My 10 Show Trip

[trinbgvsu]

Posted: 8/26/10 at 2:40am

Just returned from a 7-day trip to the city and here are my thoughts - not that you all care - but wanted to share anyway.

THE FANTASTICKS
- Something about this show still works for me on every level. It is funny, beautiful music and it still moves me. We saw Matt Leisy go on as Matt and he was very good. Everyone should go see this show. Plus we witnessed a marriage proposal at the end of curtain call.

WEST SIDE STORY
- I really enjoyed this production. The dancing was great. Kat Nejat was on as Maria and she was excellent. I thought the addition of Spanish dialogue and lyrics added a lot to the production. Also enjoyed the addition of Kiddo. John Arthur Greene was an excellent Riff, but I could not stop watching Ryan Steele as Baby John.

THE 39 STEPS
- I ended up really liking the show. The pace was slow at the start but the terrible audience did not help. The cast was spectacular - especially John Behlmann who really was outstanding (but boy does that guy sweat!). Would have paid a lot of money to see Jamie Jackson play Lawrence in the Scoundrels tour.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY
- So...here we go. I found the show to be very entertaining, funny and I loved the music. Sure the show doesn't change your life, but it does what theatre is supposed to do - take you away to another world. We saw Merwin Foard as Gomez and I honestly thought he stole the show. Valerie Fagan was on as Alice and did a great job too. Wish Jackie Hoffman had more to do.

PROMISES, PROMISES
- Also found this much more entertaining than the reviews said - the dancing was great, Simon's laughs still worked and Sean and Kristin were very charming. Kristin fell during the second act and some hilarity ensued with the brother character. I felt like "House is Not a Home" worked well, but "Say a Little Prayer" was unnecessary. Katie Finneran and Dick Latessa were great.

THE LION KING
- A huge let down. In typical Disney fashion, I felt it was all about the spectacle and not about the story. It did not help that Joshua Jackson as Young Simba was not very strong. His vocals were weak and he had no emotion when Mufasa died. Camerone Pow and Fred Berman were great. Gareth Saxe as Scar stole the show.

AMERICAN IDIOT
- What a surprise! This was a highlight of the trip for me. Stark Sands deserved an award for that performance! Found it very moving. This show felt like something new on Broadway. Only odd part was sitting next to a senior couple who had no idea what they were seeing.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
- This was the first time I have seen this show. It feels old to me - the physical production. Some of the effects did not seem to work well and it felt as if it just needed some updating as far as production is concerned. The cast was strong, but it felt old. I was never captivated until the final scene with the Phantom, Christine and Raoul.

SOUTH PACIFIC
- Saw the final performance and it was theatrical perfection. Sat in front of mary Rodgers, which was a thrill too. I can not say enough about this production. "This Nearly was Mine" moved me more than any other thing I saw during the trip.

NEXT TO NORMAL
- Still amazing! Love the energy of the new cast. Brian Crum was an excellent Gabe. Marin is a powerhouse and I found her more emotional in the role than Alice.

We had a great trip - excited to come back in the fall and see some new shows that are opening!

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 8/26/10 at 7:15am

Great reviews! I also think that Lion King was terrible, and Promises, WSS, Fantasticks were terrific.
I hated American Idiot though. Marin is truly a powerhouse in Next to Normal, too bad the show isn't that good.

[Steve2]

Posted: 8/26/10 at 7:32am

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts. Good to see that there are others (like me) that see many, many shows when they visit!

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 8/26/10 at 7:39am

I have to say, I used to do that when I didn't live here too, and it's somehow way more magical. It brings some sort of additional enthusiasm.

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 8/26/10 at 9:40am

I was also at the final performance of South Pacific and I agree: perfection. I spotted Mary Rodgers Guettel early and if you were sitting in front of her, that means you were in the second row center! How did you score those tickets? I have sat in that very seat (right in front of her) for an act before and it was incredible (especially during "This Nearly Was Mine"). Glad you got to see it and glad you enjoyed most everything you saw!

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 8/26/10 at 9:40am

Double post
Updated On: 8/26/10 at 09:40 AM

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 9/6/10 at 6:04pm

"The cast was spectacular - especially John Behlmann who really was outstanding (but boy does that guy sweat!)."



I realize that The 39 Steps isn't a show that most people get that excited about, but I'm surprised that more hasn't been made of Mr. Behlmann's good looks.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/6/10 at 6:08pm

what was so terrible about the audience for 39 Steps?