Still More Theater Saturday - Broadway by the Year: The New Wave

We were given complimentary tickets to Broadway by the Year for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own. 

What: Broadway by the Year: The New Wave 

Where: Town Hall

              123 W. 43rd St

              New York, NY

Who: All ages

When: This event took place on Monday, March 21, 2022

Broadway by the Year a concert series focusing on theater-related music is now, in its 21st season. They recently held their first concert of the season at Town Hall in New York City. Although most years each of these concerts is devoted to a specific year of theater, this year they are doing things a little bit differently instead, each concert revolves around a specific theme. 

The first concert of the season was devoted to the New Wave of theater. Although this may make you think only of very recent theater, like within the last several years, the show actually encompassed theater songs from approximately 25 years or so ago through the present. Songs covered included A Musical from Something Rotten, The History of Wrong Guys from Kinky Boots, Burn from Hamilton, It's Still Rock and Roll to Me from Movin' Out, and many more. Performers included Quentin Earl Darrington, who is currently appearing in MJ the musical; Jenny Lee Stern a master of voices who has appeared in Forbidden Broadway among other things;  and composer, Joe Iconis. Highlights of the evening included Iconis singing Michael in the Bathroom from his musical Be More Chill, Stern singing a one-woman version of Chicago's Cell Block Tango, and Grunhild Carling singing, dancing, and playing a plethora of instruments including three trumpets at the same time.

The next Broadway by the Year concert this season, From Zigfield to Moulin Rouge, will occur on Monday, May 23, 2022, and will focus on revues and jukebox musicals. That will be followed by Almost on Broadway on June 27, 2022, which will focus on beloved shows that never quite made it to Broadway. The final show of the season, A One Night Only History of Song and Dance on Broadway will focus on a variety of dance styles that have appeared in Broadway shows. For more information about any of these shows or to purchase tickets, visit http://thetownhall.org/broadway-by-the-year.

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Photo credits: All Broadway by the Year: The New Wave production photos by Genevieve Rafter Keddy