The Glass Menagerie

Saturday, October 12 (matinee - 2pm).

If you've spoken to me personally since I saw this show, you know how I feel about it. This production was the best play I have ever seen in my life outside of a few things I saw in London. It was absolutely mind blowingly (not a word, yes I am aware) amazing. I've read the play a few times before, but never really had a good grasp on it until seeing the action play out onstage.

First of all, I predict this season will be pretty epic for male leads in revivals of plays, and the Tony category will be stacked in June -- think Mark Rylance, Ian McClellan, Patrick Stewart, Daniel Craig. But if Zachary Quinto doesn't at least get nominated for his portrayal of Tom, my faith in theater will be lost. Actually though, this is a career defining for him. He was unbelievable. Stunning. Brilliant. Fabulous. A joy to watch. And it wasn't just how he spoke or how he moved, it was everything. The entire package. Every minute he wasn't onstage I found myself wishing he was. I was enthralled by how he moved, not just the choreographed movement, but just how he walked around. It was fluid and remarkable.

Celia Keenan-Bolger's first entrance and last exit was stunning and surprising. There was a collective gasp from the audience when she appeared. As always, she was perfect. I often marvel at how she plays young characters so well. Laura is an extremely sympathetic character and Celia's Laura was so easy to relate to it felt like I had known her my entire life. Cherry Jones was wonderful as well and it was clear the audience enjoyed her immensely. We laughed when she appeared in an extravagant dress, and the true beauty of her relationship with her children brought the audience to sniffles.

The Gentleman Caller was portrayed to perfection by Brian J. Smith. I had actually completely forgotten what ends up happening with his character so by the end of his big moment with Laura I was dying a little inside. He was a joy to watch, and he played the part with a hint of melancholy that could be felt from the last row of the mezzanine (where I was sitting).

The lighting and sound design were characters in their own right. I was mesmerized by the lights. And the set was... stunning. It was so simply yet so complicated. Everything worked together perfectly to create an absolutely magical performance.

This production is one of those shows that I will remember experiencing for the rest of my life. Go see it ASAP. They just extended until February 23. No excuses.

Oh Hey

You're probably wondering where I went. Well, I'm still here... I just haven't been to see a Broadway show since May 15th. An absolute tragedy, I know.

The good news is that coming October 12th, I'll have something to write about!

I also want to mention that I haven't been totally theater deprived. This summer I was working at a theater company in the Berkshires, and had the privilege of seeing all the wonderful work both old and brand spanking new that was put on there.

So check back in a few weeks for a post!

Pippin

Wednesday, May 15th (evening).

Need I reiterate how much I adore this show? So if you remember back to January, I saw this production at ART before it's Broadway transfer. There are some new and exciting things that have been added since moving (real fire, anyone?), but overall it's the same magical experience.

I cannot say enough good things. Really. I can't. It's perfect. I have quite a soft spot for this show. I love the plot and the characters and the music. But trust me, I would tell you if there was something that bothered me. And there's nothing. I'm just a huge fan of the way Diane Paulus re-imagined this musical that could so easily be stuck in the 70's and never come out. Yeah, it's still a musical that was written in the 70's and there's evidence of that, but it's been reinvented.

Rushing is pretty intense for Pippin these days. I was there at 6:30am. But my seat was great -- Row D on the side (house left).

GO SEE THIS SHOW. Especially if you've ever been in it (*cough cough CHS musical 2010*). 

I might have stage-doored this one...

Me & Rachel Bay Jones (Catherine).

Me & Patina Miller (Leading Player).

Me & Terrence Mann (Charles).

Me & Matthew James Thomas (Pippin).

Annie

Wednesday, May 15th (matinee).

Not a fan of this show. And it's not just how I felt about this production... I just don't like the show. The best song is the ballad Warbucks sings in Act II. There was just nothing special about this production. It was Annie done the same as Annie has been done for years. Nothing new. I found myself watching what was happening backstage in the wings more than what was happening onstage. And I was struggling to stay awake during Act I.

