I am still in shock about the amazingness of my New York trip. I had such a blast. I am so lucky that I got to immerse myself in the greatest city on Earth. I know for certain that I WILL live there at some point in my life. Maybe for college, maybe after, but there is nowhere else I wanna be. I don't think I will live there forever because it's a crazy city. I think there comes a time to take a breather and sleep away from the city that never sleeps.
I got to see a katrillion shows which was SO AWESOME. I saw Addams Family, House of Blue Leaves, Anything Goes, Catch Me If You Can, Rain, Importance of Being Ernest, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Stomp, Normal Heart, Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Sister Act, and last but DEFINITELY not least, Book of Mormon.
It's unreal. This season on Broadway is absolutely amazing. I loved all the shows that I saw and heard great things about the ones that I didn't.
Addams Family:
This show was a lot of fun! It wasn't my favorite musical ever, but it was certainly amusing and I had a blast. It's such a great musical, because it sounds and feels so Broadway-esque and it's very traditional but then you actually pay attention and it's about dark and scary things but in a fun and hilarious way. It was very well done. I also loved how they took the characters we all love so much and placed them in an entirely new story with an all-grown up Wednesday dealing with the dangers of love.
Bebe Neuwirth was wonderful. She has a very specific voice that I don't always love hearing, but she was perfect for Morticia. Nathan Lane originated the role of Gomez and I love him on the soundtrack, but I got to see Roger Rees, which was awesome. He was utterly hilarious and I enjoyed every minute of it. I even got a picture with him and the Wednesday after the show. Rachel Potter played Wednesday and I LOVED her. I liked her voice much better than the girl on the soundtrack and she was adorable and funny to watch. The major downside to me was Jackie Hoffman as Grandma. I thought she overacted to the extreme and she was just too much. I didn't like her at all. I also wished they used more of Thing.
The soundtrack was fun, but if you only download a few songs, I recommend "Pulled", "One Normal Night", "Waiting", and "Crazier Than You".
The outside of Lunt-Fontanne theater. I love the comic drawings of all the characters.
Roger Rees. Gomez. He's so hilarious.
Rachel Potter. Wednesday Addams. Bad picture because my eyes are closed but she is so pretty and her voice is so amazing.
The red signature is Bebe Neuwirth's. Of course.
House of Blue Leaves:
This was my first straight play of the trip and I was excited, because Kendall said it was amazing and I was eager to see Ben Stiller, Edie Falco, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. My seat was so close that it was almost bad because I was practically under the stage and some parts were obstructed, but it was still cool to be so close to the actors. It's a hilarious show and I recommend it. Ben Stiller was great! He even sang a few songs because he was a songwriter in the show. That was fun to see. Jennifer Jason Leigh was hilarious and Edie Falco does crazy well. I was so excited to see Allison Pill because I had no idea she was a theater actor. She was very good as the deaf, glamourous ex-movie star. I couldn't believe that she was Kim in Scott Pilgrim. I loved her in that! I got her signature after the show at the stage door. It was a very well-written show with a intricately woven plot of hilarity, heart, popes, and bombs.
Love the lights on this marquee.
ALLISON PILL.
Anything Goes:
Classic glory. I love this show and Sutton Foster and Joel Grey are gods and goddesses. Sutton Foster alone isn't that pretty, but as Reno Sweeney, she was HOT HOT HOT. My lord can that girl sing, dance, act, and be sexy. Yummy. I also got to see her as Fiona in Shrek which was super funny and I adore her on the soundtrack for Millie. Joel Grey is one of the cutest men alive. He is so small and talented and funny and I just loved seeing him on stage after admiring him on screen and soundtrack for so long. I was also thrilled to see Jessica Walter because Arrested Development is one of my favorite TV shows of all time.
It was nice to see a well-rounded piece of classic musical theater. They knew what they were doing back in the day, that is for sure. Cole Porter certainly did. I made a friend waiting in line to get in, and we saw each other again at the stage door. Nothing like musical theater to find kindred spirits. I don't even remember her name, but it was wonderful to meet her, and we had a strong bond for those minutes we knew each other.
It was so annoying because we waited at the stage door for so long and after a really long time of no one coming out and us waiting for Sutton and Joel, the bouncer came out to tell us they had left through another exit. Bummer.
Stephen Sondheim theater.
Naughty Leah. Took a picture of the stage. The lights make it hard to see, but it's a boat pushing through water and the big clump of light on the right says "Anything Goes".
Catch Me If You Can:
I loved this musical! I may be biased because I am in love with Aaron Tveit, but I had a blast. The music was fun but not incredible and the choreography was kind of weird, but I don't care because Aaron Tveit is a god. He is so young, yet so talented and he's been in so many of my favorite things. He originated Gabe in Next To Normal, he was Trip Van Der Bilt in Gossip Girl, he played Fiyero in Wicked, and he was Link in Hairspray. He was perfect to play the role of Frank Abagnale Jr. It was wonderful, because on the night that I went, there was a talkback with the real Frank Abagnale Jr. It was unreal to see him. I can't believe that all those things that he did were possible and that he pulled them all off at such a young age. I bought his book on Amazon and I can't wait to read it. Norbert Leo Butz was also incredible as Carl Hanratty. Excluding Aaron, he kinda stole the show. Here is a funny video of Aaron and Norbert singing "What is This Feeling?" from Wicked. They both played Fiyero.
Look at his body.
AARON TVEIT. He is a beautiful man. He laughed at my joke. I love him.
This is the real Frank Abagnale Jr. He did a talk-back which was super cool.
Rain:
This doesn't really count as a musical because there's not really a story and the "actors" aren't really actors--they are real musicians. It truly felt like a real Beatles concert to me. They had different sections throughout the Beatles' career, including a Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band part with the crazy costumes and funky lighting. I was exhausted that night but I still had a superb time. There were quite a few songs where the whole audience was up and dancing and waving their peace signs in the air.
Importance of Being Ernest:
This is one of my favorite plays of all time. Oscar Wilde is truly a genius at crafting intricate plots that unravel throughout the show and explode with big a-ha moments of hilarity. It was amusing to see Brian Bedford as Lady Bracknell. He is a brilliant actor, and I thought he did a marvelous job.
In fact, I thought all the actors did a marvelous job. This was the only show I saw from the balcony, but I still saw all of their subtleties and nuances from above. I didn't know any of the actors from other shows, but they did a spectacular job. Jack and Algy were phenomenal and I had no problem with anyone in the show. I heard there was a filmed version of this production and I would love to see it, and I recommend everyone else see it as well.
Brian Bedford is a god(dess).
Check back in for part two with the rest of my reviews. SORRY FOR BEING SO LAZY. I really wanna get back into my blog. It's been entirely too long since I last wrote. MY BLOG THERAPY HAS BEEN MAJORLY LACKING. See ya next time!
xoxoleah
p.s. the top photo is a view from Central Park.
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