My Trip In Review - 4 Shows In Three Days

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/16/14 at 2:20pm

Hello all! I just got back from a short trip to the city, and I managed to see four shows. Here are my thoughts on each...

NEWSIES... Tuesday, August 12 7:30pm
This had been playing the last two times I have been in the city, but it was never high up on my list of things I was dying to see. I got in on Tuesday night at around 7:15, and since Newsies was one of the only shows with a 7:30 curtain as opposed to 7, and it's closing soon, I decided to check it out. I am very glad I did. I know there has been some mention of the cast seeming tired and bored with the show, especially Corey Cott, but I got none of that. The energy was great. However, this was my first time seeing the show. Obviously, the dancing was spectacular. I was surprised at how much I liked the set. The three metal towers worked really well, and I loved how the all came together and came to the front of the stage for the end of "Once and For All". Very effective. Overall, I really enjoyed this. One of the better Disney on Broadway productions I have seen for sure.

CABARET... Wednesday, August 13 2pm
This was my first time ever seeing this show done professionally. I was very excited going in and had pretty high hopes. All of my expectations were not only met, but wildly surpassed by this production. From this minute you walk into Studio 54, you know you are in for something special. The ambiance of the space and how it was transformed into the Kit Kat Klub was really, really cool and effective. My table was right by the stage, and being that close added a whole new level of enjoyment to me experience. There really is not one bad thing I can say about this production. There was not one single aspect or cast member that didn't just blow me away. I know Michelle William's Sally has been polarizing, but I was absolutely astounded by her performance. It was heartbreaking. Out of every show I have ever seen, this ranks at the top as the most incredible theatrical experience I have ever had.

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH... Wednesday, August 13 8pm
I was really excited to get to see this during Neil Patrick Harris' final week. And, boy, did he deliver. I was up in the balcony, which, as others have mentioned, is pretty high up and far away from the action. However, the energy and everything in the production was still palpable. The sound and lighting designs for this production were the best I have experienced in a theatre. The last ten minutes with "Exquisite Corpse" and the "Wicked Little Town" were truly breathtaking. I am very glad I got to see this, and it is a show I will not soon forget!

BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL... Thursday, August 14 7pm
I really enjoyed this show. Out of all the jukebox musicals out there, I personally would put this at the top. Jessie Mueller is giving a remarkable performance, and she absolutely knocked the title song out of the park at the end of the show. My only problem with this show was that it played like a revue at times, especially during the first act. It almost seemed like Motown and Smokey Joe's Cafe, which slowed down the show for me a bit. The last twenty minutes when she decides to sing her own album were very well done, and Mueller really captured the emotion and heartache. There were a lot of lines in this show that really spoke to me on a personal level and resonated with my current place in life **Slight spoilers** (the line at the beginning when Carole turns to the audience and says, "the thing about life it that sometimes it goes the way we want it to, and other times it doesn't, and sometimes when it doesn't, something beautiful happens" and then the monologue in the studio towards the end of the show where the record producer is talking to Carole about the joy of a new relationship and how it's okay to let go of the pain an love again). **End spoilers** Sorry for the digression there, but it's always cool to see a show and really be able to relate to it.

Overall, I had a really great trip, and I really enjoyed the four shows.

[haterobics]

Posted: 8/16/14 at 2:44pm

Hard to go wrong with that quartet...