I saw Jane Lynch's second performance and was not impressed. She seemed uncomfortable with everything that was happening. Her eyes were darting all over the place, she didn't seem focused on what she was doing onstage, and it was just awkward. Yeah, I get that this was only her second performance but I wanted more professionalism. I can guarantee you that I was the only one in the audience that was thinking about that... but different strokes for different folks. My favorite number in the show is "Easy Street" but it was not good.

Lila Crawford as Annie was impressive. Her voice, mostly. There were some acting moments that were painfully presentational and just poorly done. But when she sang it was pretty darn magical. Daddy Warbucks stole the show in my opinion. He was just great. Very sympathetic. The best moment in the show was the meeting between Roosevelt, Warbucks, Annie, and the other staff when Annie gets them to sing "Tomorrow" -- the fact that I think this is the best moment proves that I like moments with adults rather than children in musicals.

I was sitting in row AA for the first act and that was pretty restricted because the stage was so high. I missed everything the dog did. I moved back a row for Act II and could see upstage a lot better.

Have I mentioned I'm not a fan of the classics?

Matilda

Tuesday, May 14th.

For the second time. This time I sat in the mezzanine so there was no restricted view, which was nice, but also proved that I really didn't miss anything when I sat in the box.

I saw a different girl play Matilda (Sophia), but she was so similar to the one I saw before (Bailey) that it didn't feel like a different person.

The only problem I have with Matilda is that I don't feel as though the sound system is loud enough. I wanted to feel the music more. I remember having that complaint in London, that the speakers never seemed to be as loud as I wanted them to be. Over there I came to the conclusion that it was a London Theater thing, but maybe it's just the kind of show. I don't know. I just know that I wanted the sound to be louder.

Overall this show is spectacular and I highly recommend it. Not much else to say.

Macbeth

Monday, May 13th.

I can say for sure that I don't think I heard one audience member utter the dreaded title of this play while in the theater.

I rushed the show that morning and had a seat in the box so I knew my view would be restricted. Unfortunately it was very restricted and I missed everything that happened on stage left both upstage and downstage.

Alan Cumming was unbelievable. Honestly, it was just amazing to watch him perform. I cannot even fathom what it takes to do what he did for an hour and forty-five minutes. Just unreal. I spent the entire show just wanting to hug him, which is probably not how I was supposed to feel, but he just seemed adorable.

The one issue I had with the show was towards the end when the nurse went down on one knee and replied as a solider. To me, that broke the entire concept and proved that it was flawed. Throughout the entire show you believe that Alan Cumming is acting out the story of Macbeth in his head and he's being monitored in an insane asylum/hospital by the two nurses. The nurses never respond to him, only coming to check him out when they think he has self-mutilated or needs sedating from working himself up. Then all of a sudden the male nurse is part of the play... why? That was really strange and not clear as to why it happened. The overall concept worked, but only up until that point.

I'm very glad I got to experience this production. Good stuff happening.

Murder Ballad

Saturday, May 11th.

Everyone has their reasons for picking certain shows, and sometimes they are based purely on the people in the cast. Of the four people in the cast, I had seen three in other shows -- Will Swenson in Hair and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Caissie Levy in Hair and Ghost, and Rebecca Naomi Jones in American Idiot.

I knew nothing about the show going in, except what I learned from reading the quick blurb on the website. When I bought the tickets I was let in on the secret that the action did not take place in one location but rather throughout a playing space with some of the audience in the center.

The show was great. I had some problems with hearing words, diction issues here and there, but was able to follow the story easily. I don't always care about the plot, and for me Murder Ballad was almost like a concert -- four amazing singers coming together and rocking out. The plot was there, but I was content just to listen to them sing and interact with each other. The music was very moving and the ending was shocking. Yeah, there were plot holes here and there and some of it was odd and didn't make sense, but that didn't necessarily bother me because I liked the music so much.

My favorite musicals are gritty and uncomfortable rock operas and Murder Ballad was just that. It was 80 minutes of pure adrenaline. The story was not atypical, but the ending was surprising. If you know me and you know this show, you would for sure point to it as a show I would like. And you'd be right. I told my mother after the show that for me, this show was why I do theater. It took a typical story and contorted it into something almost unrecognizable and different and strange and thrilling. And then brought together these four singing geniuses who were clearly passionate about the work they were putting on.

