Grade the 2014 Tony performances

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 9:06am

I've always enjoyed gauging what you guys thought of the Tony performances, as for many people across the country, they're the only taste of these shows they'll get to see. And for others, they may be the deciding factors as to what shows they may wanna check out next time they're in NY.

So we've got:
- AFTER MIDNIGHT
- ALADDIN
- BEAUTIFUL
- IF/THEN
- WICKED
- HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
- A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...
- VIOLET
- CABARET
- BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
- THE LAST SHIP (Sting)
- FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson)
- THE MUSIC MAN rap
- LES MISERABLES
- ROCKY

From A - F, where on the grading scale would you place these performances?

[Trish2]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 9:10am

B- AFTER MIDNIGHT
C- ALADDIN
B- BEAUTIFUL
B- IF/THEN
C- WICKED
C- HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
C- A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...
B- VIOLET
C- CABARET
A- BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
B- THE LAST SHIP (Sting)
D- FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson)
C- THE MUSIC MAN rap
C- LES MISERABLES
D- ROCKY

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 9:18am

For me, this is a comparative list from the evening, not as a compared to all time consideration.

b+ AFTER MIDNIGHT
D ALADDIN
B+ BEAUTIFUL
B+ IF/THEN
C- WICKED
A HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
A A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...
B VIOLET
B CABARET
B+ BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
B+ THE LAST SHIP (Sting)
A- FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson)
B+ THE MUSIC MAN rap
C+ LES MISERABLES
D ROCKY


For me, I think I consider if I'm more or less likely to see the show after having seen the number OR if I've already seen it, how much I liked the production itself.

Updated On: 6/9/14 at 09:18 AM

[madbrian]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 9:20am

AFTER MIDNIGHT: B+, haven't seen the show, made me want to
ALADDIN: B-, didn't live up to the hype
BEAUTIFUL: A-, wonderful
IF/THEN: A, Idina was in incredible voice
WICKED: C+, Glinda's wig looks awful on my HD TV
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH: A-, probably would have been an 'A' in a more intimate setting
A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE: B+, glad to see Bryce featured
VIOLET: A-, Sutton & Co were terrific
CABARET: C-, I didn't need to see Cumming again, they should have showcased Williams
BULLETS OVER BROADWAY: B, great tapping, would have liked to have seen more cast
THE LAST SHIP (Sting): C, haunting song
FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson): C-, totally out of place
THE MUSIC MAN rap: A, for me, this was a highlight of the night, along with Menzel
LES MISERABLES: C+, without Karimloo it's a 'C-'
ROCKY: B-, I wanted to see Andy Karl sing

Updated On: 6/9/14 at 09:20 AM

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 9:22am

B+ AFTER MIDNIGHT
B ALADDIN
A BEAUTIFUL
C IF/THEN
C WICKED
B+ HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
B A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...
C VIOLET
C CABARET
C BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
F THE LAST SHIP (Sting)
C FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson)
C THE MUSIC MAN rap
D LES MISERABLES
C ROCKY

[ACL2006]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 9:38am

A AFTER MIDNIGHT
B+ ALADDIN
A BEAUTIFUL
C+ IF/THEN
B+ WICKED
A- HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
B- A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...
B- VIOLET
D CABARET
C BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
F THE LAST SHIP (Sting)
B FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson)
F THE MUSIC MAN rap
C- LES MISERABLES
F ROCKY

[carlodowd]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 11:19am

So we've got:
- AFTER MIDNIGHT C
- ALADDIN B
- BEAUTIFUL A-
- IF/THEN A+++
- WICKED B-
- HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH A+
- A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE... A
- VIOLET A++++
- CABARET C
- BULLETS OVER BROADWAY F (DIDNT LIKE IT AT ALL)
- THE LAST SHIP (Sting) D
- FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson) B
- THE MUSIC MAN rap D
- LES MISERABLES C
- ROCKY D

[getlucky2]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 12:07pm

B+ AFTER MIDNIGHT
B+ ALADDIN
C+ BEAUTIFUL
A- IF/THEN
B- WICKED
B- HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
B- A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...
C+ VIOLET
C+ CABARET
C BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
D THE LAST SHIP (Sting)
C+ FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson)
C+ THE MUSIC MAN rap
B+ LES MISERABLES
D- ROCKY

