Remarkable staging. Great choreography. Wonderful cast. Nice score. Fine book (despite a seriously flawed monologue from Hayworth last in the show). Just didn't do it for me. Moments of greatness, but altogether pretty boring. I got what the show had to say early on and only the final few minutes of the show truly arrested me. Not a favorite of mine.
Decided to post in this thread instead of making a whole new one.
I saw the show Sunday evening and was blown away. I skimmed through this thread a little bit before I went, but other than that I really didn't know anything about the show. I didn't know that it had already been off-broadway and elsewhere, so I was excited to see what it was like. I got a student rush ticket for $27 I believe, and it was 4th row balcany. At first I thought that it was going to be awful seats because it was so high up, but I quickly forgot about that once the show started. I'm not sure how full the house was, but during applause it sounded pretty full. I did see Robin de Jesus there, if anyone wanted to know.
The show is completely amazing. The staging itself is pretty ingenious - it's worth the price of the ticket. The set is only maybe 9 chairs and then two wooden planks that are sometimes used. The actors position these in different ways to depict the different places and the lighting does the rest. It's so simple but so brilliant. The choreography was pretty superb as well, and the cast executes it perfectly.
I read on here how people said that they sort of missed the guy who played Haywood, but I thought that Joshua Henry was quite amazing. His singing was spectacular and his acting matched it.
I thought the whole concept of the show was very intriguing, having it performed as a minstrel show. It works brilliantly.
Someone wrote on here that they thought that it was a little too long to not have an intermission. I'm not so sure - I was so wrapped up into the story that I didn't even realize how long it had been. When it came for the finale, I didn't want it to be over, and it hadn't felt like it had been that long. I actually thought that it could be a little longer, and that an intermission could be placed right after the court finds them guilty for the 2nd time. But I liked it being in one act because it didn't stop the flow of the show.
Overall, I thought this show and the production were outstanding, and I highly recommend it to everyone. It was such a breath of fresh air to see a new production with music I had never heard before with a story I wasn't familiar with. I hope that this finds the audience it deserves.
One more thing - I know the cast recording came out today, but it's not on iTunes? Amazon has it listed but not for download. I didn't see if the theater had it, but that broadway store on 45th street or whatever it is had it for $23. Does anyone know why it's not on iTunes?
I went on Sunday and found that I was less moved than I was at The Vineyard. That may be because when I saw it at The Vineyard, it was the end of their run, so things were tighter and better than they are in previews. It also could be because I was in the balcony. Lastly, it could be because this is the kind of thing that only knocks your sock off once. I don't think that this is the case, but will have to wait and see. I still recommend it to anyone who is curious, and plan to go back and hope to have a better seat next time.
"The price of love is loss, but still we pay; We love anyway."
