5 Shows to See in New York This Month

1. Smash
I’ve never seen an episode of the NBC series Smash, the backstage drama set around a fictional Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe. But that didn’t stop me from having a great time at the splashy stage adaptation at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre. The score is from the songwriting team behind Hairspray, with direction by the great Susan Stroman (The Producers), who playfully invites you to sit back and enjoy the sight of some of the most beautiful dancers on Broadway (including veteran comedian Brooks Ashmanskas) knocking it out of the park in Joshua Bergasse’s dazzling production numbers. So what if the plot strains credulity? This big wet kiss to Broadway isn’t likely to make it onto any “Best of” lists, but it’s a guaranteed great night out.

2. Boop! The Musical
I feel the same way about Boop! The Musical, which gives Betty Boop the Barbie treatment by imagining the cartoon flapper dropped into the New York City of 2025. It’s an obvious attempt by the rights holders to squeeze as many dollars as possible out of a piece of intellectual property that is reaching its centennial, but director-choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots) proves once again that naked commerce is no impediment to a good show. His production explodes with color and light—with no one shining as brightly as newcomer Jasmine Amy Rogers in the title role. This is her Broadway debut, and I’ll eat my notepad if she’s not nominated for a Tony. Go see her to find out why.

3. Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
Both shows I’ve suggested are fun, but unlikely to have much impact on the future development of the American musical. For a beautifully produced retrospective of a composer who really did change the game, check out Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, the musical revue from producer Cameron Mackintosh celebrating the late composer. This whirlwind tour of some of the greatest songs ever written for the stage stars Bernadette Peters (still making the audience mist up at 77) and Lea Salonga, who does a remarkably good Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd and sings a rendition of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” that left me with chills. This is a delightful stroll down memory lane for longtime Sondheim-heads, but also an ideal introduction for the uninitiated.

4. Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Long before there was Sondheim, W.S. Gilbert crafted perfectly outrageous rhymes for his wickedly satirical operettas with Arthur Sullivan. Their greatest hit is now back on Broadway as Pirates! The Penzance Musical, starring Tony winner David Hyde Pierce as both the modern major general of the infamous patter song and writer Gilbert. The production puts a frame around the 146-year-old operetta about piracy off the coast of Cornwall, reimagining it in jazzy New Orleans (the revised book is by Rupert Holmes, who wrote The Mystery of Edwin Drood). The cast features Ramin Karimloo as the pirate king and Jinkx Monsoon as nursemaid Ruth—two performances with a high potential for a Tony nomination.

5. Dead Outlaw
And that brings me to one of the shows that I suspect will be shown a lot of love when the Tony nominations come out on May 1. Created by the team behind The Band’s Visit, Dead Outlaw is the unlikely musical tale of a failed train robber whose corpse is put on display and exploited as a sideshow attraction for much of the 20^th century. I loved it when it debuted with Audible off-Broadway, and I’m so glad more people will get a chance to see it now that it’s on Broadway. A dark horse contender, it’s the only show that will give Maybe Happy Ending a run for its money for the all-important Best Musical Tony in June.