I cannot wait for the cast recording to be released. It's one album I know for sure I will listen to very often.

Matilda

Yesterday morning we got to the Shubert at 7:50am and were 7th and 8th in line for rush tickets. People ahead of us had been there for a long time -- they had blankets and looked like they'd camped out. Around 9:55, I spotted a friend that worked down the street and we started talking and said that she didn't think Matilda was doing rush today and then found the proof on Twitter. At that point we had waited so long that we just decided to get tickets. It's the last show on the list of shows we HAD to see, so we bought seats in the box. The people that had been camped out were FURIOUS when they got up to the window in the box office. But people don't understand that the box office has nothing to do with what the production decides on in terms of rush policies.

I went into this show completely blind. I've never seen the movie or read the book. And because of my insane dislike of children, everyone kind of assumed I wouldn't like it. But OH MY GOODNESS the show was incredible.

From the set to the lighting to the sound effects, the production itself was interesting and exciting to watch. The music was a little inconsistent -- a few showstoppers, but no song knocked me off my feet. The story is cute and I found myself being able to relate to different characters here and there.

There was not one performance that I wasn't pleased with. All actors were great and, even though it was obvious we were being told a story (and a story-within-a-story at times), I did not find the acting too presentational. The breaking of the fourth wall once or twice was done artfully and adorably because the kid was so cute.

The show, still in previews, just needs a little bit of tech work -- a few mic issues here and there. I was sitting in one of the boxes, and it was fun because I could see in the wings, and at one point some actors come up into the boxes and sing.

Honestly, I don't have too much to say about the show. It was spectacular and a spectacle. I just had a great time watching it and would gladly sit through it again.

The North Pool

Here's an example of a show getting a really bad and unfair review in the New York Times. The word "disappointing" was used in the first paragraph in the review, but I don't think that word belongs anywhere near this play.

The North Pool was 85 minutes of pure intensity, and I was into the story the whole time.

I appreciated the detail in the set -- the computer was turned on and spreadsheets could be seen onscreen, the folders held papers that looked like they would be in folders in a high school vice principal's office, and the two characters were wearing ID tags with pictures and info that looked real. It seemed that no detail was overlooked and the creative team truly wanted to present the most realistic piece of theater they could. And they did.

Overall I think this play has a strong script and was well cast. The topic is interesting and is easy to relate to even if you've never actually been in the position that the actors find themselves in.

My biggest issue with Really Really was that at the end the two characters who are involved in the rape situation did not acknowledge each other during the curtain call. At the end of an intense piece of theater, I am grateful when actors break out of being an actor and pat each other on the back, or do something that shows it was all just a play. This didn't happen in Really Really and I think it really needed to. It did happen in The North Pool and it was absolute perfection. I felt like I could walk out of the theater knowing that it was just a play. I don't need the illusion that it's real to follow me out because I know it's not. So, whether or not that was the director's choice or the actor's, I was very appreciative of the pat on the back and handshake the actors shared during curtain call.

Kinky Boots

This season there has been a serious lack of new musicals on Broadway -- or at least it certainly seems that way. I didn't know what to expect going into this show. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much. But it was fabulous and I want to see it again and I want everyone I know to go see it.

There were things that still needed to be worked on -- it was obvious the show was still in previews. A few mic problems here and there, a few awkward transitions, and the book could use a little help, but the audience definitely enjoyed every minute of the show.

It's just so funny. SO funny. I laughed so hard I was crying. Everyone in the audience was laughing. The woman behind me was guffawing nonstop.

The show takes place in Northampton, England and I wonder how it would be received by a British audience. There were jokes that no doubt went over an American audience's head.

Okay. So the reason I wanted to see this show was because Stark Sands is in it, and he was the one  cast member of American Idiot that I saw all three times I saw it on Broadway. He did not disappoint. At all. His voice was perfect. His British accent was surprisingly perfect (except when he sang, but the whole cast had that issue). His character is annoying, yes, but it's all worth it in the end when he comes out wearing the boots. In Act 2, he sings a power ballad that he just positively nailed. It was actually very funny because he was pulling out the moves he used in American Idiot. Seriously, watch any clip of him performing in AI and then compare that to what he does onstage during this song, and it's like watching Tunny (his AI character) perform in front of a show factory in England. Classic. I was dying. I have no idea if anyone else in the audience had any clue, but for me it was pretty great.

