"Bandstand" - 05.11.17/08.20.17

December 30, 2017

Show/Venue: Bandstand at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

Date: Thursday, May 11th, 2017 @ 7:00pm & Sunday, August 20th, 2017 @ 2:00pm

Starring: Laura Osnes, Corey Cott, Joe Carroll, Max Clayton, Ryan Kasprzak, Morgan Marcell

Since moving to New York City, I’ve learned so much more about theatre and my small obsession from seeing Regional & Touring productions as a kid, has really blossomed. As a pretty big “Fansie” of Newsies, I came to know about the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ and how they’re helping create some of the best new musicals that come to Broadway. It was in 2015, that a little production called Bandstand, caught my attention. First of all, Laura Osnes (Cinderella, Grease) and Corey Cott (Newsies, Gigi), and Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton, So You Think You Can Dance), were attached to the project, which was enough to get me interested. Second of all, there were a few others of my favorite Broadway ensemble members involved, so I was especially excited to hear that it would be transferring to Broadway.

Due to this Broadway transfer, I knew I wanted to see the show early in the Tony Awards Season and with my new job, I was able to get a discounted ticket in May to see the show. At the top of the show, we see various soldiers in the battlefields, but the focus is on Donny Novitski (Corey Cott), as he moves downstage and upstage throughout the battle. Slowly, the men return home from the battle and Donny returns home to Cleveland, Ohio (“Just Like It Was Before”). Like many other veterans, Donny struggles with adjusting back to “normal life” and needs to find a way to cope. Luckily, he was a piano prodigy as a teen and finds that music is a way to save his mind from wandering into dark places. While struggling to find a venue to perform in Donny hears about a bandstand contest where NBC will select a band from each State and they will perform for a chance to be featured in a movie. This contest will be the way Donny can make a living and survive in the world, post-military life. The contest will be a featured as a Tribute to the Troops, so Donny is the perfect candidate but how can he start to put together a band?

Through a network of veterans (“I Know a Guy”), Donny finds his band, each a member of various branches of the military. They have all turned towards their music to escape their own personal demons; some drink, some find solace in obsessive compulsiveness, some busy themselves with teaching. The band is made up of Jimmy Campbell (James Nathan Campbell) on sax & clarinet, Davy Zlatic (Brandon J. Ellis) on string bass, Nick Radel (Alex Bender) on trumpet, Wayne Wright (Geoff Packard) on trombone and Johnny Simpson (Joe Carroll, Cinderella) on drums. After a few rehearsals, Donny knows that the guys have a great sound and Donny takes on vocals, but something is still missing (“Ain’t We Proud”).

In between rehearsals, Donny knows that he needs to check in on Julia, the widow of his best friend from combat, “Rubber.” Donny goes to Julia’s house to introduce himself and over an awkward dinner with her and her mother, we learn that Rubber’s nickname came from his surname, Trojan, and that Julia, is a wonderful singer (“Who I Was”) and still longing for closure on her husband’s death. She’s tired of everyone in town treating her with pity, because she’s a “Gold Star Wife.”

Once Julia’s mom has told Donny that Julia is a great singer, Donny thinks he may have found the answer to his band’s vocalist problems. One catch: Julia doesn’t like singing in public, only in church. Never deterred, Donny heads to church to see Julia sing. With a little bit of persuasion, Donny convinces Julia to come and sing with the band (“First Steps First”). They also make an adjustment to the band’s name, from the Donny Novitski Band to the Donny Nova Band. They come up with some great original songs (“Breathe” and “You Deserve It”), but they still need more ideas. It’s then that Julia shows Donny some poems that she has been writing, since losing her husband, which will become some of their best numbers.

The band easily wins the Ohio contest, but they learn that they must pay for their own fare to New York City for the final rounds (“Love Will Come and Find Me Again”). They go into overdrive and start playing any gig that they can book, hoping to earn enough money to get them train tickets and lodging in NYC.

The second act begins with a swinging number (“Nobody”), which was featured on the Tony Awards and showcases some of Andy Blankenbuehler’s best work. The band finds new energy through their gigs and by saying “You know who tells me no? Nobody!” We see a little bit of each of the band member’s personal struggles, but with the momentum from winning the Ohio contest, it’s easy to see that the band is hitting their stride (“The Boys are Back”).

Cleveland starts to rally (“I Got a Theory”) and they are able to raise the money from all the venues that have been hosting their gigs. In fact, it’s enough money to send everyone to New York City on a First Class train! As Julia and Donny grow closer, she asks him again about how her husband passed away. Donny finally relents and explains that he was responsible for Rubber’s death under friendly fire, as a live grenade rolled back into the bunker where they were hiding out. Donny made it out, but Rubber was not so lucky.

Julia abruptly leaves the band and retreats to her home. It’s there that her mother encourages her to keep singing (“Everything Happens”), as it’s what her husband would have wanted her to do. After all, Julia needs an identity that is not just a “Gold Star Wife” and she can’t let the boys in the band down. While the band worries about what to do without her, Julia shows up and brings a new poem as a peace offering to the band. This poem becomes “Welcome Home” and describes each of the Donny Nova Band member’s struggles in their return to civilian life – Donny – insomnia, Jimmy – focusing on law school, Davy - alcoholism, Nick – prisoner of war, Wayne - OCD and Johnny – amnesia. The song is powerful, emotional and helps everyone identify with their own struggles, but they know this version could never be performed in public. They adjust the song into a newer version, a love song between a woman and her love returning from the war.

