The show itself was great. For being their first official performance together I thought they did a great job.
I saw Adam and Anthony twice on Broadway, but last night I won lotto and it seemed like a whole different experience from the second row. I hadn't seen the show itself in a year or two ... and to avoid sounding super cliche or whatever ... it was kind of like seeing it for the first time again.
There were a couple technical errors, but that's obviously beyond the actors' control. I thought all the changes were good and not too obstructing to the plot itself. The lighting additions were very cool to see, and I thought the speaking in unison thing during the eulogy was more powerful, though I know some people are saying it was distracting.
Adam and Anthony were as good as always. Justin Johnston is the Angel I've seen most, so he seemed normal, he got huge laughs from the audience. Nicolette Hart's Maureen was the most funny I've seen, she added a bunch of quirky little things to the character that were just hilarious. Michael McElroy and Lexi Lawson were both great as well. I think as a whole the cast seemed to vibe great together. That's as much of a review as I can put together at the moment ... I'm going back a few more times while it's in town though.
The stagedoor wasn't as crazy as it was in New York, but it was more crazy than I expected for Cleveland and more crowded than I've ever seen it during a tour. Not to mention it was raining, icy and freezing cold out.
The actors took it pretty well. They had a little barricade set up, but the stagedoor area isn't that big to begin with so it just resulted in a lot of annoying pushing and complaining.
Adam came out from the barrier and signed and took a few pictures but went back in after about 10 minutes. Anthony stayed behind the barrier but of course stood there forever to sign stuff and take a million pictures. The rest of the cast just signed a few things and took a few pictures and went on their way. Gwen Stewart hung around for a short time, and she had a bodyguard or police officer or something following her around.
When I was driving home, after everyone had left or gone back in the theater, there was still a small cluster of people waiting out in the rain ... crazy if you ask me!
I hope those discombobulated thoughts help somewhat to those who are wondering.
No day but today.
