Review: Seeing IF/THEN is a Choice Cincinnati Should Make

I saw If/Then back in 2013 for it's out of state tryout in Washington D.C. I remember thinking that it was almost impossible tell that the story split into two different paths. I didn't even realize it until one of the last scenes in the first act (which has since been cut) so it's interesting to still read reviews where they are saying the two different lives of Elizabeth are hard to follow. I say that because it was so much easier than it was originally. They added a scene where it explicitly showed the moment Elizabeth's one life split into Liz and Beth's lives. All of this means that I very much enjoyed this production more then the first time I saw it.

Enough about me, let's talk about the show. If/Then, just by the way it is written, will always be about if the woman playing Elizabeth/Liz/Beth is on or not. While the show was on Broadway Elizabeth was played by Idina Menzel so obviously people will always want to compare whoever is playing Elizabeth to Menzel. I for one am not going to do that because Jackie Burns was too amazing. She completely sold both story lines and sang her face off. The vocal performance that this character requires is no easy feat and Burns made it look effortless. She didn't miss a note! Burns' singing was not the only great thing about her performance, she has great chemistry with Matthew Hydzik (who plays a love interest in one of her lives) as well as the rest of the cast. The show is solely on Burns' shoulders and she didn't disappointed and handled it better than I could have imagined.

Even with Burns running that show, it doesn't mean that the rest of the cast wasn't important as well. The best supporting character was Tamyra Gray as Kate. Gray was the life of the party and bright spot whenever she was on stage. Gray and Burns felt like genuine friends and her vocals were great as well. Anthony Rapp was solid as well (even if Lucas is the most annoying character). Rapp starred in the Broadway run so he has a feel for the character. Hydzik and Janine DiVita both had phenomenal vocal performances.

The only bad thing I could say about this production is that some of the swing struggled vocally. The worst thing was the sound issues throughout the show. Mics were turned down when an actor was suppose to have a solo, the band was too loud and there were just too many issues that were sometimes very distracting particularly when you couldn't hear what was being said or sang.

If/Then is only in town for the rest of the week so I highly recommend you quickly get your tickets and don't miss this show.

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