Reflecting on my Recent Trip to New York City

by Rachel Wagner, Guest Editorial

For many years I have written almost daily on both film and the stage. Nothing gives me more joy than sharing my love of both art forms with the world and hopefully introducing my readers to hidden gems they wouldn’t have found otherwise.

I usually do this, however, through my own content so I don’t often get the opportunity to introduce myself to new readers- let them know about my passions, tastes, and idiosyncrasies that I hope make me an intriguing and engaging critic to read. This is why I was thrilled when offered the chance to write for OnStage Blog but even more so to begin this writing journey with a personal post about my recent trip to New York City to experience the best of both stage and film.

All of my writing will not be this personal; so if you will indulge me on this one, hopefully, you will find my recent experiences helpful as you plan your next trip. 

To begin with a little introduction. I am a film and theatre critic who hails from the great state of Utah. I have a great passion and love for both mediums and am fortunate to live in a state where both are supported with a fervor rarely exhibited in other smaller markets.

Nevertheless, at times, I do find it helpful to travel to major hubs like LA and New York to participate in some of the newness available to critics in those areas and to connect with friends, critics, and fellow lovers of the arts. Such an experience became available to me as I was accepted as press for the 61st New York Film Festival that took place in October and through some careful planning, I was also able to see the latest on the Broadway stage while I was there. 

It’s interesting because, on the surface, reviewing film and theatre would seem to be the same, and they can be. For example, when a film like Fences is released that is so close to its theatrical form (perhaps too close?)  in staging, performances, and style, the experience of reviewing both (which I have done) is basically identical.

However, that is the exception rather than the rule. Most film criticism these days has to be kept at a broad macro level because of our fear of film spoilers. With theatre criticism, I am usually encouraged to dig into specific songs or scenes that moved me, which I can’t do when talking about film.

I also appreciate how much more of the crew is acknowledged in theatre criticism than in a piece of film criticism. It has helped improve my film criticism reviewing theatre and vice versa. 

Anyway, the tricky thing about traveling for NYFF is the festival is so long with press screenings starting on 9/21 and ending on 10/13. Even staying at a hostel at a very low cost I can’t afford to be in New York for nearly a month but I must admit my planning for what days I attended could have been better.

I didn’t realize press offices would be closed for Columbus Day and so there were only screenings on 2 days of my trip, but I still saw 5 films after purchasing 2 of my own. I also missed some of the big films like Priscilla, Ferrari, and The Boy and the Heron but I plan on catching up with them soon (Priscilla I see the week of this writing.)

All 5 of the films I did see were what you might call ‘slow cinema’, and they were a bit of a mixed bag, but that’s part of the festival experience. The Taste of Things was by far my favorite with a beautiful love story and lots of crave-worthy food shown by director Tran Anh Hung.

Keep an eye out for what will surely be an awards favorite. For the rest of the 5, I would rank Jane Planet, Perfect Days, The Delinquents, and then Eureka. 

Like the films, I also saw 5 shows while I was in town. These were all new to me and were uniformly the cheapest tickets I could find. There are methods like lotteries and ticket booths where people can get great deals on shows, but as I wanted to secure what I was seeing in advance, I went for the nosebleeds.

One show was a gift from a friend, so that doesn’t apply but my favorite of the 5 was Back to the Future: The Musical. Perhaps it was helped that this is the one show I saw with my friend (the rest of the movies and shows were solo.) and I have a deep and abiding love for the 80s classic film, but I had a great time with Back to the Future. The spectacle on display was like nothing I’ve ever seen before with a wonderful and engaging lead performance from Casey Likes. 

The Shark is Broken was another throwback to a movie of the past with fantastic performances and a cool staging of the set from Jaws (I do think you have to be a Jaws fan to appreciate it on more than just a bravado level.)

Merrily We Roll Along was a treat to finally see after years of hearing about the infamous “Sondheim flop.” Jonathan Groff is absolutely outstanding as Franklin Shepard, and everyone helps support his complex turn as we see how he becomes the somewhat unlikable opportunist we see at the beginning of the play (it’s told in reverse.) Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors was a great option for Monday night when most of Broadway is dark, which covers a surprising amount of the story from the novel within its parody format.

James Daly was the standout, owning every scene as Dracula. And then, finally, I saw Gutenberg: The Musical in preview (which can be a great way to get a discounted rate on a buzz-worthy show.), and the comic duo of Andrew Rannells and Josh Gadd make this simple satire work.

You can read my full review of that one for UTBA here. 

In the end, it was a fabulous trip where I got to experience the best of theatre and film. Now I am back to enjoying both here in my hometown, and it feels small, but I’m grateful for the smallness after the 5 nights of big city bigness. It’s a joy to be a critic, whether on the stage or screen in 2023.