Alice's first show back (6/10)

[jordangirl]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 7:02am

(Starting a new thread since she WAS in)

Thanks to the generosity of a friend, I was able to attend last night's performance of next to normal, which was truly magical. I can only imagine what it would have been had Alice been in Tuesday night when particularly the majority of the front orchestra was (based on the emptiness that was there until intermission according to a friend who did stay) to have been made up of people there specifically for Alice's first post-Tony show as opposed to many of those now being spread out over days and possibly even weeks. But anyway...

The now-typical applause when ALL the lights go out after the musical introduction was slow to start ~ but I started clapping and was soon joined by others clapping and cheering. But after that, the audience was on fire as well as the actors on stage.

Alice threw in all kinds of little other motions here and there ~ most that I have seen at times before ~ especially cute is when she opts to lean into Dan for a kiss during their dialogue after "Just Another Day". It's really precious. And vocally, she sounded amazing as well. She was on fire throughout the whole show.

Jennifer was absolutely on fire and was probably the most expressive I have ever seen her. A loud sigh as she looked down on Henry after Dan smashed the music box was just one example. She was great throughout, though her voice did sound a big tired...it was still better than some other regulars I have seen in various shows. And her scenes with Adam, particularly at the end were stunning.

Bobby was definitely feeding off af Alice's energy and he added a few of little movements in her and there as well. Most notably leaning in to kiss Diana after Dan has proposed. That was typically in at Second Stage, but I hadn't seen it since, and I remembered how much I love that moment. Bobby's voice sounded a bit tired as well, but again, still excellent. And he brought it to the numbers where it counted ("I've Been" in particular.)

Adam and Louis were fantastic as well, obviously feeding off the energy from all around the theater. I know actors are trained, but it still amazes me that no matter what Alice throws at him during "My Psychopharmacologist And I" when he's frozen, he keeps a straight face and doesn't flinch. And Adam was probably in the best voice I've heard him.

Kyle seems to be settling into the role well. Yes, he looks a little older than Aaron, but I don't think it's SO jarring that it takes you out of the story. At least it didn't me. Of course, I've seen some of the guys walking around high schools these days, and a LOT of them look "older" than what we think of as a "typical" 18 (though given how young Jessica looks, I can understand how that would accentuate it. And no I am not saying Alice looks old, but she visibly reads more realistic for the character (yet another reason I wish Mary Mossberg had been able to continue with the show...she read similar to Alice in terms of age-appropriateness).). Vocally he's very good. I like that he doesn't add in little riffs like I have heard someone else do (not in the role but in other events), but he still makes them his own. There are times speaking that he delivers the line exactly as Aaron had. He and Alice work well together ~ and I imagine that as they settle into working with each other it will only get better.

The biggest difference I noticed was in the "I Dreamed A Dance"/"There's A World" sequence. I am the first to say if I've had a problem with a song in the show, it's been "I Dreamed A Dance" simply because it comes across to me as squicky in the sense that that Bob Carlisle song "Butterfly Kisses" has always come across as squicky to me. Just...really toeing a line for a parent-child relationship. In the case of next to normal I look at it as a song that was somehow significant to Dan and Diana and just at that moment it's more like a mother/son dance at a wedding or something. I've mostly gotten over the squick factor, but I don't deny it does seem a weird song for a mother/son.

That said, working with Kyle, Alice's Diana came across as slightly tentative, almost apprehensive...pulling back to look up at him in a way that really conveyed a touch of apprehension. And I found myself loving the way it was being played ~ I mean, Diana is probably at that point not so sure about packing up Gabe's room and is a bit apprehensive as to what it will mean to have him gone from her life. (I'm not convinced that the packing up the room suggestion from Dr. Madden wasn't an (I assume inadvertent) post-hypnotic suggestion.) And it really worked. I'd be perfectly happy if they kept that in the segment even as Alice and Kyle get more comfortable working with each other.

The second act was just as electric, and at least from what I could see in the orchestra, the standing ovation was almost immediate with loud cheers for everyone but especially Alice.

he stage door was crowded, but not really any moreso than I have seen it. Each person was greeted with cheers. Alice came out and smiled around the crowd before opening her arms and doing a mock curtsy and then going to sign. She was her typical self, taking her time and talking with people for a few moments more than just they typical exchange if they wanted.

All in all, it was a magical evening, and I'm so thankful that a very generous friend made it possible for me to be there.

Updated On: 6/11/09 at 07:02 AM

[TJ2]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 7:52am

It was an incredible night and you captured it well. The one thing I'll add is that the applause after "You Don't Know"/"I Am The One" and "Superboy" were the loudest and longest I have heard. They just kept going and going. The energy of the cast and the audience last night was amazing!!!

[jordangirl]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 7:56am

I knew there was something I forgot. My brain wasn't fully kicked back on yet this morning. :)

I've become accustomed to long and loud applause after "Superboy and the Invisible Girl", but it did appear louder and longer then. And definitely the loudest and longest of the night was after "You Don't Know"/"I Am The One"!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 9:29am

Maybe I'm too freakin' old...but I have no idea what 'squicky' means.

I love the mother/son dance....and it is a seduction of sorts...just not a sexual one. **SPOLER*** He's seducing her to suicide. ** End of SPOILER**

I think there is indeed a special relationship between mom & son and likewise dad & daughter. I have one of each and it is "different" when I am with my son. Likewise, my daughter is all aglow when with her father. It's not better or worse...it's just different.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 9:45am

squicky is a portmanteau of "squeamish" and "icky," I believe.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 10:00am

Wife was there, and said it was AMAZING !!!!

She DID miss Aaron (how can you NOT !!), but said that Kyle did get better as the show went along-

Agrees with Jordan that the 2nd Act was absolutely amazing !!!

