Broadway on a Budget, Part Deux

I’m not sure if I mentioned it in the last post, but this Tuesday and Wednesday (August 5th and 6th), I’m heading to the Big Apple for my second trip of the year! For someone who usually only gets to go once a year, if that, this is a huge deal for me.

The reason I decided to take on NYC in August is simple, really: Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess. I just couldn’t bring myself to pass up history being made (with Norm being the first African American Phantom) AND the chance to see my favorite Christine live. I had a ticket to see Sierra as Christine back in February of 2013, but February weather happened, and my trip was cancelled. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass me by!

So I did my research and found out when Sierra would be playing Christine, and decided that a Tuesday evening show would probably be the best bet for me and my friend. Seeing a Tuesday evening show required we get a hotel, because really, who wants to drive 4 hours home at like 11 at night? Not us. And since we were already staying the night, why not try to see a matinee the next day before heading home? And thus, the ultimate NYC trip was born.

All this sounds like it must have cost me an arm and a leg, right? That’s not true at all! I work a crappy minimum wage job, and I was able to afford all this and still have money left over for lots of musical theatre swag when I’m there. I just had to take my own advice!

Obviously, the hotel was probably the most expensive aspect of our trip. A Manhattan hotel can set someone back as much as $500 a night, and I’m definitely not in a place where I can justify spending my money that extravagantly. With a little digging, though, I managed to find a reasonably priced hotel right in Times Square; it costs $140 a night, and between my friend and I, that’s $70 a person. It’s not a great hotel; the reviews say the rooms are small and the place needs updating, but it’s clean, it’s cheap, and the location is unbeatable. Not bad at all, I’d say! Thanks, hotels.com!

Next were the tickets. I already knew I’d be spending quite a lot, especially since I wanted to see 2 shows, but I ended up spending less than $100 for both tickets. Seriously, I was amazed myself.

For Phantom, I used a student website called Tix4students.com, which offers incredibly discounted ticket prices for students; you just have to supply your college email address and wait about a half an hour for the website to verify that you are, in fact, a student. The site itself costs $5 to be a member, but it’s a small price to pay for savings like these. I ended up getting 2 tickets in the rear mezzanine for $65.00 all together. They’re not the best seats in the house, but for $32.50 a pop? Who can complain?

For our matinee show, we were torn between a few options: Pippin, Matilda, and If/Then. For Pippin, we were planning on buying our tickets the day of, taking advantage of the student rush program. For Matilda, we were going to use Tix4students a second time, and for If/Then, we were going to use an app that I saw Laura Benanti talk about on twitter, TodaysTix. All the prices were roughly the same, give or take a few dollars.

In the end, we chose If/Then, because who knows when Idina is going to be on Broadway again? The app was super easy, and someone from the company comes and delivers your tickets right to you 30 minutes before curtain. It was about $50 per ticket, which is a small price to pay to see Idina Menzel live, I’d say.

And, because we didn’t really want to drive ourselves, we bought bus tickets from Boston, which is about 45 minutes away, to New York City. We’re taking a Bolt Bus, and again, after a lot of searching and finagling with times, I managed to get roundtrip bus tickets for $20 per person. Considering I paid $20 each way per person the last time I went to New York, I’d say that’s a win.

So all in all, my New York experience is going to cost me about $180, plus food and whatever memorabilia I want to pick up while I’m there. That, my friends, is what we call a miracle.

