Quick Thoughts On N2N and 9To5 4/11

[Glory]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 11:42am

Today I had the pleasure to catch a matinee of Next To Normal and the night performance of Dolly's Broadway baby 9 To 5. I saw Next To Normal at 2ST last winter and it was amazing and I was worried I would never see it again. Seeing it back and on Broadway yesterday was truly amazing. The show is at a good point and Alice has the Tony in her hand already. The performances were incredible and I thought all the changes they made from the off-broadway production were well fitted. Would I like to see it get the Tony for best musical this year? Yes. Will it? No. Where is it going? To the amazing performance I saw later that day.

9 To 5, a musical that I was excited to see since the day I found out it was being put together. I got into the city and got my rush for Next To Normal and heard 9 To 5 had begun offering rush an hour and a half before the performance. I got there at about 5 because after Next To Normal we decided to grab food. We went into the box office to find a line of 20 people ahead of my friend and I. Thinking we wouldn't get tickets, we ended up with orchestra row D all the way to the right. You miss a few things up stage left, but nothing important. I am so glad because the performance was sold out. For the show on it's 6th preview, it was in great shape. This thing IS the next Hairspray. All 3 leading ladies delivered amazing performances. Megan is the standout in this show playing Double D Doralee. She had Dolly's character down and was just so fun to watch. Stephanie has a great character as well and ***SPOILER*** when she pulled out the gun and shot it I jumped out of my seat haha.***END SPOILER*** And all together she was fantastic. Her Get Out Stay Out really brought the house down. And last, but not least, Allison Janney who I would have no expected the performance she gave last night. She was incredible, where all though her singing isn't her strong point, she acted the s*it out of this role. I especially loved "One Of The Boys." All I can say is all 3 of these ladies are going to get Tony Noms. This show was just so much fun and I was smiling like an idiot and tapping my foot the entire time. Quick notes: and possible spoilers..When Stephanie says "No good deed goes unpunished.." in Shine Like The Sun, the audience went nuts. I think that was so funny ha.

Get your tickets for this show NOW before they are impossible to get.
Updated On: 4/12/09 at 11:42 AM

[steven22]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 11:45am

thanks for the reviews

[legally_popular]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 11:53am

N2N and 9 to 5 in the same day? Jealous! These are my two most anticipated shows right now. I need to see them asap. Thanks for your reviews!

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 12:29pm

You do realize that "No good deed goes unpunished" was a standard phrase BEFORE Wicked, right? And really, the whole audience went nuts because Stephanie said it?

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 12:31pm

People have been guffawing at that line since the first L.A. preview. I understand how it's funny, but Wicked didn't patent that line and I'm pretty sure it's an unintentional Wicked reference.

[legally_popular]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 12:35pm

Yeah, and she just says it as a normal sentence, not like, "NO. GOOD. DEED goes unpunished!" I doubt it was intentional. It is kind of amusing though to me.

[Glory]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 12:38pm

I know, I have heard that line before Wicked, it's just funny that Stephanie says it and said it in Wicked as well, It is semi amusing to me. And apparently to the audience too.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 12:57pm

So being "semi-amused" and "going nuts" are the same thing?

[LeaGirl]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 8:43pm

No actually, going nuts is the right word for what happened during that line... I was there last night and was really surprised by the screams that line drew. There was an especially rowdy (not bothersome though) group of teenagers behind us who screamed especially loud, but it wasn't just them...

After the show I turned to the people I was with and wondered exactly how long there will be enough Wicked types packing the house for it to get that response repeatedly.

I actually would be curious to know if that always happens.

[vlegra]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 9:28pm

What is funny about that line is that it comes out in Wicked and Stephanie played a very good Elphaba. Just how the lines match nothing more. I saw the same performance of N2N (which was my 2nd time watching it on Broadway) and enjoyed it a lot. I believe [title of show] has a bigger chance of winning the Tony than 9 to 5. But Next To Normal will win it for SURE! If Alice does not win it nobody will.

[jagfkb]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 9:54pm

Apparently, Stephanie chuckled during a rehearsel, as they were originally going to give the line to Megan to sing, and once she explained to Dolly that it was a line she sung in Wicked, Dolly gave her the line. Everyone laughs, because almost everyone knows.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 10:03pm

Well, if you didn't explain that one to me, I wouldn't have gotten it.

[Just_John]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 11:32pm

"I believe [title of show] has a bigger chance of winning the Tony than 9 to 5. But Next To Normal will win it for SURE!"

Ugh, no. It's pretty much between Billy Elliot and 9 to 5.

[EvanK]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 11:34pm

I'm glad most agree that if either one wins it'll be a good thing.

[Glory]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 1:05pm

Yeah, I honestly feel like even if Billy Elliot or N2N wins best musical, 9 To 5 will still do well with ticket sales and be popular. Same goes with Billy Elliot.

[EveHarrington]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 1:27pm

I think 9 to 5 will have a very long, successful run regardless of whether or not it wins Tonys. Of course I'd really like it to take a few (there are some that it definitely deserves), but ultimately, winning the awards isn't essential to the future of the show. It'll have an HUGE tour (It's going to sell AMAZINGLY in other parts of the country, esp. the south and midwest), and with the loss of things like Legally Blonde, Hairspray, etc. etc., there's certainly a place for a big, FUN show, and I'm really glad just to have it around for awhile. Tonys are just icing on the cake, imo.