#1
Posted: 2/17/15 at 1:53am
I know it's late, but I'm still reeling from the Parade concert tonight. I don't see any other posts about it on the board (unless I'm missing them?), so I'd love to post my thoughts:
In summary: I was completely blown away by the entire thing. I had seen a regional production of the show before, and I'm very familiar with the score, so it was especially a treat to see it done with such an incredible cast and orchestra.
The show was done with some simple staging, and props throughout. The costumes seemed very carefully done. None of the clothing seemed entirely outdated, but it was reminiscent of the era without going full-on period. The background was a black-and-white American flag, with a Georgia Flag in front of it. During the show, they projected things onto the space where the Georgia flag was at the top of the show, to give us a sense of where we are (the courthouse, the factory, etc.). The only problem was the microphone trouble. The people running the soundboard often weren't able to anticipate which mics were supposed to be on at a given time, and several lines and moments were lost because the mics came on too late.
From what I could tell, they did the version of the show that was done in London, rather than the original Broadway version.
The cast was phenomenal overall. Jeremy Jordan particularly impressed me. I liked him in Smash, I liked him in Newsies, I liked him in the Last Five Years, but he really did an outstanding job with Leo. It was a complete departure from his usual characters, and he pulled it off wonderfully; his acting, singing and physicality were all perfectly executed in my opinion.
Ok, I adore Laura Benanti, and she did a really great job as Lucille. However, I thought that she was just the slightest bit miscast. I can't quite put into words why. Maybe I'll sleep on it, and it'll come to me tomorrow.
Joshua Henry was the biggest standout of the supporting characters, for my personally. He played Jim Conley, and WOW does that man have the most incredible voice and charisma! He received very loud and lengthy rounds of applause after "That's What he Said" as well as after "Feel the Rain Fall." Andy Mientus, Ramin Karimloo and Katie Rose Clarke were great in their respective roles, but didn't have much material to work with (especially since this version of the show did not have the song "Big News" for Brit Craig). All-in-all, the whole ensemble of actors did top-notch jobs.
At the end, JRB gave a short speech thanking those involved with the production. Much to our surprise, Alfred Uhry came onstage for the curtain call right before JRB's speech! It was such a treat to see Brown conduct one of his best scores.
Many familiar faces were in the audience, including Norm Lewis, Rob McCure, Christian Borle, Celia Kennan-Bolger, Constantine Maroulis, Stephen Pasquale, Kate Weatherhead, and probably many more that I didn't see. Also, the stage door was a surprising success! After what was said in that thread earlier today, I did not expect to see many people come out. Luckily, Jeremy Jordan, Laura Benanti, Andy Mientus, Josh Henry, Katie Rose Clarke and several other actors came out and signed and posed for pictures (not Ramin, unfortunately). Those of us who stuck it out until midnight (the show let out at 11) got a special treat! Jason Robert Brown came himself came out and was very gracious generous with his time.
Overall, it was an incredible and unforgettable experience! Sorry for the long-winded post.
In summary: I was completely blown away by the entire thing. I had seen a regional production of the show before, and I'm very familiar with the score, so it was especially a treat to see it done with such an incredible cast and orchestra.
The show was done with some simple staging, and props throughout. The costumes seemed very carefully done. None of the clothing seemed entirely outdated, but it was reminiscent of the era without going full-on period. The background was a black-and-white American flag, with a Georgia Flag in front of it. During the show, they projected things onto the space where the Georgia flag was at the top of the show, to give us a sense of where we are (the courthouse, the factory, etc.). The only problem was the microphone trouble. The people running the soundboard often weren't able to anticipate which mics were supposed to be on at a given time, and several lines and moments were lost because the mics came on too late.
From what I could tell, they did the version of the show that was done in London, rather than the original Broadway version.
The cast was phenomenal overall. Jeremy Jordan particularly impressed me. I liked him in Smash, I liked him in Newsies, I liked him in the Last Five Years, but he really did an outstanding job with Leo. It was a complete departure from his usual characters, and he pulled it off wonderfully; his acting, singing and physicality were all perfectly executed in my opinion.
Ok, I adore Laura Benanti, and she did a really great job as Lucille. However, I thought that she was just the slightest bit miscast. I can't quite put into words why. Maybe I'll sleep on it, and it'll come to me tomorrow.
Joshua Henry was the biggest standout of the supporting characters, for my personally. He played Jim Conley, and WOW does that man have the most incredible voice and charisma! He received very loud and lengthy rounds of applause after "That's What he Said" as well as after "Feel the Rain Fall." Andy Mientus, Ramin Karimloo and Katie Rose Clarke were great in their respective roles, but didn't have much material to work with (especially since this version of the show did not have the song "Big News" for Brit Craig). All-in-all, the whole ensemble of actors did top-notch jobs.
At the end, JRB gave a short speech thanking those involved with the production. Much to our surprise, Alfred Uhry came onstage for the curtain call right before JRB's speech! It was such a treat to see Brown conduct one of his best scores.
Many familiar faces were in the audience, including Norm Lewis, Rob McCure, Christian Borle, Celia Kennan-Bolger, Constantine Maroulis, Stephen Pasquale, Kate Weatherhead, and probably many more that I didn't see. Also, the stage door was a surprising success! After what was said in that thread earlier today, I did not expect to see many people come out. Luckily, Jeremy Jordan, Laura Benanti, Andy Mientus, Josh Henry, Katie Rose Clarke and several other actors came out and signed and posed for pictures (not Ramin, unfortunately). Those of us who stuck it out until midnight (the show let out at 11) got a special treat! Jason Robert Brown came himself came out and was very gracious generous with his time.
Overall, it was an incredible and unforgettable experience! Sorry for the long-winded post.
Updated On: 2/17/15 at 01:53 AM