Spotlight On: Heathers the Musical

Dates It Ran: March 17, 2014 – Present (17 Previews & 100+ regular performances as of 6/28/2014)

Starring: Barrett Wilbert Weed as Veronica Sawyer, Ryan McCartan as JD, Jessica Keenan Wynn as Heather Chandler, Elle McLemore as Heather McNamara, Alice Lee as Heather Duke, Katie Ladner as Martha Dunnstock, Jon Edison as Ram Sweeney, Evan Todd as Kurt Kelly

The Show-Stopping Songs: Beautiful (Veronica & Company), Candy Store (The Heathers), Dead Girl Walking (Veronica & JD), Our Love Is God (Veronica, JD, Ram & Kurt), Seventeen (Veronica & JD), Lifeboat (Heather McNamara), Meant To Be Yours (JD & Company)

Why I Love It: Okay, so I’ll be the first one to admit that the plot of this musical could rub some people the wrong way. Based on the 1988 movie starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, both movie and musical deal with drugs, sex, murder and suicide. And when I say it “deals” with murder and suicide, I mean that it’s pretty much ALL about murder and suicide. When I was describing it to my mother, I called it “Mean Girls on crack,” and I’m pretty sure that’s an accurate way to describe it to the generation that wasn’t born yet when the Heathers movie became a cult classic. Honestly, though, just one listen to the cast recording and I was hooked. Without even talking about how insanely talented the cast is (seriously, they’re all amazing. Especially leads Barrett Wilbert Weed and Ryan McCartan), the cast recording shows you that this show isn’t just a scary, dry show about crazed teenagers killing the popular kids. It’s witty, hilarious, and I would say a pretty accurate description of what it feels like to be a teenager, despite the whole murder-suicide thing. I haven’t even done anything other than religiously listen to the cast recording, and I’m obsessed. I’m crossing my fingers that Heathers has a long run off-Broadway (or maybe that it moves to Broadway!) so that I have the chance to get to New York and see it.

Take a Listen!: Again, I couldn’t choose between two, so two it is!
PLEASE NOTE that the first song, “Dead Girl Walking,” features explicit content and language. So if you’re not a fan of that, skip straight to “Seventeen”!

3 Weeks Late is Better than Never!

It’s been almost 2 months since my last post, but I’m back! I’m sorry it’s been so long; it definitely won’t be that long between this post and my next!

I’ve got quite a few things I want to talk about, and at least one of them I’m going to save for a later post (a new “Spotlight On:” is coming your way this Saturday, folks!). For right now, though, we’re going to talk about the Tony Awards!

Not going to lie, I’m a little ashamed that it took me almost 3 weeks to talk about what is pretty much like Christmas for me. I DID have a Tony’s party at my Dad’s house, and my 6 year old step-sister even decided to watch with us until she had to go to bed. By bedtime, I’d taught her what a jazz hand was, who Audra McDonald was, and that sometimes boys marry other boys and that’s why one particular Tony winner thanked his husband in his speech. It was a pretty enlightening day for Olivia.

Not to brag or anything, but if I was a gambling girl, I would have won some serious money on my Tony predictions. I think I only got 2 or 3 of them wrong, and only one was from the acting category. But every wrong prediction stemmed from the fact that I hadn’t properly accounted for one particular show: A Raisin in the Sun.

I don’t know why I didn’t think Raisin would do very well at the Tony’s. Maybe because there was such competition this year; I thought Celia Keenan-Bolger had the Best Supporting Actress in a Play Tony in the bag. That’s not to say that Sophie Okonedo is any less deserving (she is, of course, wonderful), I just heard so many people rave about Celia and The Glass Menagerie in general, I didn’t think anything else stood a chance. Obviously, I was wrong.

Overall, I was pretty happy with the results. Jessie Mueller for Beautiful: perfect. NPH for Hedwig: I was a little disappointed that Ramin didn’t win, but after watching Neil’s performance, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he deserved it. James Monroe Iglehart for Aladdin: That speech, dude.

Be on the lookout for a few new posts from me in the coming days; I need some opinions on some things!

Until next time, lovelies!

The 11 o’clock Number

If you’ve ever seen a musical live (as I’m sure most of you have at least once), you know that you can kind of always tell when things are wrapping up. But then, in most shows, there’s that big, razzle-dazzle 11 o’clock number that makes you wish the show wasn’t almost over.

