The Broadway Experience

Pictures

2007-09-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

I've been convinced that my hair doesn't look that bad. So, here are some pictures of my journey to Spring Awakening... (courtesy of Amy's flickr account.)

I had to strain my back to try to fit everything in. As you can see, I was not successful. Apparently, Spring Awakening won the Tony for Est Musica.

Blake Daniel, being nice and signing Amy's playbill. Charming fellow. Has very red hair.

A mildly stalkerish photo. (I was bored, okay?) Matt Doyle, signing stuff that isn't for me.

Oh! Well look at that! Isn't that the STAR OF THE SHOW?

Matt has this ridiculously cute smile. Completely un-Melchior like. Makes me want to hug him. Not really sure Melchior would be the hugging type. But never fear; from what I could tell from my great seat in the very last row of the mezzanine, Matt did not smile like that throughout the duration of the show.

WHAT'S THIS? A TONY AWARD WINNER AND ME IN THE SAME PHOTO? Yes, that's John Gallagher, Jr. himself. I've been regularly shoving this in some of my friends' faces and gloating.

Well, that's that. I'll be blogging about Curtains soooon(ish). And then, I suspect, I shan't be blogging in a while as my bank account desperately tries to recoup from all the spending on musicals I've been doing.

The Word of Your Body

2007-09-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

Show: Spring Awakening
Venue: Eugene O'Neill Theatre
Date: Saturday 22, 2007

One of my friends from San Francisco... well, actually she's in San Diego now, but we both went to elementary school in SF... but anyway, she decided to come visit me before her quarter started. One of the things she really wanted to do was to see Spring Awakening.

I'd heard a lot about Spring Awakening, but at the same time, I knew practically nothing about it. I knew that it'd practically swept the Tonys, winning a total of eight, and I knew that there was on stage nudity, and I knew that you could get on stage seating if you wanted. Oh, I also knew that Duncan Sheik wrote the music. But anything else? Nothing.

So we went to go see the Saturday matinee. A few days earlier, Amy had informed me that Jonathan Groff (who plays Melchior) would not be performing and that Matt Doyle would be playing the role in his place. This, naturally, meant absolutely nothing to me at the time.

The theatre darkened, and on the lone chair in the middle of the stage stood a girl (Lea Michele). The music slowly started and the theatre was filled with Lea's lovely voice singing "Mama Who Bore Me."

At times, I felt the transition to the more contemporary music was jarring. (The musical itself is set in rural Germany circa 1890s) There were times where it worked really well ("And Then There Were None", "Totally Fucked") but other times where it didn't work so well ("Mama Who Bore Me (Reprise)"). Overall though, the juxtaposition of the contemporary music with the older setting definitely proved that issues that plagued the adolescents then are still very much relevant today. That, and the music was really good.

John Gallagher, Jr. who won the Tony for Best Featured Actor was absolutely fantastic in his role as Moritz. I think the character of Moritz himself sorta steals the show from its main protagonist, Melchior. And why wouldn't he? He has some of the best lines and John has this amazingly infectious energy that makes you sympathize and basically fall in love with his character. I was very impressed with his performance (He's only 23!!!). The whole time I was watching, all I could think was how he so completely deserved his Tony.

Matt Doyle gave a surprisingly fantastic rendition as Melchior. I'm often times skeptical of understudies, especially understudies of lead roles in big musicals. Granted, I've never watched or heard Jonathan Groff perform the role of Melchior, but good God, Matt Doyle was good. Melchior is a character who could easily be disliked for many reasons, but Matt played it so well. The final scenes were absolutely heartbreaking. One of the best parts of the musical was "Left Behind." The song and the placement of it are enough to get anyone going, but Matt performed the song with such tenderness, emotion, and anger (odd combination, I know, but if you've seen the musical, you know what I'm talking about) it gave that scene a completely new dimension. It was the closest I've come to crying in any musical.

The show has a lot of elements that are definitely different about it. The set is almost completely bare. All the adults are played by two people. (That was sorta confusing in the beginning... for a while, I was wondering why Wendla's mother was also the piano teacher and also the headmistress.) And definitely one of the most different things about it is the choreography. The choreography is... weird. To me, at least. There was a lot of interpretative dancing going on, and that kinda weirded me out. Not my cup of tea, I guess.

The second act was more powerful emotionally and had some of the better songs. The second act was where it all really came together for me. It was definitely darker... but it did have this one bright spot of hilarity - what Amy and I have come to call the seduction scene. Ernst and Hanschen are sitting together, and Ernst cheerfully dreams of being a country pastor and living in a small house with his apple cheeked wife... that is until Hanschen kisses him. Jonathan B. Wright was hilarious as the very gay Hanschen, and Blake Daniel was so endearing as the naive Ernst.

The show was great, and it seemed the entire audience agreed. When the curtains fell (metaphorically speaking... there weren't any actual curtains), everyone jumped out of their seats and gave the company a rousing ovation. For about five minutes. They came back two more times for two more bows. And yes, it was that good.

As good as the show was, waiting afterward at the stage door was almost just as fun. It was actually my first time. For all the shows I've seen, I'd never before waited afterward. Weird, eh? Well, this was actually really fun. Amy collected autographs and I took pictures.

