u/leoatdrex

I know people are sick of all the Beaches posts and the constant doom posting about sales. But I ended up paying full price for a rear mezz ticket tonight since they didn't have rush or any discounts. I really just wanted to cross the Majestic off my list of theaters because I heard this might close fast.

The vibe is definitely interesting. It's packed with people in really nice outfits, very much the influencer crowd though I don't recognize anyone (I posted the second pic of their selfies from the Photo Booth downstairs). I just moved to the city this past year so I'm still trying to understand the business side of things. People keep saying it's going to close because it's bleeding money. I know rent for theaters is expensive but what else is factoring into it? The LED screens? The huge cast needed for all the different generations of Cee Cee and Bertie?

Also if people dislike it so much, how well did this actually do in Calgary? The playbill has Kelli Barrett originated the role there, but aren't out of town tryouts meant to work out these exact kinks?

Side note since I'm typing this at intermission: the seating up here is super weird. The front 5 rows of the rear mezz are full and the last 2 rows are full, but all the middle rows are completely empty. The ushers are also being intense. One just yelled at some people who sat 3 rows from the back, saying he literally saw their tickets and knew they were supposed to be 2 rows from the back even though most of these seats are empty.

Also the sound mixing in the rear mezz is wild. The sound effects like the beach and airport noises are so loud they almost drown out the actual music.

I'm on a mission to see a show in every Broadway theatre, and today I checked another one off the list! Grabbed a rush ticket on TodayTix at 9:01 AM for the &Juliet matinee and somehow ended up center orchestra, Row K, middle of the row. Honestly one of the best rush seats I've ever gotten.

I actually saw &Juliet on tour a couple of years ago, so this wasn't a "must-see" for me, but I needed the Sondheim Theatre and figured why not? Glad I went, because the current Broadway cast really elevated the show for me compared to what I remembered from the tour.

Gianna Harris was fantastic as Juliet. I actually recognized them from when I saw Hell's Kitchen, they were in as Ali. What I thought was a fun parallel is that in both shows, Gianna plays a young person navigating life with a strong maternal/guardian figure at the center of the dynamic. In Hell's Kitchen, Ali's story revolves around her complicated but loving relationship with her mother Miss Liza Jane, and in &Juliet, Juliet's Nurse (Angélique) serves as that same kind of fierce, protective mother-figure guiding her through this next chapter, felt like I was watching the same show (yes they're both jukebox pop musicals but I couldn't unsee it). Gianna brings so much warmth and energy to both roles, it's cool to see them carry that thread across two very different shows.

Also, Laurie Hernandez was in the ensemble! I didn't know much about the role going in. I can't remember the first time I saw this, but is this a role that existed before? Did that character have as much stage presence before? I'll be honest, I wasn't paying super close attention to the ensemble, but it was cool to spot her out there. For those who have seen the show multiple times, was there always this much stage presence in that ensemble track, or does Laurie's version of Charmion get some extra spotlight moments?

Anyway, great matinee, killer rush seat, another theatre checked off. On to the next one!