You know the kind I’m talking about: “Gimme Gimme” in Thoroughly Modern Millie, “The Point of No Return” from Phantom, or, one of my personal favorites, “Goodbye” from Catch Me If You Can. I think even “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat” from Guys and Dolls can be classified as an 11 o’clock number.

In a way, I think this post is kind of my 11 o’clock number.

That’s not to say that I’m never going to post here again; I definitely will! Do you seriously think I’d miss posting my reactions to the Tony winners? Think again, friends!

But I’m probably not going to be able to post as much. The school year is coming to an end for me, so usually that would mean relaxation time is coming up, right? Wrong.

I work pretty pretty much every day in the summer, and I’d be kidding myself if I thought I’d be able to post as consistently as I have been during that time. And I’ll be a senior in the fall, and I’m not sure what my schedule is going to look like just yet. I don’t want to promise you guys I’ll be around if I’m not sure that I’ll be able to be.

But I know I’ll be back from time to time. No one in my family wants to listen to me talk about Broadway for hours when something important happens, so you guys get that pleasure. Lucky you!

This may be the 11 o’clock number, but we’re not at the finale just yet.

The Bridges of Madison County CLOSING

This makes me so sad; the music in Bridges is so gorgeous, I’m sad I won’t get a chance to hear it live. Kelli O’Hara is amazing, but I agree; she needs to expand her Broadway horizons and do something unexpected. Maybe then she’ll finally get the recognition she definitely deserves!

Ultimate Broadway

Not even four Tony nominations could save The Bridges of Madison County from ending it’s love affair on Broadway as Producers announced today that the show will be closing on May 18th. It’s no coincidence that the production, playing at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, announced this news after not getting a nod as Best Musical. But to pin point that as the ONLY reason just wouldn’t be accurate, even though it’s a much more dramatic and exciting story. The show’s been struggling since it’s opening. Kelli O’Hara (who has FIVE Tony noms!!!) may be a prodigy by critics, but she’s failed to gain a stable fan base as continues to pick projects that are too old to be appreciated by the younger generation. Her shows, like South Pacific and The King and I, are old and stuffy!!! She needs a non-Sondheim, non-classical role to prove that she’s well liked by…

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A Thought on the Tony Nominations

So I’m sure you all won’t be surprised when I tell you that I woke up early this morning to watch the Tony nominations live on my computer. Shocking, right? No? Okay.

On a related note, can someone tell me why they decided that 8:30 A.M. was the perfect time to announce the nominations? Seriously, Broadway, that needs to change. I like my sleep.

All in all, I was pretty satisfied. Of course, I was surprised by a few things, but that always happens. It’s an awards show, after all; not everyone can be nominated. But here are some of my initial reactions to the nominations, and, even though it’s super early, who I think will take home the trophy come June!

Best Musical
I’m shocked that Bridges of Madison County wasn’t nominated. Granted, my love for Kelli O’Hara might make me biased, but I was not expecting that. I’m a little surprised that After Midnight was nominated, just because I don’t think I’ve heard all that much buzz about it. Then again, I don’t know that much about that show or anyone in it, so it’s possible that I just didn’t pay too much attention to it because of that.
My Prediction: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder

Best Revival of a Musical
No Cabaret? Seriously? Alan Cumming is amazing, and because it was determined that he would not be eligible for a Tony nom for best actor, I’m shocked that this revival didn’t get more love.
My Prediction: Les Miserables

Best Leading Actor in a Musical
RAMIN KARIMLOO. RAMIN KARIMLOO. RAMIN KARIMLOO. Can you tell I’m excited? I was a little sad that his co-star Will Swenson wasn’t nominated, but I’m pretty sure my excitement for Ramin made that okay (sorry, Will! You’re amazing!) I’m also pretty sad that Norbert Leo Butz didn’t manage to snag a nomination, but also not entirely surprised; Big Fish has kind of been overlooked by everyone this season. I also totally forgot that Rocky: the Musical was a thing, and I’m excited to see Andy Karl nominated for that. He’s pretty fantastic, and I’m pumped that he and his Edwin Drood sister Jessie Mueller are nominated together.
My Prediction: I think this is going to be the hardest race of the awards! I’m going with my gut, and my gut is saying either Ramin Karimloo as Jean ValJean in Les Mis (and I’m not just saying that because he’s my personal favorite nominee!) or Jefferson Mays as basically everyone in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, but NPH is a strong contender, too!