Equipped with new songs and renewed motivation to win the contest, Cleveland gathers to send the band off to NYC. Fresh off the train and in NYC, the band does out to explore the city before getting their chance to audition (“A Band in New York City”). After spending all day in the city, Donny escorts Julia back to her hotel room and it’s here that they start to acknowledge that they have feelings for one another (“This Is Life”).

When the band arrives at the studio, they learn that only the top 10 bands will get to perform on the actual NBC Broadcast. Even though the executives seem to write them off, as soon as they hear “Love Will Come and Find Me Again,” the band makes it into the final cut! As everyone prepares to be on the telecast, Jimmy barges into the rehearsal studio. He’s been up all night reviewing the contract with NBC and saw that if they perform “Love Will Come and Find Me Again” on the broadcast that the studio will own all the rights to the song! In a last-minute swap, they decide that Julia will sing their original version of “Welcome Home,” with all the tragedies that veterans face when they come back from war. They know that NBC will never take the risk of actually producing and promoting this version of the song.

A year later, we see that the Donny Nova Band did not win the competition, so they aren’t featured in the movie, but that’s a blessing. As the leave the theatre, having watched the competition winner’s in the movie, they are approached by many teenage girl fans and their families. Fortunately, enough people saw them on the NBC broadcast that they have developed a significant following and are able to tour the US without any limitations from a network contract.

Although some of the songs did not stay in my head, the show left an impression on me. Shortly after I saw the show, I met a Navy officer during Fleet Week in NYC. You might say that my experience was not unlike what you might see in a Lifetime movie or some romantic comedy; but it certainly altered my perspective of the military. That, coupled, with my Mom’s passing during the following week, made me ache to see this show again.

In the second showing, some of the stories resonated even more and I found myself breaking into tears during certain numbers. I appreciated the choreography more. I listened to the wonderful sounds of Laura Osnes’ voice, more intently. I empathized with the characters more. Overall, I was glad I got to see this show a few times and wish that it could have had a longer life on Broadway. I hope that there will be a touring production and that more people will get to experience this powerful story.

Musical Numbers:

Act One:

Just Like It Was Before

Donny Novitski

I Know a Guy

Ain’t We Proud

Who I Was

Just Like It Was Before (Reprise)

First Steps First

Breathe

You Deserve It

Love Will Come and Find Me Again

Right This Way

Act Two:

Entr’acte

Nobody

I Got a Theory

Everything Happens

Welcome Home

A Band in New York City

This Is Life

Welcome Home

Finale

"American Psycho" - 05.31.16

August 21, 2016

Show/Venue: American Psycho at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

Date: Tuesday, May 31st, 2016 @ 7pm

Starring: Benjamin Walker, Jennifer Damiano, Alice Ripley, Theo Stockman, Heléne Yorke

Website: http://americanpsychothemusical.com/

I know very little about American Psycho the movie or the book, in fact, I had to read the summary on Wikipedia before going to see this show, just so I would get the gist of the plot. However, I did know that I with a stellar cast and Duncan Sheik behind the music, I was in for a great night! Yes, I decided to go only after the show announced that they would be closing in the first week of June.

As I took my seat in the Mezzanine, I noticed a lot of empty seats, but the set was amazing. A very clean, white room in perspective; so the back of the room faded into the back of the stage, the audience was set to be introduced to Patrick Bateman (Benjamin Walker, Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson) and his “ripped body.” Mr. Bateman appears in only tiny white briefs and explains his morning routine (“Opening [Morning Routine]”). Through some tongue-in-cheek dialogue, Patrick describes some high end items that would have been the top of the line in the 1980’s, including his Sony Walkman.

As Patrick heads into work, the sides of the set revolve into his office at Pierce & Pierce banking (“Selling Out”). He is greeted by his secretary, Jean (Jennifer Damiano, Next to Normal), and she performs “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, a cover of the Tears for Fears song. Patrick wants to know more about the big Fisher account, which all of Patrick’s co-workers have been talking about. Jean has no information on the account, but reminds Patrick about his lunch date with his co-workers, Timothy Price (Theo Stockman, American Idiot), Craig McDermott (Alex Michael Stoll, If/Then, West Side Story), Luis Carruthers (Jordan Dean, Mamma Mia!) and David Van Patten (Dave Thomas Brown, Bridges of Madison County 1st Nat’l Tour and Patrick Bateman understudy).

As the men talk about their tailored suits and the next hot restaurant to dine at, Paul Owen (Drew Moerlein in his Broadway debut) appears and lets is be known that he has landed the Fisher account and a reservation at the hottest restaurant in NYC, Dorsia. In an attempt to save face, Patrick and his co-workers flaunt their business cards, only to again, be one-upped by Paul (“Cards”). In some of the most brilliant staging and choreography, the men jump onto LED lit tables and streams of air pumped onto the stage makes it appear as if their business cards are levitating & spinning. The song cleverly brings together the status symbols on their business cards; card stock, color and font. (I even noticed that the Stage Door to the Schoenfeld was done over to look like Patrick Bateman’s business card.)

