I also went to student rush. I was first in line and got Orchestra B6, also partial view. I didn't miss anything, but a giant loop of wires from the lighting rig were hooked around where the leg space was supposed to be for my seat, so it was very cramped. For the price, it was still a perfectly fine seat.
I'm slightly less enthusiastic about the show after seeing Act 2, but I still think it's a must see. Lesli Margherita steals the show, channeling her inner Kristin Chenoweth in a role not that far removed from Lily Garland. Bolton's performance as Hennesey and the Captain was also memorable.
The choreography was excellent and the cast pulled it off well. Danny Gardner (Lucky) needs to work a bit on his timing with the dance and tap, as he was a bit behind at times in Act 1. Given that most of the dance numbers have the cast standing side-by-side, it was noticeable. He had some difficulty on one of the tap sections in "Choo-Choo Honeymoon". It's early in previews yet, and this is very fixable.
The story is enough to string together the musical numbers, and that's really all it's meant to be. Without spoiling the story, I found Ruby's character extremely weak in Act 2. I also found the final number to be unnecessary; the show could have ended with "Star Tar". They could solve both issues by chopping off the final number and adding one about Ruby and Dick's relationship issues, but I doubt they plan to play around with the book much if at all.
Overall, this show is a good time. It's light-hearted and campy. I'm not usually a fan of those types of shows, but this is old-school Broadway at its finest. The producers may be the real stars here, as they seem to have made all the right decisions. They've opened in a small theater ahead of most other musicals (Does Amazing Grace even count?), allowing time for word-of-mouth before the competition starts previews. With a cast of only six actors and actresses plus standbys, a set that is minimal but effective, and a small orchestra, this doesn't appear to be a particularly expensive production as musicals go. This show should find an audience large enough to sustain it through the Tonys if the producers care to go that long. It's obviously very early to be talking about this, but I could see Margherita getting a nom and I wouldn't count out a Best Musical Revival nom. This is definitely a better show than On the Town, which was nominated last year.
BROADWAY: The Cripple of Inishmaan, This is Our Youth, If/Then, Hedwig and the Angry Inch (x3), Cabaret (x2), The Real Thing, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Chicago, Les Miserables (x2) Disgraced, Finding Neverland, On the Twentieth Century, Wolf Hall Part I, On the Town, Fun Home; TOURING: Jekyll and Hyde, The Book of Mormon; LOCAL: The Twilight Zone, Anne Boleyn, Death and the Maiden, The Lying Kind, Chorus Line, Stupid F**king Bird
and wrings everything out of her not very funny one-liners. The men are fine, with Cary registering the best - he has the ability to say ridiculous things genuinely which made him stand out. John played his duel roles very broad, which didn't work all the time and Danny barely registered on my radar.
