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Name: Caitlin
Age: 16
I just got back from seeing Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. That is my all-time favorite Disney move - I think I have some sort of thing for that kind of cliche. I mean, Phantom, BatB... *whistles* Anyway, I adore that story (and I have always wholly identified with Belle in the opening song: "Look there she goes, that girl is so peculiar! I wonder if she's feeling well? With a dreamy far-off look, and her nose stuck in a book, what a puzzle to the rest of us is Belle!") and the play didn't disappoint me. It wasn't the best thing I've ever seen, but it was good.

Some things I didn't like: The French accents on the characters (not the chorus, they did their "bonjour"s well) were deplorable. Especially Belle's. Lumiere had a pretty decent one, but he kept switching back and forth between VERY American and cheesy French. But Belle really wasn't a good actress. She was played by Anneliese van der Pol, who also plays Chelsea on the Disney Channel show "That's So Raven." Her speaking voice really irritated me. And in "A Change in Me" she just sort of... stood there.

Things I did like: Belle's singing voice was wonderful. It did take a little getting used to, since I'm so used to Paige O'Hara (the Belle in the movie), but her rendition of "Home" was beautiful (even though they did shorten it by one verse...). The Beast (Steve Blanchard) was excellent! His big song, "If I Can't Love Her," closes the first act, and it almost made me cry. The principal objects were also excellent - between them and the townspeople, Gaston, LeFou, and The Silly Girls (Gaston's groupies) I was in hysterics through the entire first act. I was prepared to be disappointed in Mrs. Potts, because Angela Lansbury is just amazing, but she was actually very good. The sets were also pretty impressive - when the castle first appeared, it took my breath away that it was all just a setpiece on wheels! It was HUGE! The fight scene was also impressive - they had the Disney-esque rain and lightning. And I want to know how the transformation at the end works!!!!!

I waited around at the stage door as well, and I got Mrs. Potts', Lumiere's, the Beast's, and Belle's signatures. Belle seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, but they were all very friendly. Also, I was definitely raising the average age of attendance - most of the audience consisted of very small children and their parents. I think I was one of the only teenagers there! But the kids were all surprisingly well-behaved. Which was good, because otherwise it would have sent me up the wall.

Name: Caitlin
Age: 17

It was the second year in a row that I'd gone into NYC to see a show for my birthday - and this time, we went to the TKTS booth and I got to bring my two best friends. We got really lucky and got to see the first show on my "to-see" list - Curtains! I wasn't particularly familiar with Kander & Ebb's music before going to see the show; I knew "All That Jazz," of course, and had had "Cell Block Tango" played at me, and I knew a few of the songs from "Cabaret" as well. But I knew that David Hyde Pierce was in Curtains, and that he had played Sir Robin the Chicken in Spamalot (sadly, he wasn't there when my family saw that show). And I just knew that it was going to be great - a murder-mystery spoof musical? Sounds great!

And it was great. Right from the very start, with the actress playing the prima donna Jessica pretending to be horrendously off-pitch (which is VERY hard!) up until the bows, when D H P came riding onto the stage on a life-size, plastic black-and-white horse, dismounting (or rather, falling) from the wrong side to take his bow. There were tons of hilarious theater jokes sprinkled throughout - in my opinion, the best kind. All the actors were wonderful, all the characters a little crazy in their own way, but hey! That's showbiz. I've decided that the showstopping number (only the first of many impressive ensemble dance numbers) "Show People" is officially my theme song, and the song "I Miss the Music", sung by the amazingly talented Jason Danieley, was an instant favorite and made me cry. When I learned that Fred Ebb had recently passed away and that John Kander had written that song without his long-time writing partner, it was even more poignant.

All in all, this show was wonderful. It made me laugh, cry, smile, "wow!", and cheer. If you're going in to see a show anytime soon, go and see Curtains.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was a really fun show- it had most of the audience, including me, in continuous giggles. There was a good mix of witty, slapstick, and risqué jokes. The vibrant set was nicely complemented with neat staging and choreography; the ensemble was spot on. I also loved watching the two leading men, Keith Carradine and Brian d'Arcy James. They had great comedic timing, had strong voices, and seemed to really be having fun working together. (I might also point out that they were both very courteous at the stage door!). Sherie Rene Scott was great as Christine Colgate: she had an amazing voice and great acting. Richard Kind as Andre was hilarious as was Rachel De Benedet- I never would have guessed that she was an understudy. I would recommend Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to anyone who wants to laugh, laugh, laugh, and laugh some more, and enjoy a good night at the theatre.

