Broadway HD

I was very hesitant at first of getting a BroadwayHD account because I wasn't sure just how good of a library they would have and if it would be worth the money, but I can completely say IT IS WORTH THE MONEY!!!!!! I've already watched 3 shows I've been dying to see, Jesus Christ Superstar with Ben Forster and Tim Minchin, Falsettos and Memphis and they were all amazing! Trust me guys it is completely worth it! They have such an expansive library everything from The Phantom of the Opera Live at The Royal Albert Hall to Oklahoma with Hugh Jackman to Daddy Long Legs and so many others.

The Last Midnight: January

An American in Paris
Theatre: Dominion Theatre (West End)
Opened: March 27, 2017
Closing: January 6, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Heisenberg
Theatre: Wyndham's Theatre (West End)
Opened: October 9, 2017
Closing: January 6, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Ink
Theatre: Duke of York's Theatre (West End)
Opened: September 19, 2017
Closing: January 6, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Junk: The Golden Age of Debt
Theatre: Vivian Beaumont Theater (Broadway)
Opened: November 2, 2017
Closing: January 7, 2018
Tony Awards: N/A

Stomp
Theatre: Ambassadors Theatre (West End)
Opened: October 4, 2007
Closing: January 7, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theater (Broadway)
Opened: April 23, 2017
Closing: January 14, 2018
Tony Awards: N/A

Dick Whittington
Theatre: London Palladium (West End)
Opened: December 13, 2017
Closing: January 14, 2018
Olivier Awards: N/A

Miss Saigon
Theatre: Broadway Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: March 23, 2017
Closing: January 14, 2018
Tony Awards:
Best Revival of a Musical [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Eva Noblezada as Kim [Nominated]

Meteor Shower
Theatre: Booth Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: November 29, 2017
Closing: January 14, 2018
Tony Awards: N/A

Unexpected Song: Don't Tell Mama

I'm going through a bit of a Cabaret phase right now and I'm thoroughly obsessed with this song right now.
Andrea McArdle (2nd US Tour)

Emma Stone (2014 Broadway Revival)

Michelle Williams (2014 Broadway Revival)

Susan Egan (1998 Broadway Revival)

World AIDS Day

#HelpStopTheVirus

The Last Midnight: December

Labour of Love
Theatre: Arts Theatre (West End)
Opened: September 25, 2017
Closing: December 2, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

The Toxic Avenger
Theatre: Arts Theatre (West End)
Opened: October 2, 2017
Closing: December 3, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

Venus in Fur
Theatre: Theatre Royal Haymarket (West End)
Opened: October 17, 2017
Closing: December 9, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

M. Butterfly
Theatre: Cort Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: October 26, 2017
Closing: December 17, 2017
Tony Awards: N/A

Oslo
Theatre: Harold Pinter Theatre (West End)
Opened: September 30, 2017
Closing: December 30, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

Cats
Theatre: Neil Simon Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: July 31, 2016
Closing: December 30, 2017
Tony Awards: N/A


Home for the Holidays
Theatre: August Wilson Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: November 21, 2017
Closing: December 30, 2017
Tony Awards: N/A

A Woman of No Importance
Theatre: Vaudeville Theatre (West End)
Opened: October 16, 2017
Closing: December 30, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

Big Fish
Theatre: The Other Palace (West End)
Opened: November 1, 2017
Closing: December 31, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

The Last Midnight: November

War Paint
Theatre: Nederlander Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: April 6, 2017
Closing: November 5, 2017
Tony Awards:
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Christine Ebersole as Elizabeth Arden [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Patti LuPone as Helena Rubenstein [Nominated]
Best Scenic Design in a Musical for David Korins [Nominated]
Best Costume Design in a Musical for Catherine Zuber [Nominated]

Apologia
Theatre: Trafalgar Studios (West End)
Opened: August 3, 2017
Closing: November 18, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

Time and the Conways
Theatre: American Airlines Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: October 10, 2017
Closing: November 26, 2017
Tony Awards: N/A

5678

Hey guys I just wanted to let everyone know that for my 5678 countdowns the times are for Eastern Standard Time. I apologize if you don't live in that timezone, but it is where I live so it is easier for me to do the countdowns that way.

The Last Midnight: October

Cat On a Hot Tin Roof
Theatre: Apollo Theatre (West End)
Opened: July 24, 2017
Closing: October 7, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

1984
Theatre: Hudson Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: June 22, 2017
Closing: October 8, 2017
Tony Awards: N/A

*Sue me for using the West End Production video
Derren Brown: Underground
Theatre: Playhouse Theatre (West End)
Opened: September 11, 2017
Closing: October 14, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

Evita
Theatre: Phoenix Theatre (West End)
Opened: July 28, 2017
Closing: October 18, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

The Terms of My Surrender
Theatre: Belasco Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: August 10, 2017
Closing: October 22, 2017
Tony Awards: N/A

Prince of Broadway
Theatre: Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: July 31, 2017
Closing: October 29, 2017
Tony Awards: N/A

Unexpected Song: Bring Him Home

I'm honestly not a huge fan of Les Miserables, but I do think that this is an incredibly beautiful song and can be incredibly moving.

