Theatre kids everywhere are having a great week.
It started on a high note with the premiere of the much-anticipated Broadway Carpool Karaoke on the Late Late Show with James Corden. Starring the flawless Lin-Manuel Miranda, Audra McDonald, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Jane Krakowski, the 10-minute video of these stars belting their faces off to classic Broadway tunes was shared approximately 30 times on my timeline and was even popular enough to trend on BOTH Facebook and Twitter.
It then continued with the digital release of the Waitress cast recording, which I have been listening to on repeat since the moment that I found it. Composed by millennial pop icon Sara Bareilles, this production also features the first all-female creative team and (in my opinion) the most compelling portrayal of women that I have seen in recent years. It also doesn't hurt that the songs are candy for your ears.
To top it all off, this Sunday is the 70th Annual Tony Awards or Christmas for the theatre community. Between 16 nominations for the hip-hop musical Hamilton, Barbra Streisand's return to the awards, and Deaf West's Spring Awakening announcing that they will be performing this year, it is shaping up to be a hell of a ceremony. Considering that I bawled like a baby when Kelli O'Hara won last year, I'm sure that there will be plenty of tears on my part.
Come to think of it, theatre kids have been having a great year.
This Broadway season has synthesized theatre and modern America with such finesse that it has begun to reach the eyes and ears of mainstream pop culture. The little-known, rarely discussed musical Hamilton tells the story of the creation of our country through the music and cultural landscape of today. Spring Awakening, in its limited run, captivated audiences with its tale of sexual and intellectual repression told by a cast of both Deaf and Hearing actors. On Your Feet!, Allegiance, and Shuffle Along are all examples of how to properly represent the experiences of minorities through an artistic medium. Eclipsed and Waitress give voice to struggles that women are facing throughout the world.
Artists on Broadway and around the world are responding to the issues presented by the world around them and using the skills at their disposal to try and open up a dialogue. In a world filled with so many different types of people, it is more important than ever to acknowledge our shared human condition and the trials that go along with that. Whether that be with a provocative new play or a classic musical like Les Mis, Broadway theatre has proved yet again that it is more than just a tourist trap.
It is a living beast and it's always hungry for more.
