Broadway Trip: 15 shows in 9 days

[MrJNLong]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 3:42pm

OK, so being a huge theatre buff out west, I don't get many opportunities to go to New York...but when I do, I make sure I really do it! Just got back from this year's trip where I saw 15 shows in 9 days: Happiness, Next to Normal, Exit the King, Tony Awards, Rock of Ages, Billy Elliot, Blithe Spirit, Our Town, Mary Stuart, Hair, Norman Conquests: Table Manners & Living Together, 9 to 5, West Side Story, and Twelfth Night in the park. My thoughts follow because, well, I need to tell someone

HAPPINESS: Saturday, June 6 matinee (no significant understudies)
Overall, I wish this would have done more for me. I liked the idea of exploring 'the happiest moment of your life,' but it seemed like they could have dug deeper with it. Enjoyed (but wasn't blown away by) performances from Sebastian Arcelus, Phyllis Somerville and Fred Applegate. Thought Robert Petkoff and Pearl Sun were cute together. Thought Hunter Foster was a bit awkward in the role but not always in a good way, and Jenny Powers seemed to be forcing acting instead of just letting it come...plus I thought her happy moment that was built up to the entire show was a bit of a let-down. Joanna Gleason and Ken Page were OK, but nothing special in their roles (on second thought, maybe just the roles aren't all that special...) and I thought Miguel Cervantes was bad. I felt like he was acting and trying to be funny the whole time... Didn't like the ending...I enjoyed Stroman's staging for the most part, but wished the show would have added more insight than it did, or blew me away in some other way. It was just OK. Sat next to Roger Bart though...

NEXT TO NORMAL: Saturday, June 6 (no understudies)
I know there is a lot of discussion on these boards regarding this show...and a lot of polarized opinions. Well, I guess you can add mine to the list. I thought the show was PHENOMINAL. It was the most emotional evening in the theatre I have ever had. Now, you must understand, my little brother passed away a couple years ago and my family is still dealing with the grief of that, so it had a special poignancy with me. All 6 performers turned in amazing performances...so nuanced and thoughtful. I appreciated it so much! I really felt like Alice Ripley and Aaron Tveit were reaching out to me with their souls. I love those rare times in the theatre when that happens. It was Tveit's final performance, and his portrayal was unforgettable. Enough has been said about Ripley, but I don't care if she is hitting every note or not (I never noticed she wasn't) because it was one of the greatest musical theatre acting performances I have ever seen. J. Robert Spencer was heart-breaking and solid and the moment between he and Aaron at the end was unforgettably touching. Jennifer Damiano was good, and I thought Adam Chanler-Berat was perfect! Loved the music, and the set and sound designs were especially good. I was 100% engaged the entire time. Thank you so much to everyone involved with the production. It changed me. Met some friends at Junior's after the show and watched the cast meet with fans for over an hour and a half...they were leaving as we were, and so I thanked Aaron and Alice on our way out. Both were so nice and said inspiring things to me. Alice just kind of went off for a couple of minutes about her feeling like she connected with us and what-not. She's great!


UP NEXT: Exit the King & Tony Awards
Updated On: 6/16/09 at 03:42 PM

[MrJNLong]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 4:09pm

EXIT THE KING: Sunday, June 7 matinee (no understudies)
Such an awesome and unique theatrical experience. Although I've studied it a lot, I have never seen an absurdist piece performed professionally. This production seemed to shy away from the absurdist elements a bit actually, but I'm sure that helped the audience not feel too alienated. The design elements were great, especially the sound. Geoffrey Rush was of course brilliant. One of the greatest individual performances by an actor I've seen. So great physically as well as vocally. I love Susan Sarandon, but something about her performance didn't do it for me this time. She rarely varied her inflection or volume levels with her voice or did anything new with her body, so she quickly became a tad boring. I understand this may have been a deliberate choice, and I enjoyed the contrast between her and Ambrose, but I don't know, there seemed to be a bit of a disconnect between the actor and the role. I loved Ambrose who I thought was appropriately exaggerated (and beautiful might I add...). Andrea Martin was funny...but she was Andrea Martin, and there was no level to her funny either. The other two men were just fine. Over all, though, it was a very cool experience to have and I am so glad I was able to witness it.

