Theater Digest - June 5, 2025
New thoughts on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on tour, Life of Pi at Segerstrom, and Hamlet at the Taper
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.
Another lengthy delay since the previous edition. I’ve seen a few shows that have come and gone since I last landed in your inbox, but life got in the way of me writing about it for you.
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:
Old Friends on Broadway [NY] (reviewed at the Ahmanson in LA). Read my thoughts on it here!
Closes June 29 in New York.
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:
Hamlet at the Mark Taper Forum [LA]. Admittedly, I have somehow never seen Hamlet before. I’ve seen adaptations, including the superlative Fat Ham at the Geffen last year, but have had limited exposure to Shakespeare’s text itself. This version, directed and adapted by Robert O’Hara, plays pretty true to the 1600s play through Act V, scene II, after which it abruptly turns into a literal and figurative interrogation of the text, led by Fortinbras. I think O’Hara’s production demands more familiarity with Hamlet than I had going in, so it was difficult for me to follow, and didn’t really land for me. With that said, I think it would be easy for a large subscriber-based theater company to play it safe, programming crowd-pleasing, uncomplicated material, and this Hamlet is the opposite of all of those adjectives. It’s daring, polarizing, and challenging, so even though I didn’t particularly enjoy the production and can’t recommend it for a Hamlet neophyte, I applaud O’Hara and CTG for doing it in the first place, and suspect it will have its admirers.
Closes July 6 downtown.
Life of Pi at Segerstrom Center for the Arts [OC]. The story of Life of Pi is not one that I personally enjoy, but the puppetry in this is amazing. If you liked seeing War Horse on stage, the tiger and other puppets in this show will similarly astound you. I wouldn’t necessarily seek out tickets to this one if you don’t love the story, but worth seeing if you have season tickets to it!
Closes June 15 in Costa Mesa.
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]. Read my thoughts on it here!
Open-ended run in London.
Mad Apple at New York New York [Vegas]. Read my thoughts on it here!
Hadestown on tour, on Broadway [NY], and on the West End [London]. 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:
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Pantages [LA] (also on Broadway and the West End in slightly different forms). I’ll be honest, I saw this (on a comped ticket, as I usually do) back in February, and have struggled with how to talk about the show. People can talk in circles debating if one can separate the art from the artist, and that answer is more or less subjective, but one thing that is objectively true is that J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, has made it abundantly clear that she will use the money she gets from Harry Potter content (presumably including this play) to directly fund her anti-trans agenda. So whatever charms this production may have, I cannot recommend anyone put more money into Rowling’s pockets, however unfair that is to the dozens/hundreds of creatives who I’m sure disagree with her and are putting a lot of work into their art.
Closes June 22 in Hollywood.
On my radar:
Mamma Mia: The Party in London
Oh, Mary! on Broadway
Sunset Boulevard on Broadway - thru July 20
Gypsy on Broadway
Maybe Happy Ending on Broadway
John Proctor is the Villain on Broadway - thru Aug 31
Parade at the Ahmanson
Operation Mincemeat on Broadway
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