Posted: 1/27/19 at 10:44pm
1. I like the staging. It’s interesting and beautiful in places. Although you can’t forget that this amount of scenery could never be truly presented in a traditional theatre without commercial breaks and hundreds of camera angles.
2. This is the 2nd live production that I’ve been annoyed with screaming crowds competing with performers for attention. We saw this a few times in JCS, and it took away from “Today 4 U.” Then again in Act 2, more choreographed screams in “What U Own.” Irksome...
3. “Over the Moon” has always been a bigger than life number, but this rendition seems overly directed? It’s not that I’m comparing Vanessa to when I saw Idina. This version just seemed overly busy and sloppy with the props and blocking. The star of that song should be the lyrics and voice. I guess every artist has the right to put their own creative stamp on this.
4. The censored lines and words didn’t bother me, like I thought they would. I appreciate the original text more, but the show doesn’t feel radically different.
Whatever it’s faults or artistic choices, exposing more people to musical theatre is always a good thing!