Ask Lemmy

2025, The Book Of Mormon. I'd actually seen it before, but went with some people who hadn't. Hit just as good as the first time I saw it.

Most Recent: Hamilton.

Favorite: Phantom of the Opera.

Random general love of theatre: Wizard of Oz performed by a group of middle schoolers. They were all really committed to the performance and put on a fun show.

I saw a local college production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson that resulted in some audience members walking out and was adjusted to act as a critique of right-wing populism and Trump.

Spamalot. I heard some negative things and wasn't that excited to see it. However, it was actually quite good and I had a lot of fun.

Not sure if it counts, but I took my daughter to see Shen Yun last week. It's a pretty show and all, but multiple acts had super heavy handed religious elements, which were pretty off putting. One song was about how you should keep to the traditional values and the worst things in the world are atheists and the theory of evolution. Big applause. Can't really recommend, despite the nice costumes and dances.

Patrick Stewart's one man performance of A Christmas Carol, in 1994.

A) This is indeed a thing that happened and absolutely was not some kind of hallucination, and B) obviously I don't go to shows very often, do I?

About a month ago, I went to a donation-driven community theater improv/Edgar Allen Poe thing.

Saw Mary Jane on Broadway a couple years back, staring the phenomenal Rachel McAdams. It was good, it was very sad, and heartwrenching, and McAdams did a phenomenal job. She has a ton of range, hope she returns to the theater sometime.

We saw Wicked for the second time last year. Such a good musical! Went to Keller Auditorium for that one, first viewing was actual Broadway in New York.

Next month we're seeing Phantom of the Opera!

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

That's probably the most Lemmy-approved answer I'm ever going to give to a question here.

The last opera I saw was Fellow Travelers by Spears, an 2016 opera based on a novel of the same title about two men who fall in love during the Lavender Scare. It was absolutely heart-rending, just the most tragic love story you could possibly imagine, and the sex scenes were so hot — I don’t think I’d ever seen a fully nude scene at an opera before, even if it was just from behind, and the tenor clearly had spent some time in the gym to prepare. Highly recommend you go see it if you have a chance.

Last month my nephew's high school performed Bye Bye Birdie. It was good, but not as good as when they performed Les Miserables last year. That was so emotional and moving it was 🔥

Their school does full live orchestra, lighting, sets, costumes, the works.

I was involved in more than 60 theatrical productions until my health no longer allowed almost a decade ago now. I miss it terribly. Mostly community theatre, but a few professional (i.e. paid) productions. Mostly sound design / running sound/mics, but on stage a dozen or so times, backstage a few times.

The last thing I saw was Come From Away. Kinda cheesy in some ways, but also pretty good show - I'd recommend it. About that Canadian airport that saw a ton of planes land on 9/11 when US airspace was shut down. The local community came together and took care of all the passengers and lifelong friendships were formed. It's sweet. And a bit cheesy. But fun, and emotional moments.

I'm a performer and my partner's also in the arts, so uhhh, -1 hours

A play called Souvenir, late last year, put on by a local theater company. (Interestingly, their theater is in the building that used to be the gym when I was in college. It looks really nice inside now, and you would never guess that it was the most divey, stanky gym you had ever seen for like 60 years beforehand. I loved that place.)

Anyway, the play was about a famously bad singer who gained fame for how off-pitch she was. It was funny, heartwarming, and very well done. I didn't know it while watching the play, but she was a real person, too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Foster_Jenkins

Book of Mormon! My first time seeing it and had a great time

My wife and I love going to the theater. We have a couple of local playhouses, so therefore options, but still find it difficult to go with any regularity.

I think the last thing we saw was Primary Trust in 2024 (!! I can't believe it's been that long)

Saw Les Miserables last year. Third time seeing it and it's still fantastic.

2026. I saw the turn of the screw at the opera.

What Haunting of Bly manor is technically based on

Pretty boring stuff. Wouldn’t recommend

this post made me realise i can't remember

time to go to the theatre darlings!

Last year I went to a performance of Beauty and the Beast that included the audience. They had two long dinner tables that everyone sat at. The actors worked around us. Running on the tables and in between us. At the far end was the throne chair.

There was also a live band mixed into the set and playing the music and sound effects.

My only complaint is my neck hurt after from all the looking back and forth. The concept was great. Tho.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Abridged. That's the title of the show, I'm dead serious. A cast of three, trying to ram their way through all of Shakespeare's works within two hours. Sonnets included. It's hilarious.

The last live theater performance I saw was "Puss in boots" from Tieck, the last performance I played in. I watched it from the stage.

Does it count when i was doing the music and light? If yes then it was "Die 8 Frauen"

Last thing I saw was either Wicked or Hamilton. I'm not sure which. But if you want to count it, I saw Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban with a live orchestra instead of the soundtrack. It was... magical.

Cabaret at the end of 2025. It was haunting and beautiful

Lion King on Tour was last one I saw. It was awesome.

If watching a recorded theatre performance from the comfort of my own sofa counts, then The National Theatre's presentation of The Importance of Being Earnest, which is wonderful.

In terms of seeing a live performance while in the actual theatre then it would be Rocky Horror back in 2019.

Edit: Just remembered that we saw Wicked in London in December 2025, before we saw the movie. That was fun.

I saw Lizard Boy at Portland Center Stage a couple times last week. Once with a friend who saw six showings in a row, and once with her and my wife soon after. Was quite good.

hadestown. i can't imagine anyone other than morgan dudley playing eurydice now. her hair perfectly fit her backpacking clothing

Locally written and produced whodunnit dinner theatre. Before that, university produced Othello.

Last one I saw was "Who's Holiday", a drag production featuring Cindy Lou Who from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, all grown up and living in a trailer park.

https://bagnbaggage.org/event/whos-holiday/2023-12-01/

It was an amateur production of Shakespeare's As You Like It that a friend and his son were both acting in. It could have been quite stodgy, but the actors made it good fun.

I saw Dear Evan Hansen in like 2019. The staging was kinda neat, and the vocal performances were spectacular.

The story was.... something.

I'm in line for one right now, I'll let you know how it went when it's done.