendency now to cast a lot of musical theater powerhous performers. I want to hear Jinkx Monsoon singing more songs. I want to hear Titus Burgess and Jane Krakowski singing more songs. Then hold on to your mothers. Over at Studio 54, we have Oedipus. The best thing about this production of Oedipus is how utterly captivating and thrilling it is as we count down in real time to this damning, redefining revelation and this Unspeakable horror framed powerfully in a completely familiar modern context and navigated by these two extraordinary performance that was like three great things packed into one. It's an incredible adaptation. The worst thing about it is, I think it's going to call itself a revival of a classical play by which it is clearly inspired, but which it has entirely adapted by Robert Icke, that is, and to which it bears no resemblance of language, only of structure. And the fact that Sarah Snook on stage reading the Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde almost word for word, counts technically as a new play, and this counts technically as a revival is baffling to me. Next up, we have Moulin Rouge. The best thing about Moulin Rouge, there's a close second, which is the design of the whole thing and particularly the exterior design of the theatre, I think is just gorgeous. But the best thing about Moulin Rouge is the opening of the second act. And that backstage romance sequence and Sonya Tyre's choreography. It is show stopping at a time that the show has only just restarted. I would definitely call this the strongest Act 2 opening in all of Broadway. And the worst thing about Moulin Rouge might be the of songs that are packed into it, some of which draw a little bit of laughter, which render the show occasionally a little insincere. Specifically, let's say the worst thing about Moulin Rouge on stage as a musical is the fact that they got rid of One Day I'll Fly away from the film and instead had her sing Katy Perry's Firework. And you know what? Close runner up to this as well is the fact that they don't cast Satine age appropriately, that they have all of these old men around her being like, remember how we were children together and you can't be a prostitute forever. Often to a woman in her 20s who looks sensational. So you can have that one for free. Moulin Rouge. Just a couple things to consider. What do we have next? Oh, here comes the controversy. MJ the musical on Broadway at the the Neil Simon Theatre. I believe the best thing about mj, which I've only seen once in my life in the West End, is the choreography by Christopher Wheeldon and the way that the show builds these numbers and its relationship to dance and how celebratory it is of dance and the way that it unpacks Michael Jackson's artistic and emotional relationship with dance and choreography and all of his different inspirations. I thought that was just brilliant. The worst thing about mj, I'm gonna get some comments on this one is the way the show deliberately focuses in on a moment in Michael Jackson's life leading up to, but not including the start of the serious allegations against him so that it doesn't have to address it. It's a sort of impossibly unavoidable elephant in the room. Speaking of which, we have maybe Happy Ending, my favorite musical on Broadway playing at the Belasco Theatre. How can I give you just one best thing about maybe happy Ending? My gosh, I think a lot like Two Strangers. It's the originality of the story, the way that it feels small. But the best thing, no, the best thing about maybe Happy Ending is the fact that I can recommend it to just about anyone. I think the humanity of this story transcends all kinds of identity or demographic or age. I think old and young alike will find something to recognize in this like perfect date night, perfect for families. Go see with your parents something hugely charming about maybe Happy Ending that just about any audience member has the capacity, I think, to fall in love with. The worst thing about maybe Happy Ending is, and I'm going to frame this a slightly different way because it's an indictment on the industry is.
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Mickey Jo
That'S gone to flames.
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Mickey Jo
This is gonna be catastrophic. We're fighting for our marriages and the girls are just putting us through hell.
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Mickey Jo
I can't. Hopefully this doesn't end in a bloodbath.
