Theater Thursday - BroadwayCon 2026

We received complimentary tickets to BroadwayCon for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own. 

What: BroadwayCon 

Where: Westin Times Square

              270 SW. 43rd St.

                       

                        &

             

               Palladium Times Square 

               1515 Broadway

Who: All ages

When: This event occurred from January 23 to January 25, 2026

In some ways, BroadwayCon is a shadow of its former self. Previously, there were numerous panels to choose from at any time, but now (at least this year), there were a lot fewer.  Although too many choices can be overwhelming sometimes, we'd rather have more than less. We miss having more panels regarding specific shows, live podcasts, and more. 

Although this is not the first time the event has taken place at more than one venue, the two venues were never as far apart, and it was particularly cold.  Even though a shuttle was available,  sometimes there just wasn't enough time to wait for a shuttle to get where you wanted to be by a specific time.

Unfortunately, numerous technical difficulties, mostly beyond the event organizers' control, added to the frustration. A sound issue delayed the opening performances as attendees stood (or sat) in the lobby waiting for quite a while. For the entire first day, the background music at the Palladium never seemed to be fully shut off, not only making the performers difficult to hear but also disrespecting them by partially drowning out their voices. Finally, and arguably most frustrating of all, for the first time since BroadwayCon 1 back in 2016, a major blizzard descended on the area during the last day of the festival, shortening it for many attendees and causing them to miss possibly the highlight of this year's entire event, the 25th anniversary reunion of original Rent cast members.

However, all this doesn't mean that this year's BroadwayCon was not at all fun or that it is not possible to still enjoy BroadwayCon in general. Having fewer panels does not mean there are no longer any good ones. This year's choices included a panel of performers who have appeared as Glinda in Wicked, one on unlocking affordable tickets, and more. There were also plenty of BroadwayCon favorites like Game Night, Star to Be, and more.

 

There are also always special events and occurances that you can't get anywhere else. They include the opportunity to hear original cast members sing songs from long-closed shows. This year, these included Kerry Butler singing a song from Catch Me If You Can, Mandy Gonzalez and Christopher Jackson singing songs from In the Heights, and cast members from Avenue Q singing a song from that show. There are also always special events specific to that year's event, which this year included an AANHPI Concert of Joy and the opportunity to see some of the costumes from TDF's theater concert collection up close. Thus, despite any differences or difficulties, there are always amazing things that you can only see, do, or experience at BroadwayCon that continue to make it a must-see event. 

And that's our view. For more about BroadwayCon or to sign up to be one of the first to find out about next year's event, go to www.broadwaycon.com.

Tune in Sunday for this week's Sunday Scoop. 

All pictures used in this post are our own. Address any concerns regarding image usage here.

Where-To-Go Wednesday - New York City Center

What: New York City Center 

Where: 131 W. 55th St.

             New York, NY

Who: Recommended Ages Vary Depending on the Event

Today, we are highlighting New York City Center. The building, located in midtown Manhattan, opened in 1924 and was originally known as the Mecca Temple. It first served as the headquarters of the Shriners. It was later purchased by the City of New York in 1942 and began hosting arts events in 1943. 

The building consists of a main auditorium, two smaller theaters, and four studios. Over the years,  various theatrical and dance programs have been presented at the location. At one time or another, numerous companies have called the theater home. They include the New York Opera, the New York City Ballet Company, and others. 

Currently, the site is home to Alvin Alley Dance Company, the Manhattan Theatre Club, and more. The latter performs their Off-Broadway productions in the Center's two smaller downstairs theaters. The popular Encores!, a series of limited-run staged concert revivals of musicals, many of which didn't get enough love on their first go-round, is also performed at the venue. 

For more about New York City Center, to check on their upcoming schedule, or to purchase tickets to an event, visit www.nycitycenter.org

Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday. 

All pictures used in this post are our own. Address any concerns regarding image usage here.

Tips for Tuesday - See You at the Summit, Dead Fake & Night of Terror, ; Movie: 7 Keys

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.

Books:  See You at the Summit, Dead Fakes & Night Terror

Me - If you want a book that focuses on the struggles of bisexuality and coming to terms with your sexuality while also being completely infused with queer hope and joy, then look no further! See You at the Summit follows Simone Whitaker, who has finally accepted her bisexuality and come out at the age of 29. She gets a job at an immersive museum that celebrates Pride and the LGBTQ+ community and is ready to embrace and explore her newfound identity by flirting and going out with women, but instead, to her dismay, she finds herself falling for a straight man.