Alfie Boe (West End, 2014 Broadway Revival, 25th Anniversary Concert)

Colm Wilkinson (West End, 1st UK Tour, Broadway, 3rd US Tour, 10th Anniversary Concert)

Hugh Panaro (The Muny, Walnut Street Theatre)

Killian Donnelly (West End)

Kyle Jean-Baptiste (2014 Broadway Revival u/s)

Ramin Karimloo (West End, 2014 Broadway Revival, 2014 Toronto Revival)

Simon Bowman (West End)

Carolee Carmello is not human

Carolee Carmello literally has the most diverse career I have ever seen with any performer. She is amazeballs. There are just no words. For those of you who don’t know she has done...

Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors
Anna Leonowens in The King and I
Abigail Adams in 1776
Cordelia in Falsettos
Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia
Lilli Vanessi/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate
Lily Garland in On The Twentieth Century
Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd
Lucille Frank in Parade

That's barely touching the surface. I mean what the hell is this woman? She isn't human! There is no way she's human. I refuse to believe she's human.

The Last Midnight: September

Half a Sixpence
Theatre: Noël Coward Theatre (West End)
Opened: November 17, 2016
Closing: September 2, 2017
Olivier Awards:
Best Actor in a Musical for Charlie Stemp as Arthur Kipps [Nominated]
Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for Ian Bartholomew as Chitterlow [Nominated]
Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Emma Williams as Helen Walsingham [Nominated]

Hamlet
Theatre: Harold Pinter Theatre (West End)
Opened: June 9, 2017
Closing: September 2, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

I Loved Lucy
Theatre: Arts Theatre (West End)
Opened: July 24, 2017
Closing: September 2, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

The Mentor
Theatre: Vaudeville Theatre (West End)
Opened: June 4, 2017
Closing: September 2, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour
Theatre: Duke of York's Theatre (West End)
Opened: May 15, 2017
Closing: September 2, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Theatre: Imperial Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: November 14, 2016
Closing: September 3, 2017
Tony Awards:
Best Musical [Nominated]
Best Actor in a Musical for Josh Groban as Pierre Bezukhov [Nominated]
Best Actress in a Musical for Denée Benton as Natasha Rostova [Nominated]
Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Lucas Steele as Anatole Kuragin [Nominated]
Best Book of a Musical for Dave Malloy [Nominated]
Best Original Score for Dave Malloy [Nominated]
Best Scenic Design in a Musical for Mimi Lien
Best Costume Design in a Musical for Paloma Young [Nominated]
Best Lighting Design in a Musical for Bradley King
Best Direction of a Musical for Rachel Chavkin [Nominated]
Best Choreography for Sam Pinkleton [Nominated]
Best Orchestrations for Dave Malloy [Nominated]

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill
Theatre: Wyndham's Theatre (West End)
Opened: June 17, 2017
Closing: September 9, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

The Wind in the Willows
Theatre: London Palladium (West End)
Opened: June 29, 2017
Closing: September 9, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

Bandstand
Theatre: Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: April 26, 2017
Closing: September 17, 2017
Tony Awards:
Best Choreography for Andy Blankenbuehler
Best Orchestrations for Bill Elliott and Greg Anthony Rassen [Nominated]

Groundhog Day
Theatre: August Wilson Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: April 17, 2017
Closing: September 17, 2017
Tony Awards:
Best Musical [Nominated]
Best Actor in a Musical for Andy Karl as Phil Connors [Nominated]
Best Book of a Musical for Danny Rubin [Nominated]
Best Original Score for Tim Minchin [Nominated]
Best Scenic Design in a Musical for Rob Howell [Nominated]
Best Direction of a Musical for Matthew Warchus [Nominated]
Best Choreography for Peter Darling and Ellen Kane [Nominated]

Waiting for Godot
Theatre: Arts Theatre (West End)
Opened: September 7, 2017
Closing: September 23, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

A Doll's House, Part 2
Theatre: John Golden Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: April 27, 2017
Closing: September 24, 2017
Tony Awards:
Best Play [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for Chris Cooper as Torvald Helmer [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for Laurie Metcalf as Nora Helmer
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for Jayne Houdyshell as Anne-Marie [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for Condola Rashād as Emmy Helmer [Nominated]
Best Costume Design in a Play for David Zinn [Nominated]
Best Lighting Design in a Play for Jennifer Tipton [Nominated]

Best Direction of a Play for Sam Gold [Nominated]

w
Queen Anne
Theatre: Theatre Royal Haymarket (West End)
Opened: June 30, 2017
Closing: September 30, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

To bootleg or not to bootleg?

Ok so I've been asked several times and have heard conversations about bootlegs and people's stances on them so I figure I'll throw my own two cents in...

"Bootlegs aren't bad as long as you don't try to profit from them!"

