"Perfect for US": The NEXT TO NORMAL love thread! — Page 10

To Gizmo

Do not get me wrong . I would love to see N2N win it all but I am a realist. If anything can derail Billy, it will be N2N which I enjoyed more than Spring Awakening.

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Having seen both Billy Elliot and Next to Normal back to back, I think it's a really tough call. Although I'd love Next to Normal to win and think it would be well deserved, Billy is also an incredibly well put together show. But the score is so incredibly weak for Billy...which really bothered me. What about 9-5? Does anyone think that has a chance? The Tony's will be a close race this year!

N2N better win the score Tony, though. And Alice definitely deserves something for her performance.

Updated On: 4/5/09 at 02:07 PM

I'm thinking the reviews will be good. They were relatively good at 2econd Stage (and more than relatively good at Arena), and the changes and tweaks have dealt with almost everything the critics had issues with before. So...

Hopefully that bodes well.

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Right... And...? She's never really been drawn to the traditional things.

(A lot would say The Dead was an odd choice for a musical.)

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Updated On: 4/5/09 at 02:57 PM

The fact that BILLY is a British import has nothing to do with the fact that it's going to win Best Musical.

If a non-British musical wins, it will be 9 TO 5.

NEXT TO NORMAL just doesn't have a shot this year...if it opened last year, it definitely would have had a chance. But realistically, there's no way it'll win this year.

Alice will win and the score deserves to win though.

<< That is true- though, sadly, Caroline, or Change never had a chance. Also criminal was Tonya Pinkins not winning. It was also criminal it wasn't nominated for a Pulitzer. The treatment of Caroline, or Change was, on the whole, criminal.
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Totally agree--- only thing that comes close (at least, in my opinion) was "Ragtime" losing to "Lion King"-

i LOVE this show. alice NEEDS to win, and although it probably won't get it it deserves best musical

At the show tonight, the crib was visible up in the rafters but did not lower down in the second act as it has before.

It looks like they're experimenting with taking it out again.

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AH, no! I hope they leave the crib in.

It gave me the chills and was perfect in the moment, IMO.

I hope they don't cut it...I loved it.

I didn't even see the damn thing so I feel nothing toward its removal.

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I saw the show for this first time yesterday, and absolutely fell in love with it. I didn't really know what to expect when I went in, but I know I wasn't expecting to cry as much as I did! Here's my review for the 4/5 matinee(with some spoilers):

Ripley was astonishing. I don't even really know any other way to describe her performance. She was breathtaking. Every emotion was there, and I thought she sounded excellent. The scene where she tells Dan that she's leaving had me in tears. If she doesn't win the Tony this year, I will be shocked.

Similarly, I loved Aaron Tveit. I thought he was close to perfect in the role. His vocals, as well as his diction, were fantastic. "I'm Alive" was electric, and "There's a World" was hauntingly beautiful. He was charming, charismatic, and delivered a wonderful performance. He deserves a Tony nomination for this, and I look forward to seeing him in Catch Me if You Can

I'm surprised that some people on this board thought J. Robert Spencer was a weak link, because I thought he was great. His reacting was spot-on, and the scene where he acknowledged Gabe's presence was extremely powerful.

I loved the score; I thought it was very strong. Every song had a purpose, and the music integrated nicely with the scenes.

So, yeah, I loved the show. The score is awesome, Greif's direction is fresh and exciting, and there isn't a weak link in the cast. I haven't seen Billy Elliot yet (I have tickets for next month), but I really hope N2N takes Best Musical. It's a great show, and, after seeing it yesterday, I'm proud to call myself a fan.

Crib was not visible at the matinee Sunday.

It's now the 7th in Australia, maybe that is why I can download it.