If/Then Previews- Page 12

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 7:17pm

I saw the show yesterday afternoon and I really liked it. I thought it was sweet, very funny, acted great, with a very good score. I did think that act one got a little too muddy and the birthday scene went on too long, but I was very impressed by act two, and Idina amazed me the whole way through. Not only with her vocal prowess - though I do worry about blowing out her voice - but with how she was able to maintain a delicate balance of being at two emotional places within seconds of each other.

[jawjuhh]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 8:02pm

Agree with Libby, I was generally just unimpressed. Idina sounds great but the music was so bleh. Next to Normal has my favorite musical score and so perhaps my expectations were too high, but I was bored even by her big 11 o'clock number. They seemed incredibly forced, almost like an afterthought. It just makes me more woeful that I never saw Next to Normal live. I felt very removed from the show- it made me think a great deal about my own life but I go to the theater to get OUT of my own life. I was also disappointed that Pearl Sun wasn't in the ensemble, though she's an understudy in the show. I really liked what I saw of her from the N2N tour and was hoping to see her on stage.

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 8:58pm

^I've been trying to explain how it made me feel and what you said, "I felt removed from the show". That's it. That's exactly it. Next to Normal, I felt like I was on stage with them. Every character held my attention (I didn't see it live.. coughyoutubecough) but even through the screen I was going on the same emotional roller coaster they were. But with If/Then I felt like they wouldn't let you get too involved with the characters. They were a bit closed off to me.

Updated On: 3/23/14 at 08:58 PM

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 9:08pm

Personally, I think the whole "is the show sexist?" argument is odd. Would we call it into question if it was about a guy? In the end, both stories have their share of regrets, but also gifts. Just like real life.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 10:24pm

"In the end, both stories have their share of regrets, but also gifts. Just like real life."

Exactly.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 1:22am

Didn't love this show. It's pretty muddled and the dual storyline left me disconnected from the characters. It's overly ambitious. The songs all sound the same. Anthony Rapp has the best ballad and it's the only song I remember.

Idina was incredible. The whole cast elevated the work. I found it meh. Idina got a huge reception as did Rapp. The two of them together can probably keep this overly ambitious musical afloat financially.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 1:24am

"It's overly ambitious."

I wish this were a negative critique on more shows.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/25/14 at 12:03pm

Has anyone seen it more than once? I'm curious what they've changed in previews besides the opening number.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/25/14 at 12:22pm

I think most of the changes were subtle, and the majority were just clarifying the bifurcated story lines and helping the audience to navigate them.

[rlb237]

Posted: 3/25/14 at 2:35pm

"Opening is March 30. It was originally March 27, but that was pushed to the 30th. I haven't heard anything about 4/1."

Thank you, veronica! I just saw this reply just now so I'm delayed in conveying my thanks to you for confirming which date is officially opening night. That is extra exciting to me because I just so happened to buy tickets for that night, thinking it was still going to be in previews! Thanks again for your answer.

[TheGirlUpstairs]

Posted: 3/25/14 at 2:51pm

I only saw it once, but a group sitting near me was chatting about changes that they had noticed. There wasn't anything too major besides the opening number, but they've definitely been playing with the pacing of some of the scenes and changing lyrics. I only remember one specific change, and that was that they had shortened the job interview scene where Beth is hiring her new employee. It mostly seems like changes are happening on that scale at this point.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/25/14 at 4:00pm

It's pretty much frozen at this point.

[LYLS3637]

Posted: 3/25/14 at 4:36pm

I imagine it would have to be frozen by now. Would they really make substantial changes 7 performances before opening night?

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 3/25/14 at 7:20pm

Quick random question...Idina's name is above the title so if she got sick would they have to cancel the performance? How exactly does that system work when a name is above the title and they are out of the performance due to illness or injury? Would the understudy go on and the audience be entitled to a refund of some sort? Does Idina even have an understudy/standby?...Sorry, English is not my first language.

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 3/25/14 at 7:28pm

Typically, if a performer above the title is out, then audience members are entitled to a refund if they wish, but the performance will go on with the understudy. The understudy (or in this case, standby) for the role of Elizabeth is Jackie Burns.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 3/25/14 at 7:38pm

Merci beaucoup, Danny. ^^.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/26/14 at 1:20pm

Does anyone happen to know if they'll be doing the lotto on Sunday?

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/26/14 at 1:29pm

I haven't paid much attention to where the lotto seats are, but if they are rear mezz, the last two rows seemed to be on sale for opening night.

[Owen22]

Posted: 3/26/14 at 8:32pm

The story engaged me slightly more in Act 2 than Act 1 (though the best song, "Here I Go" is in the first act) but what really confuses me is how mediocre the songs are, both lyrically and musically. "Next" had some gorgeous music and quite literate lyrics...everything sounds the same and never gets a toe to tap. There's a recitative quality to the songs that drone on and on without ever creating a memorable melody. Cast does what it can, though I didn't much believe any character except Idina's and Anthony's. And don't get my started on the "merry villager" aspect of the Manhattan crowd scenes...and the HORRIBLE semi- hip hop dancing they are required to do. There is so little delineation by the director to keep the two timelines separate that it eventually gets a little confusing. And SPOILER the male lead's death is a throwaway in the middle of a song! Disappointed.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/26/14 at 9:25pm

"There is so little delineation by the director to keep the two timelines separate that it eventually gets a little confusing."

You mean each character having a different lighting scheme, one of her characters wearing glasses, her going by two different names, and each other character addressing her by the alternating name at beginning of every scene switch?

[djdan1079]

Posted: 3/26/14 at 11:16pm

I saw the show last Friday. I wanted so badly to like it and just left feeling completely indifferent. I give the creative team points for bringing another original idea to Broadway, and really going for as ambitious of a concept as they could. It's refreshing to see people taking chances instead of adapting another movie for the stage.

But the show didn't work for me.

I found myself totally bored through the first 30 minutes and somehow missed the line and Rapp's character being bisexual. So you can imagine my confusion about him being with a man in one story arc and in love with a woman in the other. Speaking of Rapp, he was pretty much the weakest part of the show for me, doing a rehash of Mark in "Rent" through a lot of the show.

Idina and LaChanze were both fantastic, but not enough to compensate for a muddled storyline that was often difficult to follow.

I agree that the score isn't amazing. The only two songs I can remember 5 days later are Idina's 11 o' clock number at the end and the first act song where she says "f**k" a lot. But maybe my biggest problem with the concept is that Liz and Beth are SUPPOSED to be the same person on two different paths, but they didn't really feel like the same person. One character (and I don't even remember if it was Liz or Beth, which should tell you how little of an impression the show made on me) felt completely self absorbed, overly focused on career, trying to put the moves on a married man, using her best friend for attention, and making her other friends' divorce about her. Not the kind of character I can cheer for. Meanwhile, the other character was more into the family life and sacrificing to raise a family.

Maybe the point is that we have have these dual sides to ourselves, one side of us can be selfish, while part wants to settle down. If that's the point, then ok, but it's not what I walked away feeling as I left the theater.

And yes, the modern dance pieces within the show were borderline embarrassing.

My female friend who was there with me loved the show though. Maybe it speaks more to women than men???

Overall, I enjoyed Bullets over Broadway more.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 12:10am

"One character (and I don't even remember if it was Liz or Beth, which should tell you how little of an impression the show made on me) felt completely self absorbed, overly focused on career, trying to put the moves on a married man, using her best friend for attention, and making her other friends' divorce about her. Not the kind of character I can cheer for. Meanwhile, the other character was more into the family life and sacrificing to raise a family. "

**possible spoilers**
I did not think she was trying to put moves on a married man... it was actually the other way around. Beth wanted to quit after what happened between her and Steven. I'm not sure where you got the attention seeker in her character from. I felt like Elizabeth was pretty humble and grounded in both stories. I did not think that either Beth or Liz were too different, and I had no problem seeing them as the same character.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 12:46am

I did not think she was trying to put moves on a married man... it was actually the other way around. Beth wanted to quit after what happened between her and Steven. I'm not sure where you got the attention seeker in her character from.

Um really? I think djdan hit the nail on the head. Beth was SUPER cold, sarcastic, and almost bitchy (not to mention SUPER needy as evidenced by her putting the moves on two men in the same night) while Liz was way more grounded and level-headed. She was resistant to a relationship with Snyder's character, but ultimately she lets her heart get the better of her. Beth is cold as ice. I had the exact same problem with this aspect of the writing.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 1:02am

I don't think Beth is cold as ice. I think she is a very driven woman who is afraid to let people in, and once it does, she gets scared and runs.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 1:23am

Well she read "cold as ice" the night I saw it.