I think I need to start by saying something- I LOVE THIS SHOW! Okay, now that that's done, on to the more sensible review. The basis of the show is pretty simple- a musical theatre fan (referred only to as "the man in the chair") takes us through a playing of his favorite record, the complete recording of a 1920s musical, The Drowsy Chaperone. Bob Martin wrote the book and stars as the man in the chair- what a great narrator he is! Man in the Chair was my favorite character, probably because we have so much in common- we're both crazy for musical theatre! He was also making funny comments consistently throughout the show ("That's the wonderful thing with musicals. When someone is sad they burst into song, which is so much better than in real life, when the just whine about it." ), and dances along awkwardly with the characters in his favorite musical, mimicking their motions and repeating their lines.

The rest of the cast portrays characters from the made up musical "The Drowsy Chaperone." (Man in the Chair also gives us interesting tidbits about the imaginary actors who portrayed the characters in the 1920s.)

Georgia Engle and Noble Shropshire were adorably funny as Mrs. Tottendale, the forgetful hostess, and her dedicated butler. (Especially the spittake scene! Ahahaha! I would tell you but don't want to ruin the fun if you see it!) Jennifer Smith and Lenny Wolpe as Kitty and Feldzieg worked well together, and Eddie Korbich as George played his character well. I really, really loved Jason and Garth Kravits and the gangsters disguised as pastry chefs. They moved really well together, often times finishing each other's jokes. ("Have we made ourselves perfectly éclair?" "We cannoli hope so!") Kecia Lewis-Evans sang the pants off of the role of Trix- her voice made me wish she was in more that just the first and last songs. I loved, loved, loved Danny Burnstein as Aldolpho, the not so suave Latin lover. His continual clumsiness and overdone accent had the audience in stitches. His signature line of "Whaaaaaaaaa-ut??" when confronted with something not to his liking was like the icing on the comedy cake. The continually drunk chaperone was played by the understudy, Linda Griffin. Her acting was fine, but I felt that her voice lacked the belting and sparkle needed for the role. Troy Britton Johnson was superb as the debonair groom. His acting was really spot on and he seemed to have great chemistry with Sutton Foster. And speaking of Sutton Foster! What an amazing voice- so strong and pure (I love her vibrato!) even while dancing and doing stunts.

Well, you must be able to tell by this rambling review how much I enjoyed this show! In the end, The Drowsy Chaperone does just what The Man in the Chair said it would- transport you to another time and place and give you something to laugh at and enjoy while you forget about the worries of everyday life.

Name: Caitlin
Age: 16
Oh. My. God. That's about all I can say to sum up the entire show, it was that phenomenal. Aside from Phantom, which will always be my favorite, it was the best show I have ever seen. Ever. The staging and sets were beyond amazing, and the scene "Javert's Suicide" had some amazing special effects. The entire cast was absolutely bloody brilliant, with the sole exception of Fantine, who, honestly, could not sing at all. Other than that, it really, truly was perfect. It is a very dark, sad show, and I was crying for most of the second act. Eponine's death had me sobbing - I had to stop myself from making a huge amount of noise, I was crying so hard! Marius' big solo, "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," also got me, especially the one line "Oh, my friends my friends don't ask me/What your sacrifice was for!" And I was sobbing during the finale (my favorite song) because I was just so happy. I got my program signed too, and the cast was so nice! They fully deserved the standing ovation and curtain calls they recieved - I myself was on my feet the moment the stage went dark. I was sorely tempted to scream "Encore!" as well, but I was crying too hard! I wholeheartedly suggest that you go see this show before it leaves again!

I was hoping against hope that The Pirate Queen would be an enjoyable night out. I was holding my breath that the critics would be wrong, and that the creators of my favorite show on the entire earth, Les Mis, would be able to pull it off again. Unfortunately, my hopes were in vain. The critics are correct in everything they say about The Pirate Queen- the show is nothing more than a corny spectacle at best.

The story itself does have potential. It’s refreshing to see two strong women portrayed on stage. Well, that is, it would be if the lyrics weren’t so cringe-worthy. The story-telling element of the lyrics is absolutely horrible. It consists of the character facing the audience and describing who they are and what they’re doing. There’s no interesting prose, no intricate wording, and an abundance of predictable rhymes. The action moves along at a strange, sometimes rushed, sometimes unbearably slow pace. (For instance: Grace wants to go with her father and his clansmen to sea. He won’t let her. She sneaks aboard. Thirty seconds after the ship takes off, they hit a storm. Grace saves the day. Her father is proud of her and lets her stay. That takes place in a total of about five minutes.)

