BACK FROM NYC !!! My reviews for 7 shows !!!!

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 12/16/03 at 10:38pm

Hi guys !
I really missed you all ! I just got back and i can say that i had the GREATEST time of my life ! New York is the best city in the world with the greatest atmosphere and the friendliest people ! I don't wanna bore you with details of my trip, so I'll cut to the chase with my reviews of the shows I saw !

BEAUTY & THE BEAST
It was a great show, colorful, but a little too kid oriented. Maybe, the fact that i have seen the movie many times has something to do with my not getting crazy about it, because i knew exactly what happened next. But still it was very enjoyable. Steve Blanchard looked and sounded a little bored or tired, Megan McGinnis was ok, but the show stealer for me was Chris Hoch as Gaston. Still, a nice way to start my Broadway experience !

HAIRSPRAY
Wow!!! And i do mean WOW ! The most fun I've had in years!!! Such a fantastic, colorful, enjoyable experience ! Although i did not really like Kathy Brier, the whole other cast was phenomenal. A long and happy standing ovation for everyone !Harvey was sensational, but I was blown away by Matthew Morrison as Link. He was fantastic, both physically (what a hunk)and vocally and his performance was top notch ! He came very close to replace Adam Pascal in my heart, but didn't make it. I'll explain why in a few minutes.

After Hairspray, i went to find my friend who was seeing NINE, which he absolutely adored. We waited by the stage door, met John Stamos who was very happy when we told him we are Greeks, we chatted and took photos with him. My friend works for the Olympic Games and the next day he left a nice expensive Olympic pin and his card at the Box Office for John, to thank him for the show and our conversation. The next day he received a call from the Box Office, saying that John had an invitation for him to see the show again the day after the next and meet him at his dressing room, which of course he did, and John thanked him about the present. Oh, we also chatted and had our photo taken with the regal Eartha Kitt. She was wonderful, too

THE PRODUCERS
Ok, i liked the production, the numbers, the sets, but, sorry, the two male leads did nothing for me. I kept imagining Nathan and Matthew on the roles. Especially Don Stephenson got really on my nerves. But I enjoyed the whole show, anyway.

THE BOY FROM OZ
Oh, my God !!! I don't think I have ever seen a performance like Hugh's in my life. He was fantastic !!! He ad-libbed with a couple which was late and at the end gave them a signed CD for making up to them. I also liked the show very much. I was the first to stand cheering after "Once Before i Go" and since i was on the first row, Hugh saw me and smiled and nodded at me. After me the whole theater followed!!! And at the standing ovation of the finale, he smiled again and winked at me !!! What a GOD !

CABARET
Susan Egan was out and I saw her understudy Katrina Yaukey. She was good, but i was really pissed, since i sooo wanted to see Susan. Of course the main reason for me was my glorious Adam who was fantastic !! Very well executed production and brilliant direction ! After the show i caught him at the stage door as he was leaving by foot, looking so sweet and gorgeous. He stopped and chatted, he seemed really flattered that he had a fan in Greece and he signed my brochure BY MY NAME, hugged me and thanked me. Sorry Matthew Morrison, you came so close, but after that, Adam is still my # 1 man !!!

AIDA
A great show, a wonderful production, but miss Williams cannot really pull through. Her voice was mumbled at times and you couldn't understand her and although she has quite a range, I was not very impressed with her. Although I really loved the show and Will Chase's understudy, Richard H. Blake

RENT
Fantastic !!! Whoever said that the cast lacks energy, probably didn't see the same show i saw ! EVERYONE was great!! Jeremy Cushnier put me off a little bit at first sight ( of course, that is because I have Adam on my mind in the role and nothing can come close ) but vocally he was brilliant. And the soloist on Seasons of Love was Oh my God!!! what a divine voice! Fantastic show and a long standing ovation !!!! The perfect way to end my Broadway experience !!!

That was it. Sorry for the long post but i was eager to share my wonderful time with all of you. Feel free to ask me anything. Glad to be back (to the Forum that is, because i am certainly unhappy about leaving New York)

Take care Updated On: 12/17/03 at 10:38 PM

[Phantom2]

Posted: 12/16/03 at 10:42pm

Sounds like you had a wonderful time. Isn't theatre grand?

Updated On: 12/16/03 at 10:42 PM

[thirdrowcenter]

Posted: 12/16/03 at 11:23pm

I'm so glad you had a wonderful time in NYC. I was worried about you encountering all the storms we have been having lately.
I wish everyone could sit in the first row and see Hugh Jackman up close and personal.