We first talked to Blake Daniel who was taller up close than he looked on stage. I duly informed Blake that Amy flew all the way from California to see this show. Blake, with interest, asked what part of California. Upon hearing her answer, he replied, "I'm from Orange County." Yes! we were surprised. However, neither of us is really from SoCal, so the conversation sort of just died there.

Sometime during that, the door opened, and we heard very, very loud girly shrieks. So I knew: John Gallagher Jr. had just come out. Shortly thereafter, the door opened again, and another loud - though less shrill - round of shrieks. And so I knew: Matt Doyle had just come out.

It was a while before they made it through the throng of adoring fans. Matt made it before John did. (Totally on a first name basis with them, in case you couldn't tell.) As Matt was signing Amy's program, I once again pulled the California card. "Oh really?" he asked. "What part?" When we informed him we were from the Bay Area, he said, "I'm from Marin." Whodathunk? Everyone's from freaking California. He was super nice and super sweet, though very different than I might have guessed he would be... in a good way.

And eventually, John made his way to us. By this time, the crowd had thinned considerably. John was much more outgoing and comfortable with talking to us (more used to it, I suppose), and was very kind and charming. I (once again again) told John that Amy flew in that morning, and he was astounded. When I remarked, "I've never been in the presence of a Tony award winner before," he responded, "Oh yeah, I keep forgetting I won that!" Later, he thanked Amy for flying all the way in, and I cut in and said, "Thank you for being awesome!" He seemed genuinely surprised and pleased and responded, "Thank you!"

Everyone was really nice and obliging. It was nice to see that they hadn't been really affected by their stardom yet. Amy got pictures with just about everyone who came out: Blake, Brian Charles Johnson, Lilli Cooper, Matt, and John. I got two pictures - one with Matt and one with John. Unfortunately, I look completely disgusting in both since it randomly decided to absolutely pour right before we got into the theatre. Result: my hair was gross. Oh well. I shall cherish those pictures regardless.

To sum up: It was a great time! Not only did I see a great show, but I got to inform my friend I got a picture with John Gallagher Jr, much to her envy.

Go see it! It didn't win eight Tonys for nothing, you know.

No Day But Today

2007-09-15T11:25:00.001-07:00

Show: Rent
Venue: Nederlander Theatre
Date: September 7, 2007

For those of you who don't stalk Broadway as I do (which I would assume is most of you), you may or may not have heard that a few months ago, Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal made their glorious return to Rent, reprising their roles from almost ten years ago. When I found this out almost half a year ago, I literally freaked out. Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal!!!!

So naturally, my friend and I decided to get tickets to see them. We got orchestra seats for about 70 bucks... which isn't too terrible. The theatre is rather small, so we could see pretty well from where we were.

It seemed like an impossibly long wait, the few minutes before the show started. I kept asking When is this bloody thing going to start? when all of a sudden the girls behind us started screaming loudly. I looked to the stage and Adam freaking Pascal was walking on nonchalantly - as if he weren't Adam freaking Pascal - with his guitar. He sat down on the table near center stage and the rest of the company came out. To the front came Anthony Rapp.

At this point, I quite nearly had a heart attack. Anthony Rapp. Adam Pascal. Forget for a moment that this is my first time seeing Rent. Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal! It was so surreal. The audience started cheering wildly. Anthony opened his mouth to start the show, but everyone was applauding so loudly, he had to wait a whole minute before he could start.

Now, I know that it's been almost ten years since these guys performed these parts live. (Doing it for a movie is a different animal completely.) But I'm not joking when I say Anthony and Adam were absolutely pitch perfect. It was almost as if those last ten years never happened. Every line, every song, every move was so perfect. They sounded almost exactly the same as the recording they did nearly ten years ago. Though I've never heard or seen the roles performed by anyone else, I'm absolutely convinced that Anthony Rapp is Mark, and that there could be no other Roger than Adam Pascal. Convinced.

Now, much as I love Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, they weren't the only stars in the show. Starring as Mimi was former AI star Tamyra Gray. I have never really liked the role of Mimi. Her songs aren't great, and her part isn't that good either... but I really enjoyed Tamyra's performance. She has a great voice and she definitely looked the part of Mimi. The short hair was different, but she rocked it. Mimi had some REALLY bizarre outfits. (Oh, and on that note... I really took offense to Roger's plaid pants. Thankfully, he changed them for Act Two.) She and Adam had some great chemistry too. "Light My Candle" was actually really, really cute. There were some bits that, especially, made me laugh. The best part though was when Mimi asks Roger to dance. Roger asks, "With you?" and Mimi replies, "No... with my father." When Tamyra sang that, she did this little hip twist. Then, in the next line, Adam Pascal mimicked that twist, and sang, "I'm Roger." SO CUTE. I loved that.

As it was my first time seeing it, there were a lot of new elements for me to discover. The OCR finally made sense to me. Lots of little lines of dialogue that I didn't understand before now were clear. I also noticed something regarding the show and the movie. Obviously, the movie and the actual show had a lot of differences in story. (e.g. "Christmas Bells", the timing of the songs, etc.) It seems that the show itself has an element missing from the movie. I'm not quite sure what it is. The show was definitely more captivating than the movie. I think it has something to do with the rawness and the simplicity of the set and the performances. The movie made everything to refined, too clean... that's not what Rent is about. And I think the power and strength of the show became diluted in the medium of a film.