Then there's Billy Porter who just knocked it out of the park. I'm sure he'll be getting a standing ovation for at least one of his songs on opening night. His voice was so interesting but beautiful and worked well with the music and the costumes he got to wear were EPIC.

And Annaleigh Ashford, who I saw in Dogfight Off-Broadway twice last summer, killed it. She has one song, but everyone was talking about it during intermission. She was phenomenal.

There wasn't much for the supporting cast in terms of singing, but the "Angels" (Porter's character's team of drag queens) rocked it... and left us all wondering whether they were female or male. The program credits them as men, but I won't believe that until I see the dance belts...

The costumes were incredible. The lighting was surprisingly interesting and dynamic.

I don't care what you think you know about this show or what preconceived notions you may have... it's really really good, and SO MUCH FUN.

Cinderella

Well this was fun. Literally just a fun night at the theater.

It was just so pretty to look at -- from the costumes to the sets and the lights.

I was sitting all the way on the side (rush seats) and could see backstage in the wings pretty much the entire time. I don't find this particularly distracting because I love being able to watch what's happening, but never before have I been in a theater where the lack of curtains to hide backstage was so apparent. At one point I watched while the Fairy Godmother was harnessed up for a flying sequence and it wasn't hidden at all. So while I don't normally find this distracting, it was a little bit.

They rewrote some of the story and I thought it all worked very well. The reworking seemed to be well-received and I think the political storyline was funny and current. I also appreciated that, although the majority of the audience was children, there were jokes that were for adults.

Laura Osnes was the perfect Cinderella. I didn't know what to expect from Santino Fontana, but he was my favorite. He was silly and adorable and charismatic and it didn't feel like watching Prince Charming, but rather just a young guy that was a little lost and needed someone to help him find his way.

Some of the songs are so fabulous. I like when a musical has memorable music that I walk out humming.

Songs For a New World

More Jason Robert Brown! And this is my absolute FAVORITE. Where with Last Five Years I don't love every song, I LOVE EVERY SONG in Songs For a New World so much.

It was an interesting night. At 6:40ish we got to XL Cabaret and waited on line went to the box office but instead of getting tickets we were just checked off a list. After a series of ushers checked my name off the list, we went inside the venue and were told that the standing room section was just anywhere in the carpeted area. Around 7:15 the first announcement that they were holding for technical difficulties happened. At 7:30 there was another announcement that they were still having trouble. Then the director, Jeff Calhoun, got onstage and started telling jokes. He brought up each performer one by one and took questions from the audience. The four performers were gracious about answering a few questions and trying to keep everyone happy and excited. It was amazing. It's like you hear about this kind of stuff happening, but you're never there when it does... and FINALLY I was there. So great. Also, the audience was mostly industry people so that was fun so look around and try to spot people I recognized. They'd added another show at 9:00 since the first one sold out, and that show didn't end up starting until after 10:30 because of the situation!

The show finally started a little after 8. And it was worth the hour and a half I spent standing and waiting. It would've been worth five hours of standing and waiting. It was that good. So unbelievable.

The greatest thing about standing for this show was that there were so few people standing we could move around and see everything. Also, the performers moved throughout the space, standing on tables and singing while moving through the audience. This was fun to watch, but even more fun to experience... they would wait by the stairs between songs and I would turn and Michael James Scott would be standing two inches away from me preparing to go on. Dying. Fan-girling.

Nick Adams has one of my favorite voices in the industry right now. He's so magical. So that was fun. But I don't know when the last time I heard four people sound this good singing together. It was insane. My favorite things in a room all at once -- people belting their faces off, theater industry people, and Songs For a New World.

The perfect evening.

The Last Five Years

I didn't go into this expecting a really great narrative. For me, this show is just a concert with two really great singers. And that's what it was. I think if you wanted a real musical with a strong plot, you will be thoroughly disappointed.

