Schenectady 2/20/10 Matinee

I just got back from SA and it was absolutely amazing!!!! It was my 2nd time seeing the show but my first with the tour and there were a lot of things I really liked and a few that I didn't. Since I never wrote a review for my first SA experience I'll be making a lot of comparisons. (I apologize in advance if this turns out to be really long, which I'd count on it being).

I first saw the show 12/14/08 and Eryn was on for Martha. Today was full cast. My mom and I were sitting in the orchestra, on the left in row A. As you can imagine, I was thrilled.

Before show: When me and my mom were looking for a parking space I saw Justin and Kimiko waiting to cross the street to the theater and I had a little bit of a meltdown and my mom got mad at me. It was just really exciting. I was surprised at how late they were going to the theater though because it was a half hour before the show began.
When we were seated it was really cool to watch the ensemble sit in there seats on stage now that I knew they were gonna be there. Lucas and Kayla came on as a couple and so did Chase and Krystina. It was really cute because Lucas kissed Kayla on the cheek before they sat down.

Christy: I absolutely loved her Wendla. I still can't get over how incredible it was. Her and Alexandra's takes on the character were very different but I throughly enjoyed both. I liked how Alexandra's was more timid, quiet, innocent, and awkward; and I also really liked how Christy's was very lively, girly, and very much like a little girl. They were both very cute. Christy was a very good singer but me and my mom both agreed that we liked Alexandra's singing a little bit better. I know that's very unpopular. Christy was very good, don't get me wrong, but her voice was just a little bit too straight toned for me but she still wowed me. Probably my favorite performer from today.

Jake: He was good but I liked Hunter better. Jake's acting choices were very good but I wasn't much of a fan of his singing. He was good with the rock songs like BOL and TF but when it came to slower, ballads, I didn't care for it. It was very nasally and MBN was kinda of horrible. He cracked at one point. And I wasn't a fan of his ATK. I remember when I first saw the show, Hunter's version of that song was just so good. I loved it, it made me feel something. Jake was okay singing wise but I loved his acting. His Melchior was very sweet and really cared about Moritz and Wendla. His acting in the hayloft scene was really great. And I like how he brought something new to the role by not chosing the traditional cocky Melchior.

Taylor: I certainly understand what all the hype is about. I loved his Moritz. His singing was great; he's a rockstar and I loved his acting choices. He was also very sweet at stage door. The only thing I have to complain about about was his final monolouge. Gerard's was very thoughtful and sad and filled with regret and it wasn't like that with Taylor. I cried, regardless but it wasn't the best part of his performance. He was fantastic, though. I remeber Gerard's Moritz being more low-key but I really liked how Taylor was very high-strung and less normal. He was very spazzy and somewhat of a mess and I really liked that. He was great!!!

Steffi: I was prepared to hate her and guess what? I did. I though she was great in the MWBMR though because she was very energetic but my mom and I both agreed that she wasn't very good vocally. My mom is tone-deaf so she usually can't tell when someone is bad so the fact that she noticed with Steffi is not a good thing. She wasn't good in DIKW and I really didn't like her BW. She wasn't as bad in that as DIKW but I just didn't like the way she sang "Spring." Her acting was okay, nothing special. I prefered Emma's Ilse so much. Her singing and her acting. I did like though, how Steffi really rocked out in the collision of DDS/BW. She really got into it and that was cool but I didn't like the sound that came out of her mouth. Also she got too upset too quickly when she said "Good night?!?!" There was no slow deterioration. it went straight from being disappointed before the collision to on the verge of hystrically crying after Moritz told her good night. And I thought that since her acting before the trash heap line was so melodramatic that that line would be the peak and it could have been okay but then she kind of mellowed out which I didn't understand.

Sarah: Like Steffi, I was prepared to hate her but I actually did quite the opposite! I LOVED her Martha, she was one of my favorites of today. Her acting was very good and her singing was incredible! She almost brought me to tears during DIKW. Her voice is absolutely beautiful and she's so pretty! She actually looked a lot younger at stage door than she did in the show. I wonder if it was the braids. I honestly don't really remember Eryn's Martha so it probably wasn't anything special but Sarah's performance is definately something I'll remember for a long time!

Andy: So good! He wasn't as funny as Matt Doyle but I really liked the vibe that came off of him. He really had this sense of superiority, that he always thought he was better than you no matter what. He was creepy but more of just a plain asshole which really worked. I loved it everytime he sang, his voice is great and he was such a rockstar. His pussy cat line was great! He liked his fingers afterwards which was hilarious! He was a great performer and very nice to look at in the meantime.

Matt: The only thing I didn't like about him was his riffs in TM. Other than that, very good! He was very good at the piano and MJ was very funny. I don't really remember Andrew very much but I think I liked him. I'm not sure if he really stood out to me. But Matt was great. Some of his acting choices weren't the best but I enjoyed him.

Kimiko: I didn't really like her Thea. It was okay. In the scene when they find out about Martha's beatings, when she "Come on" it was very frightening. She screamed it. Literally screamed it. I thought that was unnecessary. Everything else was just alright. I thought she was very mean. I don't necessarily like the dorky Thea but I thought it was better than Bitch Thea. In my opinion, the best Thea is the sassy one that Remy did. But Caitlin definately was better in my mind.

Ben: His Ernst was so cute. Absolutely adorable. The contrast between him and Andy was very good, I thought. I thought he also did very well vocally. I honestly can't chose between him and Blake D because they were both very good.

Gabby: Gabby wasn't as bad as I thought she was going to be. She wasn't good but she wasn't bad either. I prefer the kinder, friendlier Anna but it wasn't THAT bad so think that perople really need to calm down.

Anthony: Very good singer. I liked his TM and WOYBR solos very much. I really think Otto should be a bigger part so I could say more about him. Oh, and his face when Melchior was telling Moritz that he dreamed about his mother was funny.

Angela: I really enjoyed her. Her Frau Gabor was great, very sweet and kind. And her Frau Bergman during the Whispering scene was SO good. I was so upset when she slapped Wendla. I wasn't a fan of her teacher (whose name isn't coming to me). I thought that Christine was funnier as that character and Frau Bergman in the stork scene as well. I didn't care for a few of her acting choices in that scene.

John: Very good as Herr Snnenstich. I really enjoyed him in that scene. I wasn't a fan of his take on the preist. And his crying in LB wasn't great but neither was Glenn's. And I now understand the Big Gay Doctor joke.

Now that I finished my analysis on the actors individually, I'd like to touch upon a few of the scenes.

The Word of Your Body Scene: I really liked this scene. When I saw it with Hunter and Alexandra, it was more awkward and "wow I haven't seen you in a really long time so I don't know what to say to you"- which there's nothing wrong with that but I liked the way Christy and Jake did it better. It seemed like they were truely happy to see each other and that they liked each other. Which made the hayloft scene make more sense. It was like Melchior wanted to have sex with her because he liked her. It was less of "Hey lets have sex" kind of thing. And I don't get why people don't like WOYB. I think it's absolutely beautiful.

The Beating Scene: This scene really showed me why kind of people were in the audience. They laughed-which is to be expected. I get that, because you feel uncomfortable and you don't know what to do so you laugh. Blaa, blaa, blaa. But normally people stop laughing after Melchior pushes her on the ground and she starts crying. But no, there were more laughs. That pissed me off. The first time I saw the show I was in such a state of shock when he pushed her, I don't remember how I felt. But this time I cried. I was so upset when she was lying there in tears and then the WOYBR came on and I was crying with her. It was so sad.

The Guilty Ones: I never noticed before the choreography the castmembers did in the chairs were before they got up and sat down with Wendla and Melchior. It was very cool.

WOYBR: When Andy and Ben kissed, there was a lot of "Whoo!"s and "YAY!!!" I thought that was inappropriate to do.

Doctor Scene: This scene was devistating and for some reason people laughed. When I saw it on Bway, it was so intense and dead silent. But when Wendla got slapped, there was an "Oh!" from an audience member. Not like a gasp, but more like and "Oh, DAMN!" And people laughed when Wendla said "That?!?" as well as when Frau Bergman SCREAMED at her. I don't remember which line but it was totally inappropriate.

This show was absolutely fantastic and I'm so glad I got to see it again. I'm sorry that this was so long.