Best Leading Actress in a Musical
If she wasn’t going to get some love in the Best Musical category, I’m glad Kelli O’Hara got nominated here. She definite deserves it (Did you listen to that song I posted? Seriously. Her voice is mind-blowing). And since Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grille was deemed a play instead of a musical, Audra couldn’t be nominated, but other that that, all my predictions came true (I didn’t even know I had that much skill, people). I was a tad surprised about Mary Bridget Davies’ nomination for A Night With Janis Joplin, but, like After Midnight, I really don’t know anything about that musical or her. I’m sure she’s amazing; she’s in fantastic company!
My Prediction: Jessie Mueller as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Best Featured Actor in a Musical
I recently watched James Monroe Iglehart on an episode of “Show People with Paul Wontorek”, and I just thought he was the funniest guy. He’s so dedicated to his role as the Genie in Aladdin, and I was so happy that he was recognized for all his hard work! And we all know how I feel about Danny Burstein, so it warmed my little heart to see his name on the list!
My Prediction: James Monroe Iglehart as Genie in Aladdin

Best Featured Actress in a Musical
I’m really surprised that Les Mis didn’t get more love at the nominations, especially in this category! I’ve heard so many good things about Caissie Levy as Fantine and Nikki M. James as Eponine; I was shocked that neither of them made the cut! Honestly, though, there was one person that I was really rooting for in this category: Lena Hall in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. And she got nominated! So I’m okay with everything else.
My Prediction: Lena Hall as Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch

If I go on any longer I’ll be here all night, friends! So I’ll stop here. What were your thoughts on this year’s Tony Nominations? Did your favorite make the cut?

Musical Theatre Firsts: From the Phantom to Simba

I don’t know about you guys, but my first Broadway show isn’t something I’ll ever forget. It technically wasn’t even on Broadway; it was a touring cast production in Boston. But I remember pretty much everything about it.

Maybe I just remember stuff like this because I love Broadway so much. But I figured it would be kind of interesting to see if some of my friends remember their first Broadway experiences!

Like it or not, I’m going to start with myself, friends!

Musical I Saw: The Phantom of the Opera
Age I Was: 12
Where I Saw It: The Boston Opera House
What I Remember: I remember listening to the movie soundtrack on a loop for the entire month before I went to the show. By the time I actually went I had the entire soundtrack memorized, which is pretty impressive considering Phantom is like 95% music, especially for a 12 year old. It didn’t occur to me that movie-makers changed some things, though, so I had some wrong lyrics memorized, but I was mostly okay. I remember being completely mesmerized by the entire thing; my mom would try to make comments to me and I’d just ignore her because I was so enthralled. I mouthed the words to the entire thing, and when the “chandelier crashed”, the actual chandelier started swinging right above my head. I also remember that we had the understudy for Christine, and my judgmental 12-year-old self was not very happy with her performance, but I was amazed by the Phantom and the Raoul.

Kelly S.

Musical She Saw: The Lion King
Age She Was: 12
Where She Saw It: The Boston Opera House
What She Remembers: “My grandfather called us that morning saying that he wasn’t feeling well and he couldn’t use his ticket, so he asked if my mom and I wanted to go. He had a town car rented to drive us into Boston, so of course we said yes. I remember we had aisle seats because my grandfather has a bad knee. I remember being so interested in the costumes because I knew the cartoon lions, and I wondered how they were going to do that on stage. There was this circle water scene that I remember being really confused about, but it looked cool, so I was fine with it. I just loved it. I bought a Nala doll!”