The rest of the cast was strong. Justin Johnson was a great Angel. He definitely had all the mannerisms down and was so cute. Nicolette Hart did a good turn as Maureen... though I feel like she made Maureen a bit of a ditz. My friend argued that she liked her interpretation... Well, I just don't like the character of Maureen at all. ("Over the Moon" is actually my least favorite song.) D'Monroe and Troy Horne as Benny and Collins, respectively, also did very well in their roles.

I have always felt like Act One was much better than Act Two, and seeing the show confirmed that for me. However, my favorite song is in Act Two... and that's "What You Own". And I got to see it performed by Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal. Totally blew my mind. It was so heartfelt and raw and moving.

Another of my favorite songs and scenes is "La Vie Boheme." And can I just say... Mark is so damn cute in that scene. How he's singing and dancing on the table... yup. I love that song and scene! It's so cheerful and lively and colorful. And Anthony Rapp was so adorable in that scene... I wanted to hug him.

There was another bit in that song that made it especially funny. In one part, Roger is supposed to say, "And Mark Cohen will preview his documentary about his inability to hold an erection on the high holy days!" When this part came up, Adam Pascal jumped up on a table, and started the say the line. Except as he went on, he started to slow down. "... his inability to uh... hold a boner... I MEAN AN ERECTION..." The Rent-heads all went crazy with laughter. Afterwards, Adam was near the back of the stage, laughing and shaking his head.

There was one scene I considered more well done in the movie... At least, very distinctly better. That's Angel's funeral. For some reason, in the show, it didn't quite move me as much as it did in the movie.

The show was over before I knew it. The ovation was amazing. Everyone stood and cheered as the company took its bow. While Rent isn't my favorite show (that dubious honor still sits with Spamalot), it is definitely near the top. The music and the message are very real. And Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal made the experience so completely and utterly amazing. As my friends and I exited the theatre, my friend mournfully commented, "Now I want to see it again." Can't say I disagreed.

Rent + Spring Awakening

2007-09-03T16:36:00.001-07:00

I used to have a "one musical a month" quota.

Hah.

Rent - 09.07.07
Spring Awakening - 09.22.07

Perhaps more to come.

You Can't Stop the Beat!

2007-08-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

Show: Hairspray
Venue: Neil Simon Theatre
Date: August 29, 2007

As a sort of a "welcome back" gift, my aunt bought tickets so we could all go see Hairspray. I had wanted to see the movie (I super love James Marsden... heh heh heh), but I had wanted to see the musical first. So this was the perfect opportunity!

Anyway, the line was to get in was stupidly long. I don't understand. Why does it matter if you get in earlier versus later? It's not like you can get a better seat, nor is it like a baseball game where you can stalk players. Perhaps those people can't find anything better to do in New York City? Har har.

Our seats were decent. We sat about midway in the mezzanine, and you know, most seats in the theatres have a good view.

The show itself is very colorful and bright and happy and dance-y (not a word). While those shows aren't really my favorites (I'm more of a singer myself and thus prefer shows with more musical content and strong scores), I did enjoy this show. The show touches on some more weighty themes (no pun intended) but that's gaudily covered up with lights, smiles, and flashy dance moves.

I found the show started to lag at the end of Act One. Never really a good sign when you start wondering when the intermission is... but most of it was really strong. The acts, I felt, were a little too uneven. A lot of dancing and singing in the first act... not as much in the second. The whole jail sequence seemed slightly pointless to me, but it added more drama...? Like everyone was in jail and then they weren't...?

When I was entering the theatre, I already knew that Ashley Parker Angel (of O-Town fame) was in the musical playing the part of Link Larkin. What I didn't know was that Lance Bass (of N*SYNC fame) had also joined the cast. I noticed the billing as I was waiting in line to pick up our tickets at Will Call. But I was so utterly surprised. APA and Lance Bass?! Invasion of the former boy banders!!!!

Surprisingly, Ashley Parker Angel was one of my favorites. Why is this surprising? Well, mostly because five years ago, or whenever O-Town was popular, I used to make fun of him a lot. And I made fun of my friend Amanda who lurved him. Actually, I made fun of anyone who did. Not out of envy or anything... I guess I just never saw the appeal. He's too... I don't know... effeminate for me? I mean, besides the looks, his name is Ashley Parker Angel. (I think I found it hilarious that a boy could be named Ashley... Oh, give me a break, I was 13.)

I did, however, enter the theatre with an open mind. I have a friend, Diana, who adores Ashley Parker Angel (Jesus, that's a long name to type) and adores Hairspray. She had talked so often about him and meeting him and the show, I admit, I was curious.

He did an amazing job. He constantly caught my eye. For one thing, he's so tall, and his limbs are all so long that it's just hard to miss him. But mostly, he just seemed so... happy! He also had this charisma that made you want to watch him and constantly follow him. He was also a really good dancer (at least to me. I am not a dance expert by any means.) and a good singer. His boy band background was perfect for Link Larkin, the wholesome teen idol. He fit his part extremely well. His acting was... I dunno, slightly lacking, I think, but in a musical like this, you can kinda get away with it.

