Spotlight: Curtain Up! Does Broadway

Spotlight Feature: Curtain Up! Does Broadway | New York, New York | Curtain Up! | Eric Fitzgerald

I get to New York once or twice a year, and every time I go back, it’s like my body remembers a rhythm I lived in for twenty years. I usually cram in five shows in two days — a schedule that makes friends look at me with concern, but honestly, it feels perfectly normal once I’m there. The city flips a switch, and suddenly I’m walking to a box office like it’s 2004 again. The lights, the lobbies, the hush before a show starts — all of it hits exactly the way it used to. This trip was no different. It reminded me, yet again, that New York isn’t a place I “visit.” It’s a place I briefly fall back into, like an old habit I have no intention of breaking.

I stayed at the Pod Hotel on 9th and 42nd, which has become a bit of a reliable landing spot for me. The location is unbeatable, and the price — especially by New York standards — feels almost suspiciously reasonable. I lucked into a last‑minute rate just over $200 a night, which in this city is basically the equivalent of finding a unicorn with a MetroCard. Yes, the rooms are tiny (the name doesn’t lie), but they’re smartly designed and have everything a traditional hotel offers, just arranged with a certain… economy of space. For a quick theatre sprint, it’s exactly what I need.

From there, I made my way to Sardi’s for my 5 p.m. reservation. I’m a member of Audience Rewards — worth checking out if you buy New York theatre tickets with any regularity — and I’d cashed in enough points for a $50 gift certificate, which took a traditionally pricey meal down to something far more reasonable. I ended up seated directly under Dick Van Dyke, among other familiar faces smiling down from the walls, which felt like the right kind of welcome. I started with their classic onion soup and followed it with a genuinely delicious salmon entrée with sweet potato purée and spinach. I skipped dessert, but I did splurge on the $12 cup of coffee, because if you’re going to overpay for anything in New York, it might as well be the thing that keeps you awake for the next show.

My first show of the trip was Chess, the Cold War pop‑opera with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA and lyrics by Tim Rice. This production stars Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, and Nicholas Christopher — a genuine musical powerhouse of a trio. My seat was in the first row and marked “partial view,” but I didn’t miss a thing; if anything, it felt like being dropped right into the center of the tension. The score is the real engine of the show, driving everything forward with a kind of bold, 80s theatrical sweep. And it all builds to that fabulous “One Night in Bangkok,” which Tveit delivered with a sharp, coiled intensity that brought the house to life.

Saturday started with a quick trip to the Museum of Modern Art, just enough time to take in a few favorites before heading out to meet my best theatre buddy, Jacquie T., a former agent and all-around theatre aficionado whom I have known for more than forty years, for Every Brilliant Thing with Daniel Radcliffe. The play has been performed around the world for years, a small, intimate piece built around a single actor and a list of life’s bright spots. It’s thrilling theatre, even for someone like me who’s not usually a fan of audience participation of any kind. Radcliffe was sublime — open, grounded, and completely in control of the room — and he’ll soon be replaced by Mariska Hargitay, which should make for a fascinating shift in tone. I’m glad we saw it when we did. The message is simple and deeply felt, and the whole experience lands as genuinely life‑affirming.

After Every Brilliant Thing, I sprinted over to Circle in the Square to catch Matthew Morrison in Just in Time: The Bobby Darin Story. I know Jonathan Groff had originated the role, but Morrison’s performance left me genuinely taken aback in the best way. I honestly can’t imagine anyone inhabiting Darin more fully. He’s a true triple threat, and he carried the show with a mix of charm, precision, and vocal firepower. Through all the familiar songs, he didn’t imitate Darin so much as channel him, giving the music a lived‑in ease that made the whole evening feel effortless.

Sunday started with the new Broadway production of The Rocky Horror Show, which turned out to be an absolute blast. The cast — including Rachel Dratch, Juliette Lewis, and Luke Evans — leaned into the camp and chaos in all the right ways, and Jacquie T. and I both agreed it was a terrific take on a cult classic. The audience was surprisingly well‑behaved, especially considering the recent press about people showing up ready to reenact the movie version instead of watching the stage production. Thankfully, this crowd knew where they were, and the whole thing landed as a sharp, joyful reminder of why this show keeps coming back.

Finally, I wrapped the trip with the Off‑Broadway mainstay Perfect Crime, which has been running for more than 38 years and still stars Catherine Russell, who has performed the role since opening night. I went mostly out of curiosity — how could I not, given its legendary run? — and it turned out to be a solid, straightforward production. I wasn’t disappointed, though it was the one I connected with least out of everything I saw this weekend. Still, there’s something undeniably charming about watching a piece of New York theatre history continue to do exactly what it’s been doing for nearly four decades.

It was a wonderful trip — five strong productions, a whirlwind of good theatre, and the chance to spend real time with Jacquie T. again. The whole weekend seemed to unfold with that rare, easy rhythm where everything lines up: the timing, the seats, the meals, even the weather. It all reminded me how energizing these quick New York bursts can be. I’m already sketching out the next visit, because there’s always another show waiting to pull me back.