Posted: 9/25/15 at 8:34pm
I've yet to see a schedule posted and very little about performances, other then what the website states (performances are 30 minutes and the event will be over by 10:00pm).
I'd try tweeting Jordan Roth. He's very good about responding to questions about times, dates, etc about the productions he's behind.
Posted: 9/25/15 at 9:53pm
I did see something from StarKid saying they'd be performing early in the day, so to get there early on to see them.
Would love to go, but I can't get to the city this weekend. Will be looking forward to hearing reports!
Posted: 9/26/15 at 12:02am
I'm curious to hear what Lea Salonga sings. I'm betting she sings at least one song from Allegiance.
Posted: 9/26/15 at 12:13am
karen24 said: "I did see something from StarKid saying they'd be performing early in the day, so to get there early on to see them."
Well, I always assumed they were on first...
Posted: 9/26/15 at 12:16am
oncemorewithfeeling2 said: "I'd try tweeting Jordan Roth. He's very good about responding to questions about times, dates, etc about the productions he's behind."
Yeah. The social media team (person?) at Elsie doesn't seem very responsive at all. Not necessarily a red flag, but certainly not a great sign.
Posted: 9/26/15 at 12:18am
LizzieCurry said: "The social media team (person?) at Elsie doesn't seem very responsive at all. Not necessarily a red flag, but certainly not a great sign."
They can only be as responsive as the people above them give them information. Or else they just show they don't know anything but replying "Hopefully we'll know more soon!" etc.
Posted: 9/26/15 at 1:10pm
Do they not know the day before if they'll have anywhere to store stuff from the Flea Market? I don't plan on attending, but I know people have been asking and I've also been curious (as an observer).
Posted: 9/26/15 at 5:32pm
The venue itself never has coat check or anything, so I'd imagine not. And, if they WERE making accommodations for Flea Marketers, it wouldn't make sense for them to make it a secret.
Posted: 9/26/15 at 7:05pm
According to the Elsie Fest Facebook, the sched is:
1-doors
2:20-Lea
3:10-Starkid
4:10-Seth
5-Laura
5:55-Aaron
6:50-Leslie
7:55-Darren
Posted: 9/26/15 at 7:38pm
That's a great looking performance schedule. Very smart to put Lea on first instead of Starkid. She'll ensure a good first set turnout. I'm excited to see how this goes!
Posted: 9/27/15 at 9:01pm
Well, they just finished and as I wait to leave, I will talk.
There were some problems - namely not enough food vendors and a lot of people who didn't realize that a festival with GA means no seating.
That aside - it was ridiculously fun. Leslie Odom Jr. stole the whole show with his crazy range. Laura Osnes and Aaron Tveit were definitely the fun, cute names that they needed.
Lea Salonga is iconic.
Darren Criss continues to impress me with what he can pull off. He's an extremely talented musician and singer. His "Long Grift" killed it. Plus the addition of Neon Trees and A Great Big World made it appeal to everyone.
Im still not sure what a StarKid is, but let's not have them back.
Posted: 9/27/15 at 10:05pm
ChildofEarth said: "a lot of people who didn't realize that a festival with GA means no seating."
It seems every time theater people do something aside from theater, they have no bearings on what to expect, heh. 
Darren got his start with Starkid, I think. Something about Harry Potter musical? on YouTube maybe? I'm not trying to set off the Darrenstans, I really don't know...
Posted: 9/27/15 at 10:34pm
A Very Potter Musical - Darren helped form the group called StarKids and they created this musical about Harry Potter while he was still at the University of Michigan. It developed a huge YouTube fan base and they also did a sequel. I believe he's still involved with the group in some way and they still have many, many fans who I'm sure we're thrilled to see them at ElsieFest. But I think it's the kind of thing that you either love or just don't understand 
I do think it's nice that he's stayed loyal to them after all his success
I couldn't get to ElsieFest but watched a lot on Periscope. Leslie Odom Jr sounded great. He did "The Room Where it Happens" from Hamilton - obviously it couldn't be as good as it is onstage with the full cast, but still, wow. Darren sounded quite good in some numbers & a bit off in others, but he had a lot of energy and I give him a lot of credit for pulling this together.
Posted: 9/27/15 at 10:46pm
Starkid is the musical theater group Darren created with his friends while in university. They put their Harry Potter musical on YouTube, where it went viral. I think he wrote a good part of the music/lyrics for the shows they would put on at school. After he got glee, I think he pretty much stopped working with them due to time and better opportunities. But they're all still close friends I think.