I suppose the general mishandling of the plot would be forgivable if the characters were fully developed, real, dynamic people. I am sorry to say that the characters of The Pirate Queen were the worst clichés I’ve ever seen in a Broadway show. Grace, the swashbuckling female Irish clans-leader, is a rather stagnant character. Throughout the entire show, her aims remain the same: to get through the gender barrier, become captain, and defend her land. And of course she treats us to at least three songs that reiterate these same points. I was never moved to sympathy for the character, never felt proud of her accomplishments. Tiernan, her self-sacrificing lover, comes across as sweet, but a bit of a pansy. Granted, his ballad “I’ll Be There” is one of the more tuneful songs in the show. But we never learn more about him than that he loves Grace. (And that he loves to kiss her. Not to be a cootie-fearing kid here, but it seemed to me that whenever they were unsure of what blocking to use, they just ended up embracing and kissing. It got a bit redundant.) But the worst of all was Donal, Grace’s evil husband. I’m afraid that the writers of the show have become trapped in the worst trap any writer can fall into: they’ve made their villain into the stupidest, corniest, most one-dimensional figure I have ever had the displeasure to see on stage. With absolutely no redeeming qualities and with no real insight into his motivations and aims, Donal truly is the stereotypical villain. He is a drunk, blubbering, buffoon who cheats on, abuses, and eventually betrays his wife to the English.

I could go on to describe the rest of the cast of characters, but I’ll save you the pain. Let’s move on to the music. I enjoyed some of the tunes, and liked the incorporation of native Irish instrument and riffs. But to be honest the tunes were nothing particularly special; certainly nothing that I would write home about. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that my dad came out of the theatre humming “Master of the House”. There’s more than one song that seems to be a direct copy from Les Mis. But Boubil and Schonberg should know by now that copying hardly ever works. The tunes are at best anemic, half-baked versions of their more glorious French counterparts.

Now on to the directing. I would just like to state, here in writing, that if I had an opportunity I just might murder Frank Galati. The directing was hideous- overdone, overblown, and down right cheesy. For example: When a group of Englishmen are captured by the pirates, they’re not just killed or tied up or made to walk the plank. Oh no, that would make to much sense. Instead, they’re all forced to stand in a little group in the middle of the stage, flailing their arms and screaming in silent “slow motion” as a platform slowly lowers them below stage. That might have been the scene when my eyes started to bleed from pure corny-ness.

And the really sad thing is that The Pirate Queen totally botches up its couple of good chances to make a good impression. There’s plenty of opportunity for some good swash-buckling entertainment. But each fight scene, is well, choreographed. Pirates and Englishmen fight each other with synchronized, stylized moves, making the whole thing seem more like a square-dance than a epic battle. And the Irish dancing that the show brags so mightily about (it is, after all, produced by the creators of Riverdance) is actually watered down and rather unimpressive.

The best adjective I can think of to describe the general stagecraft is…distracting. Yes, the costumes are lush and historically accurate. Yes, all those fake stars in the sky are shiny and kind of pretty. Yes, there’s some cool rigging and a sail that looks like fun to climb on. (Created, coincidentally, by the same set designer who turned the Gershwin into a mass of cogs and sparkles for Wicked). But put all those things together, and you’re left with a rather schizophrenic theatre experience. It’s hard to be dazzled by sets and costumes, deafened and blinded by cannon fire (and I mean deafened) and be able to follow the story and learn about the characters all at the same time. That is, it would be if there was any story worth following or any characters worth learning about.

Please folks, do yourself a favor and skip this one. Your eyes, ears, and inner story lover will thank you. Let’s let this shipwreck end up right where she belongs: at the bottom of the Broadway sea.

Age:16

On June 17th, I saw the closing performance of Boublil and Schonberg's musical "The Pirate Queen."

Personally, I think the critics are crazy and have been counting the days till the CD is released (July 3rd!)

Granted, I would make a *terrible* critic - I have never once seen a show on Broadway that I didn't like. Still, I think it was unfair that this show was completely ignored at the Tonys - how about some recognition for the beautiful costumes or the amazing choreography, if nothing else? I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and while it may not be the best thing to ever hit Broadway, it wasn't that terrible!!!!