[nyctopone]

Posted: 12/16/03 at 11:36pm

I'm glad you had a great week. Have you ever thought about broadening your theatrical experiences and try an off broadway, or even an off off broadway show? Or, at the very least, try seeing a play instead of a musical?

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 8:37am

Well, I also saw Naked Boys Singing which is Off-Broadway and i enjoyed it very much, although it was very simple. I would love to see more Off-Broadway, or plays, but I had a limited time and I wanted to catch some of the great shows that I will never be able to see in Greece. We have about 80 theatres in Athens, most of them doing plays, so I can see great plays most of the time, but we don't get big scale musicals, due to lack of big venues and adventurous producers. Don't forget that Athens is not as big as NYC or London and theater tickets are not as expensive (Top price is around $35). So, a large scale production will have to run for years in order to have a profit.

Take care Updated On: 12/17/03 at 08:37 AM

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 9:05am

Isn't the current soloist the original on the OBCR?

[LM]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 9:19am

In your review of "AIDA", you forgot to mention Mandy Gonzalez, as Amneris! I do hope she was there! She'll be leaving the show, next month, and her performance is wonderful! That girl is going to go far!

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 9:25am

Thanks for your great report. Did you miss AVENUE Q?

(Don't mean to bust your chops :) - but I love this show so much)

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 9:52am

Greekmusicalfan - Sounds like a fun time. Wish I was there! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have one question: In Naked Boys Singing, did they do a number called Pizza Boy? It was written for the Chicago production and last year, we were told it would be added to the New York production, but I left the show and I don't know if it ever happened.

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 2:04pm

LM, yes, I saw Mandy Gonzalez and she was wonderful, better than Michelle T. Williams !! Master LcZ, yes I really missed Avenue Q, but sadly I could not afford another show, since I did an extreme amount of shopping :). I got the CD though, but haven't listened to it yet! And Mister Matt, no, there was no Pizza Boy number, I just checked the Playbill to be sure.

Take care

[Becky]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 7:47pm

"Isn't the current soloist the original on the OBCR?"

Yes. Gwen Stewart is back in her original role and sounding amazing.....

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 10:10pm

That explains everything ! My God, the minute she opened her mouth, diamonds came out ! The crowd went crazy !!!! But I have to say again that the whole cast sounded amazing ! Definetely the best ensemble from all the shows I saw ! And to think that it was their second performance that day (Sunday). Amazing !!!!

Take care

[tpdc]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 10:46pm

Greekmusicalfan, did you see BOY FROM OZ on Friday the 12th? I saw it that night and you describe pretty much what happened at my performance. I was wondering if that is pretty much how Hugh interracts with the audience at every performance of it some of it was for this show.

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 4:41am

YES, that was the night I was there !!!! Wasn't it a fantastic performance ? I think that night's ad-lib was on the moment, but i have read that he interacts a lot with the audience. In Bi- Coastal he always asks a lady from the audience to dance for him, but that night he skipped it because of the chorus girl's birthday !! If you noticed a guy on the first row center orchestra right jumping up to start the standing ovation after "Once Before i go", that was me !!!

Take care

[jo]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 5:28am

I'm also back from New York - what a wonderful time to be in the city right before Christmas.

And I did see THE BOY FROM OZ - several times

And Hugh does interact with the audience a lot - sometimes going completely out of character. In the first scene for Act 2, BI-COASTAL, he zeroes in on his target - and issues the challenge to dance with him ... On one such night in early December, he asked that the spotlight be focused on a friend and me. So, for about a minute or so, Piglet and I danced with Hugh under the glare of the spotlight on Broadway ( never in my wildest dreams could I imagine being part of a Broadway show ) - after which, he went down on the floor, slithered towards the stage edge ( we were on the second row - left side) and said "Kiss, kiss - girls!"...

And, of course, we agreed


Jo Updated On: 12/18/03 at 05:28 AM

[jo]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 5:47am

And I was also lucky to have gotten a third row-seat Orchestra for the Gypsy Competition December 9 show.

Great skits, fantastic dance numbers, and from-the-heart singing!

The awards portion was also very entertaining - with the three main presenters, Harvey, Bernadette, and Hugh, horsing around and being very funny!

Congrats to THE BOY FROM OZ for raising an unprecedented $ 632 thousand for the fund-raising! And thanks to Hugh for allowing himself to be "sold" every night


Jo Updated On: 12/18/03 at 05:47 AM