Simone was a flawed character. She was an extreme people-pleaser and spent much of the book struggling to admit to herself and others what she actually wanted. As a result, she made many self-destructive decisions that were hurtful to others or just embarrassing to watch. However, throughout the story, she made an active effort to understand herself and all the facets of her identity. She learned to start standing up for herself and her needs and desires, and she sought out the help and support she needed to become the best version of herself. It felt rewarding to look back during the last few chapters of the book and see how far she had come from the beginning.

Through Simone's new job at the Rainbow Museum and her work trip to a Pride festival at a ski resort, she formed friendships with many new queer people who became a strong support system for her and helped her along her journey to self-discovery and growth. That sense of community was one of the most heartwarming and enjoyable aspects of the story.

As for the romance aspect, it was cute, but I found it slightly lacking. The love interest, Ryan, initially came across as so rude and abrasive that I couldn't imagine ever rooting for him to end up with Simone. Luckily, after their first few encounters in which he spoke to her with complete disrespect for no reason, she confronted him, and he sincerely apologized. While his explanation of going through personal struggles didn't excuse his treatment of her, he did change his ways and treat her well going forward, which helped. The two of them had decent chemistry and shared many cute moments. I mostly liked them together. However, due to the personal issues they each struggled with, they seemed really incompatible, and they both would have been better off staying single and focusing on themselves for a while longer. Despite that, I wasn't upset that they ended up together, and even though they weren't a perfect couple, they were still enjoyable to read about.

The place where this book shone the brightest, though, as I alluded to above, was in its discussions of queer identity specifically, bisexuality. Bisexuality representation in media is sorely lacking, and that is one of the reasons it's so important for books like this to exist. Simone deals with both internal and external biphobia throughout the story as she struggles to come to terms with what it means to be in a relationship with a man as a newly out bisexual woman. She faces hurtful comments from others and questions what it looks like to be bi or queer, as well as where she belongs. However, ultimately, she comes to understand that she is bisexual regardless of who she is dating because queerness comes from within. While it seems like a simple and obvious message, it's one that we don't often see in books, especially those centered around adult characters. This book is just so abundantly bisexual and queer, and that's a beautiful, important, and necessary thing to see.

Mom - Dead Fakes & Night Terror are the first two books in the new Bleak Haven YA Horror series by Vincent Ralph. Although these books are part of a series, they are completely different from each other, and there are not even any characters that carryover from one to the next. Accordingly, if you love a series where you never know what to expect from one book to the next, you may enjoy this one. 

In Dead Fakes, a mysterious website suddenly appears that allows users to view their own slasher film-related death. When people start dying for real, the clues point to Ava's late uncle, a notorious murderer.  Ava could never reconcile the uncle she remembered with the man who committed those horrible crimes, and she is determined to uncover the truth of both what is happening now and what happened that night. 

This is an exciting, fast-paced book. It is full of unpredictable twists and turns and has a surprising ending. If you like a bloody, gory, dark horror thriller, you might enjoy this book. If you prefer more psychological terror, you probably will not.

The second book in the series is Night Terror. When masked intruders looking for the legendary Burning Book, which allegedly has a thirst for flesh, break into the mall bookstore where Noah is working, a horror is unleashed that puts anyone in its path in mortal danger.

Whereas the previous book in the series was more of a true-to-life crime story, this book is more of a zombie thriller. Accordingly, if you are not into that sort of thing, you will not enjoy it. It is also loaded with nonstop violent action scenes and would undoubtedly make an exciting film. Thus, if you don't like a lot of violence in your books or you are not good at visualizing action scenes in your head, you may not enjoy it as much. 

Movie: 7 Keys

Today, we are talking about 7 Keys. Lena and Daniel get together when they are both stood up by their dates. They end up spending the night breaking into houses where Daniel has previously lived, since he has kept the keys. However, they are both hiding secrets, but one's secret is infinitely more dangerous.

This is a unique and exciting film full of one shocking twist after another. If you enjoy a dark, gore-filled thriller with a side of romance, you may enjoy this one. However, if you are more sensitive and prefer your terror to be more psychological than physical, you may not. 

And that's our view.  Dead Fake and Night Terror were published last Tuesday, January 20, 2026. See You at the Summit was published today. 7 Keys is available On Demand starting today.

Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.

All images except 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.