kutnerx5

[kutnerx5]

Review #4: Once (Broadway)

Gonna be honest, I really didn’t care much for the original Once. Yes, it won awards and was even adapted into the official Broadway musical that I’ll be reviewing now, but at the end of the day it was just “meh” for me. I got bored and distracted a few times while I was supposed to be watching (which, personally, doesn’t happen very often). The plot was slow and felt like some major wasted potential, as I could tell that what was there was raw, thoughtful, and had real meaning behind it. The execution was simply and unfortunately subpar.

However, the Broadway adaptation was definitely not the worst thing I’ve witnessed.

This version finally went full throttle with its musical aspect, whereas in the original story there were maybe one or two musical numbers that made the film’s genre feel entirely undecided. The music was great and very faithful to its origin— which, as always, will be a point in my book. Overall, I do believe the decision to adapt it into a fleshed-out musical was a great (and smart) idea.

My Top 3: Falling Slowly; The Moon; The Hill

Soundtrack

[kutnerx5]

Review #3: SIX

SIX was the first production I had listened to in my journey to find the next big musical, and honestly? It set my expectations way too high for all the productions following it. While it still continues to be the shortest musical I've listened to so far, it is also definitely one of my favorites and I believe it fully deserves all of the fans it has.

Personally, I've always adored historical elements in media. From fiction set in a different era (ex: LSoH, Aida, Anastasia, etc.) to straight documentaries about the past, I will most likely enjoy it a little bit too much. Although, modern adaptations of history are something I'm more reserved about, as I believe the timeframe is what makes these moments so charming in the first place. However, SIX executes this genre so well in a way that even I enjoy. Placing Henry VIII's wives into the present, making them pop stars, and giving them unique and fun songs to tell their stories, are all something I never would have imagined yet is still done amazingly and is overall extremely engaging.

I highly recommend this production not because of the plot but because it’s a unique and compelling listen. To this day I have yet to hear another musical that embraces the styles of 2000s-2010s pop that doesn’t sound like complete shit. SIX is entertaining, charming, and very easy to get into due to its short soundtrack. My only complaint is that a couple of songs sound a little too similar compared to their sister numbers, such as “Heart of Stone” and “I Don’t Need Your Love.” However, literally every other song is very distinct; and it’s pretty rare to be able to say that about any musical for that matter.

SIX is great— amazing, even. Definitely one of the best musicals I have listened to by far, and I think most people should really give it a shot solely for a new and different experience. If you want to get away from genres that are apparent in musicals like Phantom of the Opera or Wicked, this production should definitely be on your list.

My Top 3: Don’t Lose Ur Head; Haus of Holbein; All You Wanna Do

Soundtrack

[kutnerx5]

Review #2: Mean Girls (Broadway)

To be honest, I was never a big fan of the original Mean Girls. I didn't grow up on it, and the people I hung out with weren't big on those types of movies either. So, neither nostalgia nor good memories were attached to the film. Then, once I got older and finally watched it, all I saw was another chick flick or boring teenager film that completely skewed my expectations of what high school was going to be like. Subsequently, my feelings going into this musical were nervous with a mix of high hopes due to societal influence. However, I was pleasantly surprised.

It was definitely not bad. Actually, it was pretty damn good. The music was really catchy and none of the vocals were grating or annoying. All of the songs were unique but still consistent, and I could actually understand what was going on all throughout. I enjoyed the choices they made both musically and within the cast, each keeping me actively involved in the story as I listened. However, it is fairly difficult to see the plot as anything but a modern, poor-man's Heathers, a belief I have held for a very long time. It really does not help that Barrett Wilbert Weed plays both Veronica in Heathers the Musical and Janis in this. The overall musical styles in both productions are extremely similar as well, making it even more difficult to separate the two. Plus, all of the characters in the story are just generally unlikeable? I will admit that you can 100% write a compelling plot with overall unlikeable characters (ex: Dear Evan Hansen) but the story in this is just not strong enough to compensate for that.

The musical was good, really good. The music was great and the plot was decent (once you view it outside of Heathers), but I really wouldn't consider it great enough to write home for.

My Top 3: World Burn; Apex Predator; Someone Gets Hurt (Reprise)

Soundtrack

[kutnerx5]

Review #1: SpongeBob the Musical

Before I listened to the soundtrack, I had very high expectations. I knew many people who adored this musical, and in general I had heard great things about it, so I was going into it expecting something absolutely phenomenal. I failed to remember that it's a musical about SpongeBob SquarePants, and that I should go into it with an open mind.

After my first run-through I really did not care for it, and was actually really disappointed after listening. In hindsight, I think the impressions had skewed my overall opinion. Patrick's talking was inconsistent with his singing and sometimes I could just not handle SpongeBob's voice. Additionally, Mr. Krabs' voice was not convincing enough (personally) and it did not feel like he was older than the other characters, but instead like he was a teenager doing a mediocre imitation. However, I really did enjoy Squidward's performance and believe that his singing was on par with his speaking in the best of ways. The same applies to Plankton, whose actor (Nick Blaemire) I felt did a great job making the character into his own instead of attempting and failing at doing an impression. Don't get me wrong though, I truly do believe that all of the actors did a great job. You could really tell that they are all very skilled and were passionate doing their individual roles, which really is all that matters when it comes to preforming.

After a few listens, I have definitely come around to the overall style the musical takes on. I've always been a sucker for rock musicals and this production does it really well. There are a few things that had thrown me in a loop my first time around (like the beginning of "The Going Gets Tough") but it's like every time I re-listen the overall musical just gets better and better. Seriously, some of those songs go really hard and once you get used to their stylistic choices it's easy to go along with its flow. Also, I do feel like I am missing a major part of the musical, that being the visuals and actual physical portion. I have seen numerous photos and clips of the production and they never fail to blow me away, and a part of me knows that the reason it has so much recognition is due to this display of artistic bravado— which makes complete sense and that I support.

All in all, it's a good ass musical. I didn't like it at first, but after a few re-listens and a reworked mentality I came around. Not my in my top favorites, but it most definitely is not the worst musical I've listened to.

My Top 3: No Control; When the Going Gets Tough; Daddy Knows Best

Soundtrack