#MY FIRST BROADWAY SHOW

[mastersprogram]

HUGE NEWS ALERT GUYS

IM SEEING SPAMALOT NEXT WEEKEND ‼️

#IM SO HAPPY #MY FIRST BROADWAY SHOW #FIRST SHOW WITH ALEX LIVE #AND FIRST TIME IN NEW YORK #LITERALLY SO MANY NEW THINGS #!!!!!!!!!@$%^tsiydnal tjgr #alex brightman #monty python spamalot #spamalot #broadway #broadway actor #theater kid #march 16 #2 pm #i’m not normal

[mildlysedat3d]

#RENT #seasons of love #my first broadway show #broadway #music is medicine #when i fell in love #music is my drug #music is therapy #music #on my playlist #lyrics i love #songs on repeat

[apatheticrobots]

i'll make it worth your while~

#little shop of horrors #little shop #lsoh #lsoh twoey #audrey ii #audrey 2 #sal art #so um. guess what i saw at Westside!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #holy shit. oh my god. jesus christ #ive never seen a professional production before #and like more power to the volunteers/students whose productions i HAVE seen #by god they did their best considering the challenge this show presents #BUT THE SHEER SCOPE OF THE OFF-BROADWAY ONE??????????????? #first of all i have to shout out to everyones vocal performances because they were absolutely stellar #it was corbin bleu and constance wu and i had no idea the latter could sing?? but she killed it as audrey #AND AARON A. HARRINGTON AS TWOEY.................MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #THE RAAAANGE HE HAS IT ALL #but with that said #Jesus Christ The Puppetry Was Fucking Otherworldly #no pun intended i swear #like. again the volunteer performances did so well considering #but the sheer breadth of the skill difference between them and the professionals #GOD!!!!! GOD. #SHE HAD SO MUCH LIFE. SO DYNAMIC. AND SHE WAS *SILLY* #a lot of twoey's mannerisms were like a combination between a snake and a cat and it was delightful every time #in her final stage especially she had all these little like. head tilts and minute reactions to things #and it just made her feel so ALIVE. #her full-bodied laughs mean everything to me #EVEN WHEN CORBIN WAS DOING THE HANDHELD SHE WAS SILLY!!!!!!! ya never know funniest fucking choreo EVER #UGH ive said enough. ive said enough. i will talk until my tags start getting deleted if i keep going so ill leave it there

[alyona11]

Ok time for my big Hadestown hot take and that’s that West End Hadestown doesn’t give you a 100% Hadestown experience. It’s still ridiculously good and 100% worth seeing, don’t get me wrong (I used my opportunity and saw it twice and will likely see it again if I’m in London), but it kinda made me realise a couple of things about OBC production that will always be my Roman Empire and make me deeply upset Broadway is too greedy to give us an OBC proshot.

So, here are some of my thoughts and reflections based on seeing Hadestown live on West End + seeing different versions (including London National theatre proshot) in boots. I think you can pretty solidly say that in Hadestown there are 2 main stories: Orpheus/Eurydice and Hades/Persephone. And even though arguably Orphedice is the main most important story, it my opinion it also wins from Hadesphone story being strong. Which works perfectly in OBC due to Amber Gray and Patrick Page delivering a very deep nuanced performances as their characters.

I think part of the success of Hadestown when it works on its fullest is how it creates a very deep emotional journey. And I feel that regardless which pair of Orpheus and Eurydice you have (if we take Broadway/tour/West End take on the characters) it’ll still work! Like you need to try really hard to mess up orphedice the way people wouldn’t root for Orpheus or wouldn’t empathise with Eurydice because they are so relatable and cute. You instantly love them, they are so so lovable. So orphedice part is one thing in Hadestown that imo works if not always then in 99% of the cases.

Hades and Persephone’s part of the story in the contrary is VERY hard to nail on 100%, in my opinion, and this is literally driving me crazy. Maybe seeing Amber Gray and Patrick page in professional recording awoken some feelings in me, I don’t know. I will state straight away that I also do enjoy other actors’ takes on characters and I do see some very interesting character moments there and there. However, I keep returning to the thought that Amber/Patrick’s characterisation works SO WELL for the main narrative. I’ll try to explain why I think so. Consider it my love letter to the OBC.

