New York!
So I went to New York this Saturday. It was great- I took the 8am Chinatown bus down and the 11:30pm Mega Bus back. While there, I saw Cry Baby and Xanadu. I really enjoyed both, and I both found very funny. I wrote little snippet review-type notes on the way back, featured below. But the really exciting thing was that at the rest stop on the way back, I ran into Carlos and Luis coming back from Albany. What are the chances!? I mean seriously- they and the bus driver both decide to stop at this specific rest stop at this specific time. Not to mention that I could have stayed on the bus or gone in a different door and missed them, even though we were at the same rest stop at the same. But I did run into them and it was bizarre- we all did the thing where, obviously we know each other, but we have to look at each other really hard because there is just no reason for us to be at the same rest stop. So anyway, I got off the bus and rode home with them the rest of the way. It probably looked really sketchy to the other passengers...
Cry Baby, 2pm
I enjoyed this show. I found it very funny, especially the lyrics. The story itself is a bit clunky (I've never seen the movie, so I dont know how it compares) but the lyrics make up for this. But the best part of the show is really the choreography- it is so energetic and fun to watch. Spencer Liff, an ensemble member, was really impressive. He just had that quality that just draws your eye to him, even though when looking I couldnt really figure out why he was a better dancer than the rest of the ensemble. He was just, I dont know, sharper or something. Anyway, googling him I found out that I wasnt the only one who felt this way- he won the award for "best male dancer on Broadway" this year. Which is very impressive considering he doesnt ever really have a solo or anything, just a stand out ensemble performance. The two leads, Elizabeth Stanley as Allison and James Snyder as Cry Baby both had terrific voices and were a lot of fun to watch. But I think the show worked best when the ensemble, or at least the secondary characters (particularly the crazy Lenora played by Alli Mauzey and the upstanding Baldwin played by Christopher J. Hanke) were involved. These characters are all a bit (purposefully) a bit over the top, that they really infuse the show with energy. Not to mention that when the ensemble is involved with the numbers, it means that there is more dancing, which was great. So all in all a very enjoyable show. I am sad that it will (likely) not get a cast recording, because I really liked some of the songs, which were hysterical. Particularly "Girl I Want to Kiss you with Tongue" (which made me think of Reefer Madness). Also, the goody two shoes barbershor quartet the Whiffles used the awkward eagle as their hand sign. (Created in MTG's Wild Party). I found it hilarious, which probably resulted in my neighboring audience members believing me to be crazy.
Xanadu, 8pm
This show was also a lot of fun. It was hilarious, though unlike Cry Baby, the book is better than the music. Though the music itself works well with the book. And Kerry Butler and Cheyenne Jackson both have AMAZING voices. And they are also just the type of voices that I like. (Seriously- this has me considering buying "All Shook Up" just so I can hear more Cheyenne Jackson. And/or going down to New York to see Damn Yankees later this summer.) They are also both hilarious. They manage, in a very self-referential and over the top musical to still ground the humor and the unbelivability with sincerity that makes it easy to buy into and enjoy. The rest of the cast is also very good, particularly the two boys playing muses, who seem to be having just a great time milking their gender bending to maximum effect. And the whole thing is just so knowingly cheesy and bad, but played with the right blend of knowingingness and sincerity that the audience just really embraces the bizarre world of the show and it is just hysterical. And again, Cheyenne Jackson and (especially) Kerry Butler are both just perfect. The right amount of ditziness and sweetness mixed with amazing voices. It was very very enjoyable. And afterwards, because it is short and I had nearly 2 hours before my bus left, I went to the stage door and got their autographs, and also got to compliment Kerry Butler on Bat Boy, which she seemed to appreciate.
Cry Baby, 2pm
I enjoyed this show. I found it very funny, especially the lyrics. The story itself is a bit clunky (I've never seen the movie, so I dont know how it compares) but the lyrics make up for this. But the best part of the show is really the choreography- it is so energetic and fun to watch. Spencer Liff, an ensemble member, was really impressive. He just had that quality that just draws your eye to him, even though when looking I couldnt really figure out why he was a better dancer than the rest of the ensemble. He was just, I dont know, sharper or something. Anyway, googling him I found out that I wasnt the only one who felt this way- he won the award for "best male dancer on Broadway" this year. Which is very impressive considering he doesnt ever really have a solo or anything, just a stand out ensemble performance. The two leads, Elizabeth Stanley as Allison and James Snyder as Cry Baby both had terrific voices and were a lot of fun to watch. But I think the show worked best when the ensemble, or at least the secondary characters (particularly the crazy Lenora played by Alli Mauzey and the upstanding Baldwin played by Christopher J. Hanke) were involved. These characters are all a bit (purposefully) a bit over the top, that they really infuse the show with energy. Not to mention that when the ensemble is involved with the numbers, it means that there is more dancing, which was great. So all in all a very enjoyable show. I am sad that it will (likely) not get a cast recording, because I really liked some of the songs, which were hysterical. Particularly "Girl I Want to Kiss you with Tongue" (which made me think of Reefer Madness). Also, the goody two shoes barbershor quartet the Whiffles used the awkward eagle as their hand sign. (Created in MTG's Wild Party). I found it hilarious, which probably resulted in my neighboring audience members believing me to be crazy.
Xanadu, 8pm
This show was also a lot of fun. It was hilarious, though unlike Cry Baby, the book is better than the music. Though the music itself works well with the book. And Kerry Butler and Cheyenne Jackson both have AMAZING voices. And they are also just the type of voices that I like. (Seriously- this has me considering buying "All Shook Up" just so I can hear more Cheyenne Jackson. And/or going down to New York to see Damn Yankees later this summer.) They are also both hilarious. They manage, in a very self-referential and over the top musical to still ground the humor and the unbelivability with sincerity that makes it easy to buy into and enjoy. The rest of the cast is also very good, particularly the two boys playing muses, who seem to be having just a great time milking their gender bending to maximum effect. And the whole thing is just so knowingly cheesy and bad, but played with the right blend of knowingingness and sincerity that the audience just really embraces the bizarre world of the show and it is just hysterical. And again, Cheyenne Jackson and (especially) Kerry Butler are both just perfect. The right amount of ditziness and sweetness mixed with amazing voices. It was very very enjoyable. And afterwards, because it is short and I had nearly 2 hours before my bus left, I went to the stage door and got their autographs, and also got to compliment Kerry Butler on Bat Boy, which she seemed to appreciate.