Then as if to add insult to injury, Paul mistakes Patrick for another banker, Marcus Halberstam and mocks Patrick Bateman. To prove a point, Patrick then invites Paul to his upcoming birthday party, being thrown by Patrick’s girlfriend, Evelyn Williams (Heléne Yorke, Bullets Over Broadway) and her best friend, Courtney Lawrence (Morgan Weed in her Broadway debut); who also happens to be Luis’ girlfriend. As Evelyn laments about her odd numbered dinner party, Courtney and their girlfriends wax on about what to wear to the party and name drop several designers, including Manolo Blahnik, Isaac Mizrahi and Bill Blass (“You Are What You Wear”). However, to appease Evelyn, Patrick invites Jean to the party, so there will be an even number of guests.

Evelyn is annoyed as Patrick & Tim arrive fashionably late to the party. The guests are dull by Patrick’s standards and he ends his birthday party by stabbing his birthday cake with a giant knife. After the party, Patrick & Tim head out to Tunnel to indulge in coke & women (“True Faith”/”Killing Time”). As Patrick leaves the club, he realizes how empty his own life is and promises to never go out to the clubs again. The cast then performs a haunting version of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight”) while Patrick offers a homeless man money, before making fun of him and stabbing him to death.

Later on at the gym, the guys objectify their female instructor, while complimenting each other on their own physical appearances (“Hardbody”). After the gym, we learn that Patrick is having an affair with Courtney; but she wants to end their “friends with benefits” situation as she feels guilty for Evelyn and Luis. Angry at Courtney, Patrick goes back to the gym, where he encounters Luis and tries to strangle him. Luis thinks that Patrick has developed feelings for him and comes onto him, as Patrick leaves the gym, extremely put off by Luis’ actions.

Patrick and Evelyn are attending a Broadway performance of Les Miserables, where during the show’s intermission Evelyn brings up the idea of marriage (“If We Get Married”). Patrick can’t imagine getting married and after the show heads out to the Meatpacking District, where he picks up two hookers and decides to tell them that his name is Paul Owen. A threesome ensues, BDSM and all (“Not a Common Man”), as Patrick starts to give into his own dark thoughts.

Flash forward to Christmas Eve at Pierce & Pierce, as Patrick is telling Jean about Les Miserables and discussing their plans for the holidays. After work, Patrick heads to Evelyn’s over the top Christmas party with his mother (Alice Ripley, Next to Normal, Side Show), whom Evelyn is sure hates her. At the party, Patrick goes on a drug & alcohol in order to be numb to the whole situation (“Mistletoe Alert”). It’s then that Paul Owen arrives at the party and Patrick begins to fill with rage, as Paul has everything he wants. He invites Paul over to his apartment, as Paul still thinks he is Marcus, and they dance to “Hip to Be Square.” Patrick slips something into Paul’s drink and Patrick begins a speech about Huey Lewis & the News, he then proceeds to murder Paul with an ax. (If you’re anything like me and nervous at the thought of blood, the murder scene is done in such a creative way, as a film comes down over the stage and as Patrick hacks away at Paul, splatters of red appear on the film. During intermission, you can watch the crew clean up the blood and restore Patrick’s apartment to the blindingly white room it once was.)

Coming up on Act II, Patrick takes Paul’s body to another building that he owns & disposes of it. Then he enters Paul’s apartment and sets up a voicemail, stating that Paul is traveling to London for a few weeks to work on the Fisher account (“Clean”). As the months go on, Patrick goes a rampage, killing many others (“Killing Spree”). (During this performance, the cast appears in various white outfits as Patrick goes about murdering everyone around him. Patrick tries to admit his murders to his friends, but they just think he’s joking.)

After not having seen her son in months, Mrs. Bateman shows up at Pierce & Pierce, wanting to have lunch with Patrick. As Patrick desperately tries to have Jean cancel the luncheon, Jean offers to come along to lunch, as it might do Patrick some good to actually speak with his mother. During their lunch, Mrs. Bateman tells Jean all sorts of cute stories about Patrick when he was younger (“Nice Thought”) and Jean’s crush on Patrick only deepens.

Back at Pierce & Pierce, a detective, Donald Kimball (Keith Randolph Smith, Fences), is in Patrick’s office, wanting to know anything about Paul Owen’s recent disappearance. Thinking that Kimball is onto him, Patrick avoids most of the questions and feigns concern for the well-being of Paul. As his anxiety grows, Patrick begs Evelyn to take a break from the city, so they plan an escape to the Hamptons. However, away from the city, Patrick’s paranoia only worsens, as Evelyn thrives in the Hamptons culture (“At the End of an Island”). It’s then that Patrick finally decides to marry Evelyn, just as soon as they can get back to NYC. Once he’s back in the city, Patrick continues his killing spree, inviting the prostitutes from months ago to Paul’s apartment, where he murders both of them (“I Am Back”) and begins to accept his own demons.

While shopping at Barneys, Patrick runs into Luis and remembering their encounter at the gym, Luis tries to convince Patrick that they should leave their girlfriends and run away together. As Patrick feels his control on his own life slipping away, he asks Jean out to dinner, where she picks Dorsia and it only reminds Patrick that he can’t seem to get a table there, but Paul could. As she gets ready for her dinner date, Jean thinks about what it is that makes her adore Patrick so much (“A Girl Before”). After dinner, Jean and Patrick hang out at his apartment and talk about her ambitions. Patrick intends to kill Jean that night, but she tells him that she has feeling for him and he shouts at her until she leaves. Left alone with his increasingly dangerous thoughts, Patrick calls Detective Kimball and confesses to murdering Paul and numbers others (“Clean Requiem”).

