15 Shows in 30 Days, a.k.a. my Big New York Experiment

New York City enchanted me as a child thanks to Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and Big Business (starring Bette Middler and Lilly Tomlin), and countless mornings watching the Today Show on NBC. Since the first time I visited in 2005, I dreamed of one day living here and making New York City my home.

There are a million reasons to love New York but for me, one of the key things I love most about NYC is theatre. Growing up in Peoria, Illinois, one doesn’t have much access to theatre and the arts (shoutout to Peoria Players and Cornstalk Lab Theater!) and the first real musical I saw was a touring company of Les Miserables when I was in 6th grade. So, when afforded the opportunity to see a show on Broadway, I’m in. (For the record: my first show on Broadway was Rent.)

After making six trips to New York this year of varying lengths, I decided to take a wild leap and signed a monthlong sublease for an apartment in Williamsburg. I work remotely and one of my main clients has an office in Midtown, so it was a perfect excuse to give the Big Apple a test drive for a month and experience everyday life there.

This month-long adventure also meant that I would see as many shows as my budget would allow. And thanks to TodayTix, an app that has literally changed my theate-going life, I was able to see quite a few.

15 shows later, here’s a few things I learned:

A Band’s Visit — this beautiful new musical shows how although we may have differences, we are all searching for love and acceptance, and music is a powerful thing that can connect us across cultural and social divides.

Meteor Shower —a new play written by Steve Martin starring Amy Schumer, Keegan-Michael Key, Laura Benanti, and Jeremy Stamos is a hilarious comedy that really has no moral lessons other than the reminder that it’s good to have a laugh.

Cats — You really can’t call yourself a Broadway fan without seeing the staples, and this was one I hadn’t seen yet. It may be the strangest thing I’ve ever seen with literally no coherent storyline, but the dancing and singing were top notch!

Tiny Beautiful Things — Starring Nia Vardalos from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, is based on the book by Cheryl Strayed. My favorite line from the show was, “You cannot convince people to love you. This is an absolute rule. No one will ever give you love because you want him or her to give it. Real love moves freely in both directions. Don’t waste your time on anything else.” PREACH.

Odepius el Rey — A modern re-telling of the story of Oedipus in South Central LA, left me haunted by the question, “Will we remember our stories or will we be doomed to repeat them?”

People, Places, and Things — This was hands down, the most powerful play I’ve seen to date. It follows the journey of an actress battling addiction going through rehab. It was powerfully human, painful, and a sobering (no pun intended) reminder of the power that is within each one of us to face our demons.

M. Butterfly — based on the wildly true story of French diplomat who fell in love with a Chinese opera singer, this play brings up questions about white privilege, gender roles, and ultimately what we are (or are not) willing to do for love.

The Children —is a new play that came from sold-out crowds in London. It evokes a slew of emotions about life, love, and aging. And in the end, the characters are confronted with the choice to make the right, hard choices necessary to make life better for future generations.

Latin History for Dummies — This one man show featuring John Leguizamo was one that hit close home to me. My dad is Mexican, my mom is American, and I was adopted and raised by a middle class white family. While I’ve gotten to know my biological family and embrace my Latin identity, there’s so much I don’t know about my history. And this play, aptly named, was a crash course in Latin history, reminding everyone it’s important to know where you come from.

Chicago — Chicago has long been a favorite of mine and I went to see Todrick Hall make his debut in the role of Billy Flynn. While it has everything you want from a Broadway musical: big ballads, sultry performances, the glitz and glamor, it’s always a good reminder that fame is indeed fleeting in a world where everyone has their 15 minutes of fame.

Beautiful — This was definitely a sleeper hit for me. Admittedly, I didn’t have much initial interest in seeing it, but having a free evening and cheap ticket (thanks TodayTix!) I was blown away by this captivating story of songwriting legend Carole King. The story, performances, and entire production were truly beautiful!

The Parisian Woman — Written by House of Cards writer Beau Willimon and starring Uma Thurman, this play takes a hard look at the underbelly of politics in Washington D.C. after the 2016 election. It was good, not great, but I did love seeing the audience squirm at the mention of the name Trump.

Once on This Island — Hands down the BEST new musical I’ve seen this year. From the theater in the round and literally having sand under your feet, you’re transported to another world and wrapped into a tragic love story that will leave you weeping and smiling. The cast is remarkable! It reminds us that “our lives become the stories that we weave.”

Sponge Bob Squarepants — If you have any connection to the cartoon, you will adore this fun and creative new musical featuring songs from Steven Tyler, The Flaming Lips, Sara Bareilles, The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! at The Disco, Plaine White T’s, and T.I. Kids and the kid in all of us will love this immersive journey into the depths Bikini Bottom where you’ll be reminded no one is ordinary, we’re all extraordinary!

Dear Evan Hansen (Ben Platt’s final performance) — Admittedly, I’ve seen Dear Evan Hansen three times this year. When I happened to find a ticket to see Ben Platt’s final performance that didn’t cost nearly as much as my monthly rent, I knew I needed to go. The show itself is an emotional roller coaster that can reduce anyone to tears, but this performance was especially gut-wrenching. From opening moment when the laptop screen flipped open to reveal Ben’s silhouette, the crowd rose to their feet in a standing ovation that easily lasted for over a minute. And for the next two and a half hours, we all journeyed with the cast through their emotional performances that were further punctuacted by the fact they were aware each moment of the show would be the last they’d share as a family. There were multiple times through the performance where Ben and other cast members were visibly shaken and even broke character a few times letting out tears. It was painful and beautiful and at the close of the show the audience gave Ben three separate standing ovations. After the show, a crowd spilled onto the street outside of the stage door signing songs from the show. It was indeed a special thing to be a part of that bit of Broadway history and to be among the voices cheering on Ben for his incredible performance bringing Evan Hansen to life.

What the stage brings to life is the questions and longings we face, and that, to me, is the power of Broadway.

Behind the sets, the costumes, the lyrics and the music, the scripts, and amazing performances… behind the curtain… behind it all… is the power of story.

Whether it’s through re-tellling factual events or weaving stories together about feline cats, a sponge in the ocean, or a fictitious family, we can all see ourselves through the lenses of the stories we tell. With theater, we can escape from ourselves and the reality of the world around to us and learn more about who we are, and what makes us human.

Sometimes we need to laugh.

Sometimes we need to cry.

Somtimes we need to be dazzled and entertained.

Sometimes we need to be challenged or confronted by things that are uncomfortable.

And sometimes we simply need to be reminded we are not alone.

And thanks to the artists, musicians, actors, directors, script writers, lyricists, composers, and everyone who brings those stories to life every night on the stage, we’re reminded we are indeed, not alone.

So 15 shows and 30 days later, what’s next for me?

Well, New York cast its spell on me and I’ll be relocating there soon. I’m ready for a new adventure and can’t think of a better place to go than to a city that has inspired me so much. I only hope I can make as small of impact on it as it’s made on me already.

And you better believe I’m already planning out what shows I’ll be seeing next!

Save $10 off your first show on TodayTix when you enter my code IWWSK at checkout!