I Survived My Trip To NYC

Zoey Daniels
Sep 4
11 min read

So I was just in New York, technically for a wedding, but I roped my Bobie Rickey into coming with me five days early to do what one should do when they come to The Big Apple: see as much theatre as humanly possible. What follows are my reviews of all 9 shows I saw. Expect a few spoilers.

I would like to thank the sponsors of this blog post: Jonathan Daniels, Rickey Belman, and Honey Shara. Their return on investment will be truly terrible.

Little Shop of Horrors --- 9.5/10

Believe it or not, I had never seen this show before. I hadn't even seen the movie. Little Shop of Horrors was beloved by my mother and she did try to show it to me, but I guess I was too young. As a kid I was scared of literally everything, and despite the musical being suggested for ages five and up, I don't think I'd have been ready to watch it until I was sixteen.

The Off-Broadway show opened in 2019, and has since featured all my favourite Broadway boys: Jonathan Groff, Jeremy Jordan, Matt Doyle, etc.. This production has been no stranger to stunt casting, but I honestly had no idea who anyone in my cast was. Though I was bummed I missed the previous Seymour, Jewish icon Milo Manheim (but like half the Seymours have been Jewish), the show was so good, it honestly didn't matter whether or not the leads have starred in a Disney Channel Original Movie.

In typical Zoey fashion, there was one nitpicky thing that was bothering me throughout, which was when Mushnik, an obviously Jewish character, thinks the flower shop's best customer is the 'Shiva family.' He doesn't know why they're dropping like flies, but he's grateful for their business. It's a fantastic joke, and I caught onto it immediately and was laughing a full five self-conscious seconds before anyone else in the audience. But also, IF HE'S JEWISH, THEN HOW DOES HE NOT KNOW WHAT A SHIVA IS!!!!!!!!! Anyway, not a big deal.

The other thing I wanted to mention, was their curtain call. They had everybody take a bow, cast and crew together. It was lovely! A great ending to a fantastic show!

Buena Vista Social Club --- 6.5/10

Technically, there was nothing wrong with this show, it just wasn’t for me. If I was a real critic, I would write about it more favourably, but you’re reading a blog that is loudly about a 22-year-old girl’s opinion, so you can’t tell me you’re expecting real journalism.

I found Buena Vista Social Club boring. The story was slow and not very dynamic. I typically (but not exclusively) prefer musicals where the songs advance the plot, instead of characters stopping to preform each number (I know I'm talking about diegetic vs. non diegatic musicals, but I can't figure out which means which). As you can guess this show was the non-singing-to-emote kind (diegetic?). My favourite part about music in general is the lyrics, but given that all the songs were in Spanish, I couldn’t understand what they were singing about. See what I mean? It’s all a matter of personal preference.

The leading character (same with all the characters) was played by two people, one younger and one older. The singer that they portrayed (Omara Portuondo) was supposed to be this performer with an amazing, unique voice; like a Santana Lopez, a Rachel Berry… or Zegler. I was not mesmerized. Don’t get me wrong, both actresses could sing, but their voices didn’t feel particularly unique. They were lovely, but not special.

Speaking of voices, the older version of Omara spoke with an accent while the younger one did not. Explain that. The character lived in Cuba her whole life. Why did she start talking differently at an older age? All the characters were supposed to be speaking in their first language (which would have been Spanish but for the sake of the show was English).

Overall, the show was mostly like watching a concert. An overly rehearsed concert, which at times that felt like it had lost some lustre after being preformed so many times. A concert that I would not have gone to having known what it was, but one that I could fully understand why someone would enjoy. The musicians were amazingly talented, and to watching them play was a joy (before it became old after the third minute of another guitar solo).

Death Becomes Her --- 10/10

This show was just such a treat! It was silly, it was funny, and it was BROADWAY! Shows like this are the epitome of Broadway. The singing, the dancing, the costumes! Oh, the costumes! The choreography!

The movie Death Becomes Her never really captured me. In fact, I don't think I ever finished it. This adaptation made me feel as if the story had been finally put into the format it was always meant to be in. The characters were just itching to be on a Broadway stage, and now that they've finally arrived, they're thriving!

My one complaint is that Madeline Ashton was not played by Miss Piggy. It's a role that would be so perfect for her. Hell, let her play Helen Sharp too! Unlike most pathetic humans, Miss Piggy can be two places at one time.

I think this show will start travelling soon, and when it comes to Toronto (or wherever you live), you should go see it.

