Hacks (2021-6)

Hacks has quietly been the funniest show on TV. I say quietly because it was quite a surprise when it claimed the Emmy for Best Comedy in season 3. And though The Studio won for its debut season over Season 4, I think Hacks is a shoo-in for its excellent finale. What started out as a show about inter-generational differences evolved into so much more than that. Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder have great chemistry, as employer-employee, as mentor-mentee, as writer-performer, as friends, and as would-be lovers in one hilarious episode in Montecito. And they weren't the only pair. Paul Downs and Megan Stalter were their own odd couple that got more screen time and their own full-fledged story lines in later seasons. The supporting cast was full of characters. They deliver sharp one-liners, really smart writing. Las Vegas has never looked better, really a character in itself, emblematic of the whole ethos of Hacks. Deborah Vance, at the start a washed up comedienne replaying her same old jokes in her Vegas residency. But the city has a sheen to it, money, glitz, glamor. A corporate sheen. It's a nice touch that in the final season, Deborah and Marcus open up a boutique casino, trying to revive the old glory days. Wonderful show.

La Cage aux Folles (Encores!) (2026)

Encores is sometimes hit-or-miss. The whole conceit is they revive lesser known shows. But La Cage was revived on Broadway not that long ago. It's a show that deserves revival. It's hilarious, the melodies are lush and hummable and with Republicans attacking gay rights, it's unfortunately timely (and it's Pride!). Billy Porter plays a phenomenal Zaza. He of course won a Tony for Kinky Boots, and the Zaza character is not so dissimilar, including the heels. He sings a show-stopping I Am What I Am and The Best of Times. And with not much rehearsal, he was on-book for one book scene and also missed an entrance and hilariously ordered the orchestra to start again. Wayne Brady too is excellent. The two of them make a convincing pair. It's a huge all-black cast, paying homage to the black divas: Whitney, Beyonce, Rihanna, Grace Jones, etc. The hair and costumes are great. That opening number is so much fun with the choreography and all the showgirls on stage. I think this may have been the most enjoyable Encores production I've ever seen. Loved it. 

The Balusters (Manhattan Theatre Company) (2026)

I enjoyed The Balusters very much. It's hilarious. I haven't laughed this hard since Oh Mary. It's about a toxic HOA, a nine-person board with feuds about stop signs and balusters. And the Vernon Point Neighborhood Association gave me PTSD thinking about my co-op board. It hits on a lot of relatable petty squabbles. From the sound of it, a bit about dog poop really resonated with one person sitting in the orchestra. The plot is sort of predictable but it's really well executed. I's about all of our modern identity sensitivities; no one is safe. Kenny Leon very deftly balances the themes about race with Anika Noni Rose leading the cast and hosting the HOA meeting as the newbie. Richard Thomas plays the president of the HOA, deservedly nominated for a Tony, coming off as genuine and sincere but a conniving bastard. Loved this show. 

The Rocky Horror Show (Broadway) (2026)

Roundabout Theater's production of Rocky Horror at Studio 54 starts from the moment you walk in. The decor of the theater looks like a Spirit Halloween threw up all in there. There are these garish green lights all over. There are mannequins and castles and a working bathroom right next to the sage. It's all in such bad taste, it's the height of camp. It carries into the set and the costumes and everything but it had me snickering before the curtain even went up. 

Even though I wasn't particularly familiar myself, thankfully much of the audience belonged to the cult of Rocky Horror. It's interactive, with some call and response. They bring up audience members to dance the time warp. The show is a lot of fun, a nice reminder what a night at the theater can be. Luke Evans plays transvestite Frank-N-Furter; I didn't know he had it in him but he's fabulous. I know Stephanie Hsu from Everything Everywhere All At Once, but she's a great theatrical musical actress. Rachel Dratch plays the droll narrator in her characteristic way, similar to the maid she played in High Spirits. I really liked the unrecognizable but vocally distinct Amber Gray too. And Juliette Lewis's opening (and closing) number as Usherette is seductive.  The second act is wild nonsense but Dammit Janet, who cares when it's this fun.

Fallen Angels (Broadway) (2026)

Fallen Angels is an old play from 100 years ago by Noel Coward. Our social mores have changed a lot since then but the play holds up. It's still very funny thanks to two very physical performances from the leading ladies. Kelli O'Hara is of course a theater stalwart but Rose Byrne, fresh off an Oscar nomination in a dark comedy, shows off her more traditional comedy chops. Byrne I think actually steals the show. She gets the funnier costume and wig. The two of them get progressively drunker throughout the night and it devolves from there. The set is beautifully appointed. And it's hilarious that Mark Consuelos who I've been watching on Live since I was a kid is making his Broadway debut (coincidentally in the same season as his son Joaquin in Death of a Salesman), with a thick French accent. The play is like Waiting for Godot, as he only appears in the final scene, has just a handful of lines. But that last scene is a riot. My one complaint is about the acoustics in the Todd Haimes theater. When the actors aren't facing you, it's difficult to understand what they're saying. But so much fun!

Ragtime (2026) (Broadway)

Ragtime may just be the best musical of the year. though it may not be the most enjoyable. Terrence McNally's adaptation is a staggering epic. It's quite the downer for 2 hours and 50 minutes. Made all the more depressing because it's realistic. It holds a mirror up to our society, like the end of Cabaret, forcing us to confront America in all its glory and mess, not just at the turn of the century but today. The show follows three families: a black community in Harlem, Jewish immigrants in the Lower East Side, and an upper-crust white family in New Rochelle. They weave in and out of each other's stories, representing the great melting pot that is America. There are real historical figures in the show, appealing to the history nerd in me. "Make Them Hear You" is sort of equivalent to "History Has Its Eyes On You" from Hamilton, making the show about the study of history itself. The melodies are lush if not exactly memorable. Joshua Henry's voice is like magic so full and deep when he sings "Sarah, come down to me" I felt goosebumps. He even has a soliloquy about his his son's future similar to Henry's rendition of Soliloquy in Carousel though I think this music suits his voice better. 

Listers: A Glimpse into Extreme Birdwatching (2025)

I know nothing about bird watching. But I thoroughly enjoyed Listers. It's a hilarious self-produced documentary distributed solely on Youtube. It follows two brothers on their Big Year, a birding challenge to see as many bird species as possible in a calendar year. They go to great lengths to see rare birds. And they capture some amazing high definition footage. Hilariously these nature shots are juxtaposed with blurry handheld camcorder footage of the brothers sleeping in their Kia Sedona parked at Cracker Barrel. They are very funny on camera and behind it in the edit. They interview random people they come across on their journey, as well as celebrity birdwatchers renowned for their 700+ Big Years. It covers a lot of ground about the bird watching community. And the part that really hit me is about eBird, the app that makes Big Years even possible. It's where serious and casual birders alike log (list) their bird sightings. Listing is an obsession of mine. And I simultaneously felt personally attacked and inspired to make my own documentary. The great irony is that the movie is not even on Letterboxd, so won't appear in any movie lists. Which raises its own logistical conundrum about what qualifies as a "movie". By all means this two hour documentary is a movie, but how are we to distinguish it from other long Youtube videos? This also comes at a time for me after my trip to the Everglades where I saw some of the same wildlife they did, and you know what, casual bird watching was a lot of fun!