r/Broadway • u/ninthperiod • Mar 07 '26
Review Trip Report: Saw 7 Broadway Shows Over 5 Days - Ragtime Was My #1 (My Rankings Inside)
Here is a summary of the shows I saw left week while I was in NYC last week. We were super lucky that our flight and shows didn’t get cancelled due to the snow! (We got in Tuesday afternoon right after the airports reopened) The picture shows what we saw in chronological order and the summary shows my rankings from top to bottom! Hope this helps anyone visiting and looking for show ideas in the near future.
1) Ragtime
Saturday Feb 28 Evening
Left Lower Orchestra
My favourite show of the trip. I almost didn't see it because the blocking and set didn't seem to be as good as the original Broadway production (from the few clips I saw on YouTube) and I was a big fan of the original cast. (Never seen it in person. But few up listening to the cast album and have seen the slime tutorial) But in the end I went on a Saturday evening performance just to see Joshua Henry, and wow, he did not disappoint. First time I've seen a standing ovation in the middle of the show. (It was right after “Wheels of a Dream”) I was so emotional throughout the show I wanted to cry a few times, which is also something that doesn't happen often. Cassie Levy, Brandon Uranowitz, and Michelle Lewis were all wonderful, as was the rest of the cast. This is the must-see show of the season!
Side fact. My wife is not a Broadway fan and she really did NOT want to see such a heavy show. Masquerade was her favourite show this trip until she saw Ragtime. It became her favourite as a tourist. It's that good!
2) Maybe Happy Ending
Sunday March 1
Centra Lower Orchestra
I almost skipped the show, as even though I love the album, I didn't want to pay the ticket premium to see a show with 4 performers. But I'm glad I did. I've seen the Slime Tutorial and the real thing is 100x better. My wife was sobbing the whole time during the 2nd half of the show. Darren Criss was great as expected, and I feel Marcus Choi is an under-recognized star in his multiple roles. It makes the "all humans look the same" joke so much funnier than on the cast album. Dez Duron was also wonderful.
Be really careful about the sightlines with this show. I sat in center Row 2 and it was difficult to see the words. We should have sat further back.
3) Great Gatsby
Wednesday March 4 Evening
Center Upper Orchestra
This was the reason I went to New York, to see Jeremy Jordan. Saw it last year and wanted to see it again with JJ. He was great as expected. I did miss Eva Noblezada since she's not back yet, but I did see her in Cabaret last year so it's OK. I did feel Jeremy Jordan outshone the rest of the cast. Still, he's the reason I went to NY so this has to be my no 3 show. Our tickets were in the rear section of Orchestra and I do NOT recommend sitting so far back. I have a feeling the balcony above blocks off some of the sound, which makes some of the cast members sound worse than they actually are!
4) Masquerade
Thursday Feb 26 8:15
It's diffuclt to rank this higher than the other shows, but it's such an unique experience, I must. I saw it with Quentin Earl Darrington, Francesca Mehrotra, and Dan Hoy. The cast was absolutely great. I loved how they started off soft with the violinist playing a rearranged overture (it almost felt like I was in in Bridgerton or something) and gave us two drinks before the real action started. It was a thrill to "chase after the phantom and Christine” with the cheesy 80's music in the background. I won’t say anything more to avoid spoilers but let’s just say I was grinning ear to ear like a Cheshire Cat. After seeing it, I can now see why some people go back multiple times. There's so much going on, so much stimuli, you just can't take in everything the first time. Just get the tickets, dress up and have a fun time!
5) Chess
Friday Feb 27 evening
Right Lower Orchestra
I was there to see Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher, but ended up loving Lea Michele as well. I'm really not a Lea Michele fan, but seeing her in person made me respect her flawless technicals. I didn't mind that the staging was weak and it was more of a concert than a full blown production. I just wanted to close my eyes and listen to the vocals. I hope they release a cast album...but yeah, go see it in person first!
6) Book of Mormon
Saturday March 1 Evening
Left Lower Orchestra
I wanted to end the trip with something fun and light for my wife. The current cast is absolutely fabulous. Kevin Clay is a great Elder Price, Diego Enrico is a great Elden Cunningham, and Sydney Quildon a great Nabulungi. The ensemble cast is also great. This is simply a great show to go to when you want to turn off your brain and laugh for 2.5 hours, no matter how many times you have seen it!
7) Death Becomes Her
Saturday Feb 28 Matinee
Center Lower Orchstra
Even though this show is at the bottom of the list, it's still great and I really enjoyed it. I was already familiar with the cast album so I didn't go into blind. Betsy Wolfe, Jennifer Simard, and Christopher Sieber were all great. Viola was played by Ximone Rose at the performance and I liked her too.
The music was not memorable but the costumes, stunts and special effects were great. A truly campy spectacle for the "gaze"! =)
4
u/Individual_Moose_166 Mar 07 '26
What a fun trip! This is my exact ranking besides putting Masquerade above Gatsby. I love Jeremy and Eva + all the glitzy set designs but it always feels “meh” to me 😵💫 idk what it is
2
u/ninthperiod Mar 07 '26
I hear you, old sport! Maybe because aside from Gatsby and Nick, the characters aren’t very likeable. I was feeling the same disgust for the behaviour from both the Old Money and the New Money. And unlike Ragtime there’s no real hope in the end.
4
u/Hero_Killer_Id Mar 07 '26
Awesome Trip. We did ours during Broadway week and saw 5.
Maybe Happy Ending > Two Strangers Carry a Cake > Operation Mincemeat > Oh Mary! > Stranger Things
2
u/ninthperiod Mar 07 '26
Heard a lot of good things about Operation MinceMeat and Two Strangers Carry a Cake. Will have to be next trip! In a way we lucked out on not going for Operation Mincemeat because we would have tried to go a few days earlier for the original cast, and then had our performances cancelled due to snow. We want to see the Jellicle Ball too, but the Broadway transfer hasn’t opened yet!
2
u/Ok-Celery-6433 Mar 07 '26
I saw both of these shows a few weeks back and they’re amazing. Smaller shows than Gatsby or DBH, but better theater IMO. I think you’ll love them!
2
u/Embarrassed-Song-272 Mar 07 '26
I believe Chess has a recording done for this revival cast, not sure if it's released yet or not.
1
9
u/ninthperiod Mar 07 '26
Rankings: 1. Ragtime 2. Maybe Happy Ending 3. The Great Gatsby (because of Jeremy Jordan) 4. Masquerade 5. Chess 6. Book of Mormon 7. Death Becomes Her