Profile for The Bittersweets

I'm also glad this thread resurfaced! In the time since it was created, the recent productions of Our Dear Dead Drug Lord and Appropriate both fit the bill for me. The end of Drug Lord had me covering my eyes, and Appropriate was the last time I heard an audience scream (you know the moment).

I certainly don’t think West End has lost its touch for exciting political theatre. Even as recently as 2021, Broadway had Lehman Trilogy, a towering achievement of theatre that well deserved the Tony for Best Play. Not to mention the similarly remarkable Prima Facie and The Hills Of California. 
 

I found Kyoto to be electric.

Most of my indispensable shows have been mentioned already, and I agree Caroline is #1. If Ragtime had only come along a couple of years later, I think it would also be at the top! Here are mine, in no particular order:

1. Caroline Or Change

2. Oratorio For Living Things

3. Band’s Visit

4. Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812

5. Drowsy Chaperone

6. Bridges Of Madison County (for the score!)

7. Urinetown

8. Grey Gardens

Seconding Oratorio… I’d sell my soul for a cast recording. As for play, it’s a tossup between Downstate (though its first US production was back in 2018!) and You Will Get Sick.

Nothing more pg13 than Inwood Daddy… 

The first thing that came to my mind is Answer Me. Not only is it given to a character with only a handful of lines, it’s one of the most important parts of the show!

I’d throw in Putnam and Bridges of Madison County. Though Bridges might be hard to do at the community level from a vocal standpoint, (when Kate Baldwin isn’t around to spoil us, that is) it’s a show that consistently has blown me away. And Putnam is perfect at the community level, the audience interaction still feels novel and the characters are so lovable/odd that it’s easy to forgive a production if the voices aren't all there.

My most passionately held belief is that The Drowsy Chaperone (or The Color Purple, take your pick) deserved Best Musical over Jersey Boys. I blame Jersey Boys’ win for the huge uptick in jukebox musicals coming down the pipeline these days.
 

Beyond that, Two Gentleman of Verona somehow beating both Grease and FOLLIES for Best Musical is a bit of a head scratcher. I’ve always wondered what the Tony voters were thinking that year.

They’ve still got a couple of shows coming down the line, hopefully! A show of theirs, Republic, is still looking for development, and from the snippets that exist online I feel it has a bright future.

It’s a fine show. Not amazing, not terrible. The acting is the high point, the script does less than desired. The person sitting next to me called it “Waiting For Godot, if Godot was a mechanical shark.” That’s giving the script too much credit, but the comparison of styles seemed apt.

Some shows that come to mind are:

- Water By The Spoonful

- Ghost Quartet

- Assassins

- The Thin Place

- quite a few Paula Vogel plays but specifically Indecent

The most recent one that came to mind was this year’s revival of Topdog/Underdog! That final scene definitely had a lot of people squirming in their seats.

I’m not sure if this show is too late for submission this year, but I feel Letters From Max could be a candidate. A gorgeous show, and the committee seems to be quite fond of the work of Sarah Ruhl.

First thing that comes to mind is A Warning to Monty from A Gentleman’s Guide.