SA Tour-- Durham NC

I saw the matinee today at DPAC.
I wasn't impressed by the girls very much. They were good but could have been better. Their vocals were a little lacking; they didn't have vocals nearly as strong as others I've seen in SA. However, I really like Sarah Hunt. I thought she did great with "Dark I Know Well." Steffi D was good vocally, but I think her acting during "Blue Wind" was a bit much. I loved, loved, loved Andy Mientus. He was great. Chase Davidson was on for Otto and I thought he was adorable. I really liked Taylor Trensch. He did a great job, better than any one else I've seen, making Moritz seem young and naive. Despite the fact that he looks less like a teenager and more like a 30 year old, I quite enjoyed Jake Epstein. I thought his acting was great and his vocals were good other than he kept trying to sing notes that were just too high for his range. Shingledecker did good as Georg; he's no Skylar, but I think his vocals have improved a lot since the last time I saw him. I loved the adults. Angela was very maternal in the scenes as Melchior's mother.

"Dark I Know Well" was outstanding.
"Touch Me," the beating scene, and "Those You've Known" weren't the best I've ever scene.
I just didn't think the chemistry between Jake, Taylor, and Christy was very good.

I loved "Whispering" now that they added lines that Melchior sings to it. I wasn't aware of the change beforehand, but I though it was a great addition to the song. I asked Shingledecker at stagedoor when they added that. He said it started with the London production and they added to the tour when Jake joined the cast.

Overall, I thought the show lacked a little bit of the energy that it has had when I've seen it before but I was so glad to be able to see it. But it was good.