[Title of Show] Closing Performance

[Drunk Chita Rivera]

Posted: 10/12/08 at 10:39pm

So I just got back from an amazing night! I had seen the show before so this was my second time. I had a Balcony seat Row B and it was an amazing view. Anyway the cast was incredible and the crowd loved it.

So Larry came out and the crowd went wild, it was a good nice long applause, so it went through to the announcement about cell phones and cameras and candy and stuff, so we couldn't hear it but then the applause stopped and we heard, "suck it" It was amazing.

Then Hunter and Jeff came out and they got a standing ovation. It took awhile to start the first song and when they did people could barley hear it because of applause and stuff. They when the girls came out they got a huge applause. Anyway the crowd cracked up at everything and they absolutely loved it. Before and after ever song they got a huge applause and after "A Way Back To Then" there was a standing ovation.

Susan- Susan is amazing. She has the best line deliveries and she is hilarious. I would love to see her star in a show, she could talk to a wall and still be hilarious.

Hunter- Also amazing, he wrote such a great book. He has such great stage presence and he is hilarious.

Jeff-I love him, he is amazing. Not much more to say but he wrote amazing music.

Heidi- WOW! She is phenomenal. Her voice is so powerful, and so great. I can't wait to see her in greater things.

The applause at the end went on for a good 5 plus minutes. And the cast each gave speeches and they were hilarious. They were crying and it was very emotional. At the end before "Nine People's Favorite Thing" it was pretty silent and you could hear people crying and sniffling. It was amazing. One of the best theater experiences of my life.

[winter_sky]

Posted: 10/12/08 at 10:53pm

You can't wait to see her in "greater things"? That seems like an odd word choice for this thread. haha

[koolaid mustache]

Posted: 10/12/08 at 10:54pm

MOST AMAZING NIGHT OF THEATRE EVVVVER

i cried, i laughed

and stood up three times, those standing ovations were incredible!

<3

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/12/08 at 10:57pm

I can't wait to see her in greater things, either.

[Drunk Chita Rivera]

Posted: 10/12/08 at 10:57pm

"You can't wait to see her in "greater things"? That seems like an odd word choice for this thread. haha"

Well, more successful things...

[Kad]

Posted: 10/12/08 at 11:04pm

I just walked in from it.

SO amazing. When Jeff broke during the dialogue after Awkward Photo Shoot till the end... tears.

[Parks]

Posted: 10/12/08 at 11:22pm

I am so sad I saw the show for the first time tonight. I wish so much that I had seen this show earlier. It was incredible.

I have never heard so many sniffles in a theater from the audience before.

[koolaid mustache]

Posted: 10/12/08 at 11:28pm

Parks, where were u sitting?

[shh282]

Posted: 10/12/08 at 11:34pm

I was in the last row, literally

it was amazing. and I finally met all of them and hugged Hunter and Susan. goodness.


ps - does anyone remember word for word esque what Michael B. said at the end ? if so, please post! Updated On: 10/12/08 at 11:34 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/12/08 at 11:47pm

I'm sure Heidi will be doing bigger and better things after this show! It was a good platform to elevate her and get her noticed.

Anyone think the Tonys will be kind to this show?

[potatoes99]

Posted: 10/12/08 at 11:59pm

Just got back from the show. It was amazing...huge applause after most jokes and songs and it looked like the entire cast was wiping tears from their eyes for the last half of the show. But they were still awesome, of course! So much energy. Just like the op said, you could hear the audience crying too. The stage door was an insane crowd...Susan actually came out and said "holy f***ing s**t, no way" and went back in for a few seconds. tos will be missed!

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 12:00am

Tonight was pretty amazing.

Wow.

[Parks]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 12:06am

I was left, rear mezz. SO high up--such an amazing show. I miss it like crazy and I just became a fan tonight...

[logan0215]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 12:17am

Tonight was incredible. It was so visceral because unlike other shows where you're sad to see these people not play these characters anymore, it was like we were just not getting to peer in at these people's lives anymore.

They were so exposed and raw, simply breathtaking.

I booked my ticket in a rush when I heard about the notice. I actually ended up sitting in the exact same seat I sat in for opening night. Last row of the balcony. G5

The usher up there was ABSURD. He was waving people to sit down during the ovation for 9PFT. I was like "what? is there another show in here after this?" Completely overzealous and when switching with the other usher, he kept swishing around in a black plastic bag. He had the uncanny timing to do it during the silences, too.

There were literal sobs during the silences of "Finale." It was a night in the theater to be remembered forever.

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 12:18am

WHY WHY WHY? Am I in Denver...Still?

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 1:16am

This show was amazing! It was my first time seeing it and I loved it! I was sitting by people who were crying hysterically (row J, Side Orchestra was where the criers were, I was row H). I met everyone after and I even ran into Ryan!


After the sure Hunter assured me and the people around me "we'll be back."!!

[lvpblues]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 2:35am

The audience response to "Nine People's Favorite Thing" was the longest mid-show standing ovation I have ever witnessed. (Somewhere between three and three-and-a-half minutes, I kid you not).

