Theater Thursday - Brooklyn's Bridge

We received complimentary tickets to Brooklyn's Bridge for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Brooklyn's Bridge

Where: The Space at Irondale

              85 South Oxford St.

              Brooklyn, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 11 and Up

When: Through August 23, 2026

Brooklyn's Bridge is the story of the building of the iconic landmark and the woman largely responsible for it, Emily Roebling. Ms. Roebling, an engineer in her own right, surreptiously took over the project after a severe injury to her husband, the project's chief engineer. In the musical, Emily is passionately played by the lovely-voiced Sarah Joyce.

In fact, there are several particularly strong singers in the show, including Evan Blackwell, who plays EF Farrington. There are also quite a few nice songs in the score, although one in particular is repeated ad nauseum until it becomes kind of annoying. Unfortunately, the venue's cooling system is quite loud, which makes it difficult to hear at times, which is more of an issue with the quieter ballads and spoken dialogue than with rousing chorus numbers. 

A secondary plot of the show revolves around the notorious Boss Tweed and his interference with the project. Although this may be historically accurate, centering his character so much takes too much focus away from Emily, who becomes almost a side character in her own story. Using the character of Thomas Nast as a framing device and particularly playing up his feud with Boss Tweed does the same. Thus, although the musical does a good job of bringing to light the quite inspirational story of Emily Roebling, it should be centered even more so on her.

And that's our view. For more about Brooklyn's Bridge or to purchase tickets, visit www.irondale.org/on-stage/brooklyns-bridge-musical

Tune in Saturday for Still More Theater Saturday.

Photo credits:

All Brooklyn's Bridge production photos by David Fernandez

Images used in this post were sent by publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission.  Any Concerns regarding image usage can be addressed here.

Where-To-Go Wednesday - Morgan Library & Museum

We received complimentary tickets to the Morgan Library & Museum. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own. 

What: Morgan Library  & Museum

Where: 225 Madison Ave.

             New York, NY

Who: All ages

The Morgan Library & Museum was founded by J. Pierpont Morgan. It was originally his own private library where he collected rare materials and was located on a portion of his property. Eventually, it grew to incorporate the entire estate and was opened to the public by his son in 1924. Among other things, the building houses the following collections:

Printed Books &  Bindings - These include vast collections of fifteenth-century printed books, children's literature, fine bindings, and illustrated books.

Literary and Historical Manuscripts & Archives - These include complete manuscripts, drafts, letters, journals, and more. Among these are Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol manuscript, Henry David Thoreau's journals, Jane Austen's letters plus the personal papers of the Morgan family. 

Music Manuscripts & Printed Music -These include musicians' letters as well as first editions of librettos and scores. They have the largest collection of Mahler manuscripts and a vast amount of selections from Mozart, Chopin, and more. They also have the most extensive collection of Gilbert and Sullivan materials.

Drawings & Prints - The collection includes thousands of drawings from the 14th through the 19th century. Among them are studies, sketches, and finished works of art. Artists from Italy are particularly strongly represented including Delcroix, Degas, and Rembrandt. In fact, the museum houses the largest collection of Rembrandt etchings.  Some British and American artists are also represented.

Modern & Contemporary Drawings - These cover the entire 20th century through today. They include European postmodern drawings, American post-World War II drawings, and more. Artists represented include Matisse, Pollock, and Sendak. There is also a large collection of Roy Lichtenstein's sketchbooks.

Photography - These focus on areas like artists' portraits and the relationship between pictures and writing.  The collection includes numerous Peter Hujar prints along with his contact sheets.

For more about the Morgan Museum or to purchase tickets to visit, go to www.themorgan.org.

Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.

All pictures used in this post are our own.  Any concerns regarding image usage can be addressed here.

Tips For Tuesday - Books: Night Songs & My Best French Wedding; Movie: Do Us Part

We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Today, we recommend Night Songs by Alli Dyer. On her 18th birthday, Rhea discovers that the late famous country singer Lulabelle "Belle" Powers was her real mother, and she just inherited her mother's estate. She goes to Nashville to learn more about her mother, where she eventually learns about the alleged curse wherein all the women in her family are fated to die at 33. Although her mother's best friend, Hess, dismisses the curse as mere superstition, Rhea feels something sinister as she approaches 33, and her life begins to echo her mother's.

This haunting novel is split into two narratives: Rhea's and her mother, Belle's. It is a novel full of strong female characters, starting with the fierce and determined Belle. There is lots of female bonding as well. Most of the male characters are not entirely likable, and some are not really likable at all. The only truly likable male character is Rhea's significant other, Micah, who truly seems to care about her and is not too overbearing or just generally unlikable like the others.

The novel takes some surprising twists and turns. It reminds us that sometimes things that seem very strange, complex, and even otherworldly turn out to have very simple explanations and that we can never truly know what is in another person's heart and mind.  It also reminds us that we need to pay more attention to mental health.

Today, we recommend My Best French Wedding by Amanda Sellet. Fellow journalists, Hildy and Walter were once friends on the verge of turning into something more until an alleged betrayal turned her against him. Now, they are rivals competing for a story about the biggest wedding of the year or at least that's the way Hildy sees it.

Although this book is billed as a gender flipped retelling of the movie His Girl Friday, all the two have in common is that the main characters are journalists, they were formerly close in some way but no longer are, and the names of the characters. Still, you won't necessarily dislike this book just because you are a big fan of the movie or  because you hate it

Hildy's character is a bit abrasive and tough and hard to like at first. However, once you learn that that is just a front she puts up because of the hurts she feels, it becomes easier to like her.  The competition between her and Walter is mostly in her mind. He is much more easygoing, laidback, and clear about his feelings toward her. It is unclear why he says things that upset Hildy in the first place, but perhaps it's because he was young and stupid, or maybe he was just more competitive then.

Although Hildy and Walter make a decent couple, the most engaging couple in the book are the future bride and groom, Fiona and Robbie. They both exhibit a charming mix of naivety and kindheartedness. Plus, they are adorable together, and every time they make an appearance, the story lights up with a touching sweetness.

Movie: Do Us Part

Today, we recommend Do Us Part. On Ryan's wedding day, the best friend he harbored a crush on all through college, arrives to tell him that she is in love with him. Although this film bears some similiarties to previous films including My Best Friend's Wedding, it has enough unique elements to keep it from being just a cheap retread of something that's been done before. It is has a delightful sweetness and charm of its own and is full of likable characters. Even though at times some of their actions may be misguided, they have good hearts.

And that's our view. Night Songs and My Best French Wedding were both published today.  Do Us Part will be available in select theaters and On Demand starting this Friday, August 14, 2026.

Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.

All images other than film images used in this post are our own.  Film images have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms. Address any concerns regarding image usage here.