Wow, wow, wow! Jennifer Nettles as Jenna was a revelation. I’ve only seen Jessie Mueller, so she’s all I can compare her to, but Jennifer’s Jenna is very different. She is truly BROKEN and I don’t think she even cracked a smile until Bad Idea. Her voice was in top shape and fit her like a glove. She had great chemistry with Erich Bergen, who was also great and hilarious.
Now on the flip side…
Nik Dodani gave one of the worst performances, if not the worst, that I’ve ever seen on a Broadway stage. From clips, I would compare him to Cameron Dallas’ stint in Mean Girls. I’m sure Nik is a lovely guy, but he cannot sing. Not even a small bit. It was painful and I’ve seen better performances at middle school musicals. He also wasn’t terribly funny and he couldn’t even sing with the music.. just embarrassing. There are thousands of people out of work and THIS is what we are given? Gross.
Even so, run, do not walk to the Barrymore. Nettles is giving such a special performance, it’s worth the few shortcomings.
Updated On: 10/21/21 at 09:36 AM