Usher in Chicago — Page 2

I saw the show this afternoon. We tried to get tickets to Drowsy Chaperone on TKTS but when we got to the window they had one left, so we got Chicago tickets. Usher was fantastic. His voice is phenomenal (sp?), as is his dancing, but his acting needs a little bit of work. The rest of the cast was great. I enjoyed Bianca more than Charlotte whom I've seen twice. Brenda was great as usual. I hadn't seen Lillias in the part yet, but I loved her.

Before the show, we saw Usher walking into the theater and the only reason I knew he was there was from the screaming from the box office that I heard and I looked across the street and there he was.

The audience went NUTTSSSSSSS when Usher came out for All I Care About. The girl next to me in particular. When they start making the announcement that goes like, "And now entering the room, the blah blah blah," the girl started hyperventilating and crying and was at the edge of her seat. And then the song starts and the girls are going, "We want Billy..." the girl was like, "OH YES WE DO!!! I WANT HIM!!" And then at "he's our kind of a guy," she goes, "Definately my type, mmmhhmmmm!" And then finally when they go, "And here he is," I almost went deaf from the high pitched screaming in my ear.

The girl just kept on screaming and crying and collapsing in her seat, as were many other girls probably, but the one that everyone around me noticed was this girl. For the rest of the show, she started to pant whenever he got onstage.

So I heard a lot of people talking about where they came from to see the show, and the girl next to me flew in from California for the show. And I even saw a mom and daughter who came from Hawaii just to see Usher.

The stage door scene is HIGHLY unorganized. If you have your heart set on getting Usher's autograph, that is the ONLY reason you should stick around, you probably won't get to even get a clear view of his face unless you are against the barricades, and he wasnt taking any pictures. I was one of the first people out of the theater and I didnt even get a good spot at the barricades. This is because they didnt have the barricades set up before people came out. They had everyone keep moving backwards as more people showed up so we ended up being towards the back but I was able to squeeze forward and get his autograph and then just ran away.

I don't think I am going back.

I'm going tomorrow night, and I'm scared. Not because of Usher (because I'm glad that it's not the trainwreck I expected), but because I'm going to be surrounding by impolite Usher fans not realizing it's a Broadway show, and acting like it's a concert...

---

Bianca Marroquin was Roxie. She's a Chicago vet.... Originated the role in Mexico City, was brought to the Broadway company (when the show was still at the Shubert) and made her Broadway debut. I forget how long she played during that initial run, but she is, to date, the youngest actress to play Roxie (she was 26 when she came to Broadway).

She spent well over a year on tour and has been back and forth with the Broadway company since. Bianca will go back out on tour with Chicago for 6 weeks in October.

---

The cartwheel is not gone for good. Michelle had hip surgery either last year or the year before (I can't remember how long it's been) so naturally, she can't do the cartwheel.

---

Michelle is fully healed, she just can't do a cartwheel.

Yeah, MMR is great. I <3 her. She's old school from back in the day when I was constantly excited to see the show. I miss those days

---

And Bianca cart-wheeled.

HAHAHA.

on mtv.new, usher talks about the cell phoen ringing. he thought it was clive davis!

Well on a daily basis, I think this will definately be one of the craziest stage doors ever. When I went to 3 Days, it was pretty calm, even if there were lots of people. Here, there were a lot of people, many who were basically having heart attacks from being near Usher and everyone was jumping and pushing to get closer. The 3 Days crowd was a much older crowd and were definitely more well-mannered than the teenagers at Chicago.

It was crazy today! Its difficult to get his fanbase to be so calm that they start such a scene at the stage door and during the show. Chicago is now USHER: LIVE ON BROADWAY.

---

Ha! Good sense of humor Dave. I will be laughing about the fact that I won't have to see the show again with his fanbase around.

---

Yeah, I saw Sweeney yesterday too at the matinee, and when I got out, I looked across the street and it was CRAZY!!! People were standing in the streets, and standing on those telephone pole things, it was nuts!!!

---