Lance, on the other hand, was underwhelming. Not that I was ever a fan of Lance or N*SYNC. (I was a BSB girl myself. Not that I listen to them anymore... *hides BSB CDs*) I just feel like he wasn't really right for the part of Corny. By the way, what kind of terrible name is that? Honestly...

I also enjoyed the performances by Tevin Campbell (Seaweed), Niki Scalera (Penny), and Darlene Love (Motormouth). I actually really liked Penny's character. She was one of my favorites. Seaweed had a great part, and Tevin did a spectacular job, though I think at times his mic was skitzing out. There were times where it was really hard to hear what he was singing, and other times, when he was the lead singer, the background vocals drowned him out. Darlene Love was absolutely astounding.

Truthfully, I didn't care much for either Shannon Durig, who played Tracy, nor Ashley Spencer, who played Amber. (I wonder if it ever got confusing during rehearsals... Ashley come over here! No, the other Ashley!) To no fault of their own, really. They did great jobs and performed their roles well, but... personal preference, I suppose. I didn't really like Shannon's voice all too much, though I recognize a good voice when I hear one. As for Ashley... maybe I just didn't like Amber's character. Ashley was really squeaky. (I'm not a fan of the squeaky.)

As for the show itself... like I said, I enjoyed it. There was nothing else that really called out to me (i.e. costumes, sets, etc) but the overall package was good. The story dealt with stereotypes and segregation, but in a very lighthearted manner... almost flippant, really. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I realize it's a show and an escape from reality and people want to be entertained, not depressed, but the way the show ended in such a nice, neat, little package bothered me. As if the cheating, lying, skank of a producer like Velma von Tussle and her brainless daughter Amber could change just because of a five minute dance sequence, after they spent the entire musical trying to thwart Tracy? Mreh. It's a musical, I guess... not reality.

The bits with Edna and Wilbur were great. John C. Vogt and Jerry Mathers improv'd a lot of stuff, and the audience just ate it up. There was a lot of chemistry between them... er... you know what I mean.

I wish we saw more of Corny's character. He seems to have been really unexplored, and I feel like he could have been very interesting.

I loved Seaweed and Penny together. So cute. Their duet together in "Without Love" is one of the highlights of the show, in my opinion.

All in all, a good show and another wonderful experience on Broadway. I can't wait to see the movie! Hmmm... maybe a movie/show comparison is in order if I see it? At any rate, if you have some spare cash... and even if you don't!... go see Hairspray. I recommend it to everyone!

Find Your Grail

2007-04-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

Show: Monty Python's Spamalot
Venue: Shubert Theatre
Date: April 6, 2007

I love Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a movie I consider one of the quintessential comedies and classic movies that everyone in the whole world should see. That being held true, Spamalot would logically then be one of the quintessential musicals that everyone should see.

I'd listened to the entire soundtrack several times before I went to see the show, but it never really occurred to me exactly how true the musical is to the movie. The musical has a lot of the same jokes as the movie... and yet they're still quite funny!! Almost every memorable joke in the movie is in the musical, and there are some new ones as well. You have the Knights of Ni, Tim the Enchanter, the Killer Rabbit, and the Black Knight. There are some new jokes as well, some built off of off-hand remarks in the movie (Galahad to Lancealot: "I bet you're gay.")

If you want to see a classic Broadway show with the lights and the dancing and set changes, this is it. It has a real "show" feel... a show that's aimed at entertainment for the sake of entertainment. I adore this show. It's possibly my favorite. Hard to say. I'm biased though since I love love love the movie. I love love love LOVE the musical.

The cast was pretty good... though I wasn't too overly impressed with the person playing Lady of the Lake. I'm accustomed to Sara Ramirez's take and she's absolutely amazing in the recording (and in the Tony performance) and I felt the one I saw was somewhat weak in comparison. She was a good actor and she had a good voice but mreh. The Knights were great. Prince Herbert was fab. I loved the pink slippers.

This show is DEFINITELY for a more mature audience, as there are a lot of sexual/mature references. And you probably should watch the movie before you go see it. I could tell who had seen the movie and who hadn't just based on reactions in the audience (and the fact the little girl in front of me kept giving me strange looks when I'd laugh at certain scenes). Oh, but the BEST was "You Won't Succeed on Broadway"... omg. The song, the choreography, the big bright shining Star of David... oh God. You have to see it to believe it.

I had balcony seats which actually kinda sucked. Usually I don't mind wherever I'm sitting but they have lights up in the balcony that kinda illuminate the whole area, and you can see a lot of the effects happening before they do. I could see the guy who was holding the stuffed bunny during the Killer Rabbit scene. There were other things we missed too, sitting so high up. If I were to see it again, I'd like to sit in the orchestra or mezzanine.

Oh! Another bad experience I had... Usually when I go to shows I ask for two playbills. I tear off the cover of one and keep the other. I pin up the torn off cover on my wall. Anyway, at almost every show, the ushers are very nice and compliant and more than willing to hand me an extra. NOT SO AT THIS SHOW. The old woman was very cross and rude and told me to go sit down. I was so mad.

