THE HANGOVER REPORT – On its journey to the Great White Way, MELISSA ETHERIDGE: MY WINDOW gains intimacy and a newfound confidence

Melissa Etheridge performing in “Melissa Etheridge: My Window” at the Circle in the Square Theatre (photo by Jenny Anderson).

This past week, Melissa Etheridge’s mostly solo theatrical memoir Melissa Etheridge: My Window opened on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre. The show arrives on the Great White Way by way of an Off-Broadway run last year just a block away at New World Stages (you can read my review of the 2022 “tryout” here). On its journey to Broadway, I’m happy to report that Etheridge’s show has only gotten stronger, both in performance and presentation.

The structure of the show has remained substantially the same as it recounts Etheridge’s life story so far, paying particular attention to her path to becoming a queer icon (the work is co-written by Etheridge and her wife Linda Willem Etheridge). If the show still rambles in the second act (do we really need two hallucinatory drug sequences?), losing steam until Etheridge unleashes her unexpected, potent punchline. On Broadway, the production has reconsidered its staging for the better (the direction is credited to Amy Tinkham), using the unusual arena-like layout of the Circle in the Square as an opportunity to inject welcome cabaret-like intimacy to her candid recollections and soulful musical performances.

Which brings us to Etheridge’s performance. Happily, she’s only gained in confidence, growing from a somewhat tentative storyteller when I saw her last year to a grounded stage presence. Indeed, Etheridge gives an inviting performance that now more easily and tightly navigates her own meaty narrative, giving audiences the comfort to sit back and enjoy knowing that they’re in good hands. As in the Off-Broadway version, she remains in thrillingly robust voice, especially when she rips all-out into her wonderfully-placed rock anthems.

RECOMMENDED

MELISSA ETHERIDGE: MY WINDOW
Broadway, Musical
Circle in the Square Theatre
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through November 19

Categories: Broadway, Theater

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