Alive in the World - new Goodman show

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/4/08 at 5:58pm

In case anyone missed the press release put out during the holiday frenzy, there will be two concert performances of this musical presented on Jan. 13 and 14 at the Zipper Factory, benefitting the Twin Towers Orphan Fund. The performers will be Melissa Errico, Toby Lightman, Lea Michele, Greg Naughton, Adam Pascal, and Daniel Reichard. Tickets are from $65 to $250, with a reception after the show for the higher priced ticket holders. For more details, check out this link or the Zipper Factory site.
Alive in the World

[MotorTink]

Posted: 1/4/08 at 6:13pm

I've got my ticket! I'm very excited.

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/4/08 at 9:12pm

Anybody see this at the NYMF in 2006? Apparently two more characters have been added since then.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 1/5/08 at 5:40pm

la la la bump la la la

[bjh2114]

Posted: 1/5/08 at 8:39pm

I saw it at NYMF. It was an interesting show. I don't remember it well, but I remember it being very edgy. I saw it with Kelli O'Hara, Greg Naughton, Marcy Harriell, and Aaron Lohr. They added 2 roles to the original cast of 4. It would be interesting to see the updated version. Maybe I will get tickets.
Updated On: 1/5/08 at 08:39 PM

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/5/08 at 8:46pm

Edgy in what sense? Sounds interesting. They've actually added another couple - Toby Lightman is a woman, though your confusion is understandable. She plays the part I believe Marcy Harriell had at NYMF. The two new roles are being done by Lea Michele and Daniel Reichard.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 1/5/08 at 9:00pm

Haha. I actually know Toby Lightman is a woman. I love her music. I intended to initially write "they added 2 more roles" and somehow "more" turned into "male". Sometimes I wonder what goes on in my head while I type.

I guess by "edgy" I mean the music was more like rock music, but not even really. This isn't Spring Awakening or Rent, but somewhere in between those and say Carousel, lol. Vague? yes. Also, just the plot and book are somewhat edgy in content. It's a very modern feeling piece, which makes sense since it's based on life after 9/11. I don't remember it that well. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/5/08 at 9:10pm

Thanks for the info. It's interesting you mentioned Rent and SA, since two of their original cast members will be in this. I'll find out more soon enough since I"m going to the show.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 1/7/08 at 11:43am

Errico Joins 'Alive in the World' with Pascal, Reichard, Michele at Zipper Jan. 13 & 14


https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=24101

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/7/08 at 11:46am

I love her.

For those who don't know this, Paul Scott Goodman wrote Bright Lights, Big City and Rooms, amongst other things. So I'd expect it to be along those lines.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 1/8/08 at 5:37pm

my daily bump

[broadwaybaby086]

Posted: 1/14/08 at 12:33am

Did anyone go to this? How was it?

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/14/08 at 12:41am

The music was great, though there was no dialog or plot to speak of. I think the show would benefit from those. There were 20 songs built around 9/11 that took about an hour and a half. There was a couple who split up and found other partners, a high school girl who couldn't understand why her boyfriend the would-be terrorist was arrested, a preacher who went to Iraq, was traumatized and came back rigidly conservative. The vocal standouts for me were Toby Lightman and Adam Pascal, but all the singers were good. You can read more reactions in the Adam Pascal thread on the Off-Topic board.

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/14/08 at 8:54am

I saw it at NYMF and while I thought that most of the music was excellent, it definitely still had that "work-in-progress" feel to it. (This was mainly because it WAS a work in progress, as the NYMF coordinator mentioned prior to the show) I'm sure it's been tightened and sculpted over the past year and a half and that it's only gotten better and stronger. I assume Melissa Errico is playing the 9/11 widow. She's a good choice for it, and will probably bring a sense of gravity that was lacking in Kelli O'Hara's beautifully sung but altogether flat interpretation. And I would also assume that Lea Michele is playing the role that Marcy Harriel originated.

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/14/08 at 10:44am

Yes, Errico played the widow and was very good. There are six rather than four characters now, and Lea Michele played one of them, a promiscuous teen who dates a would-be terrorist. The other new role was a minister, played by Daniel Reichard. He starts out naive, is shocked by his sojourn as a chaplain in Iraq, and returns as a doctrinaire right-winger.

Marcy Harriel's part was played by Toby Lightman, an excellent singer/songwriter who I don't believe has done any professional theater work before.