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THEATRE REVIEW: "Death of a Salesman" at the Winter Garden Theatre (New York, NY)

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      On March 11th, 2026, I saw a matinee performance of the Arthur Miller play "Death of a Salesman" at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City.  This was not the first Broadway Revival of the play, nor will it be the last.  But it was my first time seeing the play.  I never read the written version for school before either.  So this was a new experience for me.  I do, however, know some obscure theatre trivia about the play.  For instance, the 1949 Premiere Broadway Production, 1949 Premiere Detroit Engagement, 1949 Premiere Chicago Engagement, and 1950 Premiere Los Angeles Engagement of "Death of a Salesman" all performed at theatres which have since been demolished.  Interesting, huh?      "Death of a Salesman"  is about a man named Willy Loman, a traveling salesman who becomes disillusioned as he grows older.  He struggles with inner turmoil and painful reminders of past failures, while also falling shor...
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THEATRE REVIEW: "Aladdin" at the New Amsterdam Theatre (New York, NY)

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      On March 4th, 2026, I saw the matinee performance of the Broadway musical "Aladdin" at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City.  While this was the fourth Disney stage musical I've seen, it took me about twelve years to see it.  Coincidentally,  I didn't see the Broadway Production of "The Lion King" until twelve years after it opened.  In Chicago, I saw the First National Tours of "Beauty and the Beast" (in 1997) and "Newsies" (in 2016).  I never saw the stage adaptations of "Aida," "Tarzan," or "Mary Poppins."  While the touring production of "Beauty and the Beast" was probably the most jaw-dropping Disney stage adaptation I've seen to this date (which had a $12 million production cost), "Aladdin" was one incredible spectacle--but more about that later.          Based on the 1992 animated film, the musical is about poverty-stricken Aladdin and how he becomes enamored with th...
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THEATRE REVIEW: "A Few Good Men" at the Falls Theatre (Wappingers Falls, NY)

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      On February 21st, 2026, my family and I saw a matinee performance of the Aaron Sorkin play "A Few Good Men" at the Falls Theatre in Wappingers Falls, New York.  It was presented by County Players.  Unfortunately, I was still healing from throwing my back out several days ago, and left during intermission.  But my mom and a friend stayed for the second act, so I was filled in enough to write this blog post.       "A Few Good Men" had its Broadway Premiere at the end of 1989, shortly before becoming a movie in 1992.  By that time, the National Tour of the play had performed in several cities throughout the country.  Yet the movie is far more well-known than the play.  While the line "you can't handle the truth" pre-existed the film, Jack Nicholson made the line famous.  In the play, that line is said in act two, so I regretfully missed it.  But my mom said the actor who played Col. Jessup (which was Michael A...
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THEATRE REVIEW: "Beetlejuice" at the Palace Theatre (New York, NY)

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      On the afternoon of Saturday, November 1st, 2025, I saw a performance of the musical comedy "Beetlejuice" at the Palace Theatre in New York City.  While I first heard of this musical in 2018, when it had its World Premiere Engagement in Washington D.C., finally seeing it felt like seeing a brand new show.  However, this was the third time "Beetlejuice" was performing on Broadway.  While the first two times were official Broadway Productions of the show, the production I saw at the Palace Theatre was technically the North American Tour, and New York City was the tour's final stop.  After the tour closes in early January of 2026, the next big production of the show will be in the West End, also in 2026.        Before seeing "Beetlejuice," I felt a sense of trepidation because I heard the humor in the show was pretty inappropriate at times.  The most inappropriate musicals I had seen prior to "Beetlejuice" were "Silence...
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THEATRE REVIEW: "Death Becomes Her" at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (New York, NY)

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     On the afternoon of Sunday, October 26th, 2025, I saw a performance of the musical comedy "Death Becomes Her" at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City.  This show is based on the 1992 motion picture directed by Robert Zemeckis.  "Death Becomes Her" tells the story of two life-long frenemies whose feud continues after death...so to speak.  It also deals with the promise of immortality... and the sacrifices one makes to attain it.  While impossible in real life, it is proven to come with strings-attached in the musical, and becomes a living hell by the time the show reaches its conclusion.  With that being said, the show was fantastic.         At the performance of "Death Becomes Her" that I saw, the cast included Michelle Williams (Viola Van Horn), Natalie Charle Ellis (Helen Sharp), Megan Hilty (Madeline Ashton), Ryan Worsing (Ernest Menville), Chagall (Taurean Everett), Josh Lamon (Stefan), Bud Weber (TV Announc...
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THEATRE REVIEW: "Oh, Mary!" at the Lyceum Theatre (New York, NY)

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     On October 5th, 2025, Kathryn and I saw the matinee performance of the Cole Escola play "Oh, Mary!" at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City.  The play, while a comedy, is about a stifled Mary Todd Lincoln during the weeks leading up to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.  The production opened July 11th, 2024 after beginning previews on June 26th.  One synopsis of the play described it as being told through "the lens of an idiot."  Yet it's been one of the hottest tickets on Broadway for months now.  Kathryn and I were thrilled to finally see the play.      At the performance of "Oh, Mary!" that Kathryn and I saw, the cast included Hannah Solow (Mary Todd Lincoln), Jenn Harris (Mary's Chaperone/Bill), Phillip James Brannon (Abraham Lincoln, or "Mary's Husband" as credited in the Playbill), Martin Landry (Mary's Husband's Assistant/Kyle), and James Scully (Mary's Teacher).  The cast was amazing.  The entire show was e...
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THEATRE REVIEW: "Operation Mincemeat" at the Golden Theatre (New York, NY)

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      On July 23rd, 2025, I saw the 2pm performance of the musical comedy "Operation Mincemeat" at the Golden Theatre in New York City.  "Operation Mincemeat" is set in 1943, and is a true story.  The musical is about a deception operation carried out by the British Intelligence during World War II.  The operation involved planting fake documents (pertaining to an invasion) on a corpse disguised as a British officer.  The goal was to mislead the Nazis, and draw them away from Sicily.  The musical features a book, music, and lyrics by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts.      "Operation Mincemeat" premiered on Broadway on March 20th, 2025 (after beginning previews on February 15th).  The production was originally scheduled for a limited 16-week engagement.  However, it is currently scheduled to run through February 15th, 2026.  The West-End Production has been running for over two years.  ...
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