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The rating system is simple:

★★★★★ – Terrific, world-standard. Don’t miss.

★★★★ – Great, definitely worth seeing.

★★★ – Good. Perfectly entertaining. Recommended. Individual mileage may vary.

★★ – Fine. Flawed and not really recommended, but you may find something to appreciate in it.

★ – Bad (& possibly offensive).

See more reviews over at The Queer Review.

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Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Book and Lyrics by Don Black & Christopher Hampton.

Every now and again I get a total theatrical obsession. Like the musical Spring Awakening that I saw 9 times in London and on Broadway after pouring over the recording for years. Or the epic two-part play The Inheritance that I’ve now seen 7 full times across three continents and four cities (the new Sydney production will be the 8th). And now, you can add the new production of Sunset Boulevard to the list. After seeing it on Broadway I jumped straight online as I walked out of the theatre and booked to see it again before I left New York, and I’d happily see it more times. I’ve been listening to the live recording ever since.

I’ve made no secrets about how much I love Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard. It was one of the first musicals I owned (as a chunky 2-CD set). I wouldn’t actually get to see it staged till a few years ago when Glenn Close reprised the role in London. Then this year we had Sarah Brightman and Silvie Paladino give us a new production at the Sydney Opera House that I really enjoyed (and happily watched twice to catch both leading ladies). But there was always a shadow hanging over the local production. Friends and critics in London were falling over themselves about the new, Brechtian version of the show, directed by rockstar director Jamie Lloyd and starring popstar-turned-stage-star Nicole Scherzinger. 

Friends were throwing down their cash to see it multiple times and the press were fawning. Scherzinger has been earning her stripes as a stage performer for a few years and has always been an excellent vocalist. Jamie Lloyd meanwhile had made a name for himself as a director who could turn classic plays into blockbusters – a knack for canny celebrity casting, combined with a challenging text and, as would become more pronounced over the years, relatively bare staging. Jamie Lloyd productions have a laser focus on the performer and the script. Actors love working with him. Audiences lap it up. The Jamie Lloyd Company is a brand, and knows how to wield its power to get shows off the ground. 

After a run of missteps like Love Never Dies, Stephen Ward and Bad Cinderella it seems clear Andrew Lloyd Webber was leaning into his back catalogue. He’d been working on a revised version of the roller-skating Starlight Express for years (it’s now opened in London). Jesus Christ Superstar had been given a fresh makeover at London’s Regent’s Park OpenAir theatre (that version would tour the world and is about to arrive in Sydney) with Belgian director Ivo Van Hove working on another new version. And things got kookier with the camp retelling of Cats as The Jellicle Ball. After trying too hard to be cool with Bad Cinderella, Lloyd Webber has suddenly become popular again. It’s like watching Tommy Hilfiger hang out with rappers in the 90s. It’s odd but it works.

So here we are, after knocking them dead in London, Sunset Boulevard is back on Broadway and is the talk of the town (even Rachel Zegler, starring in Romeo + Juliet up the road, dressed as Nicole’s Norma Desmond for Halloween). By removing pesky things like a set, costume changes and comedy numbers, Jamie Lloyd has sharpened the book, tweaked the lyrics and made a self-referentially camp masterpiece. This is Sunset Blvd, now with added cocaine.

And it’s one of the best theatrical experiences I’ve had in years. The closest comparison I have is the first time I saw Kip Williams’ The Picture of Dorian Gray (it’ll be interesting when both shows are on Broadway at the same time in 2025). Nicole Scherzinger’s line readings are so precise, so carefully delivered, she wrings every bit of emotion out of the tunes. You realise just how much her talent was being wasted singing pop music all those years. The bare staging gives the performance leeway to go bigger and it balances out. If you plonked Scherzinger’s performance into the recent Opera House production it would all be too, too much, but against a bare stage, wearing a simple black slip dress, her acting sits perfectly. 

