Arts & Entertainment
The conundrum of chance
Team behind hit ‘Normal’ returns with pre-Broadway D.C. debut
Idina Menzel and James Snyder in ‘If/Then.’ LGBT issues percolate in two sub-plots in the new musical. (Photo by Joan Marcus, courtesy National Theatre)
‘If/Then’
Through Dec. 8
National Theatre
1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
800-514-3849
Do you ever wonder to what extent chance rules your destiny?
The new musical “If/Then” starring Broadway megastar Idina Menzel as a woman on the precipice of a new life does. Not just how chance affects the individual, but also how the ripple effect of our lives impacts in significant and small ways the fate of those around us.
The neatly titled but rather rambling “If/Then” (currently premiering at the National Theatre before moving on to Broadway) centers on Elizabeth (Menzel), an urban planner in her late 30s. We meet her at a pivotal time — after 10 years mired in an unhappy marriage and professional doldrums in Phoenix, Elizabeth returns solo to New York, her city, eager to get her life right. From here, the musical cuts back and forth between two narratives, both possible realities for our heroine. As “Beth,” she concentrates almost solely on her career; but as “Liz,” she makes love and family more of a priority. Though very different, neither of these paths is particularly less traveled, nor are they immune from hardship.
Even though Brian Yorkey’s book with its sometimes confusing parallel stories is cleverly conceived and keeps the audience on its collective toes, the show unfolds unevenly — the plodding first act is followed by a brisker, high drama second. Its most notable achievement however, is the fleshed out character of likable Elizabeth. As the data-obsessed but down-to- earth PhD, Menzel, who famously created the parts of Maureen, the wild bisexual performance artist in “Rent,” and, of course “Wicked’s” green-faced witch Elphaba, gets to show off her considerable acting chops.
“If/Then” reunites Tom Kitt (music) and Yorkey (book and lyrics) and director Michael Greif (the team behind the commercial/critical hit musical “Next to Normal”). It also brings together a truly stellar, pitch-perfect diverse cast to portray Elizabeth’s friends and love interests including handsome James Snyder as Josh, a low-key Nebraska born ER doctor and army reservist. Anthony Rapp plays Lucas, an intense affordable housing activist who earns his living as a barista and is bisexual. Tony Award-winning LaChanze’s Kate is an innovative, upbeat kindergarten teacher and Liz’s biggest cheerleader. And Kate’s roving-eyed partner Anne is beautifully underplayed by Jenn Colella, who identifies as gay offstage too. Jerry Dixon is Stephen, Beth’s unhappily married boss.
The action takes place in Madison Square Park and other Manhattan locales. The cost of housing and the banishment of lower income residents from the city’s increasingly exclusive ranks is a recurring topic. Mark Wendland’s striking two-tiered set boasts leafy trees and fire escapes. It lightly suggests parks and smoothly morphs into work and living spaces. At one point, we see Elizabeth speaks to us from her tiny, cramped bathroom. We see her from the vantage point of peering through the other side of the mirror above the sink.
Clocking in at almost three hours, the show covers a lot: the relevance of chance, career, family, New York City and marriage. (There are two subplots involving same-sex marriages!) One of the “If/Then’s” quieter moments is Menzel’s wistful delivery of “Walking By a Wedding” just after intermission. Later in the second, Menzel belts it out with the crowd-pleasing power ballad “Always Starting Over,” displaying her voice and range to full advantage. It’s in this song that our Liz hashes out her choices and comes to grips with the concept that every day is a new opportunity to begin. It’s a stirring theatrical moment and makes up for the musical’s flashes of sitcom-ish humor and occasionally awkward staging.
Today’s musical fairy tale isn’t happily ever after. It’s more fall in love even when the odds strongly favor failure. If it works out, great. If not, at least you tried. For a woman like Elizabeth who worships at the altar of numbers and doesn’t believe in accidents, letting go isn’t easy. “If/Then” advises giving it a shot.
a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
It’s been a year filled with drama and music, re-imaginings and new works. There was a lot on offer in 2025, and much to enjoy. Here are 10 now-closed productions that come to mind.
