THE NYC REVIEW 2009 - 9 Shows - LONG

[Mark_E]

Posted: 8/29/09 at 5:43pm

New York City 2009 ? Reviews

So we arrived at about 2pm on Sunday 16th and what a fantastic time we all had. So here is my week of theatre in review. We also did a lot of things other than shows including Coney Island, Titanic Exhibition (Great!), Central Park, NYC Aquarium, Greenwich Village (go to University Cafe! FAB meals and very reasonable) and other general touristy stuff.

Sunday 16th 7pm ? In the Heights
Understudies:
Benny ? Dwayne Clarke
Vanessa ? Gabrielle Ruiz
Kevin ? Tony Chiroldes
Camila ? Blanca Camacho

What a way to start the week! My dad and I won the lottery and got the furthest seats on house right front row for $26.50! Great seats and what a great show. I wasn?t overly familiar with the show/songs/story so really enjoyed just watching everything unfold. Fave songs were Blackout, Champagne, Everything I know and When the sun goes down.
Really loved Olga Merediz as Claudia, really great character, and also really loved Gabrielle Ruiz as Vanessa, she was excellent.
Ended up being my one of my top favourites of the whole week!


Monday 17th 8pm ? Rock of Ages
Understudies:
Drew ? Jeremy Jordan (really good!)
Dennis ? Tad Wilson
Franz ? Jeremy Woodard

Lost the lottery for this but got rush seats for $36.50. Was the front house right box seats ? AWFUL, so managed to get moved to the house left rear box. View wasn?t bad from here. Managed to get moved to front row mezzanine act 2 with some help from Nikki Snelson (from Legally Blonde). She came into the box at intermission and the usher offered her and her friend the 2 spare seats, which she let us have. We were very thankful for that and had a great view for act 2.
As for the show ? it was great. I can see why it gets so much hate but this sort of show is right up my street. I LOVED it, and a real feel good show. My mum rates it as her favourite of the week, and I rate it right up there with my faves.
Standout performances were Mitchell Jarvis, who was just hilarious, Jeremy Wilson as Franz who also had me in stitches, and Michele Mais, who has such a stunning rock voice! Love her.


Tuesday 18th 7pm ? 9 to 5
Understudies:
Dick ? Justin Patterson
Kathy - Gaelen Gilliland
After winning the WICKED lottery for my dad and sister (I was the 2nd name called ? wow!), my mum and me then won the lottery for 9 to 5 that evening ($36.50). Had great side seats in row H. Didn?t miss anything major I don?t think.
Let me just say I didn?t think I would like this show as much as I did. It was so funny! I haven?t seen such a receptive audience for quite a while. Great show, great songs, great characters, and I really don?t know how it didn?t last longer. I also think its a crime that Shrek got nominated over this.
Standouts of course were the 3 leading ladies. Hope this lives on in tours/community theatre and maybe even some international productions.



Wednesday 19th 2pm ? Hair
Understudies:
Claude ? Paris Remillard (Act 2)
Sheila ? Nicole Lewis (I think)
Splashed out on this one! $85 for row H orchestra on the aisle. I must admit I didn?t really enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I had been so hyped and was abit let down. I don?t think it was the production or the acting, just the show itself. A lot of the comedy seemed to be lost with the audience. 9 to 5/Rock of Ages got a hell of a lot more response.
This was the performance Gavin hurt his ankle, so had a new Claude in act 2, who was quite good. Rest of the cast were high on energy but again I wasn?t overly keen of the show. I love a lot of the songs but a lot of them seem to be just there.
Im going to give the show another try when it gets to London, but I just don?t think its for me. Can?t like everything I suppose


Wednesday 19th 8pm ? Shrek the musical
Understudies:
Carolyn Ockert-Haythe played roles usually played by both Cameron Adams/Sarah Jane Everyman.

Ermmmm, didn?t like it as much as I like the CD. Thought the sound design was quite bad and too quiet from my seat in the mezz. Was a delight to see Sutton Foster though after wanting to see her for awhile. Morning Person was my favourite part. I?d like to see this show from the stalls rather than in the mezzanine. Not much else to say on this one. LOTS of empty seats in the mezz, we moved to 4th row in the interval from the $80 seats (we used Shrekcation).