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Mickey Jo
Broadway and Hollywood really having failed over the past few decades to platform and foster sufficient Asian talent for the show to be cast authentically and appropriately. Because I think we would all love for this to ongo knowingly be a fantastic platform exclusively for Asian talent. But the current financial landscape of Broadway means that they are looking for star names and there are a finite number of Asian star names who are available and capable of playing these roles. Then we get to Mamma Mia, the national tour of Mamma Mia. Currently playing a Broadway tour stop at the Winter Garden Theatre. Her now the best thing about Mamma Mia is how fun it is. I think it goes back to that thing that they used on the marketing for years. You already know you're gonna love it. It is completely predictable, which some might consider a shortcoming and I think is in many ways a great thing. There's a great satisfaction in knowing what to expect for a lot of audience members. That sort of deprives you of a sense of anxiety. I like ice cream. I know what that's gonna taste like every single time that I have it. And Mamma Mia delivers exactly what it promises to with joy and reckless abandon. The worst thing about Mamma Mia, and I haven't yet heard it with American accents, which I think I might find jarring. What's the worst thing about Mamma Mia? I mean, it's Mamma Mia. I think that is its best and its worst quality at the same time. Maybe it's that it inadvertently ushered in an era of subsequently lazy jukebox musicals. That's not an indictment on the quality of Mamma Mia, but everything that came afterwards. Maybe it's the fact that it paved the way for us having to hear Pierce Brosnan singing ABBA songs. Maybe that's the worst part about Mamma Mia even existing. Then let the controversy continue. Next up we have Little Bear Ridge Road, which recently opened at the Booth Theatre on Broadway, the best part of which is Laurie Metcalfe using her star power to elevate the work of a new playwright. Very often when actors of this status return to Broadway, we see them doing so in revivals or Shakespeare or esteemed classics. And Laurie Metcalfe has done a great many new plays on Broadway. And this is the play of a very much rising playwright, Samuel D. Hunter. The worst part of all of this is it is being produced by Scott Rudin who is perpetrating a Broadway return only a few years after being ousted from the industry for multiple heinous allegations of bullying and abuse and harassment towards those working for and beneath him. Meaning that any support of this production financially benefits him and justifies his Broadway return as something that the industry tolerates, accepts, even celebrates. So, yeah, that's the worst thing. Then we've got the Lion King. Best thing about the Lion King is also its key problem. It's the circle of life. It's that moment when you have all of these animals taking to the stage. And even in the years since, it's as though the vision and the artistry and the innovation of this moment, which, you know, 25 plus years ago, the Lion King first brought to the stage, it's as though it's been forgotten. When we see musicals like Hercules, like Aladdin, being too lazy to try and create animal sidekicks, when Julie Taymor had elephants walking down the aisles of the theater, for crying out loud, it is still spectacular. You take children and their eyes are still going to be widened by this incredible thing that is happening around them. The extraordinary power of theatre. The worst part of the Lion King is that that happens in the first five minutes and then the rest of the show doesn't really live up to the promise of it. It's like if Wicked opened with defying gravity. Next up, liberation. Oh, I haven't seen Liberation yet. Oh, my gosh. The best thing about liberation is how excited and empowered and seen it has made a lot of my female friends feel after seeing it and how it's allowed them to feel very much connected to older generations of female relatives, to their mothers, to their grandmothers, and how it's having this intergenerational dialogue between women. They are doing a matinee in which they are encouraging as many mothers and daughters as possible to attend. That's great. That's fantastic. It's fostering conversation that's the best thing about liberation. The worst thing about liberation, and I really don't know, I do not know what the worst thing about liberation is. I know that there is an extended nude scene and for my own British sensibilities, that is something that does make me a little bit. Not uncomfortable necessarily, because I've seen enough nudity in the theatre, but I think it makes me feel slight, self conscious. Maybe that's what we're going to go with. I say that having not yet seen it, I may be entirely changed. Next up, just In Time, starring Jonathan Groff at the Circle in the Square. Theatre. The best thing about Just In Time is the joy that is exploding off of that stage out of Jonathan Groff. And the worst thing is the saliva exploding off of that stage out of Jonathan Groff. No. It is so delightful. Another easy recommendation. Not a show I thought I would want to go back to or feel inclined to, but I would very much like to because it's such a joy, it's such a delight. There is such a happiness and a charm about Just In Time. It's really just uplifting and comforting. Theatre. The worst thing, honestly, it might be getting spit on in the first couple of rows, although some people would see that as a privilege. I will probably, after I finish recording this, think of a bunch of things to say about all of these shows and think, oh, no, that's the real. That's the real worst thing thing. Then we have Hell's Kitchen. Oh, boy. All right, let's think back to Hell's Kitchen. Best thing about Hell's Kitchen is the vocals singing those Alicia Keys songs. Are you kidding me? Some of the arrangements they've done. It's the music. It's hearing those songs and hearing gorgeous Broadway voices navigating that score and giving us delicious vocal interpretations of that really satisfying music. The worst thing about Hell's Kitchen is the partially true narrative and this storyline about an underage girl sort of adamantly pursuing a relationship with a young man who for some time is not interested in reciprocating her advances, but who eventually does and who her mother subsequently calls the police in order to have removed from their home because they're having a, let's say, romantic encounter without him having realized how old she was. Now the responsibility is also his to ask how old she was. I just question why we've had to write that so deliberately into the show. And if you thought that one was a doozy, get ready for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The best thing about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I could say some of the magical effects that they do on stage. I saw it a million years ago, back towards the very beginning of its run, before I considered it particularly irresponsible to do so. Maybe the best part is just that people who grew up really in love with this world and these characters and this story get to spend a little bit of time experiencing it.
