<p>My son also felt that Celia could have brought more to the role. He felt it was actually her Spelling Bee Character in different clothing so I understand why you say that and I understand the diversity part because it was a very diverse cast. I felt in general, the cast was very good. I especially liked Adam Jacobs (Marius) and Aaron Lazar (Enjolras) and of course the Thenardier's were great too!</p>
<p>I saw Spring Awakening a few days before Christmas. Very strong show.... almost more of a play with music... mostly strong acting... interesting directorial choices... one of the only shows on Broadway with a woman conductor... not that it really matters one way or another, but it is great to see (she also conducted Light in the Piazza)... Incredibly talented young cast.. other than the two adults I don't think a one of them was over 25... possibly not over 21! </p>
<p>I recommend this show to anyone taking a trip to NY in the near future. I really enjoyed it!</p>
<p>KatMT, some audience members have mentioned that they found it jarring the way the SA cast seems to speak in a 19th century way and then adopt a very modern, 21st century jargon/way of speaking, in the very pop-ish songs. Did that bother you at all?</p>
<p>I rather liked the contrast between the 19th century speech and the modern music and jargon... and thought it helped make the Wedekind text (which is often verbatim translation) more relevant to a modern audience... connecting the past with the present.... Since the music in the piece is often used to comment on the action from a modern day perspective (there is actually a small ensemble sitting in the on-stage audience seats dressed in modern day cloting and joining in on the group numbers) or communicate the character's internal thoughts and feelings, the contrast didn't bother me... what did bother me a little was that whenever the actors where commenting on the action from the modern day perspective they sang into hand-held microphones (which I am pretty sure where props because you could see the wireless mic cords in some of the actor's hair.. and there was no discernable sound change when they used the hand-held mics)... at times this choice was effective, but often I found it a little gimmicky... however, it was used consistantly... so, even though I didn't particularly love the choice, I thought it was clearly thought out from a directorial/ storytelling standpoint. I'd always rather see clear constistant choices that I may not like than wishy-washy or inconsistant choices.</p>
<p>All that being said.. I still very much enjoyed the show and would recommend it to both "musical theatre people" and "non-MT lovers"... my boyfriend is not a huge fan of the musical as a genre... or anything that contains a dream ballet... and he very much enjoyed it too, so I think that is a good sign :)</p>
<p>Did anyone see A Chorus Line? I saw it last night. Sorry to say, VERY disappointed. :(</p>
<p>We enjoyed A Chorus Line on Broadway very much, but this is one of our favorite shows in general, regardless of who performs it or where it is performed. </p>
<p>We loved all the shows we got to see in our short time in NYC. Wish we could have stayed longer and seen all of them!</p>
<p>I saw ACL a couple of months ago and enjoyed it tremendously. My only disappointment was with Michael Berresse, who was one of the main reasons I wanted to see the show! I loved him in Light in the Piazza and looked forward to seeing him onstage again. Partly, it was the role which is not a large one, but even when he WAS onstage, he didn't excite the audience as I had anticipated he would. Having said that, Jason Tam's performance as Paul was alone worth the price of the ticket. This Tisch grad is, according to those who predict these things, a lock for a Tony nomination. He was fabulous, one of the best acted scenes I've seen on a NY stage. Tyler Hanes was also wonderful as Larry, haven't seen dancing like that in a LONG time in the city. It was fun to see Alison Porter as Bebe. I knew her mom years ago, when SHE was Bebe in the original production. Many of your kids will probably remember Alison from the Curly Sue movie. She's done a lot of stagework, including one of my favorite guilty pleasure shows, Footloose. :)</p>
<p>I'd recommend ACL, I think it's a production that all theatre lovers should see, especially when it's done professionally, which is rare. It's a different type of show and that may be the reason that some people don't enjoy it, but it is a story that truly details the "biz" that many of our kids are headed for, in all its glories as well as its agonies.</p>
<p>i saw les mis on december 16th...
i love it..but i agree that daphne rubin-vega was a bit of a strange choice for fantine. her acting was definitely great, and i thought she had a really interesting character overall, but her voice seemed not quite right for fantine. a lot of the people i went with thought she sounded incredibly hoarse...i still liked her performance
the guy who played valjean was incredible
and i absolutely loved enjolras and marius ( both perfect for their roles)
enjolaras...man, was that guy cute (Aaron Lazar) haha</p>
<p>my boyfriend is going to see spring awakening tonight...sounds like an good new show!!</p>
<p>happy new year</p>
<p>I also saw ACL a few weeks ago and enjoyed it but others in my group were disappointed. Some thought the talent was very uneven. I really liked Jason Tam too. I am glad people are noticing him! Saw Company the other night and really enjoyed that too. Raul Esperaza was great! The actors played their own instruments (just like in Sweeney Todd-same director) and I enjoyed this show more than Sweeney. Many of the actors were really great and the gentleman who played Larry (an older man making his Broadway debut) was a Harvard and Wharton grad who wanted a "career change". My hats are off to him-he did a good job and what a chance he took!</p>
<p>I think the varying talent in ACL is good for that show. Isn't it supposed to be about people auditioning for chorus parts? I thought the casting was excellent. They do not all have to be perfect, as in real life the group auditioning never would be.</p>
<p>My d and I are just back from N.Y. trip. We saw A Chorus Line. A major stand out was Chryssie Whitehead (I could never really sing). Her play on the song was so different. She's sooooo talented a wonderful actor, the best dancer in the cast. Having seen the play maybe 10,12 times through the years it played on Bway I loved seeing someone playing it differently, not just being the person on the record. What happened to Music and The Mirror? Can knowone dance like Donna? What happened to that wonderful number? This one was flat, very disapointing. Shorter too. Wonderful Paul and Maggie. All and all it was great to see the play again, but it needs a Donna McKecknie clone.</p>
<p>my boyfriend and his mom saw spring awakening jan. 1st....they were in the second row center! they said it was amazing, incredible, moving, wonderful...and possibly one of the best things they'd ever seen performed in their entire life. :)
im so jealous!
but sounds like everyone should try to see this.... :)</p>
<p>My son was also there (Spring Awakening) Jan 1st, but in the mezzanine. He loved it! :)</p>