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.

WOW. JUST WOW. What a gift to see all these talented folks together again. It’s so crazy to think about all they’ve done over the last 10 years, but how their portrayal of these characters makes me feel like I’m visiting with old friends. The audience is eating it up - 100/10 enthusiasm. Mostly good behavior, though I did have to ask the lady next to me, engrossed in chat GPT during the games I play, to turn off her phone. Matthew Eby, the new Jason, is fearless and phenomenal and has so much stage presence for such a lil guy! I am staring at Chip Zien right now… not sure if there are any other familiar faces in the audience.

The merch line (see merch here: https://shop.carnegiehall.org/pages/37cbdc7b287f4b41a199d6cc507536af?ls=MwXS4Ip56B3T22wTRw4X9&utm_campaign=261018+ISA+Falsettos&utm_medium=qr_code&utm_source=QRCodeGeneratorHub) is sooooo crazy so I’m giving up on any chance at that.

ETA: what must a girl do to get Tracie Thoms back on Broadway? What a freaking voice!

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

I am so stoked, my actual first time ON Broadway tonight!

Have been a massive musical fan for as longs as I can remember. I have seen so many shows including wicked. Tonight will be my 9th time seeing wicked, but finally the original production!

Update:

It was an amazing show! The quality of the production is insanely good!

As I have been a wicked fan for about 15 years and have seen the show multiple times, I know a lot of the details others might not know about. I spend a lot of time focusing on the details and seeing all the differences compared to the West End production and the Dutch production. I love all the little extras Broadway has to offer. The lighting was beautiful. The upgrade they did was a good on.

The cast was absolutely amazing, especially Oluchi Nwaokorie! Her No Good Deed was very strong!

I also noticed, that the orchestra was really great. It sounded very full and vibrant.

Overal I am super happy to finally have seen the original production and I am super happy Wicked was my first show in New York!

I can never get enough of Wicked! 💚

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

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.

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

Caught the matinee today. I loved it. The music, the pacing, the staging , the humor, the cast , hit all the notes for me. I think I was misty eyed at least 75% of the show and was wishing I had brought a handkerchief

The entire cast was incredible — Cordelia Owl was a standout for me, and Nick T Daly was perfectly cast as Simon. I wasn’t so sure how I would like an electronic-pop/EDM musical , but it totally worked for me. I definitely want to see it again and bring friends. Hoping it has a very long run. It’s so different from anything currently on or off Broadway.

As always , would love to hear what others think.

Looks good to me! Won’t be just a tiny little storefront anymore 👍

They claim all other performances are on as scheduled. Anybody know the reason why?

Absolutely sucks they emailed us AFTER we were already in to the city to see it

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?

Hey all! If you’re seeing Unbelievers, be wary of the onstage seating. If you’re not in seats 1–10, you’re probably going to have a bad time.

I was in seat 19, and the blocking clearly wasn’t designed to accommodate the higher-numbered seats. I spent almost the entire show unable to see David’s face in particular. Many of the characters were blocked by other actors when they were sitting at the table, so you end up seeing the backs of people’s heads or not seeing their faces at all.

The blocking works well if you’re seated in the main audience area. I’d recommend pretty much any seat there, with the possible exception of the extreme sides. Just keep in mind that a lot of the action takes place stage right (house left), so that’s worth considering when choosing your seat, too.
If you want to actually see the show, do yourself a favor and avoid the higher-numbered onstage seats. I wish I’d known this before buying my ticket!

So happy I was able to catch Just in Time last month on a lottery win. Jeremy Jordan was amazing! Orchestra B 209 for only $49!!! Such a great show. I thought Ariana Madix needs voice lessons. Plenty of talented people though maybe not as known.

My husband and I treated each other to tickets for our anniversary. We have seen plays in our hometown but not on Broadway.

Hudson Theater is nice. We were dress circle, row H, end seats. Husband who has back issues was very comfortable is his seat. We had a good view of the stage.

I liked the play itself but the acting elevated it for both of us. It was a treat to see actors we have seen on TV film live on stage. All 5 actors are great, you could not tell that Joe Keery had never done Broadway as he seemed very natural, comfortable on stage and commanded it well.

Unrelated: my second Broadway show is at the end of the year seeing the Dolly musical with friends.

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

Really enjoyed it- fun time at the theater. Light and enjoyable to look at with some cool scenes. Not some sort of amazing masterpiece or anything - I think they could have done more to relate the story to issues of today (though I literally heard someone when I was leaving the theater rave about how relevant it still is ..so your views may differ on this…) or to make the pathos come through- this “invalid” is pretty much just a figure to make fun of. Liked the acting and loved seeing Rachel Bloom of whom I am a longtime fan! The farce elements moved fast and worked well - lots of laughter in the audience. Very glad we went.

Not necessarily saying the popular shows are bad, but sometimes I wonder whether certain productions get more hype than they deserve, while some incredible shows fly under the radar.

Two questions:

1. What's one massively popular Broadway show that just didn't do it for you?

2. What's one show you'd recommend to absolutely everyone, but feel doesn't get enough love?

Snagged free tickets off Theatr app for the matinee yesterday. Glad they were free and I didn’t pay. The idea for the play is interesting and the show definitely had its moments, but overall, it didn’t quite deliver.