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- [25:43]
Mickey Jo
In person the Worst Thing About Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and We could talk about the fact that you know any story that you've managed to condense from a two part play into a one part play clearly wasn't worth its salt to begin with. Or we could talk about the weird fan service and the creepy scene that Harry has with the Dumbledore painting who isn't really real and who cries at him and says like I just loved you too much as a baby. That gets really weird. We could talk about how the whole thing basically reads like slightly cringe fan fiction. But no, as you probably suspect, the worst thing about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is that proceeds from the production go to the Franchise's original author, J.K. rowling, who uses her own personal finances in order to support hate campaigns against the trans community. Which means by buying a ticket to go and see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, you are inadvertently funding transphobia. Here's a palette cleanser for you. Let's review Hamilton okay, Best Thing About Hamilton on Broadway where to start with the best thing about Hamilton on Broadway? I think it's just the notion of this story of the founding of of America told by writers and a company who reflect what America is now. And it's this opportunity to reconnect to an understanding of what the American dream could and should be and what the promise of freedom could and should be, especially in trying political times amidst the creeping rise of fascism. The Worst Thing about Hamilton this is going to be a little bit tricky. What's the worst thing about Hamilton? Hamilton. I know people in the early days were complaining about the fact that they were paying as much as they were and it only had one set. Is it the fact that you can still not really get tickets very easily? Is that the worst thing about Hamilton, the fact that it's too popular? Oh, let's say it's the fact that Congratulations had to get cut from the show and I respect the decision, but I miss Congratulations. You have invented a new kind of stupid and damage you can never undo kind of stupid. I languished in a loveless marriage in London. I lived only to read your horn letters. Next up, we have Hadestown. The best thing about Hadestown I could say the same thing as six, with the opportunity for new cast members to come in and create their own new and different interpretations of these roles. But I think the best thing ultimately about Hadestown, and I know a lot of people who have seen it upwards of 40 times, is the healing sensation, the catharsis and the emotional recovery that it can offer to audiences. There's a lot that you can take from the show show into your own life from out of the theater. Not every show is giving you that. Not every show is creating space for healing. And again, in trying, turbulent political times, there's a lot that Hadestown is doing to help to heal us. The worst thing about Hadestown is the wait for me really ought to be the Act 1 finale. It might also be that it's so lyrically dense that people struggle to emotionally connect to it sometimes on the first view viewing and need to go back and see it again. We arrive next at the Great Gatsby, currently playing at the Broadway Theatre. The best thing about the Great Gatsby is probably the scale of the whole thing. I mean that both as in the scale of the music and these soaring melodies and these high notes and these declarations of love, but also the choreography and the set design and the cars that they drive across the stage and the pyrotechnics and the fireworks on stage. It's so loud, lavish, it's so explosive, it's so over the top. It's perfect for what people expect Broadway to be, especially if this is maybe their first Broadway show. The worst thing about Great Gatsby is the fact that it's originally based on A book with considerably more nuance that it doesn't really find the time to explore the fact that we've taken the characters of Jordan Baker and Nick Carraway and turned them into these utterly traditional heterosexual love interests that kind of of betray a lot of the ideals of Jordan's character, specifically from the book. We are in the home stretch now. We have arrived at the letter D for Death Becomes Her. The best thing about Death Becomes her on Broadway. Where to start? We could talk about the costumes. We could talk about some of the effects that they do. I think it's the extent to which it is unashamedly for the gays. I think it's the fact that it leans utterly in to its campiness. And that's really been the success, the making of. Of the show and what makes it so delightful and sexy and fun. The worst thing about Death Becomes Her Specific. I'm going to tell you. I'm going to tell you what the worst thing about Death becomes her is. It's the song that Ernest sings in the second act. Christopher Zieber has honed the material and his performance to such a point that the second time I saw it I was just about ready to buy it. But I still think it's a terrible song. The one where he's like, you're Ernest Menville down, damn it. I think it's bad the fact that he manages to get a laugh by playing it in a campy way. It's just because of how funny Christopher Zebra is. It's not because it's a well written song. I hate that number. I'm so sorry. I like the rest of the show very, very much. Not that