Godspell

There dawns a time in all our lives when we win. "Win what?" you may ask. WIN THE GODSPELL LOTTERY.

Okay, so I've had my fair share of lucky experiences (incredible seats to shows for incredible prices, meeting Daniel Radcliffe multiple times, meeting Aaron Tveit multiple times, etc.), but never have I ever won a Broadway lottery. Nonetheless, one in which I get to set on a pillow next to the stage and get to hang out with the cast during the intermission. Oh, and I may mention that having Hunter Parrish sing to you while wearing little more than underwear is a plus.

This was a lottery that I had entered no less than 5 times, all of which were for Saturday evening performances. This time, I entered for a Wednesday matinee... And I emerged victorious!

The incredible cast of the 2011 Godspell revival

Godspell. Entertainment at the pinnacle of perfection. It was a thoughtful, hilarious look at what it takes to be a good person. It wasn't about religion, or faith, or any ideology really, but just simple notes of being good to one another in our day to day lives. That may sound corny, but in actuality the subject matter of this wonderful musical is extremely relevant.

What particularly stood out to me in this musical was its "feel". I feel like I can't even describe it as a musical because it was the farthest thing I'd ever experienced from a conventional one, not only in its subject matter, but in its execution as well. The first fascinating thing about how this show was executed was its utilization of the audience. As I mentioned before, us lottery winners sat on pillows on the floor. These pillows were actually props that were used in the show that all of us were asked to hold up. Secondly, members of the audience were actually called to the stage to perform. Okay, so I may have heard that Hunter sometimes sit on your lap, but I really didn't realize how involved in the show I would actually be.

I couldn't tell when the show started and finished. The lines were so incredibly blurry. It began with a song about turning off your cell phones and segued into the opening number. During the intermission, the cast called everyone up onto the stage to have a glass of "wine" (child-friendly grape juice) and just continued to hang out there playing music, going around singing, maybe even getting a bit of candy from little kids. I had the opportunity to talk to two incredible cast members about their performances while they just laid on the stage right next to my seat!

Audience up on the stage during intermission

Another interesting thing was the structure of the show. It felt more like I was watching a comedy show because, to an extent, it was set up like one. It felt much more like a series of short vignettes than a long story line, though it was still thematic. Another reason I describe it as "comedy show-esque" is that there were so many jokes relating to current events. There were references to anything from Occupy Wall Street to Lindsey Lohan, and of course Charlie Sheen's "winning!" In that respect, this show broadened the audience by miles. It's not a young person show or an old person show or a new yorker show or a foreigner show. It's an everyone show, but beyond that, it's an opportunity for across-the-board enjoyment.

And yes, this is the one show where it's sometimes acceptable to sing and clap along!

Stick Fly (In honor of its closing)

What's family without dysfunction, affairs, aggravation, sibling rivalry, separation and, of course, a whole lot of secrets?

Stick Fly was a representation of all of these. It dealt with self preservation and remembering who you are as an individual no matter what your family says or does. It was a reminder that our family isn't necessarily what defines us, contrary to what many believe.

Stick Fly is filled with people struggling to find out their true identities.

Rosie Benton, Mekhi Phifer, Tracie Thoms, Ruben Santiago Hudson,
Dulé Hill and Condola Rashad

Beginning with the father, always struggling with the fact that he will forever live beneath his wife's father. He felt so powerless and inferior that he needed to sleep with the maid to feel like a "man". Then there was his perfect, rich, plastic surgeon son, so unconcerned with who he was as long as he had money and his waspy girlfriend. There was the younger son who was constantly struggling to figure out what he wanted to do, and of course, once he did, he was thought of as a joke by his father. There was the waspy girlfriend who was so unvalued by her boyfriend and was using him because he was black to make her parents mad. There was the younger son's girlfriend who grew up poor and unrecognized by her famous and successful father who completely denied her existence.

And then there was Cheryl (Played by Condola Rashad. INCREDIBLE). Cheryl was the maid's daughter. She grew up without a father. She was always out of place, going to predominantly white and rich prep schools and always being one of the few African Americans, as well as the only poor one. She was the only character that could cope with family, that understood that we are independent of our families, that they don't necessarily define us. When her mother calls to tell her that the man Cheryl works for is her father, she confronts him. He does nothing. In response to this, she merely utters, "Well that sucked."

She didn't dwell on her misfortune, she accepted that shit happens and she always just let life go on.

Heads Up

I just wanted to tell you all to check out my "Broadway Pictures" I finally updated it and added some long overdo photos with me and some various broadway stars. And yes, the majority are with Mr. Aaron Tveit. More to come soon...

...Along with posts about Godspell and Stick Fly!

Porgy and Bess

So I'm aware it seems I have been wiped from the face of this planet, but I assure you, I'm still alive. The end of 2011/beginning of 2012 was super hectic for me, and unfortunately I did not get to see all the shows I would have liked. But, as Christopher J. Hanke puts it beautifully as Bud Frump in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, "I HAVE RETURNED!!!!"

