I've seen my fair share of live theatre productions. Not a huge amount. I've seen local and college shows. I've seen regional things. I saw the Chicago production of Wicked. Last year Autumn and I saw the touring company of RENT with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal. (Squee!) I've never seen anything on Broadway. I know the music from a broad range of musicals. I'm hesitant to say a lot because...well I know Autumn and Emily. And compared to them I am strictly an amateur.
Maybe that's why this last weekend hit me like it did. I know to some of you this might be blasphemous, but seeing Next to Normal last weekend was like five times more amazing than seeing Adam and Anthony in Rent last year. Partially it's the show. The story of a woman who is bipolar and her (and her family's) dealing with that. And about living life. And finding love. And finding a way to back to something next to normal. But it's also the music. So singable. A bit rock, a bit jazzy, some straight up musical. And don't get me started on the set design and lighting. It blew me away!! This alone would have made it a freaking fantastic show. But then you add the players.
First, the ever indomitable Alice Ripley. I think seeing her hit me harder than Adam and Anthony. See, I didn't become obsessed with the Rent soundtrack until like my sophomore year of college. But Alice? She had me long before then. Sophomore year of high school at least. I had found her Duets album at my local public library and spent the summer alternating blaring that and Into the Woods the summer before my junior year. When I told my mom I was seeing Alice Ripley, "you know that Duets cd?" She remembered immediately. In fact, my BFF Anna and I sang "If Momma were married" from that album (and yes...originally from Gypsy) at our concert the following spring. She was my first Broadway crush. Many would follow (Bernadette Peters, Kristen Chenowith, Sutton Foster...) but she was my first. And your first is always special! So imagine how freaking cool it was to see her playing a role that won her a Tony??
And if that weren't enough, they found 4 actors who not only stood up to, but held up against Ms. Ripley. Three of the roles are teenagers. The young actors (ok...my age in real life...but whatever!) were fantastic. I mean... sometimes I forgot to look at Alice, I was that caught up in their singing. And they way Curt Hansen (who played Gabe) moved. Autumn and I were ... distracted. Damn. Here's a video of him singing on of my fave songs (poor quality, but it's all I can find on YouTube):
Trust me when I say it doesn't begin to show how well this kid can sing. (Wisconsin natives for the win!) And the girl who played Natalie was just as amazing. Let's put it this way, I'm contemplating seeing it again now that I've noticed it's in the Twin Cities in May. Happy Birthday to me?? We'll see! :)
Maybe that's why this last weekend hit me like it did. I know to some of you this might be blasphemous, but seeing Next to Normal last weekend was like five times more amazing than seeing Adam and Anthony in Rent last year. Partially it's the show. The story of a woman who is bipolar and her (and her family's) dealing with that. And about living life. And finding love. And finding a way to back to something next to normal. But it's also the music. So singable. A bit rock, a bit jazzy, some straight up musical. And don't get me started on the set design and lighting. It blew me away!! This alone would have made it a freaking fantastic show. But then you add the players.
First, the ever indomitable Alice Ripley. I think seeing her hit me harder than Adam and Anthony. See, I didn't become obsessed with the Rent soundtrack until like my sophomore year of college. But Alice? She had me long before then. Sophomore year of high school at least. I had found her Duets album at my local public library and spent the summer alternating blaring that and Into the Woods the summer before my junior year. When I told my mom I was seeing Alice Ripley, "you know that Duets cd?" She remembered immediately. In fact, my BFF Anna and I sang "If Momma were married" from that album (and yes...originally from Gypsy) at our concert the following spring. She was my first Broadway crush. Many would follow (Bernadette Peters, Kristen Chenowith, Sutton Foster...) but she was my first. And your first is always special! So imagine how freaking cool it was to see her playing a role that won her a Tony??
And if that weren't enough, they found 4 actors who not only stood up to, but held up against Ms. Ripley. Three of the roles are teenagers. The young actors (ok...my age in real life...but whatever!) were fantastic. I mean... sometimes I forgot to look at Alice, I was that caught up in their singing. And they way Curt Hansen (who played Gabe) moved. Autumn and I were ... distracted. Damn. Here's a video of him singing on of my fave songs (poor quality, but it's all I can find on YouTube):
Trust me when I say it doesn't begin to show how well this kid can sing. (Wisconsin natives for the win!) And the girl who played Natalie was just as amazing. Let's put it this way, I'm contemplating seeing it again now that I've noticed it's in the Twin Cities in May. Happy Birthday to me?? We'll see! :)
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