# Notable stage shows you've seen **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** theater-stage-dance\ **Created:** [September 24, 2026, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330 "2026-09-24T01:04:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/81 "2026-09-27T13:58:57Z")
I’ve seen quite a few off-Broadway shows in NYC. Two of the more notable ones were **Who Killed Richard Corey?** and **The Dining Room** , because both were written by one of my professors, A.R. “Pete” Gurney. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2026, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/82 "2026-09-27T14:56:23Z")
Dr.Winston\_OBoogie The Wallrus Sep 25 > Now how does that work? How can you put on a version of “The Scottish Play” without saying “MacBeth”? (for anyone who doesn’t know, there’s a superstition that saying “MacBeth” in a theater brings bad luck) As **Gyrate** said, performances of **MacBeth** get a free skate on that. Also, I’ve only ever heard that you don’t say it backstage; everyplace else is hunky dory. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/83 "2026-09-28T10:47:33Z")
Nitpick, the B in Macbeth isn’t capitalized. I don’t know why. The only other Mc/Mac name I know where the part after Mac isn’t capitalized is Macduff. I’ve seen several stagings of _Waiting for Godot,_ including the Bill Irwin/Nathan Lane/John Goodman, but the one I wish I’d seen is the Ian McKellen/Patrick Stewart production. I did see the two of them in Harold Pinter’s _No Man’s Land_, which played at the same time in repertory. A notable show that nobody else has posted yet: _Driving Miss Daisy_, in 2010, with James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave. @Loach I saw Brent Spiner in _177_6 too, and found him more impressive than I expected. @suranyi how was Lea Michele in _Chess?_ I wish I’d caught it. And @Dung_Beetle I want to see _Operation Mincemeat_. The NY Times had an article last month about fans who’ve seen it dozens of times. It’s running on Broadway only until March 2027 so I have to plan for it. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/84 "2026-09-28T11:02:17Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > @suranyi how was Lea Michele in _Chess?_ I wish I’d caught it. Oof - another one I forgot: _Chess_ with Michael Ball and Alexandra Burke. Excellent performances but they still seem to be perpetually tinkering with the plot, alas. And _Don Quixote_ with David Threlfall (Don Q) and Rufus Hound (Sancho Panza). It was very good but not a musical, and I weirdly missed the songs from _Man of La Mancha_ at times. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/85 "2026-09-28T11:26:06Z")
I don’t see a lot but years ago my wife saw **American Idiot** when Billie Joe Armstrong was in the lead role. It was cool hearing a musical of Green Day songs sung by the actual lead singer of Green Day. We took our daughter to see **The Lost Boys** this weekend. It was a decent enough fun musical but really stood out was the whole lighting and set design. You got people flying in slow motion. Dramatic smash cuts on live on stage (like with the whole stage). Quite impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/86 "2026-09-28T12:52:52Z")
I’d go see Operation Mincemeat again if I could! I see one of the players that I was most impressed with was only the understudy. Wow. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/87 "2026-09-28T17:05:10Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > how was Lea Michele in _Chess?_ I wish I’d caught it. She was excellent, along with the rest of the cast. I have to admit I wasn’t crazy about some of the design choices. This has always been a problematic show, with fantastic music (which is why I went) but a story that doesn’t really hold up. I didn’t like the way they turned the Arbiter into a sarcastic narrator. Apparently Lea Michele was the big draw because the show closed immediately after she left. It had been intended to continue with another actress, in fact she was even announced. But ticket sales fell off sharply. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/88 "2026-09-28T18:09:11Z")
I saw a revival of **Cat on a Hot Tin Roof** on Broadway with Ned Beatty as Big Daddy, Margot Martindale as Big Mama, Jason Patric as Brick, and Ashley Judd as Maggie. Fabulous! Especially Ned Beatty. I think it was in 2001. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/89 "2026-09-29T03:32:46Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > But one of the best I’ve seen was the one we went to last night on Broadway, Operation Mincemeat. It’s a musical comedy based on a true story from WW II. There were only five actors, and they all played several parts, sometimes switching back and forth in seconds, right before your eyes. Three of the actors were merely amazing, two were absolutely brilliant. It was quite a funny show, with a couple of moments that made me cry buckets. > > Anyway, I didn’t see any ads for it or hear any buzz, but I recommend it very highly. I hope everyone gets a chance to see it. Take it over to [my pathetic flop of a dedicated _Mincemeat_ thread from last June expounding an emphatically different opinion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-operation-mincemeat-like-the-original-operation-mincemeat-is/1031123). 😁 (No argument on the performer brilliance and technical virtuosity aspects, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/90 "2026-09-29T18:43:57Z")
