FINAL Broadway 2 A Day: 2018 - 2020 (Hadestown, Beetlejuice, Diana and Six)

451 shows in the span of one year. The Broadway 2 A Day challenge is complete. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the 3-5 people who followed this blog for a whole year. This challenge has allowed me to connect with new people and share my love of musical theatre while unable to see shows due to COVID. 

Although this challenge became overwhelming at times I'm so glad I stuck with it and continued to document it on this blog and on my Spotify. Early in the new year, I plan to do a "Best Of" style recap to recommend a handful of shows for listening, then I will be taking a long break from this blog.

Thanks again, let's dive in one more time.

• Hadestown
• Have I heard of it before? Yes, this is one of my favorite shows of all time. This was my top album on my Spotify Wrapped in 2019.
• Did I enjoy it? Yes, this music is so beautiful and haunting. 
• Synopsis: Orpheus, a passionate and talented musician, and Eurydice, an independent and resilient young woman, fall in love at first sight, as though it was--and perhaps is--destined by The Fates. Though neither has much to their name, Orpheus is determined that love will see them through anything. Their love blossoms in spring and flourishes in summer, but is tested when autumn and hardship come. Hardship breeds doubt and difficult choices must be made. When Eurydice unknowingly signs away her soul to Hades, master of the factory Hadestown, Orpheus is prepared to venture to hell and back, armed with nothing but his music and his love, to bring her home once more. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Chant
• Tootsie
• Have I heard of it before? But it never intrigued me enough to listen, and I know there was some controversy about the production being insensitive to the trans community. 
• Did I enjoy it? Not really, I found a lot of the songs to be annoying.
• Synopsis: Michael Dorsey is a skilled actor with a talent for not keeping a job. His volatile, stubborn nature gives him a reputation for being a difficult actor and a director’s worst nightmare. After a string of failed auditions, Michael is turning forty and desperate. He is further riled when his best friend and roommate, Jeff, reminds him of the ambitious ‘To-Do List’ he made to accomplish before he turned forty. Michael has a bright idea and decides to make one last-ditch effort at achieving theatrical success. Dressed in drag, he attends his next audition as actress Dorothy Michaels. Sure enough, Dorothy is cast as the lead in the new, Broadway-bound musical, Juliet’s Nurse, and Michael/Dorothy experiences a meteoric rise to stardom. Promising that “I Won’t Let You Down”, Dorothy soon has audiences falling at her feet. Looking at the world through Dorothy’s eyes, Michael has a life-changing epiphany: “Women listen to each other.” He becomes close friends with his co-star Julie and it isn’t long before Michael (disguised as Dorothy) starts to fall for her. Can Michael sustain his greatest acting challenge or will he reveal the truth and be true to himself? (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Whaddya Do
• Beetlejuice
• Have I heard of it before? Yes, the online theatre community is obsessed with this show.
• Did I enjoy it? There are some fun songs but I won't be rushing to see it when it re-opens in the spring.
• Synopsis: Based on the film of the same name, Beetlejuice tells the story of the demon bio-exorcist, Betelgeuse, in his pursuit to be seen by the living again. When Barbara and Adam Maitland fall through the floor of their beloved home, Betelgeuse sees this as his opportunity to get what he wants. If these recently deceased can get a living human to say his name three times, he will be set free. His plan is quickly thrown off when one of the new members of the house is Lydia, a quick-witted and sharp-tongued girl. She tests Betelgeuse in a way he never imagined as well as befriending the Maitlands. As expected, chaos ensues as this crazy cast of characters finds their way to freedom and happiness, dead or alive. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Dead Mom
• Moulin Rouge
• Have I heard of it before? Yes, but somehow I still haven't seen the movie...
• Did I enjoy it? The songs are fun and high energy but I think a lot of the appeal of this show is reflected in the dancing, costumes and set design
• Synopsis: Based on the 2001 film by Baz Luhrman, Moulin Rouge first came to the Broadway stage in 2019 in just as grand a fashion as the movie. The show follows Moulin Rouge star performer, Satine, and American man, Christian, as they navigate through a tumultuous love affair. The Moulin Rouge is going bankrupt and Harold Zeigler, the club’s owner, is willing to do whatever is necessary to save his beloved show and the jobs of all involved. He sets Satine up with The Duke, a wealthy man looking for a woman to be his own. It is Harold’s hope that she is what will entice The Duke to put up the money to save the Moulin Rouge. Little did Harold know of The Dukes violent past when it came to his relationships. This puts a massive obstacle in between Christian and Satine. It leaves all wondering, “ Is it all worth it for love?” But, love always prevails, as following the Bohemian ideals of “truth”, “beauty”, “freedom”, and “love”. With a pop score from artists ranging from The Rolling Stones to Beyonce to David Bowie and more, Moulin Rouge is truly a spectacular, spectacular addition to the Broadway canon. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Come What May
• The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical
• Have I heard of it before? Yes, this is another favorite of Gen Z theatre fans online.
• Did I enjoy it? There are a couple good songs but overall it's almost too much teen angst for me (which is saying a lot)