Evelyn has arranged to have her & Patrick’s engagement party at Tunnel and the stage lights up in amazing neon colors and the cast emerges in spectacular 80’s club outfits (“Don’t You Want Me”, a brilliant cover of The Human League’s song). While grabbing a drink at the bar, Patrick notices Detective Kimball and inquires if he received his voicemail. The detective thinks it was all a brilliant joke and laughs off Patrick’s confession. Kimball states that Paul is alive and well, he even met with him in London. Doubting his own memory, Patrick goes to Paul’s apartment expecting it to be full of his murder victims, but finds it untouched and immaculate. Patrick realizes that he will never aspire to the level of Paul and accepts his fate, marrying Evelyn (“This Is Not an Exit”).

If I had even a small regret about not seeing Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, it multiplied after seeing Benjamin Walker’s performance as Patrick Bateman. Compelling and sexy, it was easy to empathize with this character, even if he is a psychopath! I guess that will be one of the next cast albums on my Amazon Wish List this Christmas.

Another bonus to seeing American Psycho was the reunion of Jenn Damiano & Alice Ripley, who famously played mother & daughter in Next to Normal, which was one of the first Broadway shows I saw after moving to NYC. Alice Ripley didn’t really get a chance to shine, as she played several roles (Svetlana, Mrs. Bateman, Mrs. Wolfe). However, she did get some pretty big applause in her first scene where she enters as Svetlana, going to dry clean the blood out of one of Patrick’s shirts. Jenn showed maturity from her previous Tony award nominated role in Next to Normal, and vulnerability as Jean. I was excited to get to chat with her in person, as she happened to be shopping in my store, shortly after I saw the show.

The other standouts for me were Theo Stockman, who I loved in American Idiot, and was deliciously snarky and slimy as Timothy Price. Then there was Jason Hite in his Broadway Debut, as Patrick’s brother, Sean, but I first developed a Broadway crush on him, when I saw him in the New World Stage’s production of Bare, where he played Jason.

I’m a little disappointed that there won’t be a cast album for the American production, but the London recording is still great! It even has a cut track, “Oh Sri Lanka,” and the original song order from that production. What really motivated me to finally write up this review was attending the 54 Below showcase of “American Psycho Sings Duncan Sheik,” where some of the cast members performed numbers from this show, Spring Awakening and other Duncan Sheik songs. Even if Benjamin Walker wasn’t at this showcase, Dave Thomas Brown, who understudied the role, got a chance to be Patrick and really got the chance to show off his skills. But the highlight of the night for me was the boys singing “Cards,” closely followed by Alice Ripley performing “Barely Breathing,” the song that all non-theatre lovers should know Duncan from.

Musical Numbers:

Act One:

Opening (Morning Routine)

Selling Out

Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Cards

You Are What You Wear

True Faith

Killing Time

In the Air Tonight

Hardbody

You Are What You Wear (Reprise)

If We Get Married

Not a Common Man

Mistletoe Alert

Hip to Be Square

Act Two:

Killing Spree

Nice Thought

At the End of an Island

I Am Back

You Are What You Wear (Reprise)

A Girl Before

Clean Requiem

Don’t You Want Me

This Is Not an End

"Hamilton" - 07.29.15

September 25, 2015

Show/Venue: Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre

Date: Wednesday, July 29th, 2015 @ 2pm

Starring: Lin-Manuel Miranda/Javier Munoz, Leslie Odom Jr., Phillippa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Christopher Jackson, Daveed Diggs, Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Jonathan Groff

Website: http://www.hamiltonbroadway.com

When I first moved to New York City in 2009, one of the first shows that I saw on Broadway was Lin-Manuel Miranda’s brilliant, Tony-Award winning In the Heights and I was blown away by the cultural references and his ability to tell a vibrant story through rap and hip-hop. Then, I saw Bring It On: The Musical, which also had Lin-Manuel’s influence with smart lyrics and contemporary references that came fast and slick. Sadly, I wasn’t ahead of the game with his latest work, Hamilton. Try as I might, there were no tickets available at The Public Theatre, but the buzz surrounding his work and the show was so high, that has soon as it was announced the show would transfer to Broadway, I was on the hunt for tickets on Ticketmaster. I chose my favorite time for a show, a Wednesday matinee, during previews and consumed everything I could about the show in the coming months.

Yes, I took the day off of work to attend the show and as I arrived the energy in the Richard Rodgers Theatre was electric. The story of one of America’s founding fathers told through a mostly African-American and Hispanic cast. (A brilliant move in colorblind casting, which is still sad that in 2015 this is something we have to applaud.) The usual weekday matinee consisted of older, mostly white people and boy, would they be in for a ride over the next few hours.

All my friends know that I’m an emotional theatre-goer, so I knew I would be on a ride as soon as Leslie Odom Jr. (Aaron Burr) appeared on stage. As Burr, he begins to lay the foundation of Alexander Hamilton’s story and how he was “The ten dollar founding father without a father.” I didn’t get the opportunity to see Lin-Manuel in the role of Hamilton, as he was sitting out a few performances during previews to tweak the show. However, his standby, Javier Munoz (also his standby during his run of In The Heights), was on for the role of Alexander Hamilton. I was immediately engrossed.