bit. Then we have Chicago. Lots we could say. Lots we could say about Chicago. The best thing undoubtedly about Chicago is the way that it has branded the Fosse style of choreography and made it recognisable the world over. Because you can speak to the majority of theatre goers and sort of even like casual theater goers and they will be able to recognize like, oh, Fosse choreography. And they know what that means. They know what they are linking it to visually. And most often what they are linking it to is some interpretation of the Chicago revival. And that has really helped to maintain the legacy of Bob Fosse, who is one of the 20th century's most important and iconic choreographers. The worst thing about Chicago, not unlike the Lion King, you know, it's a long running show. It can be a little bit tired. Not unlike Wicked. We had a great film adaptation come out and the stage show sort of lacks the same panache in moments like the cell block tango. You want it to have the same kind of thrill and attack that the film adaptation does. And it doesn't really. Okay. The next one is. Is Chess in previews on Broadway? I still haven't seen it. The best thing I think is going to be hearing those voices sing that score, hearing Lea Michele and Hannah Cruz and Aunt of A and Nicholas Christopher sing those songs, which I unashamedly really love. I think it's a fantastic score. I'm very excited to hear it. The worst thing about Chess, I promise, whatever you think I'm gonna say is not what I'm gonna say. I'm not gonna talk about the bad Cinderella marketing colors, although I'm thinking about it and seeing, Sending. Sending you those psychic vibes. The worst thing about Chess is the fact that they have partnered with Chess.com, a website where you can play chess against robots, and they have created these characters that you can play against. I assumed that Florence, because she's not one of the two real competitors in the show, would be the easiest of the three characters to beat. And it turns out I was right. She has the lowest difficulty rating. And still, try as I might on upwards of like 12 occasions now, I cannot beat Lea Michele. Online Chess and how it has made me feel about myself. Buena Vista Social Club. Okay. The best thing about Buena Vista Social Club is the feel of the music and the musicianship, actually, and the way that we get to see them play these instruments on stage. The best part of Buena Vista Social Club is the moment immediately after intermission when we just have this beautiful Spanish guitar playing happening on stage. I think the worst part of Buena Vista Social Club Club, and stay with me all the way through to the end of this thought, is that the songs are performed in Spanish. So an audience who does not speak Spanish does not have the capacity to understand those lyrics. They do give out a booklet beforehand, but in real time, you aren't able to connect to the emotional meaning of the songs, which, for the most part, are performed diegetically. Anyway, what I kind of wish for this show is that the entire thing, dialogue and songs, was performed in spite of Spanish and captioned and subtitled. I would actually prefer that. I think. Okay, five more to go. And the next one is the Book of Mormon. Perhaps controversial, maybe. I think the best thing about the Book of Mormon is it is a musical that straight boyfriends who aren't into musicals are probably more willing to go and see. I think this is a show that musical theatre girlies can convince their boring non musical boyfriend. Sorry boyfriends, if you're watching this out of obligation, blink twice if you don't want to be watching a Mickey Joe Theatre video right now. I won't take it personally and also I won't see I think those boyfriends are probably happier to go and see a show like the Book of Mormon or specifically the Book of Mormon rather than maybe a Wicked and musical theatre girlies. Let me tell you, if you have a boyfriend who is not only willing but who is enthusiastic to go with you to all of the musicals, then you either are incredibly lucky in this life and I'm very happy for the happy happiness that you have found with your partner, or you have a gay boyfriend and that's okay too. Now the worst part about the Book of Mormon and the show's relationship to race is multi layered because it is a larger than most employer of black actors that must be recognized. The problem is that those actors are positioned within the show to be laughed at for playing racist caricatures by majority white white audiences. And I say all of this anecdotally, but I think even though the humor of the show may be poking fun specifically at the Western perspective of third world countries and the misunderstanding of what that actually is and what that actually looks like, you still have white wealthy audiences, generally speaking, laughing at black performers playing cultural stereotypes. Moving on to Beetlejuice. The best part about this production of Beetle Juice on Broadway is, I guess that it's been resurrected for a third time. That, you know, Internet popularity and fandom can propel something back to Broadway and afford it a longevity that lasts past its initial Broadway run. It's also very funny, very campy, very silly, a little bit spooky. The worst part about this production of Beetlejuice on Broadway, and I'm not even here to mention Trisha Paytas. Honestly, Livia Drew Dream now the worst part about this production is the alleged