Review: Life Choices that Require a Diva in IF/THEN at the Paramount

When I first saw "If/Then" in New York I thought the same thing I think now, "Cute show but it'll never make it without Idina Menzel since the show is basically a vehicle for her." Well, I guess the producers of the tour agreed with me since more than half of the original leads including Menzel are on tour with the show currently at the Paramount Theatre.

The premise of Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's show is an interesting one, showing the two drastically different paths a person's life can take based on one small decision. The person in question is Elizabeth (Menzel) and the choice, does she stay and listen to a musician in the park with her friend Kate (LaChanze) or does she go to a protest with her other friend Lucas (Anthony Rapp). And due to that one small decision, one timeline of her life follows the path of love, marriage and family and the other path tends toward career.

The show and the story are interesting enough but, as I said, largely due to Menzel. The songs are nice but don't really move the story along, a story that's fairly predictable. Plus the show itself is quite New York centric and a bit self-indulgent at times making it difficult to connect with people outside New York. But these are minor qualms with the show and really only affect the longevity of the show once its star leaves the tour early next year.

But for us here in Seattle, we have the Diva and she is amazing! Menzel's voice is her usual stunning brilliance and she truly inhabits the role showing off a lot of range as she takes on two different character arcs. LaChanze too shows off her incredible voice as she belts out several showstoppers as the free-spirited Kindergarten teacher Kate and she's got wonderful chemistry with Janine DiVita as her girlfriend Anne. Rapp manages the role of the long time best friend well but lacks some nuance in his character and that makes his relationship with Marc Delacruz as David feel a bit stale. But it's James Snyder as Elizabeth's love interest Josh who truly shines to match Menzel. He's likable and with a crystal clear powerhouse of a voice and it doesn't hurt that he's playing a dreamy army doctor. And he and Menzel are wonderful together.

But it's still Menzel's show as she rarely leaves the stage and I pity the poor woman who has to step into the role when she leaves. But we have Menzel here so we cannot complain watching and listening to an awesome Broadway icon which is why I give "If/Then" a solid YAY with my three letter rating system. Will the show change your life? Probably not. But will you enjoy the talent up on that stage? Absolutely!

"If/Then" performs at the Paramount Theatre through November 8th. For tickets or information visit the Seattle Theatre Group online at www.stgpresents.org.

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