By the second song, “My Shot,” I already had chills. “Just like my country, I’m young, scrappy and hungry and I’m not throwing away my shot,” Hamilton raps and I realized it was going to be a great two and a half hours. But as I started to dance in my seat, the man sitting next to me took out his cell phone and started to scroll through his e-mails! I semi-aggressively grabbed his arm and told him to put his phone away. How important were those e-mails that he needed to check them less than fifteen minutes into the show? At least he was polite about it and didn’t glance or take out his phone at all during the rest of the show.

The Schuyler sisters; Angelica (Renee Elise Goldsberry), Eliza (Phillipa Soo) and Peggy (Jasmine Cephas Jones) are brilliantly played and you might notice the slight nod to another famous female R&B trio. The girls are the only children of Philip Schuyler, a prominent politician in New York. Their introduction shows them sneaking out of their parent’s home to go out on the town, with Peggy showing a bit of guilt for leaving against their parents’ wishes. They get one of the best phrases in the show as they sing of “the greatest city in the world,” which has replaced the usual theme that hums through my idle brain; the theme to the old Nicktoon, Doug.

As one of the ensemble members, Thayne Jasperson (one of my favorite dancers from So You Think You Can Dance, Newsies, Matilda), introduces a proclamation from King George (Jonathan Groff) and establishes the strained relationship between the new America and England. In the next scene, Groff has the audience in his hands, playing the King as aloof and in a fun, poppy influenced number called “You’ll Be Back,” where he taunts the American revolutionaries for leaving him.

With a war looming Hamilton and his friends launch into “Right Hand Man” with influences of Jay Z and other modern rappers. This leads into the introduction of Eliza and Angelica Schuyler as love interests for Hamilton and how he weaves his life into their family in “Helpless,” which is brilliantly staged on the turntable on stage, as the ensemble and leads weave their way in and out of each other. Time elapses and Hamilton wins the love of Eliza, promises to give his life to her and they get married. The audience gets to see a bit of jealousy in Angelica, as she realizes her feelings for Hamilton and how she will not be able to rise above her station if they marry (“Satisfied”). She sees how her sister, Eliza, is smitten by Hamilton and finds a way to introduce them. Angelica is brilliantly performed by Renee Elise Goldsberry and we see her story of how she, Hamilton and Eliza met through a reversed story, including some amazing reverb, more turntable work and an INSANE rap thrown by Goldsberry that had me fan-girling at the stage door with her after the show and goosebumps up and down my arms.

Manuel expertly shows the parallel lives of Burr and Hamilton and how these two men, one who’s life ended in tragedy; were not very different at all. Burr always seemed to be just a bit behind Hamilton in reaching their same life goals. They share stories of being orphans, working in the New World, love of women who are out of their reach; expressed beautifully in “Wait for It” by Odom Jr. as he lays out how Hamilton is “changing the game.”

Hamilton wants desperately to fight in the war, but George Washington (Christopher Jackson, In the Heights, Holler If Ya Hear Me) does not want him in the field and instead, he promotes Christopher Lee. Hamilton still longs to get into battle, so his friend John Laurens (Anthony Ramos) goes into the battlefield for him and they run through the “Ten Duel Commandments,” with the same siren beat I quickly recognized from the Pussycat Dolls’ “When I Grow Up,” is that odd? As the debate continues about the duel, then Miranda brilliant plays in a “meet him inside” sample from DMX’s “Party Up (In Here)” and Hamilton finally retreats and heads home.

Once he makes it back home, Hamilton learns that Eliza is pregnant and his tune about fighting in the war shifts. Soo beautifully illustrates like what it was like to live in NYC then and now, her haunting phrase of “look around, look around,” that consistently follows me when I’m walking through the city. Miranda has done an outstanding job of showing Eliza’s story in American history, which was probably passed over in most U.S. textbooks.

I quickly became a fan of Marquis de Lafayette (Daveed Diggs) during his rap in “History Has Its Eyes on You.” His rhymes come so fast and slick; yet explain exactly the camaraderie between himself, Hamilton and their friends during this time of change. As the men prepare for “Yorktown,” Hamilton’s friends spread across the country to take on the British, with Hercules Mulligan (Okieriete Onaodowan) explaining how he acted as a spy for the American’s advantage, with more stunning raps from “The Mighty Oak,” as he’s known.

As Act One comes to a close, the battle of Yorktown winds down, King George reappears and Groff gets another chance to shine taunting the Americans and saying “don’t come crawling back to me. You’re on your own!” (But seriously, don’t tell me you don’t have “oceans rise, empires fall” stuck in your head or at least the “da da da da” right now.)

Then a tender moment with Burr, as he sings to his newborn daughter in “Dear Theodosia,” showcasing Odom Jr’s chops, which were never really shown to their full potential on SMASH, where I became a casual fan; and how she’ll “blow us all away, someday.” This scene is juxtaposed with Hamilton singing to his newborn son, Philip, and how his “father wasn’t around, [but he’ll] be around for you,” and is echoed by Burr. So much optimism shown through the eyes of Hamilton and Burr, as they become fathers for the first time.

