The 10th installment of BroadwayCon launched across multiple floors at the New York Marriott Marquis on Friday, February 7, with a full house of fans, a full slate of events, and appearances by stars of the NYC stage, along with a marketplace filled with Broadway memorabilia. The recent change of venue (it was originally scheduled to be held at the New York Hilton) did nothing to lessen the crowds or the palpable sense of community among the proud-to-be “theater nerds,” many of whom have been in attendance for all the past years, plan to return for the rest of the weekend, and look forward to coming back again in the future.
Check-in commenced at 9 am, when the Marketplace opened, offering a range of theater-related collectibles for sale. Among the items were The Lights of Broadway Showcards, paying tribute to the iconic people, locales, traditions, facts, and lore of Broadway, with a portion of the proceeds from sales benefitting charities close to the heart of the theater community, including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Entertainment Community Fund (previously known as The Actors Fund).
Included on the first day’s schedule were interactive sessions like From Broadway to Schmigadoon, with the mother-daughter team of Sheryl and Stacy Wiener celebrating the soon-to-open stage musical by looking at the classic shows and songs that inspired the two seasons of the titular 2021-23 musical parody on Apple+ TV, with videos, singalongs, and trivia questions. The devoted fans who filled every seat knew the answers to all of the questions, so the hosts decided to give everyone in the room a prize, since it was impossible to determine who yelled it out first!
Friday’s main event was BroadwayCon First Look, presenting songs and casts of upcoming, recently opened, and favorite hit musicals from Broadway and Off-Broadway. In the spotlight were Redwood, Real Women Have Curves, Music City, A Wonderful World, SIX, Saw, Titanique, and & Juliet – offering something for everyone, with a wide variety of themes and styles of music, from pop to jazz to country and more, and top-notch performances by the stars (among them Jennifer Sanchez, Florencia Cuenca, and Liam Pearce). Held in the hotel’s grand Broadway Ballroom, the full-capacity audience of enthusiastic theater-lovers was thrilled to get a sneak peek at the shows they’ll be seeing soon and revisiting the ones they’ve already seen.
There are two more full days of this year’s convention, with appearances by such icons as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joe Iconis, J Harrison Ghee, and Anthony Rapp, panel discussions on a range of topics, a cosplay contest, and too much to mention, so go see your favorite star, dress up as your favorite character, take home a Broadway souvenir, and have a blast at BroadwayCon with a like-minded community that shares your passion for the theater.
BroadwayCon runs through Sunday, February 9, 2025, at the New York Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway, NYC. For tickets (priced at $79-999, plus fees) and the full schedule, go online.