Adam Kantor and Betsy Woolfe did not have great chemistry but their voices are out of this world. So separately they were amazing, but the few moments they came together onstage were severely lacking in intensity.

I'm not in love with all the music in this show. I think there are a few songs that are out of this world amazing and then others that are just "eh" -- like a few songs are great to listen to for fun, but then some that you wouldn't turn to for kicks and giggles (at least not me). But when sung through in 90 minutes, everything works because you can pick up on the little riffs that repeat throughout.

The set was FABULOUS, and the staging was fun.

Second Stage is a great venue and perfect for this kind of show. It didn't hurt that Jason Robert Brown was sitting two rows in front of me... #starstruck.

Really Really

Everyone needs to see this show.

Okay, so first I need to say that the audience was not what I was expecting. I thought the draw for this show was Zosia Mamet from "Girls" and therefore the audience would be made up of young people. It wasn't. It was a Saturday matinee, so old people were expected, but in general the entire audience was a lot older than I thought it would be.

In London I saw a lot of theater that was shocking and very explicit and gritty and sexual. Theater over there (well, stuff that's not West End) is much more uncensored than it is here. To say I was excited when I walked into the theater and saw the set and felt like I was back in London seeing a fringe show is an understatement. The best thing shows I saw in London were in theaters that felt like the Lucille Lortel with sets that looked like that of Really Really.

This show felt very British in terms of production value. The lighting design and execution was phenomenal and the set and set changes were out of this world. It was great. So so good.

I completely understand why this show did not get good reviews. Unless you're living in the same kind of world that the characters are living in, it would be super hard to relate to. Fortunately for me (and the friend I saw the show with), we are at the point in our lives where there was a something we could relate to in every character. The whole atmosphere was so college and so edgy and just insane. I love it. The play itself was very interesting and there were surprises at every corner.

I can't enough good things about this show, or rather I can't think of anything I didn't like... at all.

Really Really left me wanting to crawl out of my skin and shaking with discomfort for hours after.

Hands on a Hardbody

So this show was about Texas. Literally the plot was about keeping your hands on a truck in order to win a contest.

The show had some very strong moments and some wonderful music, but there were moments when I had a hard time believing the show was taking itself seriously. Like the song "If I Had a Truck"... I couldn't stop laughing at the lyrics. It seemed like it was meant to be funny, but the characters all had such depressing story lines that I was confused about how I was supposed to feel as an audience member.

Everyone always talks about shows being "ensemble shows" but there are few shows I've seen that I would actually give that label. This was one. Yeah, there were the well-known actors who might have been given a little more stage time than others, but overall it was equally balanced and everyone got a song. I felt like I knew everyone's voices by the end, which is rare.

The cast was good. It was funny to see Keith Carradine singing and dancing onstage... he's from "Dexter" so I'd seen him on TV, but didn't know he was a stage actor. Hunter Foster has a great voice and the part was perfect for him even though he was the least likable character in the show. Allison Case is charismatic and adorable but her voice wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be -- I remember liking her voice more in Hair. Jay Armstrong Johnson was really good. His voice is strong and he was just pleasant to watch, but I could feel his discomfort with the stunts (climbing on top of the truck and doing all sorts of flips). David Larsen was basically playing the same character he played in American Idiot but he sang the second best song in the show and boy, can he sing. The two best performances belonged to Jon Rua and Keala Steele -- the strongest voices by far.

It was pretty obvious the show was still in previews. I could tell some of the choreography wasn't completely set and it just didn't seem perfectly polished.

Not my favorite thing I've ever seen before, but I'm glad I saw it and it was an interesting and fun show even if it made you feel like a bad person for being American... because all I really walked away with was the belief that America is a super depressing place.

Quiet.

Obviously I haven't seen a show in a while... since there have been no new posts. But I will be in NYC for a whole week in March so that means TONS of theater and TONS of opinions and thus TONS of blog posts. Get excited! I AM.

Exciting.

The fact that Pippin is coming to Broadway is exciting enough. BUT the cast was announced today, and luckily not much has changed from A.R.T.

Below is the article from Playbill about the cast!
Article on casting

It's been a long time since I've graced this blog with a post, so I figured I would dig deep and find something interesting to share even thought I haven't seen a show lately. Going to college far away (eh, like 4 hours) from NYC will do that to you.

