Ana-Brit Asplen - Page 2

First Show

While the first Broadway tour I got to see was The Lion King (Minneapolis, January 2012), the first show I saw in NYC was First Date: The Musical on August 7th, 2013. It was the last night of previews, as well as my 16th birthday.

Favorite Show

The musicals of Stephen Sondheim are particularly sentimental to me, especially since Into the Woods was the first musical I ever got to see live on stage at age 12. However, it is Merrily We Roll Along that I must consider my favorite, and it was so special seeing the 2024 Broadway revival.

Favorite Stories

• WRECKING BALL at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company - Being able to review a world premiere at an acclaimed theatre is a rare occasion, and Wrecking Ball by Zina Camblin was an excellently written and performed show. The actors, whose roles were written with them specifically in mind, gave very nuanced performances balancing comedic elements against a tense environment.
• HELLO, DOLLY! at The Carnegie - Seeing a classic, iconic show done so well is always an enjoyable time, and The Carnegie's production of Hello, Dolly! did just that with it's excellent casting and direction. It was also fascinating to analyze this show through the context of its history as well as seeing how it connects to a modern audience.
• DANCING WITH THE STARS: LIVE! 2024 TOUR at Taft Theatre - Though my central background is based in theatre, I like to expand out into reviewing other types of performances. The 2024 tour of Dancing with the Stars: Live! was a fantastic dance showcase that featured the professionals from the television show in their best form. Even though there was no plot or traditional acting skills to consider, there were many other components to highlight, especially as they added different types of segments beyond the dance routines.
• TROUBLE IN MIND at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company - Theatre about theatre is a particularly meta experience, but this rendition of Alice Childress' 1955 play Trouble in Mind impeccably addressed a lot of the emotions that are still present to this day when it comes to personal identities and professional appearances, especially as different power dynamics are adding to the pressure.
• MOULIN ROUGE! at Aronoff Center - Moulin Rouge! was the first Broadway tour I was able to review, and by focusing on different elements with the intent of writing about them later, it let me see the show in a different way. In actively thinking about what worked on both objective and personal levels, I was able to better appreciate how skilled the production as a whole was between the talent within the current cast and the visual spectacle.