Brenna C.

Musical She Saw: The Boyfriend
Age She Was: 12
Where She Saw It: The Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT
What She Remembers: “I remember thinking that I wanted to get up on stage at some point. I was blown away by the fact that everyone was on the same level talent wise, because I’d seen high school shows and unprofessional shows where there was one stellar lead but a few people who weren’t as fantastic, whereas these people were all professionals so they were all amazing. I loved the show, I thought it was hilarious.”

Katie L.

Musical She Saw: Wicked
Age She Was: 13
Where She Saw It: The Boston Opera House
What She Remembers: “My mom and dad went to see it when it was at the Opera House the first time around. I remember they came back saying “Katie, you have to see this! You have to go!” because I love the Wizard of Oz. My mom and I always listened to the soundtrack in the car before we went to see it, we would sing “Popular”. I remember trying to piece the story together in my head based off the soundtrack and when we finally went I was surprised by a couple of things. Like how Boq didn’t really love Nessarose, I was so surprised by that. And I was so surprised by a lot of it because I had no idea. And I remember crying at Defying Gravity, which is a natural reaction. As soon as it was over I wanted to see it again. And then I did, two years later. It’s probably my favorite show ever.”

Jess C.

Musical She Saw: The Lion King
Age She Was: 8
Where She Saw It: New Amsterdam Theatre in New York, New York
What She Remembers: “It was my first time being in New York and we went at night. I remember tons of lights everywhere, especially on our way in the taxi. I remember being mesmerized by the theater, it was huge. We sat in the orchestra, all the way in the back and I remember pretty much the whole show. I thought it was amazing that the stage could move and that they could have people walking up the walls and everything. It was just amazing. I got a little Simba novelty stuffed toy and I held on to him for the entire rest of the trip. It was just fantastic.”

Jen D.                                

Musical She Saw: Wicked
Age She Was: 15
Where She Saw It: Providence Performing Arts Center
What She Remembers: “Unfortunately I was sitting in the back, but I remember being really blown away when I saw it. I didn’t know what to expect and I had read the book, so I didn’t know how closely it was going to follow it. I just remember really liking the props and the way they set up everything. The time passed really quickly,  when intermission came I was like “What, really?” because I was just so absorbed by it.”

 

Spotlight On: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

So I just realized that, since it is now 12:58 and officially Sunday, I have missed 3 Saturdays worth of “Spotlight On” posts. I’m sorry, friends! Honestly, life and upcoming finals and ridiculous school work is getting in the way; I’ll try to do better! Until then, here’s another one!

Dates It Ran: October 8th, 2010 – January 2nd, 2011 (30 previews and 69 regular performances)

Starring: Sherie Rene Scott as Pepa, Brian Stokes Mitchell as Ivan, Patti LuPone as Lucia, Laura Benanti as Candela, Danny Burstein as the Taxi Driver, Justin Guarini (of American Idol fame) as Carlos

The Show-Stopping Songs: “Lovesick” (Pepa & Company), “Time Stood Still” (Lucia & Company), “Model Behavior” (Candela), “Island” (Pepa), “On the Verge” (Lucia, Candela, Pepa, Marisa and the Female Chorus), “Tangled” (Taxi Driver, Carlos, Candela, Ivan, Pepa, Paulina and Company), “Invisible” (Lucia)

Why I Love It: This is yet another tragically under appreciated musical that closed far before it’s time, but quite frankly, I’m amazed that it didn’t get a longer run. Look at the cast, people! It’s absolutely flawless. Sherie Rene Scott, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Patti LuPone AND Laura Benanti together in one musical? Not to mention the comedic genius of Danny Burstein? It’s just a shame that more people haven’t experienced the wonderful hilarity of Women on the Verge.

