Grohns

Author: Greg

  • NYC Fall 2025 Preview

    Hello theater fans! This fall is chock full of great theater, and if you are lucky enough to be in NYC you have far too many choices for interesting shows to take in! From longer running shows still smashing it, to some new ones looking for your attention, in alphabetical order to not play favorites, here are our top picks for the fall season!

    The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

    Running: 11/7/25 – 2/15/26. Off Broadway

    About: A starry revival of this delightful comedy about misfit preteens at a county spelling bee.

    Our take: We have seen this show more than most over the course of GROHNS history and find it delightful every time. Be adventurous and convince one of your theater companions to sign up as an audience spellers to further improve your enjoyment of the show!

    The Baker’s Wife

    Running: 10/23/25 – 12/14/25. Off Broadway.

    About: A rarely produced show that gave us one of the best cabaret numbers of the past 50 years – maybe the show is ok? Maybe it is awful? But it is the first stage return of Broadway’s favorite bullet Ariana DeBose!

    Beau the musical

    Running: 10/13/25 – 12/7/25. Off Broadway

    About: a rollicking original pop-country score to tell a young queer man’s story.

    Our take: Looks a lot like a differing version of Hedwig with an on-stage band led by our protagonist telling their queer story. Plus it has been getting great buzz as a transfer from downtown earlier this year.

    Chess

    Running: 10/15/25 – 2/15/26. Broadway.

    About: A revival of the punchline of Broadway jokes about good scores with bad books. Will this latest revisal be the one to end the jokes? With an all star cast of polarizing performers (We can take or leave Lea, but do have a soft spot for Aaron!) this may be amazing, or may be a big mess like Chess!

    Death Becomes Her

    Running: Open Run. Broadway

    About: An adaptation of the beloved film, twisted necks, gunshot holes and all.

    Our take: A strong show from the 2025 Tony season (not to mention the 2024 and 2025 GROHNs) that is still running due to it being one of the best musical comedies in years. A fun night out and the original cast is still performing!

    Heathers the Musical

    Running: 6/1/2025 – 1/25/2026. Off-Broadway

    About: An adaptation of the cult classic dark comedy film – croquet and all.

    Our take: This show has been circulating for over a decade, with regional productions in the late teens, but got a revisal in London recently as this production promises to be even better than what is captured on the cast recording from its original off-broadway run in 2014. 

    Maybe Happy Ending

    Running: Open. Broadway

    About: Robots… in the future… in love…?

    Our take: It won all of this year’s Tony’s and will do well at the 2025 GROHNs, get yourself to this show if you can!

    Messy White Gays

    Running: 10/6/25 – 1/11/26. Off Broadway

    About: From the crazy mind of Drew Droege (you best know him impersonating Chloe Sevigny) comes a new comedy about… messy white gays.

    Our take: Could be amazing, could be awful? Who knows but it likely will be fun to find out!

    Oh, Mary!

    Running: Open Run. Broadway

    About: A show about Mary Todd Lincoln.

    Our take: One of the funniest, well directed plays… ever. Currently starring Jane Krakowski who is reuniting with Cheyenne Jackson (playing through 12/7 – further casting has not been announced). Would see again and again.

    Queen of Versailles

    Running: Open Run. Broadway

    About: A new Stephen Schwartz musical starring Kristen Chenoweth based on the true story of a (still living) woman obsessed with building the biggest mansion off her husband’s real estate fortunes.

    Our take: if you love Schwartz and/or Chenoweth you should probably check it out. They have one song out as a teaser. Could be amazing, could be another Redwood (sorry Idina – sometimes people should stop famous people from doing whatever they want…).

    Ragtime

    Running: 9/26/25 – 1/4/26. Broadway

    About: A transfer of the city-center revival from earlier this year. Most of the cast from that rave-receiving run are with the production still.

    Out take: One of our favorite scores, it will be a lush evening with the full Lincoln Center treatment. Plus Joshua and Nichelle seem to have no problem filling the large shoes of the original cast with the show’s anthem. 

