Reviewing the Drama: Broadway, Off-Broadway, Ballet, Movies, and TV Reviews

"And another hundred people just got off of the train." That's from "Another Hundred People," the Stephen Sondheim tune from Company . It's my favorite song about my favorite city, and, clearly, the creators of In Transit  like it, too. This theme of the subway connecting all New Yorkers, and the sheer number of people who are in transit at any one time, and the lives they live, is the focus of this original a cappella musical. What, at first, seems like a series of sketches (for the first several minutes, I thought this was going to be a themed revue), turns into a full musical, with story arcs and characters for whom we root. There's the gay couple, Trent ( Justin Guarini , Women on the Verge... ) and Steven ( Telly Leung , Godspell ), who are engaged but fearful of telling Trent's southern, conservative mother that he and Steven are more than just roommates; there's Nate ( James Snyder , If/Then ), the ex-investment banker who's tryi...

What if? It's a short question, something we often wonder throughout our lives (maybe even multiple times each day). On the surface, it's a simple question, too. What if? What if just one seemingly innocuous choice changes your fate—or does it? What if there were a musical that asked us to grapple with this? Then it would be If/Then . This original Broadway musical, which reunites team Next to Normal , Tom Kitt (music), Brian Yorkey (lyrics and book) and Michael Greif (direction), tells Elizabeth's stories. Recently divorced and in her late thirties, Elizabeth (Idina Menzel) moves back to New York. One friend, Kate (LaChanze), says "Liz" moved to NYC to find true love. Another friend, Lucas (Anthony Rapp), says "Beth" returned to pursue her dream career. (As part of her reinvention, Elizabeth decides between calling herself Liz and Beth.) At the top of the show, Elizabeth meets up with Kate and Lucas in Madison Square Park and each asks her to t...