Was at the show tonight and overall, I had a fun time.
I'm not entirely confident in the quality of the show. The book is pretty strong, but it mostly sticks the movie, and when it deviates, it falters slightly. There's an added plot point of Aaron actually living in another district that feels shoehorned in as a way to give him some sort of character development or something. As it is, it does nothing to really add any sense of dramatic tension or anything.
It is -- to use a word that will surely be overused to describe this particular production -- magical.
From the second you enter the gorgeously renovated Lyric, you are completely immersed in the world. The auditorium has the exact atmosphere I imagine a real life Hogwarts would have, and it helps completely transport you.
The text itself is fine. It's neither embarrassing nor particularly good. But the performances of each actor -- in particular, I was blown away by Jamie P
Been lucky enough to see a number of understudies over the years that have blown me away: Colton Ryan as Evan Hansen, Alysha Desloriuex as all three Schuyler Sisters, Lauren Zakrin as Natasha, Lauren Zakrin as Sonya (Off-Broadway).
But truly none of them has even come close to being as transcendent and incredible as Jay Armstrong Johnson as Claude in the Hair revival. Why he isn't a huge Broadway star at this point will always be a mystery to me. He's the real deal.
Just wanted to pop in and say that Telsey being pulled from Carousel and Hello, Dolly didn't have anything to do with Huff's firing. Rudin fired Telsey last week over something else.
I was there this evening. I'm a fan of Galvin's work on The Real O'Neals and thought he would be a perfect fit for a new take on the role.
His characterization isn't 100% there yet. He's sort of in between leaning on the Aspergers-esque characterization and down-playing the confidence he has in his day-to-day life as an actor. As such, some moments don't suit him well. I found his second act to be significantly stronger than his first act, and was
There actually are $30 rush tickets available in person at the theater. Try your hand with the TodayTix rush, but if all else fails, definitely check at the box office!
Alex Wyse was a huge fan and supporter of Bright Star during its time on Broadway, but he's currently based in LA filming The Bold and the Beautiful so his involvement in the tour is unlikely.
Can't speak much about Patti, but Caissie is contracted for the lab, Denver, and Broadway. There is, of course, a chance that things will change. But she is the Elsa they want on Broadway.
It was listed on the understudy board that the role of Pierre would be played by Scott Stangland. Also, every security guard was outside the theater telling people that Josh Groban wouldn't be performing.
"Dust and Ashes" was not put into the show until the A.R.T. run. Malloy never sang the song in a performance of the show. As of now, Scott Stangland is the only Pierre who has sung it during a run of the show.
Saw the matinee yesterday. I'll admit I was completely skeptical of Holliday's casting. Headley was simply inspired and Holliday, to me, just doesn't exude the regal beauty and sexuality that Headley does. Still, I went in with an open mind. While I was not completely won over by her performance, I'll concede that Holliday is absolutely working hard and if someone were seeing the show for the first time, I think they would be quite impressed with her performance. Unfortun
According to the playbill my friend received at the Wednesday matinee, Sydney is listed in the playbill as Burr (sorry the picture is sideways, not sure what went wrong when I uploaded it). I presume Austin will be listed as Burr during his weeks as well.
I've also come to understand that Playbill Vault is more official than IBDB simply because Playbill Vault is organized by the
Managed to get standing room tonight at around 5:15 for $32.
The show is in incredible shape. Jessie us giving an astounding performance and everyone else in the cast is really giving it their all. Chris Fitzgerald almost stole the whole show and I wouldn't be shocked if he became one of the front runners for the featured actor Tony. Keala Settle and Kimiko Glenn both deliver very strong performances and sell the crap out of their songs.
"And with previews underway and two weeks left until opening, Brightman is working on more than just the show. He was originally asked to gain weight for the role—he put on 35 pounds—the creative team has asked him to lose a lot of it so he doesn’t hurt himself with all the jumping around and picking up the kids."
According to the playbill my friend received at the Wednesday matinee, Sydney is listed in the playbill as Burr (sorry the picture is sideways, not sure what went wrong when I uploaded it). I presume Austin will be listed as Burr during his weeks as well.
