Bubbling up with Helena

I saw a lot of theater in 2024, including some shows more than once. While not all of these shows were shows that were new to me this year, these were some of the most special nights (or afternoons) at the theater for me this year.

Swept Away at Arena Stage

I made sure to see Swept Away in its out of town tryout in Washington D.C., and I was blown away. I picked this particular time seeing this show because there was something magical about not knowing where this story was going to go. The performances by everyone in that cast were (and remain) spectacular. I would personally run John Gallagher Jr.’s Tony Award campaign. He is charming and terrifying as Mate, a sailor coming to terms with some of the hardest moments of his life as a he dies of tuberculosis. There is literally a boat that breaks in half onstage, and I might never be over that set change. I cannot wait for the cast album for this show to be released because I will be listening to it on repeat.

Six Boleyn Tour Singalong

Yellowface

I’ve loved this play by David Henry Hwang since I saw it with my high school class in 2009. I was so excited to see it on Broadway, and it certainly holds up. Hwang’s play is a satirical exploration of racism in the theater industry (and outside the industry as well), which sadly still merits discussion even 18 years after the play first premiered. The play is both funny and a biting commentary, which is what makes it so brilliant. The cast of this Broadway production was perfect. Many of them played multiple characters, and managed to distinguish between them with such clarity. It was especially cool to see Francis Jue as Hwang’s dad, a role I saw him play in 2009. This production was filmed for PBS, so I highly recommend checking it out when it airs.

Suffs on Election Night

I saw Suffs for the first time in April and absolutely loved it. I was so moved by the story of the passage of the 19th Amendment that gave (white) women the right to vote in the United States. Seeing it on election night was thrilling. There was an electric energy in the audience from the beginning. When the lights went up on Jenn Colella to start the show, the whole audience gave her an uproarious cheer. You could see in Jenn’s eyes how moved she was in that moment. On a night that could have been spent very stressed in front of the television, it was so cool to share a hopeful moment with about a thousand other audience members, and the cast onstage of course. While we didn’t elect the first female president of the United States as many of us thought we would, that night at the theater was very special. As Alice Paul says, “the world can be changed, we’ve done it before, so keep marching.”

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson at & Juliet

Seeing a Supreme Court Justice on Broadway was not on my 2024 bingo card. This performance of & Juliet was a perfect blending of my interests and my husband’s. I bought tickets the minute they announced Justice Jackson would be performing. It was so cool to get to see Justice Jackson fulfill her dreams and sing on Broadway. She was really good too! She was clearly so excited to be there and delivered her lines with so much charm and energy. It was also special to get to attend the talkback she did with Gayle King after the show. Even the cast was sitting in the audience for the talkback, which was very cool. They were geeking out just like the rest of us. It truly felt like a once in a lifetime experience.