Disgraced

I'm a picky theater-goer. You all know that by now. It takes A LOT to impress me, to make me speechless, to knock the earth out from under my feet, and to make my heart ache for hours after walking out of the theater.

Disgraced did all of that.

When I stood up to leave after the curtain call, my legs were shaking because I had been so tense throughout the entire play that my muscles cramped.

It was enthralling.

Let's just throw the word "brilliant" into the mix. Because man, I don't know when the next time I'll see something this fantastic will be. When I was in London (Fall 2012 -- LONDON BLOG), I saw theater that knocked my socks off. I saw theater that pushed the boundaries of what I believed theater could be, do, make me feel. So for me, Disgraced felt straight out of the London theater scene -- it's London premiere was at the Bush Theater where I saw a pretty damn interesting piece of theater.

Hari Dhillon, playing Amir Kapoor, was outstanding. First of all, he's gorgeous -- did I mention I was sitting in row AA, seat 107? His facial expressions, the absolute intensity on his face at all times, and the odd way he often didn't make direct eye contact with others (something you wouldn't notice from further back).

Honestly, if you want to know more about what I thought, just ask. I can (and have been) talking about this show nonstop. I'm not a vocal audience member, but I was gasping out loud with the rest of the audience. And I didn't want it to end. I wanted to sit in the theater and find out what happens next. I was heartbroken when the curtain came down.

There's so much more I have to say, but it's literally impossible to get my thoughts down in writing. 

Every once in a while there's a show that makes you feel something, like deep in your chest, an actual ache. Disgraced did it for me. I urge you all to make the time to see it, and if you want to know how to get tickets for $35 just ask!

On The Town

To start this off, I have to remind everyone that this show already held a special place in my heart. I was a house management intern at Barrington Stage Company last summer (2013), and I've watched John Rando's production of On The Town come together from its early stages on BSC's mainstage. I watched tech of this production, I watched final dress rehearsal, I was there on opening night of its regional premiere.

I don't like old musicals. I don't particularly like fluffy musicals. I can appreciate what old musicals have done for the musical theater world, and how we got to where we are today because of them. But if I have a choice of seeing Guys and Dolls or American Idiot, 99% of the time I'll choose American Idiot.

If this production of On The Town has taught me one thing, it's that old musicals can be amazing with the right group of people involved.

The changes made since BSC are plentiful, but simple from an audience member's perspective. Everything is bigger and brighter. There are more set pieces and the projections were added. The concept of the scene changes are the same, but the execution is Broadway versus regional theater. Needless to say, it was very exciting to see how far the show has come.

If Tony, Jay, Clyde, Alysha (I've been a huge fan of Alysha's since seeing American Idiot multiple times back in 2010/2011 and she just continues to blow me away every time I see this show), Elizabeth, Michael, and Allison had not stayed with the production, it would've been a tragedy. This cast of all-stars is what makes this production so great. And Megan Fairchild was the perfect addition to the group.

These guys are the ultimate triple threats. This show goes a long way to proving musical theater is a sport. You could be sitting in the last row of the balcony and still notice every nuance of Tony's musculature as he dances shirtless.

I'm a total sucker for dancing, and this production does not disappoint. The dances are bigger and better than ever, and everything just flows beautifully -- especially the costumes. 

I'll be the first to admit that the script isn't brilliant, and sometimes I find myself utterly puzzled at the lyrics to songs. But you'll get so swept up in the beauty and overall magic of seeing classic musical theater at its best, that the shortcomings of the show don't matter.

I don't throw around the word "perfect" very often, but I think I can safely say (in my opinion, of course) that this revival of On The Town is as perfect as this show can be.

Tony Award for Best Revival? Hell yes.

ON THE TOWN and DISGRACED reviews coming this week!