You might be wondering why I don't go to Albany or Proctor's in Schenectady and catch a traveling Broadway show or just something at The Egg. Well, my friends, the reason is because my nights are no longer free... #rehearsal.

So my interesting theater news is that I was cast as a member of the chorus in our Theater Department's production of Sweeney Todd -- big news since our program does not provide any training or opportunities for musical theater, or at least not often. I think the last time we did a musical was 12 or 15 years ago. But now, Sweeney Todd.

I guess I will be giving you updates throughout the semester (the show is in April). We just finished our first week of rehearsal and the chorus has learned all their music except "God, That's Good" and "The Contest/Pirelli".

It's been a long time since I've been in a musical, and I've always complained that whenever I'm at school I'm deprived of musical theater. Well, guess that's not the case this semester.

Pippin at A.R.T.

A little delayed, but it's only because I couldn't come up with words to describe how wonderful this production is. Diane Paulus' production was magical. Between the sets, lights, costumes, and acrobatics, Pippin has never looked better.

The last time this show was on Broadway was 1977 -- it played from October 1972-June 1977. And let's be honest, this show is definitely straight out of the 70's. Luckily Paulus set out to salvage it's reputation of being outdated because the production currently playing at A.R.T. is anything but outdated.

I'm a big believer in this show. I've seen a really good community theater production, have seen a couple not-so-good amateur productions, and was in it in high school. So I know the show really well. And I think it can be done well or it can be horribly (that pretty much goes for everything though). It's just that with Pippin, the director either gets it or doesn't and it's obvious when the director doesn't get it. It's a complicated story with lots of little things going on, and it's the director's job to catch those things. Like the incest, for example. This is a tiny subplot that can either be played on or not. Or using Catherine as a clown in the first act. Sometimes she is not in the first act at all, other times she is there but the audience doesn't understand the significance of her presence until after intermission. There's a lot to it.

And Paulus did it right. It was clear the from the start that she understood the show and wanted to make it really special. And special it was. From the moment the orchestra began playing the first few notes of "Magic To Do" the audience was engaged. It's one of those shows that people know from their childhood and has memorable songs that are played over and over even if the person playing the song doesn't realize where it came from.

The only thing that wasn't there was the incest. I mean, it was there but extremely subtle, and only there because it's in the script. The "love" Fastrada has for Lewis, her son, is obvious from the way she treats him, but Lewis was not seen with Fastrada during her big number ("Spread a Little Sunshine"), which is where most of the obvious aspects of their relationship would play out.

In terms of acting, everyone was strong. Patina Miller as Leading Player was out of this world, and I had absolutely no qualms about a female Leading Player. She was just evil enough, and was always lurking. She did a lot with her eyes and it really came across. Matthew James Thomas was born to play Pippin. He played Spiderman on Broadway in the past few years and the weird thing was that his voice was eerily similar to Reeve Carney's, so at times I felt like I was watching Spiderman. But honestly he was superb and extremely charismatic, just as Pippin should be. He made the audience care and that's ultimately what needs to happen to make the ending so emotional. Terrence Mann was the perfect Charlemagne and it was really cool to see him onstage, because he's one of those performers you know about but haven't seen (or at least for me). It was the first time I'd seen Charlemagne feel like a lead role and he added so much to the part. Fastrada was a weak singer, but she fit the role. Lewis didn't sing at all until the "Finale" and he had a great voice. I stand by my opinion that his character was not used enough. Catherine was cute and lovable and her voice was wonderful. And the ensemble/acrobats were amazing. Totally outrageous. 

This is one show I will be sure to see in New York in the coming months. Go see it. The world is ready for a Pippin revival.

Favorite songs:
Magic to Do
Morning Glow
Finale

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Studio 54
Rear Mezzanine, Row JJ, Seat 4
December 22, 2012 (8:00pm)

Thoughts:
This is one of those shows that I would have regretted not seeing. You know that awkward moment when you're watching the Tony Awards and a show performs and you're like "DAYUUMM why didn't I see that?!" That happens to me a lot, and I know for a fact that it would've been the case again had I not decided on a whim to rush this show.

