If/Then Tour

[Pootie2]

TFMH18 said: "Am I the only one quite surprised that Anthony is remaining with the tour? It just seems like such an unlikely move for him to continue on without the rest of the principles. I'd also argue that, next to Idina of course, he is the "biggest star" of the four. Great news nonetheless!  "

 

Rapp's continued involvement is actually the least surprising to me. He doesn't have a dependent family to worry about and has gone on multiple tours (including international) before. Menzel, LaChanze, and Snyder being involved at all surprised me the most. Rapp has his one-man show, so scheduling and staging that is much more flexible than other show commitments, I imagine.

[jonlow09]

Does anyone know who is going on this Sunday?

[Pootie2]

If the sales website doesn't note a cast change and there's nothing on the venue's social media, expect the usual cast.

[luvbrdway]

First night in Tempe. My goodness. What a cast. A few winks and nods whenever Phoenix was mentioned. I read every spoiler I could since I had heard it was sorta hard to follow. Glad I did. Idina was just soooo good. Didn't hear a bad note. So glad I went. It was amazing.

[CATSNYrevival]

It's a great tour. I can't say I would have been interested had Idina not been in it. It's a shame the rest of the country won't get this cast. I don't have a lot of confidence that the material would stand on its own without those voices.

[Pootie2]

It looks like Menzel has food poisoning, so Janine DiVita will be on. They expect her back tomorrow night.

https://www.facebook.com/ASUGammageFan/posts/10153991790327873

[Kylechristopherwest]

Some thoughts on the new cast of the If/Then tour.

[TFMH18]

Appreciate the in depth thoughts on the new cast. I have to say, though, having seen both Menzel and Burns on Broadway in the role, that you think the latter adds a depth which "far exceeds" the former is patently untrue. Jackie plays Elizabeth quite differently, with more of a softness, but I connected to Idina's Elizabeth much more deeply. Of course, as noted, performances are open to opinion and interpretation, but I think it's clear in comparing the two performers who the role was written for. 

[Pootie2]

TFMH18 said: "Appreciate the in depth thoughts on the new cast. I have to say, though, having seen both Menzel and Burns on Broadway in the role, that you think the latter adds a depth which "far exceeds" the former is patently untrue. Jackie plays Elizabeth quite differently, with more of a softness, but I connected to Idina's Elizabeth much more deeply. Of course, as noted, performances are open to opinion and interpretation, but I think it's clear in comparing the two performers who the role was written for. "

 

That didn't make sense to me either; it's not possible for anyone to be "better" than Menzel in the role since it was explicitly written for her and developed with her participation. Menzel got a Tony nomination for playing Elizabeth. It only means this author prefers Burns.

 

Another take on the new tour cast: http://thecolumnonline.com/review/01-28-2016_IF-THEN-A-New-Musical/

 

I will say, having seen some reviews of the touring production... It seems the concept of bisexuality flew over the heads of a few critics. This one complained that the plot suffered when Lucas was "gay" in one story line but "straight" in another: http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/arts/01-28-16-if-then-theater-review/

 

On another note, it's unfortunate that Rapp was trapped at BroadwayCon and had to miss the final OBC tour show due to the blizzard.

[FindingNamo]

Maybe he'll make a new one-man show out of the experience:  Without Me.

[mollyml052]

I saw this last night in Chicago and quite enjoyed it. I'm a huge Next to Normal fan, and a couple of years ago when I was in NYC, most on this board advised me to see Hedwig over If/Then, saying If/Then paled in comparison to Next to Normal. I took that advice, and was thrilled to get a second chance to see If/Then. While it's not as good as the masterpiece that is Next to Normal, I quite enjoyed If/Then, particularly as Elizabeth finds her voice and abilities in the second act. At intermission, I was frustrated by Elizabeth's lack of confidence and the constant need to be propped up by her friends in the first act, but I appreciated that over the course of the whole show, the audience really gets to see the evolution of a woman as she grows up and finds herself.

 

Jackie Burns was fantastic. Her voice sounds eerily similar to Idina's, and she did a great job an incredibly taxing role. I was surprised that Anthony Rapp was in the show, and I enjoyed his performance. My husband and I laughed at how similar Lucas is to Mark from Rent. I mean, they both stage protests against gentrification, are squatters, and love a character played by Idina Menzel... The actor who played Josh, Matthew Hydzik, did a great job with a slightly underdeveloped character. I enjoyed Tamyra Grey in Rent several years ago, and I loved her here. Kate seems like such a fun character to play.

[ggersten]

My thoughts on the Chicago show:  http://theatreflats.blogspot.com/2016/02/ifthen-in-chicago.html

 

[Pootie2]

ggersten said: "My thoughts on the Chicago show:  http://theatreflats.blogspot.com/2016/02/ifthen-in-chicago.html"

 

Wait, you didn't see Menzel perform in IF/THEN but want to do a detailed comparison of Menzel versus Burns in the role?

 

Also, none of Menzel's missed performances related to public appearances count in terms of score difficulty. She missed more towards the end of the run, which I believe contributes to recency bias (trip to UK, Oscars, Super Bowl). Otherwise, illness is illness; it wasn't a School of Rock situation as some might imply.