Lloyd has also made some smart decisions with the text. They reportedly rewrote a third of the lyrics, but the changes didn’t feel that major. Removing the two comedy numbers lets the humour come from the performances and keeps the tone consistent. The wafer thin romance between Betty and Joe sits better now that everything else has been stripped back. The somewhat embarrassing “car chase” sequence that leads Joe to Norma’s palazzo has been replaced by cinema-style opening credits (over the course of the show Jamie Lloyd manages to get his name on screen at least three times which threatens to go beyond branding and straight into narcissism). At times it feels like you’re watching a contemporary dance piece rather than a Broadway musical – the cast, dressed in sportswear, moving in sharp lines on the dark stage. 

Of course there are two moments everyone is talking about. The opening of Act II sees Tom Francis as Joe Gillis perform the song “Sunset Boulevard” as a single-shot walk-and-talk. With a camera-man in tow he walks from his dressing room, through the backstage areas, past other dressing rooms (filled with visual jokes for the fans), down to the theatre’s foyer, out onto the street and back again. By the time Francis walks straight onto the stage in time to end the tune, the audience is screaming with applause. 

Then there is the blood soaked finale that’s been flooding social media feeds and became a Halloween sensation. It instantly told the world that this production was visceral and violent. In a show that is primarily black and white, the big washes of red burn into your eyes. As much as I jokingly criticised the local production for concocting a reason for Tim Draxl to get his much Instagrammed six-pack out, here we get Tom Francis drenched in blood, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts and it fits the narrative style completely.

It’s just brilliant theatre. Jamie Lloyd has attacked the text as if it were a contemporary staging of Shakespeare, removing anything that would distract from the music and lyrics, but runs the risk of removing too much context. Judging by the chatter around me in the theatre, there were definitely some confused voices (I heard quite a few people “theatre-splaining” to their friends during the interval).

The other question is, is this all just a star vehicle powered by Nicole Scherzinger’s fanbase? Well I don’t think Scherzinger is the kind of performer with an avid following large enough to hit the numbers this show is hitting. And the fact that both the London and Broadway productions have a regular alternate Norma on select performances in addition to an understudy (much like the Australian production did) means audiences will definitely see another actress do the role. As much as this is a career-making role for her, it’s not all about Nicole. Could this production travel, with a different lead actress (say, to Sydney maybe)? Yes, but good luck casting it.

Jamie Lloyd’s Sunset Boulevard won’t be to everyone’s taste. I know people who were either indifferent or loudly disgusted by it, but for me it sits right in my sweet spot – big musical theatre numbers, defiantly theatrical staging, bold directorial vision. God I hope they film the whole thing.

Most of these shows were in previews so I’m keeping things vague (with no star ratings) but if this is how good they are already then most them are stone cold hits, and one will sadly sink against all the competition.

Maybe Happy Ending (Belasco Theatre) in previews

Book by Will Aronson & Hue Park. Music by Will Aronson. Lyrics by Hue Park.

This feels like a sleeper cult hit for its injection of quirk and adorability. 

Two “retired” personal helper robots reside in rooms across from each other where they will eventually fall into disrepair. Oliver (Darren Criss) is an older Model 3 helper-bot who is convinced his owner will come back to collect him. He spends his days in a neat routine, listening to jazz albums his owner gave him and talking to his plant. His well ordered days are interrupted by a knock on the door. There he finds Claire (Helen J. Shen), a Model 5 who lives across the hallway, in distress. Her charger has broken and she needs to borrow Oliver’s. It’s a classic meet-cute between two spiky neighbours who share a very literal spark. One day Claire convinces Olivier that they should strike out and go find his owner so the two robots break the rules and head off on a road trip.

I’ve not seen a more beautifully sweet musical since I saw Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York) in London. There is a charm that oozes from every aspect of this show. The two leads are magnetic. The design work is stunning. The music is bubbly and retro – this feels like a very 60s sitcom set up. You could easily replace the sci-fi elements with a regular odd-couple neighbours vibe. 

The whole show is will make you laugh and cry and go “awww” a lot but not necessarily in that order. It has more heart than a dozen other shows combined.

