New York Through The Eyes Of Stars From Broadway’s Hottest Shows

What better way to celebrate the return of Broadway than by showcasing the stars from the plays that everyone is clamoring to see? As a Broadway fan myself, I’ve always wanted to know more about the actors who entertain me and help me escape from my everyday life with their singing, dancing, talent and wit.

But instead of a standard profile, I thought it would be richer and more interesting for these stars to share their insider tips on New York- the city where they live and work and a destination that’s a favorite of so many people from around the world. I can tell you that I consider myself incredibly lucky to call New York home and think that it’s the greatest place in the world.

I’m kicking off the series with Petrina Bromley, who originated the role of Bonnie and others in the musical “Come From Away” and currently continues in the role. Bromley is originally from Newfoundland where the show takes place and can also be seen in the new CBC Canadian television comedy series “Son Of A Critch” as Sister Margaret.

I was able to arrange interviews with the actors featured here thanks to Broadway Inbound, the global travel industry’s ticket source for theater in New York and owned by The Shubert Organization.

Where do you live in New York?

Queens!

What’s your favorite neighborhood in the city and why?

My neighborhood! Long Island City, Queens, is a great place to live. The area there has been carefully developed into two parks with walking trails, dog parks, playgrounds, restaurants, and plenty of green space. It feels like you’ve left the intense hustle of Midtown far behind, but it’s only one stop away.

Can you share some of your favorite spots in the Theater District and what makes them so great?

There’s a great bar/restaurant on 46th called Hold Fast. which is a sailing term and common phrase in Newfoundland. When I saw the sign for the bar , it stopped me in my tracks. I thought, they must be from back home. So, I had to go in. One of the owners, Jason Clark, does have ties to NL!

They opened at the same time as our show opened and have our show poster up and a Newfoundland and Labrador provincial flag on the ceiling above the bar with all our signatures. It’s great to have that connection with someone else who started out when we did and who has weathered the pandemic and come through. It’s like we’ve grown up together.

I love the little plaza between 49th and 50th behind New World Stages. I always find it a bit of magic when the concrete in NY relents and open space suddenly appears. I like to head over there on a two-show day to eat my lunch (or supper?) outside. It’s still busy but not as busy as Times Square.

Tell me the best place for a pre-or post-theater meal and why. What are the dishes to order?

I love to grab a bowl of ramen at Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles #2! I mean, the name alone. It’s a tiny hole in the wall place on 9th at 45th, but they have the best ramen and fantastic fried vegetable dumplings. Bond 45 is a great spot for after dinner drinks and food. The booths in the back have a sort of diner feel to them, which is cozy and retro. The food is Italian so there’s great pasta and salads and bread, and the pizza has super thin-crust. You can get it drizzled with spicy honey. Yum. Yum. Yum. They make a great Negroni and a super tasty Mule.

What’s the Best Theater District watering hole?

Hold Fast, of course! My drink of choice is always a gin mule, but they make amazing cocktails with hilarious names: After Dinner Skrew - Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, espresso liqueur and cold brew coffee (!!!!); Wash Your Damn Hands - spicy tequila lemonade; and the Hold Fast To Your Dreams - bourbon and bitters and a few other bits. They also have THE BEST fries. Hands down. Crinkle. Cut.

Do you have Insider tips for enjoying a Broadway show? What can make the experience better?

Go with an open mind and an open heart. Wear your mask! It makes the people around you and the people on stage more comfortable, and we are so grateful for the kindness and care it shows for our safety and yours.

There’s no perfect way to see a show. I’ve gone in groups, on my own, planned in advance, spur of the moment. I’ve known everything about the show I’m seeing, and nothing about it at all. Leaving the day and its stresses on the sidewalk outside and disappearing into the darkness of the theatre and the momentary world it creates is the best way to see a show. Theatre is one of the precious few experiences we have with hundreds of other people at the same time. We are all collectively led down a road of emotion and philosophy and humanity and you can feel other people’s reactions. You laugh together, you weep together. Where else do we do that?

What’s the New York City theater you love to go to and why?

I love The Public. It’s got such a rich history - founded by Joseph Papp as The Shakespeare Workshop; one of the first nonprofit theaters in the US; with a strong social commitment in addition to the cultural work. They continue to do Shakespeare, but are also are an incubator for new work.

And the building itself is a piece of NYC history! Built by John Jacob Astor, it was the public library for 50 years in the 19th century. The building fell into disuse in the 20th Century and was rescued from demolition by theatre!

“Come From Away” aside, what other Broadway shows are on your radar right now?

So many!! There are new shows starting to open all the time and it’s a very exciting period as the world slowly reopens from its cocoon of Covid! I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the amazing Kenita Miller in “for coloured girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf” next door at The Booth and my incredible friend Jenn Collela in “Suffs” at The Public. I’m also really hoping to catch Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga in “Macbeth.”

Can you tell us your New York gems?

I love to take the East River ferry. Seeing the city from the river gives you a very different perspective.

Up north, The Cloisters is a beautiful spot, too. Fort Tryon Park and Inwood Hill Park are great for walking and getting away from it all.

Every neighborhood in NYC has a bodega which is its own little gem. The E&I deli in my area has everything you might need It’s always open, and the people who operate it are the hardest working folks. I love that I can buy flowers and dog food and vegan cheese all in the same tiny spot.

What are your favorite theaters around the world?

My favorite theatre in the world is The LSPU Hall in St. John’s, NL. It’s a small black box theatre with only 180 seats, but it’s where I got my start. They are a nonprofit, artist driven theatre which prides itself on nurturing new NL voices and stories. There’s a whole vintage of NL actors, comedians, and writers who grew out of that place and have become part of the fabric of Canadian tv - Mary Walsh, Rick Mercer, Mark Critch.

I was lucky enough to get to perform there again during the shutdown. I wrote and played a one-person show about the last woman hanged in NL and the legacy of family violence. Being center stage at The Hall and raising my head up to the steeply raked seats, I have never felt more grateful or more at home.