IF/THEN opening in DC tonight.

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 7:06am

Anyone going?

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 10:06am

First preview is tonight, not "opening." Not going tonight but can't wait to see it.

[steven22]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 11:02am

I'm very excited to hear some feedback about tonight's performance!

[gstrus2]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 11:19am

Making the road trip to DC on November 30 to see If/Then and Matthew Morrison at the Kennedy Center! Super excited! Hoping to hear great things about If/Then!!!

[valeposh]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 11:52am

Me too! Doing exactly the same. Two Matt Morrison shows and one Idina! Not sure which If/Then show to attend though, as I'll be in DC from Nov 27 to Dec 2...

[hockeynut2]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 6:40pm

Check out my reviews with the cast on DCMetroTheatreArts and the $50 tickets for the 13th and 20th matinees.

50 dollar tickets for If Then for November 13th and 20th matinees

[rgdave]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 7:59pm

Have tix for Saturday night. Very excited about this one.

[bwaylyric]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 8:16pm

What does the curtain look like? Where is the stage door? Will she sign my RENT poster? Will Kristin be there?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 8:42pm

Looks JUST like Next To Normal...

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 9:40pm

At least, the tress are beautiful :)

[indytallguy]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 9:40pm

So I'm in DC for work and was able to catch just the first act and thought I'd share my take.

First Act 90 minutes with say 7-8 songs (I wasn't working hard to keep direct count).

The songs:

A couple of nice ballads between the leads, one with a hint of country that I could see becoming a standalone song. One clever song I'm guessing is called "What the F*CK?" since that was the punchline of it.

The ensemble numbers were a mess to me. Long-winded,not particularly interesting, and choreography that seemed to mainly consist of walking and turning or spinning every so often. Really lame.

And the first act closing number. My God it needs work.

The Set:

You see the pic of the main set (no curtain) and it is indeed reminiscent of Rent, Next to Normal, and a bit of Les Miz with the runway that cuts across it horizontally on mid-air.

The lower half also periodically features a revolving apartment setting for Idina.

Other than that we get a desk, a table, or a chair now and then. Very minimal. Hard to tell if it is by design or by budget.

One cool feature is a huge mirrored "ceiling" that often is angled over the lower stage so you see things in reflection such as the lame choreography.

Leads are all in decent voice. Poor Anthony Rapp in another role fighting for affordable housing in NYC. Typecast?

My main problem is that book is a mess.

IF your musical's premise is to play out multiple storylines for the leading characters

THEN don't be surprised if those stories feel choppy, underdeveloped, and make it difficult for the audience to get emotionally connected to any of them as they unfold.

I was bored out of my mind. But hey, it's a first preview, right?

That being said, some humorous lines sprinkled throughout, a few are pretty clever and a few are groan-inducing.

The show at this point feels like it is written with a Millennial audience in mind. Those in that age range who were around me seem to be enjoying themselves well enough.

I'm happy to try and answer specific questions if I can.



Updated On: 11/5/13 at 09:40 PM

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 9:48pm

What's wrong with the closing for Act 1?

[indytallguy]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 9:54pm

It's a very disjointed number that introduces a major plot surprise (that really seems extraneous, but maybe is better developed in the second act). That surprise has to then be played out through the multiple IF/THEN storylines in a fairly short period of time. This is all being done in what is supposed to be a big climax number hoping to leave us on a musical high so it of course involves the entire ensemble whose members are often dashing to and fro on the fire escape. It just is trying to do way too much for far too little payoff.

Updated On: 11/5/13 at 09:54 PM

[jv92]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 10:27pm

That set is really a little too familiar.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 11:38pm

My friend really liked the show. She said everyone came to the stage door afterwards, but Idina and LaChanze [LaChanze is a source from someone else] only signed a few before leaving.

Updated On: 11/5/13 at 11:38 PM

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 11/5/13 at 11:47pm

jv92, Mark Wendland (who designed the set) tends to use the same exact aesthetic in every single one of his designs. I've always found it rather jarring.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/6/13 at 12:06am

From what I've heard before tonight, LaChanze has the likely potential to pretty much steal the show.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/6/13 at 12:59am

^Definitely not. LaChanze has a good song or two, but nowhere near enough to steal the show. The character isn't that developed or interesting enough and the songs aren't showstoppers. I like her as an actress and all, but completely disagree with whoever suggested that.

I'm not going to say too much now because it's late, I'm tired and I already spent an hour dissecting it with a friend, but I was soooo mixed at intermission. I called it Sliding Doors: The Musical and felt kind of offended at the heavy-handedness of a woman choosing to get married and have a family was being pushed as the "right" path over having a career. But I really liked how they wrapped up both storylines in the end. It wasn't as predictable as I anticipated it being.

Idina sounds the best I've heard her in 10 years.

[binau]

Posted: 11/6/13 at 1:06am

Can we please be mindful about spoilers :)?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/6/13 at 1:11am

How was any of that a spoiler?

[binau]

Posted: 11/6/13 at 2:58am

Even though it is probably an obvious plot direction, I think that "heavy-handedness of a woman choosing to get married and have a family was being pushed as the "right" path over having a career" is a spoiler because it reveals one of the ideas of the show.

I personally would prefer any spoilers to have a warning, but I can't speak on behalf of everyone.

[gstrus2]

Posted: 11/6/13 at 5:59am

What merch did they have?

[idinalover2]

Posted: 11/6/13 at 6:49am

I wonder if they stop and thought instead of Broadway why don't we try off Broadway after this run. I just wonder why there are so much rush of new musicals to go to Broadway instead of being coherent

[indytallguy]

Posted: 11/6/13 at 6:53am

LaChanze is the sassy one and sing the sassy songs. I don't think it gives her much potential to steal the show even though she gets off some of the more entertaining lines.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/6/13 at 8:49am

How are you supposed to talk about a new musical with no spoilers? "Oh, there was a really good song I can't tell you anything about because it reveals anything about the plot."

If you don't want to read any sort of vague spoilers, don't read threads about it. I avoided Sweeney Todd threads for years until I finally saw it and I managed to stay unspoiled.

And, yeah, I also clearly said "IT WASN'T AS PREDICTABLE AS I ANTICIPATED IT BEING!", which kind of negates my comment ruining the ending.

Updated On: 11/6/13 at 08:49 AM