I absolutely loved it and would happily pay to see it again.

Sunset Boulevard (St James Theatre) 

Book & Lyrics by Don Black & Christopher Hampton. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

I’m going to save my thoughts on Sunset Boulevard for a separate piece compared with the recent Australian production. Expect that in a few days.

Tammy Faye (Palace Theatre) in previews

Book by James Graham. Music by Elton John. Lyrics by Jake Shears. 

I was very excited about the London transfer of Tammy Faye, and subsequently it was the one I was most disappointed with. I love Katie Brayben, she’s a terrific performer who I’ve seen lead musicals in London and her performance as Tammy Faye is great. Shame the whole show around her isn’t up to the same standard.

The talent involved is fierce. Book by celebrated playwright James Graham whose work I love. Directed by Almeida’s Rupert Gould, music by Elton John and Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears. And none of them live up to their abilities here.

The problems? The whole show feels shallow but if you’ve seen the documentary (or the film starring Jessica Chastain) ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’, you know there is a lot more going on under the surface. Up against juggernauts like Sunset Boulevard and Death Becomes Her, Tammy Faye feels lacking in comparison.

The best thing about this production is the newly refurbished Palace Theatre that has had major structural work (it’s an impressive architectural achievement).

And speaking of Death Becomes Her…

Death Becomes Her (Lunt-Fontanne Theatre) in previews

Book by Marco Pennette. Music & Lyrics by Julia Mattison & Noel Carey.

I’d heard great things coming out of the shows out of town run in Chicago so this had me excited. But then illness struck the cast and the performance I had booked (the second preview) was canceled barely two hours before showtime. As the ushers turned people away we could hear the cast inside furiously rehearsing the understudy. 

I quickly rebooked for the last night before I flew and with Megan Hilty still out, her understudy took the stage… and BLEW THE HOUSE AWAY! I’m actually glad I got to see her. With barely two days of proper rehearsal, and only her second performance in the role, Kaleigh Cronin was brilliantly funny and sharp with some incredibly intricate fight and dance choreography. A lot of the special effects rely on some precision and she nailed it. Jennifer Simard stands as a counterweight with her sultrier vocals and physicality. Former Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams has little to do other than appear in a succession of stunning gowns and sing flawlessly, which she does.

The show itself is big classic camp Broadway stuff. Explicitly playing to the mainly gay audience who can quote every line. The special effects are impressive but not miraculous – they’re very clever but not exactly mind-blowing. The show is brassy and fun. In terms of the new musicals of the season it’s clearly Death Becomes Her v Sunset Boulevard.

The whole purpose of the trip was really to catch up with the big Broadway musicals that had been making waves like The Outsiders. The sad fact is that the majority of these will never be seen in Australia on this scale, so I was trying to soak as much in as I could.

Water For Elephants (Imperial Theatre) ★★★½

Book by Rick Elice. Music & Lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co. Based on the book “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen.

I’m not a fan of either the book or film of Water For Elephants but the Broadway show promised some impressive acrobatics and animal puppetry, so thanks to a TodayTix sale I nabbed seats to see the spectacle. 

And what a spectacle it was! In some ways it’s too much of a spectacle leaving you unsure where to look as things are happening in every corner of the stage. Watching the cast assemble a circus tent in real time, while performing tricks was impressive and the extremely likeable ensemble evoked the tight knit community of circus performers. The animal puppetry was equally impressive, using a mix of puppetry and costumes to bring the beasts to life. Cleverly, they tease the reveal of the stories eponymous elephant letting it assemble slowly. The final result however is less than the sum of its parts – impressive no doubt, but not the showstopper it feels like they wanted. 

Musically the show is… nice but not exceptional. Director Jessica Stone manages the action sequences well using lights and “stop motion” to hint at action that would never look convincing on stage. 

Overall, it’s a solid, fun show that served as an early “warm up” for my trip.

The Outsiders (Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre) ★★★★★

Book by Adam Rapp & Justin Levine. Music & Lyrics by Jonathan Clay, Zach Chance & Justin Levine. Based on the novel “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton and the film by Kathleen Rowell. 