In the next scene, Hamilton & Burr both end up back in New York City, where they have become lawyers. Burr can’t believe that Hamilton is besting him again, “why do you assume you’re the smartest in the room” in “Non-Stop.” This song is also a nod to Hamilton’s insane amount of writing and how he had so much that he needed to express; in fact he proposes a new form of government to Burr and how to take on the U.S. Constitution. Hamilton believes that his essays can help to amend the Constitution and make their government better.

We also see Angelica leaving Hamilton for another man, but their interaction still shows that something else might be there. As Hamilton writes 51 out of 85 essays, “writing like [he’s] running out of time” which will become The Federalist Papers, after his other partners drop out. Washington then appoints Hamilton to lead the U.S. Treasury and Eliza begs him to stay, Angelica leaves and the world waits to see what Hamilton will do with his shot.

Act Two opens with some of the leads turning into new roles, as Lafayette becomes Thomas Jefferson (Diggs), Hercules Mulligan becomes James Madison (Onaodowan) and John Laurens becomes Hamilton’s son, Philip (Ramos). And if you weren’t already impressed with Daveed Diggs, you will be now. As Thomas Jefferson, coming back from France, he asks everyone “What’d I Miss” in a rousing number, as he is introduced to Hamilton. Jefferson isn’t quite sure what to think about Hamilton and if he’s a friend or a foe.

The two meet in a Cabinet meeting that’s presented as a rap battle, cordless microphones and all, and its here that we see they share opposite views on how the country should be run. The battle sets up Act Two and the Jefferson vs. Hamilton rivalry and where Burr fits into the story, and these “cabinet meetings” easily became one of my favorite parts of the show.

Washington then challenges Hamilton to fix their problem, as we see Eliza with a young Philip Hamilton, learning the piano. Hamilton writes a letter to Eliza’s sister, Angelica, lamenting why they are “an ocean away,” and how perhaps, in another place they could have been together. As Eliza beckons, a young Philip shows his father how he’s written a poem/rap for his father. It’s here that Eliza encourages Hamilton to leave the city and to get away from all the government conflict; as she wants to raise their family upstate. On the other hand, Angelica is encouraging Hamilton to challenge the government and notices that with the change in placement of one comma Hamilton has addressed her as “My Dearest, Angelica,” just before she arrives to visit her sister and brother-in-law; how will their relationship evolve?

Hamilton expresses that he cannot head upstate with the sisters, as he needs to get his plan to Congress. As he is overworked and alone, he meets Maria Reynolds and they begin a sordid affair in “Say No to This.” Soon Maria’s husband finds out about their affair and extorts Hamilton to stay quiet about the affair. At the close of the song, Lin-Manuel pays tribute to one of my favorite musicals, The Last Five Years, with a line from “Nobody Needs to Know” and chills went up and down my arms. I looked around to see if anyone else noticed the nod to Jason Robert Brown, but most likely, the rest of the audience were not huge Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick fans, like me.

As an agreement between Jefferson and Hamilton takes place, Burr laments that “no one else was in the room where it happens,” how are they to know what was agreed upon and what they have in store? As great changes in the government ensue, Eliza’s father, Philip Schuyler loses his Senate seat to Aaron Burr and his frenemy relationship with Hamilton grows and another rap battle ensues. Jefferson tells Washington that Hamilton is not good for the Nation, as he wants to challenge the European Nations. Hamilton doesn’t want to start a war and Washington agrees that America is too young to start another war. It’s here that Jefferson says “it must be nice to have Washington on your side,” as Hamilton is clearly the teacher’s pet. Jefferson realizes that to take on Hamilton, he will have to resign from the cabinet and that’s not something that Washington was expecting.

As Washington decides to resign from the Presidency, King George wonders how John Adams could be the next President and how someone could “step down” from running the country. The King knows Adams and observes that he will not be able to run the country, but how he’ll love to watch Adams turn America into a giant mess with Jefferson as his Vice-President. Another amusing and crowd-winning performance from Groff, devilish laughter, winks to the crowd and all.

Under the Adams Administration, Hamilton realizes that he doesn’t hold the same power that he did in Washington’s Administration. Hamilton writes and writes about his distaste for what Jefferson is doing with the country. Jefferson realizes that Hamilton must be taken down and they find records of Hamilton’s checks to James Reynolds, Maria’s husband, hoping to extort him for treason. However, they are surprised to learn that Hamilton only paid Reynolds to cover up his affair and wasn’t moving around government funds. Hamilton implores the men to keep everything a secret, but being paranoid that he cannot trust them, he decides to write “The Reynolds Pamphlet” and expose himself before someone else can. With the news being public, Jefferson declares that Hamilton “never gonna be President now.” Angelica appears and Hamilton believes that she is here to support him, but in a change of events, she sides with Eliza and is there for her sister’s support.

As Philip Hamilton graduates college, he’s taunted by a classmate, George, about his father’s honor and challenges him to a duel. Hamilton coaches Philip to shoot his pistol into the sky, in a reprise of “Ten Duel Commandments”, but the classmate doesn’t wait until the count of 10 and fatally wounds Philip. As Hamilton and Eliza rush to Philip’s side, they patch up their relationship as their son dies. It’s Soo’s blood curdling scream that sent tears streaming down my eyes, through the loss of her only son; thank god, I brought plenty of Kleenex.

