Off Broadway: Only Gold

Andy Blankenbeuhler and Kate Nash’s Only Gold shines as it draws in audiences with lavish sets, robust orchestrations, stunning choreography—and a ticking heartbeat.

Only Gold, premiering off-Broadway at MCC Theatre, is a new original musical from the minds of Tony-award-winning choreographer Andy Blankenbeuhler (of Hamilton and Bandstand) and British pop singer Kate Nash. The musical is set in Paris in the 1920s and centers its narrative around a royal family: the King (Terrance Mann), Queen Roksana (Karine Plantadit), and Princess Tooba (Victoria Fiore, at this performance). The family comes to Paris in preparation for a royal wedding, hoping the city can heal the relationship between the king and queen, the queen and the princess, and the princess and her newfound love.

The royal family hitches at a crossroads when the King finds a local watchmaker, Henri (Ryan Vandenboom)—who happens to be the son of a jeweler who made a necklace for the queen many years before. The King requests Henri make a new collection of jewelry. Finally, the break Henri has been waiting for. But it is not without the pain it causes his wife, Camille (Hannah Cruz), who has been struggling to make a name for herself as a pianist. Camille suddenly has to put her plans on hold to support Henri as he works around the clock.

The musical pours its hardest emotions—to love, to heal, to confront, to lose— into its choreography, creating a stunning stage piece.

I have been a fan of Terrence Mann for a long time, but especially since I saw him in Marie, Dancing Still in Seattle in 2019, I am always impressed by his nuanced acting and powerful bass. I loved getting to see him again in Only Gold. He is magnificent at playing these older male characters who are blinded by their ambition and come to a stark realization.

Victoria Fiore stole the spotlight as Princess Tooba. Fiore drew the eye right to her and played so well of all of her castmates, from standing stubbornly up to Terrence Mann, to disagreeing with Karine Plantadit, to falling for Ryan Steele (Jaques).

Hannah Cruz was a powerhouse player, playing the wonderfully stubborn and delicate Camille. I loved her performance, especially in the second act. Not only does Cruz have a magnificent voice, but she also takes the audience on the journey of Camille’s pain of sitting back while her husband gets all his accolades.

It should also be said that in true Blankenbeuhler style, the heartbeat of this show is with the ensemble and choreography. It was so cool to watch the way the ensemble moved with the characters in this show and how they acted as a vehicle for storytelling. It was also very cool to be able to see some signature Blankenbeuhler moves with the ensemble moving the furniture around in ways that echoed Hamilton and Bandstand.

I came across this show on social media, and I’m so glad I was able to catch it while I was in New York. It was something really right up my alley, and I really enjoyed it. I am a big choreography person, and so this was like a dream musical to be able to witness. I am not very familiar with Kate Nash or her work, but it was very cool to see her music brought to life on stage and to have her there on stage narrating the story.

I love having the opportunity to see shows in their early productions because it is so cool to watch them develop. I also love being able to support new, original works and to share these experiences in hopes that others will take a chance on these productions as well. This show is only open until November 27, so if you’re in NYC, I highly recommend checking this out!