TONY AWARDS: Sunday, June 7
I had never before attended an awards show live, and it was a lot cooler than I thought it would be. Although we were in the 3rd Mezz, I could feel the energy of the opening number which was exhillerating! So much so that I didn't even notice the Bret Michaels incident. I led a couple of Next to Normal standing ovations in the 3rd mezz and I was so excited when they won Best Score As each award was given out, my friends and I predicted who we thought would win. I got 24 of 27. Not bad! I only missed Sound Design of a Play (I guessed Exit the King), Director of a Play (I guessed Warchus for Norman Conquests) and Featured Actor in a Musical (I guessed Swenson). Loved the added features during commercial breaks, especially the Shrek audition segment. Haha. Neil Patrick Harris did a very nice job I thought...and I seemed to be the only one in the 3rd mezz to get the sushi joke...Walked out behind Maroulis, Sieber and Feldshuh. Awesome experience.

UP NEXT: Rock of Ages and Billy Elliot

[MrJNLong]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 4:34pm

ROCK OF AGES: Monday, June 8 (Amy Spanger & Constantine Maroulis both out)
Wow. What a disappointment. Granted I saw understudies in both lead roles, but I doubt they would have changed the experience for me. My main issue is not that rock doesn't belong on Broadway. In fact the music was the best part of the evening. My main issue was with the apparent thoughtlessness with which the show was put together. Were we purposely making a statement that all black people will sell-out and whore other people away (as the only 3 black characters were such people)? Were we purposely saying that women are objects (Calling characters Bar Girl 1...pretty sure all the men got real names...and the excessive number of strip scenes when they did little develop character)? The choreography was amateurish and the 3 girls couldn't seem to dance it in unison ever! The use of projections were hokey and distracting, and worst of all: I didn't have any fun! I loved the music. They seemed to pick all my favorite songs from the 80's, but they never really added any insight or anything to the songs like Jersey Boys and Movin Out did. I could have got the same thrill by listening to an 80s mix CD. In fact I wish I had, because now these songs are tainted with a bad memory of a horrible show. I know there are other opinions on the matter (as it received nominations for Best Musical and Best Director) but in my mind, it was the most disappointing and irresponsible piece of theatre I saw all trip. Jeremy Jordan as Drew was a little endearing and Lauren Molina was kind of good, but that's all I remember. Bleah...

BILLY ELLIOT: Tuesday, June 9 (David Alvarez as Billy, David Bologna as Michael, understudies for Mum and George)
This was the show's first performance after winning the Tony. I'm so glad I saw David Alvarez, as he was the one I was hoping for. Maybe it was just because I saw this after Rock of Ages, but I was blown away by the directing and choreography. Choices were being made that assisted in telling the story and getting across the theme in such creative ways. I loved it. This almost beat out Next to Normal for my favorite show of the trip. Almost... Alvarez was fantastic. His passion in Electricity was awe-inspiring. Once again, I felt him vomiting his soul out to me in the back of the orchestra. I didn't understand why Jbara beat out Swenson at the Tonys until I saw this performance. He was so great...and portrayed a large range of emotions impeccably. Haydn Gwynne was expectedly fabulous, and David Bologna was adorbale and sympathetic (although the giant dancing clothes was a little trippy). Carole Shelley was good, but nothing spectacular. I got emotional a couple of times in the show. Very nice work from everyone involved...from the costumes, to the lighting, to the sound, to the acting, and especially the directing and choreography. So good! Thanks for making good, thoughtful theatre.

UP NEXT: Blithe Spirit & Our Town

[MrJNLong]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 4:55pm

BLITHE SPIRIT: Wednesday, June 10 matinee (no understudies)
I really have no complaints about this show, other than that it started a bit slow. It wasn't very memorable though. Very solid. But not memorable. Angela Lansbury is a very good actress and I am so glad I got to see her live. I loved the choices she made as an actress (especially the choice of being disenchanted with Deborah Rush's character) and the energy she gave off. Jayne Atkinson and Rupert Everett both started slow, but picked up momentum by the end. Both were very good over all I thought. Christine Ebersole was good...I didn't quite love the choice of playing Elvira like she was 12, but the contrast between her and Atkinson was nice. It wasn't very funny I thought. Funny moments were few and far between, and it was a bit slow... Susan Louise O'Connor was funny and I wish I saw more of her. I thought the transitions between the scenes were timed strangely. None of the scenes ended with a bang and there were awkward moments before the curtain came down. Kudos to the set and lighting designers who did very nice work. Loved the set demolishing at the end! Lots of good work, but for a play with little substance and little humor, it seemed not worth it for me...

