Broadway Marathon (October to November)!

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 11/26/18 at 8:13am

Hi, guys! 


Last year I went to West End and was able to see many musicals and plays in just 9 days (I saw Virginia Woolf, Glass Menagerie, Angels in America, Harry Potter, 42nd Street, An American in Paris, Matilda, Dreamgirls and Wicked).

This time I just arrived from Broadway and made a entire trip devoted to see as much musicals as possible. I really wanna thank these boards for the tips, the reviews and for being very real about many shows, it was an incredible experience that for sure will stick with me forever.


I'm from Brazil and don't know when I'm coming back (now I need to have many shows open so I can enjoy Broadway again tho hahaa), but it was well worth my vacation. I loved New York too, so that was a plus.


My english may be problematic and I'm sorry for that, but just sharing my feelings about the shows.


The only musicals I didn't see were Aladdin, Lion King, Phantom and Wicked. 


Wicked and Phantom were not in my list as I saw the first in London and the second in Sao Paulo (its a replica production, the main differente is the actors/lyrics), but at a given point Aladdin and Lion King were. But, Lion King is too expensive and Aladdin was never a priority, maybe I see them in another trip.


I did a lot of rushs and outside of a very freezing Sunday morning for Mean Girls that I stayed in line for 2h40min, the others didn't take more than 1h-1h20 and were ALL worth it!


So, there goes my list:


1. MOTHER OF THE MAID (Oct 13): Orch first row. Not a really great play, but serviceable and to see Glenn Close acting so close was worth the price of admission.

2. THE BOOK OF MORMON (Oct 13): Standing Room Only. Really great start for the musical part. Didn't have any problem standing, the view was great and the show still is in great shape. My Elder Price was glorious, he left two days later to do Clueless.

3. SCHOOL OF ROCK (Oct 17): Orch Center. Really great surprise as I was never much of a fan of the show based on the score. Funny how I still can't believe it's a ALW musical.
Just for the children alone it's worth seeing, but as whole is a very funny and entertaining night of theater.

4. DEAR EVAN HANSEN (Oct 17): Orch right. One of the most antecipated shows of my trip and didn't let me down. The cast was terrific, I loved my Connor, but it's amazing how Trensch is even more right for the role (physically) than Platt ever was. And while his voice is different, I loved it so much. ''So Big/So Small'' still is amazing and left me in tears.

5. MY FAIR LADY (Oct 18): Orch right. Lavish production of a classic musical that really shows what this kind of musical can do. The set and costumes were simply stunning!
Lauren Ambrose and Nobert Leo Butz both excelled in their roles and maybe would be my picks for this year's Tony, especially him. To see Rosemary Harris on stage, wow! Divine actress.

6. FROZEN (Oct 19): Rear Orch. It has a great start but it's too much a carboncopy of the movie to feel any real emotion. I still can't get over no castle in ''Let It Go'', but even if the two leads really tries to work the most, the second act (the sauna number, the theme park ending) is either bad or boring, even though I really liked the frozen effect on Anna.

7. TORCH SONG (Oct 20): Orch Right. Such a great play. The visuals and the direction were very inventive, the script still hits home and the cast was entirely perfect. And when Urie meets Ruehl is pure dynamite. Hope both get Tony noms for their stellar work.

8. CHICAGO (Oct 20): Standing Room ($27). The score is a gem and the cast, except for Cuba Gooding, Jr., gives it all, but the ''glamorous concert'' style of this production after being stripped down it's not really great. They moved me to a very good mezz seat after Act 1, but it's too much a tourist thing without the flavor that the musical requests. The choreography is still perfection, tho.

9. THE BAND'S VISIT (Oct 21): Rear Mezz . It's a very different musical, really intimate, sounds really unique and even the cast acts in a very restrained way. I loved the pace, the message behind and Katrina Lenk is a STAR, perfect casting.

10. MEAN GIRLS (Oct 21): Front Row. Funny, modern and really great. Of course the score is not a complete gem, but it has really great numbers and as a whole the first act is pretty impressive. The cast is flawless. Every single person embodies their characters with such realness and passion that it's impossible not to care. Louderman was my MVP, perfection.

11. ONCE ON THIS ISLAND (Oct 22): Lottery, second row close to the lake. Musical heaven. Perfect pacing, the story is kinda problematic, but honestley I didn't care. The staging, the visuals, the score. STUNNING. From start to finish. What a cast! And whoever said something bad about Newell, damn it! He was outstanding and in his solo, his voice just filled the entire room. Breath taking production!

12. BEAUTIFUL (Oct 23): Center Orch: Abby Mueller is great and mostly of the supporting cast are too, the actor playing her husband wasn't. But the gimmick of always starting a number because someone wrote a song got tired a bit. Natural Woman was amazing tho, what a way to finish a show.

13. ANASTASIA (Oct 24): Front Mezz. Boring first act where even the famous song were boring, but the second act is better. The book scenes are great, the introduction of the Countess is amazing and show receives a lot more life. The projections are REALLY bad and generic. Loved the costumes.

