ON BROADWAY
A guide to current Broadway shows by Daily News theater critic Chris Jones:
& Juliet: A savvy jukebox musical from London offering a feminist reworking of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” with added bits and songs made famous by Pink, Britney and Kesha, et al. This nonstop party-empowerment show is derivative, over-confident and fun. Stephen Sondheim Theatre, 124 W. 43rd St.
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical: Wanna be transported back to when you swayed to “Song Sung Blue,” seduced to “Red, Red Wine,” sniffled to “Love On the Rocks” or were stirred by “Play Me,” before you actually got played in life? Then this biographical jukebox tribute to the gravel-voiced singer-songwriter is your show. But if the idea of a “Sweet Caroline” audience singalong sounds hellish, move on down the list. Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th St.
Aladdin: Disney’s “Aladdin” is a bit too frenetic, gag-heavy and overly anxious to please — but it has settled in as an entertaining family attraction featuring a diverse cast, a fun genie whose antics will always remain a tribute to Robin Williams, and the requisite magic carpet ride against a backdrop of the glittering lights of a utopian Arabian night. New Amsterdam Theatre, 214 W. 42nd St.
The Book of Mormon: A relic of an era when satirists had more guts, Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s show lampoons the LDS religion with the same sharp edge familiar from “South Park.” Go enjoy a wicked musical from before America lost so much of its sense of humor. Eugene O’Neill Theatre, 230 W. 49th St.
Camelot: A disappointingly chilly revival of the beloved Alan Jay Lerner and Fredercik Loewe musical, now starring Andrew Burnap, Phillipa Soo and Jordan Donica and featuring a revised book from Aaron Sorkin. Alas, Bartlett Sher’s production, although intriguing at times, feels shorn of love, optimism and belief. It renders the show as closer to “Game of Thrones” nihilism than Kennedy-era hope. Lincoln Center Theatre, 70 W. Lincoln Center Plaza.
Chicago: This long-lived show celebrating real-life killers of prohibition-era Chicago has been pulling in Broadway suckers since 1996. The real stars here are John Kander and Fred Ebb, who penned a score that drips with melodic aspiration and lyrical cynicism, and Bob Fosse, whose erotically muscular choreography is the perfect match. Ambassador Theatre, 219 W. 49th St.
Good Night Oscar: Through the lips of the mordant savant Oscar Levant, playwright Doug Wright subtly takes down today’s censorious American theater, delivering a blistering piece of retro writing filled with caustic witticisms, tasteless epigrams, pithy one-liners and satirical bon mots. Belasco Theatre, 111 W. 44th St.
Funny Girl: Original star Beanie Feldstein is but a distant memory now that Lea Michele has taken over as Fanny Brice in a classic, retro, backstage musical famous for such Jule Styne/Bob Merrill songs as “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” Part of the fun here is enjoying Harvey Fierstein’s lovingly revised book, for sure, but also how much the audience loves a star who invigorated a revival that looked set to close. Be aware Michele does not perform on Thursdays. August Wilson Theatre, 245 W. 52nd St.
Hadestown: This dystopian 2019 musical is rooted in the 2010 concept album by Anaïs Mitchell and updates and retells the classic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice via a compellingly theatrical blend of steampunk, “Westworld” and self-aware Bourbon St. sensuality. It’s a thrillingly alarmist show, albeit potentially jarring to those who prefer warmer or more traditional musicals. Mitchell’s music variously evokes gospel, blues, blue collar work-song and the ravings of a rabid cult. Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 W. 48th St.
Hamilton: Still a tough and expensive ticket, this Lin-Manuel Miranda global cultural phenomenon employs a young diverse cast to tell the story of Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father with the longterm berth on the ten-spot, but also a scrappy immigrant who wrote like he was running out of time. The music is eclectic and often gorgeous, the emotional intensity still capable of blowing all else away. Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 W. 46th St.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: An epic commitment requiring two tickets and six hours has now been reduced to a more manageable single show. We purists lament the change, which cut much of the subtlety and fun in the text but left all the spectacular theatrical effects. Even in this version, though, Harry Potter fans leave fully satiated. Lyric Theatre, 214 W. 43rd St.
Kimberly Akimbo: Due to a rare genetic disorder, 16-year-old Kimberly of New Jersey has the outward appearance of a 62-yearold woman. This quirky and fascinating new musical proceeds from there, with a Jeanine Tesori score filled with songs about the agony of how the world only spins forward, and usually far too fast for our sanity. Booth Theatre, 222 W. 45th St.
Leopoldstadt: The most successful play since the start of the pandemic, at least, Tom Stoppard’s late in life, autobiographical masterwork explores questions of this great writers’ identity and the fate of Middle European Jews destroyed
amid the antisemitic tumult of the 20th century. It’s complicated, prismatic and breathtakingly fine. Longacre Theatre, 200 W. 48th St.