Here's my thing as long as when you're recording said bootleg you are not distracting the performers or distracting other audience members I don't see the problem. People use the argument "It takes away from tickets sales." For most shows no it doesn't... Shows like Wicked (Which I have 900+ Bootlegs of) has earned over $5 billion dollars worldwide!!! It's only been running for about 14 years! I highly doubt that bootlegs are going to affect ticket sales especially with the movie coming up it will add more revenue to Wicked. Other shows similar to Wicked are The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and Chicago. I feel like if anything bootlegs will make people want to see a show even more. Hell when I knew I was going to Europe July of last year I had planned to go to London for a day to see the Miss Saigon revival because of bootlegs and how amazing the cast sounded!!! (However it eventually announced it's closing notice so that dream never happened.) Bootlegs also give a chance for other people to shine in roles. Mainly touring cast members, replacements, understudies, alternates and standbys. There are so many understudies and replacements that I love such as Julia Abueva as Kim (u/s in the 2014 West End Revival of Miss Saigon), Dan'yelle Williamson as Elphaba (u/s in the Chicago production of Wicked) and Dan Domenech as J.D. (u/s in Off-Broadway production of Heathers) so many of these people I never would have heard of and loved in these roles if not for bootlegs. I also don't see what the problem is when the show has closed. For example bootlegs of Bonnie & Clyde, Anything Goes and Sweeney Todd. Watching those bootlegs doesn't hurt anyone because those productions are closed and said productions will never return to Broadway. (To clarify this part the actual show may return, but the production itself and it's elements will most likely not return.) My other major problem that I don't understand is why it's a big deal for pro-shot shows to be on YouTube, Putlocker, etc especially when those shows have never been released on DVD. Those shows being Allegiance, Miss Saigon 25th Pro-Shoot (It's only available in the UK I believe) as well as anything done by "Live From the Lincoln Center" and stuff recorded by BroadwayHD. Okay anyway to wrap this up because I'm losing myself in this mess I don't think bootlegs are bad. However! If you try to profit off bootlegs by making people buy them in order to see them or having them trade or some B.S. you're an $%#@&* and that's not cool! Okay anyway I've said my piece. Thank you all goodnight!

Wicked: Universal Studios Japan Production

So... After a few hours of arguing with myself I've decided that I'm not going to feature any bootlegs from the Universal Studios Japan abridged version of Wicked because not only was that a horrible production design wise that ran for 30 minutes it didn't have the greatest actors in it either. Only one of them actually went onto star in a legitimate production. (Jemma Stevenson if you're wondering.) I have included a full show bootleg on Don't Tell Mama, but that is it. So that's all I really have to say. There are many bootlegs out there on YouTube so if you want to sit through those you can.

Jackie Hoffman: Emmy Nominee

I love this woman's dry sense of humor it is absolutely outstanding.

The Phantom of the Opera Bootlegs

I actually want to cry because I added over 150 Phantom bootlegs to my blog today and when I went to add more none of them got saved. Ugh! This is really emotional for me people! If you wish to look for any audios please use this link. There are tons of Phantom and Les Mis bootlegs on this blog. Any audios I don't have are from May 2015-October 2015 so you'll have to scroll down a while to get to them. I am so sorry for this, but ship happens and I really want to cry over this.

Oak, Mandy and the Media Storm of 2017

Ok so I don't need to explain this whole drama about Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan and Mandy Patinkin. Overall what happened was a very shitty thing to happen to any actor or actress. What I hate though is the fact that people are making this about race. It's about the money people! Mandy would bring in bigger bucks then Oak ever could. Do you realize the amount that elderly gay men would pay to see Mandy back on Broadway? They would sell their kidney's to see him! Also the fact that some of them would buy multiple tickets on the chance of meeting or sitting next to Patti LuPone one night. It sucks massive crap about what happened to Oak, but I highly doubt this is because Mandy is white and Oak is black. People are simply latching on to the race thing because it's a more dramatic story. Now I'm all for supporting diversity so don't try and accuse me of having "White Privilege" or being "racist". Okay that's all I'm going to say on this subject before this turns into a political rant.

The Last Midnight: August

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Theatre: Aldwych Theatre (West End)
Opened: February 24, 2015
Closing: August 5, 2017
Olivier Awards:
Best New Musical [Nominated]
Best Actress in a Musical for Katie Brayben as Carole King
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Ian McIntosh as Barry Mann [Nominated]
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Lorna Want as Cynthia Weil
Best Theatre Choreographer for Josh Prince [Nominated]
Best Costume Design for Alejo Vietti [Nominated]
Best Sound Design for Brian Ronan [Nominated]
Outstanding Achievement in Music [Nominated]

Indecent
Theatre: Cort Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: April 18, 2017
Closing: August 6, 2017
Tony Awards:
Best Play [Nominated]
Best Direction of a Play for Rebecca Taichman
Best Lighting Design of a Play for Christopher Akerlind

On Your Feet!
Theatre: Marquis Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: November 5, 2015
Closing: August 20, 2017
Tony Awards:
Best Choreography for Sergio Trujillo [Nominated]

Marvin's Room
Theatre: American Airlines Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: June 8, 2017
Closing: August 27, 2017
Tony Awards: N/A

Run and Tell That: Miss Saigon (2017 Broadway Revival)

Note: Okay so I once again repeat that I'm terrible at organizing my thoughts and editing my reviews and please excuse all the metaphors I used in this review (I was in a very creative mood. I'm also sorry if they don't make sense haha.) So just bear with me people. I also came down with a wave of heat sickness as I was coming home from the show so like I've stated before... bear with me people.

