= Decent

= Good

= Excellent; it's hard to get this rating...

This was quite a different Broadway experience for me in 3 respects. First was that it was my FIRST SHOW IN NEW YORK!!!! YEA!!!!! Second was that it's a fairly old show...a very different style than I'm used to. Third was that it was the first show I'd ever seen where I didn't know the music beforehand. I know and love it now, but I had no clue what I was in for walking in. It was fun, a little more brainless than I really like, but I definately enjoyed it.

Miss Saigon

This was an INCREDIBLE show. I saw it my second day in New York. It left me so speechless, it's hard to describe. Like Les Miz, I've performed pieces from this before, which gave it a whole new dimension. The staging was by far the best I've ever seen. The performances were unparalelled. I think it has to go right up there with Les Miz and TSG,

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

with Donny Osmond

Both times:

This is such a great show. A lot of people dis it because they think Donny is tacky. Personally, I think he was wonderful. He had a lot of fun doing it, and that's what makes performances come off well. If you're having fun up there, then you'll do a good job. That's a fact. The chemistry between him and the rest of the cast (which veried slightly, including the narrator, between the two times I saw it) was incredible. The kids seemed to not be singing as much as gawking. This show is so funny, you have to see it twice to even have a chance of catching half of the jokes. The second time I saw it would have been only 3, not 4, but I cought so many more jokes that it was just as good, if not better. The music is great. Again, this is another show where I've performed stuff. Actually, my church did a stripped down version for Children's Sunday a few years back.

Les Miserables

First time I saw it:

This was the first real broadway show I ever saw, making it seem incredible even if it stank, which it definately did NOT!!! This show is my best Broadway experience to date.

Second time I saw it:

The second time I saw it was almost as good, but without the thrill of the first show. The cast was somewhat the same, there were some changes. This made it a little different, because I had seen the actor and actresses in one role, now they were that role's worst enemy. It was a bit strange for that reason, but all in all, a great show!

There was alot of hype about the company coming to Boston for Phantom, so I got tickets. I had great balcony seats with a really cool view of the chandelier AND the stage. The show was great, alot of the cast members were from the original or current New York production, so that was neat.

If you are at all familiar with the North Shore of Cape Cod, you know the North Shore Music Circus. It is a great big open-air circus tent with a stage in the middle for plays. It was neat how they used the tent to add to the atmosphere of the show. It was pouring rain the day I saw it, and I'll never forget the guy coming over the loudspeaker saying, "Don't worry, the tent is grounded for lightning." I guess you had to be there; it was funny at the time.

This was a good show, but after seeing the movie dozens and dozens of times, it was disappointing to see it as a stage production. There weren't as many settings, so some scenes were in a different place than in the movie, so it was kind of mesesed-up. But Marie was great, as expected.

This was definately the most long awaited show that I've seen. I bugged my mom for over a year before it ever finally did come to Boston. This is my favorite show music-wise. I have alot of friends that have been in local and college productions of it. It is such a great story, and Lucy Simon (Carly's sister) and her partner did an excellent job with the score.

Return to Beth's Page