Reflections on the American Theatre Critics Conference 2025

And Broadway Shows: Six, Liberation, Queen of Versailles and Death Becomes Her

By Liz Eichler

In these trying times…How many times have you heard that phrase this week? 

As hard as they are to live through, “trying times” often inspire the most compelling and human stories. We are resilient in our losses — and how those stories are told determines whether they truly resonate. At the 2025 American Theatre Critics & Journalists Conference, in NYC this past weekend, many stories of resilience were shared–rom speakers at the conference overcoming obstacles to earn recognition in their field, to the stories now playing on Broadway, and to the story of the Great White Way itself.

Some Speakers at The Conference

Jonathan McCrory, Executive Artistic Director of the National Black Theatre, was effervescent as he spoke of the process of building a space which can reclaim and reframe the story of the Black experience–not through the lens of slavery, but the glory before, in Africa. He begged us to live a “quantum experience” – living our present while honoring the past and conscious of the future. 

Director Whitney Wilson and playwright Bess Wohl in speaking about their current show Liberation, explained how they overcame their most beloved obstacles (their kids) while crafting the play. Phone calls at 8 a.m. are their shared space. 

Joan Marcus, renowned theatre photographer, and her publicist husband Adrian Bryan Brown overcame the odds of staying married while promoting theatre in NYC.  Joan, who so many recognize her photography credits from theatre texts, has archived her work protecting it for the future. 

Jordan Cooper, playwright, director and performer of the Public’s new musical, Oh Happy Day, shared how his success built upon the support from his first pastors, as he learned theatre from going to a southern church.  That upbringing provided the freedom to tell stories he wanted to tell.

Over and over it came up: one of the biggest obstacles theatre critics continue to navigate is how to keep writing and publishing without the support of traditional newspapers and magazine outlets. Many have overcome this obstacle through Substack or other subscriber platforms. The industry is bringing in and supporting new voices, such as Citlali Pizzaro, D.R. Lewis to Kelundra Smith. There are awards and prizes for cultural journalism and new plays.  Check them out HERE.

The Shows- Women, Wit and Trying Times

I also attended four shows which focused on women navigating “trying times.” 

Queen of Versailles

This is the story of Jackie Siegel, the self proclaimed “Queen of Versailles” in her rags to riches to rags to riches story, based on her documentary.

I am glad I saw this non-perfect piece about a woman hoping to build–and furnish–the largest house in the U.S.

Kristin Chenoweth is fabulous, but the vehicle around her needs some reworking and editing. Who wants to celebrate a story about living in excess and decorating a home in gold and glitz? In “these trying times,” jokes about celebrating wealth and waste often landed with polite — or uncomfortable — murmurs.

The show just isn’t campy enough to lean into its own absurdity. Nor does it find its heart. The music is forgettable, the book needs retooling–especially the long 1st act.  That said, the set (Dane Laffrey) and costume (Christian Cowan) design are striking — with pre-French Revolution opulence and clever live video panels giving close-ups of Chenoweth and the cast. It really helps the people in the cheap seats, and underlines the larger than life character that is Jackie Siegel. Sadly, F. Murray Abraham is forgettable as David, her husband.

Jackie Siegel’s real-life backstory — a middle-class woman who married into a timeshare fortune which saddled others with debt — adds a certain cringe factor, and despite flashes of pathos, the character never becomes fully likable or self-aware. The dog gets stage time–but where are the seven kids mentioned so many times?

SIX

This is the story of the six wives of Henry the 8th, having a sing-off to decide who had it worst. Book and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, it had its infancy at Edinburgh Fringe in 2017. Then it grew to be a full musical, opening on the West End in 2019, but was interrupted by Covid. It is now at the beautiful Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway, as well as a national tour.

The first of the wives, Catherine of Aragon, (Najah Hetsberger) will remind you of Beyonce. Hetsberger is an amazing performer. Anne Boleyn (Nicole Kyoung Mi-Lambert on the night I saw it) appears to be modeled on Avril Lavigne. Boleyn eventually lost her head, but in this show Mi-Lambert keeps us riveted. Jane Seymour (Kelsie Watts) reminds you of Celine Dion, as she lays down some jaw dropping notes. Anna of Cleves (Krystal Hernandez) reminds you of Nicki Minaj, and shows us how to “Get Down.”

