Travelogue: The Musings of a Regional Theater Critic's Week in New York City

There is nothing like the holidays in New York City. Ice skating under the iconic Rockefeller Center Tree, watching the Rockettes high kick in Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular, eating your way through the Winter Village in Bryant Park, and admiring the decorated storefront windows on 5th Avenue is unforgettable. But for this regional theater critic, all the holiday hoopla (which I enjoyed) is secondary to attending live theater in Manhattan.

Every trip I make to the city includes five to seven Broadway and Off-Broadway plays and musicals. When in New York I am in a theater every day. On Wednesdays and on the weekend, I will see a matinee and an evening performance.

Traveling to New York and going to the theater every day is not an original idea. My high school drama teacher Bob Fowler and his wife Marti made regular pilgrimages to NYC to see as many shows as they could in a single trip. Marti is also a retired theater teacher.

Bob and Marti Fowler are inspirational theater educators. They have been inducted into the Educational Theatre Association’s Hall of Fame and are generous patrons of the arts. I loved hearing about their trips and the shows they saw. Their excitement was palpable. So, I decided to shamelessly steal their travel idea.

For the past decade, I have been visiting Manhattan regularly to consume as much theater as I can in a few days. Last week’s short excursion was packed with five shows over four days.

After arriving midday on Monday, I checked into my hotel and hailed a cab to take me to the West Village. I grabbed two slices at L’Industrie before heading to my first show of the week. L’industrie’s pizza is every bit as good as the Instagram reels claimed! The best in New York? Perhaps. lindustriebk.com

After my early dinner I settled into my seat in The Distillery at St. Luke’s Theatre on 46th Street to see the Off-Broadway sensation Beau The Musical. I always see at least one Off-Broadway show each trip and I’m never disappointed.

Beau is a touching, hilarious, poignant, and bittersweet coming-of-age queer musical. It’s set in a Nashville Honky Tonk where a musician and his band have returned home to debut his new album. Each of the musicians double as actors to tell the heartfelt, gripping, emotional, and cathartic story.

I highly recommend venturing Off-Broadway to experience a show in a small venue. Often the cast includes well-known Broadway actors and freqeuntly a Tony winner or nominee. Beau The Musical has a phenomenal cast led by Matt Rodin and features Jeb Brown as the titular character. Brown was a Tony nominee for last year’s Dead Outlaw. beauthemusical.com

Jeb Brown in Beau The Musical. Photo Credit: Natalie Terranova

Every night after the curtain falls, I take a short detour on the way back to the hotel. On 45th Street and 9th Avenue you will find, what I call, the official cookies of Broadway. Get in line behind the throng of playbill toting theater fans at Schmackary’s. I am obsessed with their varieties of sweet and savory cookies. My favorites are their Maple-Bacon, Sweet Corn, Funfetti, and Oatmeal Scotchie. Flavors change daily so a nightly visit to Schmackary’s is non-negotiable! Schmackary’s.com.

Tuesday takes me to the St. James Theatre to see the much maligned The Queen of Versailles starring Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham. Granted the show received mixed reviews and an early closing notice from producers, but there is a lot to like about The Queen of Versailles. The performances are fantastic. Chenoweth’s comedic portrayal is both hilarious and dramatically nuanced. Her character is an oddly different, singularly focused protagonist that gets varied audience reactions. Christian Cowan’s gaudy-glam costume designs are tacky chic and Dane Laffrey’s set design is regally opulent. It is worth seeing before it closes on January 4, 2026. queenofversaillesmusical.com.

The Queen of Versailles' Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham. Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes

Back to Schmackary’s to try something new, the Big Apple Crisp. It is as delicious as every other cookie I’ve had there.

It’s Wednesday morning and the two-show day has arrived. The day starts with a late breakfast, coffee and a toasted everything bagel with jalapeño cream cheese at Broad Nosh Bagels on 9th Avenue, between 42nd and 43rd Streets. Then it’s off to the Circle in the Square Theatre for the 2:00 pm matinee. broadnosh.com

The long-awaited opportunity to see Jonathan Groff in Just In Time is imminent. The house goes dark. Groff ascends on a riser center stage, flashes his 100-watt smile, and says, “Hi. I’m Jonathan and I’ll be your Bobby Darin today.” Instant goosebumps.

Groff’s high-energy performance is mesmerizing. He reaches out, grabs the audience, puts them into the palm of his hand, and holds them there for the next two-and-a-half hours. He is a swoon worthy leading man and a bonafide triple threat.

Derek McLane and Justin Townsend’s immersive set and lighting designs are a visual feast. The Copa reveal at the end of act one is breathtaking. Their work is worth the price of a ticket alone. justintimebroadway.com

The second show of the day takes me to the Marquis Theatre for the Tony winning play Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Recognized for its stage magic, set, sound, and lighting design, Stranger Things amazes your senses in ways you can’t imagine. It’s creepy, tension-filled, and the ending was gasp-inducing, especially for one very vocal theatergoer. You must experience it if you’re a fan of the Netflix hit. broadway.strangerthingsonstage.com

Back to Schmackary’s.

Thursday evening arrives all to quickly and sadly it is the last night of this week’s theatrical excursion. The Music Box Theatre is my destination to laugh with Bobby Cannavale, James Corden, and Neil Patrick Harris in Yasmina Reza’s ART. Friendships are tested as three men argue over an expensive and unimpressive piece of fine art. Corden is a comedic genius. He steals the show as the neurotic Yvan. The limited run closes December 21, 2025. artonbroadway.com

One last walk to Schmackary’s to see what my choices are for the final night in Manhattan. I say to myself, “Ok, fine, I’ll take a dozen home!” I did mention that I was obsessed, right?

I board my morning flight back to St. Louis holding a handful of playbills, souvenir magnets from each show, what’s left of my dozen cookies, and a host of great theatrical memories. The city, at Christmas time, well its pretty special too!

I arrive home just in time (pun intended) to review the opening of Emma at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Which, by the way, is a hilarious masterpiece that rivals any of the shows I saw in New York! repstl.org

Plan a visit to New York and see both a musical and a straight play. Catch a celebrity on stage. Venture Off-Broadway and see a great show in a small intimate space. Live theater will change you. It will create indelible memories that last a lifetime. Go see a play - and - get the cookies.