[ozjust4]

ggersten said: "My thoughts on the Chicago show:  http://theatreflats.blogspot.com/2016/02/ifthen-in-chicago.html

 

Re: Your notes about Phoenix. I saw the show in Phoenix and it remained Phoenix

 

 

 

"

 

[SLSigafoos]

Can't believe people are still doing this "Idina vs. Jackie" comparison. I realize that happens when anyone "originates" a role in a brand new show, but it's saddening to see Jackie herself even saying how fans have been rude to her lately. Idina, of course, did a great job with the material, but so does Jackie...and in my opinion, both give different takes on the role. As someone else said earlier, Jackie portrays Elizabeth/Beth as being a bit more soft than Idina did. But vocally, I think they match each other note for note. In fact, I have to say I prefer Jackie in the role. It doesn't mean I dislike Idina in it. I can just relate more with Jackie's portrayal of the character(s). Either way, there's no reason for people to judge one vs the other when Idina isn't even in it anymore. Open your eyes and ears to someone who is up there trying so hard to give you the performance you were hoping for. I've never seen Jackie give less than 100% -- or any of her cast mates, for that matter. A hardworking cast doing well with the material is all that fans should ask for. Plus, why would anyone want two people to be EXACTLY alike? How boring would that be?

[Auggie27]

Has the show sold well since Menzel departed?  It's unrelated to performance evaluation, just a marketing and box office question. Once Menzel's name disappeared, does the show pull on its own?  It would not in NYC, or it would have lasted after Menzel's departure (and it often dipped with her playing all . Just a question.

[steven22]

I saw both Idina, Jackie and Jenn as Elizabeth on Broadway and loved all three interpretations equally. Jackie gives a great performance...anyone seeing her on tour is not missing a thing! 

[GoblinKing2]

Out of curiosity, what exactly was being said to Jackie and where?  Was she just being bashed on Twitter or were people literally coming up to her at stage door and telling her she "wasn't as good" as Idina?  I would assume that she would have had to deal with the comparisons for some time since she was the standby going back two years or more now, but it seems something especially egregious must have happened for her to now vent a little on Twitter.  Not that it affects the orbit of the earth around the sun, but I guess I'm curious to just how low people can sink sometimes.  I was the prototypical Classic Star Trek fanboy back in the day, for example, but I could never, ever in a million years imagine walking up to Zach Quinto and saying "you're not as good as Leonard Nimoy."  That kind of stuff sets new standards for stupidity.    

[Pootie2]

GoblinKing2 said: "Out of curiosity, what exactly was being said to Jackie and where?  Was she just being bashed on Twitter or were people literally coming up to her at stage door and telling her she "wasn't as good" as Idina?  I would assume that she would have had to deal with the comparisons for some time since she was the standby going back two years or more now, but it seems something especially egregious must have happened for her to now vent a little on Twitter.  Not that it affects the orbit of the earth around the sun, but I guess I'm curious to just how low people can sink sometimes.  I was the prototypical Classic Star Trek fanboy back in the day, for example, but I could never, ever in a million years imagine walking up to Zach Quinto and saying "you're not as good as Leonard Nimoy."  That kind of stuff sets new standards for stupidity.    "

 

Burns once gave an interview last year or the year before where she related an IF/THEN interaction: A couple from the UK said to her before the show that they would be very angry if she went on and did not want to see her. Then her recent tweet. I have no doubt there is some amazing stupidity going on at stage door.

[LizzieCurry]

GoblinKing2 said: "I was the prototypical Classic Star Trek fanboy back in the day, for example, but I could never, ever in a million years imagine walking up to Zach Quinto and saying "you're not as good as Leonard Nimoy."  That kind of stuff sets new standards for stupidity.    "

 

Sounds like you have common sense. How dare!

[KJisgroovy]

Jackie Burns is astonishing in this. It's hard for me to imagine someone mentally stable seeing her perform and feeling the need to knock her performance. She's very different than Idina, but not at inadequate. I much prefer the vulnerability in her performance and her singing, but I respect what Idina did with the role too. Both are excellent... people are so weird. 

[pc1145N2]

I saw the show last night and Jackie was amazing.

People can be idiots!

[SLSigafoos]

GoblinKing2 said: "Out of curiosity, what exactly was being said to Jackie and where?  Was she just being bashed on Twitter or were people literally coming up to her at stage door and telling her she "wasn't as good" as Idina?  I would assume that she would have had to deal with the comparisons for some time since she was the standby going back two years or more now, but it seems something especially egregious must have happened for her to now vent a little on Twitter.  

I don't know the exact context of what happened -- whether it was an online or stage door interaction -- but yes, you're right that when it gets to the point where Jackie has to vent on twitter, you know it's gone too far. I didn't see anything outrageous in "@" replies to her the day she vented, so I'm going to assume it's happened at the stage door. I know when I saw her in the role in NYC in 2014, there were several people LOUDLY saying, while she was signing autographs at the SD, that they wanted to see Idina instead. I know she heard them because she was not only within earshot, but she made a face as if to say their behavior bothered her. It's a shame because the audience response that day was LARGELY positive and there were plenty of positive comments at the SD. But, a few bad apples, I imagine, can ruin it for the whole bunch. If 200 people tell you they loved your performance and then 2 people tell you that you're not as good as Idina, those 2 people would still affect you. That's being human and I'm sure Jackie lets most of it roll off her back, but I just can't even begin to believe that 'fans' have that nerve in the first place. 

 

 

 

[asmith0307]

I agree. I saw both (Idina on Broadway and Jackie on tour) and they are both fantastic in the role. As for someone's question on how it is selling, the Oriental was fairly full at the last Sunday matinee (at least the balcony was). Given, Chicago is known for being one of the higher selling audiences.  

[KnewItWhenIWasInFron]

Gray missed opening night in Minneapolis:

http://www.twincities.com/2016/03/09/ifthen-review-orpheum-minneapolis/

[rcwr]

I'm so excited to see this when it gets to Boston.