Profile for CockeyedOptimist

So what designs/aesthetics have subsequent Broadway productions gone with? Thanks for the summary, by the way!

Great, thank you so much! I'm also going to be directing a production soon... :)

Does anyone have/know where I can find production photos of any of the Broadway productions of The Crucible? I've been desperately searching and can't find anything. I'm specifically interested in what the sets were like. Thanks!

But isn't there a difference between a NYC tourist and a Broadway tourist? Some of your definitions fall more into the category of NY tourist (i.e. eating in Times Square--which I happen to do just because it's convenient and I'm not picky about my food, getting lost on the subway, not crossing, etc.). I'm from the Philly suburbs (about an hour and a half from NY) and go into ny at least once a month, and see a show pretty much every time I'm there...but I hardly consider myself a tourist (of...

Phantom, Joseph, and Aida! Especially Joseph... :)

I was also a little frustrated with the beginning recap of the past season--I understand going over the basics since they're trying to build an audience, but it went too long in my opinion. And I'm glad to hear I wasn't the only one completely confused by what exactly went down at Betty's Bees! I thought I was missing something or had severely overestimated my ability to...watch TV? haha Who else desperately wants to see Raul back as Alfredo?

So glad I'm not alone in this; I still jump at Phantom even though I know it's coming. I hate gun shots. How can I prepare myself for AMS? Any advance warning cues to look out for from those of you who have seen it?

Is Piven's acting any different than his portrayal of Ari Gold (i.e. does he bring anything new to the table)? Also, I too am curious what the stage door is like. I absolutely adore all three actors and everything they've done prior to S-T-P, so I am going to stage door this one. Is it crazy? Are they taking pictures with people? (Whatever, I'll admit it, I really want pictures with them :) I don't care if that makes me a pathetic fangirl haha)

Definitely go! Perhaps (make that definitely...) I'm a little biased, but I love Philly more than anything (sorry, NYC) and think it's extremely easy to navigate. Walnut St is a cool theatre to visit if you've never been there, and this is a great production of Les Mis (I'll be there this Sunday!). This is one of those experiences that you should just go for.

uncageg, your casting for the Ace of Cakes musical is hilarious. I'd love to see an Arrested Development or Veronica Mars musical, honestly...maybe because I miss those shows so much, but they also would lend themselves to the musical form pretty well. Same goes for South Park.

Nathan Lane disease comes nowhere close to applying to Raul Esparza. As one of the posters above said, Lane is pretty one note, usually playing a version of himself. Yes, he's a performer with a distinct style and can deliver one-liners, but I always feel like I'm watching "Nathan Lane as ________" when he's on stage. Raul is a chameleon--he can bounce between musical and play (and even TV--did anyone catch his wonderful guest turn on Pushing Daisies?) and manage to transform himself every ti...

Can't say I'm surprised, but definitely sad. Everyone I've seen it with (and that includes three generations of people, many of whom were quite skeptical about it based on its storyline summary or the Tony performance) has absolutely loved it. My mom still tears up when she thinks about PS and how much it affected her, and I can honestly say the same. It's a shame it wasn't advertised well and couldn't find its audience, but to echo what others have said, at least we have a lot to remember it...

Not exactly related to a review per se, but this is the only thread I figured people would be able to easily answer my question... I've never sat mezz at the Walnut St and I was wondering for anyone who has...would you rather be lower mezzanine to the left in the second row or lower mezzanine center but a few rows back? Does it even matter very much?

At the July 2 matinee of In the Heights there were two elderly women conversing during intermission: Woman 1: So what do you think? Woman 2: It's loud! And there's rap. I've never seen a show with rap before... Woman 1: Yes, but remember, it's *nice* rap, so it's okay.

One of my friends who is very into theatre saw an advance screening and said he was extremely disappointed. Granted, neither he nor I actually like the source material, but he said any hopes he had of the movie being good because of the cast or whatever were completely shot down.

Agreed, it gets confusing when talking to people who refer to musicals as plays...at least in my mind, that automatically means no singing present. The recommendation thing has happened to me, too, where someone asks for a play recommendation and then they'll start listing musicals. I think the cast recording/soundtrack thing is way more irksome, though...