Aww, rats! I’m having the mother of all bad-back-to-work days, so I don’t have the energy. At least you liked some of it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/91 "2026-09-29T18:46:12Z")
I had never heard of it but am intrigued. It’s coming to my town in January and tickets go on sale October 10, so I might check it out. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/92 "2026-09-29T21:53:09Z")
I got dragged to a performance of _Waiting for Godot_ and hated every Godot second of it. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/93 "2026-09-29T22:00:07Z")
I think this is more your style, Mr. Fish: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MNkbu-Y5ghk/hqdefault.jpg "National Lampoon's "Waiting For Godot"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNkbu-Y5ghk) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/94 "2026-10-03T20:21:42Z")
I’ve seen Cirque three times, O (the one with the water) twice and Mystere once. All of them, IIRC, in Las Vegas. I’d go see O a third time in a heartbeat. Also, in a few weeks, I’m going to this [![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HTeKBz0WYAAYnQm?format=webp&name=large) ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HTeKBz0WYAAYnQm?format=webp&name=large) One of the theaters in Milwaukee has been doing a midnight showing of this, with the shadow cast, since the late 70’s. IIRC every or every other Saturday. I never managed to get there, and at this point I’m not going to a midnight showing of _anything_. I’m excited to finally get to go and see the live version without getting home at 3 in the morning. For those unfamiliar with the shadow cast thing. They play the movie, but have a group of actors up on stage acting out the movie in front of the screen. Plus the audience participation and throwing things etc. I’m taking my (20 year old) daughter with me. She’s never seen it (other than some clips of it). I’ll show her the movie at some point before we go. I’m guessing, being the live version with audience participation, it’ll be easier if she has some familiarity with it. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/95 "2026-10-05T18:34:27Z")
I remember seeing _Spamalot_ at the Kentucky Center for the Arts. My parents let me use one of their season tickets. Monty Python’s humor would have been lost on them, while I’ve been a superfan since I could remember, so this arrangement made too much sense. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/96 "2026-10-05T18:40:03Z")
FWIW, John Cleese is currently on tour. [![](https://wvculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/JohnCleese_850x530_CAP-c4b66dc4ff.webp) ](https://wvculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/JohnCleese_850x530_CAP-c4b66dc4ff.webp) ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/97 "2026-10-05T18:59:33Z")
Have seen numerous major stage productions, but if by notable you mean famous casts I have: _The Pirates of Penzance_ with Kevin Kline and Linda Rondstadt (Broadway) _Camelot_ with Richard Harris (tour) _Cabaret_ with Alan Cummings _The Gin Game_ with James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson Although to be honest I have rarely been disappointed with not-quite-so-famous casts, expecially in musicals. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2026, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/98 "2026-10-06T01:56:03Z")
I saw the _Beetlejuice_ musical during its tryout run at the National Theatre the October before it hit Broadway. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/99 "2026-10-06T15:13:41Z")
I got to see the pre-Broadway test run of _Wicked_ at the Orpheum in San Francisco. It was clear Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth were about to become superstars (previous Tony nomination/ win, respectively, notwithstanding). ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330/100 "2026-10-09T03:04:44Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I got to see the pre-Broadway test run of _Wicked_ at the Orpheum in San Francisco That must have been the Curran Theater. I saw it during its (post-Broadway) Orpheum run in 2009 and the only notable in the cast was Carol Kane. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-stage-shows-youve-seen/1033330.md?page=4)