Theatrical discourse and debate plus thoughts on Jeremy Jordan in Just in Time and reviews of Jack & Sarah and Fourteen Again.
OHMYGOD HEY!
Welcome back to my weekly collation of the various reviews, opinion pieces and theatre news updates I’ve shared across multiple social media platforms.
As promised in last week’s newsletter, I wasted little time since arriving back from New York before getting to the theatre, and headed to Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District for the opening night performance of Fourteen Again at the newly renamed Victoria Wood Theatre. Just sometimes, the sheer joy, meaning, and thoughtfulness of a piece of theatre overtakes critical cynicism and allows such evenings to feel like nothing short of a privilege.
One of the biggest events of the week (easily identifiable by the spike in my blood pressure readings) was the announcement of the 2026 Tony Award Nominations, which this year were destined not to be uncontroversial. Though the field was smaller (especially for new musicals), some categories including those for Leading Actresses in Musicals and Featured Actresses in Plays were bound to prove contentious. My condensed thoughts detailed fair and exciting recognition of a unique year on Broadway, and the exclusion of certain fan favourite names perhaps serves as an annual reminder to fans that awards don’t always correlate to Instagram followers, box office records, or fan account fervour.
And while I’m already treading divisive ground, do check out a video I shared this week in collaboration with my friend and peer Kate Reinking in which we debate the worst songs in the scores of otherwise celebrated musicals (including Legally Blonde, Into the Woods, and Jesus Christ Superstar). It’s both a glimpse into what all of our conversations devolve into, and a throwback to the kind of content I first shared when speaking to a camera 6 years and 100,000 followers ago.
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This Week’s Videos
How is Jeremy Jordan in JUST IN TIME? Thoughts on the Broadway star’s performance in the musical…
While I was in New York seeing newly opened shows, I made 1 or 2 exceptions, including to pay a return visit to a hit musical from last season, Just In Time.
The show, which depicts the life and career of Bobby Darin, opened last year at the Circle in the Square Theatre starring Jonathan Groff, and now stars Jeremy Jordan (The Great Gatsby, Floyd Collins, Newsies) as the celebrated entertainer.
Check out what I thought of Jeremy’s performance, my 2nd visit to the show, and the new supporting cast including Isa Briones and Carrie St Louis…
Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
Will EVITA work with no balcony? Thoughts on changes for the Rachel Zegler led Broadway transfer…
It was recently announced that the West End revival of Evita starring Rachel Zegler, and directed by Jamie Lloyd will transfer to Broadway, with further information to be confirmed.
One thing we do know, however, is that the Olivier Award winning actress will not be singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ from an exterior balcony to an outdoor crowd as she did nightly at the London Palladium.
With no confirmation of how this number will be staged when the show arrives in New York, I’m speculating about what the Broadway version might look like and how it will potentially impact the show…
Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
Are these the worst songs in these musicals? A stagey debate ft Kate Rinking (@theatreislife )
We’ve all thought about it before – that one song in a great musical that you just don’t love listening to, or seeing it onstage.
Well, I sat down with one of my closest friends, Kate Reinking, with whom I disagree about theatre constantly, to debate some of the worst songs in some of the best and most popular musicals.
Check out which numbers we chose from shows like Heathers, Beetlejuice, Wicked, Into the Woods, Les Misérables, Waitress, Legally Blonde, and more, and feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments!
Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
This Week’s Reviews
Jack & Sarah at The Mill at Sonning, Berkshire
★★★ Review available YouTube / Instagram / TikTok
Fourteen Again at The Victoria Wood Theatre, Bowness-on-Windermere
★★★★ Review available YouTube / Instagram / TikTok
The Spring 2026 Broadway Vlog Part 2 – The Lost Boys, Proof, Giant, Just in Time, Rocky Horror, more
It’s been a few months since my stagey fiancé Aeron James and I last visited New York, so this month we headed back stateside to catch as many of the Spring Broadway openings as possible.
In the second part of a three part vlog series, join us vicariously to see newly arrived productions of musicals including The Lost Boys and The Rocky Horror Show as well as plays including The Balusters, Every Brilliant Thing, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and Proof.
We also headed back to Just in Time to see Jeremy Jordan in the leading role, plus Mexodus off-Broadway, a party welcoming Kenrex to New York, and an album signing event for Ragtime.
As always, check out what we experienced from theatre merchandise to late night bar snacks, and stay tuned for plenty of reviews and the next vlog instalment!
The Spring 2026 Broadway Vlog Part 3 – Cats, Becky Shaw, Miscast, Titanique, Dog Day Afternoon, more
In the third and final part of a three part vlog series, join us vicariously to see a few more Broadway plays and musicals including Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Dog Day Afternoon, Titaníque and Becky Shaw, plus our first visit to MCC Miscast!
As always, check out what we experienced from theatre merchandise to late night bar snacks, and stay tuned for plenty of reviews!
What’s coming up this week?
This week, after much theatrical travel, I’m back on familiar turf – with back to back London performances Monday to Friday, including the already very sold out run of Krapp’s Last Tape starring Gary Oldman at the Royal Court, the West End transfer of 1536, and the UK Tour of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert (as they sing in the megamix: finally!).
Stay tuned for my verdict of where Broadway’s best plays can currently be found, an update on the fire that shut down performances of The Book of Mormon, and footage of that trip to the Lake District.
Until next week, I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have a stagey… week! – Mickey-Jo
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