First and foremost, I feel like Hadesphone story has a very fine dynamic that the actors have to nail, so you would feel that: 1) these two still love each other; 2) these two are buried under their problems and see no way out, only a miracle (aka Orpheus and his song) can save their marriage.

And if the first one usually works at least due to Epic 3, the second one, imo, often (at least partially) falls victim to acting/directing choices which can cause troubles with point 1 as well. I think one big thing I’ve noticed is that often Persephone’s alcoholism gets forgotten in the acting performance. Like yeah sure her choreography includes drinking from a flask but in comparison to Amber you never get a feeling that she is absolutely wasted. Which, is in my opinion something that you should feel when you’re watching the show and something I was constantly forgetting about when I was watching the show on West End. I feel in Amber’s performance you can constantly see that her Persephone’s feel good attitude is a façade of a broken person who knows that her marriage is going to hell in front of her eyes yet she is too passive and hopeless to try to make an active change (well, she does try in Chant and nothing happens), so her only way is to chase the sense of normality that the “medicine” gives her. But when she is alone, if you get to catch a moment when people are not looking at her, you can see a deep sadness under her positive front and her memory of the old days when everything was more simple. Nevertheless, the main point that the lyrics literally say is that Persephone is blinded by the river of wine. And this is crucial to her character and her relationship with Hades because the story states that even though Hades is a problem and he is an active actor in creating more problems, he is not the only failure in this relationship. Persephone needs to be woken up from her apathy almost as much as Hades does and this is something that we see during If It’s True.

From Hades’ side I feel like it’s not a good decision to make him a total villain because when he is irredeemable you don’t feel like the whole “song that will fix the world” has any chance of working long term. I think Patrick nailed a deep antagonist very well. His Hades is weird and lowkey creepy and alien. He does objectively bad things but when you look at him you can’t stop thinking that he doesn’t operate in regular human logic or morality. When I look at him in Chant, it feels to me that his words about building stuff to impress Persephone are absolutely sincere, and I can absolutely see that his Hades doesn’t understand why she is so upset about it when his intentions are so so clear. Maybe it’s my vision but even before Epic 3 when he is so far gone and buried in his projects and messed up ideas I don’t have a single doubt that Persephone is a single motivator and goal of Patrick Hades’ life and that he literally doesn’t need any other being to care about. And tragically this fixation is what makes him blind to all other things he does even if those things ruin Persephone’s life (and other people’s but tbh I don’t think he cares).

I feel like by removing Persephone’s Chant 2 verse Hadestown created more problems for Hades and Persephone part of the story making it a much harder job for the actors to prove to the audience that Hades and Persephone have a chance to make their relationship work. Like I get that maybe it was a necessary things to do (even though I think the show is much better with it) but it made it so much harder to empathise with this particular part of the story unless the actors use the choices that work in the narrative. Because for example when I was watching the show on West End part of me was wondering “what is Persephone’s deal in all of that, what does she win by staying with Hades?” With the verse, and with Broadway Previews or London 2018 in particular this part was clear: Persephone still loves Hades and believes that he has the opportunity to change and become a better man he used to be. Without the verse, however, the actors should give you the same idea during the show which is a hard task considering Hades and Persephone have only 2 big conversations together (Chant and How Long). So apart from those songs there are only subtle mostly silent moments they get together through which the actors have to convey the same thought which is hella difficult and probably hardly will be appreciated by anyone apart from the people who sit closely.

So, maybe because in the actor combo I saw (Zachary and Lauren), I got a feeling that even though they were great separately, I didn’t feel much chemistry between them as a pair. I think, Persephone seemed pissed and tired of Hades all the time until How Long and I didn’t feel that she still believes in his willingness to change. And Zach Hades despite being entertaining, kinda gives the impression of Hades who has other options, he is not into Persephone enough. The only sparkle appears between the two in Epic III which is still cute but I’m not sure if it works just as well if that’s the first time you see the show? Also considering Zach Hades gives more malicious intent in His Kiss, The Riot it seems that he is not even slightly interested in Orpheus having any opportunity to succeed with his quest. Which is not bad, don’t get me wrong! But in comparison to Patrick who is deeply self projecting into Orpheus to the point where you could see that even though he doesn’t want to let him go, part of him does because it would prove he too could succeed in his challenge of waiting for Persephone, this take seems a bit lacking. And overall because of His Kiss, their promise in Wait For Me doesn’t seem as giving much hope that the story won’t repeat itself next Sunday. Which in its turn makes Orpheus’ sacrifice feel a bit… worthless. If on Broadway, when Orpheus turns, but spring comes again you feel like it is the start of something new: hopefully a kinder and softer time. On West End the show also wants you to feel it but when you think about Hades and Persephone you feel…less certainty that this sacrifice will have a long term effect?

