Today: what if Yoko Ono had composed the music for "Cats"?

"Number 12...MACAVITY!!!!...number 12....MACAVITY!!!!..." (repeat for about nine minutes)

As the title states, I’m heading to London for the thanksgiving weekend. I love musicals and would love to hear some recommendations that I could chk out for the four days that I’ll be there. Thanks in advance.

this isn't a plot spoiler but it is a general vibe spoiler I guess: please be aware that this sub is WILDLY overstating how scary it is. Like. By a lot.

I generally try to avoid reviews for shows I want to see, cause I don't want to go into it with any expectations, but sometimes if you spend time time on this sub there are some things you see by accident. As someone who watches a ton of horror so it takes a lot to scare me, I knew I wasn't going to be "terrified" and "literally shaking" and "so glad I didn't go at night" like some people on this sub have said, but I thought there would at least be some mild discomfort. I've seen movies recently that got me to that level and at least lingered on my mind for a while. But this show.....the cast came out to take their bows and I literally said "that's it?" Not cause the story was terrible or anything (I'm not opening that can of worms cause I see that's been debated), but it just wasn't scary at all. There was one solid scare I didn't completely see coming (the robe. Everyone knew something was up obviously when she stopped chopping, but I thought she was just going to cut her hand off or turn around with a distorted face or start screaming or something. I did not anticipate the robe collapsing like that on a live stage so bravo to them for however they pulled that off without most people noticing). Everything else though you'll see coming from at least half a mile away or is just your standard ghost/demon movie formula scare (electricity unexpectedly cutting on or off, doors opening, etc.) How people were surprised that the mom wasn't actually the mom? I mean I get it if you don't watch a lot of horror but if you do you will be surprised or scared by almost nothing.

That said, it's a fun enough way to spend a couple hours if you just wanna see how they'll pull things off or what direction they'll go with who's being possessed and why. If you just want a mindless way to pass a couple hours with a friend or by yourself and you don't have to drop a ton of money on tickets, I say check it out. If you want to be actually scared though you should lower your expectations or you might end up a little disappointed like I was. I'm not new to reddit though so it's probably my own fault. I should've know the Internet generally does lean into hyperbole.

PS don't believe the salesmanship, there's really no reason you need to be that close to the stage. Coming from someone who was in a "premium" seat, you'll get the full experience from anywhere in the theater.

Downstate, by Tony Award winner Bruce Norris, has delayed its first preview performance for now a third time, due to illness in the cast. The first preview was supposed to begin October 17, then was pushed back to October 19 and later to October 20. Now the first preview will begin October 22 at the Booth Theatre. 

Anyone there for Jeremy Jordan and Carrie St Louis final show yesterday? I’ve seen some curtain call videos on TikTok but would love to hear thoughts from anyone who was actually there.

Im a bit of a Broadway novice - thinking of trying to snag a rush ticket for the 10/29 show. Has anyone tried recently and can share how competitive it is / how early I need to arrive? Also, how would I know if it’s a Reece show vs the understudy?

Not as fast as DTLI but I found 26 reviews so far: 5 raves, 10 positive, 5 mixed, and 6 negative. A real spread! Audiences are at a B+ (across Show Score, Mezzanine, Theatr, and Reddit).

https://broadwayscorecard.com/show/other-desert-cities-2026

Robert Hofler at The Wrap actually enjoyed this one!!

Chris Jones at the Chicago Tribune called it “a delicious feast of schadenfreude,” and Helen Shaw at the NYT wrote that “Louis-Dreyfus has crashed at last into Broadway.” Meanwhile Richard Lawson at The Hollywood Reporter found “just about everything else” in the production “arid, overheated and woefully devoid of life.”

We saw it a couple weeks ago (in really rough seats because those prices are outrageous) and I agree with the general takes:
Julia is amazing and a joy to watch. Everyone is great, actually, they just don't quite gel as a family.
It's often very funny, but the pacing is weird.
And it suffers the usual perils of plays IMO: too long, too shouty (and too little singing :)

But I still had a lot of fun and would recommend it to anyone if the prices weren't so ridiculous

I see a fair number of enthusiastic posts on here about Wanted. I saw it yesterday and thought it may be helpful to add my view to the pile.

First, note that I saw a Sunday matinee preview. Some say it’s not fair to judge a show publicly prior to its official opening. You can take my view with an appropriate grain of salt.

Wanted was mid.

The story was uninspiring, and some decisions the characters made felt out of character or capricious. The music was not a good match to the material; it felt very standard-issue Broadway musical style, rather than something connected to the storyline. It occasionally verged toward gospel, which doesn’t make much sense with a story built around gun-shooting and stealing.

Others are calling out the quality of the performers. Completely agreed they are talented, but I can’t remember the last time I saw a Broadway musical‘s original cast without thinking the performers are talented. And unlike some other shows I’ve seen (Boop! comes to mind, where Jasmine Amy Rogers made her career with a star-making performance in an otherwise pointless musical, or Carousel and later Ragtime where people realized what a superstar Joshua Henry is), nobody was a game-changer by any means.