First of all, the theater is beautiful. It made me wonder why all Broadway theaters aren't just like it... there didn't seem to be any sight-line issues and I was in the rear mezzanine all the way on the side. I thought for sure my seat would be restricted view, but it wasn't at all. Super impressed with the layout of the theater.

I loved that the ushers and theater staff were dressed up in the fashion that the actors were wearing onstage. That always provides for an experience rather than just a show. It makes the audience feel like the action is bigger than just what is happening onstage. And of course, with this show in particular, the action happens throughout the theater. Actors were in the audience many times throughout the performance.

For avid Broadway fans, this show is a pretty epic cast -- Will Chase, Andy Karl, Stephanie J. Block, Jessie Mueller, Chita Rivera, Betsy Wolfe, and many more "famous" faces. Of course I saw an understudy for Block, but she was great and it's not like I had anything to compare her to since I hadn't seen the show before.

Obviously the big event in this show is the fact that every night it could end differently. Normally I'm not a huge fan of any kind of audience participation AT ALL. But this was done well and in the end it was necessary for very obvious reasons. The night I saw the show, Bazaar was the detective, Rosa was the murderer, and the Landless siblings were the lovers. If you haven't seen the show you have no idea what I just said.

None of the music is particularly memorable except for "Moonfall" and that's no doubt the best song in the show anyway. I'll be interested to hear the recording and see if I remember any of the music.

Bring It On: The Musical

St. James Theater
Front Mezzanine, Row D, Seat 101
December 22, 2012 (2:00pm)

Thoughts:
This was my second time seeing this show. My first time was opening night on August 1, 2012.

The creative team behind this show is genius. You might've seen/heard of "In The Heights" or "Next to Normal" or "Avenue Q"... if you haven't you should be ashamed. Anyway, the composers and lyricists behind this musical are just fabulous so it was no surprise to find that the music was great.

I am a huge fan of this show. It's one of those pieces of theater that could purely be entertainment unless you have the brain to actually analyze what you've just seen. And trust me, I analyzed the crap out of this musical.

I honestly think there's a pretty deep lesson if you're willing to peel away the stunts and silly lyrics. The big telling moment for me is Randall's solo song in Act II, "Enjoy The Trip" where he explains that our high school years are nothing more than a blip in time. If only tweens really understood just how little high school means in the end...

Watching "Bring It On" is watching athletes onstage and that's something we don't get to see everyday. The woman sitting in front of me had her hand covering her mouth the entire time so she didn't gasp out loud when cast members were practically flying in the air.

When I first hear about this show I was like "eww no." I don't go for fluffy musicals. Ever. And I thought this was just going to be for tweens and fans of the movie (which I have never seen). I was totally wrong. Sure, it's fluffy and geared towards 13-year-olds. But it's actually awesome to watch it when you're a few years out of high school.

The cast is spectacular. I don't think the team could've found a more perfect cast if they used some sci-fi computer program and cheerleader clones. 

I was sad to see it close early, but it had a good run. I have no doubt we will see this show pop up again whether on tour or in another city.

Favorite Songs:
It's All Happening
Enjoy The Trip
Do Your Own Thing
What I Was Born To Do

Bare

New World Stages (Off-Broadway)
Orchestra, Row E, Seat 105
December 21, 2012 (8:00pm)

Thoughts:
I am such a fan. I can't say that I know all that much about the other versions that have been produced, but I know that this revamped version is fantastic. Most of it. I thought it was too long and there some things that could definitely be cut or just don't have to be included.

The reason I wanted to see this show in the first place was because I am a big fan of the choreographer, Travis Wall. Fire up Google if you don't know him. I started watching his show last summer and have been a fan ever since. In London I became intrigued by modern dance and I was more than excited to see Wall's choreography in a musical. It didn't disappoint. The second the first song started and the cast started to move I was engrossed.

There wasn't any one particular performer that blew me away and was more impressive than anyone else. I think they were all equal, which was refreshing because no one was out-shadowed. Yeah I had my favorite characters based purely on reasoning from the plot, but other than that I enjoyed watching everyone. Also I like weird voices... like voices that are not typical musical theater-y voices, and pretty voices were few and far between in this show.