"... The sound as well as the special affects literally had me turning my head because I felt like an actual helicopter was landing inside the Broadway Theatre."

So I'm not going to give a whole back story like I normally do with my reviews, because a lot of you already know my connection with Miss Saigon and if you don't then check out my review for the 25th Anniversary Pro-Shoot. So let's get cracking shall we? First off seeing this show in person is a completely different experience from seeing it in a movie theatre. I sat in the first row mezzanine and so I got to see the whole stage and I really loved seeing all the little details that were carved into the sets, designed by the talented Totie Driver and

The view from my seat

Matt Kinley, such as the beautiful crisp dark red wood to the fading Bangkok signs on the sides. The proscenium alone made me curse the theatre gods for not giving this show a Tony nod for scenic design. Honestly them being robbed of a lighting nomination also needs to be discussed because they had some of the most beautiful lighting, designed by the genius Bruno Poet, I have ever seen in a show. Now let's talk about the best, and most underrated, sound design I have ever heard on stage designed by the brilliant Mick Potter. When Best Sound Design was tragically removed a few years back many shows were hurt because of it such as Hamilton and Miss Saigon shows that would have easily won this award and a well deserve win at that. The orchestra sound alone was brilliant. The sound was quite impressive in two specific parts of the show the first part was during "Back in Town/Coo-Coo Princess" when you hear the parade continuing outside the hut. The music actually sounded like it was coming from the back of the stage and gradually rose as if it was coming toward you. The second time was during "Fall of Saigon" the sound as well as the special affects literally had me turning my head because I felt like an actual helicopter was landing inside the Broadway Theatre. I was waiting for the chopper to just come flying onto the stage. That entire scene was just utter perfection from the lighting, sets, acting and blocking. Now since I just mentioned blocking that's a nice transition to talk about the director Laurence Connor who while overall did a great job did leave some parts of this puzzle untouched. I really only had two distinct problems with his blocking of this show. The first one was at the very beginning of the show when Kim, played by understudy Emily Bautista (Who I'll get into later,) after the bomb gets dropped on her village Kim normally gets knocked down by people running all over the place however that didn't happen when I saw it. (I personally felt that that really hurt the opening in a part that really shows the chaos of that time). The second was at the very end when Kim walks from upstage down with Tam right before she kills herself it was the exact same thing in the 25th

Nkrumah Gatling, Taurean Everett, Dan Horn,
Graham Scott Fleming and Casey Garvin

Anniversary pro-shoot. KIM LOOKED BORED!!! Now I realize that this wasn't the actors fault. I mean wouldn't Kim want to be getting the best moments with her son before she kills herself why would walk stiffly with Tam knowing this was her last moments with him. I mean that's just me, but Connor you have got to fix that somehow because if both Eva and Emily did it then it's not the actresses fault. Despite those two moments I overall loved the way Connor directed this production. I loved the grittiness of the show and the realistic depictions of the bar girls in Dreamland and exactly what these girls went through. I did notice how they made the violence a lot more intense than in the 25th. For example instead of Gigi just getting slapped by the Engineer she is literally thrown across the bar and then slapped. I really liked that addition because it made "The Movie in My Mind" all the more heartbreaking. There were also some small lyric changes here and there, but the most massive lyric change was in "The Wedding Ceremony" instead of the girls singing "Dju Vui Vai" I'm pretty sure they sang actual Vietnamese which was a really nice touch to the show. The piece of the show that really blew me away though was "Morning of the Dragon" I was absolutely terrified throughout that entire number from the vocals to the dancing, lighting, acting, etc. That number was absolutely frightening with its depiction of communism and how the Vietcong felt after the war was over. I had goose bumps up and down my arms for 5 minutes straight after that scene. I could just watch that performance on repeat for days it was so good! Anyway let's get cracking with the actors/actresses now! Now before I start talking about the main roles I have to give a shot out to the ensemble members of Miss Saigon. First off the women of Saigon who I think maybe two are over the age of 40 and in the ensemble as bar girls wearing bikinis and they both look fierce AF and look amazing for their age! Second we have Casey Garvin (A.K.A. daddy) who portrayed a gay Mormon during "What a Waste" and he was absolutely hilarious in this role (And quite the looker too.) I also have to give a shout out to Robert Pendilla who featured me on his Instagram story after the show and to Miss Viveca Chow who went on for Emily Bautista's tracks while she covered the role of Kim. The ensemble of Miss Saigon is ridiculous and all are insanely talented and attractive (Which really isn't fair. People you have to pick one be either attractive or talented you don't get both!) Alrighty now that I've said my peace about that let's get into the main roles. First up we have the magnanimous, the magnificent, humble, ridiculously talented and crazily underrated Rachelle Ann Go. There are just not enough words to describe how much Go has changed and how much she has