It’s then that Hamilton & Eliza move uptown to a quieter life. As the next election nears, Adams is out and Jefferson finds himself running against Burr. Surprisingly, Burr has been openly campaigning and winning over voters by not taking a strong stance against any issue, but by being charming. Jefferson realizes that he may need an endorsement from Hamilton to win the election. Able to gain this endorsement and win the election, Jefferson is elected and Burr is surprised to learn that Jefferson doesn’t want Burr as his Vice-President.

With another opportunity taken from him, Burr begins to realize a pattern in his life. Who has been there through everything and taken all of his opportunities, no other than Alexander Hamilton. Burr challenges Hamilton to a duel in New Jersey, ironically in the same place that Hamilton’s son, Philip’s duel took place.

In the early morning, Hamilton and Burr arrive in Weehawken, New Jersey to prepare for the duel. As the men and their allies arrive, Burr’s anger towards Hamilton grows and at the count of ten, he fires. As the bullet (Ariana DeBose, So You Think You Can Dance, Bring It On, Motown) approaches, Hamilton fires towards the sky and is hit by Burr’s bullet in the chest. Hamilton is taken back to New York City, where Eliza and Angelica await and are by his side as he passes. Then Burr realizes the consequences of being Hamilton’s killer and how “the world was wide enough” for them both, Burr wanted to be remembered for his achievements, but will only now be known for killing Hamilton.

Jefferson and others realize what an asset Hamilton was for America in “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.” Eliza goes on a mission to learn more about her late husband, who he fought with, what he wrote and how they can bring everything he accomplished to the world. She then goes on to raises money for the Washington Monument, challenges slavery and helps to build the first private orphanage in New York City. Over the next decades, she will raise many children and see how Hamilton influenced her life’s passion and story. Even before the curtain call began, the audience was on their feet applauding the performance and this amazing, life-changing work of art.

By the end of the show, I realized how little about American history that I actually knew. Where was all this information in my late 90’s high school history class? If only Mr. Brestel had taught us through rap & hip-hop, maybe I would have scored higher on my AP History Exam. In fact, I’m a bit ashamed that I only knew who Aaron Burr was because of the “Got Milk?” ad about the history buff who can’t answer a trivia question, because of all the cookies in his mouth; if only he’d had a glass of milk! (You should Google Leslie Odom Jr.’s brilliant parody of this video, if you haven’t seen it already.)

As NPR released the “First Listen” of the soundtrack earlier this week, I’ve been listening to the whole show on repeat all week. I can’t wait to go back again and might need to save up some money to try and get a ticket for February 2016.

Musical Numbers:

Act One:

1. Alexander Hamilton

2. Aaron Burr, Sir

3. My Shot

4. The Story of Tonight

5. The Schuyler Sisters

6. Farmer Refuted

7. You’ll Be Back

8. Right Hand Man

9. A Winter’s Ball

10. Helpless

11. Satisfied

12. The Story of Tonight (Reprise)

13. Wait for It

14. Stay Alive

15. Ten Duel Commandments

16. Meet Me Inside

17. That Would Be Enough

18. Guns and Ships

19. History Has Its Eyes on You

20. Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)

21. What Comes Next?

22. Dear Theodosia

23. Non-Stop

Act Two:

1. What’d I Miss

2. Cabinet Battle #1

3. Take a Break

4. Say No to This

5. The Room Where It Happens

6. Schuler Defeated

7. Cabinet Battle #2

8. Washington on Your Side

9. One Last Time

10. I Know Him

11. The Adams Administration

12. We Know

13. Hurricane

14. The Reynolds Pamphlet

15. Burn

16. Blow Us All Away

17. Stay Alive (Reprise)

18. It’s Quiet Uptown

19. The Election of 1800

20. Your Obedient Servant

21. Best of Wives and Best of Women

22. The World Was Wide Enough

23. Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story

"Finding Neverland" - 05.13.15

June 30, 2015

Show/Venue: Finding Neverland at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

Date: Wednesday, May 13th, 2015 @ 2pm

Starring: Matthew Morrison, Kelsey Grammer, Laura Michelle Kelly

Website: http://www.findingneverlandthemusical.com

Even though Finding Neverland was almost shut out of the Tony Award nominations, I was still excited to see the show. As a big fan of So You Think You Can Dance, I couldn’t wait to see Melanie Moore, (the season 8 winner) and the choreography of Mia Michaels in this production. And as any musical theatre nerd who loved Glee, I knew it would be great to see Matthew Morrison (Mr. Schuester) in the role of J.M. Barrie.

Having never seen the movie, I had brief knowledge about the plot of the show, but knew it revolved around J.M. Barrie and how he came up with the idea for Peter Pan. Also starring Kelsey Grammer (Fraiser, Cheers, La Cage Aux Follies) as Charles Frohman, Barrie’s director and investor, the show was loaded with star power and the theatre was filled with a mix of young and old for this Wednesday matinee.

Before Barrie wrote Peter Pan, he had just opened up a new play, which critics were not enthusiastic about, but no one would tell him the truth, (“If the World Turned Upside Down”). Barrie struggled with finding inspiration and substance for a new play and his overbearing, society wife, Mary (played brilliantly by Teal Wicks), wasn’t helping his situation. Mary was stressed that so many people from London were there to see Barrie’s work and he wasn’t paying them any attention, (“All of London Is Here Tonight”).

