Joy

I saw Joy on July 6, 2025 at the 3pm matinee at the Laurel Pels Theatre. This is an uplifting, heartfelt musical that wears its optimism proudly. It has real charm, emotional punch, and a clear desire to leave the audience feeling better than when they walked in.

I fell in love with Betsy Wolfe in & Juliet, and she is the beating heart of this show. She brings warmth, grit, and genuine likability to the role, making Joy feel human rather than mythic. Her performance carries the evening. You believe her frustration, her determination, and her refusal to give up. She makes the triumphs feel earned, not manufactured.

The musical is based on the true story of Joy Mangano, the Long Island single mother who invents the Miracle Mop and builds a business empire against overwhelming odds. The story follows her strained family dynamics, financial pressure, and the uphill battle of being taken seriously as a woman with an idea. Much of the plot centers on persistence, self belief, and carving out space in a world that constantly underestimates her. It is very much an American success story, but one grounded in exhaustion, doubt, and stubborn resilience.

What surprised me most was how emotionally connected everything felt. The scenes flowed cleanly, the storytelling was clear, and the show never lost sight of Joy’s inner life. That cohesion made the experience especially engaging. The one element that did not work for me was the cowboy western flavored music. Those songs were fine on their own, but they felt stylistically out of place with the rest of the score and the story being told. The audience around me seemed to enjoy them, so this may very well be a personal taste issue.

Overall, Joy is full of heart and sincerity. It feels like a show with real potential that could absolutely find its way to Broadway after some tightening and tonal adjustment. I left uplifted, impressed, and rooting for it to keep growing.

I bought a magnet.