Hedwig and the Angry Inch

 I'm so happy that I returned to see this show a second time. I enjoyed myself the time before but left the theater with many questions, and while some questions STILL remain unanswered, I felt like I watched an entirely different show. Seeing John Cameron Mitchell play Hedwig as opposed to Michael C Hall was like night and day. Before, I had see Hedwig very angry, hostile, unloving towards her husband (still played by Lena Hall who was on her second to last performance before leaving). John was the original Hedwig from the film. His diction was so clear. Even the hardest of rock songs were understandable.

John had a spill on the street a while back which put him in a knee brace and sneakers as opposed to Hedwig's memorable heels. It was interesting to see her strut the stage in converse, but she did it well. She even made Ytsik put a crate under her foot anytime she sat anywhere. Way to run with what you've got. 

 We sat in the balcony which was a whole section above where I sat last time. We had row E which was second to last. Not too bad....as soon as the show started we moved down to row B, and it felt no different from the first row of the mezzanine. The best part of seeing the show on a Friday is that curtain time was at 10 PM, making it feel more like a concert. All the other theatergoers were super fans.

Here's the iconic sneakers. We waited outside to get autographs. We got autographed sugar daddy suckers and Lena signed everyone's playbills.

Aladdin

God this show was terrible, and I got my ticket for FREE! I wish I could get the time back. Let me explain:

My friend Diane and I went to the lottery today to try to win. Our dumb luck; we never win anything. The guys behind us were lucky enough to win. I overheard one of the them tell us "We already have tickets in the balcony..." As soon as the names were all called and we were ticketless, I turned to him and said "were you planning on selling the tickets?" to which he replied "we were going to give them to you." There was no catch. They honestly wanted to give them to us. We were overjoyed. Living in NYC so long does make you bitter and you begin to think that  no one is nice anymore. WRONG! (He's from San Antonio, so maybe that explains it) The seats were in the balcony but we didn't care. I figured that fly space would be used heavily in this show so it was going to be big. 

The acting was terrible. There's no other way around it. Jasmine's lines sounded like lines and like she was repeating something she did every day. Aladdin was ok, but his role was overall cheesy. Genie was so over the top. It was very apparent that the writers did not care about any role except Genie and wouldn't you know, it was the only damned thing about the show that was nominated for anything. Iago was turned into a short, scary sounding, annoying Oompa Loompa. We were excited to see Jonathan Freeman (Original Jafar in the movie) play Jafar but wouldn't you know, he was out tonight! Just our luck! As for Abu, he was butchered into 3 smaller roles and they were all Aladdin's friends. They all had 2 dimensional personalities; the boss when Aladdin wasn't around, the Nebbish lover, and the fat one obsessed with food. BORING BORING SNORE!

 Since it's a disney show, they used all the disney tricks. Kick line, tap dancing when unnecessary, and confetti guns at the end of a lackluster song. It was very sad that a show all about magic had virtually none in it. The best part of the whole show was the orchestra. They sounded flawless, though some of the arrangements sounded too "Broadway" and not enough "Aladdin".

 I did appreciate the people who imagined up some of the props. For the most part, nothing really excited me. I think even 10 year old Stina wouldn't be impressed. The tapping was some of the worst tapping I've ever seen on Broadway. There's never a reason to have 10 maxi fords in one number. Diane commented that the regular choreography was also sloppy and just plain bad. One of the chorus girls was pregnant. We could tell from the balcony! The flying carpet technology was neat because I honestly couldn't figure it out. I'm guessing it was a hovercraft that was directed from offstage. I didn't see any wires or arms. Right before they sang "A Whole New World" Aladdin jumped on the carpet and then broke the 4th wall to tell the audience that they were experiencing "technical difficulties", then took a 3 minute break, and when they came back Jasmine asked "Is it safe?" and some random audience member made the biggest laugh, which made the actors break character in laughter.

We sat 3rd row of the balcony and we were far away but we didn't care. Show was not good.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

It's so refreshing to see inventive new theater pieces on Broadway. We have a bad habit of seeing only musicals (my fault, my profession) We took Jaime to see it since If/Then was SUCH a bust. It's based on a novel (I have read the first page and it's pretty much identical to what was put on the stage so I will be wanting to read it) A young man with Autism starts the show holding a dog that has been killed with a "garden fork" sticking straight up, much like this photo. Very shocking way to start a play. The play is all about how he interacts with people around him and his attempt to solve the mystery of who killed the dog Wellington. 

The play uses video screens and projections (such a trend right now) to show how bright lights or loud noises affect Christopher. Everyone in the cast was superb. The lighting designer will get nominated for a tony for sure! This play was AMAZING! When Christopher was going door to door, the lighting was etched out on the floor to show where each house's plot started and where it also ended. 

 After seeing the play, I felt like it was a way to see into the eyes of someone who is autistic. Granted, I'll never know for sure what it's like, but even the simplest things like getting a hug or changing your clothes were labored.

 I bought tickets the day before for the 3rd to last row in the mezzanine. While we could've sat closer, the show was somewhat big so sitting that far back was fine. We definitely thought that sitting under the mezzanine would have been a bad idea.