That being said, while I'm a fan of Darren's im not crazy about Starkid. I decided to hit the flea market at noon, then lunch, then made it to the pier just before Seth Rudetsky. I'm sorry I missed Lea Salonga, but I knew I couldn't make it the whole day. The music was great, include several Laura/Aaron duets and Leslie Odom killed it. And I enjoyed Darren's set as well, which included the lead singer of Neon Trees and the guys from a great big world.
I I think most of my issues with the fest were the venue itself (Pier 97). Due to the fact it's a pier, it's long and narrow and standing GA can't get closer than 15-20 rows back behind vip. There's a giant press tower above the sound board, so you have to stand around it. Plus the pier is concrete, which felt a lot worse standing for hours vs other fests on grass/dirt. The pier is flat with no video screens, so I don't know how anyone under 5'5 actually saw anything if they weren't standing at the front of GA.
I'd be interested to see if they try for this venue again next year, if it's even available. I read at some point it'll become part of the Hudson greenway park.
Posted: 9/27/15 at 11:00pm
It was foolish to schedule an event where a PORTION of the proceeds go to Broadway Cares up against their extremely popular and profitable (all proceeds) annual Flea Market. They were vying for the same audience.
Posted: 9/27/15 at 11:35pm
karen24 said: "A Very Potter Musical - Darren helped form the group called StarKids and they created this musical about Harry Potter while he was still at the University of Michigan. It developed a huge YouTube fan base and they also did a sequel. I believe he's still involved with the group in some way and they still have many, many fans who I'm sure we're thrilled to see them at ElsieFest. But I think it's the kind of thing that you either love or just don't understand
"
Or another scenario is you understand what they are attempting but still don't love it.
Posted: 9/27/15 at 11:59pm
Long time lurker, made an account to share my experience at this event since it's new and all. Came into this event as a Lea and Aaron fan.
Organization was abysmal, especially when it came to food. I'm surprised people didn't resort to cannibalism. The event was all day, outside food was prohibited, and there was no re entry, so if you wanted to eat you had to buy the food from them. Problem was, the lines were literally lines you'd be standing in for 1-2 hours, and by the time you got to the front they'd run out of food. I don't think it was an issue where they didn't realize how many people were going to go because the crowd wasn't exorbitantly huge by any means and they were still trying to move tickets on social media during the morning so? Probably could have maybe prepared better for that situation.
The event opened with Lea so people who wanted to take longer at the flea market had to miss her. They should have opened with that Starkid group, who as far as I could tell was not a group of Broadway performers? But by reading the previous messages it sounded like Darren Criss was doing friends a favor, which seems nice.
The event closed with Darren Criss and special guests. I wasn't familiar with Darren's live Broadway work prior to this since he's only been on Broadway for less than half a year and scheduling never worked for me, but he did okay. The Neon something singer had a much stronger voice than him but the World ones was weaker. Darren was good at some songs and weak on others and I get that it's his baby but if it weren't for that I would find the choice of him to close a weird one. He was outsung and out-pedigreed by every other performer other than the Starkid group. Maybe if he had to be last, some kind of grand finale with all of the previous performers would have been nice.
Lea, Leslie, Aaron, and Laura were incredible and worth going for (and maybe starving for).
In summation, great idea but lackluster execution.
Updated On: 9/28/15 at 11:59 PM
Posted: 9/28/15 at 12:21am
Lea was first because she had another event to go to this evening. She more than likely asked to go first so she wouldn't be rushed to get there. Otherwise I have no doubt Starkid would have gone first.
Just like I'm sure since the top names on the posters were Aaron and Darren, they were meant to be the headliners who go last initially, but Aaron went on before Leslie. Leslie probably couldn't get there any earlier with a matinee to perform in, so they worked around schedules.
it seems to me the only major complaint I've seen was the food issue. Having never planned something like this before, they honestly probably were so focused on all other aspects that could go wrong they didn't put enough thought into the food. Something easily fixed if it becomes an annual thing.
Posted: 9/28/15 at 1:31am
fallingawake said: "The pier is flat with no video screens, so I don't know how anyone under 5'5 actually saw anything if they weren't standing at the front of GA."
