NY Trip 4 Show Quota

I was in NY last week and I went to see 4 shows. If a lot of the theatres weren't dark (no shows) on Monday's, I probably would've seen 5 shows. Oh well, I shouldn't be complaining when I got to see 4 shows right?

Tuesday (5/8/2007): Les Miserables

The only reason I actually went to see this show was because Lea Salonga is in it and currently playing the fole of Fantine. She's in it for something like 15 minutes in Act 1 then comes back in maybe the last 5 minutes of the show in Act 2.

This was the first time that I've actually seen Les Mis. I know most of the songs (Surprise! Surprise!) in the show. The cast was pretty good. I really don't understand all the hype and when people start raving about it and telling me that is is such a great show and it's their favorite show-- well, I've come into a conclusion that people say that because it is such a popular show and a lot of people have heard about it. It is such a depressing show about the French revolution and almost everyone dies in the end. Not really my type of show. Well, I guess you won't see me blogging about it again in the near future unless one of my favorites actresses/actors are in it and I'd watch it for the sake of seeing them perform. If ever I go watch it again and non of my favorite actors/actresses are in it, that means, I went to watch it while I'm on Vicodin or Valium.

Wednesday (5/9/2007): Wicked

Did you think I'd ever go to NY and not watch Wicked? Well, it depends... I didn't get to see it during my last trip. Anyways, one of our vendors gave me free tickets to the show. Who am I to refuse them? What can I say, I'm weak. ;)

Julia Murney is now playing the role of Elphaba. She's a really good actress. I love how she delivers her lines. Very good singer as well. I liked how she portrayed the role. However, I still prefer Eden's singing. Eden's a more powerful singer than Julia. Don't get me wrong. Julia's a good singer however when she pushes her voice like in the money song Defying Gravity, her voice starts cracking.

As for Glinda. It's currently played by Kendra Kassenbaum (sp?). I really didn't care much for her portrayal of Glinda. I thought it was weak. Well, I may be a little bit biased because I so love Megan Hilty as Glinda. I thought Kendra's delivery of her lines were kind of rushed and a lot of the humor in the best lines got lost.

I still think the show is worth seeing with the current cast. If it's your first time seeing the show, you'd still be wowed with it. I think the problem with me is I've seen it with a better cast so I would be comparing the cast with the ones that I've seen in the past.

Thursday: 110 in the Shade

This has got to be my favorite show on this trip. It's a limited engagement show and I really wanted to watch it since I wanted to see Audra McDonald perform.

It's not difficult to figure out why Audra has won 4 Tonys. She is just amazing. When she sings, she makes you feel what she feels. I love the sound of her voice. You could really hear in her style of singing that she's a classically trained singer. Her voice is so beautiful and so clear.

The show's story is about a spinster who is looking for companionship and love. It is based on an old movie. I think the movie is called The Rainmaker.

Friday: LoveMusik

I really should avoid musica revues. They're just not my thing. This show is more of a musical revue of the works of Kurt Weil (composer) and the relationship between him and his wife. The performers were wonderful however, the book was weak. In several areas, it just dragged on and on. This is the second time I've seen Michael Cerveris. The first time was in Sweeney Todd. In that show, he was talking with an English accent. I had a hard time understanding him. In this show, he was talking with a German accent and it was soooo hard to understand what he was saying. Note to self, only go watch Michael Cerveris if he is talking with an American accent.

The story was forgettable, the songs were also forgettable but I still don't regret watching it. The only thing I regretted is that my time was so limited that I should've gone and watched something else that I would've liked a lot better. But then again, the problem is, I've seen so many shows that I really am running out of shows to watch on Broadway. They don't make shows as fast as I am watching them! ;)