Photo Coverage: First Look at the World Premiere of BRING IT ON at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta!

Gee, this was just screaming with the need for musicalization...

It looks really amazing in the photos! So it either photographs really well or is actually a good show.

*yawn*
None of those photos make me want to see this show.

Memphis also photographs well

Has anyone gotten injured?

<'m sexy! I'm cute! I'm popular to boot!
I'm bitchin'! Great hair! The boys all love to stare!
I'm wanted! I'm hot! I'm everything you're not!>>

Oh how funny. Well, afraid that they don't do *that* cheer.

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I saw Bring It On last week before it officially opened and really enjoyed it. The story is not the same as the movies, but has some similarities, like rival squads, new captain being named, holding tryouts, cheer camp, cheating boyfriend, and competitions (some kind of regionals and then nationals). They actually do have a cheer similar to the movie cheer introducing the characters of one squad, but they are all different characters than the movie.

There has been an injury, as the current lead, Amanda Lea Lavergne, who plays Campbell, replaced Helene Yorke who fractured her foot during a run-through in early January (articles out there on various theater websites).

I had a similar feeling that other posters on another thread shared that the first act ran a little long as there is a lot of story setup and some very earnest songs about love of cheerleading. The show ran 2 hours 45 minutes when I saw it.
When the rival squad (or really, dance crew) appears, the show really takes off. Their songs obviously have Lin-Manuel Miranda's stamp and the Twig character from that crew played by Jon Rua reminded me of a mix of Sonny and Usnavi in many scenes.

The standout in the cast to me was Jon Rua, in a featured role, but I enjoyed all of the performances. Jon's dancing was mesmerizing, and he had the main Lin raps, though other characters got some of that action too. Nick Blaemire had a nice song, beautiful voice, in the second act, but I wish his character had been more central to the plot. Gregory Haney also had a really nice turn in very convincing drag.

The choreography and stunts are amazing. Multiple high tosses and pyramid-type stacks that involve more than two levels of people (a cheer expert could be more precise, I'm sure!). The audience appeared to contain more than one school group (or cheerleading squad) of high school age kids who really responded well. Featured characters got mid-show and even mid-scene applause. The themes are very teen-oriented. I had a great time, laughed and cheered, appreciated hearing some Lin magic again, and hope the show has a good life on Broadway or elsewhere.

The Atlanta run is only through February 20. Without knowing the specifics of her injury/recovery time, it is hard to imagine that they would make any cast changes now unless absolutely necessary because of the risk level of the stunts. However, I'd love to hear if anyone has news about the future plans for the show and who might stay with the cast?