The Prom (August 11)
Come For: Get yourself over to the Longacre Theatre to experience Tony winner Beth Leavel belting her duel showstoppers, “It’s Not About Me” and “The Lady’s Improving”!
Stay For: The joyous, award-winning Best Musical ends Act I with a moment you can’t shake. Brilliantly staged by Casey Nicholaw, “Tonight Belongs to Us” starts off with the wonderful performances from Tony nominees Caitlin Kinnunen and Brooks Ashmanskas before kicking it over to the incredible, young ensemble dancing their butts off, and then ends with an unexpected and emotionally devastating twist. It’s a moment you’ll think about long after The Prom plays its last dance.
Be More Chill (August 11)
Come For: Audiences go wild nightly for George Salazar’s famed Act II showstopper, “Michael in the Bathroom”. The Joe Iconis song about an anxious teen at a party went viral, and George brings the vocals to the next level live.
Stay For: This Tony-nominated Joe Iconis score is truly something to behold. It’s the high school experience through a fun and crazy Snapchat filter, and the music drives the energy like a teen on Redbull. From the killer opening number, “More Than Survive”, to Tiffany Mann belting the house down in Act II’s “The Smartphone Hour”, Be More Chill brings it at 100%.
King Kong (August 18)
Come For: That amazing Kong puppet. Seriously, seeing the stage magic that it takes to bring that puppet to life is inspiring. It reminds us that theatre has no limits in what it can bring to life onstage and no place it can’t take you.
Stay For: The breakout performance of leading lady Christiani Pitts. We’ve gushed over Christiani before, but she’s radiant up there. The second act of Kong, when he escapes and terrorizes NYC and then climbs the Empire State with her, is breathtaking. And Ann Darrow’s final moments with Kong are absolutely heartbreaking thanks to Christiani’s go-for-broke performance.
The Cher Show (August 18)
Come For: Stephanie J. Block’s Tony Award-winning performance as Cher (my gosh, she is in perfect voice) and the legit hundreds of Bob Mackie costumes.
Stay For: The jaw-dropping ensemble who feature heavily in three of the night’s best numbers: “Dark Lady”, the “Ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do” fashion show, and “The Beat Goes On”. This group shows what a mark an amazing ensemble leaves on a show.
Pretty Woman (August 18)
Come For: The legendary Tony nominee Orfeh belting her face off on Bryan Adam’s Act II showstopper, “Rodeo Drive”.
Stay For: The beautiful scene at the opera between Edward, Vivian, and soloist Allison Blackwell. This Act II moment captures everything you loved about this famous scene from the film, but adds a romantic dose of theatricality you could only get from a musical.
What the Constitution Means to Me (August 24)
Come For: The woke, political discussion by the luminous Heidi Schreck about the US Constitution, who it was built by and for, and who it excludes and how. Also, the wonderful story of Heidi, her stuffed animal, and a harrowing airport incident.
Stay For: The lively and thrilling debate between Heidi and the teen badasses Thursday Williams and Rosdely Ciprian that caps off the play. By the end of the night, these brilliant ladies will have you wrestling on whether we should abolish our current Constitution or whether it’s the only thing saving us right now.
