Two weeks ago I went up to NYC with my mom and a friend and
had a marathon Broadway weekend. From Thursday to Sunday, we saw five Broadway
shows: School of Rock, The Color Purple,
On Your Feet!, She Loves Me, and Noises Off. I’m taking the time now to
post my reviews for each show we saw, because there’s much to be said about
each.
1)
School of Rock: I heard this show
was good. I just did Jesus Christ
Superstar late last year, so I felt an obligation to see Andrew Lloyd
Webber’s new show. I had a feeling Sierra Boggess would be wonderful and the
little kids would be ridiculously talented.
What I didn’t know was that the
show would be THAT good.
I absolutely LOVED this show. As I
predicted, the kids were incredible. The little girl who sang “Amazing Grace”
in Act 2 blew my mind. She couldn’t be more than 10 years old but she had the
voice of a 25-year-old. Each kid had such well-developed characters, and the
fact that they played all their instruments themselves was very impressive.
Again, as I predicted, Sierra
Boggess gave a great performance. She wasn’t well-featured in Act 1, but her
solo in Act 2, “Where Did The Rock Go,” showcased both her incredible vocals
and strong acting chops. The real MVP of this show, however, is Alex Brightman
in the leading role of Dewey. That part in itself is a marathon. I don’t think
he ever left the stage and he never stopped moving!!! I see a potential Tony
nomination for him in the near future.
Overall, it was a great, fun, and
thoroughly entertaining night at the theatre. Bring your whole family and get
ready to ROCK!
2)
The Color Purple: If you want to sit
in and sob your eyes out for two and a half hours straight, this is the show
for you! I did not know anything about The
Color Purple prior to seeing it, but word of mouth told me this was not one
to be missed. I sat down most excited to see Jennifer Hudson, but ten minutes
in I knew that Cynthia Erivo’s performance was worth the price of admission. Only
a few times before have I seen a performance so raw, dedicated, and powerful.
She sucked me into the story from the moment she stepped out onstage until the
last beautiful note she sang. I couldn’t believe that she, as small as she is,
was able to have a voice that made her seem six feet tall. She sang and
everything made sense. The real world was shut out and we were fully engrossed
in her world. She had the entire audience in the palm of her hand. As far as
I’m concerned, the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical is hers.
Because of Cynthia’s performance, Jennifer
Hudson fell short for me. Though Hudson’s vocals are undeniably strong and like
no other, acting-wise she couldn’t hold a candle to her co-star. That is not to
say that Ms. Hudson didn’t give a great performance, because she did. I feel so
lucky to have seen her perform live in such a spectacular production.
Other notable performance include Kyle
Scatliffe (who I also loved as Enjolras in Les
Miserables), and Danielle Brooks (of Orange
is the New Black fame). They both had wonderful chemistry together, and had
strong stage presence apart. It seemed practically every time Danielle spoke,
the audience burst into laughter and applause. The entire cast was extremely
strong. The music gave me constant chills, and as an ensemble they worked
together exceedingly well.
I’ll say it again: This show is NOT to be
missed, and it’s worth splurging a little bit to go and see it.
3)
On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio &
Gloria Estefan: I’ll start this review with a disclaimer: I’m not a big
fan of jukebox musicals. The only jukebox musical that I have genuinely enjoyed
the whole was through was Beautiful: The
Carol King Musical, because it was well executed, Jessie Mueller was
fantastic, and unlike most jukebox musicals, the story was well-developed and
it didn’t feel like a concert.
On Your
Feet! had the same concept and story arc as Beautiful, but just wasn’t quite as powerful. The music was very
enjoyable and you can’t help but want to join the pre-intermission conga line,
and the cast was having a blast. I also think not having grown up a Gloria
Estefan fan, a lot of the show was lost on me. I think On
Your Feet! would do really well in a Las Vegas venue. In the contemporary,
larger-than-life Marquis theatre, it had that sort of feel.
I think the post-bus accident
storyline could have been more drawn out and better written, so the actors
could have more material with which to work. The end of Act 2 felt rushed and
it ended very abruptly. I feel like there would have been more to tell, but
that’s just my opinion. Like I said before, I don’t care for jukebox musicals
to begin with.
4)
She Loves Me: This. Show. Was. So.
Adorable. It is a perfect example of Broadway bringing back the nostalgic,
classic musical. It was a perfect blast from the past, and brought me back to a
simpler time. The set was absolutely splendid, and for the show only being in
its second week of previews, I only noticed a couple minor errors.
I went to this show for three main reasons:
Laura Benanti, Zachary Levi, and Gavin Creel, and they did not disappoint. I
had seen Laura perform before, in the Radio
City Rockettes Spring Spectacular last spring, but this show truly
showcased the power in her singing. She gave me chills. Gavin Creel is someone
I’ve wanted to see perform for years, and he didn’t disappoint. His voice is
smooth as caramel, and he has a wonderful charisma onstage that makes him
irresistible. I’ve loved Zachary Levi since he was Flynn Rider in Tangled, and it was fun to see him as a
romantic lead yet again. His vocals and character work was well displayed. He
was perfectly cast. The rest of the cast, most notably Jane Krakowski, were are
all strong and well cast.
If you’re looking for a deep, highly emotional
musical, this is not the one. It’s funny, delightful, light-hearted, and all
around adorable.
Tip!
If you do see this show, make sure to wait at the stage door after the
show. Zachary Levi in particular makes the stage door experience so fun! That’s
all I’ll say so as not to spoil the things he does for the fans.
5) Noises
Off: This show might actually be the funniest play ever put onstage,
and this cast is up to the task! I did not know much about the show when I
bought my tickets, but I went due to the high praise this Roundabout production
has been receiving. Though our seats were dreadful (Tip! Box seats may be more affordable, but they’re AWFUL in the
American Airlines theatre! I had to literally stand on my chair and lean
against the back wall to be able to see anything going on), the show was
laugh-out-loud hysterical. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard at a show since
I saw The Book of Mormon for the
first time.
This cast is full of probably some of the
best comedic actors in the business. The biggest standouts in the show were
Andrea Martin as Dottie, Megan Hilty as Brooke, and Rob McClure as Tim, but the
entire cast brought their own wonderful style to the hilarity of the show. The
use of the entire theatre space was excellent, as Lloyd the Director traveled
from onstage through the aisles and up to the balcony, barking orders and
frustrated insults to his cast during the final tech rehearsal. The set (or
what I could see of it) was just marvelous, and the choreographed chaos of Acts
II & III were genius. I cannot believe this group does this show eight
times a week; I can’t imagine how exhausted they must be!
I’m very sad that Noises Off was a limited run, because I wish I could go back and
see it again, from a better seat, and catch everything I missed the first time!
Has anyone else seen these shows and has thoughts to share?
Comment below, and thanks for reading!
Great reviews!
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