The Tony Roundup

Reviews of 15 shows from the 2024-25 Broadway Season

You may have heard from my entire personality that Tony Sunday is tomorrow. To think that this national Broadcast centers around performances that take place on one street in all of America is hilarious, but here we are.

I did not see everything this season, but I saw a good chunk! I definitely saw all the best musical nominees, and I’ve seen all the best plays that are still running (the others were before my time, sorry). There are still a few left on my list: Real Women Have Curves, Floyd Collins, and Just in Time. I’m pretty proud of this, though, and I only paid for FOUR out of these SIXTEEN shows so I’d say that is impressive.

Click on the header and scroll to the bottom for the big takeaways: where to take your mom, where to take your friends who have never been to New York, where to take your theater buff pop culture junky friend, etc.

Without further ado, my real opinions.

BEST MUSICAL NOMINEES

Buena Vista Social Club

A beautiful, beautiful show that succeeds more as a concert experience than a musical. The music is amazing, but if you are Latino you know this already and have streamed this album a million times. I did not know there was a documentary on the making of it and I’ll be watching that for sure. This show soars when they are just singing and jamming. The band onstage is truly insane, and, perfectly, they got a special Tony award.

There just isn’t really a book - at all.

Some of the random set drops are a total waste of what is surely $50K. The cheap-looking Carnegie Hall drop at the end is a travesty. This could have been a little scrappier, physically. The real joy is in the song and the dance, we don’t need the set to be that intense. Unfortunately, there is not an actor in this cast. But hey, when they can play their instruments and sing with stage presence like that, it’s hard to ask that they can act too.

Dead Outlaw

Won the lottery and paid $33 - great deal. Highly recommend entering this lottery as I won on the very first try. For those unfamiliar, this show did incredibly well in its off-Broadway run, it won a bunch of awards and critics loved it. The story follows a pretty unremarkable wannabe train robber who dies about an hour in and spends the second half of the show as a corpse, paraded around the U.S. as a carnival attraction. On Broadway, it hasn’t been so popular.

The score is probably my favorite of the season. I loved the country rock of it all, and I love an onstage band. They do something kinda weird with the band leader, who weaves in and out of being in the story and being a third-party narrator. The problem is, it’s not clean. It’s not sleek at all, it’s clunky. I could genuinely tell that a lot of what they were going for probably worked off-Broadway but was really not translating well to the bigger stage.

The set was a disaster. It looked like that musty NPR tiny desk - too crowded and too small. It was essentially a small box in the center of the stage, which moves on a track, and the lead climbs on top of it. Why they didn’t just make the box fill the entire stage, I don’t know. That would have been much better. I like scrappy little shows like this, it just needs to be clean and satisfying and seamless. This was just messy. There were so many random moments of silence and transitions that I thought maybe something had gone wrong.

I would say this is a good show but a bad production. More on that later.

Death Becomes Her

I had the privilege of attending this opening night, which was by far the coolest event I’ve ever been to. Universal Studios paid for the rental of the literal AMNH Planetarium, adorned with food and bev. They are once again paying for our DBH/Purpose Tony party at Tao tomorrow, which is awesome.

I mean, this show is just a delight. It’s classic, it’s enormous, it’s expensive, it’s glamorous. This is a real great big Broadway show. It’s funny, it’s feel good, it’s not going to make you think that hard, but it will make you laugh really hard. Megan Hilty and Jen Simard are in a diva-off, it’s just great. I could recommend this to pretty much anyone.

The catch - there is not a song in that score. Unfortunately, you do not really leave with any earworms. It’s a shame! This is probably the best book on Broadway right now, though. It’s quippy and it moves along.

Maybe Happy Ending

Undoubtedly going to win the biggest award of the night, and rightfully so. This is the robot musical with Darren Criss. And it had a real underdog story. In previews, it didn’t have a lot of traction. I saw the final preview with one of various comp forms that were floating around. But after its Critic’s Pick and rave reviews, plus word of mouth really catching on, they totally turned the story around. Opening in the Fall is always risky for a big musical but this risk paid off. DESERVEDLY!

For me, this was the most emotional theater experience I’ve had this year. The story follows two robots whose models have been discontinued. And yes, they fall in love. The message is really simple: it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. A message we’ve heard all the time, but told in a really new and lovely way. Everything about this physical production is stunning, from the set to the projections to the two turntables with an orchestra on stage.

