Best show this season! I’m usually not a fan of jukebox musicals, but this one is worth singing. Jessie Mueller does a fantastic job of recreating the Carole King of this era. It’s also a compelling story. Definintely a recommend!

Based on a Woody Allen crime-comedy movie of the same name, this new addition to the musical theatre repertoire was a bit underwhelming. I suppose that is why it is closing. With the exception of Marin Mazzie, performances were pretty flat. This was quite noticeable when she arrived on stage about a third of the way into the show. While I didn’t particularly care for it, it was fun to share the show experience with a friend I hadn’t seen in several years.

Shows like this make me wonder why producers would want to produce something like this.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get to any of the previous three shows this year in the Broadway by the Year series. In the past, the focus of each show has been on the music of a single year. This year, however, Scott Siegel (the shows host) promised 100 years of Broadway with 100 different songs and performers. This final show took listeners from the early 90s to the current day. While I enjoyed the show overall, I thought the music selection was a little on the loud, belty side. Also, many of the pairings of performer and song were not the best. Quite a few of the songs pushed the limited of the performers and it showed.

This final show of 2014 featured several original performers:

• Cheryl Freeman – The Acid Queen (TOMMY – 1993)
• Jack Noseworthy – One Track Mind (SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS – 2002)
• Chad Kimball – Memphis Lives in Me (MEMPHIS – 2009)

Siegel indicated that the 2015 series will follow the same format – 100 years of Broadway with 100 songs and performers. I hope to be able to see the entire series next year!