Good morning! I thought Brandon Victor Dixon did a great job in his first performance as Burr. Some specifics from last night:
His voice is lighter than Leslie's. I thought it was lovely. My husband felt like his "Wait for It" didn't have quite enough power, although we both felt his "Room Where It Happens" was fantastic. "Dear Theodosia" was perfect. After the duel, he seemed emotionally spent. I wasn't close enough to tell if he was crying, but it sure felt like it to me.
He plays a bit looser than Leslie. Where I felt that Leslie's Burr was tightly wound, Brandon's Burr was more open.
For the first half of the first act, almost all of the vocals were behind the music. At first I though it was because he was unsure of himself, but it was like that up through "Meet Me Inside" and it didn't seem to matter if he was singing or not, so I don't know what was going on.
Someone had asked about Lexi as well. Her voice is beautiful. Superficial problem: I don't like the way her hair/wig is styled. It wasn't flattering and it bothered me. As to her acting, I thought she was mostly fine. My son and I disagreed about her scream when Philip died and her gasp at the end. I found her scream to be unconvincing, but her gasp was fine. My son felt the opposite. Her "Burn" didn't have the anger I was expecting, more like disappointment. Stylistic choice or acting limitation? Who knows.
Seth Stewart was a very enjoyable Lafayette/Jefferson, but I did miss Daveed's hair.
Brandon came out at stage door and was very sweet about signing things and taking pictures.
Thats it, I think. Aaron Burr is in good hands (which I think we all knew, anyway). I'd love to hear from someone in a few weeks when he's had time to settle into the role.
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