I guess the creators wanted to concentrate on Orpheus and Eurydice more and forget about Hades and Persephone by making them more secondary story or maybe there was a lack of director’s involvement to give the cast some hints on how to make this particular part of the story work better, but it feels to me that in its current state the show works in its 85% power which is still great but once you know there is something missing you can’t stop thinking about it and wishing the show would give you those 15% you crave.

#me being me #hadestown #thanks for coming to my ted talk #I still immensely enjoyed the production and would come see it again #but when you know the show at its fullest you seem to miss some parts that worked better #also I was able to appreciate the same cast from different angles the second time I could see them from the first row so I could #get a clear view of their acting #and don’t get me wrong Zach and Lauren are really interesting to watch and I liked them #but also I started thinking if it was my first time to watch the show would I understand the appeal of Hades/Persephone line? #and I can’t stop thinking about it #hades #Persephone #hadestown broadway #hadestown west end #it’s also not about WE only but just about some characterisations I saw from different actors in different productions #I just felt like it would be fair to compare to the production and cast I saw life because obviously bootlegs even the greatest are not #the same #thanks for reading this long post

[loving-jack-kelly]

i'm a wicked defender wicked is good. the story is good the music bangs the staging is always cool the costumes are gorgeous sometimes things are popular because they're good. and wicked is one of them.

#ill always have some nostalgia for it just bc it was the first show i ever saw live when I saw it on tour #and i have really fond memories of seeing it on broadway with my sister when she lived in NYC before she moved far far away #but also it just. it is good. #wicked

[yourfaveiskenough]

David Jacobs from Newsies is kenough

David Jacobs from Newsies is Kenough!

#newsies!!!!! #i love newsies #i saw kara lindsey in wicked in 2015 #it was my first broadway show #newsies and the cast live in my heart forever #real tags -> #your fave is kenough #your fave is #kenough #newsies #david jacobs

[libraryfag]

Often when transitioning from a concept album to a broadway musical, LPs will take a hormone which decreases their disco levels.

#the point in the 70s/80s when putting a show on Broadway became so financially difficult even well renowned writers had to either make a #concept album or use a smaller theatre first makes me so sad #chessposting #les mis #theatre tag #my posts #chess the musical

[coulrology]

Beetles when they're juiced

#beetlejuice #iggy irl #took my partner to see the show last night and ehehehehe it was SO much fun 🫶 #it was his first ever musical and honestly i dont think there couldve been any better choice for his first its just so ✨️AZUL✨️ #i got to catch it back on broadway back in 2022 and after seeing it again i think im actually really starting to like the show more!! #not that i disliked it before or anything i think i was just comparing it to all the other shows i was watching at the time and #compared to all those ones i ranked bj a little lower but MAN is it a fun show you really can't hate it #prob gonna start listening to the full album more often I def have more appreciation for the other songs i tended to skip beforehand 🙏

[jimmyspades]

James Spader playing Jack Lawson in his Broadway debut as the star of David Mamet's Race, which ran from December 2009 to August 2010

#boston legal ended 2008. race started 2009. welcome back alan shore #my deepest desire in the world is for jim to do another broadway show... literally nothing I wouldn't give to make that happen 🥺 #james spader #race #stage #* #read the play this morning hmmm. as with most mamet works I'm sure it's better coming from the actors' mouths rather than the page #which appears to be true from the few short clips available online and reviews #but this was jim's first stage work in decades and he got rave reviews 🎉 #when he takes off his jacket...... gd his body he looks so good and he way he touches himself. he's so solid I need to hug him #and his hair falling out 🤤

[rexscanonwife]

I had the most amazing time in NYC for my first anniversary with my beloved partner @cherry-bomb-ships 🥺💗💘💗💘 we had so much fun, seeing times square and going to different shops and art exhibits and seeing things like the Nintendo store and Rockefeller plaza!

And most of all seeing my favorite musical of all time, Hadestown!! It was the most wonderful experience and even better with the most wonderful person in my life! I love you so much, Ruby, and I can't believe we've been together a whole year!