In fact, I have news! I have recently become involved in none other than TDF's Play by Play "plog" and magazine! It's a for teens by teens website and magazine, with more than just reviews, but including interviews with stars and a lot of other awesome info about theatre that you really can't get anywhere else. Become a fan on facebook here!

And now, without any further ado, the touching, the heart wrenching, the redeeming, Porgy and Bess.

Polyphony is the combination of multiple individual melodies to create a harmonious whole. In Porgy and Bess, Gershwin’s polyphonic music can be interpreted as a microcosm of the structure of the 2012 revival production of this beautiful love story. Like the rest of the show, his music weaved together multiple independent “trains of thought” that overall created a captivating harmony. Though this constant overlapping of each melody sung by many different performers made some of the lyrics difficult to understand, it reminded me that it’s not so much the words, but the music itself that is conveying the characters’ ideas and emotions, something that is so easily grasped when it comes to George Gershwin. Still, beyond the music, this entire show was constructed in a very similar way.

First, the first thing that caught my eye was the set. It seemed to be a combination of random, not exactly beautiful, pieces that constructed the complex setting for the complex story. Second, each character had his and her own independent thoughts, ideas and feelings that were critical to the plot development. Finally, because there were so many well developed characters, there were also many engaging story lines. There was Robbins’ death, Porgy’s disability, Bess’ addiction, Clara and Jake’s relationship, Sporting Life’s lust, and the entire Catfish Row’s dealing with racism, poverty, faith and much, much more.  Still, in all of these bloomed an inspiring love story. When these separate “melodies” were woven together, they did much more than just create a wonderful harmony.  They came together to convey the idea that it is most important to have the audacity to chase after whatever it is that you love.

But beyond this, the cast is a force to reckon with.

Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis

I know I've said this before, but a lot of us go to Broadway to see something astounding, something unfathomable to the extent that it becomes this fantastical experience beyond anything we can really understand. I have seen roughly 45 shows in the past year, and still it is beyond me how people can perform for that extensive amount of time in an extremely vulnerable position: on stage. I still yearn for that moment when I hear someone's voice as they sing the first note of their solo and my heart skips a beat because of the beauty that can only be achieved by so few. Those moments when I feel the heat of the moment from the characters and when tears a brought to my eyes are constantly sought after by me. And this happened to me at this show.

There is only one word to describe Audra McDonald's voice when she began to sing "Summertime" towards the end of the show. This song had already been one of my favorites when sung by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, but when experienced live, it was..... breathtaking. That's the only word I can think of to describe anything executed by Audra McDonald in this performance.

Norm Lewis was unbelievable!..... or actually the opposite, exceedingly believable. Okay, so I know that goes without saying when someone is a professional actor, but he went through 2 and a half hours of limping and hobbling across the stage with his leg twisted in ways I didn't even know was possible! Let alone his vocal and emotional performance, when he came out to take his bow, I half expected him to be using that cane.

Must see, all I can say. (Well all I can add to the above rant about how incredible this musical is)

The Submission

Have you ever been to a show that really tugs at your heart strings? One that makes you reevaluate yourself and your environment? One that sticks in your head, lines ringing in your ears, inescapable concepts that continually haunt you? What about a show about ignorance, racism and homophobia all at the same time? Have you ever left a theatre afraid to speak? afraid of what it is you were gonna say? with a sense of self-awareness that you had never felt before? trying to mull over what it was you just saw while your head was still spinning?

One of most incredible, astounding, indescribable shows I've ever scene. The Submission was a theatre experience that I had never had before. It's beyond anything that I can describe, but I'll try to do so anyway.

Unfortunately, this show closed a while back so none of you will have the chance to see it for a while, so hopefully none of you will be upset at my complete spoilers.


Before I tell you all what this was about, I sorta just wanted to state the obvious. The whole cast was absolutely phenomenal. Jonathan Groff was in this show. The sweetest Broadway actor I've ever met. Honestly. He was swarmed by fans after this draining performance and still posed for a picture and the end of it all. :)

My friend Vera, Jonathan Groff and Me

Fan girl moment over. Time to get serious.

This play was about a "very white" and "very gay" playwright who submits a play to a festival and gets chosen. The problem is, he submitted it as a black woman because of the sensitive subject matter of the play and didn't want to be accused of being racist. To avoid any issues of this kind, the playwright hires an actress to play the "playwright". With his ultimate intention of getting his play produced, the playwright completely disregards the feelings of the woman he hired, his boyfriend and his best friend. His play is found out to be about a black family in the projects filled with racial stereotypes, and when asked by the woman to take the N word out of one scene in which it is said 37 times, he blatantly refuses. His argument is that his being gay and discriminated against is the same as racism and that he can say what he wants in his play because he knows how it feels. The two decide that at opening night of the play at which the playwright is asked to say a few words, the woman he hired will reveal to the audience that he was the true playwright. When things don't go according to plan and she does not reveal to the audience that he was the true playwright, he loses it and fights with her. After yelling about all the unresolved issues that the two had between them over the course of the show, she screams, "F****t!" and he retaliates, "N****r!"

The play ends with the playwright sitting in Starbucks a few weeks later. He gets a phone call, assumed to be someone asking him out on a date. He's asked about what type food he wants for that night. The call ends with him saying, "Ew, no. Isn't that Pakistani? Let's go somewhere normal."

