Barbara Feldman: Which Broadway Show?

Which Broadway Show?

I don't know why I get some of the questions I get, but this one came in this week... and so I figured I'd share my answer with you.

Hi Barbara,

Francie

Dear Francie,

I would see The Color Purple because it's new, it's a musical, it got good reviews, and it's based on Alice Walker's Pulizter-prize winning book. I've seen the movie and read the book, but this is a musical, so I'm guessing it would an entirely new experience. I also expect it would be both sad and uplifting.

My second choice would be Doubt because it won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It about a nun who accuses a priest of sexual impropriety. Because of the nature of the subject matter, I wouldn't expect it to be "fun" but I'm sure it's thought-provoking

On the other hand, if you can at all wing it, I highly recommend Wicked. I saw it in New York last year. The music is fabulous, the story and characters work on many different levels, and the set is amazing.

Want more? I loved the new production of Sweeney Todd. It is a twenty-year-old Tony winning musical, but this production brings it back in a totally new way. I saw it in London, two years ago, before it came to Broadway. The story and the music are the same, but instead of the traditional orchestra in the orchestra pit, each member of the small cast plays an instrument... and the music and story unfold together on the same stage.

Enjoy your trip. I'm planning an April NYC trip also. I think my daughter is going to insist on seeing Wicked again, but I'll make sure that we also have time for at least two other new-to-me plays.

Barbara