    Saturday Church

    Running: through 10/24. Off Broadway

    About: an adaptation of the film with music by Sia and Honey Dijon telling a black queer coming of age story

    Our take: Getting great buzz, and has been extended several times – watch for additional extensions if this doesn’t align to your dates!

    Two Strangers (carry a cake across New York). 

    Running: 11/1/25 – OPEN. Broadway

    About: This show has quietly arrived on Broadway after 4 well sold runs across the pond and off-broadway. Just two performers in what is heralded as a “heartwarming comedy about chance encounters and unlikely connections.” Sounds like my kind of rom-com! Plus Sam Tutty is cute.

  • STARLIGHT EXCESS

    We are not here to talk about the Tonys.
    We are here to discuss a very important album release.

    But… if we were going to talk about the Tonys—just for a second—we’d have to say:

    Weren’t they fucking great?!
    It was a phenomenal year. And yes, our ballot performed… poorly. But only because there were no fewer than eight shows we would’ve happily seen win on any of their nominations. We didn’t lose—we just begrudgingly chose one winner per slot.

    And look, we have to mention: Cynthia Fucking. Killed. It.

    Also: GROHN UP Broadway would like to gently remind everyone that we agreed to talk about literally anything but Hamilton—and yet, here we are, watching that clip for the 47th time.

    Oh, and the committee’s Tony watch party? Incredible. No time to get into it. Except to say this: Pin the Bratty Tails on Mary was, frankly, a triumph of party design. Everyone won.

    BUT WE’RE NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT.

    (We’re here to talk about a surprise dance remix album. Obviously.)

    While we were (rightly) distracted by Tony season, that cocky bastard ALW went and dropped a Starlight Express Deluxe album—in the midst of his own campaigning for, and winning, yet another Tony statuette on Sunday for Sunset Blvd.

    Why does this matter?

    Well, dear: the entire second disc is REMIXES.
    Yes, ALW released a DJ SET OF STARLIGHT EXPRESS.

    This is incredible news for many reasons, but chiefly because this release speaks directly to one of the GROHNs’ (many) internal dramas.

    Without getting too far into the details… let us simply recall the full-page memo—signed by every committee (except the Nomination Committee)—politely requesting:

    “The Nomination Committee stop having ‘OTHER’ hobbies that interfere with GROHNs operations.”

    Yes, that memo. And wouldn’t you know it—this very concept (dance floor meets musical) was explicitly named in that memo as a potential bridge between the Committee’s theatrical responsibilities and their:

    “…deep and mysterious commitment to dance floors that don’t involve showtunes.”

    But back to this amazing album. If we have one complaint, it’s that this masterpiece is not in German—which, for those of us who believe Starlight Express should only be experienced in its most chaotic, plot-flaw-drowning, roller-fever glory—the sheer quantity of understandable lyrics is a slight letdown.

    Wo ist die dampfbetriebene Ekstase?!

    But despite this flaw, this 30-minute dance set is way more important than whatever you were doing.

    So lace up those skates and we’ll see you on the dancefloor.

    [Said in a sponsor-y tone]: Available wherever you pretend to work while listening to showtunes.

  • Behind the Jazz Hands: The Blood, Sweat, and Showtunes of Making GROHN Up Broadway

    By the GROHN Awards Committee
     (Still emotionally recovering, thanks for asking.)

    Creating a Broadway revue isn’t some casual side project the GROHN Awards Committee whipped together between matinees. Sure, we used spreadsheets, intricate scoring systems, and passion-fueled debates—but this revue needed to be more than a playlist of bangers. It had to be a story: a journey with structure, emotion, and a deep love for the artform.

    This is the true tale of how it got made—and how 73 incredible songs from 24 musicals entered the arena, but only 15 survived.

    🗂 The Process: Every Musical. Every Song. Every Feeling.