OUR TOWN: Wednesday, June 10 (understudy for Mrs. Soames)
I really feel like David Cromer captured the essence of this show. I love it when director's take risks not just for the sake of taking risks, but to enhance the meaning and themes of the show. His out-there staging of this did just that. In fact, I can't imagine Our Town being done any other way now. The entire ensemble was so natural and real. I loved their use of pausing and talking over lines. It was very engaging. My only complaint is for Jennifer Grace as Emily Webb who had a vocal pattern that wouldn't go away. Argh! But nothing could really bring this production down. So simple and so profound. This is what theatre is all about, kid-os. Scott Parkinson as the Stage Manager was very good. He brought everything together quite nicely. I sat across from Joan Rivers which was odd because for the first two acts, the lights stay up, so she kept being in my view... Congratulations David Cromer and cast on an incredibly effective and appropriate production.

UP NEXT: Mary Stuart & Hair

[yankees1253]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 5:30pm

Aloha, thanks for the reviews and taking your time to write them. Looks like you had a great time while in nyc. I was at the same show as you june 9th, the only main understudy was Maria Connelly as Debbie.
Updated On: 6/16/09 at 05:30 PM

[MrJNLong]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 5:44pm

MARY STUART: Thursday, June 11 (no understudies)
First of all, I am so impressed with Phyllida Lloyd's direction of this piece. All of the elements came together to create a truly remarkable experience...and it wasn't boring (which this play could easily be). Let's see...where do I start? The lighting design was especially memorable and effective. I loved the sparse set and how the lighting designer created mood and place so well! The costumes were an awesome choice as well...even if it did start out as a budgetary constraint. It seemed like an integral part of Lloyd's production. The entire acting ensemble was solid and intense. Special shout-outs to Chandler Williams as the psycho-fanatic Mortimer and Brian Murray as the wise Shrewsbury who were both phenominal! Also, John Benjamin Hickey as Leicester and Nicholas Woodeson as Burleigh were very good as well. And of course the women! Such amaziong acting from these two. Harriett Walter and Janet McTeer were both technically impeccable, and emotionably viable. Such a lesson in acting from them both! Such an awe-inspiring production. A real triumph.

HAIR: Friday, June 12 (no significant understudies)
Hmmm...I feel so bad that I didn't think this was phenominal. It kinda didn't work for me (dodging tomatoes being thrown by all other 'respectable' theatre-goers...) I don't know what it was. I feel like I missed something somewhere. First of all, I couldn't understand half of the lyrics. They were singing with lots of passion, but I couldn't make out what they were so passionate about specifically! There may have been a sound issue this particular night as there were obvious static problems that the actors even made comment on. It was all one-level to me. The cast bombarded me with passion and anger from the first moment straight through to the last with no variance. But it all seemed to lack a bit of motivation. There seemed to be no story...it was more like a jukebox musical. Gavin Creel and Cassie Levy had some great moments, but were the only characters who seemed to be trying to make a connection with anything. Will Swenson was good and funny at times, but had no character arc and so ended up being just as annoying at the end as he was at the beginning. I don't know. Sorry. Let the Sunshine In was Cool. I liked that.

UP NEXT: The Norman Conquests & 9 to 5

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 5:53pm

This sounds like my kinda trip.

[MrJNLong]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 6:06pm

THE NORMAN CONQUESTS: Saturday, June 13 "Table Manners" & "Living Together" matinees (no understudies)
Such flawless acting in this production! So funny, and still so thought-provoking. I kept thinking about how we never see all sides of any story. Very awesome. All cast members were giving Tony-worthy performances (with the possible exception of Amelia Bullimore who was great, but not stellar). I think my favorites were Jessica Hynes and Paul Ritter, but they were all phenominal! Those Brits really know how to do it! I laughed about 20 times as much in one of these plays than I did in Blithe Spirit. I wish I would have seen the last part. I kind of didn't get the purpose of the strange landscape dial thing that was on top of the set, but oh well...any insights? So so so impressed with the acting in this...and Ayckbourne's writing. Go see it! Joan Allen was a few seats down from me. So pretty.

