Theater Digest - September 14, 2024
New thoughts on The Roommate on Broadway and Duel Reality at the Ahmanson.
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:
The Roommate on Broadway [NY]. I took a very brief work trip to New York recently, and was only able to sneak in one show, so I bought a rush/partial view ticket for The Roommate because I found that clip of Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone so funny, and I enjoyed Jen Silverman’s writing of Witch at the Geffen five years ago. Patti is having a blast doing her typical Patti thing, of course, though she modulates the performance down as the show progresses, but I was really blown away by Mia Farrow’s performance. I have to admit, I wasn’t familiar with Farrow’s work, and it’s a sheer delight watching her on that stage. She walks her character on such a fine line between ebullience and mania, and you can’t help but want to keep watching her. I didn’t find the writing as strong, especially as the play approaches its ending; it feels like Silverman wasn’t sure how to end the play, so it just… ends. But still—I would say it’s worth the price of admission just to see Mia Farrow light up the stage.
Closes December 15 in New York.
Duel Reality at the Ahmanson [LA]. Look, I’m a sucker for great circus work, and Les Sept Doigts do circus work phenomenally! If you saw Diane Paulus’ revival of Pippin on Broadway or on tour in the 2010s, you’re already familiar with their work. This show was devised for Virgin cruise ships, so it clocks in at a tight 70 minutes (making the Ahmanson’s $10 flat-rate parking feel like a rip-off), and boy, do they astonish. Every act is so remarkably elegant that I gasped not just in awe of the physical feats, but also at how beautifully balletic it is. The piece is a loose adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, and in truth, I found the adherence to adaptation to be the weakest part of the show; I would have preferred it to be a loose collection of acts, since those are where the show really shines. There are great $25 rush seats in the TodayTix app, so at that price point, it’s hard not to recommend it!
Closes Sep. 22 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:
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 Oct. 27 in LA.
On my radar:
Mamma Mia: The Party in London
Stereophonic on Broadway
Suffs on Broadway
Oh, Mary! on Broadway
Next to Normal in London
Why Am I So Single? in London
Once Upon a Mattress on Broadway (coming to the Ahmanson)
American Idiot at the Mark Taper Forum
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