All in all, a WONDERFUL show that I'd love to see again. Though, I've said that for most of the ones I've seen, haven't I?

Company

2007-04-04T01:17:00.000-07:00

I love when people visit me. It gives me an excuse to go see a musical.

Company, with my dear friend who got accepted to NYU. Congrats, Kaylee. :D

A Day Beyond Belclare

2007-04-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

Show: The Pirate Queen
Venue: Hilton Theatre
Date: March 28, 2007

I had been excited about this show since I saw the big billboard up in Times Square back in November. Something about the title and the woman looking over her shoulder was extremely enticing. Oh, and it didn't hurt that the musical was written by Boubil and Schoenberg... what did they do? Oh, right. WRITE LES MIS AND MISS SAIGON. Seriously, that shouldn't even be allowed. I was even MORE excited (if possible) when I discovered that NYU was selling orchestra seats via Ticket Central. So, my friend and I scored orchestra seats. Wow! To be on the same level as the performers! Watching a preview of this entirely new show, too, was exciting.

The set and the costumes of the show are amazing. There were SO many different sets, I was completely astounded. How did they have time to do them all? The costumes were beautiful. They definitely didn't cut corners there.

I loved the Irishness of this musical. The overture was beautiful and definitely had a forlorn Irish sound to it that brought to mind beautiful, green Ireland. (Not that I've ever been to Ireland... but you know what I mean.) The Irish jigging was so awesome! This was the most dance intensive musical I've ever seen and oh wow! The choreography was amazing and practically flawless. They seemed so in sync I was just amazed. How did they do that? I did catch in one scene though, an ensemble member who appeared to have lost step and was looking around her to try to catch back on. That was slightly amusing for me. But yeah, other than that, wow wow wow. The Irish jigging. The Irish jigging! I'm definitely a fan of the Irish jigging. If anything, I'd see it again just for the Irish jigging.

There was one scene I took offense too. It appears that slow motion is in. A lot of newer productions I've seen have incorporated a "slow motion" scene. Why? Les Mis has several. I admit, I laughed the first time I saw them. The case is true again here. But even that I could handle... except for one scene that my friend and I agreed must be changed: the weird pirate/soldier fight where the pirates and soldiers do pirouettes across the stage. (This is where you give me a blank stare.) I'm sorry, NO. NO SELF RESPECTING PIRATES SHOULD BE LEAPING ACROSS THE STAGE INTO THE ARMS OF A GRACEFUL DEATH. THAT IS JUST AN INSULT TO PIRATES.

So the musical itself. Well, Stephanie J. Block was simply amazing. Good god can that woman sing. And she was absolutely perfect for this role. I had heard some audio of her as Elphaba (uh... LEGALLY of course...) and I knew she had a powerful voice coming in. But oh wow! Nothing could have prepared me for her amazing performance as Grace. She really did carry the show. She really dominated the first half with fiery passion, youth, and desire. The relationship with her father, played wonderfully by Jeff McCarthy, was so moving and genuine. Very well-developed... maybe even OVERdeveloped as I felt Act I started to lag a bit. Stephanie's voice absolutely soared in the first few songs of Act I. My only complaint would be that Grace has no real "power solos", so to speak. I mean, yeah it's more of an ensemble piece, but come on... this musical is about the Pirate Queen... why does she only have one solo? She needs at least one more! And a showstopping tune at that. Something like "Defying Gravity" from Wicked, or "Bring Him Home" or "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" from Les Mis. Grace has a solo early on, but that's more of an intro to her character because at that point, you don't really know her yet, and are just discovering what kind of person she is. Toward the end, she definitely needs a soloish song. I guess she does share a beautiful song ("She Who Has All") at the end that is both poignant and moving, but I would have liked to have seen more from Grace at the end. In general though, I don't think this show had any really amazing tunes that you leave constantly thinking about.

The closest it does come to achieving that (or perhaps achieving it completely) is Tiernan's solo, "I'll Be There." Two words: Holy. Shit. Hadley Fraser is a god. He was absolutely astounding as Grace's childhood love, Tiernan. He was powerful, passionate, and loyal... you know, basically the perfect man. He swears to stand by Grace even as she leaves him behind. :( Poor Tiernan. If anything, he's a little too good to be true. He basically waits around for Grace several years, watches her have another man's son, and still loves her completely and wholly. Um... can I please find someone like that? Preferably with Hadley Fraser's voice too. His song, "I'll Be There" is definitely reminiscent of something like "On My Own"... but you know... manly. As I listened to the song, my jaw almost dropped. As I constantly asked myself that night, How does he do that? Really, he was amazing as Tiernan. I'd go see it again just to hear him sing "I'll Be There" one more time. At first, I felt the song was a little cliche (and prayed that it wouldn't be titled "I'll Be There"... which it was) but I was quickly won over by the intensity of the song and Hadley's acting.

