Minor Spoilers, I guess.
I saw the show tonight from the lotto seats (it's $25 and they draw for 16 seats or 8 pairs, if anyone is interested). I have to say we had the best of the lotto seats, 111 and 112, they're directly in front of the rotating fire escape set piece. Everyone just seemed to be directly in front of us. Having Angel's cape almost brush our faces, seeing Mimi and Roger sing Light My Candle and being able to smell the extinguished match were just perfect, and having Mimi sing Out Tonight directly over our heads and shake the glitter out of her hair, while swinging from the set piece was thrilling - and scary! God forbid anyone were to slip they'd land directly on top of you.
The set reminded me a great deal of Next To Normal's set, skeletal wrought iron with many steps (or ladder rungs in this case) that worked really well and really allowed the characters to be the true focal points and flourish within the space. I liked the new costumes very much and I think it was needed to make it fresh (if you prefer the old ones, watch the DVD) :) Though seeing Mark with a skullie hat for a good portion of Act 1 with a bit of his hair poking out in the front was a funny look, and I missed the glasses.
I thought Roger and Mimi were gorgeous, and I really had no gripes on her singing voice. Roger was very strong too, though at times he'd sing parts of songs in a whisper-like tone which was pretty but I felt he could've given some of the lyrics real punch if he sang them more boldly. Collins and Angel were fantastic, Mark was really great too and you just cant help but love his voice.
I will say that Annaleigh's Maureen was a bit of a let down. I thought her Over the Moon was slightly too sexual, and she would do a lot of quirky things in that song and in other parts of the show that felt very inauthentic and not in line with the character, and did them more so for comic relief. Joanne was adequate but didn't necessarily wow me or leave me with an impression, so with both of them leading "Take Me Or Leave Me" which is such a great number, it just fell flat and having them run around the stage and climb on ladder rungs for no real reason just felt really forced and uninspired.
The only other two little things that I miss are Maureen's blinding motorcycle light just before Over The Moon, which is still there but in another form (more like a fast moving spotlight) and the staging of Without You with the three tables side-by-side. They staged it so there was a couple on each end of the stage and one in the middle, and I think being so close I only focused on Mimi/Roger and Angel/Collins and completely forgot about Maureen/Joanne. It wasn't until the end of the song that I remembered they're part of this and forcibly looked to stage right and they were hugging. I also don't recall the answering machine bits being sung with a filter over the reciting/singing to make them sound more like a voicemail message. I much preferred the natural voice with only the answering machine sound directly before to prompt the audience (which remains intact). Contact seemed more coherent and fit much better within the show than its original incarnation. I really loved the new choice of having Angel appear in his street clothes as we first see him with his bucket staring off into the sky, perched above the rest of the cast as they sing the I'll Cover You (Reprise) in line formation. BEAUTIFUL!
It's really in fantastic shape and I can only see it getting better. The audience was really receptive, even at the start giving the cast just a rousing applause and an almost immediate standing ovation at the end. At times the audience was so receptive, it didn't even feel like a new production was being mounted, but like some sort of one-night-only benefit concert.
I don't usually write reviews on here, but there it is. Go see the show!
Updated On: 7/17/11 at 02:44 AM