The next day, Barrie spends some time in a local park, where he meets Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (the spectacular Laura Michelle Kelly), a recent widow with four young sons. Barrie is inspired by their imaginations “Believe” and their stories of pirates, (“Pirates of Kensington”) and plays with the boys, who long for some sort of male role model, since their father had passed away, (“Believe”). Barrie finds a kindred spirit in Peter, who is an aspiring writer and is so taken by the family that he invites them to his home for a fancy dinner, in celebration of his latest work. This new arrives much to Mary’s chagrin and Barrie starts to develop feelings and a much frowned upon relationship with Sylvia, (“The Dinner Party” and the very entertaining “We Own the Night”).

After the party, Mary is deeply embarrassed by Barrie’s behavior, acting like a child and letting his imagination run free in front of so many important people. Barrie retreats from his wife and continues to find more inspiration in the imaginations of the Llewelyn Davies children. It’s after the party that Sylvia’s mother warns her about how the community is viewing her relationship with Mr. Barrie and how she must take care of herself, alluding to some sort of sickness that Sylvia has been dealing with, and leaving Sylvia alone outside of her home, (“Sylvia’s Lullaby,” a stunning ballad performed by Kelly).

Barrie and Sylvia start to talk about the concept of Neverland, where you can go and never have to grow up. In the next few scenes, Barrie’s imagination runs free, [in the “Circus of Your Mind” the ensemble lights up with an intricate dance number, reminiscent of a group SYTYCD routine by Mia Michaels in Season 4 (“The Dance,” https://youtu.be/djsTqP-0CdY)] as he starts to develop more new ideas for his next work. We then see Frohman challenging Barrie to come up with a new idea and that he needs new material for the actors right away; which leads to Frohman’s transformation into Captain Hook, (“Live by the Hook”).

In the stunning Act One closer (as performed on the 2015 Tony Awards), “Stronger” showcases Morrison’s singing and performance chops, something he rarely got to do live on Glee and shows why the producers may have cast him in this role over Jeremy Jordan (who played Barrie in the out of town tryout and will always be one of my favorite Broadway crushes). Here, Barrie, with a cast of pirates, shows how this struggle has made him stronger and how he will move forward in work and life, culminating in a large production number with a plank, a bench (one of Michaels’ favorite props) and several rope ladders. I left Act One with chills and couldn’t wait to see how “Peter Pan” was going to develop in Act Two.

At the start of Act Two, Frohman’s actors are struggling to understand Barrie’s work and what this story about the boy who never grew up really has to say. Barrie and Sylvia’s relationship continues to develop, (“What You Mean to Me”), as Barrie’s home life with Mary falls apart. In the meantime, Peter is working hard to write his own play to share with Barrie, with his siblings as the actors. Following their first performance, Sylvia’s condition worsens and Barrie has a heartfelt talk with Peter, (“When Your Feet Don’t Touch the Ground”), and what is going on with his mother.

Finally, Barrie’s Peter Pan is ready for its opening night, but Sylvia is in no condition to attend. The actors head off to Opening Night without her and the show is a huge success. There’s even a nod to Grammer’s television days as one of the actors asks him if they “say ‘cheers!’ where [he’s] from!” At the conclusion of the performance, the cast brings the show to Sylvia’s home, so she and her children can enjoy the work that their lives and imaginations have inspired. The energy is electric as everyone is celebrating this new work, but in the next moment, Sylvia passes.

In this tender moment, Kelly becomes engulfed in glitter and disappears, just one of those special, magical theatre moments that I can’t quite figure out, but that’s the beauty of live entertainment. Then the family reassembles after Sylvia’s passing, with Sylvia’s mother, Barrie and the boys. They will co-parent the boys and help them keep their imaginations just a lively as ever.

I left the theatre feeling rejuvenated about what you can accomplish in life with just a bit of imagination and immediately wanting to see the show again. There were so many great nuances in the production that left me baffled as to how this show didn’t receive a Best Musical nomination or even a nod for Matthew Morrison, (because Ken Wantanabe in The King & I was certainly not as powerful as Morrison), but I guess that’s up to the Tony Award voters to figure out.

I enjoyed watching Melanie Moore dance in the ensemble and bring Tinkerbell back to life, as much as I loved watching her dance with Marko Germar on SYTYCD. Her ability to draw in the audience and express emotion through her movement is always so impactful. In fact, she stopped into my work the day before I saw the show and I immediately went to help her, without fan-girling too much, and to talk about what a spectacular dancer I think she is.

The ensemble of this cast is also remarkable, as they play various roles of the Barrie household’s servant/wait staff (and have some great comedic moments), pirates in the imagination of Barrie, citizens of the city during “Believe” and even the acting troupe, each of them finds a unique was to relate to the audience, even in the overwhelming space of the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, which I didn’t feel from the ensemble of Motown, which I also saw there.

I was really moved by the music, written by Gary Barlow, of the British boy band, Take That, and disappointed that the Original Broadway Cast album was almost overshadowed by the concept album, where the songs from the show were “reimagined” by a bunch of pop stars. Don’t get me wrong, I love some Nick Jonas, but his version of “Believe” and Kiesza’s version of “Stronger” can’t compare to Matthew Morrison’s version of either. At least I have the newly announced OBC recording to look forward to, so I can cry my eyes out when Laura Michelle Kelly sings.