BWW Review: Andy Mientus with Teen Commandments Introduce 'Manhattan Kids' Musical at Feinstein's/54 Below, Debuting New Musical Theatre Style Along the Way
Andy Mientus won a fictional Tony Award on television before ever actually having appeared on Broadway. However, following his concert debut with Teen Commandments at Feinstein's/54 Below on August 2, the first of a two-show engagement, it became clear that his fake Tony win may very well have been prophetic.
The evening did not consist of a traditional, career-introspective set, and though there were a few covers (a mashup of Justin Bieber's 'What Do You Mean?' with Beyonce's 'XO' a highlight among them), as well as a selection from Spring Awakening, which Mientus appeared in this past season on Broadway as well as on tour in 2008, the intent was to introduce Manhattan Kids, a new musical that Mientus has been intermittently at work upon for years, alongside Teen Commandments (made up of Brett Moses, synth and piano; Van Hughes, bass and acoustic guitar; Nicholas LaGrasta, guitar, bass, keyboard, and computer; and Hampus Öhman-Frolund, drums). Though the majority of the plot was not divulged, through the selections performed it was made clear that the musical is audacious in both its story and its musical style.