If/Then is a contemporary new musical that follows two distinct story lines in the life of Elizabeth, a city planner who moves back to New York to restart her life in this city of infinite possibilities. When her carefully designed plans collide with the whims of fate, Elizabeth's life splits into two parallel paths. If/Then follows both stories simultaneously as this modern woman faces the intersection of choice and chance.
If/Then is an original musical written by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning creators of Next to Normal, and starring Idina Menzel in her much-anticipated return to Broadway after her Tony Award-winning performance in Wicked.
If/Then also stars Tony Award winner LaChanze (The Color Purple) and reunites Idina Menzel with her original Rent co-star, Anthony Rapp.
It's not confusing with all these stories; it's just all spread a little thin. And it's all a little too fast...Even so, it's an intriguing book, but one that Yorkey might tinker with beyond opening night, just as the books of 'Merrily We Roll Along' and 'Follies' went through many revisions after their respective Broadway premieres. In other words, see 'If/Then' now so you can have the fun of making comparisons to its future revivals, of which there will be many.
Beautifully and accessibly scored, 'If/Then' tracks its central character, an urban planner by trade, through two different sets of life choices. One involves kids and a traditional guy. The other features a bigger career but less cultivated, and thus more complex, romantic entanglements with the indecisive and conflicted (the choice between saving the world and liking Whole Foods being another dichotomy that confounds the Coldplay generation and thus infuses this show)...'If/Then' is, for sure, overstuffed with huge crises in both storylines, and since we're double-timing here, they cascade at times in Yorkey's book with dizzying, credibility-sapping rapidity. The expositional needs are intense, but once it's clear that we're tracking Elizabeth's happiness, or lack thereof, and once Kitt and Yorkey provide her with a blistering number about bad choices that she can sing in her bathroom, the audience is in Menzel's and the show's pocket.
2014 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2015 | US Tour |
First National Tour US Tour |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | LaChanze |
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Leading Actress in a Musical | Idina Menzel |
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Musical | If/Then |
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Idina Menzel |
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Michael Starobin |
2014 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Idina Menzel |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | If/Then |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Tom Kitt |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Brian Yorkey |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Idina Menzel |
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