There was one problem I had with the plotting - the whole Grace-sneaks-onto-the-ship-and-five-seconds-later-saves-everybody bit. That was a little abrupt... but I quite enjoyed the rest. The idea of not one, but two strong female characters is right up my alley, as is Celtic-esque Broadway music... yay. I enjoyed the music very much, most especially the duets - both between Grace and Tiernan and Grace and Elizabeth.

Going from there - Stephanie J. Block, who played Grace, the lead, was AMAZING. I loved her voice so much... and I did actually see a transition in her character. At the very beginning, all she wanted to do was show that she could do anything the men could, and maybe even do it better, but then by the end, she has had a child and spent seven years in prison, and when she faces Elizabeth it is not as the amazingly tough pirate, but as someone who has seen that force isn't going to get her anywhere, but a simple "woman to woman, face to face" talk might.

I also loved Hadley Fraser, who played Tiernan. *le sigh*

As a dancer myself - not Irish dance, but still - I was completely awed by the complicated routines the chorus performed... I still cannot get over how high up in the air they were!

Another thing - the critics may have despised it, but when I saw it the house was phenomenal. Everyone clapped when the principal characters made their entrance - I'm betting many had seen the show before and were coming to support it on its last night. They all clapped and cheered at the right times, all laughed at the right times... a perfect house. Personally, the act I finale made me cry...

All right, so "Boys'll Be Boys" was "Master of the House" exactly. I didn't notice it then. So some of the lyrics were a little trite. I was too caught up to care while watching. Next time the critics hate something, take a look at it anyway. They might not have the same opinion of it as you'd get.

IT WAS AMAZING! The chandelier was GREAT! It fell! Their effects and staging were SOOOO amazing!!!!! They were both cool and elaborate. The play was actually a lot funnier than the movie. It had a bunch of comic relief which I enjoyed.
PHANTOM: (Howard McGillan) He was SOOOO amazing! He had a superior voice and his acting ability was phantastic. Pardon the pun, I HAD to say it sometime! He was SO believable as the phantom. He was definitely a tenor, but he could make his higher voice sound really menacing and creepy. He also changed the sound of his voice often, from seductive, to normal personish, to maniac. WOW!
CHRISTINE: (Rebecca Pitcher) She was GOOD but she was definitely a warbler. She could hit the high notes however. I personally thought Carlotta was better than she was, which sort of threw off the show. However, Rebecca Pitcher is the alternate Christine, so the other may be better, which I think she is. She was a really good actress though.
RAOUL: (Tim Martin Gleason) This guy was bad. Well, he wasn't HORRIBLE but he was only good when he was singing softly. when he sang loudly, he just sounded like a weirdo. Not too descriptive but that's the first word that comes to mind. But isn't Raoul always bad?

Over all, it was an AMAZING show and I want to see it again!!!!!

Name: Caitlin
Age: 16
Review: This is my all time favorite show, and I've seen it twice before. It certainly does not lose its charm the third time around! I was on the edge of my seat through the whole overture, watching as all the curtains were pulled away and I was once again whisked off to 1881 Paris... I could see everything this time as well, since I was in the seventh row!!! I was a little nervous going in, because nearly the entire cast had changed since I last saw it, and when you know a musical word for word, note for note, it's very easy to be dissapointed. I wasn't at all, though! Jennifer Hope Wills is probably my favorite Christine - I loved her voice, and there were a few moments when she looked at Erik (the Phantom, excuse me, his name's never mentioned in the play) and I could tell that part of her truly did love him. At the end, when she comes back and returns his ring, I was choking back tears and thinking "Oh, please, God, stay! Stay! He needs you!" But, sadly, it is a tradgedy... Howard McGillin was a wonderful Phantom as well, although I must say that I liked Hugh Panaro better - Mr. McGillin was a tad heavy on the consonants. The entire cast was wonderful - Carlotta, Piangi, and the managers were hilarious! My only real complaints were that they took out Raoul's counterpoint harmony in "Wandering Child" (which is my favorite song...) and that everyone had a very obviously American accent. I loved it all the same, however - I was on my feet the moment the curtain fell. The rest of the audience didn't stand until the trio came out, though, and I found myself willing them all to get up and give the entire cast the recognition they deserved! I strongly reccommend that you see this play if you get the chance - it's one of the most beautiful, tragic stories I've ever seen on the stage. And the movie doesn't hold a candle to the REAL thing!