[slmlbl]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 12:18pm

C- :AFTER MIDNIGHT
C- :ALADDIN- will someone please tell me what the fuss is over this show, I don't get it.
C+ :BEAUTIFUL- Jessie sounded great
A :IF/THEN- A bold choice, a great voice and a situation where Idina's tensions informed the performance.
D :WICKED- If you're going to do an anniversary thing, do something memorable
A :HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH - NPH is a wonder- bring him back
A :A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE... - The only show that I haven't seen that convinced me i need to see it
B- :VIOLET- I didn't love the choice to do 'raise me up'
D- :CABARET- ne of the biggest disappointments for me. Get Williams in there and do something that isn't a literal carbon copy of the last time they were there. It felt tired and old to me.
D :BULLETS OVER BROADWAY - bored me, thrilled others i was with
D :THE LAST SHIP (Sting) - bored
C :FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson)- LOVE her and very excited for this show, had no desire to see her do a song from this show, would much rather the cast.
D :THE MUSIC MAN rap- I found Hugh to be self-indulgent and an awful host.
B- :LES MISERABLES- would be a B with a different Eponine, Nikki M James is just miscast
D- :ROCKY I'm sorry but what? You chose to do that? I'm more convinced than ever it shouldn't be a musical

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 12:52pm

A - AFTER MIDNIGHT - really enjoyed it, made me want to see it.
B - ALADDIN - Not bad and what I expected to see from this show.
A - BEAUTIFUL - One of the best moments of the evening.
A - IF/THEN - Idina was great and I want to see show just to see her.
B - WICKED - Decent performance but still would have loved to seen Idina and Kristin - lol
C - HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH - I am in the minority but it reminded me of "Rock Of Ages" in a bad way.
B - A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...
B - VIOLET
C - CABARET - Seem to me to be a very "tired" performance.
B - BULLETS OVER BROADWAY - enjoyed the tap dancing.
D - THE LAST SHIP (Sting) - Hate to say it but it was awful and even my wife who is major Sting fan was disappointed. Maybe it will be better with different singer and in context of the show.
B - FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson) good song and she sang the heck out of it
D - THE MUSIC MAN rap - Sorry, middle aged white man trying to be hip is not good thing.
C - LES MISERABLES - Only Karimloo saved this from being a worse grade.
F - ROCKY - The supposedly great boxing scene was reduced to 1 minute and I was not impressed. This show is a musical and a love story and they don't have the leads sing - OMG.

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 12:57pm

So we've got:
- AFTER MIDNIGHT: A-
- ALADDIN: B+
- BEAUTIFUL: B
- IF/THEN: A
- WICKED: B-
- HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH: A-
- A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...: A-
- VIOLET: C
- CABARET: C+ (sad because of how much I like the show, but I don't think the raunchiness translates well to screen)
- BULLETS OVER BROADWAY: B
- THE LAST SHIP: C-
- FINDING NEVERLAND: B-
- THE MUSIC MAN rap: WTF
- LES MISERABLES: C+
- ROCKY: No.

[Nateholder]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 1:21pm

B - AFTER MIDNIGHT
B+ - ALADDIN
A- - BEAUTIFUL
A+ - IF/THEN: That performance convinced me to see the show.
C- - WICKED: Bad song choice.
A- - HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH: NPH, what a performer.
A+ - A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...
D- - VIOLET: They should have just sang On My Way all the way through. They really butchered it by cutting it up. Bad choices.
B - CABARET
B - BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
D- - THE LAST SHIP (Sting): Washroom break.
A- - FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson): Very interested
F - THE MUSIC MAN rap
B - LES MISERABLES
C- - ROCKY: Didn't feel it

[BrerBear]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 1:26pm

B- AFTER MIDNIGHT
D- ALADDIN
C+ BEAUTIFUL
B IF/THEN
C- WICKED
A HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
A- A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...
B VIOLET
B- CABARET
C- BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
D THE LAST SHIP
C- FINDING NEVERLAND
C+ THE MUSIC MAN
C LES MISERABLES
D ROCKY

[JayG 2]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 1:29pm

B+ AFTER MIDNIGHT Great dancing
C ALADDIN Tacky. What's the fuss about that guy? Saw nothing special in what he did.
D BEAUTIFUL An embarrassing, badly written scene and segue that felt like it was the work of a 15 year old
B IF/THEN Good song, screechy singer
D WICKED God how often do we have to hear that - especially with the 35th replacement cast?
C- HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH So there's NPH in drag and ACTING - in capital letters
B GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE... Cute scene, not sure if tourist will buy tix, however.
C- VIOLET Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Ugh. Leap of Faith was better at it.
C- CABARET That song - again? And Alan Cummings and his schtick has worn very thin.
B BULLETS OVER BROADWAY Liked it. Might sell some tickets- but not to me. I hate jukebox musicals.
C THE LAST SHIP (Sting) Boring
D FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson) Awful song
B THE MUSIC MAN rap Cute but unnecessary (Was Hugh auditioning for Harold Hill?)
A- LES MISERABLES Best of the night except for James, who was not in same league with the rest of cast.
C- ROCKY Unfortunate choice. Trying to pretend the musical is nothing more than the movie on stage didn't work. Won't sell tickets. Unfortunately. A missed opportunity.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 1:42pm