• Synopsis: Percy Jackson is a teenage boy who always seems to get into trouble, no matter how hard he tries to be good. When he is expelled from school for the sixth time, his mother decides that it is time for Percy to know the truth. The Greek gods are real and, what’s more, Percy is a demigod, the son of Poseidon. Along with fellow demigod Annabeth (the daughter of Athena) and best friend and protector Grover (who happens to be a Satyr), Percy must go on an epic quest to retrieve Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt and prevent war amongst the gods. The quest turns into an epic adventure, with the Furies, Medusa, and Ares (the god of war) among those wanting to stop Percy in his tracks. With time running out, Percy soon discovers that nothing is normal when you’re a demigod. (Stage Kid)
• Favorite song: Good Kid
• Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
• Have I heard of it before? Yes
• Did I enjoy it? Yeah, it's a fun jukebox musical with a talented cast
• Synopsis: Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is a jukebox musical featuring the music of Tina Turner and depicting her life from her humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, to her transformation into a rock 'n roll star. (Wikipedia)
• Favorite song: River Deep, Mountain High
• Jagged Little Pill
• Have I heard of it before? Yes, although unfortunately this show was also steeped in controversy 
• Did I enjoy it? I love JLP as an album so of course the songs are great
• Synopsis: Based around the music of Alanis Morisette, Jagged Little Pill centers on the Healy family: MJ and Steve and their teenage children Frankie and Nick. The Healy’s appear to be the picture-perfect family in their competitive Connecticut suburban neighborhood. Yet pictures can be deceiving. Despite her efforts to keep up appearances, MJ battles a growing addiction to opiates following a car accident and battles with trauma in her past that she has not yet come to terms with. Steve watches his wife become increasingly withdrawn and distant from him, without knowing why. Meanwhile, their children are battling challenges of their own. Frankie is determined to find her own voice and discover her sexuality, while Nick must balance the pressure of his parents to do well against exposing his own faults in order to make sure justice is served. Exploring a range of sensitive issues, including rape, sexuality, addiction, and racism, Jagged Little Pill presents a vivid, messy, and chaotic portrayal of a modern-day family who deal with their pain and try to heal. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: You Learn
• Girl from The North Country
• Have I heard of it before? No
• Did I enjoy it? Honestly, I'd rather just listen to a Bob Dylan album - but I would also go see it live out of curiosity. 
• Synopsis: It is the winter of 1934 and America is in the midst of the Great Depression. And nowhere is it more keenly felt than in a rundown boarding house in Duluth, Minnesota. Proprietor Nick Laine is struggling to keep the house from being taken over by the bank, while his wife Elizabeth suffers from dementia and floats in and out of moments of clarity. He has been having an affair with Mrs. Neilsen, one of the renters, but is she what he really wants? Nick and Elizabeth’s children also have their own problems--Gene is going nowhere in life and struggles with the demon drink, while Marianne is unmarried and 5 months pregnant. In a Eugene O’Neill-esque storyline, guests and various eccentric locals come in and out of the house, all with their own secrets and backstories. From jail time to blackmail to morphine addiction, their secrets are slowly revealed to the haunting backdrop of Bob Dylan’s evocative music. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: I Want You
• Sing Street
• Have I heard of it before? Nope
• Did I enjoy it? It was fine, kind of forgettable but I might watch the movie.
• Synopsis: Sing Street is a coming-of-age comedy-drama, the story revolves around a boy starting a band to impress a girl in 1980s Ireland. (Wikipedia)
• Favorite song: Up
• Diana
• Have I heard of it before? Oh yes, this show just started and quickly ended its run and people either love it or hate it. There is a pro-shot on Netflix that I will watch eventually.
• Did I enjoy it? I didn't hate it... it's a little cringe at times but overall it was fun
• Synopsis: It’s 1981 and the world is hungry for a royal wedding — but is the 20-year-old bride prepared for what comes after? Following her fairytale union, Princess Diana faces a distant husband, an unmovable monarchy and overwhelming media scrutiny. But her modern perspective and remarkable compassion galvanizes a nation, even as it threatens the royal family’s hold on England. (Playbill)
• Favorite song: Pretty, Pretty Girl
• Six
• Have I heard of it before? Yes I love this show and want to see it in NYC very badly.
• Did I enjoy it? Yes, I wish they would play this album in the club.
• Synopsis: Six is a modern retelling of the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr. They have come together as a band to stage a pop concert and invite the audience to hear their stories. They cannot decide who should be the lead singer, so they initiate a competition, or singing battle, to see who suffered the most as Queen. Each wife believes they had it toughest and they belittle each other’s attempts to prove their hardship. However, they become frustrated that their place in history is defined by one man. Together, they decide to pick up the pen and the microphone, and re-write their own stories. They are more than a rhyme, more than a wife, and much more than one King could handle. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: All You Wanna Do