Billy Elliot Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Set against the backdrop of a lengthy coal miners' strike that took place in 1980s Northern England, Billy Elliot is about a motherless boy who wants to give up his boxing lessons and learn to be a dancer.

Broadway Review
A musical adaptation of the popular British independent movie of the same name, Billy Elliot has been an enormous hit in London's West End and is now amazing Broadway audiences as well. Lee Hall has written a solid and sometimes pleasantly surprising stage version of his own original screenplay, and together he and legendary singer/songwriter Elton John have created a functional score that is good, though seldom soars. Billy Elliot's greatest strengths are its stars (a few extraordinarily talented young performers who alternate in the title role), director Stephen Daldry's inspired staging, and Peter Darling's electric choreography.

West Side Story Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
West Side Story transports William Shakespeare's timeless romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet to the streets of Manhattan in the 1950s. Instead of warring Montague and Capulet families, there are warring gangs of teenagers, the Jets and the Sharks. Instead of young lovers Romeo and Juliet, we have Tony and Maria, two teens who are torn between ethnic loyalty and their intense love for each other. The Broadway musical's beloved score includes such songs as "Tonight," "Maria," "Somewhere," and "Something's Coming."

Broadway Review
This exciting new production of the Golden Age favorite features an energetic young cast and faithfully re-creates Jerome Robbins' iconic choreography and Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's extraordinary score. The production is directed by the show's scribe, Arthur Laurents, who has also added a twist (and some extra authenticity) by having the Sharks speak and sometimes sing in their native Spanish tongue.

Hair Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Led by charismatic hippie Berger, a group of spirited and idealistic youths enjoy lives of free love and pacifism in New York City's bohemian East Village. But eventually "the tribe" must face the harsh reality of the Vietnam War draft.

Broadway Review
Even the most jaded theatergoers can't help but dig classic tunes like "Age of Aquarius," "Good Morning Starshine," "Easy To Be Hard," "Hair," and "Let the Sunshine In" in this sensitively directed, well-choreographed, and Tony Award-winning production of the 1967 classic musical. Although many of Hair's other songs are less-than-classic, and the humor can be pretty sophomoric at times, the energetic show certainly resonates emotionally. And the Baby Boomers will go crazy for it - especially the part where the audience is invited to jump up onstage and dance with the cast at the end of the show!

Mamma Mia Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Set in the beautiful Greek isles, the Broadway musical Mamma Mia incorporates nearly two dozen songs by international pop sensation ABBA into its lively story about soon-to-wed Sophie, her free-spirited single mother Donna, and three men from Donna's past -- one of whom, Sophie hopes to discover, is her father.

Broadway Review
Mamma Mia has become a global smash since its 1999 London debut, and its biggest fans are usually the middle-aged crowd who fondly remember the disco days of ABBA. Women in particular enjoy watching fun-loving Donna and her two wacky best friends reminiscing about the wild days of their youth, when they were in a singing trio. Since the show's plot is a bit thin and the tone decidedly silly, the upbeat musical Mamma Mia is best appreciated as a big Broadway-style ABBA concert.

Jersey Boys Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
This thrilling biographical Broadway musical tells the amazing story of how a group of tough young guys from New Jersey became the internationally known hit-making pop group Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

Broadway Review
Jersey Boys is a both a smartly-written drama about four men chasing after -- and grappling with the pitfalls of -- fame, and an unforgettable concert rolled into one terrific Broadway show. Fabulously sung and staged versions of all the Frankie Valli/Four Seasons hits are here, including "Walk Like a Man," "Oh What a Night," "Sherry," and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You".

In the Heights Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
The vibrant northern Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights comes to thrilling life in this rhythmic and heartfelt new Broadway musical about the denizens of a changing community.

