Spring Break Review (Hairspray, Avenue Q, Company, SA, Curtains, Les Mis)

[BDavis0092]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 12:11am

I am currently in the city on spring break and I am going to post reviews on everything I see. Today was Hairspray at 2:00 and Avenue Q at 8:00. Coming up is Company, Spring Awakening, Les Miserables and Curtains.

Hairspray
This was a great show to start off my vacation. I didn't really know what to expect because I didn't know anything from the show. I didn't know any reviews or any music. I was sceptical about Ashley Parker Angel and Alexa Vega at first. The minute I saw Ashley dance, I knew everything was going to be okay. I was taken by surprise. Alexa really surprised me too. I wasn't expecting a great voice from her. I was wrong again. The entire cast was great. Shannon's voice and character were perfect. Paul Vogt was absolutely hillarous and it was such a pleasure to talk to him after the show. The only character I had a problem with was Jonathan Dokuchitz as Corny Collins. He seemed like he had something better to do with his time while he was on stage. Everyone else was great though. The lighting blew me away and the set was fabulous. I see how this show won so many tony's. The voices were big and the musical numbers were huge. Overall it was an amazing experience and I highly recommend this show to anyone that is relatively new to musical theatre. It is a big, flashy show and almost anyone could enjoy it.

Overall9/10


Avenue Q
I picked up a rear mezz ticket to Avenue Q today at TKTS. I will start off by commenting on the ushers at the Golden Theatre. Anyone else think they were a little rude? Thank god I listened to what they said and sat in the right seat. There was a couple behind me who had another friend coming. So the couple didn't sit in the exact seats on their tickets, they sat over one into their friends seat. The usher then yelled at them and told them they had to sit in the seat that their ticket said and they couldn't move. I had the pleasure of listening to this usher for about 20 minutes which was almost a show in itself. There were many understudies on tonight. Kate Monster/Lucy was Jennifer Barnhart, Christmas Eve was Minglie Chen, Gary Coleman was Carmen Ruby Floyd and Mrs. T/Bear was Aymee Garcia. This show started great. I enjoyed the opening very much. But about halfway through Act 1 it felt like the show lost some energy. I almost felt bored. Thankfully it picked back up by the end of the 1st act. The 2nd act was better. I felt more attached to the stage. The cast was very good; however, I was not please with Evan Harrington. I just felt nothing from him. At some points I didn't even know he was on stage. Carmen didn't impress me much either but I could live with her. Howie and Christian were GREAT. Jennifer was a joy as well. And she was so nice after the show. The show was very clever and had some great jokes, but lulled at times. A good show for someone who can get a cheap ticket and is seeing other shows. If you only have 1 show to see though, this isn't it. I wouldn't pay full-price to see Avenue Q but I still had fun.

Overall 7/10



Company
Like Avenue Q, I didn't quit know what to expect from this show. I heard reviews about Raul Esparza and that's mainly what drew me to the show. I love Sondheim and was hoping my experience at Company would raise my affection of Sondheim's shows. Every cast member was great. The vocals were good; however, I felt like Barbara Walsh as Joanne and Angel Desai as Marta could have been a little stronger in the vocal category. The staging was great. I didn't see the original so I don't know if the staging of the revival was different, but I was very pleased. I absolutely love the idea of the cast being the orchestra. I was sceptical at first because I had never seen a show orchestrated in that way. But from the opening I knew I would love it. The next thing I would like to talk about is Raul Esparza. WOW. I walked into the theatre with high expectations, and left with even higher. Believe what you hear. Raul was everything I was expecting. I sat in the second row center so I had a great view of everything. From there, Raul blew me away. It's going to be hard for someone to beat him out as best actor. "Marry Me a Little" and "Being Alive" had be on the edge of my seat. I can't say enough about him. He made the show for me. Overall it was a great show with great staging and a good cast.

Overall 8/10



Spring Awakening
WOW. I'm just going to say this was one of the most amazing pieces of theatre I've ever seen. The cast, the lights, the set, the staging, the book, the music, and the lyrics were all amazing. Not to mention the shock of, well If you've seen the show you know what I'm talking about. It just seems like this is the new show that is changing the image of Broadway, of the typical "Broadway show". Spring Awakening is absolutely brilliant. I can't say enough about it. The cast was so "down to earth" after as well. They were just a bunch of kids who seemed to be having a great time. They were so nice after the show. This show just seems to be pushing the limits, and I love it. Not a show you'd want to bring your kids to, but one of the best shows on Broadway as of right now.

