Show Reviews Part 1!

Hey guys!

 So this past week I went to New York, and I was lucky enough to see four Broadway shows (yay for discount ticket booths!), so I decided that I would write some reviews for the shows! The reviews turned out to be a little long, so I’m going to make two posts out of it. This week will be Matilda and Fun Home, and next week will be Something Rotten! and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time! Hope you enjoy!



Matilda

Matilda has been the musical that I have consistently been obsessed with for the past couple of years, so I knew that this was one show that I wanted to see no matter what. I’m so happy that I was able to see it before a lot of the current cast leaves (especially Lesli and Matt, who were amazing as usual). I don’t know why, but for some reason I found that Lesli sounded different, I almost didn’t think it was her during her first couple of lines in Miracle. Maybe it was the Americanized British accent, but she sounded different than other performances I’ve seen of her.

I was pleasantly surprised that Mattea was on as Matilda that show (I had a hunch and thought it was going to be Alexandra, but that hunch was obviously wrong). She is so small and adorable (I even heard an audience member say “Oh my gosh, I can’t handle how cute she is!” in the middle of the show), and very, very talented! Her voice is so strong, and you can definitely tell that she has a dance background. After Mattea imitated Miss Trunchbull during one of the stories, her hair had gotten stuck in her bobby pins and was sticking straight out, but both her and Karen Aldridge (Mrs. Phelps) didn’t miss a beat. Although she was a little hard to understand during Story 2, her accent was for the most part consistent. Some of my Mattea highlights were her “Big, Fat, Bully”, Quiet (especially the big note during “Everything everything IS”), Naughty reprise and her acting in the scenes around My House.

Alison Luff was incredible as Miss Honey, her emotions were so heart wrenching, especially during Bruce, which was a scene that I had never noticed Miss Honey in before. You could tell that she wanted to help him so badly and that she felt horrible for what was happening, but she knew that she couldn’t do anything to stop it. It was so heartbreaking to watch, as was My House. Christopher Sieber had the audience in the palm of his hands, he was hilarious! He really brought the Trunchbull to life. All the kids are so incredibly talented and high energy, it was so much fun to watch them perform, especially in Revolting Children.

By the time bows came around, I was really struggling to hold in my tears, it’s such an emotional rollercoaster of a show. It was so entertaining and uplifting, and I am extremely happy that I can say that it was my first Broadway show.





Fun Home

Okay, I’m going to be totally honest, this is my all time favourite show. I actually splurged and bought tickets to Fun Home before I left, because I knew that I couldn’t miss it. I ended up considering the ticket my high school graduation/18th birthday present because it ended up being so expensive that my parents asked me if I was crazy for spending that much money on one ticket. But it was in the second row. THE SECOND ROW. It was 100% worth it though, especially in the Circle in the Square theatre. It was so fascinating to watch the actor’s stage business when they weren’t being focused on. I even caught Beth Malone eating something out of one of those squeeze packs that little kids will eat apple sauce or something out of during one of Middle Alison’s scenes!

Being in the round and that close to the stage made it so much more personal, which I think is very important for a show that is so emotionally taxing. Every single person in that show is so talented, there isn’t one actor who’s a little bit weaker than the rest. The show runs so smoothly and seamlessly, and each new scene had me impatiently waiting for whatever was going to happen next, even though I usually knew what to expect.

Nicole Van Giesen was on as Helen, and she was spectacular, especially since her first time going on as Helen was only two days before! I almost started crying when Sydney sang her first note, and my emotions were so profound for the duration of the show. I cried during Telephone Wire, laughed during Raincoat of Love, my heart was so full during Ring of Keys and Changing My Major and then I cried again after the show when my parents asked how it was. The stage was unbelievable, and the staging of the show in The Round was so well done, I never felt like I missed anything because an actor was facing the wrong way.

After the show Sydney unfortunately had to leave right away and couldn’t stage door, but everyone else did! Zell was so adorable and outgoing, I had brought all the kids maple lollipops (because the house is on Maple Avenue) and he was SO excited, and kept on talking to me the entire time until I left. I learnt that his older sister had actually been in the Original Broadway cast of Matilda. Emily Skeggs was so sweet and friendly, and Michael Cerveris was really nice and humble. This was easily one of the best nights of my life, and Fun Home is overall an amazing show.



I hope you found my reviews both interesting and helpful, make sure to check back to read my reviews for Something Rotten! and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time!



What are some shows on Broadway that you wish you could see? Mine are Hamilton (I actually got offered a ticket to see it, but I was leaving three days before the day of the show so I couldn’t), Spring Awakening and School of Rock (even though they haven’t opened yet).



Until next time!

Sarah

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