8 Broadway Shows in 6 Days - Reviews!!

[wheety1621]

Posted: 6/29/10 at 4:32pm

Hi Folks,

Just arrived back to the UK after 8 days holiday in NYC!! My partner and I managed to get to see 8 shows in total whilst there and here are my thoughts/reviews of the shows we saw...

Tuesday 22nd June - Wicked *****

We have seen this show more times than I can recall in London but my partner had never seen it on Broadway so we decided to see this first and get it out of the way! Thought the Broadway cast were extremely strong! Mandy and Katie were just super in their roles, as were the other principles! Not much really to comment on this show as we knew what to except and it still made it fresh and exciting as the first!

Wednesday 23rd June - La Cage Aux Folles (Matinee) ****

We had seen this production once in London with John Borrowman as Albin and loved it then and loved it even more second time around!! Douglas Hodge was outstanding and as a fellow Brit, I felt extremely proud! His performance was just perfection. Kelsey Grammer shined in his role as did the whole cast. Really was a fun afternoon and great to see the Tony and Olivier Award winning performance of Mr Hodge! Excellent.

Wednesday 23rd June - The Addams Family (Evening) **

Well, one word from this production.... Disappointing!! When that curtain rose at the top of Act 1, I thought 'WOAH.. this is what I imagine a big Broadway musicial to look like' and really for the set alone it was worth seeing it. However, if only the score and book could match!! I thought the first act was far better than the second. If I'd only seen the first Act I would probably have given the show ****. The end of Act I left it open to suggest there was going to be some trouble in terms of the story and by god was there!! There seems to be no story to Act II just a bunch of songs and an ensemble there to move the set around!! They really didnt have a part to play. There was some good performances from the actor's in particular Krysta Rodriguez who give a great performance as Wednesday. Its just such a shame the book had to let it down!! They could have done so much better with a topic such as 'The Addams Family'. I must say though, we didn't care for this but the couple behind us couldn't give it enough praise! After every song/scene they just kepy saying how fantastic it was so it all depends eh?!

Thursday 24th June - Promises, Promises ****

I had seen a production of this before in the UK at a regional theatre so I was aware of the storyline and score. I must say, I went into the theatre thinking this was probably going to be a let down after reading reviews but it was a very entertaining evening. I fell in love with the score once again and can't wait to listen to the CD! I thought both Kristin and Sean were excellent in their roles. Katie Finnran just had me in bits in Act II. She really shone in her role. Both my partner and I really enjoyed this show and after the let down of Addams, it restored faith in Broadway for us!

Friday 25th June - Everyday Rapture *****

BRILLIANT!! We both felt in love with this woman after watching an interview with her on youtube and then continued to look into her work. When we found out she'd be on Broadway when we were there we couldnt believe our luck. She completely deserved her tony nomination for this role. She made us laugh and in parts was really touching. And boy can this lady sing!!! I was just blown away with her performance and can't wait to stick that soundtrack on and '...climb up the ladder to the roof!!' once again.

Saturday 26th June - Mary Poppins (Matinee) ***

After being brought up on this film as a child, I really wanted to see this even though I had to drag my partner to see it! The overall production was good. Great sets and costumes; and the cast were good. I was pleased to see Laura Michelle Kelly who won the Olivier for the same role in London (which I completely missed). In parts it was slightly overly 'Disney' but hey thats part of the fun of it! Enjoyed it a hell of a lot more than I did 'The Lion King'. The new songs were catchy and overall enjoyable.

Saturday 26th June - West Side Story (Evening) ****

So we hadn't decided on what to see for that evening, so we headed to TKTS and decided to see what was there. We'd walked past the Palace a number of times and we'd both said we wouldnt mind. Anyway, got 2 great seats and by god it was sooo good!! Such a surprise! I loved the film but hadnt seen it in years so it felt completely fresh!! Only reason I didn't give it the ***** which it should be, was due to the sound. We were sat 2nd row of the Mezz in the center and you could hardly hear them speaking never mind singing! And the band members who were in the boxes at the sides were so loud at times ,it just drounded the actors out! That really was the only downside to the production which overall was outstanding and very emotional.

Sunday 27th June - Next to Normal (Evening) *****

WOW! What a way to end our stay in NYC!! From start to finish, it was just amazing and an outstanding musical. Was so glad to have the chance to see Alice in the role who just became a complete force on stage. I am someone who works in the 'mental health' field and work everyday with Bipolar Disorder which made it all the more emotional for me personally. I thought she was convincing and spot on. The whole company made you care about these people and the struggle they were facing. I really cannot give enough praise to this production except to tell people who havent seen it to go and see it! Truely was the best musical of the trip in my opinion...

Well thank you for reading! I will stop now and head to bed as I am completely jet-lagged! xx

[rmusic11322]

Posted: 6/29/10 at 5:19pm

Glad you had a geat time. Great review!

[Katarina2]

Posted: 6/29/10 at 10:05pm

It sounds like you had a lot of fun!! I really enjoyed reading your reviews. :)

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 1:07am

What were you doing Sunday at 3pm? You missed the opportunity for another show!!!!

Just kidding. Glad you had a great trip!

[bryan2]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 9:45am

WOW that is a great way to spend a vacation
thanks for the mini reviews...

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 10:12am

And I thought I was good squeezing four shows into three days.:)

Really looking forward to "Promises Promises" come September.

[Hank]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 12:48pm

Now I want to see Promises Promises next. I've been putting it off, having the same thoughts you had going in.

[jpbran]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 1:56pm

Agreed -- you could have squeezed my fave (aside from N2N) American Idiot in at 3 on Sunday.