![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
This weekend was fun. My family was in town and we saw three shows ~ two planned, one from the TKTS booth.
First up? Billy Elliot on Friday night.
Let me say first off that I loved this show in London. Even jetlagged, I was captivated by it. It had energy, it had passion...it had that x-factor. I was thrilled it was coming to Broadway, and couldn't wait to see it. As it happens, I wasn't able to until my family was in town. My parents (and I think sister) were familiar with the movie and very excited about it. Daddy had gotten the cast recording, and liked that.
Sadly, there was just a lack of energy that we all felt on Friday night. The kids came close to having some, but even they seemed to be struggling to maintain an energy level that wasn't there. Yes, there was a technical glitch in the first part of the show (sadly technical glitches are STILL not uncommon with this one from what I understand) and they had to stop for a few minutes, but even before that it didn't feel like there was a lot of any energy. David was the Billy we saw, and his dancing WAS spectacular ~ his voice, not so much sadly. But there was just some magical spark that seemed to be missing on Friday ~ at least as my family perceived it.
Granted, our concentration was not helped by the group of middle school (I'm assuming...possibly high school) students scatterred throughout the mezzanine. They chatted, they put feet ~ with or without flip flops on them! ~ on the back of the chairs, they sat in the wrong seats and argued with the usher. Some of them even laughed audibly after the first line in "Electricity" which really broke the mood for that song. So overall it just was NOT a good experience Friday night.
Saturday ~ In The Heights matinee via TKTS*.
This was my...5th time seeing the show, and my 1st since Lin-Manuel Miranda left his role of Usnavi. It was my dad's 2nd time and the 1st for my mom and sister. We had great seats ~ row Q in the orchestra. The Rodgers is a great theatre for the orchestra as the back part is stepped like a stadium! :) Love it!
The show is in fantastic shape. Javier Munoz, the new Usnavi, still incorporates some aspects of Lin's take on the character, but he's making it his own too. The rest of the cast was excellent as well. Definitely more energetic than the cast appeared in Billy Elliot the night before. Robin deJesus absolutely steals the show ~ he is amazing. There are some new ensemble members, and they fit in really well. Everyone loved it ~ well, in my family anyway.
Saturday night ~ next to normal
Ok, it is no secret that I adore this show. I was thrilled to death with the reviews ~ especially Ben Brantley's review in the Times! I read that one to Daddy as we were in the taxi to Manhattan. Still, I was really nervous to see how my family would react to it ~ especially as much as I've talked about it. There were at least 2 celebs in attendance ~ Kevin Bacon was in front of us for Act 1. Sadly he was apparently kind of harassed in the men's room during intermission and skipped Act 2. Hal Prince (director of such things as the original run of Sweeney Todd, Evita and Phantom of the Opera) was in the row behind us. just random tidbits.
I kept trying to get a read on my dad through Act 1 and wasn't able to. All fears were put to rest when intermission started. His reaction: "And what we saw last night is considered to be on the same level as this? There is no comparison. This is FAR superior." And he's not a huge musical aficionado as far as that goes. But he knows when he feels energy and electricity, and when he's feeling some passion or emotion towards a piece. Mom and Sis loved next to normal as well! (Incidentally, I snuck a glance back at Mr. Prince during curtain call, and he was visibly moved. So that can only be a spectacular thing!)
So it ended on a wonderful note, which was awesome!!!
* For those who don't know about TKTS (you say each letter, not as one word ~ I have heard a lot of people call it "tikutuss" or something like that), it's run by Theatre Development Fund. It is a booth ~ actually three booths in Times Square, the Seaport, and in downtown Brooklyn ~ where producers can release unsold seats to shows at 20%, 30%, 40% or 50% off for day-of performances. It's not always the best seats, though you can get, but sometimes you get really lucky ~ especially closer to the time of performance. Definitely worth checking out. They take cash, traveler's cheques, and plastic now. :)
First up? Billy Elliot on Friday night.
Let me say first off that I loved this show in London. Even jetlagged, I was captivated by it. It had energy, it had passion...it had that x-factor. I was thrilled it was coming to Broadway, and couldn't wait to see it. As it happens, I wasn't able to until my family was in town. My parents (and I think sister) were familiar with the movie and very excited about it. Daddy had gotten the cast recording, and liked that.
Sadly, there was just a lack of energy that we all felt on Friday night. The kids came close to having some, but even they seemed to be struggling to maintain an energy level that wasn't there. Yes, there was a technical glitch in the first part of the show (sadly technical glitches are STILL not uncommon with this one from what I understand) and they had to stop for a few minutes, but even before that it didn't feel like there was a lot of any energy. David was the Billy we saw, and his dancing WAS spectacular ~ his voice, not so much sadly. But there was just some magical spark that seemed to be missing on Friday ~ at least as my family perceived it.
Granted, our concentration was not helped by the group of middle school (I'm assuming...possibly high school) students scatterred throughout the mezzanine. They chatted, they put feet ~ with or without flip flops on them! ~ on the back of the chairs, they sat in the wrong seats and argued with the usher. Some of them even laughed audibly after the first line in "Electricity" which really broke the mood for that song. So overall it just was NOT a good experience Friday night.
Saturday ~ In The Heights matinee via TKTS*.
This was my...5th time seeing the show, and my 1st since Lin-Manuel Miranda left his role of Usnavi. It was my dad's 2nd time and the 1st for my mom and sister. We had great seats ~ row Q in the orchestra. The Rodgers is a great theatre for the orchestra as the back part is stepped like a stadium! :) Love it!
The show is in fantastic shape. Javier Munoz, the new Usnavi, still incorporates some aspects of Lin's take on the character, but he's making it his own too. The rest of the cast was excellent as well. Definitely more energetic than the cast appeared in Billy Elliot the night before. Robin deJesus absolutely steals the show ~ he is amazing. There are some new ensemble members, and they fit in really well. Everyone loved it ~ well, in my family anyway.
Saturday night ~ next to normal
Ok, it is no secret that I adore this show. I was thrilled to death with the reviews ~ especially Ben Brantley's review in the Times! I read that one to Daddy as we were in the taxi to Manhattan. Still, I was really nervous to see how my family would react to it ~ especially as much as I've talked about it. There were at least 2 celebs in attendance ~ Kevin Bacon was in front of us for Act 1. Sadly he was apparently kind of harassed in the men's room during intermission and skipped Act 2. Hal Prince (director of such things as the original run of Sweeney Todd, Evita and Phantom of the Opera) was in the row behind us. just random tidbits.
I kept trying to get a read on my dad through Act 1 and wasn't able to. All fears were put to rest when intermission started. His reaction: "And what we saw last night is considered to be on the same level as this? There is no comparison. This is FAR superior." And he's not a huge musical aficionado as far as that goes. But he knows when he feels energy and electricity, and when he's feeling some passion or emotion towards a piece. Mom and Sis loved next to normal as well! (Incidentally, I snuck a glance back at Mr. Prince during curtain call, and he was visibly moved. So that can only be a spectacular thing!)
So it ended on a wonderful note, which was awesome!!!
* For those who don't know about TKTS (you say each letter, not as one word ~ I have heard a lot of people call it "tikutuss" or something like that), it's run by Theatre Development Fund. It is a booth ~ actually three booths in Times Square, the Seaport, and in downtown Brooklyn ~ where producers can release unsold seats to shows at 20%, 30%, 40% or 50% off for day-of performances. It's not always the best seats, though you can get, but sometimes you get really lucky ~ especially closer to the time of performance. Definitely worth checking out. They take cash, traveler's cheques, and plastic now. :)
Tags: