Broadway: What’s Trending?

Broadway: What’s Trending?

New York City is a hot spot for culture and entertainment and one of its highlights is Broadway and the theatre. Broadway began by a few people who wanted to open a theatre just outside of town in the late 1790s. At the time no one thought it would be successful, but soon Manhattan became popular and Broadway was the best place in the world to find plays and musical theatre shows. And over 200 years later it is still the best place to find stars, and those who are trying to become famous performing in shows that can entertain and affect you like nothing else available.

The Heiress

There is a new production of ‘The Heiress’ playing on Broadway and it has been getting good reviews. This adaptation of the Henry James novella, staring Jessica Chastain, is bold and will likely meet anyone’s expectations for a great night of theatre. According to New York Times reviewer Ben Brantley, ‘Heiress’ is “a bluntly drawn outline of the title character.” It is described as “Masterpiece Theater on Broadway” and is full of “lavish period costumes” and fantastic acting by a stellar cast.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

If you are looking for a chance to see a great show and play a little bit of detective, then ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’ could be the show for you. Set in a theatre refashioned to the style of a 19th century English music hall, the story is done in a ‘who done it’ live parlor games style show. Stars Chita Rivera and Jim Norton are said to be amazingly lively as their characters and ‘throw themselves into the winking spirit of the show.’

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

With the more recent interest in superheroes and the Spider Man movies in particular someone thought a Broadway musical would be the next logical step, and with music from U2 it was sure to be a hit! Or was it? In the early days it was plagued by bad luck, delays, unsafe sets, and injured actors. Now that it is finally up and running it was expected to be a fantastic adventure with flying superheroes and amazing music, but instead it has simply been called a bore. Quotes from one New York Times critic were “mere-mediocrity”, “plot and characters got lost”, and “It is instead not unlike one of those perky tongue-in-cheek genre-spoof musicals”.

Tips for Seeing a Show:

If you want to come to New York and see a show it can be a great adventure for you and your friends, family, or even just yourself. Take the time to make a night of it and plan to find someplace for dinner first. And make sure if you are driving to check online ahead of time to find the best NYC parking for the area you plan to be in. Also, look at the New York Time reviews to find a show that you want to see that is doing well.

There is nothing like New York theater. Take the time to see a show and know it will be like nothing else out there!

Guest post from Becky W. photo credit: Randy Le’Moine Photography via photopin cc