NYMF 2011?

Any Must sees?

I saw "Crazy, Just Like Me" yesterday with 2 other people and we all loved it !

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is pretty delightful and feels a lot further along in the developmental process than most NYMF shows. I think the run is sold out but well worth trying standby for.

Oh, yeah, PM me for the discount code for our show..

So far I've seen: Crazy, Just Like Me; Ghostlight; Time Between Us; Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Crazy, Just Like Me: A very fun and enjoyable 90 minutes. The writing is very contemporary and relatable which made the scenes run smoothly. Andy Mientus turns in a great performance as Simon, the heart of the show. The book could use a bit of tweaking to make certain scenes more memorable/not as rushed, but that's what this festival is for. Definitely worth checking out.

Ghostlight: My friends and I had very mixed emotions on this one. I was on the side that liked it more than they did, but i'm still a little reserved. There was nothing inherently WRONG with the show, but nothing made me love it. The music wasn't catchy and the book led to some confusion, but the premise is good enough to have something there...it just needs to be cleaned up a bit.

Time Between Us: Oh my. I'll start by saying that the two leads were great vocally. Beyond that there isn't much there. The book was all over the place, there was 1 minute of 1 song that was memorable, and I struggled to connect with either character enough to get me to feel for them. There is also a 3rd character in the show that was 100000% unnecessary and was more distracting than he was helpful to the plot. Y-I-K-E-S.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: As someone previously mentioned, this show is much further in the developmental cycle than other shows (it doesn't hurt that they have donors supplying $75K+ as they proudly show in the program). The integration of the characters from P&P and real-life Jane Austen was flawlessly done. It led to some great dialogue and was oftentimes extremely funny. The music was good, helped by some great lead performances (Darcy and Jane Austen really stood out for me). All in all it was an extremely well put together show.

To recap:

Crazy, Just Like Me: Go see it. Fun, upbeat, funny, and touching.
Ghostlight: A little too long winded for my liking.
Time Between Us: Don't.
Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice: A must-see for any theater fan.

Kissless, Date of a Lifetime, Les Enfants de Paris, and one TBD show still on the horizon.

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I thought Cyclops was fantastic - some Hedwig, some Rocky Horror mixed with Percy Shelley and Euripides. Great energy and momentum.

Jane Austen's P&P was incredibly well done - probably the most "professional" looking production at NYMF this year. Some very strong performances there too.

so p&P is the only standout so far? I heard this "the boy who would be POPE" is good.
which shows have moved on from NYMF?

Altar Boyz, Tralier park musical, Next to Normal...is that it?

no i meant successes. but I guess trailer park wasn't really a success either..

I really liked all 4 of the shows I've seen:

1st performance of GHOSTLIGHT - great concept and story. Decent music/lyrics with nice variation between types of songs. There were some great "Follies" type numbers. Rachel York's numbers were blow-you-away fantastic, though she could make my multipage renter's lease sound thrilling. Daisy Eagan has a nice part but the real star is the lead - she was excellent and could really be the new star on Broadway. She reminded me a bit of both Lea Michele and Laura Osnes. Similarly, I kept wanting the man playing Ziegfeld to be Nobert Leo Butz, but the person with me suggested Tom Wopat and I thought that was brilliant. I could imagine the show going further if it can do some serious cuts and changes (the 1st act was incredibly long, there were some issues with clarity, pacing, etc.) I think it has so much potential and could really see it as a great work in continual development at something like Second Stage.

THE KID WHO WOULD BE POPE - cute and fun show. Like 13 in a Catholic School with some adult characters and not just tweens. The lead boy, Kyle Brenn who was the boy soprano soloist in WEST SIDE STORY has tons of stage presence and a beautiful voice. Rachel Resheff is proving to be a strong triple threat with dramatic skills that stretch from emotional book scenes to well-timed delivery like a musical comedy vet. Another strong lead was Jillian Louis as the nun teacher. She was a delight and her first number reminded me of the Act II opener in Shrek as sung by Sutton Foster. I could see this one going further too.

1st performance of KIKI BABY - Jenn Colella is hysterical and charming. Her Kiki gets just a tad annoying (she is a brat, after all) but on the whole incredibly well done. Jill Paice is also a stand-out, and the ensemble is talented but I feel like they were just made to march out on stage and trudge or run off time after time. They were kind of like one character unit, reminding me of the troop in The People in the Picture. There were a few underused, underdeveloped parts and the show ends a bit abruptly. With some hard work it could go from a pretty good to a great show.

1st performance of GREENWOOD - the crowd just ate it up and the cast was electric. Andrea McArdle is showcased beautifully as the center of the show's universe, but there were several other brightly shining stars too. Mary Mossberg has a beautiful voice. I kept thinking I had seen her in something before but when I found that I hadn't I wished that I had and that I would sometime soon. Cary Shields was well-suited to his role. I thought his voice sounded much like Adam Pascal's, appropriately enough. Felicia Finley was, as always, stellar. Three standouts in the younger cast were Andrew Redlawsk, Jenavene Hester (commanding stage presence and gorgeous voice) and Alexis Kalehoff (McArdle's daughter). I was eagerly anticipating Alicia Morton (from the Annie tv movie) and she didn't disappoint with a clear-as-a-bell sweet voice. She seemed perhaps a bit nervous at times but she was so natural and her talent really showed. There were some fantastic songs (a real showstopper whose title was something about "Wings of Fire" or something), a funny but kind of too much romantic duet, and a lot of reflective ballads. It was very well staged though and shows so much promise.

Saw Date of a Lifetime this past week and it was funny, fresh, and touching. The actors were both incredible and the book/music/lyrics are fantastic. I don't know if there are tickets still available, but it's definitely worth it!

Enjoy!

I agree with Ghandi 722 and disagree with sunnyleo about "Date of a Lifetime." It was absolutely hysterical. I loved the premise and the characters are the kind where you think to yourself "I KNOW that person! You're JUST LIKE my friend so-and-so." You just couldn't help but love every quirk and flaw of both Katie and Marvin. The songs were so varied in style, wonderfully written and witty. I loved it and would go back if it were to hit the small off-Broadway theaters, in the same vein as "I Love You, You're Perfect..." or "Tony and Tina's Wedding." This was the perfect romantic musical comedy for the iPhone singles generation.