My only thought is that a story as simple and adorable as this didn’t actually need all the bells and whistles. For sure, the opening gimmick of the two rooms next to each other is beautiful, but it just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I would have been okay with a little less in this show. The music is cute, but also not necessarily memorable. Helen J Shen robbed of her Tony nom!

Absolutely locked for Best Musical, and certainly my pick for Leading Actor. Who will win… Blaine Anderson? or Jesse St. James…?

Two rows ahead of me: Cynthia Erivo, one row ahead of me: a man who would not stop checking his literal email during this show.

Operation Mincemeat

The more I think about Operation Mincemeat, the more I realize I actually liked it. This was a wonderfully crafted musical with a scrappy five-person cast. The songs are good enough and the performers are all wonderful. Some of the writing is just not funny to me, and to generalize, just not funny to Americans. Like, we don’t know who Ian Fleming is. He’s not a punchline.

It’s VERY British. It COULD NOT BE more British. And it seems like any changes they made for the American audience were very small. My biggest issue was this: I knew they wanted me to laugh at more stuff, and I felt awkward because I wasn’t laughing. But there are some GREAT physical gags. There’s an excellent scene involving several rotary phones.

For two hours and twenty-five minutes, they sell you this small, scrappy show where they all play multiple roles and do a lot of quick changes, and have a unit set. Then, in its final five minutes, they launch into a giant, sparkly, crazy finale number. I understand that this is actually kinda the joke, the number is called “a glitzy finale,” but Damn bro! I didn’t want that! I wanted something clever, not something expensive. I know that those are not opposites, but on Broadway, it feels like they kinda are. You either have a big, expensive show where you can pay for every vision you have, or you have a small, clever show where you can pull off big impact with fewer resources. I prefer the latter. I wish that it ended on a note that was more similar to the rest of the show. I was basically left thinking, “If they had that budget, why weren’t they doing that the whole time?”

Other Musicals

Smash

People talked about Smash like it was REALLY bad, but I didn’t think it was THAT bad. It was still a proper big musical with good songs and dance numbers - granted, they are identical to the TV show. Idk how this was eligible for best choreography when the choreography was literally the same as the TV show. Fans of the TV show will be sad that you don’t get to see a Julia cheating on her husband storyline, and you don’t get to see two divas diva-off in “Let Me Be Your Star.” In fact, a totally new character sings “Let Me Be Your Star,” and although she’s got pipes, this feels…sacrilege?

Daniel and I saw this on a gummy so I guess we need to consider that as well. If you can pay nothing or up to maybe $30 to see Smash, I’d say it’s not a waste of your time. Especially if you see a lot of shows and are familiar with the concept of Sardi’s. I think Smash fails because it’s a bit too insider-y. It relies on inside jokes that Shaiman and Whitman are making about reusing their own songs, or about nepo interns, or how annoyed producers are at the concept of influencers. This is funny to me, but not funny to most. My unfortunate take is that Robyn Hurder can’t really sing. Brooks Ashmanskas is really quite funny in what he does. The new storyline is not very rewarding.

Boop!

WE SHOULD SEE BOOP. I FINALLY GOT COMPS TO BOOP. Saw it less than 40 minutes ago. I’m glad I saw Boop! because this is the origin story of a truly great star, Jasmine Amy Rogers. She has made the Best Actress category veryyyyy interesting. And while I don’t think she will win, I kinda wish she would.

This is a bad musical full of bad performances, but somehow you can still tell that she is a star. Her voice is just unreal. Her comedic timing is on point and, of course, she can tap dance the shit out of the Jerry Mitchell choreo. I sadly think we will see the end of Boop! very soon, unless she wins tomorrow. I guess you all need to go run and see it?

This show isn’t bad because it’s cheesy and for kids, it’s bad because it’s not about anything. This is something I learned in my time at Disney Theatrical. When we talk about Aladdin or Lion King, granted they are coming from more well-known IP, they succeed because they are stories with something to say. If you’re selling an expensive 2.5 hour night out past bedtime, you have to convince the parents, not the kids.

Musical Revivals

Gypsy

I HATE to be a bitch about this show. I really do Hate it. Do you understand that? I’m not happy with how I feel about this show. Unfortunately, I was displeased with both Audra and Joy Woods. I love Audra, obviously. I saw Audra in a PLAY many years ago that included nudity, and I sat next to my mother. I’d do a lot for her, and I think she probably will win the Tony for this, much to my dismay.

I don’t really think she can sing this show, AND THAT IS OKAY. I don’t really think she is right for this part! I liked her acting for sure. I enjoyed her more manipulative, slimy, sneaky take on Rose as opposed to the big, brash, brute Rose that Patti gave. I just… she can’t really sing it! Maybe they should have just changed some damn keys idk. But it didn’t all really click for me.

