Categories
Capsule Reviews

Redwood

Idina Menzel swings and sings from the treetops in Broadway’s new tree-centric musical, Redwood. With a soaring pop-infused score by Kate Diaz, Menzel stuns in this emotionally charged production. She’s joined by standouts Zachary Noah Piser as her late son and Khaila Wilcoxon as a Redwood botanist and fellow tree lover, both delivering powerhouse performances that match Menzel’s formidable belt. Under Tina Landau’s direction, this tale of grief, growth, and connection is as sweeping as the towering trees it celebrates.

Categories
Creative

To Run or Not To Run?: The Rise of Limited Engagements on Broadway

Think of the days when Neil Simon comedies like Barefoot in the Park or The Odd Couple could settle into their Broadway houses for years, or thrillers like Sleuth and Deathtrap kept audiences gasping and guessing night after night. Plays used to aim for open-ended runs, hoping to join the rarefied air of the longest-running shows. But in recent seasons, a new trend has emerged: plays aren’t sticking around forever anymore. Instead, limited engagements—where a show announces its closing date before it even opens—have become the Broadway standard for plays.

At first glance, this might seem disappointing. If a play is great, shouldn’t it be able to run indefinitely like Wicked or The Lion King? But there’s a method to the madness. First, there’s the star factor. Big-name actors—think Sarah Paulson in Appropriate or Jessica Chastain in A Doll’s House—often commit to Broadway for a set number of weeks because they have other projects lined up.

Several upcoming productions exemplify this trend. Sadie Sink, celebrated for her role in Stranger Things, is set to lead the upcoming play John Proctor Is the Villain in a strictly limited engagement. The revival of Glengarry Glen Ross boasts a star-studded cast, including Kieran Culkin, Bob Odenkirk, and Bill Burr, all committed to a limited run. Similarly, the finite run of Othello will feature the powerhouse duo of Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, while Good Night and Good Luck, an adaptation of the 2005 film, marks George Clooney’s Broadway debut for a matter of weeks. These productions, with their all-star lineups, are designed as limited engagements, ensuring that performances remain exclusive events.

Limited runs also create urgency. When a play only has 16 weeks to dazzle audiences, people are more likely to snap up tickets fast, leading to a sold-out, buzzy hit rather than a slow-burn success.

Meanwhile, Oh, Mary!, a surprise downtown-sensation-moved-uptown, has bucked the trend by extending multiple times, something that’s become increasingly rare for plays. Originally slated for a short Off-Broadway run, Cole Escola’s darkly hilarious take on Mary Todd Lincoln’s life has proven so popular that it’s made the jump to Broadway with a string of extensions already in place, breaking box office records almost week to week. But this is the exception, not the rule. While extensions are more common for musicals, it’s a rare feat for a play to keep building momentum like this. Most plays, no matter how well-reviewed, close when they originally say they will.

And then there are the outliers—plays that still opt for the old-school open-ended model, usually because they have a built-in audience or added appeal. Stranger Things: The First Shadow is set to join the very short list of non-musicals launching an open-ended Broadway run, following in the footsteps of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Apparently, if you want to go for the long haul, it helps to have a massive pop-culture franchise behind you. The recent revival of To Kill a Mockingbird and last season’s new play Grey House were among the few other recent examples of plays to open without a closing date set.

For Broadway fans, this shift means that plays have become more of an event—something you need to catch while you can. If a show is a limited run, you know it’s now or never. And while some plays do extend, most close exactly when they say they will, making each production feel a little more special. It’s a different model from the past, but in a world where theatergoers have more entertainment options than ever, Broadway has found a way to make plays must-see experiences again.

Categories
Creative

The Most Anticipated Broadway Shows of Spring 2025

It is that time of year again! A rush of new Broadway shows is about to begin performances seemingly all at once. With so much hitting the New York boards in the next three months, we are narrowing the pack to the things we can wait the least to see!

With honorable mentions to The Jonathan Larson Project and Goddess, both playing Off-Broadway venues this spring, here’s the breakdown of the most anticipated coming to Broadway:

“Purpose”
Opening February 25
Branden Jacobs Jenkins’ new play comes from Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre after his previous play Appropriate nabbed the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2024. Directed by Phylicia Rashad, the cast includes LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Tony Award winner Kara Young, Glenn Davis, and more.

“Buena Vista Social Club”
Opening March 19
Cuban musical stylings will make their Broadway debut when this new musical lands on Broadway after debuting last season at the Atlantic Theatre Company.

“Othello”
Opening March 23
Denzel Washington. Jake Gyllenhaal. Kenny Leon. Shakespeare. Barrymore Theatre. This Spring.

“Glengarry Glen Ross”
Opening March 31
Hollywood hotshots Kieran Culkin, Bill Burr, and Bob Odenkirk form the headlining trio of sleazy real estate agents in this Patrick Marber-helmed revival of David Mamet’s foul-mouthed Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

“Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Opening April 22
Netflix’s big hit series has spawned a thriller play, which premiered in London and now makes its way to New York stages.

“The Picture of Dorian Gray”
Opening March 27

Succession
star Sarah Snook plays more than 25 characters in the one-person adaptation of this perennial story. The production has previously played to sold-out audiences in the UK and Australia.

“Floyd Collins”
Opening April 21

Adam Guettel’s musical will play Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater, led by Jeremy Jordan and Lizzy McAlpine. Tina Landau, who wrote the book and directed the original productions in the ’90s, is back in the director’s seat for this revival.

Categories
Interviews

The Broadway Career of Marcus Choi

Marcus Choi is one of four actors in the original Broadway cast of Maybe Happy Ending, now running at the Belasco Theatre. He plays a number of characters in the musical, including helperbot Oliver’s (played by Darren Criss) former owner James, his son Junseo, a motel clerk, a ferry worker, and more! This wide range is no doubt a result of his lengthy Broadway career leading up to this point. Here’s a look at the roles Choi has taken on over the past 2+ decades!

Flower Drum Song

Choi was in the original Broadway cast of the musical Flower Drum Song in the 2002-2003 season. He was in the ensemble and served as an understudy for the role of Chao, performing alongside Lea Solanga, Jose Llana, Telly Leung, and fellow Maybe Happy Ending cast member Daniel May!

Wicked

Later in 2003, the new witchy musical Wicked opened with none other than Marcus Choi a member of the ensemble! An iconic member of the original company, he also joined the Los Angeles company of Wicked a few years later in 2007.

Sweet Charity

In 2005, Choi joined the company of the Christina Applegate-led revival of Sweet Charity.

Allegiance

Approximately 10 years later, Choi appears in the Broadway company of Allegiance, a new musical based on George Takei’s own experiences with Japanese American internment camps during World War II. In this production, Choi reunites with some of his Flower Drum Song co-stars, including Solanga and Leung.

Miss Saigon

In 2017, Choi stepped into the revival of Miss Saigon at the Broadway Theatre. He was in the ensemble, also understudying the Engineer. 

Maybe Happy Ending

Following a long stint on the national tour of Hamilton as George Washington, Choi has returned to the Broadway stage, originating a principal role in a new Broadway show for the first time. Choi is a grounding force as some of the few human characters in the show, putting his years of Broadway training to use.