9 TO 5: Saturday, June 13 (understudies for Josh and Maria)
Huh. I kinda liked it. But there was a lot more opportunity to explore the themes involved in this show instead of just making it a crowd-pleaser. Kind of strange that the message seemed to be that women don't have to be suppressed by men, and if they find that confidence, they can smoke pot and have affairs (Im pretty sure that's what Stephanie Block's character said) rather than you know, make a difference in the world. Oh well, it was obvious Joe Mantello wasn't really trying to say anything significant with the show. I liked some of the music, but not all of it. Andy Blankenbuehler has a definite choreographic style. The dancing seemed a bit modern-day for the time period the show was set in...kinda like In the Heights in an office...but cool transitions. Horrible writing of characters...liked the set design, but couldn't figure out if the triangle motif was a deliberate choice. And why the phone chords? Was that supposed to add anything? I thought I liked Meg Hilty in the first act, but then she just got annoying in the second. Allison Janney was OK, but definitely nowhere near Alice Ripley's performance in Next to Normal. I don't understand how people were comparing the two. Stephanie J. Block can't act when she's not singing. Sorry. Marc Kudisch was OK, but nothing special. Don't see how he got nominated over Tveit. Kathy Fitzgerald was good. It was kinda fun, kinda boring. I didn't hate it as much as Ben Brantley did, but it didn't really do anything for me either.

UP NEXT: West Side Story & Twelfth Night

[MrJNLong]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 6:33pm

WEST SIDE STORY: Sunday, June 14 matinee (Kat Nejat in for Anita, John Arthur Greene as Riff, Kaitlyn Mesh as Anybodys, Manuel Santos as Chino, and a bunch of others filling in where there were holes)
I was supposed to see this Wednesday night but when I heard Olivo was sick, they let me exchange my ticket for Sunday hoping she would be better. No luck. Box office lady said she has an upper-respiratory infection. So disappointed was I. What is going on with this show that half of the lead characters can't perform for weeks on end? I'm not mad, but something needs to be evaluated if I were a producer of this show...It would have been better if ANY of the understudies had done ANYTHING with their roles...but none of them did. The riff was just bad...as I saw him obviously checking out emotionally multiple times. George Akram also made no impression whatsoever. The Bernardo/Riff death scene wasn't nearly as heart-breaking as it should have been. The show got a lot better in the second act due to the amazing chemistry between Josefina Scaglione and Matt Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh is NOT a good actor. In fact his scene with Doc was one of the worst I saw all trip, but when he was with Scaglione, there was magic. I love Josefina. So good! And so beautiful! She brought me into the story when no one else would. Curtis Hobrook was good, but kinda one-note in his characterization. The lighting was fabulous, and the choreography and music are legendary for a reason. I was grateful to see professionals dance this. So it wasn't all a lost cause, but I hope the cast gets healthy soon! I didn't understand why the Jet gang members were so large and their mannerisms were so 2009...oh well. Strange casting, but I liked Laurents' version of the ballet. The boy was a nice touch. There were definite sound mixing problems as I couldn't make out anything anyone was saying in the quintet. Loved "Cool." "Gee Officer Krupke" was not heart-breaking like I think it should be. Oh well. Not bad. But not as good as it could have been.

TWELFTH NIGHT: Sunday, June 14 (no understudies)
My friend is in the production, so we didn't even have to stand in line. Cool! As has been mentioned, Hamish Linklatter is the standout in a really great cast! His choices were so unique and so appropriate and he has great comic timing. Audra McDonald is so talented! She was funny in ways I've never seen her before. Julie White, Jay O. Saunders and David Pittu were fabulous supporting comedic characters, and Michael Cumpsty was solid as Malvolio. For me, Raul Esparza was a bit forgettable. Stark Sands was very good as the twin brother though. As for Anne Hathaway, I was impressed. She didn't blow me away, but she was very good. And for once I actually saw how they would mistake her for a boy. I actually thought the music brought down the pacing a bit which was the only major problem with the production. It needed to be quicker. Hated the underscoring, but oh well. The set and costumes seemed a bit thrown together...but hey, it's free! Defintiely worth seeing. Fabulous cast all around.

AND THAT'S IT! So, here's the summary:
Phenominal Must-sees: Next to Normal, Billy Elliot, Mary Stuart, Norman Conquests.
Runners-up: Our Town, Twelfth Night, Exit the King, West Side Story.
Didn't do much for me: Blithe Spirit, Hair, 9 to 5, Happiness.
Horrible Excuse for Theatre: Rock of Ages.