On Valentine’s Day at Folger Theatre on Capitol Hill, out actor Holly Twyford served as narrator for “The Love Birds” a Folger Consort work that melds medieval music with a world-premiere composition by acclaimed composer Juri Seo and readings from Geoffrey Chaucer’s “A Parlement of Foules”
Standing behind a podium, Twyford beautifully read Chaucer’s words (translated from Middle English and backed by projected slides in the original language), alternating with music played on old and new instruments.
While Mosaic Theater’s “A Case for the Existence of God,” closed in mid-December, it’s proving a production not soon forgotten. Precisely staged by Danilo Gambini, and impressively acted by Lee Orsorio and Jaysen Wright, the soul-searching two hander by out playwright Samuel D. Hunter, tells the story of two men who form an unlikely friendship based on single-fatherhood, a specific sadness, and hope.
The action unfolds in a small office in southern Idaho, where the pair discuss the perplexing terms of a mortgage loan while delving deep into their lives and backgrounds. Nothing is left off the table.
Shakespeare Theatre Company’s spring production of “Uncle Vanya” gave audiences something both fresh yet enduring. Staged by STC’s artistic director Simon Godwin, the production put an impeccably pleasing twist on Russian playwright Anton Chekhov’s classic. It ranks among the very best area productions of the year.
Featuring a topnotch cast led by Hugh Bonneville (TV’s “Downton Abbey”) in the title role, the play was set on an unfinished stage cluttered with costume racks and assorted props, all assembled by crew uniformed in black and actors in street clothes. Throughout the drama tinged with comedy, the actors continued to assist with ever increasingly period set changes accompanied by an underscore of melancholic cello strings. It was innovative and wonderful.
GALA Hispanic Theatre’s production of Manuel Puig’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman” was an intimate and affecting piece of theater. Staged by José Luis Arellano, it starred out actors Rodrigo Pedreira and Martín Ruiz as two very different men whose paths cross as convicts in an Argentine prison.
Arena Stage scored with a re-imagined and updated take on the widely liked musical “Damn Yankees.” Directed by Sergio Trujillo, the Broadway bound production has been “gently re-tooled for its first major revival in the 21st century,” moving the action from the struggling Washington Senators baseball team to the turn-of-the-century Yankees lineup. Ana Villafañe’s charmingly seductive Lola and a chorus of fit ball players made for a good time.
Also at Arena, out playwright Reggie D. White’s new work “Fremont Ave.” was very well received. A semi-autobiographical glimpse into home and the many definitions of that idea specifically relating to three generations of Black men, the work boasts a third act with a deeply queer storyline to boot.
Before his smash hit “Hamilton” transformed Broadway, Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote “In the Heights,” a seminal musical set against the vicissitudes of an upper Manhattan bodega. Infused with hip-hop, rap, and pop ballads, the romance/dramedy takes place over a lively few days in the vibrant, close-knit Latin neighborhood, Washington Heights.
Signature Theatre’s exciting take on “In the Heights” featured a talented cast including out actor Ángel Lozado as the bodega owner who figures prominently in the barrio and the action.
Studio Theatre’s recent production of lesbian playwright Paula Vogel’s newest work “The Mother Play,” a drama with humor, is about a well put together alcoholic mother and her two gay children living under difficult circumstances in the less glitzy parts of suburban Maryland. With nuanced performances and smart direction, the production was terrific.
Keegan Theatre surpassed expectations with its production of “Lizzie” a punk rock opera about Miss Borden, the fabled axe wielding title character. Performed by a super all-female cast, they belted a score that hits hard on subjects like money, queerness, and strained (to say the least) family relationships.
Round House Theatre impressed autumn audiences with “The Inheritance,” a two-part drama sensitively staged by out director Tom Story and acted by a mostly queer cast that included young actor Jordi Bertrán Ramírez in a breakout performance.
Penned by out playwright Matthew López, the epic work inspired by E.M. Forster’s novel “Howards End,” explores themes of love, legacy, and the AIDS crisis through the lives of three generations of gay men in New York City.
Prior to opening, Story commented that with the production’s predominately queer cast you get actors who “really understand the situation, the humor, and the struggle. It works well.” And he was right.
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