Solitary Solidarity: Theatre Reviews from the Present to the Past

      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...

      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...