Caught the first preview this week, in one of the $30 seats! I was in the second row, dead center!
The show was really, really outstanding.
It has an unfortunate odd start - they have to figure out a way to tell the audience that a group of choir kids just died on a roller coaster, and it is not as cleanly written as it could be. After the first 10 minutes, however, the show is a blast.
The storyline is very simple. 6 kids are dead, and only 1 can return to life. They then spend the next 90 minutes telling their stories until the group decides who can return to their life. Each character gets their own production number. After the first one, I thought, "Am I going to have to sit through 5 more of these?" and I rolled my eyes. But with every number, they step it up. Each one is impeccably executed, I was in awe. The writing/music, staging, and effects were outstanding. The cast is top-notch, and I loved every performance, not to mention how well they worked as an ensemble.
The production values for this show are unreal. The lighting, scenic design, and special effects were better than many Broadway shows I have recently seen. My only qualm was the sound design, but as the Artistic Director noted before the start of the show, this is their 3rd musical - ever - in the space.
If they dramaturgically find a way to fix the beginning of the show, I think this would be a near-perfect show all in all. The book is really fantastic, realistic, and has a beautiful message about life. This would do really well at New World, or a bigger Off-Broadway space with an excellent marketing campaign.
I saw this Wednesday night, after being sick to my stomach all day. I was truly dreading going to see a musical about a bunch of kids that die on a roller coaster. But I am so pleased to say that even on one of the worst days I have ever had, I left smiling, laughing, and really, really hopeful.