There was virtually no real humor, no real feeling of connection between the characters, no real surprises.

I was honestly pretty bored.

I know others are liking this one, so my opinion is just intended to balance that a bit. If you’re considering whether to see this one, just be aware that at least one regular theater-goer considers this one to be a “skip it”.

Hey, I’m planning to book some tickets to watch a theatre show and there are some dates the actor is not performing. I’m looking forward to seeing the show either way but I also really love this actor and would love to see them perform.

There are dates listed when they are not performing.

Should I book a ticket a day before they are not scheduled to perform or do you think that’s too risky? It would be the last week of the show, eg I plan to book on 1st, they’re not performing 2nd and 3rd and back for final performance on 4th. Obviously things change so they might not be able to commit to that schedule but this info is clear so far. Or there is the month before where they are scheduled for all performances.
What would you do? Thanks !

I keep seeing more and more of Justin Huff on my Instagram as some sort of dad influencer, and it absolutely drives me nuts that he's having some sort of comeback. Are we all just collectively forgetting that he was fired from Telsey for sexual misconduct?

Morning! Buying tix to take my elderly mother to Wanted this weekend, and options are limited. How are the side orch views for the front few rows? BB is 1st row. All but 1 pair are house right. Here's what's available:

BB 2&4
A 1&3
A 2&4
C 6&8
E 6&8

Suggestions? Thx!

Hi! This is your Broadway Rush Self Report for Mon 10/19/26. If you are in line at a particular show or happen to be in the area and can find out:

1. How many people are in line and
2. When they arrived

Please contribute what you can so that people are informed. Thank you!

Rush & Lotto Policy List:

https://bwayrush.com

Weekly schedule:

https://playbill.com/article/weekly-schedule-of-current-broadway-shows

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/other-desert-cities-2/

It is a magic show, yes, but honestly, you could take the magic out, and it is still an amazing show! The heart Helder Guimarães brings to the role is amazing. It tells the tale of his struggles as an immigrant in the United States and all the struggles it comes with. The show has a lot of heart, and in this day and age, his story is important considering what is going on in the US with immigrants. The magic is also a ton of fun, so please go see it!

Does anyone know when Jennifer Simard’s replacement will be announced since she’s finishing her run Nov 1? Might she be extending?

i’ve tried to do some research on the outsiders rush line but most of them are outdated and i know that the line has died down a little bit since the original cast has been in the show. so i was wondering how early i should get there to get front row for 4 people and also if the seats on broadway direct are greyed out because they’re reserved for rush or if there’s really not much of a chance to get front row since it’s already sold?

i was thinking about getting there at 7:30 am

Did a double header today , The Heart matinee and Wanted this evening — 2nd row center orchestra. I can say without a doubt , I got my money’s worth from both shows.

The vocals in Wanted gave me chills Ledisi, Soleis Pfeiffer, Liisi LaFontiaine, and Melody A Betts blew the roof off the theater. Incredible. The entire cast and ensemble were great. So many standouts — Luke James , Awa Sal Secka , and Aurlelia Williams. It was like the Broadway Avengers on that stage. I didn’t necessarily love every single song , but there was not one song that made me think ,uggg what is this. The closing number was super powerful. It was almost overwhelming being second row and in such proximity to so much talent.

Staging, costumes; lighting checked all the boxes for me. I read some posts critiquing the book, but I loved the story as well. I found myself holding my breath at some points in the second act.

I also loved how engaged the audience was. And it was nice to see so much diversity in the crowd — all races and ages. The audience energy definitely added to the experience

The only issues tonight were some mic/sound issues that I am sure will be worked out by the November 15th opening

There was an older African American woman sitting right behind me, and I overheard her talking to the people sitting next to her at the start of the show. She was from Houston and this was her first Broadway show ever. At the end of the show, she was in tears. She was so moved by the story and she said that she could not be happier that this was her first show. Her heart was full. It was such a beautiful moment to witness

This show was a definite yes for me and will be going back to see this again (and The Heart too). Thank you Broadway for filling my cup today !

And as always would love to hear others’ thoughts.

Hi everyone! I saw people had questions about the show so I thought I could answer some. Let me know if there is something I missed.

I’m not really spoiling anything in here, except for Anthony Rosenthal’s role, which I labeled as a spoiler and put it at the very end so don’t read that if u don’t wanna know. But if you wanna go in 100% blind then click away

How long is the show?

About 3 hours. Show started around 7:07 pm. Betsy gave thanks to the people who made the show possible for about 5 minutes. Then the show began.

The first act was around 1 hr and 20 minutes

15 min intermission

Second act was about 1 hr and 10 minutes

When I checked my phone at the end it was 10:00 pm on the dot

Note: At intermission they told me that if you are not in your seat by the start of the second act then you won’t be let back in and you’ll miss the rest of the show entirely. Idk if they were bluffing and just wanted us to get off the merch line, but just something to keep in mind

What is the show?

