Theatr Insiders | Sleepaway Camps and Corpses
Including recs from Theatr Insiders, latest theatre news, and closing shows
👋 Hello and welcome back!
👀 What’s new in the theatre world?
Awards season is truly upon us — and what a season it’s been! Both the Outer Critics Circle Awards and Drama League Awards have announced their nominations and the Tony nominations come later this week on May 1st. Read more.
Masquerade masks have been found around the city, teasing the return of “Phantom of the Opera.” Read more.
Carle Rae Jepsen and Lena Dunham are collaborating on adapting teen film “10 Things I Hate About You” for the stage. Read more.
📝 Recommendations from Theatr Insiders
This week we’re sharing reflections from our Theatr Insiders on Broadway and Off-Broadway shows around the city, Grief Camp, All the World’s a Stage, Dead Outlaw, The Last Five Years, and Glengarry Glen Ross.
Grief Camp
📍Linda Gross Theater
👍 Recommended by Brandon
@brandongarciaw | A theatre journalist with a focus mainly on Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.
If you’ve ever been to sleepaway camp or wished you had, Grief Camp might be the perfect show to relive your youth. Losing someone dear to you at any age is difficult, but losing someone as a teenager is much more complicated. At an age where you are trying to appease your peers while learning about your true self, summer camp is where the confusion of every day adolescence pauses, and you can be who you really are. Or at least who you might want to be. These elements and so much more are at the forefront of this truly engaging play. Grief Camp builds an intimate environment allowing audiences into a world that feels hyperrealistic while at the same time absurd in the most charming way. Instead of diving deep into the characters’ journeys from the start, Smith first builds the world and allows the characters to just be. I find this tactic most effective when trying to tell a well-rounded story about young adults. The result is a deeply personal look at what it means to lose someone close to you in adolescence. Sharp humor keeps the play moving at a brisk pace as not a second onstage is wasted. Although the audience is not exactly sure what we’re watching at first, we remain fully immersed, okay with what we don’t know and eager to learn more. Grief Camp is a one-of-a-kind coming-of-age story that is not to be missed. Read more
All the World’s a Stage
📍Theatre Row
👍 Recommended by Matthew
@NotesofNassida | Music Director, Theatre Maker & Performer based in NYC
I love Adam Gwon so I’ll announce my bias immediately. I feel like this show has such a beautiful and poignant message for our current times and while I still found some moments where I couldn’t quite attach to a song or moment there were far more that moved me even some to tears. The open number alone was jaw droppingly beautiful and instantly had me because, as. Mr. Gwon puts it so brilliantly later in the piece, “Someone found the words.” What they say about the show being a love letter to the theatre is true and if you are someone who has been moved by any production, you will find yourself in this one. I request a cast recording immediately, that is all I ask. Read more
Dead Outlaw
📍Longacre Theatre
👍 Recommended by Leah
@leahmomoschella | Fulltime education policy consultant to enable my travel, theater, cocktails, and women’s sports loves.
What is it about corpses on Broadway this season? Someone should do a Dead Outlaw and Operation Mincemeat double feature to honor all the weird things humans have done with corpses. Where Mincemeat brings humor, face-paced lyrics, and clever choreography, Dead Outlaw brings great music and at times you feel as if you're at a concert with a story happening around it. This show starts strong and ends strong, but drags a bit in the middle as characters are introduced but minimally developed. (Understanding that of course, it's hard to really develop a character who is dead, I guess). Go see this show for the impressive feat of watching the lead character stand absolutely still as a corpse for at least 30 minutes while people sing and dance around him. Read more
The Last Five Years
📍Hudson Theatre
👍 Recommended by Matthew
@NotesofNassida | Music Director, Theatre Maker & Performer based in NYC
First off, Jason Robert Brown has put so many sincere and painful sentiments within his incredible music and seeing this show continues to remind me of how truly incredible the writing of this piece is (including the new orchestrations!) However, I felt the distance of a Broadway theater in a show that is so intimate and I lacked the ability to connect with either of the characters throughout the piece even though I’ve had no trouble when seeing the show in the past. I will say that Cathy being played by a woman of color really enlightened me on so many different intricacies within the piece and I’d love to keep seeing it done that way! But I personally just left the theater feeling roughly the same as to when I went in and that’s never my goal when attending a show. Read more
Glengarry Glen Ross
📍Palace Theatre
👍 Recommended by Leah
@leahmomoschella | Fulltime education policy consultant to enable my travel, theater, cocktails, and women’s sports loves.
Grateful that I grabbed a last minute $80 ticket to this show. I'd probably have different opinions if I had paid several hundreds like the going rate. The big names (Keiran Culkin, Bill Burr, Bob Odenkirk) are indeed fantastic in this show which tells the story of capitalism, keeps you laughing with both verbal and physical comedy, and really impressed me with the full office set. The dialogue is quick and witty, and the ensemble really does gel. For me, the beginning didn't match the energy and pacing of the second act, but luckily the first act is only 40 minutes. This show is in the details - the body language, intentional stage positioning, and comedic timing made me want to see this show again to catch all the details. And go during Red Bucket season and actually stay. Watching this cast auction things for BCEFA is almost better than the show itself! Read more
Producing a show in NYC in 2025?
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We will then hand-select Insiders based on their preferences and invite them to sign up for one of the available days. A live sign up sheet will be shared with your team so you can have direct access to the Insider names.
💨 Closing in Two Weeks
I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan | Atlantic Stage 2 | Closing on 4/30
The Conquest of Bread | NYU Skirball | Closing on 5/1
Hold Me in the Water | The Judy Theatre | Closing on 5/4
Last Call | New World Stages | Closing on 5/4
Aida | The Metropolitan Opera | Closing on 5/9
Rheology | HERE Arts Center | Closing on 5/10
All the World’s a Stage | Theatre Row | Closing on 5/10
Grief Camp | Linda Gross Theater | Closing on 5/11
Mindplay | Greenwich House Theater | Closing on 5/11
Wonderful Town | New York City Center | Closing on 5/11
The Wild Party | New York City Center | Closing on 5/11
We Had a World | New York City Center | Closing on 5/11