Post by Hamilton Addict on Jul 15, 2016 13:42:44 GMT
Started writing this over a month ago when I got back from NY, but never finished it! Finished it today, it may not be the best as I had to really try and think back to the shows (seems like so long ago!), but I gave it my best shot. Wrote the first three about a month ago and the last three today. For those that are thinking of seeing the shows I am happy to send over my full review from my blog. Without further ado, here they are...
Fiddler on the Roof-Was going to see this on the last NY trip, but was never too sure as I was worried it was going to be a little bit dated. Boy, was I wrong! A lot of revivals I see, however good they are, tend to be a little dated, but not Fiddler. This production just felt so fresh and new! Danny Burstien was off and I am glad… because this meant I was able to witness the stunning Adam Grupper perform at Tevye. WOW! WOW! WOW! He gave such a moving and heartfelt performance, whilst having great comic timing as well and his voice really suited the songs. One of the best understudies I have ever seen. I even wish there was a cast recording of his performance, you are in for a real treat if you manage to catch this performance! Choreography completely blew me away, best I’ve seen in a while. I urge people to find their performance on the Tony’s as this really shows of this show’s mesmerising choreography. Really solid cast as well. Could not fault this show in one way, had never seen Fiddler on the Roof before and I am glad that this was my first experience of seeing the show! 5 Stars
Paramour-I didn’t really think I was going to like that that much, but with this being one of the only shows on Monday I decided to go and see it. To my surprise, I actually really enjoyed this show! Cirque du Solei has combined circus and theatre so well, it’s a combination I never thought would work, but to my amazement it was brilliant! Not the most complex story in the world, but it didn’t really matter. Ruby Lewis was amazing. Great actress, great singer and great dancer, a triple threat! In a show like this it is so easy to get overshadowed by the acrobats, but she really did a superb job. The Artheron Twins were phenomenal, really wish they had been featured more. To someone who was going to the show but was wary I said to go into the theatre with the mindset that you have to accept it’s not your usual Broadway musical, but once you can accept that, I can almost guarantee a good time! Didn’t like the opening number, because there were just too many things going on at once and I didn’t know where to look, but that was the only major flaw in the show. 4 Stars
Eclipsed-Saw this because of Lupita N’Yongo and had mixed expectations, but ended up being really impressed. This play had such a hard subject matter and it was handled very well. Some may find it uncomfortable to sit though, as my Mum did, so people may need to think about this before booking. Superb acting by all, especially Lupita N’Yongo, Saycon Senbloh and Pascale Armand. Those three all gave a really touching performance and it’s hard to pick a favourite out of them. Sets, costumes and lighting were all really good. Really clever ending and I found the play to be very thought-provoking. It was really great that the cast read out the names of some of the girls who had been kidnapped in Liberia, found it really disrespectful that some audience members left before they had finished reading the names. Props to Lupita for calling out an audience member taking pictures whilst staying in character. Only negative would be that the accents were hard to understand, especially at the beginning of the play. 4 Stars
She Loves Me-Didn’t originally have any plans of seeing this, but then it was announced Friseur star Tom McGowan. The show’s strongest aspect is definitely it’s cast. Zachary Levi had great stage presence, Laura Benanti had an amazing voice, Jane Krakowski was perfect for her part, Tom McGowan and Peter Barlett were hilarious, it was just such a great and well-matched cast! Watched the live stream recently and it reminded me how great the show was, it’s a show that worked really well being filmed. The set is, without a doubt, one of the best designs I have ever seen and I am so glad it was awarded with a Tony (it even beat Hamilton!!) For me, Zachary Levi stole the show. Whenever he was onstage, he was the one that got my attention. I found that he actually outshone Laura, but I’m in the minority with that thought. It’s just such a fun show and I was really rooting for Georg and Amalia, the tension towards the end before he reveals himself is so tense. I agree with other posters that the show is very dated and that would put people off. It didn’t bother me too much, but it was very noticeable. 4 Stars
The Judas Kiss-Funnily enough, we almost cancelled our tickets to see this as on the day we went Mum was really tired, but we decided eventually to stick with our original plan and make the trek to Brooklyn. In the end, we were so glad we went because we found the show to be fascinating. It really is tragic what Oscar Wilde went through and the courage he showed was incredible. Rupert Everret’s performance is worth the ticket price alone, he places the role so convincingly and it is impossible not to feel compassion for him. Lighting and costumes were both well designed and I thought the music to end act one (possibly act two as well, not sure if they used the same music) was well chosen. Great cast, no weak links at all. Before the show I was a little apprehensive to see a play written by David Hare, as I was not a fan of Skylight, but this was really well written. The only criticism of the show would be that I did find myself getting a little confused in places, but I don’t know if that was just me. 4 Stars
Waitress-As I said before going to NY on the Waitress thread, this was the most excited I had been for a show since Hamilton. I watched the trailer about 100 times before seeing, so did it live up to my expectations?… It was even better than I thought it would be! Words can’t describe how amazing this cast are. Jessie Mueller gives one of the best, if not the best, performances I have ever seen in musical theatre. I was in tears during ‘She Used To Be Mine’, she is such a stunning actress and has a voice that not many people can beat. Christopher Fitzgerald is hilarious, happy he was recognised for a Drama Desk Award an Outer Critics Circle Award as he is such a good actor. I was really left wanting more from his performance. The songs are so good, after seeing the show I had the album on repeat for about two weeks. Costumes, set and lighting were all fantastically designed and the show was so well choreographed. Cannot recommend this show enough, it was the highlight of my whole holiday! The show has even made it into my top 10 shows of all time. 5 stars
