BWW Blog: Keanna Irving - Three Enjoyable 'Study Breaks'

Going to the theater is the best study break in the city. For a few short hours, the stress dissipates and you get lost in stories that actors pour out in front of you. Spontaneous excursions to the theatre have become the occasional treat that I greatly enjoy. After seeing seven shows this semester, a few have stuck out in particular.

1. Cats: The Broadway lottery treats poor college students very well, and makes for a great excuse to escape homework for a few hours. At the beginning of the show, the performers climbed into the balcony, where I was sitting, and crooned Jellicle tunes while slinking around the audience. A combination of the original Cats choreography and innovative changes made the dancing a feast for the eyes. In short, I was dazzled by this whimsical show.

2. Sunday in the Park With George: After seeing this show, I will never look at another Georges Seurat painting at the MET the same. This show, starring Annaleigh Ashford and Jake Gyllenhaal, will make its way to Broadway soon, but it played for a limited time at the New York City Center this fall. I went into the theatre having never even listened to the soundtrack, but I was entranced by the show's simplicity and beauty.

3. Martin Luther on Trial: This show is running a limited engagement at the Pearl Theatre and I am grateful to have experienced it. I am a huge history nerd, so this show was fascinating to me. It linked historical figures such as Freud, Hitler, and Martin Luther King Jr. together to show the massive effects that Martin Luther's actions had on the Western World. This play made my mind pulse with thought both during and after the show. While it didn't have the musical theatre glitz that I normally look for in the show, I thoroughly enjoyed myself during this intelligent play because it caused to me to ponder.