6 Shows in 4 Days - My Reviews

[florida theatre kid]

Posted: 7/7/14 at 9:53am

Just returned from my annual trip to New York! Thought I would share some quick reviews:

-Cinderella, Thursday July 3rd
I have listened to the cast recording religiously for a year, so I knew the music by heart going in. It's a beautiful show with an incredibly talented cast. I found it at times to be a little slow in the 2nd act (I understand some complaints about the book), but I found myself overall appreciating the changes and the "kindness" aspect that has been added. Paige Faure is beautiful as Ella, and Victoria Clark is giving a performance fresh as ever. Supporting actors and the ensemble were uniformly strong. A great evening on Broadway!

- Matilda, Friday July 4th
It's just so good. We had Paige Brady as Matilda and I couldn't believe how incredible she was. Sean Montgomery and John Arthur Greene were on for Miss Trunchbull and Mr. Wormwood, and were both hilarious and terrifying. Lesli Margherita and Phillip Spaeth are hilarious as the dancing duo, and Jill Paice brings so much warmth to Miss Honey. Those kids - I could list all of them. They are rock stars and blew me away. The cast was amazing, but the show itself is a star on its own. The School Song is one of the best numbers I have seen in a musical. It took me a year and a half to see it, but well worth the wait.

- Rocky, Saturday July 5th Matinee
The first act is slow. The score and book were laughable at times. But when people said the 2nd act, particularly the last 30 minutes alone, was worth the price of admission, they weren't joking. I don't think I moved for the whole final fight scene. Andy Karl was incredible as Rocky. I don't know how he does it 8 times a week. We had Michelle Aravena on as Adrian, she was great. With its flaws, I still walked away from Rocky on a greater high than any other show before. It made me sad to see the theatre less than half full. I'll definitely be recommending this one to everyone.

- Motown, Saturday July 5th Evening
I'm going to start by saying this was the worst audience I have ever seen at a Broadway show. All the bad things - talking, texting, loud eating. It really was distracting and took away from the show. The show itself....I enjoyed it, if not as much as I thought it would. It's nonstop entertainment, but there were times where I felt myself bored with it. It was the same thing onstage the whole time. Krystal Joy Brown as Diana Ross was a highlight in the second act. Her concert was great. I'm glad I saw it, but won't find myself running to recommend this to anyone.

- Hedwig and the Angry Inch, July 6th Matinee
It's hard to go into something expecting it to be the best thing you'll ever see, so I was nervous that I was going into Hedwig thinking that. I didn't think it would be possible, but it exceeded the high expectations I had. By a lot. Hedwig was an experience, and maybe the best show I have seen on Broadway. Neil Patrick Harris is giving a performance that will be remembered for a long time. There aren't enough adjectives to describe what he is doing on the stage. Sugar Daddy brought the house down. Lena Hall deserves as much praise. She broke my heart as Yitzhak, and lifted me up at the end. I'd run to see it again.

- Heathers, Sunday July 6th Evening
I watched the movie for the first time about a month ago, and I'm glad I did. I found the show to be hilarious, witty, and have a incredibly catchy score. Candy Store is so great. The cast is uniformly amazing. Jessica Keenan Wynn as Heather Chandler, is a real scene stealer. Charissa Hogeland was on as Veronica, and she was amazing as well. The audience responded enthusiastically, getting lots of big cheers at the big lines from the movie. I hope there is a big future for this show.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 7/7/14 at 12:50pm

Thanks for your reviews, I always enjoy reading about people's opinion of shows.

[Just_John]

Posted: 7/7/14 at 1:01pm

Sucks you missed Christopher Sieber and Margo Selbert. They are two of my favorites.

[Cupid Boy2]

Posted: 7/8/14 at 12:04am

Sounds like a fun trip. I saw Rocky the day before you and agree that the last 30 minutes were really incredible. For me, it wasn't enough to excuse the score and the book, though. I caught three shows last weekend, and it was definitely the one I enjoyed the least. It just wasn't for me. I know several other people who loved it as much as you, though.

That Hedwig review has me even more excited to be seeing the show in two weeks. Here's hoping it exceeds my high expectations as well!