Thursday 20th 8pm ? The Toxic Avenger
Love love loved it! So funny and had fantastic 2nd row seats for $25. Recommended if you want a daft fun night out. Great little show here that will be overlooked by many. GO!


Friday 21st 8pm ? Altar Boyz
Wasn?t sure at first but it sure did pick up! Had excellent seats 4th row. The guy playing Mark in particular was hilarious. And when the lead singer got the girl on stage it was so funny watching her reaction. Surprised this has been running so long but it was quite full. Good fun show.


Saturday 22nd 2pm ? next to normal
WOW! My favourite of the entire trip. 3rd row mezz for $75. This really was a top class show in every way. The performances coming from the actors onstage were just stunning. It has been on my iPod constantly since seeing it. It is only the 2nd or 3rd time I have ever let out a tear at a show (when she brought out the birthday cake). I missed out on afew maybe Americanisms in the show so didn?t laugh at some of the parts but didn?t realise there was so much ?dark humour? from listening to the CD.
Oh ye, out of ALL the shows I saw this week, this is the only one I went to alone. Neither of my parents wanted to see it. Guess this just proves how hard it is to market a show like this.
London please!!!!! I?d be there several times a month.


Saturday 22nd 8pm ? Phantom of the Opera
I have always wanted to see Phantom for a 2nd time since seeing it from god awful seats in the London balcony in 2005. Queued up at TKTS and got 2 very good orchestra seats (Row S) for half price! Was so much better seeing it from good seats. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Phantoms music of the night was the best I've ever heard. LOTS of people arriving late and taking photographs during the show, but when something runs as long as Phantom and becomes more of a museum piece than a show its going to happen. Didn?t really disrupt anyways.

Oh and then we had a week sailing back on the QM2 if that wasn?t enough!!!
And that is my week!

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 8/29/09 at 5:49pm

How was Nicole Lewis as Shelia?

"The Phantoms music of the night was the best I've ever heard."

Yay! You probably saw John Cudia. I have yet to see him in the role, but have heard him perform, and he is amazing. Plus he seems like such a friendly guy.

Glad you had fun on your trip and saw a lot of great shows!

[Parks]

Posted: 8/29/09 at 6:40pm

Thanks for all of your reviews! Can't wait to see Toxic Avenger!

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 8/29/09 at 7:15pm

John Cudia is absolutely breathtaking as the Phantom. I haven't heard so many sniffles in the audience at Phantom in years. Plus his Christine (Jennifer Hope Wills) and Raoul (Ryan Silverman) with their best-acted performance of the roles, have helped make the current cast into one of the best.

[IfYouCan]

Posted: 8/29/09 at 9:34pm

I'm pretty sure Nicole wasn't on as Sheila on the 19th, Caissie was there the evening show in terrific voice. Someone told me that the understudies for the evening show were the same as for the matinee (save for Paris who did the full show for the evening).

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 8/29/09 at 9:47pm

"I'm pretty sure Nicole wasn't on as Sheila on the 19th, Caissie was there the evening show in terrific voice. Someone told me that the understudies for the evening show were the same as for the matinee (save for Paris who did the full show for the evening)."

Someone could be there for the evening and not the matinee.

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 8/29/09 at 10:26pm

Great to hear that you had such a good time here! Hopefully you'll have a chance to come back before too long!

[Mark_E]

Posted: 8/30/09 at 10:31am

I really can't remember. I'll have to wait till I unpack all my playbills and find the slips.

[Mark_E]

Posted: 8/30/09 at 2:35pm

Ok so there wasnt a Sheila understudy on. My bad!

Some photies!
NATHANS HOTDOGS


WINNING THE LOTTERY


9 to 5 Stagedoor

[Mark_E]

Posted: 8/30/09 at 2:37pm

On stage at Hair


I felt like I HAD to pretend I was in Enchanted


Pictures from my FAVE EVER sail off (apart from that I was sad I was leaving New York. The funnel was litterally inches off the bridge.