Heh, I knew a full review would be up before I even got home!
So I mean, Em described everything but I guess I just wanted to say from my own perspective...
The only time I've seen him sing live was from the balcony of Aida years ago and the one time at the Elvis Costello concert. So I was very excited.
When he came out and smiled and said hi to the crowd, I even said out loud "oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." Like, this was really happening. It just hit me.
I mean, you've heard this before, but as a performer, he just has an amazing charisma, stage presence, everything. His smile melt the room, and the honesty and realness in him came out, and really the whole night I just thought that I can't believe I'm really there, seeing this.
Maybe This Time was fantastic! As the first Broadway music I ever heard in my life, the songs from Cabaret hold a special place in my heart, and boy did Adam deliver! As he went into the verses, he kept going higher and you could see the feeling in the song in his face. It was just great.
And Maria...fortunately, no mention of disliking West Side Story, but...an amazing song and an amazing performance. His high note at the end was gorgeous, and the passion with which he sang the "Marias" in the middle, even in the jazz version was just...amazing.
Umm, he didn't understand the excitement of him taking off his jacket...
And Glory, which of course, just...wow...I noticed he flipped pages on a stand so he had words handy. Heh. Some things don't change
I'm glad he was able to make it a bit more his own, while totally staying true to the song and the character.
And I really loved What I Did For Love. It's a great song, and throw in his voice and passion, and I think just the meaning...it was a great way to end the concert.
Oh the answer to would he say he's like Roger was No. I laughed, thinking of what Anthony wrote in his book about that. He said maybe the one thing they have in common is their passion for music.
And I dunno, I really loved his answer about auditioning. Like he started to say there's one piece of advice I can give you, and you so expect to hear go to college, or be yourself, or be able to deal w/ rejection, etc. but he gives something so honest and unusual as to say be a good auditioner, mentioning he's not one. Poor Adam. I dunno, I just really liked the honesty in that answer. Not that I would have expected less, but it just really struck me as something I wouldn't expect to hear as the one thing he would tell people.
Ooh, and yes, he was very passionate about talking about how great things aren't necessarily financially successful. He said like haven't we ever seen a show, movie, play that we thought was so great...but people didn't do go to see it? Then he added how he thinks if Rent premiered on Broadway now, he's not sure it would do better financially than the movie, but that wouldn't change its greatness. Another answer I really liked.
Emcee isn't exaggerating about her nervousness
Though granted the whole time, I kept saying calm down, it's fine, and then when we were like 5 ppl away, I started getting nervous, which apparently I was supposed to be the not nervous one so that wasn't a good sign.
But aww, Adam's so sweet. His face when he saw Emcee and was like Hey! just so warm and inviting, anyone could melt. He actually said oh, we drove all the way up to see him? Kind of amusing. We're giving him the benefit of the doubt that he was a little direction-confused and doesn't think we live in Florida.
I don't remember if this was before we all left or Emcee but he really seemed generally concerned like oh we drove all this way, did we enjoy it? (Of course we did). Again, really sweet.
So I got there I suppose more nervous than I expected. I wasn't expecting him to remember/recognize me from the Costello concert but when I got there he was like Hi! How ARE you? And then told me he's sorry, he forgot my name(which I'm pretty sure I never told him), and I was just pretty shocked/taken aback that I very weirdly said, kind of shaking and muttering...You...remember...me...from...the...Costello...concert? And he took a minute and then said yes, of course! I'm thinking maybe he recognized my face but not specially like where. Anyway, that was so unbelievable and his smile, and he's so sweet and I'm sorry this is getting to be very badly constructed sentences with bad grammar, but that's my state right now.
Oh, then well I'll show you guys which picture I printed for him...one I got of course from Emcee's fan photos...and he saw it and kind of commented on it, like...I was still in a weird state so I can't remember his tone but he said something like ohh, a headshot? I think the tone was a bit of surprise just b/c it was random and prob the only pic of that he signed of the night. I was still in a just...nervous/shaky/surreal state so I had to take a moment, and then was like ohh yeah, it's..my favorite picture of you. My cheeks must have been pretty red when I said that...
And then he thanked us again for coming. Oh, I think I mustered in a "you-were-great-BTW" at the end. One of these days I gotta remember to say that first...
Oh, and finally just a few comments on the "special" audience. I mean, the expected...big Rent fans, screaming, etc. But first...Maybe This Time was the third song he sung and these 3 girls in front of us were talking the whole time! I'm the kind of person who gets very distracted by these things and I was getting really pissed. I even leaned over to ask them to be quieter during songs. I think that did something, they weren't completely silent, but didn't talk as much after that.
Someone screamed out for him to sing "Suddenly Seymore." Random much.
Ohh, and after he made the Hisidic joke that I loved so hard at, this woman 2 seats down from me said "good thing there aren't any Jewish people here." Now, this is a Catholic school? So maybe that's why she said that? But still, Adam's Jewish!! I mean...I just looked at her and said...yes there are...and she got this nervous look on her face and said were you offended by the joke and I said no I laughed the hardest and she laughed and said oh good...but I don't know. Even if it is a Catholic school, it was open to the public...and to think/assume there's no Jews there just seems very odd to me.
Oh, and of course ppl were whispering along w/ Glory. I finally covered my ears so I just heard Adam and no one else. Eh, there was barely any singing so I guess that's good. More talking than I would have liked. And yeah the laughing while he was hitting really high notes made no sense.
That all aside, it was just...an AMAZING night. Adam is just an amazing performer who could take your mind away from everything but him. He's so great.
"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli
That makes me happier than it should, but it's seriously awesome.
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