The Lion King: Julie Taymor’s masterful work is 25 years old but still as fresh as a Serengeti morning. This Disney family attraction features stunning puppets, visual tableaux, Elton John songs, African music. It’s deservedly the most successful musical of its era. Minskoff Theatre, 200 W. 45th St.
MJ The Musical: This homage to the King of Pop is set during the creative process for Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous” world tour. Although there is little mention of the MJ controversies (the estate prefers it that way), “MJ” offers the chance to hear a slew of iconic MJ hits and experience his choreographic soul through the simpatico-but-original ideas of Christopher Wheeldon. Neil Simon Theatre, 250 W. 52nd St.
Moulin Rouge the Musical!: A decadent live translation of Baz Luhrmann’s widely beloved 2001 movie musical and an intense, anachronistic extravaganza that stuffs cuts of pop anthems (70 songs! 161 composers!) inside a letterbox of gorgeous retro-red velour. This is date-night pastiche with a unifying communal playlist, and an omnisexual dip into a sensual ocean with nervous fellow travelers. Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 W. 45th St.
New York, New York: Based on the edgy and jazzy 1977 Martin Scorsese movie musical, this supersized but uneven new show gets caught between wanting to be a Gotham “La La Land” and something grittier and far more serious. But the short suite of Fred Kander and John Ebb tunes are lovely and the spectacle certainly is eye-popping for mature tourists who want to relive the Broadway living in their heads. St. James Theatre 246 W. 44th St.
Parade: This somber, gorgeously scored Jason Robert Brown musical is about the prejudiced 1913 murder trial and subsequent lynching of a Jewish man in Atlanta. The mostly successful revival, which stars Ben Platt and is beautifully sung throughout, is less of a complex, melancholy exploration of the clash of cultural division and more of an explicit indictment of Southern Republicans. Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 W. 45th St.
Peter Pan Goes Wrong: The best comedy on Broadway for family audiences, this hilarious bit of British-born slapstick imagines a hapless collegiate theater company trying to produce “PeterPan,” only for anything and everything to fall apart. No weighty pretension here but nonstop shtick, ideal for fans of Monty Python. Kids are encouraged to shout back at the increasingly pathetic actors. Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 243. W. 47th St.
Prima Facie: This hot-ticket legal thriller is a solo turn for the superb Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”) playing a British lawyer who specializes in defending accused men but whose personal life ends up profoundly influencing how she feels about the law. It’s a very craftful production and utterly riveting throughout; the sensuous staging makes it feel like you are watching multiple actors. John Golden Theatre, 252 W. 45th St.
Shucked: This “Hee-Haw” style musical is beloved by its fans for its abundance of jokes penned by the writer Robert Horn, who delivers more gags per second than any other show on Broadway. The piece owes something to “Urinetown” in its self-referential heart. But it’s about, well, corn. The music is forgettable but the laughs are abundant. Nederlander Theatre, 206 W. 41st St.
SIX: The Musical: Just 90 minutes, this small-cast original pop musical is centered on the six wives of Henry VIII who bond in a post-death sisterhood and compete for who actually had the worst time with their bearded pig. Audiences generally ignore the relatively thin gruel and have an empowering blast. Lena Horne Theatre, 256 W. 47th St.
Some Like it Hot: The new musical version of the iconic Marilyn Monroe movie roars along like the 20th Century Limited, racing from rumba to samba and jive to paso doble, its book unfurling with breakneck zestiness and its fleet-footed dancers and singers speeding so fast from one transition to another that it feels as if someone has lit a fuse and the Shubert Theatre is set to burst into flames every night at 10:30. Shubert Theatre 225 W. 44th St.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: Far and away the best revival of the season, the new production stars the endlessly droll Annaleigh Ashford and the brooding Josh Groban. At once funny, scary and disarmingly moving, this must-see show allows Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Gothic revenge tragedy of a musical to howl anew with the agony of human injustice and the ameliorating constancy of love. Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W. 46th St.
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window: A must-see revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s poetic masterpiece set in Greenwich Village in the early 1960s. It’s a gorgeous portrait of a struggling young marriage between a newspaper publisher and an aspiring actress yet also an exploration of the limits of radicalism and the merits of the sensual life versus the political one. James Earl Jones Theatre, 138 W. 48th St.
Wicked: Now more than 20 years old, “Wicked” is one of Broadway’s best loved attractions. It’s a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” and focused on the intense friendship between two witches, one good, one maybe better. The Winnie Holzman book is a witty tour de force and Steven Schwartz came up with a bevy of emotional numbers, including “Defying Gravity,” one of the great Act 1 closers of all time. Gershwin Theatre 222 W. 51st St.