My epic Broadway trip was last week and it was fantastic. My rough thoughts are below, if anyone cares--I saw Dear Evan Hansen, War Paint, Hamilton, Anastasia, Amelie, and Groundhog Day.
Wed May 3rd matinee: Dear Evan Hansen. Ben Platt is fantastic! I saw him in this show at Arena Stage in Washington DC, and was excited to see him again. He's certainly giving an amazing performance--everyone was crying by the end. And Rachel Bay Jones--also fantastic. The changes between DC and Broadway were mostly fairly minor, except for the new opening song. The other changes seemed to be mostly made for clarity--it was much more clear here what was going on when Evan broke his arm. But wow, it's an emotional show that really takes it out of you just to watch it; I can't imagine what it's like to be acting in it and giving 110% as the cast seems to be doing. I found out later that Platt was out for the evening performance, so I was even more glad we caught the matinee and got to see Platt.
Wed May 3rd evening: War Paint. So, I wanted to see this show for Patti and Christine, and because I loved Grey Gardens, which the creative team of War Paint had done. Sadly, the show itself was pretty bland--lots of "I hate her; my makeup is better"; "no, I hate her; MY makeup is better". The one time I thought it really came to life was during the ending scene where Patti and Christine get to interact, rather than act parallel. If only that spark had permeated the rest of the show. It is always a treat to see these two divas on stage though.
Thur May 4th evening: Hamilton!! I bought these tickets last June, almost a year ago and have been anxiously waiting ever since. Unfortunately they were pretty bad seats (like balcony, second or third row from the back), and the two couples in front of us are apparently animals who have never been to the theater and between the talking and the leaning forward in their seat blocking our view, it was a bit distracting.
But! the show itself was great. Brian D'Arcy James, who originated the role of King George off-Broadway at the Public, was back in as King George for a limited time, and he was AMAZING. I love him anyways, and to see him do King George was great--super super funny. Javier Munoz is great as Hamilton, and I like his singing voice much better than Lin-Manuel Miranda (heresy though that might be
). We had an understudy on for Aaron Burr, and he seemed to be....trying too hard? or something in the first act; It just didn't seem to click (which is a shame, cause "Wait For It" is like my favorite Hamilton song). But by "Room Where It Happens" in the second Act, he seemed to have settled into the role a bit better. Overall, fantastic and I want to see it again. The ending nearly made me cry
Friday May 5th evening: Anastasia. So, I love the movie, and was excited to see the show, despite the middling reviews. The reviews were right; the story is a bit muddled and could use some clarity/better pacing/better structure. However, Ramin Karimloo is FANTASTIC as the villain--such a lovely voice and super hot, I wanted Anastasia to end up with him rather than Dimitri.
Actually, all the actors were fantastic in their roles. The new songs added aren't all that memorable--the movie songs are the clear standouts but even middling Ahrens & Flaherty is still pretty good. Costumes are lovely and they deserved their Tony nod for the costumes. The sets/scenery makes extensive use of screens, which isn't my favorite but works. "Once Upon a December" projects the dancing ghosts on the stage
and into the house--there were audible gasps. Gorgeous, and one of my favorite parts.
If you want to see it, see it sooner rather than later, before it becomes
completely overrun by families and little kids. The family in front of us was super distracting. One kid was too young and audibly bored. The middle girl just went too sleep (which admittedly was quiet and not distracting), but the girl sitting next to her mother was old enough to be intruiged but not old enough to understand what was going on, and the Mom narrated pretty much the entire first act. When "Journey to the Past" was being sung, the mom was more excited than the daughter and kept exclaiming and talking to the little girl to get her more excited. SO FRUSTRATING. Luckily the mom quieted down when I politely asked her at intermission.
Saturday May 6th matinee: Amelie. I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the movie; I mostly wanted to see this for Philippa Soo. She was good, but I liked young Amelie better, actually. The show is cute and whimsical and funny, but lacks a real...purpose? Story? Like, you're not quite sure what story is being told or why we're there watching it. It's muddled, and at 1 hour 45 min without an intermission, too long. Either fix the structure and the story and expand it to a full 2h30m with intermission, or cut out some of the fat to make it 1h20m or so without an intermission. Cute songs, if not super memorable--the one song I remember was by a minor character about figs. I liked that one a lot though!
Saturday May 6th evening: Groundhog Day. Ok, I loved this show. The songs do kind of blend together, but I've already been listening to the cast recording on repeat since we got home ("Playing Nancy", the minor character's song, is one of my favorites). Andy Karl--wow. He's great in the role, especially when you factor in his leg injury (which he played up for laughs at appropriate moments). When we saw it there were no technical issues with the set or anything; it was complex but very effective. Hopefully they continue to get all the kinks worked out so everyone can see it without the issues. Overall though, the show was super funny yet heartfelt. Definitely a rave in my book. Also, Andy Karl is super hot.
By the time curtain call comes around, you have all this pent up accolade that needs released.