Coming from someone who hasn’t seen any of the shows that performed last night (which will change at the end of this month), here were my reactions:

B AFTER MIDNIGHT
Very entertaining and enjoyable, but was not necessarily a performance I remembered later on.

C- ALADDIN
This performance did nothing for me and nothing to show me why he deserves the award (sadly, because from all of the interviews I have seen, I very much like his personality). For a song that is supposed to be magical, it was nowhere close. As he was asking, “Can your friend do this?” I found myself wondering what “this” was, because it seemed nothing was happening except some typical Broadway dancing. If this song is the highlight of the show, it makes me scared for what the rest of the show looks like.

D+ BEAUTIFUL
Found it very boring and sloppy. Jessie should have been the shining star in this performance (and of the night, truly), but she was the most forgettable of the bunch.

A IF/THEN
Perhaps my favorite performance of the night. She had a true emotional journey throughout the song and sounded great. It’s amazing to think that a performance with just the actor standing alone singing was the most captivating of the night. I think this performance will do good things for the show.

B+ WICKED
Very enjoyable – the ladies have great voices.

A HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
Very well done, exciting, fun, and impressive. This certainly was a performance that showed why both NPH and Lena Hall deserved the awards.

B A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...
Very enjoyable and cute. Certainly made me more interested in the show than their performance on Jimmy Fallon did. Didn’t necessarily captivate me, though, but I think that’s more the nature of the show – probably not filled with “show stopping numbers” that are easily adaptable to TV taken outside of the context of the show.

B+ VIOLET
Very well done and loved the opening part. I do wish more focus had been on Sutton, though.

C+ CABARET
For such an exciting, daring show, this performance didn’t seem to have much energy or intrigue. I think a medley may have served them better and I would love to have gotten to see Michelle Williams at some point in the performance.

C BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
The tapping was certainly fun, but not particularly impressive.

B- THE LAST SHIP (Sting)
This was a difficult one to judge. It wasn’t particularly exciting or riveting, but the song was beautiful and it made me excited to hear it with musical voices on it and to see how it’s done in the show.

B- FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson)
This was an odd one. It seemed very out of place and Jennifer Hudson in full gown surrounded by the boys in PJs came off awkwardly. However, I enjoyed the song and her voiced sounded great.

A THE MUSIC MAN rap
Loved it. So fun.

B+ LES MISERABLES
Everyone’s voices sounded great (aside from Nikki, who’s voice I just don’t think fits the role) and there really is not a better Tony-ready song than “One Day More”. I’m not a huge “Les Mis” fan, but still very much enjoyed this.

B ROCKY
For the amount of time they had, I think they did a good job. The workout stint before the fight was very cool and the fight was certainly impressive and exciting. Knowing about the show (and why they would want to highlight the parts that they did), I easily accepted what was being shown to us, but I’m not sure how it would come off to someone who has no knowledge of the musical at all.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 1:51pm

AFTER MIDNIGHT -- B+. Not bad, but it did give me the impression that I'd be seeing all three of the stars (Fantasia, Gladys, Patti) and that's not good.

ALADDIN -- C. Whatever. Dull song, energetically performed. Aladdin's muscles were the best thing on display.

BEAUTIFUL -- C+. Whatever.

IF/THEN -- C+. Another song of only passing interest performed beautifully by Ms. Menzel, who really deserves better.

WICKED -- B+. Nicely done all round.

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH -- A+. Splendid on all counts, even if I did find the obligatory trip through the audience to be a little forced.

A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE... -- D. Feh. Nothing, but nothing, that I've seen or read or heard about this show makes me even remotely interested in enduring it, and last night's dreadful number only cemented that for me.

VIOLET -- C+. Just when you thought those goddamn gospel numbers had gone for good...

CABARET -- C minus. Damn but it looked tired, like an overdone tour on its final legs when nobody gives a damn any more, and frankly looking seriously dated to boot.

