At the end of February, our thespians got the opportunity to attend the annual New York City Trip. The trip is offered for juniors and seniors who are involved in the theater department. Several different groups attended three unique, different, and fun Broadway shows! The following is my current ranking of the shows:
1. “Hadestown”
This show was phenomenal! I saw this show last year, and it was very interesting. However, this year’s cast made this show very enjoyable for me. The two main characters, Orpheus and Eurydice, are played by Jordan Fisher and Lola Tung. They are only performing for a limited amount of time, so being able to watch two of my favorite people was so fun! This show is Lola Tung’s Broadway debut and she killed it! My only suggestion is to turn up her mic, as she has a wonderful voice. I also loved Jordan Fisher’s interpretation of Orpheus, the biggest ‘simp’ ever. They also had a revolving stage and executed the departure in Hell and the main world through it. Each actor gave it their all. Seeing them having fun made the experience even better. A student’s first time seeing the show had an amazing first impression.
“Hadestown was an astonishing musical that pulled you in, leaving you on the edge of your seat the entire time,” senior Kristin Pollard said.
2/3. “SIX/Little Shop of Horrors”
This was considered a split show, so half of the attendees attended “Little Shop of Horrors” while the others attended “SIX”. “SIX” is about the six wives of Henry VIII. This show wasn’t very classical. It felt more like a Taylor Swift concert, so of course the experience was phenomenal. The six actresses interacted with the audience and their energy was everything and more. SIX is a short show compared to others, which is my only complaint. It had the same set the whole time, but the lighting was perfect. Each wife has a distinct color and aesthetic, which they incorporated perfectly. They also had a live band which was super cool. One student that attended had very positive things to say.
“My favorite actor would probably be the person who played Katherine Howard, her vocals were absolutely insane,” junior Sarah Seivertson said.
Everyone I have talked to agrees that “Little Shop of Horrors” was just as remarkable. Unlike “SIX”, this show doesn’t have the fun, concert-like feel. It is considered a horror musical. The show is about a florist shop worker who nurtures a plant that feeds on human flesh. Many attendees loved the dark side of the story.
“It was very fun, and I got to see Darren Criss who was my favorite actor of the night,” senior Melody Campbell said.
3. “Sweeney Todd”
It kills me to rank this last, because this show was great! However, I wasn’t aware of the plot going in, so the first 10-15 minutes were very confusing to say the least. The musical is about a vengeful murderer who hides his identity through being a day-time barber. It starts with the main character, Sweeney, coming back from fifteen years in prison because of a corrupt judge. He finds a woman named Mrs. Lovett who runs a pie business. She is his business partner who bakes the bodies into her pies. The show includes a lot of cannibalism which was shocking, but it adds to the scary, mysterious vibes that “Sweeny Todd” is intended to have. Mrs. Lovett is played by Sutton Foster, who is a major Broadway star, and her raw talent was crazy. She had an amazing comedic timing, especially for being labeled as a horror musical. Other students say the Sweeney Todd experience was extremely fun.
“Sweeney Todd has such an interesting storyline and the ensemble was amazing, and I loved seeing Joe Locke,” senior Devin Lew said.
In conclusion, all three musicals I got the pleasure of seeing were phenomenal. If you are ever in New York, take a trip to see these musicals!
