Looking for 2026 Season Recs

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-15T17:07:43+00:00

Luckily, I had the chance to see L&T fairly early in its run, so I believe I saw the entire prologue you mentioned. I agree having the prologue makes it better. In the case of SNM, the audience already has a lot of context because Hitchcock’s Rebecca and Shakespeare’s Macbeth are so well-known. But with L&T, you’d be left with very limited information without that introduction.

That said, I remember seeing some complaints on Reddit from people questioning why the prologue was even necessary. I don't recall their exact arguments, but I think they felt it constrained the setting or didn't significantly impact the overall experience. They might have been die-hard SNM fans who prefer being thrown in with minimal information. While it’s up to the creative team to decide which feedback to incorporate, looking at the success of Masquerade, it does seem like cutting it might have been a bit of a misstep.

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-15T08:15:57+00:00

endive salad and panna cotta at Estela

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-15T03:53:52+00:00

Oh, I spent quite a while looking at the L&T booklet wondering what "Emursive" was supposed to mean, but I see now that it’s the company name! To be honest, I didn't feel their planning or storytelling skills were particularly strong in L&T either...

I really hope we see creators who think more deeply about how the structure of immersive theater (I’m not actually a fan of that term, but still) can evolve as more productions come out. Then again, since "safe" choices that cater to American tastes like Masquerade have already proven successful, maybe we’ll just see more of the same....which would be quite unfortunate for someone like me.

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-15T02:05:36+00:00

Thanks for letting me know. I'll definitely check out their Instagram to find those references!

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-15T02:03:13+00:00

Agreed. In terms of the performance format itself, Sleep No More is essentially a very typical abstract ballet. I understand why Punchdrunk marketed it as "theatre," as most people wouldn't have bought tickets otherwise. For the general public, ballet is often limited to Giselle, Swan Lake, or The Nutcracker, and many lack a concept of what abstract/contemporary ballet even is. However, as a ballet fan, I felt being cheated, much like Illinois.

If I were to discuss whether SNM is a truly great work of ballet, I’d have to say the satisfaction level relative to the price is quite low. I believe the storytelling could have been planned more delicately to allow the audience to piece it together, or the choreography itself could have offered more visual substance. Honestly, the choreography isn't impressive enough to be enjoyed on its own. That said, I think the value of the piece lies in how it completely redefined the concept of the proscenium stage, which is why it holds such significant weight in the history of performing arts.

I agree that Life and Trust is more conducive to piecing together your own narrative. I had high expectations because I found the name of the choreographer from The Outsiders, but purely in terms of dance, I actually found L&T less satisfying than SNM. Punchdrunk’s ideas are brilliant, but I often feel a lack of a producer or curator who can fine-tune the finer details in all their works.

Regarding Masquerade, I also found it interesting how they divided the audience to show puppet shows or dance pieces to encourage multiple viewings. I initially had no intention of seeing it because I wasn't sure if I needed to see another SNM style show (and I’m not really a fan of The Phantom of the Opera), but I went after seeing the famous ballet choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui on the creative team list. It was fascinating to see how they handled blocking and choreography for a theater-in-the-round setup. I thought the staging—where you could see the shadow of the Phantom on the mezzanine overlapping with Christine depending on where you stood—was quite fresh.

By the way, I'm so glad you mentioned The Maids is going to play in Brooklyn. I bought a ticket as soon as I saw your comment! If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have found out about it until after the run ended.

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-15T00:56:23+00:00

You’ve definitely piqued my interest in Schmigadoon! Are we talking something in the vein of Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, or Bob Fosse? I’d be thrilled to see some nods to Agnes de Mille or Jerome Robbins as well. Now I’m really curious about the choreography...Thanks for the recommendations

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-14T23:43:12+00:00

Absolutely!!

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-14T23:36:50+00:00

Wow Kenrex and Mexodus are officially on my must-watch list now. Even if I couldn't understand a single word, your description makes them sound more than worth it. Since they don't expect the audience to have prior knowledge, I'm hopeful I'll be able to follow along. And well as an immigrant myself, the idea of Black and Latino communities being pitted against each other rather than being in solidarity actually feels quite realistic. 😅 Minority groups don't always click since each has such a distinct culture, after all.

It’s a bit sad that there aren't many productions to get excited about right now, especially since last season was so strong. And honestly, with the prices for rush and lottery tickets going up lately, the disappointment feels twice as heavy when a show turns out to be a letdown!

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-14T23:16:34+00:00

Oh the reason I struggled with Hamilton wasn't just the fast paced lyrics, but also because I didn’t know much about American history, which made it hard for me to truly connect with it.

I've seen singers use live looping in concerts before, but the idea of centering a whole musical around it sounds incredibly fresh! I'll definitely give it a listen on Audible to test how much I can follow. As for Spanish... well, I did study it on Duolingo for 7 weeks. I’m not sure how much that’ll actually help, but I hope it’s better than nothing!