I'm not sure how I feel about how Stephanie's and Hadley's voices mixed. I'm pretty big on how harmonious voices sound together, especially for leads. Like in Wicked. Part of what made it work so well was that Kristin Chenoweth's and Idina Menzel's voices blended together beautifully. When I went, the Elphaba and the Glinda had vibratos that didn't exactly jive together and that had a rather nasty effect. Both Stephanie and Hadley have beautiful voices, but their vibratos didn't work well together for me when the songs were belty. When Steph went to head voice, it was much better, but I think they need to work on balancing the mics... you can't hear Steph at all. Hadley's voice just dominates.

It amused me to see them singing while their faces were so close to each other. Does it get weird? I mean they were both singing intensely and passionately (i.e., loudly)... was it annoying? Does it hurt? Is it painful?

I've also come to the conclusion that geniuses that Boubil and Schoenberg are (and I really do mean that), they cannot write a really good love duet. They came the closest in The Pirate Queen, I think. But come on. A Heart Full of Love? Sun and Moon? Not a fan. But, perhaps, it is personal preference. Really, I do love them. I love the scores. They're elegant, huge, and wash over you like a huge tidal wave... but not so much the love duets.

Marcus Chait was brilliant as Donal. Brilliant in the sense that everyone hated him. Like, I really hated him. He sang the part wonderfully and acted even better. He was entirely too convincing as the wussy, patronizing husband of Grace. It didn't help that he had this blonde wig that from far away made him look like Legolas. Marcus was great in "Boys'll Be Boys" which sounds remarkably like "Master of the House." Both good songs. "Boys'll Be Boys" is much more energetic and playful, which in context makes sense. In that vein, I thought a lot of Grace's father's songs sounded mildly reminiscent of Jean Valjean's songs in Les Mis. Rumor is it that Colm Wilkinson was in talks for that part... Too bad it never materialized. Colm would have been terrific! But Jeff McCarthy was great too. Very... fatherly.

But anyway, poor Marcus got a lackluster round of applause at his curtain call, mostly from audience members unsure of whether or not to applaud this man they loathed so much during the musical. Someone near the front booed, and booed loudly. Everyone laughed as Marcus turned in that direction. He seemed amused. The applause thickened a bit after that. I wonder what it's like to play a part where everyone hates you. Can't be fun.

Evleen, played by Aine Ui Cheallaigh, has some beautiful songs. Aine has a gorgeous voice! And her songs add to the authenticity and the "Irish feel". Her songs were some of my favorite. Very old school.

Like I said, I felt the beginning of Act I lagged a bit. I was kinda like mreh. Necessary character/plot development, however. It picked up pretty quickly, and the last two thirds of Act I were wonderful. The final scene in Act I is perhaps the best scene, accompanied by "Sail to the Stars," which is a huge ensemble piece that really just blows you away. The staging and lighting for that scene are mind-blowing as well. Act II was okay. Better than the beginning of Act I, but not quite as good as the latter part of Act I.

Linda Balgord was good as Queen Elizabeth I. I kinda wish Queen Elizabeth was developed a little more. Perhaps part of it was lost on me as it was hard to understand the lyrics she sung at times. But I think it would have made the story more powerful if we were more sympathetic to Queen Elizabeth. Both Grace and Elizabeth are AMAZING women by today's standards... but they did it at a time when men dominated the Western world. "She Who Has All" was nonetheless a moving song, but I was kinda 'eh' about Linda's and Stephanie's voices singing together. I think it may have more to do with mic balance though.

William Youmans was likeably despicable in the role of the chauvinistic role of Lord Bingham, Elizabeth's advisor. It was weird for me, knowing that he played Doctor Dillamund in Wicked. I mean, how much more different of a role can you have?

My friend really liked all the "racy" scenes. (Friend is male.) There were quite a few. There was also a bit of sexual innuendo. "Boys'll Be Boys" most certainly suggest a lot of that. But as my friend said, "They allow that on Broadway?!" Oh! And they also said "bitch" and I gasped! Haha. Well, there were little girls in front of me and Stephanie promoted it as a family experience. And they said "bitch"!!

Overall, the story is decent. The musical is good. I think with some reworking, it could be even better. It's not the best musical ever, but it's not as bad as some people say it is. At least, I enjoyed it. I'd definitely go see it again, if just to hear Stephanie, Hadley, and Marcus sing. All in all, a very enjoyable experience. (The Irish jigging!!!) I also don't think I can make an accurate judgement on a musical of this scope and size without seeing it twice. So I may just have to do that.

Quest for the Holy Grail!

2007-03-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

Spamalot. April 6th.

I'm desperately trying to contain my excitement.

Yar, Matey!

2007-03-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

My friend secured Orchestra Seats for The Pirate Queen next week! So expect a review probably Thursday or so. But yay! :D

Of Sequels and Little Mermaids

2007-03-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Down Once More...!

Almost a week ago, Andrew Lloyd Webber announced that he would, indeed, be writing a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, currently the longest running musical on Broadway. (On his website he said he was 99.9% sure... I don't know if that number has since changed, but we'll go with that.) It is to be called The Phantom of Manhattan... so that should tell you the Phantom's new locale. Anyway, it's a story he developed with Frederick Forsyth and when it was dropped in 1999, Forsyth decided, "Why waste the plotline?" and turned it into a book. The basic story is Erik flees to NYC, becomes rich, builds and opera house, and tries to lure Christine there. It doesn't seem like Christine's role will be big but what do I know? I haven't read the book.