The queens also have an amazing German Techno number midshow, taking off on painter Hans Holbein. Katherine Howard, (Kay Sibal) who also was beheaded, echos the era of Ariana Grande’s ponytail. The sweet and gentle Catherine Parr (Aiyanna Smash on the night I saw it) reminds me of Alicia Keys, who can go from quiet to filling the auditorium with her voice in “I Don’t Need Your Love.”

There is also a four piece all female band on stage, interacting with the performers and showing off a bit during the curtain call. The costumes (Gabriella Slade) are fascinating, how they echo the era yet allow for twerking. I sooo wanted to touch one to see how comfortable it is.

A lot of tweens and teens were part of the audience, as the music references skew younger, but every audience member can appreciate these queens.

I highly recommend this experience, as it is part history, and part amazing singers. It is an interesting take on how sisterhood can take even the worst of situations and turn it into the ties that bind.

Liberation 

The women’s liberation movement is an important piece of the American experience to celebrate and explore. The best way to see this show is by sitting with a group of women who raised kids in the 70s–as I did! We bonded–chatting before, during intermission and after. (With our phones locked away, it was natural.) 

It is the story of a woman trying to get to know her late mother, who worked for Ms. magazine, by interviewing her friends from Ohio who participated in women’s Lib meetings in 1970. By going back in time, we see not only the clothing and hair, but the outdated issues these women fought against–so we can have our own credit card, for example, or play on a full-sized basketball court.

This show is deeply moving, funny and earnest. It is a trip down memory lane for some in the audience, and a victory lap for others. The performances showed passion, and connection. During the first act I kept casting it in my head here in Ohio. Then some potential casting issues arose at the opening of the second act–as the women have a naked protest. There are certainly ways around that, and I hope to see this show in someone’s season in the next year or two. 

Death Becomes Her 

WOW.

What a pleasure it is to see Paul Tazewell’s costumes in action, and to hear a musical which is so polished it just lands.  Also a bit long in the first act, but great use of music, and comedy–and stunt doubles. This is a must see. Michelle Williams takes on the eerie Viola Van Horn, Jennifer Simard nails Helen’s sharp, dry wit, and by Megan Hilty is dazzling as Madeline Ashton.

The understudy playing Ernest (Bud Weber) is quite capable, taking on the role with ease. I Iook forward to seeing Death Becomes Her again. The whole design team, including scenery (Derek McLane) and lights (Justin Townsend) are top notch. The dancers are also superb.

New York’s Theatre History

I am a sucker for old theaters, for the carpets and staircases, and ghosts of makeup and applause. Growing up in Bethlehem, PA, we had two vaudeville-era theaters on our side of town–the Nile and the Boyd, converted into movie houses. So many of us visited these weekly. It was at one of these that my dad had to run after me, as I toddled down the aisle after Mary Poppins, wanting to join her. These spaces are now long demolished, at least one turned into a parking lot.

While many towns have destroyed their theatre history, New York’s is celebrated. (Cincinnati also celebrates its theatre tradition.) A brief film at the Museum of Broadway recounts how playhouses first started in the tip of Manhattan (in the 1730s) and then moved uptown until they settled around Times Square. There were multiple heydays, and pauses for world issues or conflicts.

I recall bussing into NYC in the ‘70s. From the windows we saw Broadway as a hotbed of XXX movie houses and decay. Things turned around in the ’80s. “The Great Theatre Massacre of 1982” destroyed 5 theaters to build a giant hotel. And, the Disney Corp. invested in Times Square, turning a sketchy area of town into the flashy family destination it is today. But in most of the theaters you can still see the uniquely patterned carpets and wrought iron decor–these palaces open to be shared with the public–which celebrate our stories. 

Museum of Broadway

There are some great displays at the Museum of Broadway, with a variety of playbills, costumes and props heavily representing the 70’s until now. You get to see the magic of theatre up close, when you realize the textures and patterns which make iconic costumes so unique, whether it is Paul Tazewell’s many realized works, or renderings by Jess Goldstein.  I could even see one of the SIX costumes up close, designed by Gabriella Slade!! (I still could not touch it, but it looks like it allows a great deal of movement.)

Curtain Call

New York City is a celebration of storytelling. But resilience and storytelling are not confined to Broadway. Across every region, we are hardwired to listen, to share, and to create.

In “trying times” theatre reminds us that endurance is not passive, it is creative. Through every story, we find our way forward, together. As a theatre critic and journalist, it is an honor to amplify these stories.

American Theatre Critics & Journalists Association website: https://americantheatrecritics.org/