I found this revival to be, overall, just a bit uninspired. I get that the idea was that subtle directorial choices could create a larger commentary on race and what it takes to “make it” in vaudeville, I get that. But that was perhaps not enough for me. There was nothing clever about this. Every time they went to a new location, there was a new set. There were about 20,000 different sets. Joy Woods’ Louise made the transition in the second act on the strip waaaaayyyy too quickly for me. I liked her as meek Louise, but her leggy Louise was not believable in the slightest. All of a sudden, she’s just this different person. With no trace of who she was before.

My favorite part of this show was, unfortunately, the white man??? Danny Burstein, the legend you are?? What a gift? I thought he was absolutely perfect in the role of Herbie. Like I said, I don’t feel good about any of this.

Sunset BLVD

On the other hand, this was my favorite show of the season. Ugh. UGH! I want to see it again and again. I saw this shit ALONE for $40 sold on Theatr. And I simply loved it.

There are two ends of the “stripped down revival with screens” spectrum. On one end is Wokelahoma aka Oklahoma! (2019): A thrilling new take on a classic that practically inverts the audience’s perception of the good guy and the bad guy. It fits in the modern era while still paying homage to the amazing but maybe outdated source material. On the other end is Ivo Van Hove’s West Side Story (2020), which seemed to have no respect for the source at all and filmed entire scenes from the DRESSING ROOMS away from the audience’s view. Nasty.

Luckily, Sunset skews Wokelahoma. The use of cameras feels entirely earned and in the world of the show, it is about Hollywood after all. The famous walk outside feels earned as well, as it draws a literal parallel between the street of Sunset Blvd in LA and 44th Street right here, both symbols of entertainment industries. That’s smart AND it’s cool.

Nicole Sherzinger, I hear, is not a Trump supporter, so let’s dispell that rumor. This is a very reputable source who knows her well. She is just, I hear, kind of ditsy. But Jesus Christ, can she SING!!! She made me like a show that is utterly unlikeable. She made me pity her and revere her. The word “powerhouse” is overused but she is a real powerhouse. Run don’t walk rave review, I think she deserves the Tony.

BEST PLAY NOMINEES

John Proctor is the Villain

Remember when I said that Dead Outlaw is a bad production of a good play, well, John Proctor is the Villain is an EXCELLENT production of a meh play. What I mean by this is: the script is fine, the performances are excellent, the set design is excellent, the design is excellent. Drama Desk winner Amalia Yoo STUNS as Raelynn (a name that is so silly). Fina Strazza and Morgan Scott are other standouts. Sadie Sink is there and she is good but she’s not really doing it for me, neither is Tony-nominated Gabriel Elbert, which… okay.

I think this show needs a better name! The name gives away the big reveal of the show! This show enters a canon of young woman rage plays that include The Wolves, Dance Nation, How to Defend Yourself, etc. I’m glad that one of these plays made it to Broadway and has been received well. This was another surprise for a lot of the people I work with, which is cool. A lot of these older white man establishment types are skeptical of the Gen Z marketing, but then walk out of the show happy with what they’ve seen. It’s good theater! Like I said, it’s a great production.

But the script sometimes leans cringe for me. I’m starting to take issue with the vernacular of all of these plays. Like, I’m a bit tired of young women screaming plays. Can we find new language? Can we please find a new lens to depict young womanhood? Because, unfortunately, The Wolves did this, and it did it better. I don’t want to be constantly reminded that young women love Taylor Swift and Glee. It’s just unnecessary fluff that distracts from what is a real and meaningful story at its core. I think what frustrates me is like, when plays like this happen, people focus on the Taylor Swift references. “Oh my god, a play on Broadway references Taylor Swift and I like Taylor Swift!” The Taylor Swift reference isn’t what’s relatable about this show. The complex characters are what’s relatable. The story is relatable. So I just think we get a little lost in the sauce there because that’s why it alienates the establishment audience. If you just tell them it’s a good play, which it is, then that’ll be enough.

I’m excited for this play to be performed in every high school and college in America, as it should be. Could have a surprise win tomorrow night but …I don’t buy it.

Oh, Mary!

A huge delight. And VERY SHORT! It’s a tight 80 minutes. It’s a tiny little theater and they curate the whole experience for you. Cole Escola is a total treat in this and they created something really special. Another Tony lock is their performance for Best Leading Actor.