I'm so glad such a variety of theatre is available. Yay for NYC!

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 6:37pm

Thanks for posting.

[CyCoSpAz2]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 6:48pm

Thanks so much for all your reviews! Especially glad to hear you loved Norman

[dg22894]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 7:25pm

Thanks for your reviews.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 7:32pm

Thanks for your reviews.

Sad to read about your little brother who passed away, my brother also passed away round the same time, I am also in New York next week and hoping to catch Next to Normal, hope it will bring back the same poignant memories for me!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 7:34pm

Thanks for the reviews! Looks like you had a great time!

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 8:07pm

Good reviews, it's a shame you didn't get Hair... but I'm glad you got to see all these great shows!

[bwaygirl211]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 8:14pm

thanks so much for the reviews!! nice and detailed.

it's cute that roger went to go see fred applegate in his show...do you think happiness was worth seeing?

[MrJNLong]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 8:27pm

I got the idea Roger was there to support Susan Stroman (at least that's what I got from his conversations with the person he was with)...also interesting was that he repeatedly called her Ms. Stroman and not Susan. Still showing the due respect even after working closely with her on multiple shows. Pretty cool I thought.
In answer to your question about Happiness: Uh, I think any theatre is 'worth seeing' but I wouldn't reccomend it over any of the other shows I saw except Rock of Ages and maybe 9 to 5. Its closed now any way...

[steven22]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 8:32pm

you are one lucky person seeing all of those shows!..I agree with what you said about N2N....I love it!!

[broadwaytourist]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 10:11pm

Thanks for your reviews. I also live far from NYC (Tennessee), but I try to get there twice a year and see 6 to 8 shows at a time. So I'm really interested in the logistics of your trip as well. How did you decide what shows to see? Did you stay in a hotel and can you recommend it? Restaurants? How did you get tickets? Any recommendations for spending time waiting for shows? I'm trying to refine my NYC experience.

Thanks,

Anne

[heo1128]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 10:44pm

Wow, I am completely jealous! Sounds like a successful trip!

[little_sally]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 11:33pm

Sounds like a wonderful trip. Thanks for the reviews!

[legally_popular]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 1:50am

What an amazing line-up of shows! I enjoyed reading your reviews.

Happiness had a ton of flaws for sure, but I enjoyed it immensely.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 4:08am

Heads up about WSS: The leads being out didn't make this flat. It just is. The direction is horrid. (But Karen is lovely.) If the actors are truly sick (or hurt) there isn't anything the producers can do. It's just bad timing for all involved.

Sorry you didn't feel Hair. It's a a beautiful production, one that I'm passionate about.

[MrJNLong]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 4:52pm

broadwaytourist,
The first half of my trip, I was leading a group of high school students on a summer trip that I put together through an LLC I created. Then I sent the kids home and stayed with a friend of mine in Brooklyn. The first half of the trip with the kids, we stayed at the Hampton Inn on 8th Av and 51st which was very nice. The people there were great! When I booked it back in February, it was fairly cheap. In the past, when I've come on my own, I've stayed at cheaper places right on Times Square that were super hokey and small (Milford Plaza) but I didn't really care cause I was there for the theatre. Of course, having a friend to stay with in the area helps!
Lots of different factors went in to deciding which shows to see. I always want to see a balance of plays and musicals. I always read the reviews before buying tickets to see if it sounds like something I would want to see. But lots of things factor in. Ie, the friend I was staying with loves Allison Janney, so thats why we went to 9 to 5 (which I probably wouldn't have gone to otherwise). It just depends. Tickets to the big sold-out shows (Billy Elliot, West Side, etc...) I bought back in March for the tour group I was organizing. I saved the less-popular (Mary Stuart, Norman Conquests, Our Town, etc...) shows for the second half of my trip when I knew I could get discount codes, rush or TKTS tickets.
Restaurants are always hard for me...but I love the Carnegie Deli! And I'm usually at Juniors 5 or 6 times throughout the trip. Found some really nice and fairly cheap places in Little Italy this time around...
As for what to do during the day...I always spend lots of time in the Drama Bookstore on 40th, Lincoln Center Performing Arts video library, museums, relaxing in Central Park, or this year, taking naps in the middle of Times Square!
Good luck! Ask if you have any other questions.