Theater Digest - July 3, 2024
New thoughts on Tiny Father at the Geffen and Psycho Murder Beach Party at the Matrix.
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.
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:
Psycho Beach Party at the Matrix [LA]. If you’re looking for a silly, campy, night at the theater in LA this summer, opt for Psycho Beach Party over Reefer Madness. This show delivers exactly that. This truly is a show for gay people, and the people who love gay people, and it’s a fun vehicle for Drew Droege, who is perhaps best known for his online impressions of Chloe Sevigny. Droege is only in the show through this weekend.
My full review for Stage Raw here.
Closes July 20 in LA.
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:
tiny father at the Geffen [LA]. This is an easily digestible show about a guy (Maurice Williams) who’s in a situationship with a woman who gets pregnant, but the baby arrives extremely pre-term, landing the infant in the NICU, often under the supervision of the same nurse (Tiffany Villarin) who works the night shift. I’m not a parent, but I can only imagine how terrifying it is to have a baby in the NICU, something playwright Mike Lew has experienced. But the text, ably directed by Moritz von Steulpnagel, seems to hold back on how emotional and horrifying that experience can be, in the interest of making the play palatable to a wider audience. It’s a choice that makes a lot of sense, because I suspect showing how awful the experience actually is would be just about unwatchable, but it left me with the impression that I was getting an intentionally sanitized version of it.
Closes July 14 in LA.
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!
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:
Reefer Madness at the Whitley [LA]. Read my thoughts on it here, or my full review for Stage Raw here.
Closes July 21 in LA.
On my radar:
Mamma Mia: The Party in London
Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway
Stereophonic on Broadway
Suffs on Broadway
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