Well, the bar for what the best musical is this year has been set. If/Then and Bullets better be ready to bring it. If not, rocky just walked away with a tony. Alex Timbers can do no wrong as he proves with the visually stunning production (especially the icon "Eye of the Tigre" and the always looming presence of the ring - neither of which I want to spoil online). And I’m not going to lie, I am one of the ones who cringed when I heard Rocky was being made into a musical.
Design wise the production is flawless in every aspect, though it could be argued the set might be over built (I don't think 4 full interior sets we necessary, they could have just as easily been suggested). However Rocky has one of the most visually stunning scenic designs in years.
Steven Hoggetts movement is up to par with some of his best work. His ground-breaking "full contact" fighting is so real that alone would have kept me engaged. He also proves that the premise of having more than one actor represent the same character can have a dynamic impact when performed well (that's right I'm looking at you Spiderman).
While the score was slightly underwhelming, (though there were a few standout numbers, particularly the act one closer "One of Us") that is actually something I applaud the show for. It is nice to see a large scale musical where story and character take center stage.
Andy Karl gives a solid performance of the underdog boxer and carries the show nicely, but the most pleasant surprise of the evening was the breakthrough performance given by Margo Seibert as Adrian. Her performance of "I'm done" was not only vocally well performed, but the sheer bravery and strength behind her performance of the number were what stopped the show cold for what I counted was about 90 seconds to 2 minutes of strait applause and cheering by the audience.
Now, let’s talk about what has been the biggest hype behind this production, the "Golden Circle Seating" which is the section I happened to be seated in. while you truly do feel like you are a part of the show. And the concept did its goal of making the whole production feel like an event. However, I spent my entire time onstage wishing I was out in the house. I felt as if I was missing part of the visual experience that made up the rest of the show.
They had substantial microphone issues due to it being first preview. One in act on Andy Karl covered quite nicely, but the ones that made a majority of the dialogue in the final fight extremely difficult to hear but those will be fixed. (Director Alex Timbre’s could be seen cringing in what had then become the second row). Other than that it was just the typical first preview pesky doors and automation that didn’t want to line up just right.
On a side note, the star power in attendance was unbelievable. Paul Rudd was seated on stage along with myself and Tom Hanks was in the front row of the Mezz. And Sylvester Stallon gave a very nice curtain speech before taking a bow with Andy Karl.
Updated On: 2/14/14 at 12:43 AM
