Theater Digest - December 16, 2024
New thoughts on Once Upon a Mattress at the Ahmanson and Oy! to the World at El Portal.
Hello theater lovers! I’m Katie, and I see a lot of theater! Currently, I’m seeing 0-2 shows a week, depending on my schedule.
This will be my last batch of new reviews for the year, though I hope to get out a list of my favorite shows of 2024 in the next few weeks.
Since this newsletter is geared towards people in the entertainment industry, there's a good chance I won't like a show that you or someone you know was involved in. I'm sure that you/your friend put a lot of effort into your/their work! I've been in a few shows, I know how much work goes into putting on a show. But just as you're entitled to dislike TV shows your friends worked on, I'm allowed to dislike theater you/your friends may have worked on. I try not to be vindictive, but I also do make it clear when I don't think a show is worth the price of a ticket or the time spent watching it.
I won't be writing much/any synopsis in these blurbs, but feel free to check out other reviews for synopses! Or just check out other reviews in general! Keep theater journalism alive & well!
Worth seeing:
Once Upon a Mattress at the Ahmanson [LA]. This is so much fun! A great show for the whole family, I think. This updated revival, with a new book by Amy Sherman-Palladino, has a sense of freshness that director Lear deBesonnet really excels at. Sutton Foster and Michael Urie are absolute delights, and are well supported by the rest of the cast. With that said, it would definitely benefit from running around 100 minutes, rather than two and a half hours!
My full review for Stage Raw is here.
Closes January 5 in downtown LA.
The Civil Twilight at the Broadwater [LA]. Read my thoughts on it here.
Closes December 22 in Hollywood.
The Lehman Trilogy on the West End [London]. Read my thoughts of the touring production in LA here!
Closes January 5 in London.
Six on Broadway [NY] and on the West End [London]. Read my thoughts on it here!
Mac King Comedy Magic Show at Excalibur [Vegas]. Read my thoughts on it here!
Magic Mike Live in Las Vegas and London [Vegas/London]. Read my thoughts on it here!
A mixed bag:
Cabaret on the West End [London] and on Broadway [NY]. Read my thoughts on the West End production here.
Back to the Future on the West End [London] and on Broadway [NY]. Read my thoughts on it here!
Note: the tour just left LA, but will be at Segerstrom in Orange County at the end of the month. The tour cast is good, but the real star of this show is the technical elements, which are stronger in the resident productions in New York and London than they are on the road.
Closes January 5 in New York; open-ended run in London.
Mad Apple at New York New York [Vegas]. Read my thoughts on it here!
Hadestown on tour and on Broadway [NY]. Read my thoughts on it here!
& Juliet on Broadway [NY]. Read my thoughts on it from when I saw it in London in 2019 here!
The Play That Goes Wrong off-Broadway and on the West End [NY/London]. Read my thoughts on the 2019 tour national tour here, or my full review for Stage Raw here.
Not worth it:
Oy! to the World at El Portal [LA]. I was drawn to this show from the premise—a revue of great singers singing classic Christmas songs, written by Jewish people. Unfortunately, the execution was not quite there, and is quite hampered by a book that tries to tie all the songs together with factoids about each composer and hackneyed backstories for each of the singers, plus quite a few jokes about wokeness. With that said, Gerald Sternbach’s arrangements are quite wonderful.
Closes December 22 in North Hollywood.
Waiting for Godot at the Geffen [LA]. Read my thoughts on it here.
Closes December 21 in Westwood.
On my radar:
Mamma Mia: The Party in London
Stereophonic on Broadway (through Jan 12)
Oh, Mary! on Broadway
Why Am I So Single? in London (through Feb 13)
Sunset Boulevard on Broadway
Teeth off-Broadway
Gypsy on Broadway
Maybe Happy Ending on Broadway
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