IF/THEN — Page 2

Boy, this is a story. I appreciated Idina ever since RENT, but was never a "mega fan". IF/THEN is truly Idina's show and I really can't see anyone else headlining the show for a while (Jackie IS great, though). Idina's voice becomes a character in the show -- so distinct and iconic. I loved her after the show. For the record, I really didn't like the show when I was watching it... disliked greatly might be a good choice of words. I thought(and still think) that the Liz/Beth divide makes no sense and that the men in the show dominate all the ballads and they all sound pretty much the same. Idina has some great material and the lyrics are clever, but they get muddled and weighed down by other characters. The audience was waiting the entire show for Idina to come back and do something amazing, and in my opinion, it didn't have to be like that. A better design would've worked (the theatre was too big for a show that utilized a turntable and the hollow block-frame things -- it totally felt swallowed to me) and the script definitely needed a little work. The whole thing with gas masks felt bizarre to me. But the score is pretty great -- I listen to it a few times a day and it's great, but if a distinction is supposed to be made between the two "worlds", it's impossible. I like to listen to the show rather than see it. If the show wasn't written in the "Idina has to have everything that is good" mindset the rest of it would be just as engaging as when she's singing. The show just feels sticky and weighed down. IF they wanted to do the alternate life thing, then it should've been a color and hair thing. And it should've been obvious. The subtlety of it doesn't work. People don't get it -- and it sucks because it takes away from the power and poignancy of the piece. And the characters that cross over in both worlds needed to be streamlined... I still have no clue what happened to Josh in either universe.

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"People don't get it -- and it sucks because it takes away from the power and poignancy of the piece. And the characters that cross over in both worlds needed to be streamlined... I still have no clue what happened to Josh in either universe."

I think enough people get it such that mass review venues have decent aggregate ratings; I rather doubt that all the viewers with positive comments didn't understand the bifurcated plot but loved only Menzel. (I didn't get the gas mask moment at first either, but it's such a minor comedic point in the entire thing that it wasn't worth getting hung up on.)

As for Josh, uh. Well, I thought it was obvious, but YMMV. There are three elements they use for differentiation: glasses, lighting color, and Elizabeth is called out as either Liz or Beth very clearly. Granted, I went in having already heard the OBCR and knowing those details, so maybe I got a whole lot more out of it than many, yet there are definitely viewer comments that they went in blind and followed mostly just fine.

At some point I may sit down and sift through the notes I took when I managed to catch the show out of sheer luck, as I find the entire piece and the "meta" social stuff around it very intriguing.

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Josh is used to show that there are some aspects of our lives that we are destined for. No choice or decision can change that.

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Speaking of Jean Brodie, did anyone pick up the blu-ray?

"It's not like If/Then is some bare bones musical. It's got a big star heading the cast and has quite a few players in the cast and a very technical set design and a decent sized orchestra. Sure, the story is original, but it's not some crazy risk. In fact, I think the show was too safe for its own good."

That's certainly a reasonable perspective. I expect a number of decisions were made to try to lower that "75%" industry number, but Menzel was part of the process so early that it seems a bit chicken/egg to say her casting was necessarily playing it safe: Since Menzel wanted to return to Broadway anyway, I suspect anything she would have been cast in could be argued thus. Are having a good cast, technical set design, and decent-sized orchestra really points in playing it too safe, or are those elements of a relatively well-produced musical? Having a larger orchestra, for example, would cost more, right? So that in the economic argument would seem to increase risk again.

"But theatre shouldn't be something where someone has to do homework before or after. I knew exactly what the show was like and still got lost while actively trying to understand the plot."

And others didn't. YMMV.

"Josh is used to show that there are some aspects of our lives that we are destined for. No choice or decision can change that."

That's one (very reasonable) interpretation.

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Updated On: 12/16/14 at 03:16 PM

Expecting everyone to feel the same as yourself regarding any show on Broadway is just going to lead you either into a life of bitterness or a lot of therapy.

Just a suggestion: Some people on this board write the above on a Post-It® note and stick it on their laptop/pc/tablet screen.

A challenge? There was nothing challenging about If/Then. It's a shi*ty show all around, and audiences don't want to see that.

^^ THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF SOMEONE STATING THEIR OPINION AS FACT AND SPEAKING FOR EVERYONE ELSE ON THE BOARD OR FOR THAT MATTER AUDIENCES WORLDWIDE.

Updated On: 12/16/14 at 03:51 PM

It isn't that challenging of a musical. Not at all. I don't get where this revolutionary business is coming from though. It's not a show that is trying to "change the world" by any means.

I am calling BS on the OP. If you look at the top shows, Kinky Boots and Book of Mormon are in the top 7 grossing shows. These are completely original or challenging if you will. You can also include Wicked in that definition of an original show as well. Depending on your definition of challenging, Matilda should also be included.

Good shows are rewarded accordingly. I thought If/Then was only a decent show because of Idina. Take out Idina and there isn't much of a show.

I loved Beautiful and Jersey Boys. I disliked Motown. Why? Jersey Boys and Beautiful had better story lines. To me that's challenging.

The next big jukebox musical will be "On your feet". It will be interesting to see how that performs. It will be rewarded accordingly if it is done well and has a great storyline.

Jukebox musicals will always be around. They recreate music and emotions from earlier periods of our lives, along with bringing back fond memories. Absolutely nothing is wrong with them and I believe are just as challenging as any other show to do well.

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Updated On: 12/16/14 at 11:35 PM

I get there is a movie Kinky Boots, but how many people actually saw it? It's original to 99% of the theater goers. I certainly didn't know a movie existed until after I saw the show.

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Your lack of knowledge doesn't make it original. Your personal experience doesn't classify a bway show.

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"The only thing that I thought was illogical (and it might have changed since the DC previews) was that the lesbian couple (whose names I've forgotten, but who were played by LaChanze and someone else) split up in one timeline and stayed together in the other. This would only make sense to me if Liz/Beth did something in one timeline to cause that result. "

She did. In the Beth storyline she states that Ann and Kate ARE the love in her life, and she explains to them in the library that their love is what has given her hope. She encourages them to work on it and they end up staying together...for the time being at least.

In the Liz storyline Liz HAS a love in Josh, as well as 2 kids, and therefore is not focused on Ann and Kate's love as much. It's apparently her absence of involvement that leads to their divorce. Liz was not there to keep them together.

Updated On: 12/17/14 at 08:19 AM