Review: Idina Menzel Concludes Final Week in IF/THEN Tour at OC's Segerstrom Center

When it was announced last year that Tony Award winner Idina Menzel will be reprising her starring role in the Broadway musical IF/THEN for the first seven cities of its brand new national tour, the superstar's fans were, understandably, elated with the news. And for many of her fans in Orange County, CA learning that one of those scheduled stops will be right here at the Segerstrom Center of the Arts in Costa Mesa became an even bigger reason to celebrate ("Hey, Hey... ain't it some surprise!").

I mean, sure, she's performed here before in concert, but to add our little city alongside San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle in the itinerary felt like a wonderful bonus present.

So here we are. After a month-long sit-down at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood followed by week-long stops in San Diego and Tempe, the tour has finally arrived for its much-anticipated week-long engagement here in the OC---which will also mark Menzel's final week with the tour (her original Broadway co-stars LaChanze and James Snyder will also be leaving the production; while Anthony Rapp will stay on for the duration of the tour across North America and will be joined by new co-stars Jackie Burns, Tamyra Gray and Matthew Hydzik). The show continues with its Menzel-led cast at Segerstrom Hall through Sunday, January 24.

Much like the opening night performance I experienced at the show's bow at the Pantages Theatre (which you can read HERE), I was once again blown away by Menzel's incredible musical gifts. Even better: she is surrounded by an equally astonishing support cast, particularly Tony Winner LaChanze as her instant BFF Kate, Rapp as her platonic-ish pal Lucas, and Snyder as her would-be/might-be beau Josh.

But beyond these superb musical/acting performances, my initial reaction to the show itself---crafted by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey and directed by Michael Greif, the team behind the Pulitzer Prize-winning NEXT TO NORMAL---hovered somewhere in the middle. While much of it didn't strike me as particularly groundbreaking or exceptional, I still felt that the sum of all its excellent parts add up to an interesting, satisfying musical drama set in contemporary times. It's a very of-the-moment show (both literally and figuratively) that resonates with the majority of us who often struggle with the many "what if's" of our day-to-day grinds. Do we have complete control of our lives or are we all just slaves to the randomness of fate?

So how does the show fare on a second viewing---with the cast intact for the OC opening? Well, in the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit that I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed the show the second time around. Dare I say, I even think I loved it more.

While, granted, IF/THEN still has many flaws and story imperfections I can't completely erase from my memory bank (some of the split-story back-and-forth could still use some refining and polishing), seeing it again felt as if I was watching a re-energized, much more vibrant and thoughtful show than I remember when I first saw the show last month in Hollywood. Perhaps because I went into the Costa Mesa stop now knowing ahead of time what will transpire in the show (being less surprised at/jarred by the narrative trajectory, I suppose), that I eventually grew to appreciate many of the musical's grand gestures, subtle nuances, and carefully choreographed story points that I may have missed or glossed over the first time around.

Is it a different show from what I saw? Of course not. But somehow, for me, I was surprised by discovering herein a much richer narrative than what I first experienced. I actually got much more emotionally swept away. Maybe for some, IF/THEN just requires more than one viewing to truly absorb its emotional possibilities.

But... well, sure... it helps, too, that the players on stage are all so spectacularly blessed in the singing department---particularly Menzel and the grossly underused LaChanze (whom I now feel needed her role expanded overall because she provided the show a liveliness it sorely needed many, many times). Believe me, all this fandom and hype for Menzel is well-deserved: nothing beats hearing Menzel singing and belting and emoting live and in the flesh. With her star-turn in IF/THEN, she absolutely proves why she's earned such a huge theater fan base, nailing her 11 o' clock number like the queen/boss that she is. And when she curses to herself quite memorably in front of a bathroom mirror, it's actually quite adorable.

Of course, I'm still quite curious as to how the show will fare without "Ms. Adele Dazeem" in the starring role once the tour resumes (her original Broadway understudy Burns, scheduled to take over the role next week, has her own very vocal fans, too, which bodes well for the life of this tour). But I can at least say now, though, that with IF/THEN, a second viewing with an open mind is definitely worth it.

Read my Full Review of the IF/THEN National Tour's Los Angeles premiere HERE.

Follow this reviewer on Twitter/Instagram: @cre8iveMLQ

Photos of the Broadway/National Tour Company of IF/THEN by Joan Marcus.

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Performances of the first national tour of IF/THEN at Segerstrom Center for the Arts continue through Sunday, January 24, 2016. Tickets can be purchased online at www.SCFTA.org, by phone at 714-556-2787 or in person at the SCFTA box office (open daily at 10 am). Segerstrom Center for the Arts is located at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. For tickets or more information, visit SCFTA.org.

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