My NYC Trip, 9/29-30 (Avenue Q and Rent)

[timote316]

Posted: 9/6/05 at 6:03pm

My appologies for such a late review, I've had computer issues (and big issues at that - I dropped my laptop while getting out of the car. Whoops lol). This is going to be long...

AVENUE Q - 9/29/05
I went in knowing a lot about the show. What happened in the show, the jokes, the music, etc. I figured I'd never see it (since it wasn't touring), so I didn't worry about the spoiler aspect. However, even though I knew everything about it, it didn't ruin a thing. To keep this (somewhat) short, I'll just review key aspects.

Barrett. I think one word sums up Barrett's performance: perfection. I've heard he was great as Princeton/Rod, but I couldn't even imagine how excellent he was. His comedic timing was spot-on. His voices, which I've heard is his weakness, were also great, I heard a great distinction between the two character voices. His singing was perfect, as well. My friends kept commenting on how he sounds just like John Tartaglia, which I agreed, to an extent. I think Barrett's singing voice was smoother than John's, which is a good thing, for me anyway. I think Barrett has joined my "favorite Broadway performers" club (alongside Jennifer Laura Thompson and Adam Pascal)

Steph. It certainly was a thrill to see Steph in person. I'd heard rave reviews of her performance, and was very glad to hear she extended her contract a short while back. While her voice was a bit more powerful on the cast recording, she still sounded great. Her acting was perfect, as was her comedic talent. I just loved how easily she moved from Lucy to Kate and back again. I knew after seeing Idina in Wicked that she didn't quite deserve the Tony, but after seeing Steph, my thoughts are now reinforced.
(Disclaimer: no offense to Idina, she was great, but I think there were others that were better)

Rest of the cast. I'm long winded (as you can see, above), so I'll condense the rest of the cast. The entire cast is just so strong. I don't think that there was a weak link. This was easily the best cast I have seen in any show. Period.

Stagedoor. This cast was so sweet, for the most part. Stephanie, Barrett, Ann Harada and Christian Anderson were more than willing to sign Playbills, chat, take pictures, etc. They were so incredibly nice. Natalie Venetia Belcon made a quick exit, ignoring everyone, but thats ok. Ok, that'll wrap up Avenue Q.


We planned on seeing a second show on our trip, but we couldn't agree on which to see. Rent was out, as my mother and younger brother were seeing it while we saw Avenue Q. Spelling Bee, Wicked and Spamalot were out due to ticket availability. All other shows on TKTS were shot down by members of our group. However, with a little bit of convincing, I convinced my mother to let us see Rent (they went and saw Avenue Q, coincidently).


RENT - 9/30/05
I saw Rent last June in Boston. Our seats were at the back of the theater, so they weren't very good (if you've ever seen a show at Boston's Wang Theater, you know what I mean). Even though I couldn't see most of what was going on, I instantly fell in love with the show. Over a year later, I finally got a chance to see it close up. We went to the box office and found out they had student discount tix - $45 for the front mezz. Since two of the people I was with had never seen the show before (and therefore would be completely lost with the lottery seats), we opted for these. The seats were perfect. 2nd row, front mezz. We could see everything, and could see over everyone. Perfection. Now performances:

Matt Caplan. I'll start with the bad, then move up. I'd read on CB that Matt had become bored, and was goofing off. Well, I now see what they were talking about. Several times throughout act one, I noticed he was going out of his way to make his fellow cast members laugh, succeeding twice (once with Cary during Rent, the other with Merle during Tango: Maureen). This aggravated me, but I got over it. Vocally, he was a great Mark. I don't quite like how he delayed certain lines for emphasis, but that's alright. If it weren't for his excessive goofiness, he'd be great, but I really think his goofiness ruined it for me (I picture Mark to be just there - not goofy, but not depressed, kinda in the middle). To top it all off, at the stagedoor, he was sort of rude, as if he was gracing us with his presense. (Now, I know its not his job to be nice and perky at the stagedoor, but, if you aren't in the mood or whatever, just don't do it)

Karmine Alers. Another perfect performance. Everything that Mimi should be, Karmine was: during LMC, her comedic timing shone through; OT showcased her moves, body and voice; AD her vulnerablity; WY & Finale B her acting skills. Normally, I'm not an emotional person, but she nearly brought me to tears during Without You, her speech after Angel's death, and while on her own deathbed. Afterwards, at the stagedoor, she was very nice, selling her own CD (she came out the stagedoor holding three copies over her head, yelling "I have my CDs! Buy my CD". It was cute), signing Playbills, posing for pictures. Karmine was definately a highlight of the night.

Finally, Cary Shields. Perfect performance. There isn't a single thing I didn't like about Cary's performance. He played Roger like he was very vulnerable; unwilling to give away his heart, and then crushed that Mimi was up to her old tricks. Vocally, he gave me chills during One Song Glory. His Another Day was so passionate. Your Eyes nearly brought me to tears (and normally, I hate that song). However, I think the strength of Cary's performance is his acting. His intensity during Goodbye Love actually made me fearful for Mimi's safety. At the stagedoor, Cary was very nice, happily posing for pictures and signing Playbills for everyone.

I won't give individual reviews for the rest of the cast, or else this post will be incredibly long. Of the principles, there wasn't a weak link. One particular standout was Merle Dandridge as Joanne. Vocally, she was fierce. Also, I got major chills during Seasons of Love, thanks to a perfect solo by Frenchie.


Overall, my trip was amazing. I can't even put into words how much fun I had. I'm already planning my next trip in January (hopefully for 3 shows, including DRS!).

Well, this was an abrupt end to my post. Thanks for reading!

[Patronus]

Posted: 9/6/05 at 6:11pm

Sounds like you had a great time!

[ashley0139]

Posted: 9/6/05 at 6:39pm

Great review!

And I love how you've seen two shows about 3 weeks before they've actually played that performance. That's impressive. (I'm sure you meant 8/29 but I thought I would mock you mercilessly for it anyway)