Based on the Spanish movie, the musical is set in 1980s Madrid, which is pretty much reason enough to love it. It includes a womanizer leaving the country with his latest lover, an unexpected pregnancy, a woman who is basically the 1980s Spanish version of a “Real Housewife of New Jersey” who recently got out of a mental institution, and another woman who finds out she’s sleeping with a terrorist. And that’s just Act I.

Luckily, Patti LuPone and Laura Benanti managed to garner Tony nominations out of this tragically short run, which put it on more people’s radars. Seriously, though? It’s hilarious. Even if you listen to the cast recording for nothing more than a good laugh, it’s worth it.

Take a Listen: “On the Verge” & “Model Behavior”, because I couldn’t choose just one (Beware of adult language in both songs!)

Broadway’s Best: Who Will Be Nominated?

We have a a little over a month until the most fantastic night on Broadway: the Tony Awards. With the nominations being announced in less than a week, I thought now would be an great time to make my predictions as who is going to be nominated. It’s way too early to decide who’s going to win, and personally, I don’t even know if I’ll be able to predict a winner when the time comes. But for now, here are my Tony Nominee predictions for Best Actress and Best Actor in a Musical!

Best Actress In a Musical

Personally, I think this is going to be the hardest decision of them all. There are so many incredible leading ladies on Broadway this year, and a lot of them are past Tony winners. These are the ladies that I think deserve it the most.

Kelli O’Hara as Francesca Johnson in The Bridges of Madison County

Can I just say this: If you’ve never heard Kelli O’Hara sing, you’re missing out. She’s classically trained in opera, but even if you’re not a huge opera fan, her voice is beautiful enough that I’m fairly certain you’ll love it anyway. She’s just amazing, and she’s really in her element with The Bridges of Madison County. She mentioned in her recent appearance on “Show People with Paul Wontorek” that she was one of the first people attached to this production, and that Jason Robert Brown kind of worked his songs around her capabilities and her voice. Apparently the score was completely different before she was attached, and Brown changed it for her. Honestly, I think it pays off; the songs are absolutely beautiful, and O’Hara shines singing them. Plus, she’s got an Italian accent. I mean, that’s fantastic enough for a nomination right there.

Idina Menzel as Elizabeth in If/Then

I think as soon as everyone heard Idina Menzel was coming to Broadway, it was assumed she was going to be nominated for a Tony this season. She wasn’t nominated for an Outer Critics Circle award, though, which definitely raised some eyebrows (namely, mine). I’ve heard nothing but good thing about If/Then, and even though the cast recording isn’t out yet so I haven’t been able to listen to the music, it’s by the writers of Next to Normal, so I’m fairly certain I’ll love it. Idina is just one of my most talented women in the world, in my opinion, so I can’t see this year’s Tony Award race without her. I just can’t.

Sutton Foster as Violet in Violet

Back to her home on Broadway after a stint on television with ABC Family’s “Bunheads”, Sutton Foster is another Broadway lady legend, like Idina. She’s been nominated for 5 Tonys and has won 2 of them, so obviously she’s an incredible talent. Personally, I think Violet is a fantastic role for her. It’s a deeper musical, not all sunshine and rainbows like some of her previous roles. Don’t get me wrong, I loved her as Princess Fiona in Shrek: the Musical and probably even more as Janet Van de Graaf in The Drowsy Chaperone, but I think Violet gives her a chance to develop a character that we haven’t really seen from her before. Knowing Sutton, she’s going to nail it, and the (probable) Tony nomination is well deserved.

Jessie Mueller as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

I just can’t say enough about her; she’s fantastic. I haven’t gotten a chance to see Beautiful yet, but I’ve listened to the cast recording more times than I can count in however many days since its release. Mueller’s interpretation, even just hearing it through my iPod headphones, makes me love Carole King. You can tell just how much fun she’s having just by listening to it, and that’s such a great quality to have. On a recent car ride from my house in Massachusetts to my uncle’s house in New Hampshire, I plugged in my iPod and my mom and I listened to the entire soundtrack. It took her about 8 songs to realize that it wasn’t actually Carole King singing; that’s how good Jessie Mueller is. She’s just amazing, and I hope she’s recognized for it! She’s gotten so much positive critical buzz I can’t imagine that they’d overlook her.