Now, there is no doubt that Andrew Lloyd Webber has produced some very popular and well-received musicals. The top two longest-running musicals are owned by him: Phantom and Cats. He also wrote Evita and Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. And many more. That is an impressive resume. However, I don't know how I feel about a Phantom sequel.

One person I know who absolutely LOVES The Phantom of the Opera has a theory that ALW is kinda losing it. Now, I love Gerard Butler. He is an excellent actor and an extremely good looking man. HOWEVER. He did not fit the part. He's supposed to be this amazing musical genius and the "Angel of Music" and Gerard simply did not have the voice for it. Oh and Emmy Rossum... good God. Anyone who thinks she's had "training" is clearly in the wrong. It is VERY clear by the way she phrases things, pronounces words, and scoops and slides (which is most definitely a no-no in a musical like Phantom) that she has had little experience singing outside of her shower. She doesn't have a bad voice, per se, but Christine Daae, she is not. They lowered the keys of the songs for her. I'm listening to her sing and finding all the scenes where everyone SUDDENLY STOPS to listen to her completely unbelievable.

I could go on about that movie for ages, but the real point here is that if I were ALW, I wouldn't have let them bastardize my work of genius like that. But he did. So, I look at this sequel with skeptism, though I'm sure there will be many memorable songs akin to "Music of the Night" and "Point of No Return." And for all my skeptism, when it comes out, I will most probably watch it.

Monty Strikes Again
After his smash hit, Spamalot, you can hardly blame Eric Idle for tempting the fates once more and adapting another popular Monty film into a musical... this time, he's adapting The Life of Brian in a musical called Not the Messiah. I haven't seen Spamalot, but I adore the soundtrack. (And God willing, I will see it soon!) I love the movie. I haven't seen The Life of Brian either, but I'll admit this news has me very excited. Idle promises that it'll be funnier than Handel's Messiah although probably not as good. I'm sure that's simply relative.

Part of Your World
As you may or may not know, Beauty and the Beast will be taking its final bow in July to make way for a NEW Disney musical... this time an adaption of The Little Mermaid. At first I was kind of put off by it, but now I really can't wait. They've announced some of the casting and it sounds really promising. The cast includes Sherie Rene Scott (Ursula), Norm Lewis (King Triton), and Sierra Boggess (Ariel).

It'll be interesting, of course, to see how they adapt the underwater world for the stage. Costuming and staging should be really great for this musical. I can't wait!

You can click here to listen to a (really) short clip of Sierra (I assume) singing "Part of Your World". For more info on The Little Mermaid and workshop demo music, go here.

Do You Hear the People Sing?

2007-03-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

Show: Les Miserables
Venue: Broadhurst Theater
Date: March 6, 2007

Officially, this is my second time seeing the show, though this time I had a different seat altogether. I remember wanting to see it again after my first round because besides just loving the show, I really was not too keen on the casting of Daphne Rubin-Vega as Fantine. In fact, I'm still scratching my head. I don't particularily like her, though she was fine as Mimi on the RENT OBC recording. Honestly, even if someone is talented you can't just stick them in any role and expect them to do well.

What really pushed me to seeing it again was the casting of Lea Salonga. God. When my friend told me about it, I absolutely freaked out. And I'm still kinda geeking out. I constantly tell people (both those who are savvy and those who are not), "I SAW LEA SALONGA," and I either get extremely jealous responses or blank stares.

But anyway, the show. Seeing it a second time from a different perspective was interesting. Last time I was really close (Row C) but had a terrible view (partial view, orchestra). It was an experience though. Like, Aaron Lazar walked right by me and if I had reached out I could have touched him. (Okay, not that close.) From the mezzanine level though, I definitely had a better view of the entire stage. I could actually, um... see everything. And that was nice. I picked up some small details that I actually didn't notice beforehand. Like the scene where Valjean is just standing in the corner watching as Cosette and Marius reprise "A Heart Full of Love." Wow, was that heartbreaking.

Before the show even started, I was already kind of upset. The board announcing the changes in the casting had indicated that an understudy was performing in the role of Enjolras. Aaron Lazar really wowed me in his interpretation of the character, and, I felt, really added a streak of passion that's needed in the character. But apparently, he was sick with the flu. (Pft.) His understudy (forgive me, I don't remember his name) did just fine but he didn't seem to fit the role as well. I guess, to me, Aaron (because we're totally on a first name basis) simply embodies what Enjolras should be. My friends and I agree that besides a good Valjean, a good Enjolras is integral to the show. When Enjolras first entered the show the first time I saw him, there's a part where he walks stage left and climbs up a ladder. This happened to be right in front of where my friend and I were sitting. When he did passed by, my friend asked me, "So do you think Enjolras is hot?" At the time, I shrugged and said, "He's okay." But after he sang in "Red and Black" I was completely won over. The scene where it transitions to "Do You Hear the People Sing?" was so powerful because it felt like everyone was holding their breath as Enjolras stood on top of the table, waiting to hear what he said. Aaron Lazar is Enjolras reborn... if fictional characters can be reborn. Also, I saw clips of him as Fabrizio in The Light in the Piazza and WOW. I love the cast recording, but he is absolutely amazing!