    We started by reviewing every musical of relevance to the GROHN Committee from the past decade—Broadway, Off-Broadway, international, and beyond. The only requirement: a cast recording available on Spotify. (Sorry, Smash & Boop! )

    From there, we shortlisted songs that felt like the very best of what musical theatre has to offer. Each was scored based on a chaotic cocktail of rigorous criteria and unfiltered emotion:

    • How well the song exemplified one (or more) of the classic musical song types.
      (Yes, we defined the categories. You’re welcome.)
    • How much the committee loved the song or show.
      (Subjectivity embraced. No regrets.)
    • How clean the recording was.
      (Dialogue-heavy intros, intrusive applause, and incidental music often hurt scores.)
    • Where and how the committee first experienced the song.
      (Bad seats and missing leads? Fatal. Center orchestra with perfect lighting? Boosted the score by 1–3 emotional points.)

    💔 The Shortlist Bloodbath: 73 Songs. 14 Slots.

    Once the shortlist was in place—73 songs across 14 categories—the heartbreak began.

    Some categories were overflowing (there were nine opening numbers!), and some had multiple songs scoring equally high. But crafting a satisfying revue meant more than just selecting our favorites. We had to consider tone, pacing, balance, and musical diversity. We couldn’t stack the revue with only ballads, only belters, or only tracks the committee sings in the shower.

    We also had to show deserving love to 2025: all four Tony-nominated shows the committee actually liked are represented. (Sorry, Redwood. You may now fade into obscurity.)

    A few fun facts:

    • Most shortlisted songs were from Act I—because let’s be honest, Act II is where even the best musicals get… wonky.
    • Several shows had a slew of shortlisted songs, the committee can’t stop/won’t stop loving on some favorites of this decade: Kimberly Akimbo, Six, Some Like It Hot, and newcomers Death Becomes Her & Maybe Happy Ending.
    • Teeth and Ghost Quartet each got a song shortlisted, proving that following emerging writers off-Broadway (or into the woods) pays off.

    🏆 The Finalists: Glorious, Glittery, and Gone

    Here’s a shoutout to the runners-up—songs that came so close and absolutely deserve their flowers:

    • Ex-Wives – Six (Opening Number): A high-octane intro with character reveals and confetti cannon on standby.
    • Child of the Philippines – Here Lies Love (“I Am” Song): Our panty-dropping antagonist’s arrival in a standout immersive banger.
    • World Within My Room – Maybe Happy Ending (“I Am” Song / Opening Number): Lyrical, lovely, and effortless world-building.
    • Make a Wish – Kimberly Akimbo (“I Want” Song): A sweet, sincere declaration of longing that won the committee’s hearts.
    • Don’t Bet Your Heart – Lempicka (Inciting Incident Song): A sex-oozing barn burning entrance that launches love and plot in one.
    • Tell Me, Ernest – Death Becomes Her (Inciting Incident Song): Our leading frenemies lock horns and ignite the plot.
    • Better – Kimberly Akimbo (Secondary Character / Subplot Song): A scene-stealing entrance that left the committee stunned.
    • When the Chips Are Down – Hadestown (Secondary Character / Subplot Song): The Fates triple-team the spotlight in tight harmony and tighter attitude.
    • Work of Art – Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Act 1 Company Number): A fierce mid-act drag fantasy with sparkle and strut.
    • Omar Sharif – The Band’s Visit (Internal Conflict Ballad): A haunting, lyrical memory piece that hypnotizes.
    • Why We Build the Wall – Hadestown (Act One Finale): The villain takes control and ensures we’re all in, emotionally and thematically. And YES, this song was written well before 45’s first term!
    • Me and the Sky – Come From Away (11 O’Clock Number): One woman’s powerful breakout in a sea of ensemble storytelling.

    ✨ The Revue, the Love Letter

    GROHN Up Broadway isn’t just a revue—it’s a curated journey. A love letter to modern musical theatre. A glitter-filled, gut-punching, harmony-drenched tour through what we think the past decade has given us at its best.

    And if your favorite didn’t make the final 15? Don’t worry. Your version would probably be fine too, probably…

    Oh—and if you’re like us and want the full 73-song shortlist on shuffle while you go about your dramatic little life, you can find it on Spotify too!