The 2022-23 New York theater season has hit its midpoint and although January and early February are generally slow in the theater world, there are some great shows still running and others you may want to sidestep. No matter what you may be hearing in the press, Broadway is still reeling from the pandemic, but doing its best to recover its footing. Hence, some very good shows have closed surprisingly quickly (e.g. Almost Famous and Ohio State) despite positive reviews. But audiences are coming back and filling the seats at even mediocre shows. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the shows and thoughts about whether they’re worth your precious entertainment dollars.
Kimberly Akimbo – (On Broadway at the Booth Theatre – open run)
*****/***** 5 out of 5 stars
I reviewed and raved about Kimberly Akimbo last year when it was playing off-Broadway at The Atlantic and can only continue to do so now. If anything, the Broadway transition has made it even better, fine-tuning the set, choreography, and flow. Victoria Clark and Justin Cooley (in his Broadway debut) continue to give this sweet, sad story of a sixteen-year-old girl who has a genetic disorder which causes her to age at a rate of four times a normal person all the energy and emotion you could want from a high-school themed Broadway musical. Jeanine Tesori’s (Fun Home) music is both beautiful and catchy without being saccharine. When you’re done wiping away the tears, you’ll smile at what a lovely show you’ve just seen and walk away humming catchy melodies.
A Beautiful Noise – (On Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre – open run)
***/***** 3 out of 5 stars
One of several jukebox musicals (shows that basically celebrate an artist or musical era, in which the story often takes a back seat) gracing the boards this year, A Beautiful Noise is a retrospective of 1960s-80s songster Neil Diamond (Will Swenson). His biggest hit, “Sweet Caroline,” which of late has become some sort of anthem at the Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park, is what’s filling the seats. The show examines Diamond’s life, and its various ups and downs through the lens of a number of sessions the elderly Diamond (Mark Jacoby) is having with his therapist. Certainly a must-see for the hordes of Diamond fans (and even the ones who just know that one song), but if a chorus of spangled jumpsuit-wearing, jazz-hand displaying performers singing songs that will ear-worm you for weeks afterward is not your thing, it’s best to skip this one.
The Collaboration – (On Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre – ends February 11)
****/***** 4 out of 5 stars
Anthony McCarten’s The Collaboration details the strange and touching relationship between two of 20th century America’s most eccentric artists, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Though they couldn’t have been more different, the play illustrates their burgeoning, and mutually respectful, relationship in the mid-1980s, only a few years before both tragically died (Basquiat of an overdose, Warhol on the operating table). Jeremy Pope’s stunning performance as Basquiat should finally garner this up-and-coming star a Tony–not that he hasn’t deserved one every time he’s stepped on stage.
Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations – (Off-Broadway at the Greenwich House Theater – ends February 11)
****/***** 4 out of 5 stars
Standup comic and actor Eddie Izzard seems to be one of the most driven performers in the history of theater. Not only did she learn several foreign languages in order to be able to perform in different countries (France, Germany and Russia, to name but a few), but became a marathon runner and completed 43 marathons in 51 days to raise money for charity. Her latest feat is performing the Charles Dickens novel, Great Expectations, on stage at the Greenwich House Theater (off Broadway) in a moving, brilliant one-person, 90-minute show. With her usual comic flourishes, this classic is as entertaining as ever—perhaps even more so.
Some Like It Hot – (On Broadway at the Shubert Theatre – open run)
*****/***** 5 out of 5 stars
Though the Broadway musical Some Like it Hot has scarcely anything in common with the 1959 Billy Wilder film which inspired it, it is nonetheless an absolute delight. This is a BIG Broadway SHOW. Set in Depression-era Chicago (and elsewhere) and complete with Runyon-esque mobsters, molls and madams, it’s fun, funny and energetic—and worth every penny. Wonderful performances and terrific music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman (expect to see him at The Tonys, for sure!) deliver a real New York theater experience that will live forever in your memory.
Between Riverside and Crazy – (On Broadway at 2nd Stage Theatre – ends February 19)
****/***** 4 out of 5 stars
You have to feel badly for the cast of Between Riverside and Crazy. Their collectively outstanding performances are simply dwarfed by the stunning Stephen McKinley Henderson as “Pops,” a retired cop embroiled in a years-long lawsuit with City Hall after being shot by another cop in what appears to be a blatantly racist incident. Pops is looking after his ex-con son, Junior (played by the musician Common) and his friend and fiancé who cause various types of unrest in the erstwhile loving household. Simultaneously funny and heartbreaking, the play—brilliantly directed by Austin Pendleton—takes unexpected twists and turns and is one of the most intellectually stimulating works on Broadway this year.
& Juliet – (On Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre – open run)
***/***** 3 out of 5 stars
As a friend so aptly put it, & Juliet resides comfortably on the Disney side of Broadway. Another jukebox musical, this one celebrates the various pop megahits from producer/composer Max Martin—best known for early 2000s hits from the likes of Britney Spears (“Oops I Did It Again”) and Katy Perry (“I Kissed a Girl”) and countless others of their ilk—under the guise of a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, in which Juliet lives and becomes empowered and has agency over her life and body. If you don’t find that concept maddening and if you find that era of pop music pleasing (somehow), then it’s worth a look. There are some fine performances and the choreography, though clunky, is appropriate to the style and era. It’s a hit with the teens, and that’s keeping the doors open.