Beautiful closing show tonight.
~K

[Pocketsquared Fanadu]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 2:43am

It was the most pleasurably amazing thing I have ever witnessed in public. The talent, the raw emotion, the bonding beteen the people on that stage and the audience, the sheer, true emotion... I loved making and shaking and sharing those pep rally pom poms for a group that really feels like family. I'm missing everyone already.
[pep rally] 10.12.08
Cramazing.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 3:40am

But did anyone think it was amazing?

[viola13]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 4:19am

The show was absolutely amazing and I couldn't believe the energy level in the theater. The only thing that marred it for me was the fact that a women in front of me left during the show. It seemed like she was really annoyed at the enthusiasm of the crowd, she kept looking around with this expression on her face like she was wondering what the cheering was about.

That stagedoor crowd was also insane, in addition to the normal barricades, they set up some on the other side of the parking lot, so essentially the cast was walking in the parking lot's driveway. And everyone took the time to greet, sign autographs, and take pictures with the crowd, including Courtney, Benjamin, and Michael. I thought that was great.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 5:18am

Funny observation about the woman in front of you. She probably had no idea that the show was closing and totally baffled by the over-reaction!

I've never been to a closing night performance on B'way but have there when several adored actors have had their final performance. I always thing about the folks that are having their first experience at that type of show. I don't think they are able to actually just "enjoy" the show. I would think that a "newbie" could, indeed, be quite overwhelmed with the rock concert atmosphere.

to comment SueleenGay: I'm with you. While I ENJOYED the show VERY much it was not an 'amazing' production. I still believe they would have met with much more success by opening off b'way and having a great, healthy long run. I certainly never felt the desire to see it again.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 8:12am

I'm so pissed I'll never get to see it.

Unless it goes back Off-Broadway.

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 9:37am

Sulleen, it was amazing! And awesome! :)

All Sunday morning and afternoon. I was very melancholy. I was both looking forward to and dreading that last show. It's painful to say goodbye to something that's been so life-altering since the I first saw it at the Vineyard (I never saw it the Festival as it was sold out by the time I tried to get tickets). I (and Wanna Be A Foster) was at the closing performance there too [in front of my seat was a solid row of strawberry blonds and gingers, all relatives of someone in the cast :)]. While that show was tearful and emotionally intense, there were maybe fifteen people bidding the gang goodbye at the dressing room door.

Of course, a lot has happened since then, and like Topsy, [title of show] grew. And grew. The "Nine People" multiplied many times over. Kids who never made it to the Vineyard wore out the CD. The [title of show] show attracted increasing numbers of 'hits' with each new installment [as each episode increased in sophistication and inventiveness, I mused that the next venue of the show would be on cable TV instead of a Broadway stage]. It inspired people of all ages to create and "pull that novel out of that sock drawer." and for the jaded and worn-out to "find a way back to then".

And by last night, what I though would be a wake turned into an exhilerating celebration, pulsating with love and positive energy...a [title of show] life-force, if you will. The cheering and screaming did not drown out everything - the audience was attentive and respectful of the action most times. And during Susan's "Vampire of despair" monologue, the auditorium was silent.

During the show, Hunter kept wiping his eyes. Jeff let free his emotions at the "Aspects of Love mural" and Susan's face was streaming tears of gratitude at the curtain call, but the cast held it together more than I would have expected. After Courtney, Benjamin and Michael were brought onstage, the mood brightened and hearts rose. The mutual love between the performers and the audience - and the fans who couldn't be there that night - was joyful. It felt not like "The End" but rather as the closing lines of one chapter...with the most exciting pages yet to be written.

Updated On: 10/13/08 at 09:37 AM

[avab802]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 10:02am

ps - does anyone remember word for word esque what Michael B. said at the end ? if so, please post!

I don't remember the whole thing, but I do remember him saying something like, "Whether you are a 15-year-old theater dork, a college kid, a housewife in Ohio, or an 83-time Broadway lighting designer (I'm talking to you, Ken Billington), don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to say what you believe in. Don't be afraid to dream."

That's all I can remember, but it was very touching. He was the most visibly emotional of all of them during the curtain speeches.

The whole show was incredible, and I'm so glad I was able to be there. The audience was insane; at a few points the applause went on so long that I wished people would stop cheering and let them get on with the show, but overall it was amazing. My only complaint was a woman seated in the row behind me and a couple seats over was SOBBING so loudly from about "A Way Back to Then" through the end that it was distracting, and took away from the quieter moments in "9 People's Favorite Thing" and the finale.

The crowd at the stage door was massive. I didn't try to get up front, just watched from the back until they had all come out. At one point a police van drove by telling people they had to move out of the street - Tossers were blocking traffic! LOL. Hunter's dad was out there filming the crowd, it was adorable.

I am really going to miss this show being on Broadway, but can't wait to see what is next from these guys.

[coolkid11776]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 10:58am

Last night was amazing. I'm so sad It's gone. But as Hunter said Tell 9 people and we'll be back. So now the question is will they be tranfering back off-broadway? or will they be doing other shows? I'd be interested to see them in other shows. Would Hedi go back to Mermaid?