I'm so glad I didn't know the plot or the ending before seeing "Bare" because there's nothing like being shocked out of your pants and having your mind blown at an ending. I didn't cry, but everyone around me was sobbing. It was a shocking ending, there's not much else to say about it.

The intermission was unfortunate. I wished this had been along the lines of a 90-minute rock/pop opera like "American Idiot" (which had an intermission when I saw it in London and I wanted to die because it ruined the flow). Still, I was glad I got to spend 2.5 hours with these characters. So 90-minutes would've felt way too short, but 2.5 hours felt way too long. Maybe it's just because I could not have cared less about the two adult characters...

This was my first time seeing anything at New World Stages, and I have to say that I loved the space. It was the perfect atmosphere for this show. The whole vibe was very London-esque with the bar and the people milling around before and after the show.

Favorite songs:
Are You There?
Best Kept Secret
Bare
Portrait of a Girl 

London Theater

Interested in what I saw while in London this past semester? Well you're in luck. I kept a good record of every show I went to...

Troilus and Cressida - Riverside Studios
As You Like It - The Globe
Julius Caesar - Noel Coward Theatre
Sweeney Todd - Adelphi Theatre
Without You - Meiner Chocolate Factory
Les Miserables - Queen's Theatre x3
4:48 Psychosis - Drayton Arms
Morning - Lyric Hammersmith
Mademoiselle Julie - Barbican Theatre
Thom Paine - Print Room
Oh, The Humanity - SoHo Theatre
Fireface - Young Vic
Three Sisters - Young Vic
Our Boys - Duchess Theatre
The Last Session - Tristan Bates Theatre
Choir Boy - Royal Court Theatre Upstairs
King Lear - Almeida
Damned by Despair - National Theatre
The Enquirer - Barbican Theatre (site specific)
The Manxman - The Empire (movie - London Film Festival)
Wicked - Apollo Victoria
Flashmob - Peacock Theatre (dance)
One Man, Two Guvnors' - Royal Haymarket Theatre
Don Giovanni - English National Opera
The Merry Wives of Windsor - Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford-upon-Avon)
The Orphan of Zhao - Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford-upon-Avon)
Scenes From an Execution - National Theatre
Loserville - Garrick Theatre
Billy Elliot - Victoria Palace
Richard III - Apollo Theatre
Carmen - English National Opear
The Effect - National Theatre
La Boheme - Charring Cross Theatre
Trojan Women - Gate Theatre
The Seagull - Southward Playhouse
Kooman & Dimond - St. Andrew Holborn (concert)
The Changeling - Young Vic
War Horse - New London Theatre
Straight - Bush Theatre
American Idiot - Hammersmith Apollo (tour)
In The Republic of Happiness - Royal Court Downstairs
Clockwork Orange - SoHo Theatre
Dick Whittington - Hackney Empire (pantomime)
Fire Raisers - Oval Theatre (performance from British American Drama Academy peers)
Cymbeline - Oval Theatre (performance from British American Drama Academy peers)

So yes, I saw Les Mis three times over the course of my months abroad. If you're interested in hearing my thoughts about any of these shows feel free to leave a comment and maybe I'll elaborate. 

Hello.

Okay, if you have read anything I've ever written you know I'm a little nuts about theater. In the past year I've had a lot of interesting theater experiences, from house managing on the college level to house managing on Broadway, and studying theater in London. Well, the last two blogs I had were initially supposed to be about life in general, but in the end they were all about theater.

So this is post #1... this is where I explain to you what my goals are for this blog. I hope you might follow and keep up on my strange but interesting taste in theater. I should tell you right now that I tend to be one of those people who like everything that others hate. A musical gets a bad review? I've probably already seen it three times.

At this point you might be asking yourself who the heck I am and why you should care. I am a college student getting a degree in theater and I want to be a house manager. Yeah, I know, weird. But that's what I'm aiming for. I'm the kind of person who goes to the theater to watch the audience interact with the ushers and study the way customers react to the service they're getting.

Alright. I hope you will check in every once in a while.