As far as Best Play goes… Oh, Mary! isn’t really a play, imo. It’s a great piece of entertainment. It’s basically a long-form variety show. And it’s a hit! It’s not a feat of writing, it’s a feat of performance and style and direction. The direction is excellent, I love the single, stripped-down piano sound in between blackouts. Everyone will have a good time! And you’ll go home early. It’s easy.

For that reason, it’s hard to compare it to Purpose or John Proctor which are both plays that make you think. We’ll just have to see where the voters were swayed.

Purpose

Obviously, I worked on Purpose, but I have many thoughts. First off, my favorite performance by Alana Arenas is the ONE person in the cast who didn’t get a Tony nom! That’s crazy. Personally, I probably wouldn’t have nominated Glenn Davis or LaTanya Richardson Jackson, but hey, I’m happy for them. I think they’re both kinda schmachty and are putting on a performance more than actually acting. Kara Young is always amazing. She lights up in front of an audience. Jon Michael Hill is the sleeper hit. That final monologue … OOH he had me.

Purpose is a very well-crafted, well-woven play. The first act flies by with expert exposition and big sweeping beautiful imagery. The climactic dinner scene is perfectly explosive, so much so that it is almost impossible to follow up.

Act Two is where it starts to drag. Instead of going full speed ahead, Purpose turns inward, examining almost every permutation of relationships between the six characters. Which is .. many. Every scene is just 5 minutes too long in Act 2. I don’t think all of the direction works, there’s a lot of points where you simply can’t see certain people regardless of where you’re sitting in the house.

Purpose is fucking juicy. It’s like watching gossip. It’s epic. But it’s a bit overcooked.

Other Plays

Stranger Things: The First Shadow

I have it on good authority that this is the most expensive show ever produced on Broadway. Crazy. It sure looks like it. The effects are crazy. And kinda scary. Like I winced. This has all of the design categories on lock, barring maybe costumes. They put a goddamn ship on the stage in a matter of seconds in a blackout, for it to disappear right after. It’s the exact same team behind Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It’s magic!

I think the play fails because it relies too much on people having seen allll of the TV show. Like, they are referencing details from Season 4, not just a concept that you can know from seeing one season. A coworker of mine thinks that the info in this play is going to be relevant in ST season 5. Like, the Duffer Brothers truly pitched this as part of their whole season planning. Stranger Things is strong IP, but we can’t have a Broadway show hinging on details from season four of a Netflix show.

Also, a lot of the Stranger Things charm comes from the 80s nostalgia. We don’t have a lot of modern 80s content. But you know what we have a lot of? 50s content. We’ve seen 50s a millionnnn times. We know those poodle skirts! So the play being set in the 50s removes an absolutely crucial Stranger Things selling point.

It’s fun, it’s spectacle, but is it theater? And does it need to be?

All In: Comedy About Love

Not even worth talking about. It was cute. It wasn’t a play. It was a staged reading of short stories with celebrities. Nice date night. Huge money maker.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

I reread the book the day I saw this show, and pretty much the entire script is taken from the book. So it’s just reworked to be a one-woman play, which is fine. Sarah Snook’s Tony is a lock as well. She should work on her acceptance speech. Her performance is totally stellar. Saying she plays 26 characters is a stretch, given that many of those characters are pre-recorded, but she still does a lot. And she JUST HAD A BABY!!! insane.

What’s annoying about this play is that half of it takes place BEHIND the big screen. Like I’m okay with watching a screen as long as I can also see the performer, but you can’t actually SEE HER most of the time. And often she is talking to a pre-recorded version of herself, which isn’t very smart or clever to me. I am sure there was a better way to do those scenes.

You should see this show if you can because it is a powerhouse performance, but Kip Williams, I swear to God, if you win Best Director of a Play, I will throw a fit.

Play Revivals

Our Town

Pretty lame revival of an obviously great American play. Zoey Deutch and Katie Holmes were both, honestly, bad. Jim Parsons was just fine. There was nothing inventive about this at all. Apparently, it has become the standard to pump the smell of bacon into the house during Act 3. It’s just great material.

Takeaways

If you only had the chance to see one show this whole season… I would recommend Sunset BLVD.

If you’ve never seen a Broadway show before… I would recommend Death Becomes Her.

If you’re a total theater junkie… I would recommend Maybe Happy Ending.

If you want to sit down and buckle up for a proper Great Epic Play… I would recommend Purpose.

If you just came from happy hour and want a quick laugh before you go to bed early… I would recommend Oh, Mary!

If you want to witness some herstory… I would recommend Boop!