Audra McDonald as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill

I’m pretty sure Audra McDonald could sing the phone book and she’d win a Tony for it. She’s been nominated for a whopping SEVEN Tony Awards, and has won five of them. Although there’s some discrepancy as to wether the Tony Award committee will deem Lady Day a play or a musical (the press releases call it a “play with music” but Audra sings 14 songs in the show), I’m pretty sure Audra’s going to get nominated somewhere. She, like all the ladies I’ve written about in this category, is absolutely amazing, in case you couldn’t tell by the fact that she has FIVE Tonys. FIVE. Most people don’t even get ONE.

Best Actor in a Musical

Norbert Leo Butz as Edward Bloom in Big Fish

Big Fish sadly didn’t get a very long run, less than 100 performances. During that time, though, Norbert Leo Butz managed to leave a great impression on critics. One reviewer said that Butz’s performance had “has that indefinable charismatic spark that defines a star.” Butz is also a previous Tony winner, and always puts on a fantastic show with his performances. According to most of the reviews, Big Fish itself was a bit more on the mediocre side, but Norbert’s performance was what so many paid good money to see. And I’m pretty sure they weren’t disappointed.

Neil Patrick Harris as Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch

I’ve been saying for a long time that I hope NPH gets nominated for Hedwig. For anyone that doesn’t know, Harris plays the role of a transgender rock singer from Germany, and he nails it. Even though the musical just officially opened a few nights ago, Harris is already leaving his mark on theatre-goers. Ben Brantley of the New York Times says this about Harris’ performance: “Mr. Harris is in full command of who he is and, most excitingly, what he has become with this performance. That’s a bona fide Broadway star, the kind who can rule an audience with the blink of a sequined eyelid.” And if NPH isn’t hosting the Tonys, he better be nominated for one. That’s all I’m saying.

Ramin Karimloo as Jean ValJean in Les Misérables

I love Ramin Karimloo; I’m just going to get that out of the way right now. He played the Phantom in the 25th Anniversary concert of The Phantom of the Opera, as well as Enjolras in the 25th Anniversary concert of Les Misérables. And now he’s coming full circle and playing Jean ValJean; excuse me while I wipe the proud mama tears from my eyes. And this is his Broadway debut, which means the people of America haven’t gotten to see the amazingness that is Ramin Karimloo until now. Personally, I think he’s just too good not to get a nomination, especially since this is his first appearance on Broadway.

Jefferson Mays as The D’Ysquith Family in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder

I’m not all too familiar with A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, but I know I should be. It’s gotten fantastic reviews, and it’s currently got the most nominations at the Outer Critics Circle awards. One of those nominees is Jefferson Mays, who plays an entire family in the show. That’s 8 different characters, men and women. That takes massive amounts of talent, people. I think that right there deserves a nomination, am I right?

Will Swenson as Javert in Les Misérables

So the revival cast of Les Misérables is just chuck full of incredible talent, and their Javert is no exception. Will Swenson is fantastic, but he’s somehow managed not to win a Tony yet. I’m pretty sure that’s a crime. He is so excited to be playing Javert, though; he tweets about his time in Les Mis often (Seriously, follow him. He’s hilarious.) PLUS he’s the gentleman who has the privilege of being married to Audra McDonald; how fantastic would it be to have husband-wife nominee pairs? Anyone?

So these are my thoughts, ladies and gents. We’ll see if they come true on April 29th!

A Musical in the Comfort of Your Home, Just a Click Away!

So you live hours away from New York City, but you want nothing more than to watch a Broadway show. Apparently, that’s not an issue. How, you ask? You can just pop onto YouTube and watch a bootleg version of a musical, filmed during a performance on someone’s camera. And you don’t even have to leave your bedroom.