Until that last line you side with him. You pity him, until you realize that he's just another ignoramus.

I'm still trying to gather my thoughts on this play, thinking about it too much keeps my head spinning.
It was an incredible reminder of what each and every one of us is capable of as well was how powerfully something can be expressed through art.

It's.....

A show that I had truly wanted to see for months now. I had gone to the theatre about 4 times to rush tickets, with no luck each time. One day, however, I found a $20 bill in a taxicab and it was destiny, I knew exactly where I was gonna spend it. I woke early the following morning and got to the theatre at 8:30am. On a day with both a matinee and night show, I was sure that I'd be successful in my endeavors. Of course, I was, and as expected, the show was... (This is my attempt at a corny segue into my review)

Delightful. The cast especially. Everyone knows Sutton Foster won a Tony for this role, so I had extremely high expectations for her. Yet she still exceeded them. From the very second she walked on stage, she was radiant. She had a beautiful voice, was amazing in her acting and comedic timing and wow, can she dance! The company number 'Anything Goes' was one that I had watched countless times online, I practically know the choreography. Not even mildly being a performer, I must say, seeing the entire cast of that show tap their hearts out in sync was incredible enough, but that wasn't even the finale! They still completed another act flawlessly. Not to mention, Sutton's solos during that number. To put it simply, it is beyond me how someone has the physical capability to do that.

Joel Grey and Sutton Foster
(I found this funny)

Joel Grey was yet another incredible cast member. As I had posted about, I saw the Normal Heart, a breathtaking, touching and devastating play about AIDS, which happened to be directed by this amazing performer. Of course, I had only been convinced of his directing skills at the beginning of this show. He, like the rest of cast, was absolutely hilarious. The overall comedic timing was indeed perfection, however his being 79 made things all the better. Not only was it astounding that he was on stage or the majority of the show, but he had some dance solos of his own in the epic 'Anything Goes' number.
Delicious. The story was extremely sweet and entertaining. Cliche done right. Okay so maybe is was the average love triangle, SPOILER ALERT, everything works out for the best, but I didn't sit there thinking 'Really? This AGAIN?'. I wasn't thinking at all in fact. I was merely enjoying myself. I walked out of that theatre with a smile on my face. I felt happy, and a bit starstruck. I still have a hard time coping with that tap number.

Colin Donnel and Sutton Foster

Deluxe. The music was rich. Of course, I love innovative, different, rock musicals. However, nothing ever amounts to the classics. I sometimes have those 'why wasn't I alive in the 30s?' Moments, but that's what this show was, in a nutshell. It was a classic, stereotype of a musical, with the perfect amount of jazz hands, I might add.

De-Lovely. That's the word I was looking for. Anything Goes was de-lovely.


For those of you who have seen the show, I hope you enjoyed my corny segue for this review.

For those of you who haven't,

One more fun experience at this show to share:

When I was at the stage door, everyone was so nice and so chatty, which I love. Of course, me and my mourning the closing of Catch Me If You Can, saw none other than Jay Armstrong Johnson hanging around the Anything Goes stage door! I didn't have the opportunity to say hi and tell him I was a huge fan, but it was exciting nonetheless. 

When you're an Addams?

So I saw the Addams Family a while back, a show that I must admit, I had little to no interest in seeing, before Brooke Shields joined the cast, that is. The thing is, when someone like Brooke Shields is in a show, when she's not on stage it gets pretty boring very easily. I got amazing seats, so it wasn't my bad view that got in the way of my attention span, and Brooke Shields wasn't even the gripping one in the show.

Brooke Shields, Rachel Potter and Roger Rees

Rachel Potter. Wednesday. She has one solo. ONE. With a voice like that, I'd say the entire show should be structured around her. Before her song, which was early in the show, you could feel people around you fidgeting and sort of restless. When she started to sing everyone fell silent, sat still and just watched. By the final belt of her song, almost everyone was on their feet. The applause was far greater than that at the end of the show. After that, however, it was downhill.

Heidi Blickenstaff was also amazing. Her solo was another jaw-dropping performance not to mention her absolutely ridiculous character, a seemingly clean cut but actually sex crazed mom.

Of course, I had to pity the acts to follow hers, for none were nearly as good. Jackie Hoffman, however, did come very close. She was simply hilarious. I mainly new her from 30 Rock and the Billy Green web series (If you don't watch these, check them out!), so when I realized that I was watching her, I immediately became more interested. Hilarious (I know, I said that already, but I really can't describe it in any other way). She said one thing about John Lennon and I was gone. Talk about comedy in the theatre....
Still, it wasn't her celebrity that kept me interested, as I can prove through my lack of interest with Brooke Shields. It's not that Shields was bad, but more like Jackie Hoffman, Heidi Blickenstaff and Rachel Potter are exceedingly tough acts to follow. I still did very much enjoy seeing her in this production.

If curious about seeing this one, don't have too high expectations. The cast is alright, excluding Potter, Blickenstaff and Hoffman. It's definitely worth seeing just for them.

Pictures from Broadway.com