After winning the Tony for Best Musical in 2024, The Outsiders was high on my list because I was very skeptical about how they could turn the story into a Broadway musical without losing its grit. And yes, some of the book’s edges have been worn off for practical reasons but the stage show feels more grounded and earthy than most musicals do. A cast of soulful singers with unique voices save it from the potential tackiness I was expecting. 

The show has received strong write ups for its convincing stage violence, and it is quite brutal by musical theatre standards. A stage covered in gravel makes each movement feel more propulsive and clever lighting hides key moments. 

But it’s the cast that makes this work. Brody Grant reminded me of a young Shia LaBeouf (before he got… weird) as Ponyboy Curtis. Jason Schmidt is a sexy charmer as his brother Sodapop, and Brent Comer’s older sibling Darrel gave midwestern strength under pressure. One real surprise was Emma Pittman as Sherri Valance, a role that could easily have been simply “the girl” but her excellent vocals and performance elevated it.

The Outsiders was basically brilliant and deserves all the acclaim. I’ll admit I was a flood of tears by the end.

The Great Gatsby (Broadway Theatre) ★★★★

Book by Kait Kerrigan. Music by Jason Howland. Lyrics by Nathan Tysen. Based on the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F Scott Fitzgerald.

Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada head up this lavish production that feels very “core Broadway”. Impressively grand sets that blend animation screens with physical elements letting the scenes feel expansive, a large all-singing all-dancing ensemble with classic big ballads and fun up-tempo dance numbers and cars, yes fully operational cars on the set. I wasn’t initially too fussed about seeing it (it was on my “maybe” list) but good words from a few trusted friends pushed me over the line and I really enjoyed myself. 

Jordan’s Gatsby is especially quirky which was a refreshing touch and helped to justify his extreme behaviour. Noblezada was on fine form, while the character of Daisy didn’t feel as suited to her as her role as Eurydice in Hadestown did. 

A fun but frivolous show, my only real complaint was the complete straight-washing of the character of Jordan Baker (played charmingly by Samantha Pauly). No more lesbian golfer but 100% a love interest for Nick Carraway (Noah J. Ricketts). Oh well, that’s the thing with “coded” characters, they can be read either way.

Once Upon A Mattress (Hudson Theatre) ★★★

Original Book by Jay Thompson, Marshall Barer and Dean Fuller. 2024 Book by Amy Sherman-Palladino. Music by Mary Rodgers. Lyrics by Marshall Barer. Based on the fairytale “The Princess & the Pea” by Hans Christian Andersen

I went to Once Upon A Mattress for one reason and one reason only… to finally see Sutton Foster in a show. I’d previously spent a lot of cash to see The Music Man with Foster and Hugh Jackman only for Foster to be off that particular performance. And wouldn’t you know it… she was unexpectedly off for this performance as well! I was furious!

Once the sting of disappointment faded and I settled into the fact that I am simply cursed to never see Sutton Foster on stage, I relaxed and watched the show. It’s cute. It’s a nothing. It’s the kind of show you take the whole family to because it’s twee and won’t offend anyone. Michael Urie plays Prince Dauntless like a cartoon character (and does so very well). The new book by ‘Gilmore Girls’ creator Amy Sherman-Palladino is nice. Other than that the show left next to no impression on me at all.

I spent 12 days (and an undisclosed sum of money) in New York seeing a total of 16 shows, attending the famed New York Comic-Con, and catching up with friends. It was, frankly, a bit mental but then I’ve never been very good at “do nothing and relax” holidays. Despite being a semi-regular visitor, it’s the longest I’ve ever spent in New York in one go so there was a lot of time to cover a lot of shows as well as do everything else.

Let’s start Off-Broadway.

The Big Gay Jamboree (Orpheum Theatre) ★★★

Book by Marla Mindelle & Jonathan Parks-Ramage. Music & Lyrics by Marla Mindelle & Philip Drennen.

