New York Trip: July 6-8: Reviews!

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 4:31pm

Okay, so I just got back from New York! It was an amazing trip and here's the reviews from the shows I saw:

---"Mary Poppins": July 6th: 8:00 PM---

Banks children: Devynn Pedell (Jane) & Jacob Levine (Michael)
Understudies: Sean McCourt (George Banks); Rommy Sandhu) Von Hussler/Jack-in-the-Box; Suzanne Hylenski (Glamourous Doll)

Review: To start right off the bat, the show was fantastic! Ashley Brown was fantastic, as was the entire cast. I found nothing wrong with any of them. All of the flying and special effects went off without a hitch. The only blooper that I saw was that during "Step in Time", Devynn Pedell dropped her broom. A great way to start off the trip! Perfect seats, too, Row D, Right Orchestra, 3 rows from stage Special effects were phenomenal!

---"Tarzan": July 7th: 2:00 PM---

Understudies: Whitney Osentoski (Moth)

Review: Well, I can honestly say I loved this show. I loved every show I saw. I know many of you here loathe this show, but I can't see why. It's Disney, what on Earth were you expecting? "Sweeney Todd"? Anyways, everybody in the show was spot on! Josh sounded brilliant, along with Merle and Chester. And Jenn, well, I love her! She was great! She came back for the final 4 performances (Saturday/Sunday.) I was thrilled to see her. Is she always so 'jumpy' in the role, I thought it was perfect and she was great. Right before "Different" she came to the front of the stage (Jane was calming herself down) and Jenn completely just went cross-eyed. It was hilarious!

Seats were center stage, Row C. At the beginning of Act Two, Terk came right down near us when he was swinging to the stage. The pre-show scrim was fantastic, also. I knew it was coming, but I did jump out of my seat when the lights all of a sudden blacked out and the thunder stroke. No bloopers.

---"Legally Blonde": July 7th: 8:00 PM---

Understudies: None.

Review: Loved this one, too! Though, I need to see it again. The show, to me, while I loved it greatly, seemed to fly by very fast. The cast was great! Wow, can Kate Shindle belt or what! And I must honestly say I am in love with Annaleigh, also. She was hilarious during the end of "What You Want" when she was in one of the counselors arms. Laura Bell Bundy was superb! She had her moments when she sounded a little off (as if she had a cold) but in the end she was perfect. And Orfeh, well, she was just as great as them all. A very energetic and fun show.

Loved the pre-show announcement! Let me just say though, I hate the Ushers at this freaking show, and the audience I had there last night. In my row, right after "Serious", a girl comes over and tells me, my friend and my friend's mom to move. I guess she had to go to the bathroom or something. The thing is, it was only 10-15 minutes into the show! Then, when Elle, Serena, Margot & Pilar were up the stairs talking by Elle's door, an Usher comes down (and I hate those damned outfits the Ushers wear, I know it's the Palace Theatre, but "Legally Blonde" is playing there. Spice 'em up!) So, the Usher comes down and tells us to get out because people just came in for our row: late! I thought Latecomers were to be seated during an applause or that they had to wait until Intermission. So, we get out, and they were old so they took years, and we sit back down and: it's "What You Want." We completely missed the scene up by Elle's door. So if somebody could fill me in, that'd be great.

I was also shocked to see that the Playbills are already Black & White. The show went by fast, which was sad for me, because I loved it and was looking forward to it. I didn't want it to end. I need to go back when I find my way back to the city (hopefully this winter/spring or it might not be until next summer. And yes, this was my first time in the city.) No bloopers at all, just the sound system went wack a few times. Also, nobody was standing at all for the Curtain Call. Which was rude, in my opinion, since it was an outstanding performance! I changed that when the "PMS" girls came out! Haha, I love this show, but am just angry I missed that one brief scene due to those pesky latecomers.

Seats: Row C, center stage (though it seemed like left center), Orchestra. And another thing that somewhat bothered me was that whenever somebody closed the door at the Hair Affaire, the whole store background shook. In my opinion, it should be held down some how, or more sturdy. Loved this show and the entire cast!

Thanks for reading! When I go back I'm hoping to see A Chorus Line, The Little Mermaid and Legally Blonde again!
Updated On: 7/8/07 at 04:31 PM

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 4:37pm

"It's Disney, what on Earth were you expecting? "Sweeney Todd"?"

I don't expect something up to the level of Sweeney Todd from Disney, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't get good quality theatre.


Glad you enjoyed your trip!

[alex2155]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 4:37pm

Thanks for the reviews...sounds like you had a great time.

[mikem]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 5:58pm

Given how "pink" their marketing is and that the producers must feel confident in the show to raise the prices to $120 for every performance, I'm also shocked that the Playbills are black and white. I would have thought the show would have a pink Playbill forever.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 6:04pm

Thanks for the reviews! I also really enjoyed Mary Poppins and Tarzan. Yes, I love Disney ~ and my sister works there ~ and I'll admit it. Do I think they're God's gift to musical theatre? No. But I don't think they're Satan's either. :)

[Julian2]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 6:17pm

"It's Disney, what on Earth were you expecting? "Sweeney Todd"?"

I don't expect something up to the level of Sweeney Todd from Disney, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't get good quality theatre.

My sentiments exactly.

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 6:21pm

So glad you loved the shows! Broadway truly is a magical place!

And thanks for taking time to share.

[FutureAladdinOnB'Way]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 6:36pm

Glad you had a great trip!

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 7:16pm

I am so glad that you had a fabulous time! I am also relieved to hear that your Mary Poppins seats worked out alright. I would have felt so bad if they weren't great!

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 7:39pm

They were fantastic, ThankstoPhantom

[bundy5000]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 7:48pm

glad to stay postive

Posted: 7/8/07 at 8:03pm

No comments about Gavin Lee or Christian Borle?

Great reviews. I personally haven't formulated an opinion about Tarzan because I don't know enough about it, but I loved the other two shows you saw. Kate Shindle was amazing! She really blew me out of the water. Everyone was terrific, but I don't think I knew how great she was before I went to see the show.

Hope you had fun!

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 8:08pm

TWSFan- I was at the stage door after the matinee and didn't see you! Where were you?

[Lizzya9]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 8:10pm

I'm glad you had a great time!! I have no clue why people have problems with Tarzan, either. It looks sooo incredible! I'm jealous of you. = )

thanks for the reviews!

[sarab]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 9:48pm

I'm so glad you had a wonderful time! Thanks for sharing!

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 10:02pm

korenglish, Gavin & Christian were fantastic! Christian really stood out when he was on.

So, I just wanted to check, latecomers are supposed to be seated at an appropriate time correct? Not like when I was at Legally Blonde and they told us to move out of our seats to make room for them (in the middle of a scene)?

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 11:07pm

How did you choose the shows you went to see?

Have you seen ACL already?

Updated On: 7/8/07 at 11:07 PM

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 7/9/07 at 7:28am

We bought tickets and that's how see saw the shows . If you're talking about how we decided what to buy tickets for, we picked the three that we wanted to see the most and that we all would want to see ('we' being me, my friend and her mother).

No, I haven't seen "A Chorus Line" yet, so next time I'm planning a trip up there, that, along with "The Little Mermaid" and "Legally Blonde" (yes, again ) will be what I'll be seeing.
Updated On: 7/9/07 at 07:28 AM