Student Blog: Seeing More Musicals on Broadway

After going to New York for my winter break, my mom and I decided to return to see more musicals during my Spring Break. We once again did not have much of a plan for what to do while we were there but knew that we wanted to see Hadestown once again. Besides seeing Hadestown again, I also got to see Come from Away, and Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

Come from Away

Come from Away was a musical that my mom really wanted to see. We had missed it when the tour was in both Durham, North Carolina as well as in Chicago. Despite not really knowing the musical well, I still enjoyed it. I liked how there was a small cast and how the actors played multiple roles. Come from Away is also a lot shorter than most other musicals, as it was only about 100 minutes long, with no intermission. The length worked well for the story. It uses those 100 minutes in an effective way to tell a complete story.

Hadestown

Despite this now being my third time seeing Hadestown and knowing how it ends, I still enjoyed it as much as the first time I saw it in January. Each time watching it I picked up on different elements, and different lyrics stuck out to me. It is truly a musical that I could talk about for hours on end and listen to it again and again without ever getting tired of it. I know how the story will end, and yet I still hope that Orpheus won't turn around and the musical will end happily. After this viewing, one line stuck out to me the most. In "Road to Hell (Reprise)" Hermes says "To know how it ends and still sing it again as if it might turn out this time. I learned that from a friend of mine." Despite knowing how this story will end, we still watch it with the hope that it will end up better.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Seeing this musical was an impulse decision because of the weather while we were in New York. My mom and I decided to see the Matinee show because we would be seeing Hadestown that night. While we were waiting for the musical to start, a lady sitting next to me looked at me and said that I was "very brave being here." I am pretty sure she thought I was 12 (I'm 19, just short for my age) and that is why she said that to me. I really did not know much about Moulin Rouge!, I just knew that it was a jukebox musical, which typically is not a style I enjoy. However, I loved the way that the songs were integrated into the story, and they felt like a natural part of the musical. I primarily wanted to see it because Aaron Tveit is one of my favorite musical actors, and I got very excited when I saw him walk on stage. Even if Aaron Tveit was not playing Christian that day, I still would have enjoyed the musical, but seeing him perform became the highlight of my day.

Like when I went to see musicals over winter break, I am so happy that musicals are back. Even with the access to pro-shots and cast recording soundtrack, nothing is better than seeing a musical performed live on stage.