"So, how is Idina's acting performance? I've never been impressed by her acting ability. We all know she can sing the phone book, but has she finally learned how to be a convincing actress? "
Idina is actually really great in the show. Not to take anything away from her skills because I'm sure it is a skilful thing to do, maybe some would claim even more skilful, but her character is not "larger than life" in the slightest and she comes across as someone you might actually know in reality. So her performance involves portraying realistic emotions very sincerely that any normal person would, such as insecurity/anxiety, compassion, being charming, sadness/loss etc. It's probably difficult because with such a character the risk is that it might just come across as boring, but Idina has a magnetic personality and the role just really works for her. I was really pleasantly surprised at how natural she seemed.
I did not find the story telling confusing at all - those glasses although simple really make such a difference.
The premise for this musical is so just so awesome, and I just love the idea and think the execution in terms of transitioning the scenes work so well and is so clever. For example, when Idina goes to bed with one guy in one story and wakes up with another guy in the next story. The act one closing moment where both stories combine. Also, when Idina is singing "Learn to With Without" and it weaves both stories so that the song actually carries a different meaning for each story.
The supporting cast, particularly LaChanza and Anthony Rapp for me were also excellent. Someone described Rapp as "whiny" but his character was indeed whiny and needy (didn't they even sing a song about this? haha). It made the contrast with Josh so great, which is why scenes such as the Act One closing work so well.
I remember a very early concern someone posted when it was at DC (or perhaps before the show even started) was that the show would beat a cliché choose the family over work path. However, what I absolutely loved about the story and what I think is so satisfying is that it doesn't do this at all and it is not clear wether Liz or Beth was better off in the end. Liz had a wonderful marriage, children and might have been merely content with her career but then had to experience a great loss (with the potential to peak in her career and fall in love again in the future). Beth had a great sense of self-accomplishment and even though her interpersonal relationships sometimes bothered her and put her in difficult situations (*SPOILER* abortion), she was still happy with her personal life and found 'love' in other avenues (that great scene with Kate/Anne in the library). In the end, it is implied Beth will get with Josh but there of course will be other risks involved (e.g., Josh could still die, Beth might be too old to have children etc.). So there are pros/cons of both stories and it isn't clear which was the right path.
I actually think the writing of this musical is far more risky than NEXT TO NORMAL on many levels.
First, the whole premise reminds me of the backwards story telling in MERRILY. Something that audiences are not going to be used to, or find confusing (as a few have indicated in this thread).
Second, I think WiCkEDrOcKS is really spot on when he says that it is a more 'intimate' show than Next to Normal. The issues explored in If/Then are presented in a way that most people would encounter them in real life and there just isn't those peak of emotions or intense moments in If/Then like there are in Next to Normal. The risk here I think is that because it is rather 'normal' it could come across as boring. Indeed, the blurbs of the show are pretty boring to me I have to admit. I don't think the show actually is boring though because the story telling is just so clever.
Third, I think the score is not something most audiences will be used to. At the time the Next to Normal score seemed challenging but looking at it in hindsight compared to this show it seems more like a conventional musical in the sense that there are many book songs with dialogue in between. I don't know if I've ever seen a show with such a tightly integrated book and score as If/Then - dialogue constantly interrupts songs, and it's not only dialogue now but also story arcs too. It is interesting and making the music so seamless is propelling forward the idea that the purpose of music in musicals is to tell a story. But if you have certain expectation of what a musical should be it might seem a bit complex, or convoluted and make it difficult to remember the music. There were standout songs melodically for me though, for example After Eight you mention the "nasty and sour" song about a wedding (obviously like Company this show is not anti-marriage, the whole point is to contrast how happy Liz is getting married vs Beth not).
Regardless, the show has had a strong start at the box office. I speculate because of Idina and to a much lesser extent Anthony Rapp.
Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.
Updated On: 3/8/14 at 02:24 PM
