If/then Reviews- Page 12

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 1/19/15 at 11:31am

Very excited to be seeing If/Then tomorrow night! I was thinking about stage dooring because I'd like to thank the cast and it wouldn't hurt to get a memento.

Wondered if anyone has been at the stage door lately or seen it post show? I'm just wondering if things have died down some since the beginning of the run - I imagine they have? Plus a Tuesday night might not be as crazy.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 1/21/15 at 11:23am

I finally saw this show last night and I plan on going back before it closes. Perhaps part of it was seeing it at a time of transition in my life, but it just hit me hard and I loved it. My sister observed that a review posted outfront called it "the bravest musical in a long time" (or something like that) and she felt that was spot on. It's not two and a half hours of fantasy or escape, it's more real. I can see how not everyone would like or love this show, but I could identify with the characters, which I appreciated.

We sat front row of the mezzanine which is great for this show because it gives you a great view of the whole stage. As far as the plot line, I didn't have any trouble following along, but it was good conversation to debrief in the car ride home - my sister and I each picked up on a couple things the other had missed.

The whole cast sounded great and really nice comedic timing. The crowd was very into it, lots of big laughs, applause and tears. Idina was vocally flawless and I really enjoyed getting to see her acting showcased. I loved LaChanze - her voice is effortless. There was a great moment during No More Wasted Time when she forgot the words and just sang something like "and i don't know the lyrics" which made the whole audience and cast crack up. Idina and others were laughing, which I loved because it was a great live theatre moment. She got back on track and sang "okay I'm back with you" which got another big cheer.

Anyhow, I really enjoyed the plot and the music and will look forward to listening to the soundtrack. I was happy for the cast that this Tuesday night crowd was great because they seemed to really feed off it.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 1/21/15 at 11:26am

Another note on Idina's singing - I thought she did a tremendous job. Her voice was huge when it needed to be (Always Starting Over) but she used her head voice at perfect moments as well. That was a really important distinction in some of the more dramatic and tender parts.