The Theatre Enthusiast

Over the years and through the dozens upon dozens of shows I've been lucky enough to see, I've seen some wonderful actors give fantastic and memorable performances. For my next Top 10 installment,  I've decided to rank my favorite Broadway performances I've seen. To make this feat a little less overwhelming, I am splitting up these rankings and making two lists: one for plays and one for musicals. It was still difficult to narrow down so many excellent performances, but without further ado, here we go! Nathan Lane in It's Only a Play photo by Sarah Krulwich From his iconic voice to his impeccable comedic timing, Nathan Lane is one of Broadway and Hollywood's best. Seeing him in It's Only a Play  in 2014 was unforgettable. From the minute he uttered his first line, there was a special buzz that rippled through the audience. It was as if we knew we were about to witness greatness. Mr. Lane exceeded every high expectation I could have possibly imagin...

me with Shoshana in New York City February 2019 I have the pleasure of sharing my interview with a fellow Theatre Enthusiast, my friend Shoshana! Shoshana and I met in college and we immediately bonded over our mutual love of theatre and Harry Potter. Shoshana lives in New York City and recently launched a vlog called bwaySHO! She's already made some pretty awesome videos, so I decided it was a good idea to share her experiences with my readers and promote her hard work and dedication. THEATRE ENTHUSIAST: Thank you so much for agreeing to interview with me, Shoshana! How about you start off by telling us a little bit about yourself! What’s your background, and how did that lead you to want to launch BwaySHO? bwaySHO: Hi Hillary! It’s my pleasure! I’m a proud New Yorker and graduated from the University of Maryland (Go Terps)! I’ve always loved the theatre. Some of my fondest memories consist of running from box office to box office with my friends, trying to find studen...

photo by Joan Marcus As soon as I caught my first glimpse of the neon signs hanging above the entrance of the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, my face broke into a huge grin. I had been there just two months prior to see My Fair Lady  on Broadway, and I was so excited that I was back for a second round. I power-walked to the box office to pick up my ticket. On my way, I snuck a glance at the understudy board. It was completely empty. This was a good thing for me because the first time I saw the show, there were several fabulous understudies on and this time I got to see different actors in those roles. After getting my ticket I bid goodbye to my parents, whose seats were in the balcony, and I made my way to my seat in the third row of the orchestra. I sat impatiently for the next twenty minutes, flipping through my Playbill and eavesdropping on the group behind me trying to guess the synopsis of Come From Away ("It's probably about a couple who goes to a Sandals resor...

photo by Joan Marcus "I just won The Cher Show lottery," my mom whisper-shouted on the train en route to New York City, staring at her phone in shock. "Who wants the second ticket?" "I'll go with you," my dad said immediately from the row behind us. That left me on my own in the city to see whatever show I wanted. "If they're still available once we get there, I'm going to try and see Mean Girls ," I said. "This is the perfect time to go!" My mom and I had seen the pre-Broadway tryout run of Mean Girls at the National Theatre in Washington, DC back in 2017, and I have been wanting to see it on Broadway to identify changes between the two runs. Once we arrived in the city I successfully obtained my ticket in a matter of minutes at TKTS. About two hours later, I dropped my parents off at the Neil Simon Theatre and then practically sprinted across the street to the August Wilson Theatre to see the most fetch show on Broadwa...

At face value, the stage door of a theatre is the official entrance and exit for actors, crew, musicians, etc. However, the stage door has become more than that for theatre fans everywhere. At the conclusion of a performance, fans gather outside the stage door to wait for cast members willing to sign autographs and take selfies. The act of "stage dooring" is a fun pastime for the modern theatre fan. I've been stage dooring shows for many years and have had the pleasure of meeting some really wonderful Broadway performers I admire. To kick off my new Top 10 series, I've decided to compile a list of who I think are the nicest Broadway actors I've met at the stage door (in no particular order): ALEX BRIGHTMAN   I first became an Alex Brightman fan after he blew me away in School of Rock . I wasn't able to meet him after the show, but many months later I found myself back to see the show for a second time. Between the two times I sa...

photo by Jeremy Daniel I could not have been more excited when I learned that Finding Neverland would finally be launching a national tour. I saw the show twice on Broadway starring Matthew Morrison, Kelsey Grammar, and Laura Michelle Kelly, and I completely fell in love with the breathtaking yet underrated musical. At long last, the tour reached the National Theatre in Washington, DC, and I was so excited to score cheap tickets! I had some concerns about seeing Finding Neverland this time around. Despite the glowing reviews from my friends who had seen it earlier in the week, the Washington Post completely slammed the production. The Post's review mainly blamed the tour's shortcomings on being a non-equity tour. In summary, an actor who is non-equity has not yet worked their way into the Actor's Equity Association (the actor's union, in laymen's terms). Non-equity actors are not protected by the AEA regulations, and therefore are not obligated to be paid a ...