If you are a gamer, then you know what a “speedrun” is. For this unitiated, it is when you attempt to complete a game in as little time as possible. Lately, the word “speedrun” has bled into the real world. For example, there was an attempt to complete the largest party of people completing a BART “Speedrun.” If you didn’t know, BART stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit. It is the public transit system used throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. With that in mind, back to our journey.
My partner’s birthday is in April, and we bounced around numerous ideas of what we should do to celebrate. She usually goes to a baseball game since the beginning of the season coincides with her birthday. We looked up the Giants’ schedule and saw that they would not be at home. BUT I saw that they would be playing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. It just so happened that neither of us had been to that stadium, and it became a no-brainer for us to schedule a trip out to New York and watch her favorite team. **Writer’s note: I will go more in-depth on this stadium visit in a later post**
Then we started thinking about what else we could do while we were there. Both of us really enjoy musicals, so we began to see which one we could see. The theatre gods must have heard that we were looking because, in my search, I came across a new musical starring one of her favorite performers, Idina Menzel. I knew nothing about the show Redwood that she was starring in, but I know that my partner has a favorite tree, and it just so happens to be the redwood. It could not have been more serendipitous.
I will review these shows, just so you know. I have some choice words for a couple of them. One in particular just really bored the crap out of me. But that will come later!
We let the idea of going to New York and seeing a Broadway show marinate in our minds for a while. Then one afternoon, we started thinking: what if we saw more than one show? We began to examine dates and times, as well as what was available. We had it down to seeing one show on Thursday night, the night we arrived. One show on Friday night. Then a matinee and an evening show on Saturday. Lastly, after baseball on Sunday, we would see a final evening show.
Five shows in four days.
A Broadway Speedrun.
What could go wrong?
Only one thing, in fact, went wrong, but it turned out to be kismet.
Our flight into LaGuardia was diverted to Baltimore due to a mechanical issue, which resulted in a new arrival time. That new arrival time was just maybe minutes before our first show was supposed to start. Maybe Happy Ending was supposed to be stop number one on our Broadway Speedrun. “Sounds to me like someone has a case of the sposdas.”
I was super duper grumpy. This was a show that I wanted to see. Darren Criss is a phenomenal performer, and I was excited to see him live. My partner kept messaging me in our silent Uber that we could still make it to the show and probably arrive about 30 minutes after it opened. I knew it was a one-act show, and it would be a tight fit. We both looked up to see if we could check our luggage at the theatre’s coat check to save ourselves time. No dice. I was resigned to not going out or doing anything because I was so despondent. My partner, not so much, and it is why I love her.
Within minutes of our arrival at the hotel, she was looking up what other shows were available and starting later than the usual 7 o’clock. She found one, and its title fit our situation quite perfectly.
Show #1
Just In Time.
We knew nothing about this show, except that it was about Bobby Darin, when we arrived at the box office and purchased our tickets. This is where the kismet occurred. This show was, without a doubt, one of the best shows I have ever seen. Jonathan Groff is sensational. The energy he exudes is palpable. The music fills the space and your bones, and the dancing is infectious.
I will start by saying that you can’t walk up to this show’s box office today and hope to get a ticket. We happened upon this show as it was still in previews. Now, it is a hot ticket, and we know why. The Circle in the Square theatre sits just below, literally, the Gershwin. Jonathan Groff welcomed us all to the “Basement of Wicked,” as that is the show that goes on above you. He also thanked the dozens of people who watched Mindhunter who were in attendance, to which I cheered because I loved that show.
Then the show begins in earnest, and we embark on a journey through the life of Bobby Darin. Gracie Lawrence delivered soulful and fantastic vocals as Connie Francis. She was a real surprise and amazing to watch. Just in Time is one of those shows where the cast walks the aisles and between the audience who are seated on the floor of the theatre. Jonathan got so close to us that he grabbed a man on the aisle, two seats over, and twirled him around at his seat. He’s also known to be a prolific spitter, and it was on full display.
This is an intimate and fantastic show and should not be missed while Jonathan Groff is on the marquee.
Show #2
Our second show took us in a wildly imaginative and fantastical direction. A touch of the macabre and a heavy dose of humor and wit, mixed in with some supremely talented vocalists, give you Death Becomes Her.
I grew up watching the 1992 film of the same name. It’s campy, yet also funny and dramatic, mainly due to the talent on screen. On a recent rewatch, it is also surprisingly sexy. I mean, Isabella Rossellini is barely hiding her chest and body behind sequins and beads and a sarong. How did this one sneak by my parents? In the words of Dean Pelton: “This better not awaken anything in me.“
Back to the show at hand!
The writers, both for the music and the book, took the existing material and updated it for a modern audience while maintaining the essence of the cult classic film. Michelle Williams starts off the show, and her vocals set the tone. She is a natural on stage and commands the audience’s attention. Must have been all those years standing next to Beyoncé finally paying off. Kidding!
Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard are equally fantastic. They have undeniable chemistry and wickedly brilliant comedic timing. They took the film characters and made them their own. Amping up the camp, comedy, and sexiness. Christopher Sieber shines as Ernest Menville, “Surgeon to the Stars!” In totality, the show is excellent. The costumes, the makeup, the effects, the music! All of it comes together in a show that is supremely entertaining from start to finish.
I have found myself listening to the Original Cast Recording quite a lot. They are catchy tunes!