The Great Gatsby --- 8/10

For whatever reason, I really did not have high expectations for this show. Their relatively cheap and overly available seats were not a great sign. The one sound bite I was familiar with from social media wasn’t too promising either, and I had no particular attachment to The Great Gatsby, having never read it nor seen the movie. However, it was one of the only shows with a Thursday matinee, so I went for it, and I’m happy I did!

The first act was pretty average. Ryan McCartan was playing the titular character, and his speaking voice was… a choice. Now forgive me for being unfamiliar with the source material, but based on that one photo of Leo, I assumed Jay Gatsby was supposed to be a cool guy and not a pathetic, neurotic loser. The energy of the first act Gatsby was that of if the kid who randomly wore a suit to school everyday and carried a pocket watch despite it being the 21st century, was stalking the popular girl from high school. Luckily he became more charming by the second act.

I found act two to be stronger than act one. You can win me over with a great tap number in an instant! Not only that, but all the leads did the full tap routine with the ensemble, which is not something you see very often, and it's nice to see them putting in some work too.

For whatever reason, I was never particularly fond of Ryan McCartan prior to this, but he was an absolute standout. His singing was phenomenal, and as mentioned above, his dancing caught me off guard. I wish his choice of Gatsby accent didn't scream 'punch me,' but his talent made up for it.

There were a lot of things that captured me at one point or another, but not throughout. The costumes were a bit hit or miss. The lighting was at times innovative and artistic, at other times a little dull (no pun intended), and some sets like Nick’s cottage were gorgeous, while Jay Gatsby’s house felt a little lacklustre. On the other hand, there were two old-timey cars that stole the show every time they graced the stage.

Was this the best musical ever? No, not even close. There were a bunch of awkward lines that I think were supposed to be jokes, but didn’t land with a single person in the audience; the second act used the term ‘old sport’ way, way too much; and most of the songs were forgettable. Nevertheless, The Great Gatsby has everything you could want out of a Broadway show (with the notable exception of humour). I would recommend it highly recommend it for a Thursday matinee. I think it is a perfectly respectable adaptation of the Great American Novel.

Hell's Kitchen --- 9/10

I originally planned which shows I was going to see months ago, so a couple of the shows I chose had closed before my arrival in NYC. Hell's Kitchen was a last minute addition to my schedule, as I had originally hoped to see Gypsy or Purpose (the latter was still technically playing, but totally sold out as it closed during my trip). I didn't know anything about Alicia Keys aside from a couple of her most popular songs, and I'm not usually a fan of jukebox musicals. My distaste for jukebox musicals is not a hard rule. I love Mamma Mia! and Beautiful: the Carol King Musical, plus I plan on seeing & Juliet when it comes back to Toronto, as well as Jagged Little Pill if I ever get the chance. But usually, they just don't do it for me.

Hell's Kitchen took the idea of a jukebox musical and improved upon it (although they are not the first to do this). The musical is semi-based on Alicia Keys, and uses her music throughout, but she also wrote some original songs specifically for the musical. This helped the songs fit in seamlessly, as opposed to forcing in songs that don't belong.

The plot was not so much about Alicia Keys' life, as the main character was based on her, but the entire story takes place during her seventeenth year. It's a coming of age, with a focus on the relationship between mothers and daughters. Yes, the entire time I was thinking of a certain someone, and yes, I did cry during the performance.

Speaking of performance, it was a PERFORMANCE! The leading cast was so phenomenally amazing! Looking at the slip of paper in my program, I only realized once I got home that I saw the understudy for Jersey, Ali (Alicia Keys' character)'s mom. If that woman was the understudy I'm not sure I could have survived the original. She, Kelsee Kimmel (who you might have seen in SIX when it was in Toronto), was fantastic! Also fantastic was Amanda Reid, who played Ali, and it goes without saying that Christopher Jackson and Kecia Lewis were BREATHTAKING!

The soundtrack was obviously incredible, but for the songs that I didn't know, it was very hard to make out what they were saying. The music was very powerful and I could feel it inside me, and I'm not speaking metaphorically. I literally felt the drumbeat in my body, yet somehow it didn't sound too loud. Still, when you're telling a story through song, not being able to figure out the lyrics is an issue.

Operation Mincemeat --- 7.5/10

YOU CAN'T GIVE THE NAZIS THE BEST SONG!!!!!

Okay, let me rewind. After not being able to get tickets to Just In Time (which I was only interested in because I wanted to see Jonathan Groff), I was torn on what musical I should see for my Friday evening slot. I was leaning towards Chicago as I had never seen a live production, but I figured that there will be plenty more opportunities to see it, while a show like Operation Mincemeat is not as common.