14. SUMMER (Oct 24): Center Orch. The three Donna's are perfect, LaChanze is a powerhouse, but even this marvelous catalogue can survive a horrible wikipedia-bythenumbers-book and so many songs used as snippets. Its basically a concert at the end. Waste of time.

15. KINKY BOOTS (Oct 25): Not exceptional, but really good musical. The cast was living and so was I. The score is good, maybe great at some points, but the lyrics are far better than the actual music. The last 3 numbers are sensational, especially Lola's solo.

16. PRETTY WOMAN (Oct 26): It was interesting to see back-to-back shows from Mr. Mitchell, they seem to share the same staging and issue problems, and as Lauper probably suffered being a pop singer, Adams did the same ''mistakes'' writing for theater. But it's even less inspired as a musical, giving no more than a half baked solo for the show star. The Opera scene is the best musical number and that's thanks to an ensemble member. Orfeh and Karl were great, and there's a number that's so gay that made me straight.

17. THE WAVERLY GALLERY (Oct 27): Intriguing, much funnier than I could have ever expected and able to break your heart when u least expect. Elaine May is giving a legendary performance that it is so powerful and true that I can't put into words. Joan Allen is brillant. Really amazing play.

18. HEAD OVER HEELS (Oct 27): Orch Center. The musical numbers are okay, but the cast is absolute perfection and the book is SO FUNNY! The humor is really great and even if the show is flawed, its very entertaining.

19. HAMILTON (Oct 31): Cancellation Line, Orch Center $229. Absolutely flawless. The direction is amazing, the casting was perfect (Michael Luowye took my breath away, marvelous), the choreography. I cried many times. The last scene alone is worth price admission. I loved the cast recording, but I have to say that would never thought it love the show that much. A masterpiece and my favorite show alongside Once on this Island.

20. COME FROM AWAY (Oct 31). Really great. It's a fast paced show that never missed a beat but also has a big heart that tells a very moving and touching story. I can say most of the casts on Broadway are tight and amazing, but CFA maybe #1 in this aspect. It's so refreshing to see people from different shapes, ages, genders and colors telling such a powerful story. Truly loved it.

21. THE FERRYMAN (Nov 1.): Orch Left. It was a really beautiful and strong build up for them. Like, first act was good, the second was very good and the third was, literally, jaw-dropping. The cast was uniformly good, but Laura and Paddy were both outstanding. The script it's done perfectly and Mendes' direction never let you feel that you're watching a 3 hour play.

22. THE CHER SHOW (Nov 1): Orch Left. Big, splash and very kitsch! It's a fun show in a Cher way of humor. I love the self indulgent and the lack of seriousness about how much of an icon Cher was. The costumes, the ensemble (hot!) and the actors together with Cher's catalogue made my night. Spector is a perfect Sony, the two young Cher's are great and Stephanie J. Block HAS to win the next Tony, beyond perfection. The Dark Lady number, the Bob Mackie parada and the Tour finale gave me life.

23. TO KILL A MOCKINBIRD (Nov. 2): Orch Left. Big, really impressive production of an iconic novel with all the good things that money can buy.
All the cast gives one perfect performance after another, it's really an ensemble show that every actor get 5-15 minutes to shine in really great roles. Sher's direction is also incredibly assured and made the night flew by. Sorkin changed some things here and there, but it's a very good adaptation. Daniels leads the ensemble in a very different way of the known performance by Mr. Peck.

24. KING KONG (Nov. 3): Orch Center. My first and only bad experience of a musical in this entire trip. Aside from the puppet, everything is bad. Even the two or three actors are not that great because the material is SO weak. Over choreographed. Weak book. Really BAD numbers (Pressured Up is ridiculous) and even if the puppet is great, he can't really sustain two hours of a musical. 

25. WAITRESS (Nov. 3): Orch Left . Sweet, no pun intended, show with a great score, a beautiful staging and, right now, with the most perfect cast. Nicolette is nothing but perfect for the role. The supporting characters are all so detailed and there's not a single song that I don't love. ''She Used to be Mine'' has to be one of the best 11 o'clock numbers of all time.

26. THE PROM (Nov. 4): Orch Center. Last show of my Broadway trip and was a really delight time at theater. First I have to say that I ADORED the Broadway jokes, I almost DIED at the Drama Desk joke. Second, the cast chew the hell of that scenery. Brooks and Beth were both beasts on stage. The score is good, if anything but pedestrian. And the show has such heart about what it's telling that I have to like.

I also watched two shows in other cities:

- TOOTSIE (Chicago): Funny, old fashion, but still somewhat modern. It's a very entertaining musical that has a above average score (remind me of Yazbek's work on Full Monty and Women on a Verge) that really sticks to your head. Santino Fontana IS A STAR, and if he doesn't win the Tony next year, I will RIOT!
The supporting characters are really funny too and the ending was so beautiful. I love the book update and didn't care at all if the tone seems to ''push'' toward a #MeToo era.

