You’ve probably already heard about A Catered Affair on Broadway- but are you still wondering if it’s a show that you really want to see? After all, there are hundreds of other shows out there, many of them with bigger celebrity casts and lots of special effects. So why should you watch A Catered Affair instead?
One of the biggest reasons to watch this musical is that, unlike a lot of plays these days, this one has a solid storyline. Let’s face it- the world of musicals certainly isn’t what it used to be. In fact, with many big budget productions today, it seems as if all the money is being invested just in the song sequences but on little else. A Catered Affair is a musical with a difference- it has a simple but strong storyline. It follows a very ordinary family dealing with a pretty ordinary situation- the marriage of the daughter of the family.
But A Catered Affair on Broadway isn’t just your average ‘wedding piece’. As the play progresses, the audience sees that each of the main characters isn’t what he appears to be. While on the surface they might seem harmless and a little clichéd, it quickly becomes clear that they are each struggling with their own feelings of remorse, regret and unhappiness. Their actions which might seem ordinary enough stem from reasons that are complex and a little tragic.
Each of the main characters on A Catered Affair on Broadway is a conflicted soul- for example, Aggie is not just a weary housewife who wants to get her daughter married off in style. Aggie has lived her entire life basking in the glory of her other child, her ‘perfect son’. When her son is killed in Korea, she is suddenly confronted with her daughter Jane who she realizes has always lived in the shadows. In a family that has always been struggling to make ends meet, Jane’s wishes have never entered the picture. Jane herself has become a woman who no longer expects any pleasant surprises from life. In fact, she looks to her marriage more as a sensible partnership than anything else. She is also desperate to leave home, as living under the shadow of her dead brother has become increasingly unbearable.
But A Catered Affair on Broadway isn’t just about the women- Jane’s father is faced with one of the toughest dilemmas amongst all the characters. All his life, he’s slaved as a taxi driver and now, he finally has the money to get his own cab. Should he make the investment and take the road to a better life that he’s worked so hard for? Or should he use that money on his daughter, who’s never had anything in her life?
There are no easy answers in A Catered Affair on Broadway but the play is not a heavy one. There are wonderfully light moments and the music is mesmerizing, both in terms of lyrics and tunes. If you think that this is the play for you, you’ll probably have to book your tickets well in advance. In case you don’t feel like battling the ticket counter, you can always order your tickets online through an authorized ticket vendor.