Easy. They didn't. I'm 5'1", but closer to 5'3" in the shoes I was wearing, and through Lea's set (where I was he closest to the stage) I was constantly trying to see past the tall girl a few people in front of me and I never managed to see below her waist. I missed Starkid, Seth, and Laura getting food and then when I rejoined the crowd for Aaron I managed to see all the way down to his chin four or five times during his set. That made me get creative for Leslie and Darren and I ended up standing on the edge of the VIP section in the center.
But that said, I had a great time. There were certainly some kinks to be worked out but the framework was layed for something that could be a spectacular event.
I thought the performance order was perfect. Lea got people through the doors when they opened and didn't need a later slot to captivate, Starkid were lesser known and light for the afternoon, Seth marked a midway point, and then from there each of the final performers (Laura, Aaron, Leslie, Darren) ramped it up more and more until it ended with a punk rock rendition of Cabaret.
Updated On: 9/28/15 at 01:31 AM
Posted: 9/28/15 at 6:33am
As I'm thinking more I have other thoughts-
I wish Laura or Aaron would have taken a page out of Darren & Leslie's books and tried to change up the songs. I personally thought Darren doing harder versions of the songs or acoustic versions made it more fun.
Seth is a national treasure.
Im not sure what I expected, but I can't imagine that place if they sold many more tickets. They will need to find somewhere bigger if they do it next year.
Posted: 9/28/15 at 12:37pm
Posting as a fan of 90% of the acts that performed yesterday and as someone who went to the show.
I read through all of the posts in this thread and I agree the biggest problem was with food. However, I read reviews on the venue itself and apparently this is not something unusual. This is a constant complaint with any show at this venue. I honestly don't think that they have enough room for more food. By the time I was able to get food (after over an hour in line) all I was able to get was four pieces of shrimp on top of tomatoes and cucumbers. That's it. But, it happens and we pretty much just went to get halal when we left. The venue was okay, I can't imagine what it would have been like if it was at capacity. I feel next year they should definitely have it at another venue next year. It was horribly hot sitting on the cement during the afternoon, but I am no stranger to music festivals so I was not surprised by it.
The beer garden was a lot of fun. Did some Frozen sing a longs with Laura.
The acts were great. Not really a fan of Starkid, but you have to admit they are full of energy.
We did meet and greats before the show and I have to say Aaron is a doll. We didn't do his but watched him interact with his fans and it was something else. The organizers were great. Once everyone got in and lined up and started to move it was very quick and we only missed a few songs of Lea's set. They were kind enough to let us stand side stage for the rest of her set so we didn't completely miss her. A+++ for that.
The only real complaint I have was the security. 99% of the security officers were great. The gentlemen in the beginning getting us all organized were pleasant and professional. I don't think that they anticipated that Darren's fans would start to get there extremely early. But, they were kind. The security backstage and wondering around GA were very nice and professional. The only problem I heard was one female security officer threatening a patron as they left. Other than that, it was great.
In conclusion, when I bought my tickets to this I honestly had no idea what to expect. I can tell you what I experienced wasn't it. Many times I go out and have a good time at things and am satisfied, but I actually had FUN here. We sang at the beer garden (which thankfully served liquor), danced a long with the music and genuinely had a blast. I am very excited that plans are in talk for next year.
My hopes for next year: More food and a different venue.
Posted: 9/28/15 at 12:42pm
Anyone have an idea of how many people actually went to Elsie Fest?
Posted: 9/28/15 at 12:49pm
BroadwayFan1231 said: "Anyone have an idea of how many people actually went to Elsie Fest?
"
A rough estimate - I think about 1,000 or so. Maybe more. There were a lot of people there.
Posted: 9/28/15 at 12:59pm
"Pier 97, at 57th Street and the Hudson River Park [..]. The venue holds 5,250 fans" Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/jbl-live-pier-97-introducing-new-york-city-newest-music-venue-article-1.1854074
I wasn't there so I can't say how full it was exactly but knowing the capacity is roughly 5,000 I would assume it was more than 1,000.
Updated On: 9/28/15 at 12:59 PM
Posted: 9/28/15 at 1:04pm
I'm guessing closer to 2500 people there but it could be closer to 3,000+ because people were coming and going all day depending on the act they wanted to see.
Darren had a lot of fans, but I honestly think Aaron had just as many - only going by the shirts I saw...many Tveiter tot shirts!
I am hoping if they do grow it they bring more acts and allow people to re-enter, especially if they do it the same day as the Flea Market again...which I hope they don't.