I can't say I was overly hopeful for this production. I had seen part of their Tony performance, but ended up skipping over it as it just didn't capture me. By the time I was seated in the theatre, I kept reminding myself to keep an open mind. Throughout the first act, I found myself predicting jokes before they happened, and being overly judgemental, but I kept telling myself to let it go. The show was silly, and the performances by the actors, particularly David Cumming (one of the co-writers), were bold to say the least.

Throughout the show, I frequently struggled to keep up and understand what the actors were singing. I wouldn't call it rapping, but maybe it was the equivalent for white Brits from the 1940s. Either way, it made it difficult to understand what had happened sometimes, which is frustrating for a show that is essentially about logistics.

During intermission I was playing Sporcles on my phone when the woman sitting on my left started to chat with me. I guess she was the talkative type, and her husband went to the bathroom, but she really got me to open up. I give her credit for loosening me up for act two... or maybe it was just a better act. I'm not sure. Nevertheless, I can definitively say I enjoyed the second act more.

Act two opens with what in my opinion was the best number of the show. It reminded me of Das Sound Machine from Pitch Perfect 2. The song is called 'Das Übermensch' and is performed by Nazis preaching their ideals in a fun way. It was like the whole musical I was watching The Sockapellas (but without the cool sock puppet gimmick) from the original Pitch Perfect, and then there's this one really awesome song, and then it goes back to more Sockapellas. You just simply shouldn't give the Nazis the best song!

John Proctor is the Villain --- 10/10

For every performance before this one, I had gotten tickets by going to the TKTS booth and buying them half price, but for my last day in New York, I purchased the tickets months in advance. Despite having two other shows booked ahead of time for this Saturday, both of which were more critically acclaimed, John Proctor is the Villain was the one I was most excited about. I had watched the Daniel Day-Lewis version of The Crucible about a year prior, and I had the same thought as Kimberly Belflower: John Proctor is the villain.

This show was amazing!!!! It not only lived up to my incredibly high expectations, it exceeded them. It was funny and so moving. I cried at the end. The setting is a high school in 2018 during the #MeToo movement, and it took me right back. I remember having those conversations in classes, and with other students. Conversations about the news, but also about our school and the adults we trusted. The play perfectly captured what it's like to be a sixteen-year-old girl.

I don’t want to spoil it because I hope you have the chance to see it someday. John Proctor is the Villain was one of, if not the best plays I’ve ever seen.

Oh, Mary! --- 7.5/10

This play has so much hype, it would have been difficult to live up to it, so it didn’t. Yes, it very funny. There were a lot of great one-liners, and the concept of Mary Todd Lincoln being an unstable wannabe cabaret star, is funny on its own, but not enough to sustain a show just on premise.

Oh, Mary! took a long time to hook me. About three quarters of the way through, one scene changed things and I found myself finally starting to care about what was going on, and to a much lesser extent, the characters. The show got gayer, and suddenly I got more interested. With that said, the final scene was about ten minutes too long.

Jinx Monsoon was as great as expected, but if Miss Piggy would take on a broadway role, it should be in Death Becomes Her and not Oh, Mary!, and definitely not that magic show she's actually supposed to do.

Maybe Happy Ending --- 9.5/10

Maybe Happy Ending was absolutely beautiful! I'll admit, my initial interest had a lot to do with the love I had for the character of Blaine on Glee (played by Darren Criss of course) as a twelve-year-old, but soon I realized that this musical had a lot more to offer than just the guy who did the best covers of all the big Pink and Katy Perry songs.

The story was gorgeous and you fell in love with the characters way before they fell in love with each other. Who would have thought the romantic story of the year would follow two robots? Though it wasn't a comedy, some of the lines were significantly funnier than anything said in Oh, Mary!.

The performances were amazing, the music was delightful, but the true showstopper was the set. It was futuristic, yet ultimately familiar, with a screen made of four parts strategically opening and closing to focus your attention at a specific part of the stage. It reminded me of the transitions in a spy movie. It was the best use of a set I've seen since the 2020 Broadway revival of Company.

This year's Best Musical Tony was well deserved, and the Tony for Best Scenic Design of a Musical even more so.

After nine shows in five days, you'd think I'd be sick of theatre, but I truly want to see more as soon as possible. Since leaving New York I've been in withdrawal. Thank you so much once again to Dad, Bobie, and Honey.

P.S. My ranking of Playbill covers is this: