If/Then is a contemporary new musical that follows two distinct story lines in the life of Elizabeth, a city planner who moves back to New York to restart her life in this city of infinite possibilities. When her carefully designed plans collide with the whims of fate, Elizabeth's life splits into two parallel paths. If/Then follows both stories simultaneously as this modern woman faces the intersection of choice and chance.
If/Then is an original musical written by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning creators of Next to Normal, and starring Idina Menzel in her much-anticipated return to Broadway after her Tony Award-winning performance in Wicked.
If/Then also stars Tony Award winner LaChanze (The Color Purple) and reunites Idina Menzel with her original Rent co-star, Anthony Rapp.
If/Then surely answers all those needs. You absolutely never know what is going to happen, right up to the last, surprisingly moving beat. You appreciate its addressing the central dilemma of career vs. family in a very direct way and then, quietly but completely, undermining it in the end. That it does all this while also looking as beautiful, and moving as smoothly, as any modern show could, with superior performances from top to bottom from a gorgeously multi-everything cast, are just some of the signs that the director Michael Greif is offering his finest work to date.
If you're getting Sondheim hot flashes-Merrily We Roll Along for its retrospective rue and Company for insights into urban singledom-you know where If/Then lives. It's a smart, contemporary piece for adults. It doesn't condescend-to its sympathetic and fallible same-sex couples, or to an Army reservist (James Snyder) for whom Liz falls...Menzel imbues her character with maximum pluck and vulnerabilty. But for all the charisma of the lead and ensemble, Kitt's score blurs into similar-sounding midtempo pop ballads. Menzel carries the show but can't force us to care about Liz/Beth's average life choices. People are just too darn nice in If/Then's world. We need more bitchery and satire, more injustice for our hero to fight against, to inspire an anthem as thrilling (if as slick) as 'Let It Go.' Otherwise, we get a Choose Your Own Adventure that's not really venturesome.
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