I Saw 6 Broadway Shows in a Week—5 Were Must-Sees and 1...Not So Much

Of the six options I took in this week, Death Becomes Her was by far my favorite and by far the most fun. This musical camp-fest is based on the 1992 film and features Megan Hilty (Smash) in the Meryl Streep role, Jennifer Simard (Company) in the Goldie Hawn role, Christopher Sieber (Company) in the Bruce Willis role and Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child, duh) in the Isabella Rossellini role. If you want to laugh, this is the Broadway show for you.

The plot follows that of the movie pretty closely (with a few unbothersome updates), pitting “best friends” Madeline (Hilty) and Helen (Simard) against one another in a battle for ageless beauty—and a man, Ernest (Sieber). Enter Williams’s Viola Van Horn with an irresistible offer of eternal youth that Mad and Hel both jump at. And unlike many other movie-to-stage adaptations, this one actually honors the original without A. ruining it OR B. copying it too closely.

Hilty and Simard are unbelievably funny in their roles. The camp-factor is high and the jokes fly extremely fast. While the music isn’t the most memorable, the songs do bring plenty of laughs as well. And for those who know the movie, there is a high expectation for special effects. Without any spoilers, I will say the manner in which the production tackles the iconic "hole" is smart and satisfying.

PureWow Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Even those who are unfamiliar with the film-turned-iconic-stage-musical will be familiar with its most famous line: “Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”

The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical follows Norma Desmond, a former Hollywood star who resides in an old mansion (on, you guessed it, Sunset Blvd.) trying to relive her old glory days. A young screenwriter shows up at her doorstep and she sees an opportunity to finally launch her big comeback—though tragedy and heartbreak ensue. And while all of that sounds pretty heavy, this production is beautiful and exhilarating, and it features the star performance of the season from Nicole Scherzinger as Desmond.

Scherzinger is incredible in the show’s lead role. She is clearly the one to beat this Tony season. The night I attended, she received three standing ovations…mid-performance. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen that happen during a Broadway show, if ever.

The production itself is thrilling and fast-paced. And the stripped down set and creative use of camera-work (again, I don’t want to spoil anything) make for a one-of-a-kind theatrical event.

PureWow Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Broadway show that surprised me the most this week? Maybe Happy Ending starring Darren Criss (Glee) and Helen J. Shen as robots living in a futuristic society. I won’t give any spoilers on the plot—I went in blind and think that was the best decision—but the new musical is adorable, fun and well-performed by both Criss and Shen.

Criss shines as the lead, finding a way to turn what could easily be a stiff or emotionless role into an engaging, lovable ‘bot’. The show itself is short and sweet, which is a massive plus for me. And the set is really magical—the use of a moving proscenium to frame the action is inventive and impressive.

I highly recommend the show to fans of Criss or those who are looking for an easy watch and endearing evening of escapism.

PureWow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Let me preface this by saying fans of the Avett Brothers (the folk rock band behind the music in Swept Away) will likely love the beautifully intricate tunes and magical harmonies of this newly arrived Broadway musical. And anyone who is impressed by a transformative set (brava, Rachel Hauck) or beautiful choreography (David Neumann is a genius) will have something to smile about during an otherwise dreary evening of theater. Oof.

The musical, led by John Gallagher Jr. (The Newsroom), tells the story of a ship lost at sea and those who do (and don’t) survive. On the surface, all of the show’s elements should be a recipe for success, but the script is painful and the production full of cliches. A few pet peeves of mine? The “bold” choice of having an actor onstage at the start of a show as the audience files in (without there being a satisfying reason), the “creative” choice of having a character haunted by the ghosts of his past who force him to relive some past tragedy and the “realistic”, old-timey dialogue  meant to transport us to another time and place (but that actually only serves to distract and produce eye-roll-inducing one-liners).

There were plenty of people around me in the audience who were enjoying the tunes thoroughly (again, I may not be an Avett Brothers stan, but I get it). But no amount of haunting musicality could keep me from squirming in my seat at the terrible dialogue which had me eyeing the exit.

PureWow Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

The smash sensation, Hamilton, debuted on Broadway back in 2015 to great acclaim. But nearly a decade later, does the powerhouse musical still deliver on the hype? Simply put, it sure does.

Though Lin-Manuel Miranda moved on long ago to an even bigger string of successes (minus that one major hiccup with his terrible song “Scuttlebutt” in the live-action Little Mermaid film), the production still thrives will stellar performances and an energy that explodes off of the stage. Even having seen the production before—and even knowing the music quite well—Hamilton felt emotional, engaging and as relevant as ever. There’s a reason the audience was still jam-packed (and enthralled) all these years later.

PureWow Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I recently raved about the new production of Cabaret, which opened earlier this year with stars Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin. And now, I’ve had the good fortune of seeing a new cast, with American Idol alum Adam Lambert and Moana’s Auli’I Cravalho stepping into the roles of the Emcee and Sally.

The show remains just as good, and Lambert’s take on the Emcee keeps shadows of Redmayne’s performance while feeling largely his own. His vocals are (expectedly) impressive, without veering into his signature rock scream that we’ve all become accustomed to (slash scared of). And Bebe Neuwirth continues to wow as Fraulein Schneider, with a performance that is as raw and heartbreaking as it was when I saw it the first time around.

In short, the replacement cast, sprinkled with members of the OG iteration, keep the show as one of Broadway’s must-see options of the year.

PureWow Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Death Becomes Her is now playing at the Lunt-Fonanne Theatre. Sunset Blvd. is now playing at the St. James Theatre. Maybe Happy Ending is now playing at the Belasco Theatre. Swept Away is now playing at the Longacre Theatre. Hamilton is still playing at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. And Cabaret is still playing at the August Wilson Theatre.

Want all the latest theater recs sent right to your inbox? Subscribe here.