BULLETS OVER BROADWAY -- A minus. A splendid tap number.

THE LAST SHIP (Sting) -- F. God, who cares. Go away, Sting.

FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson) -- F. God, who cares. A tedious power ballad.

THE MUSIC MAN rap -- F minus. God forgive them.

LES MISERABLES -- B. Well done, I guess.

ROCKY -- C+. The show is actually better than that.

[Jane2]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 2:23pm

AFTER MIDNIGHT A
ALADDIN B+ (But A for Igtlehart)
BEAUTIFUL B
IF/THEN B
WICKED C
HEDWIG B (Even though the show was a major part of my life, wrong song, clumsy perf)
GENTLEMANS GUIDE B
VIOLET B
CABARET B (lackluster performance. Much better at Studio)
BULLETS A
LAST SHIP D
FINDING NEVERLAND C
MUSIC MAN C+ (I hate rap but that was kind of cute)
LES MIZ A+
ROCKY B

[RagzJr]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 2:24pm

B AFTER MIDNIGHT
C- ALADDIN
B- BEAUTIFUL
A- IF/THEN
B- WICKED
A HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
A A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...
A- VIOLET
D+ CABARET
B- BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
B- THE LAST SHIP (Sting)
A- FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson)
F THE MUSIC MAN rap
C- LES MISERABLES
F ROCKY

Nothing blew me away last night, really.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 2:27pm

C AFTER MIDNIGHT
C+ ALADDIN
C BEAUTIFUL
A- IF/THEN
F WICKED
B- HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
B GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...
B- VIOLET
D CABARET
D- BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
F THE LAST SHIP (Sting)
B- FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson)
B+ THE MUSIC MAN rap
C LES MISERABLES
B- ROCKY

[forgetmenotnyc]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 2:28pm

B- AFTER MIDNIGHT (Deceptive in the sense that you won't see those 3 ladies)
C- ALADDIN (Little charm or creativity demonstrated)
C- BEAUTIFUL ("Come on everybody! Clap along!" Oh brother, Jukebox musicals)
C- IF/THEN (Would have liked more cast & sense of show staging)
C- WICKED (Why this & not other current running shows? Well performed though)
C- HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (1 dimensional. Rather ugly music & drag.)
A- A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...(Didn't care for the show but thought this # best)
B- VIOLET (Gospel # didn't work well. Wanted something from Joshua Henry)
C- CABARET (Michelle Williams should have introduced. Linda & Danny needed.)
D- BULLETS OVER BROADWAY (More of the cast needed to be shown off instead)
F- THE LAST SHIP (Sting) (Saw the PBS showcase, so it was overkill. Cast?)
F- FINDING NEVERLAND (Resented their undeserved entitlement at others loss)
D- THE MUSIC MAN rap (Too long w/no point in regards to the theatre season.)
B- LES MISERABLES (Not crazyboutit but big cast sharingvocals/staging worked
D- ROCKY (No singing or hint at the shows romance.)

Updated On: 6/10/14 at 02:28 PM

[bdn223]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 2:59pm

B AFTER MIDNIGHT- I would give Sunny Side of the Street an A, but as it ended and the tap/ensemble number began it just became too busy, and then Melt/Freeze happened which was just a mess. The number was just too rushed.

B ALADDIN It started off way to rushed, but ended strong. Camera angles also hurt the number. It should of be shot soley from the front with zooming in and out.

A BEAUTIFUL Sold the show perfectly.

A+ IF/THEN At first I was a little let down by the simplicity, but that VOICE!!!

B WICKED Good, not great. Wished it was bigger/involved former cast members

A- HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH Great, but hurt by the camera angles.

B- A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE... It so small and theatrical/relying on the set within the set that no matter what it wasn't going to work as a stand alone number. It is the book, that truly makes this show work. The only number that might have worked would be "A warning the Audience" going into "why are all the dysquiths dying", but that features no principals or "the last one you'd expect" which is too plot driven. They tried "i don't understand the poor" on Fallon and knew the camera angles would hurt the number. They also didnt have the money like disney, like Disney, or Rocky to rebuilt the set at Radio City. For what it was it was good, it just to small for Radio City.

A-VIOLET Great, but I wished they reversed the order because On My Way has a much crisper ending.

CABARET B Its nothing new.

B- BULLETS OVER BROADWAY- decent number that hides all the faults of the show its from. Only problem was Cordero. I love him in the role the only problem is he has gravel voice, which works for the role, but in a stand alone number not knowing the character, it just sounds like he can't sing.

A FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson) I actually liked it. It was out of place at the Tony's and seemed like more of an Oscar/Grammy performance with an extremely basic frame which is soley meant for give a performance space for the song, similar to Let It Go at the Oscars.

A- LES MISERABLES Even though it was One Day More for the millionth time, they set actually made the number come alive and it was one of the few numbers helped by the camera angles.

C ROCKY - TOO rushed and nothing like the magic of seeing it live.

[hanabana]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 3:01pm

AFTER MIDNIGHT - B
The performance was great, but I did not love it.

ALADDIN - B
This is a tough one for me. I liked the show a lot when I saw it, but somehow on the Tony's last night, it was not as impressive.

BEAUTIFUL - B+
It was good, Jesse Mueller is very talented indeed. But I don't think it wowed me enough to get me to go see it. Not sure why, but the material is not that interesting to me.

IF/THEN - A+
Idina Menzel absolutely killed it last night! Her sounded awesome, and she brought her A game in acting too. I loved it, and now I have to find a way to see the show!

WICKED - B
I like Wicked, but the performance was just good. It was just very standard, good singing.

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH - A-

A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE... - A
Jefferson Mays' intro before the song was genius! Loved how they did the costume changes right then and there, and his performance was of course, marvelous.
Bryce Pinkham, Lisa O'hare, and Lauren Worsham were great as well, the number sounded great, and was funny, as it is in the show.

VIOLET - B-
I liked the first half of the performance, but then when the entire choir came out, I thought the song became very unnecessarily messy.

CABARET - A-
I have never seen Cabaret or any of their prior performances on TV, so this would be the first time I am seeing it, and it was very entertaining. Makes me excited to see the show in December!

BULLETS OVER BROADWAY - A
Loved the performance! I was on the fence about this show because of what I have heard about it, but now I think I will go and decide for myself.

THE LAST SHIP (Sting) - B
It was a good song, but since it was not related to any current musicals and there was no "performance" involved, I can only give it an okay score.

FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson) - A-
I really liked the song, Jennifer Hudson sounded great! This would bring me to see the musical. But I do wish they would have let Bridges of Madison County (Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale) perform instead of material that are not on Broadway yet. I mean, let the audience get a taste of what is winning best score, you know what I'm saying?

THE MUSIC MAN rap - B-
Ummm... It was interesting, and I did not mind it, but I don't think it was great either.

LES MISERABLES - B-
Ehhh... I love the score for Les Miserables, but the performance did not do it for me last night. Same problem with Violet I guess... During the second part of the song, it was really messy, I could not make out what anyone was singing. Also, I was hoping they would do something other than One Day More...

ROCKY - B-
It pains me to give this only a B-, as I absolutely loved the musical. But I was very disappointed that there was no singing. I was really looking forward to hearing Andy Karl sing. He is such an amazing performer and singer, it's such a shame that they did not at least give him a bit of singing time. It upsets me when I think that people who love music might not go see the show now. The truth is, Andy Karl and Margo Seibert have some great numbers in the show, and they should have given the audience a little taste of that. The show is so much better than that!

[newintown]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 3:41pm

A- - AFTER MIDNIGHT; it aims relatively low - just supper club entertainment, but it hits the mark well

D - ALADDIN; a cheap-looking and flaccid imitation of a terrifically fun animated song

A - BEAUTIFUL; loved seeing Carol King looking happy, being articulate, and singing as well as ever

D - IF/THEN; the song struck me as rambling, amateur, and pointless; Menzel's belt is starting to cloud over, and she's one of the most self-solemnizing and humorless singers I've ever seen

D - WICKED; I don't like this smarmy song, so it doesn't really matter who sings it or why. I tune out

C - HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH; some nice energy, but it's been done better (lots better)

A - A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE...; stylish, sharp, witty, funny

C - VIOLET; let's all stand in a line and sing some incomprehensible clichés about "life"

D - CABARET; not even a re-run, just everyone going through really old paces

C - BULLETS OVER BROADWAY; it's an odd number in which the lead singer/dancer stays on stage, but disappears behind the other guys for long stretches; the lyrics also don't seem to relate to the character or situation

C- - THE LAST SHIP (Sting); it's a pretty song and it's been a pretty song in every version I've heard for the last 30 years. It's a generic Irish ballad, much like -

C- - FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson); how nice, another generic ballad in 6/8, sung by a lovely gal with a wonderful voice and absolutely no connection to the lyrics or the people on stage with her.