If/ Then

God this was AWFUL! I don't think I've ever spent more time during a show looking at the playbill to see how far the end was. This was a rare time where the second act was better than the first....and part of that could have been because it was shorter. Aaron and myself took Jaime and at intermission we were RAGGING on the show. Pretty much, Idina Menzel's character makes choices and has fate HAPPEN to her, and depending on which direction she goes, not only determines how HER life is changed but also the lives of others. In one story line, her friend was bi sexual. In the second life story, he was gay....so her choices affect his sexuality?! Makes no sense. 

 Nothing about the story was compelling to me. I can't even believe that people LIKE this show?! Anthony Rapp was SO fucking annoying. I hated the music, the lyrics....what did I like about it?! The set....the mirrored ceiling which I assume was supposed to be a metaphor for Liz/Beth's life choices. In one life, she had a great job, but no love life, while in the other life, she had an amazing love with children but didn't have work. How stupid that she can't have both!

 We had great seats (row G house left) and for once I didn't give a shit if we were sitting super close or far away. I honestly wanted it to be over. I didn't feel love connections between people on stage, and the story line dipped in places and took turns that were more than just a little off track....they derailed. Aaron did say that the 11 o'clock number was worth it to see the show, but I'm less forgiving. The show should be good all the way through.

Honeymoon in Vegas

I'm so glad we saw this show, and the night before opening night at that. Starring Tony Danza, it's the newest Jason Robert Brown musical, based on a movie from the 90's. Very comical and over the top, the plot is a little ridiculous, but hey, isn't breaking out into song on the street weird too? It's about Jack and Betsy, who love each other and have been dating for 5 years. Jack is afraid to get married but takes Betsy to Vegas anyway in the hope that they'll tie the knot. They run into a high roller named Tommy (Danza) who thinks that Betsy looks like his dead wife and instantly falls in love. Yes, far fetched and ridiculous. But the music was great, the lyrics were witty, and Rob McClure and Brynn O'Malley were phenomenal. Aaron even mentioned that he believed that both were in love.

We had excellent seats (row CC of the mezzanine) and we could see EVERYTHING. The seats were a bit tight (the woman next to me went shopping beforehand and tried to make me feel bad for wanting all my leg room to myself) The last time I saw something in this theater was Newsies and I hated my seat based on the sight lines being blocked by the monitor. 

 At one point there are 7 Elvises on stage, if that gives you an idea of how ridiculous the show is. But it has fans. One woman in front of us talked to her friend about how she'd already seen the show 3 times (it was still in previews, mind you).

 The poker game scene was hilarious and so well done, well done Rob McClure. I actually said an audible "OH NO" even though I knew what the outcome was going to be. The airport song was HILARIOUS. And I found many of the melancholy songs to be so creative with the lyrics that they were anything BUT melancholic.

Side Show

I went with Voon and his friend Robbie to see Side Show on the closing weekend. It was a very emotional show (so I was told both before AND after seeing it) though I didn't feel it. The music felt weird to me, meaning any song that isn't regularly played on the broadway sirius channel was unmemorable. I know that there's a cult following on this show, but I don't think I'll be joining its ranks anytime soon. The costuming was gorgeous but overall, the show was slow. 

 Very quickly, it is about a pair of conjoined twins Daisy (left) and Violet (right) who couldn't be more different from each other while being stuck together. It's the 30's so complications with surgeries are a main reason why they don't ever get the snip. They meet and pair of men who want to put them in vaudeville, make them sing and dance, and earn acclaim. All while maintaining their differences. They even have a fight (nearly fist fight) and it looked funny as they were stuck together at the hip.

 There's even some romance.....awkward.

We had great tickets (row C of the mezzanine) off to house left. The best part of the night was going backstage. Voon knew someone who knew Henry Kreiger, the creator of the music. Even though I wasn't in love with some of his work, overall, it was fantastic that he got to go to broadway for a second time with it. We met some cast members, took pictures, and even got some lindy shots with the theater in the background!

Cabaret

 Come to the Cabaret! This show was AMAZING last time, EXCEPT for Michelle Williams, so when I heard that Emma Stone was coming in to take over the role of Sally Bowles, I thought "why not?" I was a little nervous about the casting choice because I've never really heard her sing....

 When she first came out, I thought "I'm willing to give you a chance." Her first song went ok, but when she first started acting with Cliff, I started to BELIEVE that she was the character! What a relief. I could stop stressing and just enjoy the show. And I did. As usual, Alan Cumming is phenomenal! You can't take your eyes off him. However, with Emma on stage, she does command attention, unlike Michelle Williams! Great job, Emma!

 The only part of the show where I was disappointed was during the song "Cabaret" where Emma was struggling vocally. She was pitchy as HELL! It brought me out of the performance. Her acting was great during the song, but the pitch was too far off to stay in it as an audience member. Overall, if you saw it with Michelle Williams, I suggest returning to watch this version.

I went with my friend Lainey and we sat in the 3rd row of the mezzanine which had little cabaret arm tables and cabaret lights. It felt like the orchestra without the uncomfortable chairs. You could even get table service (we didn't as the drinks were $19!?)