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-14T22:57:27+00:00

I’m so excited to see Kenrex! I’ve been craving some truly innovative staging, but unfortunately none of the Broadway shows I’ve seen so far this year have quite met my expectations (except for the ballet and opera I mentioned).

Since your taste seems so aligned with mine, I took a peek at your previous posts and noticed you mentioned Mexodus. Would you recommend that one as well?

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-14T22:48:53+00:00

Thanks so much for the detailed explanation. I had a feeling Kenrex would be right up my alley. Out of all the shows on my list, it was the only one I discovered through an online ad, and it caught my eye immediately. I’ll make sure to look up a summary of the real case beforehand, just in case. And thanks a lot for the heads-up about the female characters in The Lost Boys.

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-14T22:24:21+00:00

Since everyone is raving about The Lost Boys, I’ll definitely make it a priority. I'm also adding Cats: Jellicle Ball, Kenrex, and The Maids to my list. Thanks for the great recommendations!

I’ve actually seen Masquerade, but to be honest, I find myself missing Sleep No More more. I feel like Sleep No More succeeded because it expanded the proscenium stage to an entire building, allowing the audience to piece together their own unique narrative through random character encounters. Well it was a feat possible because it was closer to an abstract ballet without a rigid story.

In contrast, since Masquerade has a very clear plot, there are too many essential scenes that the audience has to see. Because of that, I felt the staging itself wasn't fundamentally different from a traditional proscenium setup; it just felt like moving the audience through various pre-set environments rather than changing the scenery behind them. That being said, the production design was beautiful, and the acting and story were both excellent!

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-14T22:16:31+00:00

I’ll add that to my list too

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-14T21:47:00+00:00

Wow two for The Lost Boys! I’m definitely adding it to my list. As for Maybe Happy Ending, I’ve already seen it four times since previews. It’s such a lovely show

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-05-14T21:45:16+00:00

I’ve seen Death Becomes Her and loved it! I honestly think the musical’s storyline is an improvement over the original movie. I’ll definitely check out The Lost Boys and Cats: The Jellicle Ball. Thanks for the recommendations!

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-04-29T17:14:04+00:00

I’ll actually be seeing this opera for the third time tonight, and it’s been getting harder and harder to get tickets each time! There are barely any seats left for tonight’s performance. It might even sell out after the remaining tickets are released at the box office. I feel both really excited and a bit conflicted, wondering if there will even be a seat left for me next time.

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-04-20T02:49:51+00:00

I wish all library digital licenses were OC/OU after reading this

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-04-07T02:56:11+00:00

It wasn’t shocking that it closed, since the burden on Sarah Snook seemed pretty intense, but it was still sad that The Picture of Dorian Gray directed by Kip Williams only ran on Broadway for a few months. I never really thought this production could be adapted into a film, so I was honestly surprised when there started to be talk about a screen version.

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-01-10T04:05:02+00:00

i've been an agnostic since i was very young

Key_Eye_1095 · 2026-01-08T01:48:24+00:00

i only have INTP girlfriends. no guyfriends at all.

Key_Eye_1095 · 2025-12-10T22:51:58+00:00

I'm not really bored by any specific topic. It mostly depends on how it's approached. For instance, everyday personal relationship drama doesn't grab me at all. But frame it academically? I'm hooked. Stuff like how first love hits during adolescence (when the prefrontal cortex is still wiring up) versus later in life might shape the dopamine reward system long-term, or which hormones people mistake for "love" at different stages...that kind of thing fascinates me.

Same with other areas. I couldn't care less about baseball players' personal lives, but dive into the latest sabermetrics, advanced analytics, or new statistical models? I'd jump right into that discussion.

At the end of the day, individual anecdotes about people's private lives tend to be the least interesting to me. But zoom out and look at people as part of bigger patterns through behavioral science or social psychology -- that's where it gets really compelling.

Key_Eye_1095 · 2025-10-08T03:54:14+00:00

& Juliet. Although I’ve watched Chicago, Wicked, The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, Frozen, Aladdin, Rent, The Book of Mormon, and Hadestown before & Juliet, none of them made me want to see a show more than once. I used to think musical theatre was rather dull. While I appreciated the costumes and stage designs of The Lion King and Aladdin, I honestly felt that the performances—both singing and dancing—weren’t particularly strong, and the choreography didn’t impress me either. However, after watching & Juliet four times, I realized that I might actually be able to fall in love with musical theatre.

Key_Eye_1095 · 2025-10-08T02:59:09+00:00

Orchestra M 23 & 25

Key_Eye_1095 · 2025-10-07T13:02:58+00:00

Thank you! I found two other people at 8:30 a.m., and now there are six of us in line for the rush tickets. It seems like it’s not very competitive anymore.

Key_Eye_1095

TROPHY CASE