Theater Digest - January 27, 2024
New thoughts on Kate at the Pasadena Playhouse and POTUS at the Geffen
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.
As a rule, I won't be talking about any Disney/Fox/Hulu shows. 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:
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:
**POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive at the Geffen [LA]. This is a charming play, a comedy about seven women in the orbit of an unnamed male President of the United States, from his professional and personal lives. None of them like the President—or each other—much, but it’s fun to see how they whiz around, bouncing off each other like a pinball machine with seven pinballs. The cast is great, but under Jennifer Chambers’ direction, some of the most frenetic scenes feel like they’re missing a fluidity of momentum. Selena Fillinger’s text also feels more fun when the offstage president feels like an amalgamation of presidents from both parties, but towards the end, it feels increasingly like a Play About Trump, which, even for a comedy, is a depressing proposition in an election year when he’s on the ballot.
Closes Feb 25 at the Geffen in Westwood.
**Kate at the Pasadena Playhouse. When I went into this, I was under the impression it was a universally acclaimed show, as I’d only heard positive things about it from the New York runs, so I was surprised that it left me cold. Writer/performer Kate Berlant and director Bo Burnham are undeniably talented, and Kate is very funny, but it felt like the show was mocking me for thinking it would mean something. I published my full review of the show on Stage Raw earlier this week, and I’ve gotten more response to it than to any other review I’ve written, I think—it turns out the show is a lot more polarizing than I previously thought! I’m curious to hear your thoughts in the comments or in my inbox if you feel strongly about it one way or the other.
My full review for Stage Raw here.
Closes Feb 11 at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena.
Mercury at the Road on Magnolia [LA]. Read my thoughts on it here!
Closes Feb 18 at the Road in North Hollywood.
Back to the Future on the West End [London] and on Broadway [NY]. Read my thoughts on it here!
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.
On my radar:
Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway (closes Apr 28)
Mamma Mia: The Party in London
Cabaret on the West End (and soon on Broadway)
Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway
The Motive and the Cue on the West End
If you were forwarded this email and would like to receive updates as I have anything relevant to share, click the button below!