Rachelle Ann Go

grown from that first preview of Miss Saigon to now. Go is an absolute star from the minute she walks on stage every single moment of her life! Go is one of the kindest people you will ever meet with the best set of pipes to ever hit Broadway or West End. I really don't know what to say other than how beautiful her Gigi was. It was ridiculous how her Gigi went from being this fierce, growling sex fiend to a shy, timid young girl afraid of her own shadow in the bat of an eye. I honestly don't know quite how to describe the feeling of when Go sings. It's as if nothing else in the world exists, but that big belting voice. There were these two little blink and you'll miss them moments that Gigi had and they were absolutely heartbreaking the first moment was right after "The Dance" as Kim and Chris, played by the sexy Alistair Brammer (Who I'll also get into later,) go up to their room. Gigi looks up at them as she walks out of Dreamland alone, dejected and hurt and you feel the pain in Gigi's eyes. Gigi has just witnessed another girl lose her virginity to an absolute stranger and it breaks her heart. The second time was during "Exodus" at the end of act one when all the refugees are gathering onto the boat Go comes on in her Gigi "The Wedding Ceremony" outfit and notices The Engineer, played by the deliciously talented Jon Jon Briones (Again I'll get into him later,) and Gigi goes up to The Engineer to say hi and chat about old times, but The Engineer just throws her away

Devin Ilaw

without even looking at her. Gigi once again leaves feeling alone, dejected and hurt. Up next we have the role of Thuy played by the talented Devin Ilaw who while being a great actor was not an intimidating Thuy. It's really hard to follow in the footsteps of someone like Kwang-Ho Hong (The 2014 West End Revival Thuy) who could scare you to the core with his singing voice. I think the main downfall of Ilaw's Thuy was how his tone is a lot higher than that of Hong's and therefore it didn't have that creepy, dirty quality to it. While I'm sure Ilaw is a phenomenal actor after seeing Hong I don't think anyone will beat his portrayal of Thuy. If I could just put the voice of Hong into the body of Ilaw that would make for one terrifying Thuy and would also be an excellent Billy Bigelow in Carousel, but anyway onto the controversial character of Ellen portrayed by the brilliant Katie Rose Clarke. Clarke is a phenomenal Ellen and definitely my favorite that I've ever seen. I love Clarke's interpretation of Ellen! I love how much more emotional Clarke's Ellen is which is something that deeply lacked in previous Ellen's. Yes did they show emotion, but none like Clarke did. Clarke showed you the painful side of Ellen and how hurt she was the Chris wouldn't open up to her. Most Ellen's sing "I Still Believe" as if they are just patiently waiting for Chris to open up to them while Clarke was about ready to

Katie Rose Clarke

cry her eyes out because she loves him so much. Clarke was just sheer perfection from "Room 317" all the way to "The Confrontation." I just loved how sweet Clarke's Ellen was when she said "Don't turn the bed yet." when she confused Kim for the maid. You could just feel the awkwardness rise when Ellen realizes who Kim is. Ellen doesn't know how to handle this situation and you can see how she realizes that she messed up by telling Kim she was married to Chris. She literally breaks down crying when Kim leaves and just keeps sobbing "Oh god. What have I done? (Sweet Jesus what have I done? Become a thief in the night, become a dog on the run... Sorry I had to.)" This leads into Ellen's song "Maybe" which feels more right and fitting with Clarke's rendition, but it still feels out of pace with the rest of the show. However as I said in my review for the 25th there are just so many emotions and different ways to react in a situation like this that you can't possibly just narrow it down to one song. Although as I've said before I applaud Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil for continuing to rewrite and work on the song to make it work. I think the best part of Clarke's Ellen was during "The Confrontation" when she finally confronts Chris about all his lying and calls him out on his shit. Clarke yells "GOD DAMMIT CHRIS SPEAK TO ME!!" as she blocks his path from leaving the room. She forces him to open up to her Clarke's Ellen challenged Chris and raised the stakes a ton. After seeing Clarke's Ellen live I can definitely say that she deserved a Tony nod for her turn as Ellen. Up next we have John played by the fantastic Nicholas Christopher who was the perfect John. While many of the John's played him as this uber pervy character Christopher went back to the Peter Polycarpou mold where John is more of a gentle giant. I mean don't get me wrong John was still a massive pervert in "The Heat is On in Saigon" it wasn't a monster like Hugh Maynard in the 25th, however I'm also going to assume this was also due to changes in direction. Christopher's

