I've been in NYC for a couple days now and have been taking in some new (or new to me) shows.
I saw Spring Awakening last night, the winner of the Best Musical Tony this year. It was composed by 90s alt-rocker Duncan Sheik and is about a group of teens and their respective sexual awakenings in 19th century Germany (it was based on a play of the same title). I found it interesting in that it was kind of antithetical as a musical; it consisted of a young, energetic and good-looking (early 20s) cast belting out a pseudo-punk score (think "punk" made palatable for a broadway audience) and kind of figuratively telling a story in broad impressionistic strokes through the lyrics. At times it felt like it was trying too hard to be "edgy" and different (like the odd stylistic choice of having the characters perform the major numbers in "rock concert" style complete with hand-held microphones) but overall I enjoyed it, there was some good talent on display and the tunes were agreeable enough.
Here's a music video for "The Bitch of Living" Scene:
And I finally saw Wicked tonight. I wanted to catch it when it was in Toronto but the run was sold out and even nowadays on broadway the show is one of the hardest tickets to get; I scored a seat fourth-row dead center which was perfect for being close to the performance but just far enough to take in the big picture.
I didn't really know if I'd enjoy it going in; I'd heard a rough synopsis and given the popularity of the show I figured it would be a pretty vapid affair with some techy production designs. It certainly had the production design part but I actually found myself really enjoying the show. I thought the story was really clever and really enjoyed the "other side of the story" take on the Wizard of Oz and all of the social and political undercurrents woven into the story. The score was pretty standard for a broadway show, it's enjoyable if not particularly unforgettable. The performers were all really good (as is expected on Broadway). And of course I really enjoyed the production design. It was definitely extravagant and way over-the-top but I think the show balanced the razzle dazzle with a solid storyline that an audience member could really think about if he or she were so inclined. Maybe because I deliberately didn't listen to the score beforehand or research the show in too much depth but I thought Wicked lived up to all the hype.
