Back from Broadway
Had a splendid weekend in New York. I hadn't been since -- gasp! -- Nobember 2001, so I'm way behind on my theatre-seeing. Alas that I could only fit in two shows this weekend.
Young Frankenstein -- I enjoyed this, mostly just because I've been utterly in love with Roger Bart for about 10 years (when I heard King David). It had a couple of wonderful production numbers, and Andrea Martin is amazing, but the music is pretty pedestrian and the book did not improve on the source material. (That came out wrong -- I adore the movie Young Frankenstein. But replaying a movie onstage with songs added isn't the best approach to take when writing a new show.)
Spring Awakening -- Spectacular. Freakin' fabulous. Great songs, great voices, great energy. Although the sightlines in the Eugene O'Neill Theatre suck.
I have terrible luck as far as seeing the billed cast when I go see shows. Sutton Foster wasn't performing in Young Frankenstein (even on a Saturday night!); Skyler Astin wasn't performing in Spring Awakening. But those are only minor disappointments. (It's not like the time I got tickets to a Signature Theatre show specifically because Marc Kudisch was starring, and when I went to the closing performance I saw the understudy. I came so close to walking out.)
Young Frankenstein -- I enjoyed this, mostly just because I've been utterly in love with Roger Bart for about 10 years (when I heard King David). It had a couple of wonderful production numbers, and Andrea Martin is amazing, but the music is pretty pedestrian and the book did not improve on the source material. (That came out wrong -- I adore the movie Young Frankenstein. But replaying a movie onstage with songs added isn't the best approach to take when writing a new show.)
Spring Awakening -- Spectacular. Freakin' fabulous. Great songs, great voices, great energy. Although the sightlines in the Eugene O'Neill Theatre suck.
I have terrible luck as far as seeing the billed cast when I go see shows. Sutton Foster wasn't performing in Young Frankenstein (even on a Saturday night!); Skyler Astin wasn't performing in Spring Awakening. But those are only minor disappointments. (It's not like the time I got tickets to a Signature Theatre show specifically because Marc Kudisch was starring, and when I went to the closing performance I saw the understudy. I came so close to walking out.)