Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019!
Another year in the books! This website had a great year in 2018 as it was when our reviews began. Also, I was very fortunate to see a lot of theater in the past year. There is also a lot of really awesome theater/entertainment on the horizon we can all be excited about! I want to share both my five favorite theater things from 2018 and the five things I’m most looking forward to this year (both theater and otherwise.) As a note, this will be the things that relate to me personally—what I saw, what I did, what I want to see.
2018
5. Finally seeing a Broadway show with my two lifelong best friends: Musical theater is a big part of my life, and for the first time earlier this year I got to share that with my two best friends since elementary school when we saw Book of Mormon. It’s such a funny show, but being able to laugh so hard with my friends was wonderful.
4. Drag Queen Babe Ruth in Striking Out: This is a very personal reference, but the Fringe NYC show about the first ever straight baseball player in a world of gay athletes was a lot of fun. The character that was a surprise ghost of Babe Ruth in drag who owned and dominated the stage and performance? Absolutely unforgettable.
3. The titular puppet from King Kong: The show King Kong received pretty broadly negative reactions for story and music, but the first time I saw the massive puppet being operated by nearly 15 people my mouth was agape. This puppet ranks up there with the horse from War Horse and the pride rock parade from The Lion King as the best puppetry I’ve seen on stage.
2. The community groups from Twelfth Night: My favorite thing about the musical Twelfth Night was the involvement of community groups from all around New York City who made for a really awesome ensemble. The music was so much fun, but the beauty of the show was in the different ages, races, and genders throughout the ensemble blending seamlessly with professional performers.
1. Moulin Rouge: Yes, the top thing I saw this year was the out of town tryout of Moulin Rouge in Boston. The show was manic in the best ways, the best of big theater, and fun from start to finish. Suffice it to say that with massive sets, massive numbers, and massive fun in abundance I absolutely adored this show.
2019
5. Avengers End Game: My dog is named Dr. Bruce Banner, and I’ve been with the Marvel Cinematic Universe for more than 20 films now. I’m ready to see how they close such a massive chapter in the story.
4. Live action The Lion King: I’m not terribly excited about the live action versions of Aladdin or Dumbo, but something about The Lion King has me intrigued. Maybe it’s the star studded cast or maybe it’s my love of the original cartoon, but I am really excited to see how this movie turns out.
3. Things moving to Broadway: Moulin Rouge, Jagged Little Pill, Beetlejuice, and Be More Chill—three out of four I saw in out of town tryouts and Be More Chill received glowing reviews off-Broadway. I’m really excited to see how the shows change, or don’t, for their Broadway performances.
2. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Last year’s critical darling and the stage version of the worldwide phenomenon, Cursed Child has done a really good job of having people “keep the secret.” I’m finally seeing both parts at the end of next week—I’ve waited long enough!
1. Things I’m not yet expecting: Most of the things I really enjoyed for this year I didn’t know I would enjoy before the year began. My favorite thing about consuming entertainment—television, movies, musicals, music, etc.—is being pleasantly surprised by the unexpected. Here’s to hoping for lots of this!
What did you enjoy last year? What are you looking forward to this year? Let me know!