With the success of the hilarious Titanique, I was keen to see the new show from Titanique co-creator Marla Mindelle and this one looked just as camp and ridiculous. The premise sounded fun. When a recently engaged former-wannabe-actress wakes up in the town of Bareback, Idaho, she finds herself in a 1940s musical that she can’t escape. 

It’s as if dirt-bag Elenor from ‘The Good Place’ ended up in ‘Schmigadoon’ with a touch of a certain sci-fi TV show on Apple+ which if I named it would probably be a spoiler. The humour is what you expect from a straight woman who’s spent too much time surrounded by gay men. Jokes about bottoming, ethical non-monogamy, cruising, PreP, Real Housewives, RuPaul etc. In an odd twist of fate it shares two simple gags with the much bigger Death Becomes Her – making fun of Idaho, and the fact that if you want to succeed “you’ve got to get the gays”. They’re delivered in different ways in both shows but are essentially the same jokes. The Big Gay Jamboree is not particularly clever but it holds on to the dumb fun energy of a drag performance with some clever set and costume design. 

Teeth (New World Stages) ★★★½

Music & Book by Anna K Jacobs. Book & Lyrics by Michael R Jackson. Based on the screenplay “Teeth” by Mitchell Lichtenstein.

Two names got me interested in seeing Teeth – star Andy Karl and writer Michael R Jackson whose A Strange Loop was a real highlight of my last trip to Broadway. Good word of mouth didn’t hurt either.

This is classic, off-Broadway cult classic material. An adaptation of the film of the same name, in which a young woman cursed/blessed with vagina dentata sinks her teeth into her hypocritical church before unleashing a riot across the town. I’m going to keep some elements vague because the real joy of the show is its shock value. The staging is simple but effective with the real treats coming from the excellent cast. If the sight of severed prop pensises isn’t your bag then this might be too much, but it has total Carrie/Bat Boy vibes. I’ve never seen that much dick on stage (if you see it, you’ll know what I mean). 

Oh and the splash zone is a serious thing, they take great delight in spraying blood from the stage.

Life and Trust (Conwell Tower) ★★★½

Produced by Emursive.

From Emursive, a group of immersive theatre makers who worked on the acclaimed Sleep No More, Life and Trust take the story of Faust as its starting point and places it in 1929, the day before the Great Wall St crash. It helps that they’ve taken over multiple floors of Conwell Tower, a grand building just off Wall Street and turned it into a labyrinthine tower of dark delights.

I’ve not seen Sleep No More (although now I want to) as I’ve always had an aversion to non-linear immersive narratives. I’ve never seen/experienced one that works. And Life and Trust doesn’t really work as a story, it’s more of a sumptuous mood filled with sex and money and betrayal. 

But the quality of the work is clear, the multistory set is glorious and worth wandering around all on its own. While I followed a few characters I found myself happily wandering off and jumping tracks to see new snippets of story with included Dorian Gray getting shirtless and sweaty in his boudoir, a tall boxer fighting a match (and then having very athletic sex with Dorian), two lesbians in a fraught relationship, a crooked doctor manipulating people and being manipulated and Faust tormenting some others one-to-one. To be honest, I have no idea what really connected it all, but it was definitely enthralling. Although the crowd was sometimes too intense and the usual complaint of couples holding hands and walking slowly was very evident. 

Deep History (The Public Theatre) ★★½

Written and Performed by David Finnigan. 

I wanted to see a show at the Public Theatre as I’d never been before and it’s the birthplace of so many future hits and I was excited to see an Australian work playing. Turns out this one man monologue by David Finnigan (writer of Scenes from the Climate Era at Belvoir last year) was part TED Talk, part biography. Essentially a fringe show with Finnigan talking about his own history as the son of a climate scientist. This lecture is played out against a story of the 2019 bushfires that ravaged New South Wales and Finnigan’s best friend who lived in the area. 

Sadly the premise hits rocky patches as the story telling device falls apart in front of the audience. The moment of revelation never lands as the set up is weak and unconvincing.