Student Blog: Theater Things I'm Excited For in 2022

1. Seeing Paradise Square on Broadway

Throughout my childhood, I've been a dancer. I've dabbled in different forms including ballet, flamenco, jazz and tap which is my favorite style of dance that I still do for fun by taking tap classes today. I love tap dancing a lot, making beautiful sounds with your feet and improvising routines to most songs I hear at home. Other than dancing, I also adore watching dancers tap, especially in musicals.

When I first heard of the show Paradise Square, I had no idea what it was about. I was told it had to do with the history of tap dancing and I was immediately interested in the musical. I read the synopsis on the show's website detailing how African Americans and Irish people in New York City during the Civil War created the dance style. Tap dancing is something I love to do and see but I don't know its history, so this true story is something I am very interested to learn about.

Of course, I had to get tickets right away to see Paradise Square because I always love seeing musicals that have tap numbers and I've never seen one that's all about tap. I'm seeing Paradise Square in the first week of previews in March and I am so looking forward to it and I have high hopes for this new Broadway musical. I have no doubt I will be amazed, so excited and happy by all the tap dancing and I cannot wait to be inside the Ethel Barrymore Theater. Bring on all the tapping!

2. Newsies 10th Anniversary Concert Reunion

If anyone knows me, you'll know that I've always been a dancer, dance heavy musicals are my favorite type of musicals and Newsies is my favorite musical of all time. I love it so much because it's a dance heavy musical filled with an ensemble of amazing dancers who can dance, jump and do acrobatic tricks (flips, handstands, pirouettes...) and there is a tap number in it (King of New York) which is my favorite dance number in any musical. The songs are all so amazing and they make me always want to get up and dance when hearing them, which I do when I'm at home. The story is great and includes a mix of history with the 1899 newsboys strike and fiction with made up characters that I love, especially independent journalist Katherine Plumber that I aspire to be like since I'm a writer too.

I will never forget the experience of seeing the musical when I was 12 in 2013 and being amazed by all the dancing. It's so special to me since it made me realize that I love dancing so much and I never want to stop taking dance lessons, mainly tap dancing lessons.

I can't believe this musical first came to Broadway almost ten years ago and I'm very excited to be seeing the cast reunion concert at 54 Below on both March 28 and 29. I'm so happy that the two shows on the two nights are sold out and I feel so lucky to have gotten my tickets for both nights. It's great that both Broadway and tour cast members will be performing together and I can't wait to find out which specific people will be in it. I wish I had seen Newsies more than just one time, but I'm so grateful I even saw it once and I'm very much looking forward to seeing it in another form twice with the cast reunion concert. I know I won't be able to stop talking about up until the dates and for a long time afterwards. I even already have the outfits in mind that I'm gonna wear to both shows. I wouldn't be the person I am today without Newsies so I can't wait for these two concerts.

3. Beetlejuice Reopening Night

Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! These are three words you don't want to say unless you're in the Marriott Marquis Theater and seeing the musical about the ghost named Beetlejuice. This show is based on the 1980s movie and was playing at the Winter Garden Theater in 2019 where I saw it twice and I had a blast doing so. It is filled with so many fun songs, funny lines and scenes, gorgeous costumes, amazing sets and big dance numbers.

Right before the pandemic, it was announced the show would close to let the Music Man take over the theater, but everyone thought it would permanently close when the Broadway shutdown got extended past the show's closing date. Miraculously, post-shutdown, the show announced it would come back at the Marriott Marquis Theater and so many people, me included, were so happy at this news.

Some theater loving friends from my college and I were talking about going to see it together once it reopened and I never thought my friend's mom would get reopening night tickets for us. I've only been to a couple of reopening nights on Broadway (Waitress and Dear Evan Hansen) and I know Beetlejuice's reopening will also be special, so I'm glad I'm seeing it again on its first show back. I will have the most fun time with my friends on April 8. I already have a Beetlejuice inspired black and white striped dress I'm going to wear, so now I'm just waiting on the cast announcement. Bring on all the spookiness and laughter!