Nicholas Christopher

John got better and better as the performance progressed. Christopher's "Bui Doi" was absolutely stunning and sounded so much better without all of the riffs and the simplicity made it that much more beautiful and again those harmonies were orgasmic (Sorry that's just the only way to describe them.) I also liked how in "The Confrontation" he was trying to be the voice of reason by saying that Chris and Ellen staying in Bangkok and paying for Tam would only make things worse for Kim. Now while we're on the topic of Chris let's talk about the amazing Alistair Brammer. This was my third time seeing Brammer in Miss Saigon I first saw him in a bootleg (Oh grow up we all do it) of the 2014 West End Revival and then in the 25th pro-shoot and finally here on Broadway. I definitely think overall that Brammer has gotten better with his portrayal of Chris I have the opposite feeling about him then from the 25th. For the 25th I loved Brammer's first act Chris and felt his second act Chris was a little too violent for my liking. However this time around I preferred Brammer's second act Chris over his first. Here's why I felt his act one Chris was a little too messed up for act one. I felt that he was too damaged in the act. In my opinion I think Chris is just as innocent as Kim on some levels in act one. I also just wasn't feeling the chemistry between him and Bautista's Kim. I felt Bautista trying to make a connection, but Brammer just wasn't putting in the effort (This may be in part due to Emily being the understudy and this only being her 2nd or 3rd time on in the role). However, his Chris in act two has improved immensely from London. There were little things he added (Or maybe things I just noticed) that made his act two Chris all the better. For example the shaking of his hands in "The Revelation" while holding the report on

Alistair Brammer and Rachelle Ann Go

Kim to his hesitance to hold Kim in "Finale." His parts in "The Confrontation" were a thousand times better and it was no longer as violent and I think it felt that way in part due to Katie Rose Clarke raising the stakes on her end. It also helped that Clarke and Brammer had excellent chemistry because Clarke actually looked and felt like his wife whereas Tamsin Carroll's Ellen seemed to be much older than Chris in the 25th. One great part of Brammer's performance was getting to see his butt during the end of "The Dance" just as the lights went out. That was a plus in my book. Anyway onto the main man of the night Jon Jon Briones who's Engineer is like a fine wine, it just gets better with age. As I stated in my review for the 25th Briones was in the original West End cast and probably has the most performances under his belt of any Engineer having performed as the alternate in the original West End and Manila productions, was the understudy and eventually promoted to lead in a German production (Where he met his wife Megan who was Ellen) and he also starred in 2014 West End Revival, 2nd UK Tour, 2017 Broadway Revival and the 1st North American Tour. Briones knows how to work an audience like the Engineer knows how to work a crowd of men. Briones had the perfect comedic timing and he also knew how to be dramatic without going over the top. There is really not much else I can say about Briones that I haven't already said. I will forever be pissed at the Olivier's for not giving him the award which he deserved and the Tony's for not giving him the

Jon Jon Briones with Ensemble

nomination he deserved. Now before I start to talk about Emily Bautista as Kim I want to add a quick note. I was on twitter the other day and someone made a note of Miss Saigon saying that they realized the tag of "The Epic Love Story of Our Time." was not about Kim & Chris' romance it was about Kim and Tam's romance. The "Epic love story" is about a mother's love for her child so I looked at the role of Kim in a completely different perspective this performance. Now that I've said my peace on that it's onto the main woman of the night Emily Bautista (Who is the Kim understudy in this revival). I've known Bautista for a few months now and I really wanted to see her as Kim because she went to Ithaca College (Where I'll be attending in the fall) and I wanted to see her interpretation of the role. Plus I had already seen Eva in the 25th and saw Lianah at the Kelsey theatre. I prefer my Kim's to have ridiculous powerful belts such as Julia Abueva or Joan Alemedilla, but with Bautista I got a gentler approach to Kim (Which I surprisingly loved). Bautista's tone is higher than that of other Kim's I've seen. That higher tone actually supported her Kim it made her more vulnerable and more innocent and more haunting. That lighter tone made "I'd Give My Life for You" into a creepy lullaby especially with how Kim held Tam in her arms the entire number and it was really creepy. Instead of chills being sent down my spine with the amazing vocals (Which Emily does have) chills were sent down my spine by the hauntingness (Yay making up words) of that number. I absolutely love this rendition especially after that whole "Epic love story" of our time tweet. Bautista's Kim is like a stained glass window. In

