Beaches – 29 April 2026

Friendship with someone who embodies all of the qualities you do not can be life changing. Beaches focuses on a particular friendship between performance icon Cee Cee Bloom  (Jessica Vosk) and wealthy (but ordinary) Bertie White (Kelli Barrett). Friends from a childhood chance encounter on the beach, they change each other for the better despite painful fights and jealous moments. Showing each character at three ages with some supporting cast members creating the context of each situation, the story focuses on their lives, together and apart, and the true magic of having a best friend who means more than every other relationship in your life—including that of a spouse or a child.

The score for this musical is simple, with easy-to-sing vocal parts that are mostly in unison. The story and message are simple and clean, devoid of an intellectual level. It is the theatrical equivalent of watching a Hallmark movie—pure, predictable with minor plot twists, and a sappy conclusion that gives a warm feeling of contentment about the love that binds people together for a lifetime. In a Broadway space, Beaches feels a little underwhelming, but I see a potential future for this show elsewhere. This is the kind of musical that will soar when released as a student edition: it is simple and not controversial in any way, it is predominantly female roles, the music is easy enough for a high school band to play well, it provides honest thoughts about growing up that are rarely the focus of Disney musicals/other high school favorites, and is fun and relatable. I also think it provides a good message about friendship that’s appropriate for everyone’s whole family (including younger siblings) who might enjoy being able to see their loved ones perform.

There is only one moment in the show that I do not think is family friendly that actually shook me a little on Broadway. When Little Cee Cee (Samantha Schwartz) sang “Watchin’ a Star”, her costume overly sexualized her body in ways that I found unsettling. A large part of the story was told by Little Cee Cee and Little Bertie (Zeya Grace), and they were sometimes seen in the background or foreground of moments with their fully grown counterparts. While I did not mind these silent placements, a lot of the first half of the show was told completely by children. They are both really great child performers, but after a while I really wanted adult, Broadway level talent. Although I saw this performance on a press pass, I can imagine that ticket buyers might feel a desire for more of the story to be told by adults who have the level of performance ability that they paid to see.

Beaches is a production in which everyone tries their best, but the subject material simply isn’t engaging for today’s Broadway audiences. I think there is a place in this world for shows like this, and it isn’t on a Broadway stage. I don’t think that necessarily has to be degrading—there are many shows that work best in small , intimate spaces, and being able to whet a younger generation’s appetite for theatre is really important work that has to be done in order for the industry to continue. I believe that Beaches has a place in theatrical space where it belongs; I don’t think Broadway is it.

I attended this performance on a press pass from Vivacity Media Group.