Joy (Preview)

Note: this review is of a Preview performance, where the show is still being tweaked prior to the show getting locked in for Opening Night. The script may still be going through edits, in order to tighten up scenes or address audience reactions. We will generally not comment on any production issues in a Preview performance. If and when a production issue exists, we will make an assumption that it will be fixed prior to Opening Night and therefore is not relevant to the review.

Parenting is hard, especially for a working single parent. Add in sexism, financial stress, and unsupportive loved ones, and it can be hard to find the strength to keep pushing forward. Enter Joy Mangano, single mom and inventor of the Miracle Mop. This is her story.

When I got the e-mail inviting me to an upcoming Off-Broadway show called JOY: A New True Musical, I was sold pretty quickly as soon as I saw the name Betsy Wolfe. Betsy had been who I was cheering for at the 76th Annual Tony Awards in 2023 for her role as Anne Hathaway (no, not that Anne Hathaway) in & Juliet. Betsy has also been Jenna in Waitress, one of my all-time favorite musicals. In other words, Betsy has credibility in the roles she picks.

As mentioned, JOY is the story of Joy Mangano, who invented the Miracle Mop. There is a related movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Bradley Cooper.

JOY has a good balance of comedy and tackling emotional issues. But JOY also reminds me why I love musicals, because a musical can insert a hilarious musical number that you just do not get in a play. The first QVC musical number in Act 1 of JOY is so funny.

I came into this show with very high expectations of Betsy Wolfe, because I loved her performance in & Juliet so much. Betsy handled my high expectations just fine, and her vocals and acting were outstanding. She was also lovely out of character when meeting her after the show.

I was also very impressed with Honor Blue Savage’s performance, especially considering her age. She played Joy’s daughter, Christie, and she had acting skills I sometimes do not see in adult actors. I observed she was always acting, even when in the background, and her facial expressions and energy level stood out.

Paul Whitty, as Cowboy Eddie, was also a standout for me, and I felt like this was really good casting for this part. His performance was fun, and I can imagine it would be such a good time to play this “bad guy” character.

The rest of the cast was solid, and the cowboy musical number in Act 2 was a close second place to the QVC musical number in Act 1. These fun musical numbers were a nice supplement to the beautiful solos, especially the ones by Betsy.

I am picky about sound engineering, so I want to give a shout out to Jacob for doing a perfect job. It is so rare to have perfect sound engineering, and quality sound engineering is one of my favorite reasons to see a show in New York.

Betsy’s incredible vocals combined with perfect sound engineering made my ears and brain very happy tonight.

JOY will keep getting even better as they do tweaks prior to Opening Night, but the production is polished enough and good enough right now, that there is no reason to wait for Opening Night. You can see this show now and experience a great show with top talent. And it is Off-Broadway, which means it is in an intimate setting, and the venue is excellent.

See more show reviews from 2025.