A Night at the Theater

May 2023

Broadway is a destination that is so much more than a geographic location. It’s the place where world-renowned theaters offer people from around the world a chance to step into a fantasy that lives and breathes in real time before their eyes. Residents of 555TEN don’t need a plane ticket to see the most acclaimed theaters in the country. In fact, living so close to Broadway means the magic of the Great White Way can become a vital part of your New York City life. Right now, Broadway is drawing crowds for shows both legendary and new. Here, we bring you highlights from a long list of not-to-be-missed productions playing this spring.

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is so much more than a theatrical expansion of the Harry Potter universe — it’s also a show that takes the concept of immersion into a world as far as it can go, with the halls and lobby of the Lyric Theatre itself embellished with details that make you feel as though you are in the world of Harry Potter before the show even begins. Of the newer, slightly abridged version of this show, Alexis Soloski of the New York Times writes, “directed by [John] Tiffany and choreographed by Steven Hoggett, with an essential score from Imogen Heap, it remains diamond-sharp in its staging and dazzling in its visual imagination, as magical as any spell or potion.”

“Life of Pi” features puppets so outsize they require multiple highly trained puppeteers to control them. Based on the acclaimed book by Yann Martel, it’s another visual immersion in a literary landscape that actually goes beyond the imaginable. Puppeteer Nikki Calonge, who operates Richard Parker/Tiger, says of working on this show, “‘Life of Pi’ defies what many expect from puppetry, performers, and plays in general — come see the effort and joy we’ve put into this show! We’re on Broadway, which is full of some of the hardest-working, creative, and passionate talent I’ve ever met; the whole community is alive with ideas and big dreams.”

“Hamilton,” the show memorized and beloved by kids and adults alike across the country, is still drawing crowds to the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where the whole notion of how history is made and told is explored in its collection of rap-inspired, showstopping hits.

In the case of Lea Michele of “Funny Girl,” its star power itself that works as the engine for the show. But her performances here are once-in-a-lifetime experiences where the kinetic combination of star and character show you what humans are capable of through the medium of song and dance.

In the unflaggingly popular “The Lion King,” there is a production level that brings an entire world to life through craftsmanship that, in many ways, exceeds that of blockbuster films where many of the stunning effects take place in camera. Here, Simba and Mufasa move in costumes designed by the legendary Julie Taymor, who also directs. Each one is a living, moving work of art of stunning proportions. As if that weren’t enough, the music by Elton John is already so deeply a part of the culture that to see it live is to physically enter the American collective unconscious. It’s the kind of show you’ll want to savor and see again, which is easy to do when you live just moments away at the Midtown luxury rentals at 555TEN.