Show #3
After seeing two sensational shows on back-to-back nights, we were riding high going into our matinee on Saturday.
I have always been fascinated by Greek mythology. I, for some reason, took Classics classes while I was in college, as there has always been something about the Gods and ancient Greek (and Roman) society that has piqued my interest. This has since extended to modern times, as I have devoured the Percy Jackson series of books. Hadestown seemed like a no-brainer. It is a prestigious show with Tony Awards out the wazoo and has a rabid fanbase.
I was not a fan.
I found the show immensely boring. On this day, the Hades of Hadestown was distracting, and overall, I found the show to be incredibly pretentious. The folk music is not for me. I will admit that plainly. So if you like folk music, this could be right up your alley. It’s not mine.
I truly felt like leaving during intermission, but I have never left a show or movie without returning, unless it was absolutely necessary. We stuck it out. I did not care for the characters or their plight. Also, you mean to tell me that Orpheus had all that time to come up with a song to save the day, and the only lyrics he could come up with were “La la la la la” on repeat??? I understand that it is supposed to be poetic, but it also comes off as half-assed and pretentious for the sake of art. Yes, look, he came up with a melody, and the words don’t need to be profound because it’s what’s in his heart that counts. I get that, but it fell so flat for me.
When the cast came out for the curtain call, we clapped politely and then left. This show has a fan base like Hamilton; it’s not for me.
Show #4
We hit a low note. Pun intended. Our next show was the one that we designed our entire trip around.
Redwood.
A quick aside here before I review the show. I used to work for a catering company in Los Angeles. One New Year’s Eve, I was given the paperwork to head out and deliver to a part of The Valley. I won’t actually say which city I went to out of respect for the celebrity’s privacy. Her name was at the top of the delivery sheet. Idina Menzel.
I arrived at her house with all the food and began bringing it inside. Her family was in the kitchen, guiding me, and I was telling them about the various foods I had laid out. Then, in walks Idina herself. Or maybe she answered the door, and I played it cool, but telling the story this way is much more engaging. As I was finishing up, she told me to wait right there. I did. She comes back and asks her family and friends if this looked real to them as well. She’s holding a 100-dollar bill. She hands it to me and says, “This is from my kids’ Christmas money. If it turns out to not be real, you come back and find me.” She laughs, and I tell her that she doesn’t need to take from her child’s stash. She brushes it off, saying that they won’t know and that she’ll replace it later. So, I let it go.
The money was real, by the way.
Flash forward to the present, and here we were front and center for the Broadway return of Idina Menzel. Was I secretly hoping that she would recognize me? Yes. But that was six years ago. I have a beard now.
The Nederlander Theatre, where Redwood was playing, was where Idina made her Broadway debut in Rent nearly 20 years ago. At times, the way the universe unfolds is quite amazing.
The show itself starts out rough. The opening song thrusts us into the life of our protagonist in a quasi spoken-sung song, filling us in on why she is where she is. From there, the show improves, but it is marred by some dialogue that is cloyingly sentimental and eye-rollingly bad. The show is, really, a vehicle for Idina to sing her heart out. And she does just that. She is the reason the show exists (or existed).
The other standout, musically, is Zachary Noah Piser. He has, for us, the song of the show. When he sings “Still,” it hits us like a ton of bricks. Even though I cry every time I hear it, it remains the only song from the show that I come back to. It’s a simple message that he sings – everybody dies, but not everybody lives – but his voice is so powerful and impactful that it transcends the triteness of the words.
Another aspect of the show that we found exceptionally well done is the set design. The production team used screens to create the forest and other environments, and then placed a central redwood around which the actors would climb and be centered. It made a truly ethereal environment. It is a shame that the rest of the show does not fully gel. After the announcement of the 2025 Tony Awards and Redwood receiving zero nominations, the writing was on the wall. The show closed its run early.
Still, we were glad to have seen Idina Menzel live on stage.
Show #5
The final act of our Broadway Speedrun took us to the land of Shakespeare. AKA William Shakespeare, Bill Shakespeare, or Billy Shakes.
There is a vocal minority that has some sort of beef with the Jukebox Musical. We are not a part of that group. Who cares?! If it is done well, that is all that matters.
It was time for & Juliet.
Before the show truly began, performers took to the stage and interacted with the audience. This was more than the cursory wave to the balcony. They were actually engaged with those in the front few rows. They were setting the stage, yes, yes, I know, for how the show would break the fourth wall and immerse the audience in the performance.
The show begins, almost where the original play of Romeo & Juliet ends, except it asks us, “What would happen if Juliet didn’t follow a man and instead forged her own path?” Anne Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, implores her husband to rewrite the play so that it is not so tragic and actually gives Juliet some agency in her life. This is where Anne takes over, and our story begins.
The show uses that outline and infuses it with pop songs written and co-written by Max Martin to propel our characters through a world where people are accepted for who they are and embraced for their differences. It’s lovely. We are treated to songs by Robyn, *NSYNC, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, The Weeknd, and many more.
I truly loved every aspect of this show. It’s funny, it has heart, and it is supremely entertaining from start to the confetti-raining finish.
Our final show ended, and we began our walk back to our hotel. The high from the finale of & Juliet had waned, and we were exhausted. Five shows in four days, on top of all of the other things we did (which will be documented later), had taken its toll on us. If we hadn’t gone to a baseball game on Sunday, we could have made it to six shows in four days.
Maybe next year?
John Kidde Writes 