5 Highlights from BroadwayCon 2020

From January 24-26, Broadway fans from far and wide gathered at BroadwayCon 2020 to celebrate the magic of live theatre. With almost 200 events on the schedule, ranging from panels to contests to workshops and everything in between, there was truly something for everyone.

Here are some of the highlights:

The Ensemblist

Host Mo Brady got together with Broadway veterans Tracee Beazer (Frozen), Afra Hines (Hadestown), Kevlin Moon Loh (Beetlejuice), Barrett Martin (Chicago), and Bret Shuford (Wicked) to talk about all of their experiences with theatre, both on and off-Broadway. It was incredible to hear about touring versus performing on Broadway, all of the roles they cover as ensemble members and swings (Bret currently covers ten roles—eight ensemble and two principals!), as well as crossing over to film and television.

If you’re a Broadway fan (which I’m assuming you are), or simply someone interested in what goes on behind the scenes, definitely check out The Ensemblist podcast!

BroadwayCon 2020 First Look

I have to say, this was definitely one of the most exciting events at BroadwayCon. As the title suggests, we got a first look at what’s coming this season in addition to some shows that are currently running both on and off-Broadway. We were lucky enough to see performances by the insanely talented casts of Sing Street, Jagged Little Pill, Mrs. Doubtfire, Emojiland, Caroline or Change, Company, Hadestown, Between the Lines, Girl from the North Country, and possibly the most anticipated of all, Six. Let me be the first to tell you, 2020 is going to be a fantastic year for theatre.

Beetlejuice

First of all, the energy during this panel was absolutely palpable. In light of the news of Beetlejuice’s eviction from the Winter Garden Theatre, fans were there to share their love and support of this musical. It was so much fun to hear Alex Brightman, Kerry Butler, and Leslie Kritzer speaking about honoring the original characters while bringing themselves to the role as well as the backstage shenanigans.

As Alex Brightman said, they don’t like using the “c” word (closing), as they are, in fact, being evicted. Not to worry, though, they are looking for a new space for the show! #savebeetlejuice

Broadwaysted

My other favorite podcast is exactly as it sounds—three hosts, Kevin Jaeger, Bryan Plofsky, and Kimberly Schmidt getting wasted with Broadway professionals. At this live recording, the three hosts sat down with second-time guest Colin Donnell (Jersey Boys, Violet, Anything Goes). They spoke with Colin about his Broadway and TV careers with woops and claps from the audience…until they mentioned The Affair…and a dead silence fell across the audience…later followed by roaring laughter at the fact that there was a dead silence across the audience.

After a casual chat with Colin, the group played two rounds of Broadway heads up, led by gamemaster Kimberly—one with just those on stage and one with the audience giving clues. I’m honestly a little bummed that they only had a 30-minute slot because they didn’t have enough time to play more games. To get a better appreciation for the amazingness that is Broadwaysted, I highly recommend giving this podcast a listen!

Six

In case you haven’t heard, Six is the next huge show, so you better get your tickets now! This panel with Lucy Moss (writer, co-director), Carrie-Anne Ingrouille (choreographer), Wendy Barnes (producer), Andy Barnes (producer), Jamie Armitage (director), and Toby Marlow (writer) was one of the most entertaining panels I think any of us have ever seen. Maybe it was because they’re British, but they were just so much fun to listen to.

The audience truly got to understand the entire journey from performing with a few chairs in a hotel room performed by college students to opening on Broadway. The entire panel was hysterical, but the best story came from Toby, who performed as Catharine Parr for two performances and then had to yell at the other queens about feminism. Talk about the show must go on!

If I had to describe BroadwayCon 2020 in one word, it would be “inspirational”. I can’t imagine anyone leaving not feeling inspired in one way or another, whether that be to keep training and auditioning to one day make it to Broadway, to finish writing the play they started and never finished, or to simply see more theatre. Thank you, BroadwayCon, for giving us that gift.

About the Pop Culturalist Contributor, Jessica
Jessica is an actress living in New York City, and being a Jersey girl, has been immersed in theatre from a young age. When not auditioning, taking classes, and obsessing over Broadway, Jessica can be found watching true crime documentaries and rewatching The Office, Parks and Rec, and Friends too many times to count.