4/5-ITH and Wicked review
4/5-ITH and Wicked review
#14/5-ITH and Wicked review
Posted: 4/6/08 at 12:31am
Caught two shows today- ITH as a my mat and Wicked for the evening. I sat Front Mezz row A seat 18 for In The Heights (which was an amazing seat) and for Wicked Front Mezz row D seat 107 (Which was pretty good.)
In The Heights-
Lin-Manuel Miranda was fantastic. It's so hard to believe that he did the music and lyrics, and can sing, act, and dance.
Karen Olivo had a stellar voice It was very unique and I thought she was also great.
Robin De Jesus- Was the highlight of the show for e. He was funny, and just amazing. He didn't sing much though- I thought he was quite good in the movie CAMP. Anyways, him alone made my $110 worth it,
Mandy Gonzalez-Was good. She had some good moments, but I think some of the other cast members outshined her.
Olga Merediz- Was really, really good. It's crazy how they do her up to look old and than what looks like an 80 year old woman belts out some amzaing notes.
"In The Heights"-I thought it was good for an opening song. I didn't find it amazingly striking or anything--I was satisfied.
"It Won't Be Long Now"- Karen was AMAZING on this. I wish the OBCR was already out ;(
"96,000"- Best song in the entire show. I hope they perform this one at the Tony's!
"The Club/Fireworks"- Beautifully staged, *very* well choreographed, the only thing that I would change is the last note of Act 1, it wasn't very big, or long.
I did the stage door after wards and got everybody's autographs- with the exception of Mandy Gonzalez- but that was my fault- I wasn't aggressive enough, and she had to leave.
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Saw Wicked for the 3rd time this evening with my two formerly wicked virgin friends- It was good.
Stephanie J Block- Stunning performance. NO Good Deed was her best song. I've seen Julia Murney and Dee Roscioli as Elphabas before- SJB was clearly the best; no questions ask. My friends *hated* her Defying Gravity and most of the rest of the songs because SJB didn't do it the IDINA WAY which made her terrible.
Annaleigh Ashford- I had low hopes for her....but I was pleasantly surprised, she brought a new take on the role that I really like, I was very, very happy with what she did with it.
David Burnham- This guy is SO hot that it almost made me tone deaf to his singing, almost being the operative word. He was a good actor, his singing was just so-so.
Miriam Margoyles- Chanted all the songs. She didn't even sing a note. ]]
Lenny Wolpe- Favorite Wizard ever. He's WONDERFUL!!! (Yeah, I rolled my eyes at that one too!)
"Wizard and I"- Brought the house down. SJB does it again.
"Popular" -Hilarious. And I know every word and it still made me crack up. Annaleigh was great.
'I'm Not That Girl"- I love Steph's lower range- its so rich and pretty!
"Defying Gravity"- Really moving. SJB did all these riffs- it was stunning.
"Thank Goodness"- Heart-breaking. AA has some real vocal talent.
"As Long as You're Mine"- This was the only song I liked David's singing in. It was beautiful hearing it live again.
"No Good Deed"- Best performance of the whole show. The audience went wild.
I stagedoored. We waited there for 30-40 mins and got all leads, except for Stephanie, she didn't come out.
Pictures coming!
Tomorrow is Legally Blonde and RENT, I'll post reviews!
Hunter: Your teeth need whitening./ Heidi: You sound weird./ Jeff: You taste funny.
-Jeff Bowen's worst onstage line flub.
-Jeff Bowen's worst onstage line flub.
#2re: 4/5-ITH and Wicked review
Posted: 4/6/08 at 12:48amVery nice review, I saw In the Heights the other day, and LOVED it. (Isn't the choreography divine in that show?)
#2re: 4/5-ITH and Wicked review
Posted: 4/6/08 at 1:21am
So Steph and Annaleigh made it to the evening show? I saw the matinee and they were just... out of control! The entire first act was unbelievably fun. It just looked like they were having a blast and it was hysterical to watch. They were laughing so much. And so was the audience. Popular was the funniest thing I've ever seen. I won't go on an on, but all I got to say is that I'm surprised they had any energy left for the second show. LOL.
Updated On: 4/6/08 at 01:21 AM
#3re: 4/5-ITH and Wicked review
Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:40am
I agree! The first act was hilarious,and I was thinking: How the heck can this be the second time they've done it today??
During Popular, Annaleigh was bending, jumping, running, leaping, rolling.......... the audience went wild!
Hunter: Your teeth need whitening./ Heidi: You sound weird./ Jeff: You taste funny.
-Jeff Bowen's worst onstage line flub.
-Jeff Bowen's worst onstage line flub.
#4re: 4/5-ITH and Wicked review
Posted: 4/6/08 at 10:01amThank you so much for posting! I'm heading to NY on the 16th of this month to see Wicked and Legally Blonde. I saw Idina and JLT last time I was there so I enjoyed your thoughts on the current cast. Looking forward to reading your review on LB.
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