Apparently it’s a fairly common thing for someone to film a musical and post it online later. There are tons of them on YouTube, and even more on various social media sites. I’ve seen at least 5 different master posts of Broadway bootlegs on tumblr, and that’s not even all of them.

It comes as no surprise that actors aren’t huge fans of people filming their shows. Who remembers that time Patti LuPone stopped the production of Gypsy in the middle of “Rose’s Turn” to yell at someone taking pictures? And that was just pictures. Imagine what she would have done if she saw someone filming the whole show.

Two days after previews for the newest Les Mis revival began, Andy Mientus, who’s playing Marius sent out the following tweet: “Annnnd a bootleg is already out there. Whoever did that: I personally think you are a dick. For real.” More recently, Les Mis‘s Jean ValJean, Ramin Karimloo, tweeted the following “If you see a patron recording, feel free to flick their ear, tell them to stop and then say, ‘That was from JVJ’. I thank you.”

It makes a lot of sense that actors would tweet against the filming of bootlegs. Who’s going to pay the money to see a show when they could just watch it online? And if tickets don’t sell, the show will close earlier.

If someone filming a show was going to interfere with my paycheck, I’d be mad, too.

Then again, there’s obviously a reason why people post them in the first place. Tumblr users victorhugodammit and nothing-rhymes-with-grantaire responded to Andy Mientus’ tweet, and they weren’t too happy with him.

The two of them argue that bootlegs aren’t for the people who have easy access to Broadway shows, but rather for the people who live across the country and can’t afford the plane ticket to get to New York AND the ticket for the show. nothing-rhymes-with-grantaire says

Seriously, people spend more than just the $150 for a ticket to go see a show. And bootlegs are very often what got them there in the first place, what made them love the show and want to see it live and want to meet the actors and want to truly love it.

Bootlegs and bootleggers are not harming the industry. They’re helping it by creating new fans where there might not have been any.

Many musicals are professionally filming a production nowadays, which I think is a great idea. Some of the few that have done it are Legally Blonde: the Musical, the Phantom of the Opera sequel Love Never Dies, and Shrek: the Musical. And the fantastic thing is that all of them were available to watch for free: Shrek and Love Never Dies were (and are still) available on Netflix and Legally Blonde was filmed for and aired on MTV.

I’m not gonna lie: I’ve watched quite a few bootlegs on musicals on YouTube. I’ve never downloaded one, although a lot of people do. I’ve even come across some people trying to sell their copies of certain bootlegs, and that, to me, is absolutely wrong. How can you justify making money off of something that you had no hand in?

I used to be extremely against watching them, but I’ve since warmed up to the idea. I’m pretty sure the thing that changed my mind was the Bonnie and Clyde bootleg; the show only ran for 2 months, and there’s only so much you can learn about it from religiously listening to the cast recording. The bootleg gave me a chance to watch and love a musical that had already closed by the time I heard about it.

As a rule, I usually try to only watch the bootlegs of musicals that are no longer on Broadway; that way there’s absolutely no way I could buy a ticket to go see it, even if I really wanted to. I will admit to watching a few current Broadway shows, though. I just couldn’t resist Matilda and Pippin.

I will say, though, watching those two musicals that are still running just made me want to see them even more. I want so badly to go and see the new revival of Pippin while it’s still running, mostly because of the amazing dancing. And I wouldn’t even know it had such amazing choreography if I hadn’t watched the bootleg.

This definitely isn’t a black and white issue; there are tons of arguments for and against the viewing of Broadway bootlegs. I would never have the guts to film one, though. In fact, I don’t even know how so many people manage to get away with it; I can’t even take a picture of the stage without ushers hounding me about “no photography in the theatre, please”

So what do you think? Are Broadway bootlegs a great resource, or just another reason why so many shows have such low ticket sales?