Theater Thursday - Empire: The Musical

We were given complimentary tickets to Empire: The Musical for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Empire: The Musical

Where: New World Stages

             340 W. 50th St.

             New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 6 and Up

When: Through September 22, 2024

Empire: The Musical is the story of the building of the Empire State Building. While some true facts and characters based on actual people are featured throughout the story, for the most part, the show is completely fictional. Female characters figure prominently in the plot in roles that they were unlikely to have held in real life given the period when the events occurred.  This feels like a ploy to satisfy modern sensibilities and requirements for diversity and equality and doesn't ring true. 

Other elements of the story seem equally unbelievable including how the entire story is framed. It revolves around a woman who is angry because of a tragedy that occurred when the building was constructed. While that in and of itself is believable, the resolution of the matter and her sudden change of heart is not. 

 

There are way too many characters in the show.  This makes it hard to keep track of and differentiate them all. One of the main characters, a woman known as Wally, who is instrumental in getting the project off the ground and keeping it going is very one note. She is feisty and tough but that's about all she is. There were no shades to her character. She and her love interest didn't really have any chemistry either. Their duet was cute lyrically and musically, however. 

There were other good songs too although not all were equally as memorable.  The opening number, "Everybody Up/Heydey" was particularly catchy and fun. Another fun song was  "Hey Pretty Girl". "Touch the Sky" was made memorable by the powerful performance of the actress playing Rudi. The finale was quite stirring as well.  Apart from these songs, ones incorporating construction-related sounds were some of the best and the most fun.

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Dances incorporating construction-related actions were also especially entertaining. The choreography, in general, was one of the best parts of the show. It was lively, energetic, and quite enjoyable. Thus, you should see this one for the music and dance. and try not to dwell on the more unbelievable elements of the plot.

And that's our view. For more about Empire: The Musical or to purchase tickets, visit https://empirethemusical.com.

Tune in tomorrow for Still More Theater Saturday.

Photo credits:

All Empire: The Musical production photos by Matthew Murphy.

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image,  contact us here, and we will look into the matter.