Broadway Review
One of the most exciting Broadway musicals of the last several years, the Tony Award-winning sensation In the Heights has an original musical score by Broadway newcomer Lin-Manuel Miranda that includes Latin, hip-hop, and good old-fashioned showtune ballads. With Andy Blankenbuehler's electric choreography and energetic performances by a diverse and talented cast, In the Heights brings the flavor of New York City's streets to the Broadway stage.

The Phantom of the Opera Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
A disfigured man who secretly lives beneath the Paris Opera House becomes obsessed with a beautiful young singer named Christine and "haunts" the owners of the theater until they make her the star of the opera.

Broadway Review
This romantic musical tends to be particularly liked by female audiences, but in its 20-year Broadway run it has become popular with viewers of all types. The lush Andrew Lloyd Webber score boasts modern classics such as "Music of the Night," "The Phantom of the Opera," and "All I Ask of You". Despite the Phantom's penchant for seductive ballads, he is a disturbed guy, so be aware that this often eerie musical does feature kidnapping and murder.

Avenue Q Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
A recent university graduate moves into his first apartment and has to navigate love, work, friendships, and the challenges of everyday life in this Sesame Street-style satire of post-college life, now playing Off-Broadway.

Broadway Review
The combination of puppets and actors may make Avenue Q look a little like a children's show, but songs such as "The Internet is for Porn" and "If You Were Gay" point to a very adult sensibility. Clever jokes about everything from racism to the difficulty of finding your purpose in life make this contemporary musical comedy a favorite among twenty- and thirtysomethings. But just about anyone who has ever made the transition to adulthood (and, preferably, has also seen Sesame Street) can relate to both the people and the puppets of Avenue Q.

Shrek the Musical Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
Based on the adventures of the grumpy green ogre Shrek in the William Steig book and the Oscar-winning film, this new Broadway version of the funny, enchanting story features Shrek, his wisecracking sidekick Donkey, lovely Princess Fiona, vain Lord Farquaad, and a wacky chorus of neurotic fairytale creatures, with a fun, original new score.

Broadway Review
Seeing the giant cartoonish ogre live on a Broadway stage might be a bit of a shock, but the people behind Shrek the Musical have taken care to enlist Broadway's very best talents. Among them are performers Brian d'Arcy James as Shrek, Daniel Breaker as Donkey, and Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona; bookwriter David Lindsay-Abaire (author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Rabbit Hole and off-kilter plays Fuddy Meers and Wonder of the World); and songwriter Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Caroline or Change). They're sure to provide lots of fun for the whole family.

August: Osage County - Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
When the family patriarch, a retired college professor and poet, goes missing, the highly troubled members of the Weston clan must reunite at his Oklahoma home.

Broadway Review
Full of every imaginable issue from drug abuse to incest, this three-hour Tony Award-winning Broadway play is almost like a grand soap opera, but playwright Tracy Letts' superb writing makes it rise above a dysfunctional family drama to become a great play that is terribly funny and terribly tragic. No wonder he won a Pulitzer Prize for his efforts!

Accent on Youth Broadway Show Review

Show Summary
A successful writer is about to give up on his most recent script, but then his secretary offers him renewed inspiration. With the young secretary acting as his muse, the playwright puts his show on Broadway - only to discover that the play’s handsome leading man is being inspired by her as well.

Broadway Review
Samson Raphaelson's 1934 play stars David Hyde Pierce (Frasier, Spamalot, Curtains) in a performance which demonstrates that he is successfully making the transition from comic sidekick to unassuming leading man. Though the comedy is certainly a bit dated, it still plays as quite charming and funny, and it also offers some thoughtful meditations on love and youth.

The 39 Steps Broadway Show Review

Show Summary:
A comic take on the Alfred Hitchcock classic, The 39 Steps is about a suave Londoner who meets a mysterious woman and soon finds himself caught up in her dangerous world.

Broadway Review:
Fans of the film will laugh the hardest at this droll spoof, but even Hitchcock neophytes will be impressed by the show's manic energy (over 100 roles are played by just four actors!) and creative staging.