F - THE MUSIC MAN rap; mortifyingly embarrassing on multiple levels

B- - LES MISERABLES; I don't care much for the show, but this cheesy quodlibet is always fun, and except for Nikki James, it was well-sung

F - ROCKY; is this a musical or a demonstration of stage combat masquerading as a re-enactment of a famous film?

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 4:08pm

Should state I've seen none of these shows:

AFTER MIDNIGHT : B+ A great pitch for the show as a whole. Engaging, impressive and well-done. The only issue was that I didn't really get any context for the show.
ALADDIN - B-: JMI is a hugely engaging performer, and some of the magic stuff is great, but I didn't see a lot of substance beneath the flash. I also think the Beauty/Mermaid riffs went nowhere.
BEAUTIFUL - A+ : This was beautifully done...I felt like I got a really lovely taste of the experience of this show. You could really feel the love and excitement in the cast's performance, especially with Carol King joining them.
IF/THEN - C-: Well, she can certainly belt but I didn't much like the song, and didn't get any real idea of what the show was like.
WICKED - B: This bordered on the pointless, but hell, those two can sing.
- HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH - A+ - Filled with energy, sass and some really awesome choreography. This pretty much gives evidence why NPH was going to win no matter what.
- A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE... - A - The best part of this may have been Jefferson Mayes' quick-changing introduction (Brilliant!) but I love it when they go for a character number rather than a big production on the Tonys. The song is hilarious and Bryce Pinkham's use of those two doorways got me on the floor. Beautifully done.
- VIOLET - C: I wish they had done something quieter. I liked the opening but the big gospel number, while well done, didn't seem to show me the shows strengths. I would have preferred something that really showcased Foster and Joshua Henry.
- CABARET - C+: Well, here we are again. This was...fine. Nice to see Alun Cumming back. Next, please.
- BULLETS OVER BROADWAY - B: This actually came off really well, surprising since I hear the show is a bit of a dog. It had a darker, more threatening vibe than I expected to see from this show, and it was intriguing. I don't know if it awoke enough interest for me to want to see this one, but it raised some interest, certainly.
- THE LAST SHIP (Sting) and FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson) - B: I like the idea of the idea of previewing next year's shows...has this ever been done before? Neither really made me excited for the show, (Finding Neverland came a little closer) but both were well done and seem interesting.
- THE MUSIC MAN rap - B: This was fun, if a little repetitive. While we're on the subject I'd give a B+ to Hugh's highly entertaining serenades to the actress nominees and a C- to the well-filmed but totally effing bizarre opening. Especially after last year's magnificent opening, this came off as "we're not even going to try this year."
- LES MISERABLES C-. Lets be honest. This cast did NOT come off well, and since they performed a "WE ARE GOING TO SING YOUR FACE OFF" number, it fell flat. No one sounded at their best...Nikki M. James and Will Swenson especially didn't come off great, but only Ramin Kamerloo sounded like someone I would want to hear sing his role.
- ROCKY - F. Last, and Least, this number was the one true disaster of the night. I haven't seen the show, but you have got to tell me there is more to this than a short dance set to Eye of the Tiger and watching two guys pretend to punch each other in a rotating ring while two commentators talk to us about the fight. I am deeply dubious about the source material's ability to translate on stage, and this confirmed my fears rather than assuaged them. I have no idea what this show is like, apart from that it is "Rocky but with some guy who is not Stallone." THis played like a SIMPSONS parody of Rocky the musical. Couldn't you have, I dunno, let Andy Karl sing, maybe?


Updated On: 6/9/14 at 04:08 PM

[showchoirguy]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 4:13pm

B+: AFTER MIDNIGHT (Loved this a lot!)
C-: ALADDIN (So lackluster)
B+: BEAUTIFUL (Jesse was fantastic! As was Carole!)
C: IF/THEN (Those facials)
C: WICKED (Should've been Bridges)
A-: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (NPH was so much fun! BUT LENA HALL OH MY GOD)
A: A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE... ( I love this show so much. And this is my favorite song in the show.)
A: VIOLET (So good! I regret not rushing this on my next trip.)
C-: CABARET (so sad)
B+: BULLETS OVER BROADWAY (Very impressed! Loved this performance)
C: THE LAST SHIP (Sting) (This song was so haunting, I just wished I knew more about the show)
C: FINDING NEVERLAND (Jennifer Hudson) (Same as the Last Ship)
D+: THE MUSIC MAN rap (Meh.)
B: LES MISERABLES (Nothing wrong with it, overall good performance!)
F-: ROCKY (wat...)