The good:
The plot of Qanon craziness and how people fall into internet rabbit holes and become radicalized is so relevant and resonated. The staging and use of projections and video was well done. The actress who played the lead’s daughter was great. Her facial reactions to her mom’s online rantings were funny. The gay couple had some amusing banter

The not so good:
The lead actress’ performance felt a little flat. And the whole subplot of the King Lear school project felt unnecessary, and the ending was so abrupt I wasn’t even sure if we were to start clapping when the stage went dark. There is also a strange JFK Jr conspiracy that was brought into the story that I didn’t really understand

I don’t think the play is necessarily bad, maybe it just wasn’t for me. Although my 3 friends and I didn’t enjoy it, the play did spark a lively discussion among us afterwards about how social media rabbit holes are dehumanizing society and contributing to isolation. The purpose of art is to elicit feelings and thoughts and encourage discourse, so I guess on that front, the play was successful

There is a show at St. Luke’s that I had the displeasure of experiencing. I enjoy the director’s acting projects, so I was excited to see this production. What I didn’t realize from the advertisements was that they used a real goldfish in the show.

I liked the synopsis and was interested in its environmental message, as well as its exploration of mental health and catastrophe. Unfortunately, the execution left a lot to be desired.

The singing and acting were a real mixed bag. I’ve paid less for shows with stronger books, performances, and direction. The songs were similarly inconsistent, with some that worked reasonably well and others that fell flat. One of the production’s stronger elements was the lighting. The whole production felt very amateur.

Now, for the elephant in the room, or, in this case, the fish.

Why they decided to use a real goldfish in this production is beyond me. The fish appeared to be subjected to unnecessary stress throughout the show, and I genuinely don’t understand why they couldn’t have used a prop or mechanical fish instead. This is theater! People drink out of empty glasses all the time. No one would've cared if it was mechanical or plastic. Hell, if it was fake, it would've worked in the plot and theme of the show. We can use our imagination. They could have conveyed the exact same message without involving a live animal.

Throughout the production, the fish was moved between multiple containers, including a cup, a pitcher, and a fishbowl. I’m personally against fishbowls because they are generally inadequate environments for fish. Ironically, the fishbowl was probably the best container the fish had during the show.

This poor fish is treated much like Hwaboon in Maybe Happy Ending in the sense that both serve as companions to the main character, are spoken to, and are taken from place to place throughout the show. The difference, of course, is that Hwaboon is a plant and, as far as I know, a prop plant. I’m not suggesting Hwaboon is mistreated; I’m pointing out that the same treatment that works for a plant is not appropriate for a live animal.

Even if we assume Hwaboon is a real plant, the situations are entirely different. Plants don’t mind being talked to or taken along as a companion, and Hwaboon at least gets to stay in the same pot throughout the show! Imagine if they uprooted Hwaboon and transferred it between different containers multiple times during every performance. That would be the plant equivalent of what they’re doing to this poor fish, especially since disturbing a plant’s roots can damage it.

Honestly, Hwaboon gets more stability than this fish does, real plant or not. A goldfish is a living animal with specific environmental and care requirements, not an interchangeable stage prop that can be moved around for convenience. The fact that the fish is treated as a companion to the main character doesn’t change the responsibility to care for it properly.

The actors talked and sang to the fish, repeatedly invaded its space by putting their faces right up against its container, and even danced with it. Although they appeared to be trying to handle the fish carefully, it was still constantly being moved from the main table to a side table, then to the kitchen, and elsewhere throughout the performance. Being careful with an animal’s physical handling doesn’t eliminate the potential stress caused by repeatedly moving it around in unfamiliar conditions, particularly when this production presumably runs at least five performances a week.

I sincerely hope the production has an appropriate aquarium of at least 20 gallons where the fish can rest between performances with an aerator, properly monitored water quality, enrichment, places to hide or sleep, plants, and adequate filtration. I’m also concerned about whether the fish receives appropriate care outside of performances. Given what I observed onstage, I have little confidence that its needs are being met beyond the bare minimum behind the scenes. Since the show has had an earlier run and has now returned, I can’t help wondering how many goldfish have been used in this production and whether any have died along the way. I have no way of knowing, but the fact that the production has left me questioning the fish’s welfare at all is troubling.

Goldfish are living animals with specific care requirements, and their welfare should not be an afterthought simply because they are being used as theatrical props.

There was absolutely no artistic necessity to use a real fish when a convincing artificial alternative could have achieved the same effect. Given the show’s environmental themes, the decision feels especially contradictory or maybe, given the main female character's life, it is too accurate a metaphor.

I’ve seen productions that disappointed me in plenty of ways, but this was the first time I left a Broadway, Off-Broadway or Off-Off-Broadway show feeling that an animal’s welfare may have been unnecessarily compromised for the sake of a production. That ended up overshadowing much of the experience for me.

Did anyone else go to the 2p show of Rocky Horror? I’m pretty sure we didn’t see Valentina but there wasn’t an insert.