A Sneak Peak Into Broadway’s Hottest Sensations

Be it satire, romance, mystery or drama, Broadway never fails to entertain its audiences with top notch musicals and plays, which no theater fanatic can miss out on. This year, many new names like Rupert Grint and Kieran Culkin made their debuts on Broadway while other notable names like Matthew James Thomas and Sierra Boggess return to the stage for revivals of classics like Pippin and The Phantom of the Opera, respectively. But what’s more interesting here is the hot news about the musicals that had us on our toes this season.

Blasphemy Everywhere, God Have Mercy!

Yes, I’m talking about the genii of the creators of comedy hit South Park – The Book of Mormon, which has retained its musical comedy spirit and peppiness despite being in the insalubrious Broadway environment for more than three years now. A religious satire that follows the story of two naïve proselytizers who are off to Uganda for missionary work but end up helping the local community with poverty, food and war, The Book of Mormon is crude and controversial but at the same time undeniably brilliant and hysterically funny – something Broadway devotees had been waiting for a long time. Winner of nine Tony Awards, this is undoubtedly an ebullient musical that will restore your faith in musical comedy.

A Non-Stop Blitz of Pop Hits and Irresistible Tunes

A jukebox musical couldn’t get any better than Motown the Musical. This is more than just a Broadway musical. With its star-studded cast featuring Allison Semmes Clifton Oliver and Jarran Muse, this Tony nominated musical is an irresistible joy ride that’s reeling on with the same contagious energy as it had during its debut in 2013. Though dramatically a little clumsy, Motown the Musical is a pop music heaven with dozens of Motown classics like I Hear a Symphony, Please Mr. Postman and Two Lovers Medley by the likes of Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye. The musical attempt to tell Berry Gordy’s story of creating the Motown record and does it with such style and panache that the audience can’t help but bop through these all time greatest hits.

The Timeless Journey of the Phantom

Absence does make the heart grow fonder, but when it comes to the Phantom of the Opera, the truism of this sentimental cliché is non-existent. Courtesy of of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s thrilling score, you simply cannot get enough of this iconic musical. This breathtaking production, now starring Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess, opened on Broadway in 1988, more than two decades ago and is still running, making it the longest running Broadway show in history. Despite monopolizing Broadway for years and contrary to the anticipations of many critics, the show hasn’t lost its grandeur and luster and is still an intense hair-raising tale of obsession and romance that has become a tourist attraction at the Majestic Theatre.

The Drag Queen Grabbed Six Tony Awards with a Seemingly Absurd Idea

The higher the heel, the higher the spirit, is what we saw in this musical. If you haven’t guessed it yet we are talking about the sturdy stilettos of Kinky Boots, the six-time Tony Award winning blockbuster by Cyndi Lauper. The musical takes the audience to London where Charlie, a shoe factory owner is struggling to keep up with a business that’s continuously declining. Things are unexciting until Lola enters the picture and helps Charlie (played by Andy Kelso) find his inspiration in the form of a harebrained idea that actually works. An exhilarating yet moving tale, kinky Boots tell us how changing one’s mind can actually change the whole world.

Trapped, But Happy – The Search for Meaning

Blinded, Pippin kills his father.  He is ready to jump into fire in the name of his extraordinary purpose, only to be rescued at the last minute by the realization that what he was running after was there all that time. It was only that he was unaware of the fact that happiness is in the simplest of things, things we usually choose to ignore. Diane Paulus’s four-time Tony winning Broadway revival of Pippin has become a merrier show within a year and a half. Pippin still manages to dazzle the audience with its soaring musical numbers and extraordinary acrobatics and this is one show you should not miss.