Fiddler on the Roof-Was going to see this on the last NY trip, but was never too sure as I was worried it was going to be a little bit dated. Boy, was I wrong! A lot of revivals I see, however good they are, tend to be a little dated, but not Fiddler. This production just felt so fresh and new! Danny Burstien was off and I am glad… because this meant I was able to witness the stunning Adam Grupper perform at Tevye. WOW! WOW! WOW! He gave such a moving and heartfelt performance, whilst having great comic timing as well and his voice really suited the songs. One of the best understudies I have ever seen. I even wish there was a cast recording of his performance, you are in for a real treat if you manage to catch this performance! Choreography completely blew me away, best I’ve seen in a while. I urge people to find their performance on the Tony’s as this really shows of this show’s mesmerising choreography. Really solid cast as well. Could not fault this show in one way, had never seen Fiddler on the Roof before and I am glad that this was my first experience of seeing the show! 5 Stars
Paramour-I didn’t really think I was going to like that that much, but with this being one of the only shows on Monday I decided to go and see it. To my surprise, I actually really enjoyed this show! Cirque du Solei has combined circus and theatre so well, it’s a combination I never thought would work, but to my amazement it was brilliant! Not the most complex story in the world, but it didn’t really matter. Ruby Lewis was amazing. Great actress, great singer and great dancer, a triple threat! In a show like this it is so easy to get overshadowed by the acrobats, but she really did a superb job. The Artheron Twins were phenomenal, really wish they had been featured more. To someone who was going to the show but was wary I said to go into the theatre with the mindset that you have to accept it’s not your usual Broadway musical, but once you can accept that, I can almost guarantee a good time! Didn’t like the opening number, because there were just too many things going on at once and I didn’t know where to look, but that was the only major flaw in the show. 4 Stars
Eclipsed-Saw this because of Lupita N’Yongo and had mixed expectations, but ended up being really impressed. This play had such a hard subject matter and it was handled very well. Some may find it uncomfortable to sit though, as my Mum did, so people may need to think about this before booking. Superb acting by all, especially Lupita N’Yongo, Saycon Senbloh and Pascale Armand. Those three all gave a really touching performance and it’s hard to pick a favourite out of them. Sets, costumes and lighting were all really good. Really clever ending and I found the play to be very thought-provoking. It was really great that the cast read out the names of some of the girls who had been kidnapped in Liberia, found it really disrespectful that some audience members left before they had finished reading the names. Props to Lupita for calling out an audience member taking pictures whilst staying in character. Only negative would be that the accents were hard to understand, especially at the beginning of the play. 4 Stars
She Loves Me-Didn’t originally have any plans of seeing this, but then it was announced Friseur star Tom McGowan. The show’s strongest aspect is definitely it’s cast. Zachary Levi had great stage presence, Laura Benanti had an amazing voice, Jane Krakowski was perfect for her part, Tom McGowan and Peter Barlett were hilarious, it was just such a great and well-matched cast! Watched the live stream recently and it reminded me how great the show was, it’s a show that worked really well being filmed. The set is, without a doubt, one of the best designs I have ever seen and I am so glad it was awarded with a Tony (it even beat Hamilton!!) For me, Zachary Levi stole the show. Whenever he was onstage, he was the one that got my attention. I found that he actually outshone Laura, but I’m in the minority with that thought. It’s just such a fun show and I was really rooting for Georg and Amalia, the tension towards the end before he reveals himself is so tense. I agree with other posters that the show is very dated and that would put people off. It didn’t bother me too much, but it was very noticeable. 4 Stars
The Judas Kiss-Funnily enough, we almost cancelled our tickets to see this as on the day we went Mum was really tired, but we decided eventually to stick with our original plan and make the trek to Brooklyn. In the end, we were so glad we went because we found the show to be fascinating. It really is tragic what Oscar Wilde went through and the courage he showed was incredible. Rupert Everret’s performance is worth the ticket price alone, he places the role so convincingly and it is impossible not to feel compassion for him. Lighting and costumes were both well designed and I thought the music to end act one (possibly act two as well, not sure if they used the same music) was well chosen. Great cast, no weak links at all. Before the show I was a little apprehensive to see a play written by David Hare, as I was not a fan of Skylight, but this was really well written. The only criticism of the show would be that I did find myself getting a little confused in places, but I don’t know if that was just me. 4 Stars
Waitress-As I said before going to NY on the Waitress thread, this was the most excited I had been for a show since Hamilton. I watched the trailer about 100 times before seeing, so did it live up to my expectations?… It was even better than I thought it would be! Words can’t describe how amazing this cast are. Jessie Mueller gives one of the best, if not the best, performances I have ever seen in musical theatre. I was in tears during ‘She Used To Be Mine’, she is such a stunning actress and has a voice that not many people can beat. Christopher Fitzgerald is hilarious, happy he was recognised for a Drama Desk Award an Outer Critics Circle Award as he is such a good actor. I was really left wanting more from his performance. The songs are so good, after seeing the show I had the album on repeat for about two weeks. Costumes, set and lighting were all fantastically designed and the show was so well choreographed. Cannot recommend this show enough, it was the highlight of my whole holiday! The show has even made it into my top 10 shows of all time. 5 stars