| Totally (and Delightfully) Surprised by "If/Then" - A Valentine to Love, Life, and New York | |
| Posted by: | Singapore/Fling 11:55 pm EST 01/20/15 |
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| I was invited to this at the last minute, when someone else was unable to use the ticket. I've been on the fence for the entire year about seeing the show, because I was afraid the concept would be too tiresome, and the music does not sound that great out of context. (Also, I was very mixed on "Next to Normal", which I feel is uneven.) I was blown away. I would say this is the first great musical of the 21st Century, a show that puts our modern life on display with sophistication, intelligence, and a dash of musical theatre razzmatazz. Heartwarming, thought provoking, it made me hug my husband and tell him how much I love him. I found the storytelling to be magnificent. Lucid, complex, easy to follow, hitting so many right notes. The set is a marvel of design, the staging is the best thing I've seen Michael Greif do, the casting is wonderful. It's also wonderful as a somewhat-sequel to "Rent", once the bohemians have grown up, turned 40, and settled into the same sort of domestic lives that their more conventional peers embraced when they were younger. This is a show that I could take my non-theater friends to, and tell them: look, see, that's us on stage. It's a shame it didn't get the industry love that it might have, but I'm glad it managed to run a year in this increasingly innovation and originality averse Broadway world. | |
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| re: Totally (and Delightfully) Surprised by "If/Then" - A Valentine to Love, Life, and New York | |
| Posted by: | joerialto 01:09 pm EST 01/21/15 |
| In reply to: | Totally (and Delightfully) Surprised by "If/Then" - A Valentine to Love, Life, and New Yor ... - Singapore/Fling 11:55 pm EST 01/20/15 |
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| I couldn't agree more - it's a grossly underrated show. Saw it last month and loved it. Smart & funny & contemporary. Excellent company surrounding Idina Menzel and they have all maintained their performances well. | |
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| re: Totally (and Delightfully) Surprised by "If/Then" - A Valentine to Love, Life, and New York | |
| Posted by: | Delvino 10:30 am EST 01/21/15 |
| In reply to: | Totally (and Delightfully) Surprised by "If/Then" - A Valentine to Love, Life, and New Yor ... - Singapore/Fling 11:55 pm EST 01/20/15 |
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| I went again last week, after seeing an early performance, and was startled by the solid shape the show is in, everyone giving unstintingly, the company coalescing around the storytelling most persuasively. And Menzel giving a freshly minted performance in every way. When it folds in March it will only have had a year's run, but I think it's entertained more people than not. | |
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| You sold me | |
| Posted by: | Duke1979 07:53 am EST 01/21/15 |
| In reply to: | Totally (and Delightfully) Surprised by "If/Then" - A Valentine to Love, Life, and New Yor ... - Singapore/Fling 11:55 pm EST 01/20/15 |
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| I've felt the same way so kept it off my must see list. And I generally don't think Idina conveys the emotion behind the notes. I hate the Title and thought the concept sounded trite. You convinced me to go | |
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| re: You sold me | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 10:07 am EST 01/21/15 |
| In reply to: | You sold me - Duke1979 07:53 am EST 01/21/15 |
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| I am not a huge Idina fan but her singing was impressive in the show. | |
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| IF ,THEN...I figured it out... | |
| Posted by: | boyartist 09:44 am EST 01/21/15 |
| In reply to: | You sold me - Duke1979 07:53 am EST 01/21/15 |
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| Just because I do not like something, or do not GET IT, does not, of course mean that it isn't good, great, or fabulous. When I saw "If,Then" in previews, I did not enjoy anything about it, except the scenic design. Reading some positive posts and the review in NEW YORK magazine, I was puzzled by my lack of enthusiasm. I am a bit older, and perhaps more jaded than the ME GENERATION, which this musical is certainly about. A musical about young professionals who are so self centered, self absorbed, and self congratulatory that they think their rather ordinary lives are fascinating from every possible angle is not my idea of a show. Well, perhaps to their own, but not to the rest of the World. I find myself seated in a theatre surrounded by a generation that when one of them farts, the rest take a breath and exclaim, "IT MUST BE SPRING!" I am so grateful, ( although I had nothing to do with it), that I've lived long enough to have experienced musicals, plays, movies, and television shows of, in my opinion, quality and endurance. Not everything from the past was great or worthy, but compared to what is being produced today, well, I guess you had to have been there. | |
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| re: IF ,THEN...I figured it out... | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 11:45 am EST 01/21/15 |
| In reply to: | IF ,THEN...I figured it out... - boyartist 09:44 am EST 01/21/15 |
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| The youngest members of the Me Generation turn 51 this year. That term was coined by Tom Wolfe in the 1970s to refer to the Baby Boomers. | |
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| re: IF ,THEN...I figured it out... | |
| Posted by: | boyartist 01:06 pm EST 01/21/15 |
| In reply to: | re: IF ,THEN...I figured it out... - MikeR 11:45 am EST 01/21/15 |
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| Thank you, MikeR. I must be speaking about the CHILDREN of the "Me Generation". I am a BABY BOOMER, so, I suppose we are the ones responsible for being LOUSY parents, although we meant well. | |
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| re: IF ,THEN...I figured it out... | |
| Posted by: | Singapore/Fling 05:11 pm EST 01/21/15 |
| In reply to: | re: IF ,THEN...I figured it out... - boyartist 01:06 pm EST 01/21/15 |
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| I'd be curious what you think in the show is purely navel gazing or self-involvement. And also, which generation you are talking about. The people who are 40 today, or the people who are 20? | |
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| re: IF ,THEN...I figured it out... | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 10:07 am EST 01/21/15 |
| In reply to: | IF ,THEN...I figured it out... - boyartist 09:44 am EST 01/21/15 |
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| I was impressed by the cast, the scenic design and some of the score. I liked that the musical was trying something different. I do think the musical could use some editing. There seemed to be at least three songs that asked "What If?" I'm glad I saw it, though. I had a great discounted seat in the front of the orchestra. | |
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| re: IF ,THEN...I figured it out... | |
| Posted by: | carolinaguy 10:13 am EST 01/21/15 |
| In reply to: | re: IF ,THEN...I figured it out... - lowwriter 10:07 am EST 01/21/15 |
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| I thought the show's problem was more structural than anything else. It switched between stories too frequently, which led to two related problems: it was hard to get absorbed in either story, and the constant shifts were just plain distracting. I thought it might have been more effective if we had only switched stories a couple of times per act and the shifts were like mini-act endings. But I still don't know how fascinating a show with city planning as a central focus could really be. Good cast, though. And five or six really good songs sprinkled among the average ones and the two or three clunkers. | |
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| re: IF ,THEN...I figured it out... | |
| Posted by: | ashleylm 02:06 pm EST 01/21/15 |
| In reply to: | re: IF ,THEN...I figured it out... - carolinaguy 10:13 am EST 01/21/15 |
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| But I still don't know how fascinating a show with city planning as a central focus could really be. Me, I was hoping for more city planning, believe it or not! It can be very gripping--there's an opera in the works about Jane Jacobs. | |
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