Emily Bautista

the beginning you have this beautiful work of art that all you want to do is gaze and admire, but you have to remember to keep a gentle touch with the art work or it will break. When it breaks that is when the beautiful stained glass becomes deadly because now that its edges are no longer smooth they're jagged which will cut you and harm you. Bautista's Kim just like that stained glass while beautiful as a whole it is deadly when broken. We see a small crack appear in "The Heat is On in Saigon" and the small crack gradually increases throughout "The Movie in My Mind" and both Chris and Thuy receive a little cut in "This Money's Yours" and "Thuy's Arrival/Thuy's Intervention" then you finally see that beautiful stained glass window again in "Sun and Moon" and "Last Night of the World." However that beauty doesn't last forever. That beautiful stained glass cracked even more in "Back in Town/Coo-Coo Princess" and is broken in half during "Thuy's Death/You Will Not Touch Him" where we first see the true deadly nature of this piece when Thuy shoots Kim and that beautiful stained glass window is nothing but a weapon with pretty colors protecting Tam during "I'd Give My Life For You." During the second act we see that beautiful stained glass now with sanded edges and you can see the beauty again, but you also see the age in the piece. Finally when that beautiful piece is about to become whole again when she is reunited with Chris she meets Ellen who drops the stained glass and shatters it into a million pieces. That beautiful piece of glass is now broken and beyond repair and with no way to repair it, it gets discarded or in Kim's case she kills herself so Tam can have his best life. Emily Bautista's Kim is vastly different from every other Kim I've seen and I love it. She breathed a new life into this role and she practically blew Kim's lungs out with how much of a breath she gave. I have to say bravo/brava to everyone involved in this absolutely stunning production! Don't forget to check this show out! It runs until January 15, 2018 so buy your tickets here and don't forget that a national tour that is planned to start after the Broadway run ends!

"One man to head us! Each girl, each boy, one voice to lead us in a song of joy! This is the hour! This is our land!"

Miss Saigon on Broadway

In honor of me seeing Miss Saigon in less then 3 days I figured I would show you guys the video that first introduced me to Miss Saigon which was an ad for the 2014 West End Revival. What really grabbed me were the stunning vocals by Rachelle Ann Go and Eva Noblezada.

Work!

I'm waiting for this to become a meme.

The Last Midnight: July

Love In Idleness
Theatre: Apollo Theatre (West End)
Opened: May 11, 2017
Closing: July 1, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

The Little Foxes
Theatre: Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: April 19, 2017
Closing: July 2, 2017
Tony Awards:
Best Revival of a Play [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for Laura Linney as Regina Hubbard Giddens [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for Richard Thomas as Horace [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for Cynthia Nixon as Birdie Hubbard
Best Costume Design in a Play for Jane Greenwood
Best Direction of a Play for Daniel Sullivan [Nominated]

Present Laughter
Theatre: St. James Theatre (Broadway)
Opened: April 5, 2017
Closing: July 2, 2017
Tony Awards:
Best Revival of a Play [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for Kevin Kline as Garry Essendine
Best Costume Design in a Play for Susan Hilferty [Nominated]

Rotterdam
Theatre: Arts Theatre (West End)
Opened: June 21, 2017
Closing: July 15, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

Oslo
Theatre: Vivian Beaumont Theater (Broadway)
Opened: April 13, 2017
Closing: July 16, 2017
Tony Awards:
Best Play
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for Jefferson Mays as Terje Rød-Larsen [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for Jennifer Ehle as Mona Juul [Nominated]
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for Michael Aronov Uri Savir
Best Scenic Design in a Play for Michael Yeargan [Nominated]
Best Lighting Design in a Play for Donald Holder [Nominated]
Best Direction of a Play for Bartlett Sher [Nominated]

The Philanthropist
Theatre: Trafalgar Studios (West End)
Opened: April 20, 2017
Closing: July 22, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

The Kite Runner
Theatre: Wyndham's Theatre (West End)
Opened: June 8, 2017
Closing: July 29, 2017
Olivier Awards: N/A

Unexpected Song: No Good Deed

"No Good Deed" from Wicked is my favorite song from the show. Elphaba finally comes to grips with who she must become in order to survive in the cruel world of Oz. She also comes to terms with who she actually is. The amount of emotions that can be portrayed in this song is thrilling and you can tweak it and play with it throughout every performance. I could listen to women sing this song almost all day long just to hear the different interpretations and the different riffs they do.

Alexia Khadime (West End)


Carmen Cusack (1st US Tour, Chicago s/b, Melbourne s/b)


Caroline Bowman (Broadway)



Dan'yelle Williamson (Chicago u/s)

Jackie Burns (Broadway, 1st US Tour)


Oak Joo-Hyun (Korea)


Rachel Tucker (Broadway, West End)

71st Annual Tony Awards Predictions: Part 4

Wow so Tony Awards this year were complete and utter BS. I honestly can't put into a post just how filled with rage I am over the robs for Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 as well as Come From Away two inventive musicals with ridiculously creative scores and books that lost to a mediocre score written by mediocre and over hyped composers. Nominees that are underlined are the people who actually won while the nominees with an * next to them are the ones I predicted would win.