possibility that they are not being paid per a Broadway contract. And despite the fact that they, during the run of the show will be living in New York, which is not a cheap place to exist or eat or pay rent, they allegedly will not be paid New York wages. They will be paid touring wages. Three to go. And the first one is Art. I haven't seen Art on Broadway yet. I'm very excited to. I've heard great things about the play made. Maybe that's the best part of Art on Broadway is that we are putting great plays on Broadway again. I think Maybe the best part is that you have actors like James Corden doing what they're really great at, which is theatrical comedy. James Corden, brilliant in the history Boys, brilliant in One Man, Two Governors. Likewise Bobby Cannavale and Neil Patrick Harris. I think it's a trio of heavyweights and that's probably, probably the best thing about the show is enjoying these performances. I've also heard that James Corden's performance probably is the best thing about the show. The worst thing about art on Broadway. I don't know what the worst thing about art on Broadway is. Maybe it's the fact that it's going to end its limited run with these stars rather than extending with replacement actors brought in. You know, we have so many fantastic comic actors in New York who could play these roles, even like screen adjacent people who could still come up, demand a decent box office. I think with a lot of revivals generally, not just this one, it would be nice to see them have a little bit of a longer life and at least attempt to recast. Our penultimate Broadway show is Aladdin. The best thing about Aladdin, other than getting to simply step inside the gorgeous New Amsterdam Theater, is probably the whole New World moment. Or friend like Me. No, it's probably Friend like Me. That's a great sequence that's really been tailored well, well to its theatrical setting that gets to riff on a lot of other beloved Disney hits and has great effects, especially in the Broadway production with these ensemble members sort of spinning up through the floor. The worst thing about Aladdin on Broadway is Casey Nicolor, director and choreographer, cutting all of the animals out of it. We have no Abu. We have no Iago. Well, he's a human now. We have no Raja. And it does detract somewhat from the whimsy of of the show. It also features another of Disney's generic stalling for time in Act 1, romantic duets between Aladdin and Jasmine. But I do think that I find the lack of zoological inclusion a little bit more upsetting. Finally, then, we have our final show playing at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. It is and Juliet. The best thing about and Juliet is that I think it does tell a lot of important stories. And I could say, like, it's fun and the, the songs are fun and it's a nice way to spend a couple hours at the theatre. But I do want to give it credit for telling Anne Hathaway's story, for talking about a woman navigating a complicated marriage later in life and coming to terms with that part of her identity as well as her as an individual. It talks about Juliet's story, but honestly the characters around her a little more interesting. Mae's Story. I think it was one of the first major musicals to talk about a non binary gender identity, even the Nurse and her finding her own empowerment and making it clear through every stage of that relationship what her priorities are and what is important to her in terms of Juliet's happiness and you know, her refusing to settle for anything less than utter adoration. As she should. Yeah, I think the fact that a female led, celebratory, queer, inclusive Shakespearean riffing musical like and Juliet is a multi year hit on Broadway is a great thing. Kudos to that team. The Worst Thing Then get ready for a big finish about and Juliet on Broadway. I have no idea where I am going with this. Maybe the worst thing about and Juliet is that it has empowered other jukebox musicals to think that they can also pull together a list of songs by a bunch of different artists and call it a cohesive score when those ones were all written by the same person by Max Martin. And you know, have a lot of other shows that feel completely all over the place. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself and starting to think that maybe my next video ought to be one about the state of the jukebox musical because clearly I have more opinions than I thought I did. Anyway, the sun has literally set. I have to go pack for my trip to New York and I have successfully, I hope, told you the best and worst part of every single show currently running on Broadway. I hope that you enjoy for slightly more serious and more in depth analysis of a bunch of Broadway and West End shows, make sure you subscribe to me right here on YouTube. Turn on notifications so you don't miss any of my upcoming videos, including new Broadway reviews coming very soon. We are talking chess. We're talking two strangers carry a cake across New York. We are hopefully talking Oedipus. Who knows what else. In the meantime, thank you so much for listening to my thoughts. Remember to share all of yours in the comments section down below. And as always, I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have have a Stagey Day. For 10 more seconds. I'm Mickey Jo Theatre. Oh my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a Stagey Day.
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