All right, enough about someone who wasn't even in the show. As I said, his understudy performed just fine, though I found stupid things to nitpick at. Like the fact he was shorter than Adam Jacobs, who played Marius. Or that his vibrato was kinda weird.

Speaking of Adam Jacobs, I really took to his performance the second time around. He actually made me like Marius, and that's saying a lot. I identify more with Eponine (I'd say most girls do) and am more sympathetic toward her, and Marius is desperately in love with Cosette who generally annoys me. I kinda see Eponine and Cosette like this: Cosette has that fairy tale princess story. Cinderella, almost. In a way, she's the girl everyone wants to be but can't and that's why practically everyone hates her. That and her role is pretty one-dimensional. I thought Ali Ewoldt did a good job - I was definitely less annoyed with Cosette, but there's only so much to work with. Even in the novel, Hugo makes Cosette a bit of an airhead. Eponine, on the other hand, is the girl everyone relates to. Who hasn't felt the bitter taste of rejection? That's part of why "On My Own" is such a popular song. You know, that and it is an amazing work of melody and lyrics. Oh, and Eponine definitely can hold her own. I think in a wrestling match between Cosette and Eponine, Eponine would definitely win.

But I digress. Adam Jacobs is a really good Marius. I definitely was biased against the character because I read the book before I saw the play, and in the book Marius is a bit of an idiot. Not really his fault... more of society's constraints but I found him an idiot regardless. The musical's portrayal is definitely more sympathetic, but I felt Adam really brought out the different facets of Marius's character both from the musical intepretation and (I'm guessing) his from Hugo's novel. It was good. His "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" was heartbreaking. (Funny off-topic story: One of my classmates and I were talking about shows and Les Mis came up and he said the only song he knew from the show was "Broken Chairs at Broken Tables." This is what I get for going to a business school.) I like Adam... and it helps that he's from the Bay Area and went to NYU. He's like me!!! ... except you know, a lot more talented. Oh, and a guy.

Alexander Gemignani does not cease to amaze me. First of all, his vocals are amazing. Boy can he sing. And he's what? 28? That's completely and utterly insane. It shouldn't even be allowed. He's probably one of the youngest Valjeans ever. I remember when my friend and I first saw him, we both commented he was definitely a younger Valjean, but neither of us knew exactly HOW YOUNG he really was. He pulls off old man pretty good if you ask me.

And then, there was Lea. Oh, Lea. I came to see the show again mostly for her, you know. I must say, there were a LOT of Filipinos in the crowd. Surprise much? Anyway, she was wonderful as Fantine. I actually think her voice suits the role of Fantine much better than Eponine. Lea does have this thing where she e-nun-ci-ates everything very clearly and at times it is mildly distracting but she is very much talented and her voice is absolutely beautiful. Every note crystal clear and her portrayal of the poor destitute mother who becomes a prostitute (hehe... it rhymes) was touching. I guess it helps that Lea recently became a mother herself. I almost started crying in her death scene. Fantine is perhaps the most tragic character in Les Mis. The backstory on her in the musical is a bit rushed and only given a few lines of song. The book definitely explores Fantine's character more, and I know Lea read that part to play Fantine and I felt it was pretty apparent from the way she sang "I Dreamed a Dream." I didn't know that after Fantine's death, part of the Fantine track is to be in the ensemble. Who knew?! It's weird to think that Lea was running around the barricades and stuff. I always wondered what the person playing Fantine did between her death and her return in the end. Take a nap? Get a cup of coffee? Knit a sweater? Well, now I know. Hm. I wish there was more to say about her performance, but the role of Fantine, while important, is brief. Lea was great. She rocked. End of story.

Other quick notes: I like Norm Lewis. He has a good voice, but his Javert is particularily cold and distant. Intentional? Perhaps, but as much as I love the sound of his voice, I thought he played it a little too distant. The suicide scene, though was terrific. Drew Sarich is hilarious as Grantaire, James Chip Leonard (cover) was wonderful as Thenardier, and Jenny Galloway was too, as his partner in crime. And is it just me or does EVERY young Cosette sound exactly the same? Gavroche is absolutely adorable. I love him. I could eat him up. All the boys playing Gavroche are just adorable. If I were a ten-year-old girl, I'd totally have a crush on him. One of my favorite students is the guy who sings, "The blood of the martyrs will water the meadows of France!" (Total tongue twister, if I've ever seen one.) WHO IS HE? If there's one thing this show does poorly, it's differentiate between students. I have no idea who is who.

All in all, another enjoyable experience at the Broadhurst. I adore this show. And it's nice to see so many Asians (or part-Asians) on the stage, being Asian myself. The cast is so diverse, and I love it. I admit, I raised an eyebrow when I first saw that Norm Lewis was playing Javert, but after a while, you hardly notice.

I've heard people say it's "terrible" - at least, compared to the original run. Granted, I didn't see it, but I still thought this was very good and can't imagine how anyone could think it was terrible. (That must mean the original run was just that amazing!)

Les Mis, quite honestly, is just an experience, and if you haven't seen it before, go. Really. As an added bonus, Lea Salonga's in it... so how bad could it be?