- BEETLEJUICE (DC): They need to fix the humor of the book and take it away some songs of act I. Aside from that, I believe it's in great shape. I know the two main critics hated, but I really liked. The visuals are STUNNING and even if Beetlejuice's goals change during the show, I don't think it's a major issue (maybe it's idk), but the score has so great moments (Dead Mom, Lidia and Leslie Kritzer's duet) and the staging is equally great.
Sophie Anne Caruso is incredible, Alex Brightman is perfect (if anything, it's the book's fault, not his) and McClure and Butler are both great (if underused), but Leslie is the standout among the featured players, laugh riot. I hope they can make the right changes for Broadway, it has everything to be a hit.

That's it, thanks again for being such a great board/forum!

[pacificnorthwest]

Posted: 11/26/18 at 8:25am

Wow! What a trip. Wish I could do a marathon like that. Thanks for sharing.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 11/26/18 at 9:10am

I am so beyond jealous it's not even funny haha. Top 3 of the trip?

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 11/26/18 at 10:14am

I would rank the shows like this:

1. Once on this Island / Hamilton : Two transformative experiences in language, sound and visuals that made me even happier to continue the pursuit to be an actor. I personally felt touched by Newell's rendition of ''Mama Will Provide'' and the last scene of ''Hamilton''. Also, Michael Luowye maybe the best actor in the musical side of the theater.


- EXCELLENT (AND/OR PERSONAL FAVORITES):
2. My Fair Lady
3. The Waverly Gallery (it would probably be my #3 in general together with ISLAND and HAMILTON, but sometimes it's My Fair Lady haha)
4. Dear Evan Hansen
5. Torch Song
6. The Ferryman
7. Mean Girls

- VERY GOOD
8. To Kill a Mockingbird
9. Waitress
10. The Band's Visit
11. Come From Away
12. The Book of Mormon
13. Tootsie
14. The Cher Show

- GOOD
15. Kinky Boots
16. The Prom
17. Beetlejuice
18. Head Over Heels
19. School of Rock

- MÉH (with good moments)
20. Mother of the Maid
21. Beautiful
22. Chicago
23. Anastasia 
24. Frozen
25. Pretty Woman

- BAD
26. Summer

- KING KONG LEVELS OF BAD
27. King Kong

[kmissa]

Posted: 11/27/18 at 1:48am

This is so incredible. Thanks for such thorough reviews.

[Anakela]

Posted: 11/28/18 at 2:19pm

Your trip was amazing! You hit some shows that I still haven't, and I live here. I hope you're able to do another one soon!

[Claire8]

Posted: 11/29/18 at 7:15pm

Wow! Sounds like an amazing trip :) I have just booked a trip (coming from Australia) in March/April and have just started looking into logistics of shows. Can I ask how long did you wait in the cancellation line for Hamilton and was it your first attempt? I had assumed it would be a waste of time when there are so many shows to be seen and things to do but sounds like you made it work!

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 11/30/18 at 10:22am

Well, thanks to this board I didn't have to do Cancellation Line. As I had many days, I frequently went to the Box Office and asked if they had one ticket for the next couple of days. One time they even had for a Wed evening performance, but I already had tickets for Summer (lol) and said no. The Monday before the performance, I went there and she had this ticket, I just bought it.


But, if you ask me, based on a friend experience, I'd say get there at 8 in a 2 day show, you will probably wait 4 or 5 hours but you likely get in for a house seat and have a great experience.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 11/30/18 at 10:57am

Wow!!  That's probably more shows than the out-of town Tony voters see each year :)

You must have needed an extra carry-on bag for all your playbills.

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 11/30/18 at 12:08pm

SomethingPeculiar said: "Wow!! That's probably more shows than the out-of town Tony voters see each year :)

You must have needed an extra carry-on bag for all your playbills."

I had a separate bag only for playbills and merch of the shows lol

But it was so amazing!

And I still regreat being unable to see Girl from North Country and Oklahoma!

[Claire8]

Posted: 11/30/18 at 5:42pm

MadsonMelo said: "Well, thanks to this board I didn't have to do Cancellation Line. As I had many days, I frequently went to the Box Office and asked if they had one ticket for the next couple of days. One time they even had for a Wed evening performance, but I already had tickets for Summer (lol) and said no. The Monday before the performance, I went there and she had this ticket, I just bought it.


But, if you ask me, based on a friend experience, I'd say get there at 8 in a 2 day show, you will probably wait 4 or 5 hours but you likely get in for a house seat and have a great experience."

 

We're there for 14 days (how many days were you there??) so I'm thinking of trying this. But is it very unlikely if there's 2 of us? Do you think they tend to be only single seats? And are they just seats that people have cancelled a few days in advance? And do they not offer them to the cancellation line first? (even if it's for a different day). Sorry for all the questions, I'm trying to do my research ahead of time! :)