• Best Play
• A Doll's House, Part 2*
• Indecent
• Oslo
• Sweat
• Best Musical
• Come from Away
• Dear Evan Hansen
• Groundhog Day
• Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812*
• Best Revival of a Play
• Jitney
• The Little Foxes
• Present Laughter*
• Six Degrees of Separation
• Best Revival of a Musical
• Falsettos
• Hello, Dolly!*
• Miss Saigon
• Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
• Denis Arndt- Heisenberg as Alex Priest
• Chris Cooper- A Doll's House, Part 2 as Torvald Helmer*
• Corey Hawkins- Six Degrees of Separation as Paul
• Kevin Kline- Present Laughter as Garry Essendine
• Jefferson Mays- Oslo as Terje Rød-Larsen
• Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
• Cate Blanchet- The Present as Anna
• Jennifer Ehle- Oslo as Mona Juul
• Sally Field- The Glass Menagerie as Amanda Wingfield*
• Laura Linney- The Little Foxes as Regina Hubbard Giddens
• Laurie Metcalf- A Doll's House, Part 2 as Nora
• Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
• Christian Borle- Falsettos as Marvin
• Josh Groban- Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 as Pierre
• Andy Karl- Groundhog Day as Phil Connors
• David Hyde Pierce- Hello, Dolly! as Horace Vandergelder
• Ben Platt- Dear Evan Hansen as Evan Hansen*
• Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
• Denée Benton- Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 as Natasha Rostova 
• Christine Ebersole- War Paint as Elizabeth Arden
• Patti LuPone- War Paint as Helena Rubinstein
• Bette Middler- Hello, Dolly! as Dolly Levi*
• Eva Noblezada- Miss Saigon as Kim
• Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
• Michael Aronov- Oslo as Uri Savir
• Danny DeVito- The Price as Gregory Solomon
• Nathan Lane- The Front Page as Walter Burns*
• Richard Thomas- The Little Foxes as Horace
• Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
• Johanna Day- Sweat as Tracey
• Jayne Houdyshell- A Doll's House, Part 2 as Anne Marie*
• Cynthia Nixon- The Little Foxes as Birdie Hubbard
• Condola Rashād- A Doll's House, Part 2 as Emmy
• Michelle Wilson- Sweat as Cynthia
• Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
• Gavin Creel- Hello, Dolly! as Cornelius Hackl
• Mike Faist- Dear Evan Hansen as Connor Murphy
• Andrew Rannells- Falsettos as Whizzer
• Lucas Steele- Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 as Anatole Kuragin* 
• Brandon Uranowitz- Falsettos as Mendel
• Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
• Kate Baldwin- Hello, Dolly! as Irene Molloy
• Stephanie J. Block- Falsettos as Trina*
• Jenn Colella- Come From Away as Annette, Beverley and others
• Rachel Bay Jones- Dear Evan Hanson as Heidi Hansen
• Mary Beth Peil- Anastasia as Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna
• Best Book of a Musical
• David Hein and Irene Sankoff- Come From Away*
• Steven Levenson- Dear Evan Hanson
• Dave Malloy- Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
• Danny Rubin- Groundhog Day
• Best Original Score
• David Hein and Irene Sankoff- Come From Away
• Dave Malloy- Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812*
• Tim Minchin- Groundhog Day
• Benj Pasek and Justin Paul- Dear Evan Hanson
• Best Scenic Design of a Play
• David Gallo- Jitney
• Nigel Hook- The Play That Goes Wrong*
• Douglas W. Schmidt- The Front Page
• Michael Yeargan- Oslo
• David Zinn- Present Laughter
• Best Scenic Design of a Musical
• Rob Howell- Groundhog Day
• David Korins- Dear Evan Hanson*
• Mimi Lien- Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
• Santo Loquasto- Hello, Dolly!
• Best Costume Design of a Play
• Jane Greenwood- The Little Foxes
• Susan Hilferty- Present Laughter
• Toni-Leslie James- Jitney
• David Zinn- A Doll's House, Part 2*
• Best Costume Design of a Musical
• Linda Cho- Anastasia
• Santo Loquasto- Hello, Dolly!
• Paloma Young- Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
• Catharine Zuber- War Paint*
• Best Lighting Design of a Play
• Christopher Akerlind- Indecent*
• Jane Cox- Jitney
• Donald Holder- Oslo
• Jennifer Tipton- A Doll's House, Part 2
• Best Lighting Design of a Musical
• Howell Binkley- Come from Away
• Natasha Katz- Hello, Dolly!
• Bradley King- Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
• Japhy Weideman- Dear Evan Hansen*
• Best Direction of a Play
• Sam Gold- A Doll's House, Part 2*
• Ruben Santiago-Hudson- Jitney
• Bartlett Sher- Oslo
• Daniel Sullivan- The Little Foxes
• Rebecca Taichman- Indecent
• Best Direction of a Musical
• Christopher Ashley- Come From Away
• Rachel Chavkin- Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812*
• Michael Greif- Dear Evan Hansen
• Matthew Warchus- Groundhog Day
• Jerry Zaks- Hello, Dolly!
• Best Choreography
• Andy Blankenbuehler- Bandstand*
• Peter Darling and Ellen Kane- Groundhog
• Day Kelly Devine- Come from Away
• Denis Jones- Holiday Inn
• Sam Pinkleton- Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
• Best Orchestrations
• Bill Elliot and Greg Anthony Rassen- Bandstand*
• Larry Hochman- Hello, Dolly!
• Alex Lacamoire- Dear Evan Hansen
• Dave Malloy- Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812