Category: Musical

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On Stage with The Great Comet

The Great Comet: Re-watched the show and finally experienced its true magic!!! More more more! I want to go back again already.

I got my onstage seating this afternoon. Center table. Frontmost chair. First audience member behind Pierre’s Study. I was literally in the spotlight as it shined on Pierre and Natasha who stood inches away from me.

Love love love the immersive and interactive experience.

Playboy Anatole toys with Natasha, turns around, leans into our table, and makes a face to let us know what he really wants from the young girl. Natasha looks us in the eyes, as she sings and pours her heart out. Violinist plays to our table. We scream at the top of our lungs and cheer on the dancers in Balaga.

Absolutely love the story and the cast’s performance.

Denée Benton is incredible as she draws us into young Natasha’s mind: her insatiable desire for love and attention, her conflicting sense of responsibility and pleasure, and her eventual sadness and regret.

Josh Groban perfectly delivers “Dust and Ashes” and “Pierre and Natasha” to capture the sentiment of two acts. The hopeless loveless marriage that has entrapped Pierre, and the same reckless careless attitude that brought down Natasha too. Yet, despite their sorry states, Pierre comforts Natasha and she returns one last grateful glance. In that moment, Pierre understands that perhaps, just perhaps, love will come again.

Lucas Steele is even more exuberant and flamboyant as Anatole today.

Ashley Pérez Flanagan, understudy for Sonya, beautifully delivers another one of my favorite songs, “Sonya Alone”. Ashley perfectly captures Sonya’s difficult distressing choice to remain a true friend to Natasha by turning against her, in the hopes that someday Natasha will forgive her. The song is a major turning point in the story. Bravos for the wonderful performance and nailing the transition.

Finally, lighting and scene designs are even more amazing seen from onstage.

All the table lamps placed throughout the orchestra and balcony respond to the story, lighting up the audience’s faces as part of the scene design. Wow!

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Come From Away

I have a new favorite musical!!!

Finally saw the last of the Tony Awards Best Musical nominees tonight. What an incredible show! What an engaged audience! A large Newfoundland flag flew high over the mezzanine at the end of the show. Must be a lot of Canadians in attendance today.

Definitely my pick for best musical this year. Quite possibly, the show might even have edged out “Hamilton” to become my all-time favorite.

“Come From Away” is set in Newfoundland, an island on the eastern tip of Canada, in the days following the 9/11 attack. It’s about the 38 flights and 7000 passengers who were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland when the US airspace was shut down. It’s about the 9000 townspeople who took in the “plane people” even though it’s a huge resource and logistic challenge, and welcomed everyone regardless of their nationality, religion, and sexual orientation.

Among the stories: American Airlines’ first ever female captain (“Me and the Sky”). Passengers who met there and then, and later married each other (“Stop the World”). A gay couple who were initially afraid, only to learn how open the Canadians are. A mother who lost her firefighter son. And so on.

Over the past 15 years, the “plane people” eventually put together $2 million in scholarship for the town’s high school students, for the kindness and generosity shown to them at a time of need.

It’s a musical that will melt your heart. A musical that celebrates human kindness in the midst of a disaster. A musical about a heavy topic but delivered with so much humanity, so much humility, so much genuine care that you can’t help but laugh along with the characters, as they try to address the surreal events unfolding in front of their eyes.

Most importantly, Come From Away will make you believe in people, in humanity again. ❤️

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Bandstand

Went in tonight expecting jazz music and swing dance. Came out with tears in my eyes from a powerful story. Love the show!

I think Bandstand got snubbed in not receiving any Tony nominations. Laura Osnes is amazing in her singing, acting, and dancing. Corey Cott tells a powerful story with his fellow WWII veterans. I can’t help but start crying in “Welcome Home” at the end.

The lighting and staging, especially ones portraying flashbacks to the battlefields, are not only theatrically stunning but also emotionally startling. A glance into how seemingly-everyday interactions can feel to those who braved the war.

As for the music and dancing. They’re fabulous too. There is no one single big dance piece, but there is always dancing somewhere on stage throughout the whole show. I thought it’s a unique touch.

I would totally go back and watch Bandstand again, for its story.

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Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

An extravaganza this afternoon with Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812.

So what does a show with 12 Tony nominations look like? Well, for one, the entire theater is the stage. No matter where you sit, you will come within a few feet away from the performers. (I’m in rear mezz today and have on-stage seating next week.)

Lighting, costumes, scene design, and the interactive atmosphere are all super unique and unlike anything else. Love the choreographies especially ones where the cast sprawl across the entire theater. Kudos to the ensemble member who barrel rolls his way around the entire center stage. I hope the show wins in these categories! (Well, you also can’t top the tap dancing in Holiday Inn, another nominee for choreography.)

The cast and band members are scattered, often singing and playing their instruments as they climb up and down between the stage, orchestra, and the balcony. We got to interact with the band! While original, the acoustics inevitably suffer. I find it difficult to understand parts of the play, especially with characters who don’t speak loud enough.

The most surprising of all, however, is how small a part the two lead characters have in the show. Both are nominated for the Tonys, but we were genuinely confused whether Pierre or Anatole was the lead actor. (Josh Groban didn’t appear today. Hope to catch him next week, but I’m talking about the characters’ roles here.)