All the cast members were good and I found it interesting how the ensemble played all different parts and how they imagined things were there *i.e. doors*.
All the singing was great and it was better then the movie in my opinion and I liked how the orchestra was on stage and how they had a spot light on the phone and the person leaving phone messages.
There are also more musical numbers in the play then the movie and Maureen and Joanne never get engaged. Adam Pascal was better then the guy who played Rodger though. Tango Maureen was really funny too.
I LOVE RENT!

I saw it!!!!!! yay! I kinda forgot to tell people...but I DID see it! And it WAS AMAZING! It was about 10 times better than I thought-and the cast was really good! It IS really confusing-I had to really work to understand what was going on-everything happens really fast and with no explanations-however if you pay attention you WILL understand it! And they did REALLY cool things with the set-since it really never changed-like they didn't have big scene changes-but the stuff they did with it was really neat! I loved it! Now I gotta see the movie!

I just recently saw Spring Awakening for the second time (the first being while the show was still in previews) and I have to say it is just as fabulous as ever. Not only is the music fresh, but the story is finally breaking the mold of PC shows that typically run in Broadway's main stream. Some of the actors are at times unconvincing (rarely, I might add, but it does happen), but this is far outweighed by the level of perfection at which they sing their songs. Such young kids breaking the mold of Broadway is really inspiring to a young actor such as myself, and watching this play has made me more confident in my dreams of one day hitting the stage at a professional level.

Most notable out of the cast is John Gallagher Jr (who plays Moritz). The one thing that stuck out in his performance besides his superb vocals was his flawless ability to stay in character. Every movement, from the flick of his wrist to a walk from one side of the stage to another was a perfect embodiment of the character he had created. Lea Michele, who plays Wendla, also impresses with her clear and beautiful voice.

As I continue to rave for this fantastic new installment in the Broadway world, I should mention that Spring Awakening is not for the conservative. The fears and deepest desires of sexually repressed teens are expressed honestly through each of the songs. I have seen mixed reactions for the show from all ages and types of people. I personally think that anyone who is keeping up with theater owes it to themselves to see this show. It deserves its astonishing success on all levels, and I predict that it will continue to impress for years to come.

I just saw it yesterday.
It was one of the best shows I've ever seen!!!

It was soooooooo funny and awesome.
It was really different though.

Because instead of having an orchestra kinda thing, the actors and actresses played the music on stage with instruments,
and it also stayed in one set for the whole play so you had to use your imagination for where the set takes place.

it was awesome and I love it!!!!

Sweeney Todd was gory and funny!! which I love!

Review: The Show: The scenery was absolutely stunning- huge cogs and wheels along the side of the stage and moving statues, backgrounds, and a "bubble" for Glinda. The blocking was seamless- I loved how all the actors incorporated all the props and sets into their acting with such ease. The songs, which sound great on the original cast recording are ten times more powerful when you see the crazy costumes, amazing set, and acrobatic dances.
    The only real complaint I have with the show is that it was a little jerky getting from one song to the other- for instance, Elphaba and Glinda go from being worst enemies to best friends in just part of a song and a few spoken lines.
    Shoshana Bean/Elphaba- Had a voice of pure gold, absolutely amazing. I actually liked her singing better than Idina Menzel's on the recording, mainly because she used some slightly different pitches and embellishments which really made it work. Her acting was very good during the spoken parts of the show- she came across as this extreme dork who couldn't care less about what people thought. Defying Gravity was out of this world. Towards the end ("So if you care to find me...") She was lifted into the air in front of a black curtain that rippled to make her look like she was flying. Shoshana's voice shone- what a powerful belt, even while 20 feet up in the air!
    Megan Hilty/Glinda- Had a beautiful voice that good hit all the notes, but the real treat was her acting. Glinda was the most ditzy, perfect girl you've ever met on stage- a character that was willing to sacrifice all her values to keep her reputation. "Popular" was hilarious.
    David Ayer/Fiyero- Was a great actor- you could easily see the transition from mindless jock to caring prince. On the other hand , I was not a huge fan of his voice.
    Everyone else was great- we had a full cast. Ben Vereen's wizard and Rue McClanahan's Madame Morrible was a treat. They worked together great on stage and really portrayed their characters- a powerful sorceress and a wizard that possessed no real magic. Both characters were willing to sink to anything to gain power. Michelle Federer as Nessa and Robb Sapp as Boq also interacted well on stage and had great voices.

I would recommend this show to audiences of all ages who wants to be dazzled by scenery, moved by powerful songs, and laugh at funny characters- all in one night!