I hope we have many more years ahead of us 🥺💗💗

#jane journals #not self insert #OUGGGH IM STILL THINKING ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE!! #IT WAS SO FUCKING COOOL #and it was the first time ive seen a Broadway show or professional show EVER!!! #but it wouldnt have been nearly as good an experience without you 🥺😭💖💖 #youre my starlight!!

[mastersprogram]

Spamalot Photos!!! ☀️

I "Met" Alex :3

Alex N Leslie!! -I’ll post Curtin call separately,

And Of course got Merch! (Gonna Try to order Size Up for the Shirt later on bc unfortunately tad too tight for me :P)

All n All Perfect First Broadway Show Experience!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Stars / out of whatever LOL

Amazing Cast! Hilarious show, And Seeing Alex N Leslie LIVE for the first time absolute highlight!

#it Was genuinely SO Much Fun!! #if I could I would absolutely see it again #will be sad to see spamalot close next couple weeks but glad I got to be there for it #Alex Sung Sweet Caroline at his knight Ni Improv Scene btw #spamalot #monty python spamalot #monty python and the holy grail #my first broadway show #alex brightman #leslie kritzer #always look on the bright side of life #🩵 #☀️

[variwinn]

THE GREAT GATSBY MUSICAL - 3/30/24

so…i may have saw the great gatsby musical for a second time…but this time on broadway! and during its second preview! let me tell you this show is just phenomenal. although its still previews it was honestly such a fun watch!! jeremy jordan and eva noblezada made me cry during ‘my green light’ kid you NOT /vpos. i 100% recommend seeing this show when it officially opens!! in contrast from paper mill, they definitely indulged in everyone’s feelings and thoughts about the show back in october/november. a lotttt changed but all very positively! i also cannot get the image of jeremy jumping the fence during ‘only tea’ out of my mind 😭

#I LITERALLY MET JEREMY JORDAN AFTER THE SHOW #already listened to my green light twenty times #first post on tumblr hello?? #jeremy jordan #eva noblezada #the great gatsby musical #theater kid #broadway

[nitrosplicer]

man as far as I’m aware hazbin hotel just exists to provide drag kings with musical dance numbers with sultry male vocals and like, nothing else

hazbin hotel is not a show to me

#yes my first exposure to this music was from seeing a drag king do a routine to a song about gambling #I didn’t actually know it was a tv show #for a long time #I thought it was like an off broadway musical

[krakkenchaos]

The way the line "Orpheus had a gift to give; he could make you see the world for how it could be in spite of the way that it is" takes on a meta meaning when it's repeated near the end of Hadestown because watching fictional tragedies forces us to imagine and wish for a happier ending for the characters and when we bring that energy and hope with us when we step out of the theater back into the real world, that's the gift the performers gave to us 🥹🌹

#I saw Hadestown last night as my first Broadway show and this moment really hit me #like the whole thing was enjoyable with the great singing and dancing and such #but this was the moment where THE MEANING really struck me and I can't stop thinking about it #for the record I've seen Broadway tours and previews and other professional theatre but this was the first show I actually saw on Broadway #Hadestown

[betterwithbooksthanwithpeople]

not ten minutes into The Heart of Rock and Roll Corey Cott’s character is all “everyone needs music! music is life!” and I thought, “Donny Novitski, is that you?”

then in the resolution he’s telling a girl “what we feel for each other is real” and I’m like “Donny? Novitski? Is that you?”

anyway you can see this man sing in real life for $25 during previews so why not, nyc

#the heart of rock and roll #corey cott #bandstand #donny novitski #broadway #yall i might have been a bit unhinged at the stage door telling corey i saw him in my first ever bway show ten years ago #the newsies nostalgia got to me ok #i legit never see jukebox musicals but the chance to see corey cott sing live again was too good to pass up

[loving-jack-kelly]

Happy ten years of Newsies to me 🥰🥰🥰

#shoutout to 12 year old me for knowing whats up <3 #newsies #ten years ago today i saw newsies on broadway #corey cott as jack. kara lindsay as katherine. #it was the first show i saw on broadway and the first show that made me want to stick with theatre as something tangible in my life #i'm pretty sure i can be considered a superfan considering I've seen every professional production except the Korean one lol <3 #anyway. happy newsies birthday to me <3 you've been there for me through it all #ten years of Wild character development for me <3