[Harpz2006]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 10:01am

Does Kyle swing around the poles too and is it like choreographed exactly when to do it?

[NDR]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 10:07am

jordangirl - thanks for the review.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 10:20am

Yes, Kyle swings on the poles (at least he did on Tuesday- I assume he does it every performance).

[jordangirl]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 10:35am

Yes. The choreography is the same.

It's funny, at first it looked like Kyle was a lot taller than Aaron, but when he was next to Alice, he wasn't that much taller than Aaron if at all. I think he's just shaped differently that made him seem taller.

Or it could have been the angle from H in the orchestra since I haven't seen it from that perspective before.

And dramamama ~ I definitely understand parent-child relationships, but like I said, there is a line where the SONG ~ lyrics I mean ~ is really toeing it between appropriate for a parent/child relationship. IMHO. Though Alice has said she sees Diana as being in denial that she's a mother... Perhaps the most telling thing and why it works actually popped up in the (much debated) twitter-cast of the show where Diana said Gabe reminds her of Dan once upon a time... That one song is just fuzzy for me and by no means dampens my love of the show. But I really liked the obvious apprehension on Alice's face last night. I think THAT dynamic worked a lot better for that particular moment as she is saying good-bye to Gabe. (The "seduction to attempt suicide" comes in "There's A World". Not "I Dreamed A Dance".)

[clever name]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 11:26am

Thanks for the review,Jordan! I LOVE squicky!! I'm gonna have to use that word.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 11:36am

You're welcome ~ for the review AND the new word! :)

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 11:54am

I was there as well, and it was electric to say the least. Everyone was just ON. It was great. I thought Kyle was great in the role. I really like his voice, and he handled the more emotional parts well. I have to say that J. Robert Spencer was insanely good. I love when he smashes the music box and screams "There's nothing there!" It really made me wish he had won the Tony. He's turning in a marvelous performance, which is why I think Ripley is giving such an amazing performance as well. They both play off each other's performances. Ripley was great and def. on fire. The only complaints I heard leaving or at intermission were "I just don't like her voice." So yeah, that's about the only complaint, but it works well in the role, and I've grown to like it. The only time it's kind of jarring is during "Maybe" where she has to do some falsetto high notes, and it just doesn't sound good in her voice.

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 12:19pm

I haven't seen this show for just over a week now .... and with every post I read, I realize I'm not going to be able to hold out much longer ...

[heo1128]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 12:34pm

Haha TimesSquareRegular, I agree...and it's only been a few days lol.

See, I didn't mind seeing Jessica Phillips on Tuesday, but I'm incredibly disappointed I missed Alice's first show post-Tony. Ah well. The show sounds amazing, thanks for the review! Alice also added the Just Another Day kisses, and Bobby did the proposal kiss last Saturday. I loved those additions as well...I always think Dan and Diana need to show more affection towards each other.

Updated On: 6/11/09 at 12:34 PM

[Craww]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 1:40pm

there is a line where the SONG ~ lyrics I mean ~ is really toeing it between appropriate for a parent/child relationship

Is your apprehension over the song solely a matter of comfort, or do you feel it's a negative on the creative side specifically? I agree with you that it's inappropriate, but it's something that I've always thought worked creatively as a positive. Considering what action the song leads up to I think it's appropriate to her character to have the most poisonous parts of her delusion come to a head right before the most poisonous consequence. I don't think it's a fully conscious attraction, but there's a definite literary undertone from the very inception of Gabe's character as a flirting and precocious golden child. His seductive nature goes hand in hand with his predatory nature as ways the ideal of him have run away from the original fantasy.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 2:52pm

Show had TDF mail dates yesterday (managed to get July 10th) that have disappeared already !!

[jordangirl]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 3:26pm

As I've said, I don't DISLIKE the song. It just feels slightly squicky. But I can definitely see how and why it works, especially with Alice's revelation that she sees Diana as not thinking of herself as a mother.

I just found that I really liked it more the way they played it last night ~ and I think that fits in better with "the poisonous parts" as you say.

[Craww]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 3:32pm

Makes sense to me. And thanks for the review. I wish I could get a chance to see Kyle, but if I ever see it again it will be long after Aaron has returned. (Or long after he's returned and been replaced again, so if Kyle gets rehired I suppose I'd see him then. I just can't help thinking they'd want to cast a little younger if the show runs to that point.)

[GatorNY]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 3:47pm

I'm very excited to be "spending and evening" as it were with the Goodmans again on 6/21. A friend from DC is coming up and I'm excited about getting to see it with him. Especially looking forward to seeing the interactrion between Kyle's Gabe and Alice. Hopefully it will be as you described Jordangirl....

[jordangirl]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 4:43pm

Yeah...I'm not sure if it was first time working together stuff...they appeared similar to the interaction with Alice and Aaron in "I Am The One", so maybe this IS how they've decided to play "I Dreamed A Dance"

[GatorNY]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:30pm

I had never noticed this when I saw the show at The Booth (probably since my seats were in the mezz)- but at the end of the tony performance...it looks like Gabe is almost about to kiss Diana (and not on the cheek) after she runs over to him after pushing Dan away. I'm not sure where my friend from DC got our seats for 6/21, but am hoping that it is closer than the last 2 times. I understand that it is a much different experience up close (as has been discussed previously on other posts).

[jordangirl]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:37pm

I admit I am spoiled to up close, but I have grown to appreciate being able to see everything from a further back (even mezz) seat. If I can't have the front row with rush, I love rows E-H in the orchestra. They're far enough back that you can see a lot at once but close enough that you can still see expression.

[steven22]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:40pm

I'm going to RUSH Friday the 19th...any idea of how early I should BE at the theater to def have seats?!

[jordangirl]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:44pm

From what I've been hearing, 7 may be pushing it as of late.