Overall 10/10



Curtains
Blah. That might just be the best way to describe this show. The score is bland, the book is okay and the performers are nothing special. After the show I tried to look in the playbill and remember the one song I kind of liked, and I couldn't remember any of the songs. "In The Same Boat 3" is the only decent song in the show. Everything else is...well boring really. I was excited to see David Hyde Pierce in his role because he just seems perfect for the part. But he was nothing special. Neither was Debra Monk. Nothing special from either one of them. The only positives of this show were Edward Hibbert's short little puns every now and then. The costumes were good and I enjoyed the way the show was staged. But that's about it. The big numbers were not so big and the ensemble was weak. Not a great show. I have a hard time understanding how people say this will win best musical.

Overall 5/10



Les Miserables
This performance of Les Miserables reminds me why this show has always been and always will be my favorite. I absolutely loved the new orchestrations (I heard they were taken from the London version???) Either way, they were great. And I can't help but feel as if this is almost an all-star cast. I didn't care for Alexander Gemignani's versions of "Valjean's " or "Who am I". His voice seemed to tighten up when he reached the higher notes; but he warmed up nicely and brought the house down with "Bring Him Home". Norm Lewis was amazing. His voice was perfect and "Javerts Suicide" was so powerful when he changed octaves. Lea Salonga lived up to her expectations and brought a perfect performance. Gary Beach and Jenny Galloway were perfect and seemed to bring another element to the Thenardier's. Aaron Lazar is brilliant as Enjolras. Celia's understudy was on tonight but it's hard to believe she is even an understudy. Wow. This performance was just flawless. One Day More and Finale brought tears to my eyes. This is just such a great show and I hope this revival can keep going. I never wanted Les Miserables off of Broadway. I sure hope it stays.

Overall 10/10


Thank you if you took the time to read all of that. Any input on my reviews is welcome.

Updated On: 4/5/07 at 12:11 AM

[BDavis0092]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:01pm

Updated review on Company from today's Matinee.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:19pm

Jennifer Barnhart is the most kind, friendly and down to earth actor at the stage door. I adore that woman. She is totally committed on stage and is still going strong almost 4 years into the show. WOOHOO! She deserves a love thread.

[BDavis0092]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 11:45am

No i didn't see sweeney. Yes she does deserve a love thread. It's amazing how long she has stayed with that show.

[BDavis0092]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 11:44pm

Updated review on Spring Awakening.

[BDavis0092]

Posted: 4/4/07 at 12:32am

Updated review on curtains.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 4/4/07 at 2:51am

Sorry you didn't like Curtains. You really thought the cast wasn't great? I thought they were excellent! Guess it is not everyone's cup of tea. However, I have to disagree with you...I think it's a front runner for Best Musical.

[BDavis0092]

Posted: 4/5/07 at 12:30pm

I thought the cast was good. Just not great. I just felt like the main characters were playing ensemble roles. Nobody really stood out for me except for Edward Hibbert.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 4/5/07 at 1:16pm

I agree with all your reviews, I haven't seen Company though.

[gustof777]

Posted: 4/5/07 at 1:18pm

so glad to hear you loved Spring!

[BDavis0092]

Posted: 4/5/07 at 10:27pm

Final review on Les Miserables.

[istillbelieve24601]

Posted: 4/5/07 at 10:33pm

For Les Mis...

What did you think of Norm's acting? Also... do you remember which understudy you saw for Eponine?

For Avenue Q...

Were you familar with the show beforehand? I saw the current cast and can't imagine being bored with it, even though I knew most of the music.

You are so lucky you saw so many shows in weekend. I'm insanely jealous!

[ruthiefan_felix]

Posted: 4/5/07 at 10:37pm

great reviews thanks!

[broadwayboy522]

Posted: 4/5/07 at 11:35pm

Who was Celia's understudy in Les Miserables? Was it Megan McGinnis?

[Papa_Burgundy_NY]

Posted: 4/5/07 at 11:39pm

I just saw Hairspray as well and was anyone else surprised that Ashley Parker Angel could dance so well?? I wasn't amazed at his acting or anything, but he really could move! Go Ashley!

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 4/5/07 at 11:44pm

What was the "shock" in Spring? You can PM me. I just didn't think anything was all that "shocking".

[BDavis0092]

Posted: 4/6/07 at 12:54am

Marissa McGowan was on as Eponine.

I wasn't familiar with Avenue Q at all. I knew some of the material matter but none of the music.