Caught the final matinee this afternoon, and it was a truly beautiful piece of theatre. The songs were gorgeously sung, and the combination of choreography, set pieces, and protections did an excellent job of immersing the audience into the world of 1910s Atlanta. Thematically, this is of course a very dark show, but not overwhelmingly show - there are enough bits of warmth, humor, and hope that keep the audience from being overwhelmed by despair.
Not being familiar with the show, I wasn't expecting it to be as much of an ensemble piece it was, and honestly for a story like this that's the right way to go about it. Leo and Lucille are the beating heart of the story, but we also see the tragedy from the perspective from many other perspectives, from the media (I particularly appreciated the portrayal of reporters as amoral vultures who care about nothing more than advancing their careers) to other politicians, to a heartbreaking portrayal of the boy who had a crush on Mary Phagan.
The production is seamless - you'd never guess this was a touring production. Aside from a few moments where the sound balance was off, it went without a hitch. And I can confirm they still use Reverand Raphael Warnock's intro.
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