u/urcool91

Flew in on Thurs, flew out EARLY Sun, managed to fit 5 shows and brunch with my great-aunt :)

• Cats: The Jellicle Ball - I've always been just so-so on Cats, but this revival is FANTASTIC. Grounding it in ballroom makes it so that the whole thing feels a bit less aimless throughout. Fantasic performances all around, and they managed to fix "Moments of Happiness"! Seriously, that's always been such a mid Act 2 opener, but it makes so much more sense when connected to the themes of nostalgia and respecting history that are brought to the fore with the new concept.
• Joe Turner's Come and Gone - I'm a massive fan of August Wilson already, so of course I had to see this. The tone of the direction was a bit uneven and the staging awkward in the more serious moments, but overall the performances carried it over those bumps. I wouldn't put it over Fences or Jitney, but I did think it was better than Ma Rainey.
• Maybe Happy Ending - As you can tell from the pic, I rushed this and got limited view tickets lol. This was definitely a show where I already knew the music really well, so even though I missed a decent amount of the action at certain points (esp in the apartments) I didn't feel lost or anything. And you really can't be too upset about $45 Broadway tickets lol
• Oh, Mary! - I saw Hannah Solow (u/s) as Mary. Funny, but I still genuinely don't get why some people are SO into this show. Don't regret getting a ticket, but not something I'd go out of my way to see again.
• Ragtime - Beautiful production, Joshua Henry can GET IT. Ben Levi Ross was a surprise standout, he found a way to make the Younger Brother's massive character development work in a way I haven't seen before. And this is the third show I've seen live with Brandon Uranowitz lol, I'm a fan. There were some moments that seemed to be..... kind of winking at the audience like "hey, isn't this line/moment so relevant, please clap" which felt unnecessary. But maybe I'm just hyperaware of anything like that because I live in Minneapolis and I've gotten kind of tired of those kind of winks from local theatre.