Chicago is one of the longest-running, American musicals in Broadway history.
But nothing is quite like seeing the real deal in the city where it belongs. For one thing, Broadway helps propel the
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careers of many aspirational actors in the big city; Idina Menzel, original cast-member of Rent, played the part of Maureen ten years before she appeared in the Hollywood film version and became a household name due to appearances in Glee and lending her voice to Elsa in Frozen. While the invention of audible films once
here’s Off-Broadway, and there’s Off-Off-
Broadway in New York – and many of us have likely taken in a Broadway touring act as it passed through our hometowns.
How to get there
Canadian connecting airports: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa
U.S. connecting airports: Minneapolis, Chicago, Denver
threatened the stage, Broadway and Hollywood have long been in a trade agreement with each other. Broadway actors collect big checks on the silver screen; while the actors that now dot the cast lists of Broadway plays are seldom un- recognizable to television viewers worldwide. Most of Hol- lywood’s high-paid performers are humbled by the honour of returning to the stage – the unofficial purest form of the art.
Tis summer’s productions run the fame spectrum from
TV stars Matthew Morrison (Glee) and Kelsey Grammer (Frasier) in Finding Neverland, and Jim Parsons (Te Big Bang Teory) in Te Act of God; to film actors Dame Helen
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Mirren in Te Audience and Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan in Skylight. If celebrity-spotting is on your dream itinerary for New York, it is made easier by taking in a Broadway play. But if you’re seeking an artistically sound performance above all else, don’t judge a playbill exclusively by its star power (though any performance by Dame Helen Mirren, especially one where she reprises her role as Queen Elizabeth II as in Te Audience, is a sure bet). Te Book of Mormon isn’t lit up by big
names, but has been universally celebrated for its hilarity and musical ingenuity. Vogue calls it “the funniest musical of all time.” Te New York Times says it’s “the best musical of this century.” And if you want a famous person’s endorsement, Te
Daily Show's Jon Stewart calls it “a crowning achievement. So good, it makes me angry.” Nicknamed Te Great White Way for its bright white lights, the Broadway district itself comprises 40 professional theatres, and many venues beyond the street itself. In the 1930s, the introduction of film with sound caused film projection theatres to harvest many former playhouses, and ultimately, what temporarily survived of Broadway was just a relatively highbrow form of theatre entertainment – a reputation that has stuck. What thrives now isn’t just musicals, and it’s not all dis-
Summer 2015 • 41
Photo by Matthew Mendoza.
Photo by Dennis Beck.
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