Having fun on Broadway
May 27th, 2010 by Nik · No Comments
As our stay in New York concludes we’ve has a lot of fun in the process. Having the opportunity to return to my past (Broadway Musicals) is fabulous. I spent many years working on various Broadway tours and runs in Vancouver including Phantom of the Opera, Showboat, Sunset Boulevard, Riverdance, Joseph and Ragtime. So, when in New York I make an effort to see as much as possible. This time I was able to catch five shows and there are many more around town I didn’t have time to see. Below are my capsule thoughts and reviews to some new shows and some longer running productions.
American Idiot: The new musical based on the Green Day album was a great visual and aural experience. The look and performances were stellar. It was like watching a live 90 minute music video- Broadway style. Unfortunately, the loose storyline imposed on the music was weak and not particularly fresh.
Billy Elliott: Last years Tony Award winner was every bit as good as all the reviews. I definitely enjoyed the musical more than the movie. The role of Billy is amazing as the young performer is on stage for at least 80% of the show and has to deliver or the show doesn’t work. This show also had an amazing lighting design- subtle and extremely effective. This is truly a ‘Broadway show’. It was good to see a performer I toured with on Ragtime in this production as well as a former crew mate on the props crew. I expect this show to have a long run on Broadway. The challenge on touring this show will be finding enough young ‘Billys’.
Avenue Q: On Monday night Diane and I headed Off Broadway but not very far to see the 2004 Tony Award winner, Avenue Q. I’ve heard a lot about this show and knew the music quite well. I was a little afraid that I would be underwhelmed as I had heard so much. That was definitely not the case. The show is “Sesame Street for Adults” and is extremely clever. It very eccentric and unique. Any show that has a main character based on Gary Coleman is quirky enough for me to enjoy. The show still feels fresh and I would go back.
Promises, Promises
: On Wednesday afternoon at the last minute I made it to Promises, Promises with very little expectations. The show is a revival of a late 60’s musical. Sean Hayes from Will and Grace fame was the lead and was extremely funny. Unfortunately Kristen Chenoweth was ill. The production was extremely stylized and hit all the right notes. It was a great way to spend a very hot afternoon on Broadway.
Fela!: Last night we hit Fela, the new hit musical on Broadway. This again was very unique as the entire interior of the theatre was dressed up as a Nigerian Music Hall. The show in one word was “mesmerizing”. The energy and passion of the performances kept you thrilled throughout. In this case, the storyline was just enough of a thread to tie together the Afrobeat music. You learned about the history of Fela while being thoroughly entertained.
As much as I love Broadway musicals I also love attending Sporting events. I’ll watch almost anything. In New York I had the opportunity to attend a Mets game in their two year old Citi Field. It’s very interesting to compare all the new Ballparks. This field ranks up with the best of them. One unique aspect of this field is you can ‘plane spot’ throughout the game as it is right on the flight path of La Guardia. Not that I cared that much but the Mets won 8-0.