On the other hand, love Lucas Steele as Anatole and Brittain Ashford as Sonya!

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War Paint

Beautiful music, a great story, and lots of heavy thoughts.

The Musical

Strong performance by the two leading actresses, to pair with the story of two strong women who shattered glass ceilings in the 20th century. We understood who’s in charge tonight even before the curtain opened, when the announcer greeted us with “Welcome ladies! … and the men accompanying the ladies.”

The World Then

I’m ambivalent about the cosmetic industry, but the courageous stories of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein shine through. Arden was deemed inferior to other women because “she worked.” Rubinstein was denied the purchase of her dream apartment for her gender. Despite heart-breaking moments in “Pink” and “Forever Beautiful”, here’s the advice from Elizabeth Arden to Miss Beam…

“You have the power to reinvent yourself and become anything you’d like to be. Young lady, better yourself to be the best you that you can. Once you better yourself, you won’t be taken for trash.”

The World Now

I consider myself a feminist, and have been for 20+ years. I pushed for curriculum changes in high school, to ensure the next generation understands gender equity. I physically battled anti-abortion protesters in college, to safeguard women’s rights to their own body. Yet, just when I thought we had finally made progress, America elected a sexual predator to its highest office.

Today, unrelated to the musical, I feared for my life for the first time. I was physically assaulted on the streets of Manhattan. A white man knocked me to the ground, kicked me, before he sped away in his Illinois-plated Mercedes-Benz. (I am bruised, swollen, monitoring for concussion but otherwise okay. Will press assault charges if/when police finds the man.)

I’m at a complete loss about the sexist, racist, free-for-all-I’ll-scorch-the-Earth-before-I-give-up-one-percent-of-my-entitlement mentality of the American Right. (And scorch the Earth they did yesterday, when their pedophile president pulled out of the Paris Agreement.)

No matter how much you try to better yourself, I guess, someone will always take you for trash.

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Hello, Dolly!

“Money, pardon the expression, is like manure. It’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around, encouraging young things to grow.” – Dolly Levi

Love, laughter, and happy endings with Bette Midler in Hello, Dolly!

Bette Midler is absolutely stunning. At 71, she is singing, dancing, and owning the show. Drawing the audience in from the very first moment, making us laugh, keeping us in suspense, and filling us with excitement. Even with a wardrobe malfunction (what could possibly go wrong with those ginormous fabulous hats, right?) and a couple missed cues, she just laughed at herself in the most humble yet delightful manner. We couldn’t help but laugh with her. The story goes on, and everything happens naturally. It’s live theatre at its best.

The big stage at the Shubert Theater is also perfect for the massive dance pieces: the Fourteenth Street Association Parade, at the Harmonia Gardens, and the Finale. Love the dancers and their energy. Shoutout to the Harmonia Gardens waiters especially those who leaped across the orchestra pit (OMG!!!), the wonderful polka contestants, and Dolly with the tap dancing girls.

As Bette tap danced, in her fun charming way, she lifted her skirt to show her feet, pointed to the other tap dancers, and remarked: “Why aren’t I making as much sound???” That she’s dancing at 71 is amazing. That she’s bringing more to the dance is just impressive. The show was filled with such unexpected but hilarious moments. I felt I didn’t just watch Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! but I experienced the pinnacle of live theatre, right there on stage with Bette Midler.

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Dear Evan Hansen

Gorgeous voice tonight at “Dear Evan Hansen”

With the band positioned above the stage and a cast of fantastic singers, the show felt more like a rock concert. We were treated to a night full of wonderful music. Ben Platt’s voice was stunning, but every member of the cast delivered a strong performance as well.

As someone who is often too sentimental and cries at waaaaaay too many musicals/plays/dances, however, I felt disconnected from the story.

I appreciate the show bringing attention to important issues such as suicide and income inequality, but the plot felt superficial and not realistic. I could not relate to the characters. In fact, the stubbornness of the characters felt frustrating, despite the great singing and occasional humors.

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Hamilton

One of my favorite shows, and one that continues to amaze me.

Even though I know the narrative (third visit and soundtrack on repeat), my emotions were still sent through a roller coaster ride with the characters. Javier Muñoz is incredible as Hamilton. Thayne Jasperson is fantastic and having waaaay too much fun as King George. Love Gregory Treco as George Washington and Syndee Winters for bringing us inside of Angelica. Among the ensemble, wonderful job Kim Taylor!

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Miss Saigon

In tears again tonight watching Miss Saigon.

Live theatre makes me feel so sentimental. But how do you not cry, when a love story taking place in the midst of a savage war ends with a scream of “Noooooooo!” before the curtain drops and the lights go out to end the show.

Thank you so much Jennifer O’Connor for the treat. Love the performance!

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Groundhog Day

Musicals that bring me to tears, latest addition: Groundhog Day

What if you could do everything and learn about everyone, but nobody would ever know of you or remember you. What would you do? What kind of life would you lead? Would you still dream? Would you still care? Would you still love?

Bravos to an incredible story and a fabulous cast, especially Andy Karl for putting an amazing show a week after his injury.