Details: I saw it when it was on Broadway in 2016. You can find the playbill at http://www.playbill.com/production/in-transit-circle-in-the-square-theatre-2016-2017
In Transit is a musical that is performed purely A Capella. There is no background music. Everything is performed by voice. While I enjoyed the show, it did remind me just how much I enjoy live instrumental music.
Details: There is currently a revival of Miss Saigon on Broadway, but the version I saw originally had Lea Salonga in the lead role. The playbill says that it opened on Broadway in 1991. You can find the playbill for the original Broadway performance here: http://www.playbill.com/production/miss-saigon-broadway-theatre-vault-0000012256
When I think about the show Miss Saigon in the context of the current public and political discourse, it’s hard not to feel some discomfort. Miss Saigon is a musical that gave a lot of Asians a chance to perform on Broadway, a place with few if any roles for that ethnic group. Lea Salonga, now a Broadway legend, was discovered through Miss Saigon. On the other hand, Miss Saigon is your classic “white savior” story that takes place mostly in a whore house and has a lot of scantily clad Asian women running around on stage for a lot of the show.
Details: Won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2016, among others. Playbill for the original Broadway cast can be found at http://www.playbill.com/production/hamilton-richard-rodgers-theatre-vault-0000014104. The official site is http://www.hamiltonbroadway.com/
I’ve read a lot about Hamilton that refer to it as not just one of the most successful Broadway shows of all time, but as a phenomena. I don’t know about that, but Hamilton has accomplished something that few shows have ever done. Hamilton has shown me something new. In fact, Hamilton has shown me something that I could not ever have conceived of. Hamilton is a ridiculously entertaining musical that combines numerous musical styles along with a civics lesson about Alexander Hamilton and American history. The result is a show that is so original and contemporary that I doubt anyone other than Lin Manuel Miranda could have come up with it, much less executed it so successfully.
Details: Won the 2004 Tony Award for best musical. The official site is http://www.avenueq.com/#home. The playbill for the original Broadway cast can be found at http://www.playbill.com/production/avenue-q-john-golden-theatre-vault-0000008380
Though Avenue Q came out years ago, it’s still a show whose music I listen to periodically and can still give me a chuckle. This is a review of the original Broadway show and obviously the passage of time affects my opinion of this show.
Muse Bank 