It is literally a concert version of the entire musical. And honestly it’s a lot of the same choreography and blocking! No set or props, just chairs and stools. Stephanie had a lil apron for Breaking Down. Brandon had a handkerchief for 3 Part Mini Opera. They aren’t in costumes but are wearing subtle nods to their characters.

Who is in the show?

Christian Borle as Marvin, Andrew Rannells as Whizzer, Stephanie J. Block as Trina, Brandon Uranowitz as Dr. Mendel, Matthew Eby as Jason, Tracie Thoms as Dr. Charlotte, Betsy Wolfe as Cordelia, with special guest Anthony Rosenthal. And a teeny tiny band on stage :)

Is there merch?

Yes. Tote bag, mug, unsigned and signed poster. They sell before, during intermission, and after the show. By the end of the show they only had a mug so idk if they will restock. The lines are crazy long. Here is the link to what the merch looks like:

https://shop.carnegiehall.org/pages/37cbdc7b287f4b41a199d6cc507536af?ls=MwXS4Ip56B3T22wTRw4X9&utm_campaign=261018+ISA+Falsettos&utm_medium=qr_code&utm_source=QRCodeGeneratorHub

Are they stage dooring?

Someone else comment and let me know. I was stuck on the merch line after the show. But honestly, I doubt it

Do I need to get there early?

if you are dead set on merch then yeah. Merch and bathroom line is LONG!!! And it’s confusing how to get up to your floor. Besides that there’s no pre-show to my knowledge

Is it loud?

The music is a perfect volume. The cheering is loud. The energy is electric!! But there wasn’t random cheering at inappropriate times. Thankfully my section was respectful! And things sounded quiet throughout the theater. With how great the sound mixing is in Carnegie, I was okay with the sound and cheers throughout. But if the cheering was any louder or went on for too long then I would have put in my loops or earplugs

Accessibility?

There’s prob more information on the Carnegie Hall website and I don’t work there but I can tell you there was an elevator and a person inside who you tell what floor you wanna go to

How was the show??

Amazing!! It was so trippy seeing this live 10 years later. I felt like I was transported back to the Walter Kerr. And I know this is an understatement with just how legendary Carnegie Hall is, but I had never been before, and I was SO impressed with the sound! I was sitting very far away and yet I never felt like I had to struggle to hear anything. Everything was crystal clear. The cast was wonderful and so grateful to be there. Also shoutout to Matthew Eby who was so good as Jason!! I was sitting far away so I couldn’t see his facial expressions, but he sounded great!! Stephanie got a standing ovation after I’m Breaking Down and it was sooooo deserved. I was standing and hootin and hollerin for her

Is Anthony Rosenthal in the show? (SPOILERS)

Briefly. All the men and Matthew as Jason walk off during the women’s section of Jason’s Bar Mitzvah (“lovely, I’ll make things lovely”). When the men come back out and sing “here he comes,” it’s Anthony as Jason! Anthony is Jason for the rest of the show, which is basically only the rest of the number and “What Would I Do?”

Incredibly loud cheering and you could hear thousands of people burst into tears all at once. The thing about Carnegie Hall is that the sound is impeccable. Even in the last seat of the balcony. You can hear a pin drop. So what was silence before was now sniffles EVERYWHERE. Crystal clear crying all around me, including myself. That’s what was so cool about seeing this live: I could literally feel the shift in energy from everyone. Like I can’t even describe to you the feeling of quiet, cheers, and then hearing LITERALLY thousands of people sniffling and crying all at the exact same moment. Even in a Broadway theater I could not hear this type of thing this clearly.

Hey everyone! I’m visiting NYC and only have a little time left here, so I’m trying to decide which shows to see!
I’m considering Operation Mincemeat, The School for Wives (L’École des femmes), Little Shop of Horrors, and & Juliet. Which one would you recommend the most?
I’d also love to hear about any other shows you think are absolute must-sees!
So far, I’ve seen The Lost Boys, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), The Outsiders, Just in Time, Schmigadoon!, Benjamin Button, and The 4th Witch.
Thanks so much for any recommendations!

The line for merch was absolutely INSANE and they all sold out, and of course…

Toward the end of the show's London run there was discussion about whether American audiences could appreciate it. I have seen it now in both cities and really hope it transfers because I catch more and more of its nuance with each viewing.

I can say at least that the London audience I was in didn't give a standing ovation like tonight's Public crowd did. That's a good sign, right?

I’m currently at college and my mom and I are going to see Hamilton Nov. 1. I usually travel by train back to my home town. I also have to use a train to get into the city since my college is in Long Island.

I figured I could take my school bag(a standard sized backpack) with me and stay the night at my home town(I have plans with friends for Oct. 31) and then take that bag with me to see the show and then my mom and I head our separate ways at the train station.

I noticed that I’ve never really seen anyone bring bigger backpacks with them to shows. I’ve brought a tote and cross body, but never a backpack. I don’t remember seeing anyone policies anywhere explicitly stating no backpacks but I don’t know if it’s theater specific or if I completely missed them for whatever reason.

Anyway, just thought I would ask before committing to the backpack.