Beaches Musical: A Fresh Take on Friendship

0:00It's April 23rd. This is Entertainment and Celebrity News today, powered by AI, Your Front Row, to the latest buzz. I'm Corey, with the story. Broadway just got a fresh take on beaches. The musical that dives into the lifelong bond of two best friends, C.C. Bloom and Birdie White. It sticks closer to Iris Rainer Darts' 1985 novel than the 1988 Bett Middler flick, opening tonight at the Majestic. Peter with Jessica Voss crushing it as the scrappy performer, C.C. and Kelly Barrett owning Birdie, the proper rich girl. Voss brings her Elphabot chops from Wicked, while Barrett has credits like Lisa Manelli in Fossy Slash for Dome. The show layers in young and teen versions, too, played by Zea Grace, Samantha Schwartz, Emma Ogea, and Bailey Ryan, popping up through the years, too. Capture that pure girlhood vibe on stage. Birds are already buzzing, with folks dropping spoiler alerts about the tear-jucker ending right before previews. The first act pops with Whitty Banser and Sass from the kids standing up to their moms,

1:04making everyone smile at those Atlantic City boardwalk routes. Plot shifts from the movie Spice Things Up, like a deeper fight over a theater director and Birdie's hubby drama, turning the second act heavier as, Birdie faces illness as a single mom. It sets up that powerhouse finale, where Voss could belt's wind beneath my wings, with her younger selves hitting you right in the feels. All in, it's a solid emotional ride, with laughs early and tears late, earning a B- for nailing the heart while tweaking the script just enough to keep it real.