Broadway HD: Is it worth it?

We all love Netflix, so what if there was one for Broadway plays and musicals?

Well, now there is: Broadway HD.

Users pay a subscription fee, equal to the price of a Broadway ticket, in order to view musicals and plays.

When I first heard about this, I was super excited because it can save you money in the long run.

I went onto the website and saw that it had a very limited selection of shows, which was very disappointing.

Also, most of the plays were Shakespeare, which is personally not my cup of tea.

I checked the website again a few months later and saw that they added more musicals and some more variety within the play section, but it still was not amazing or anywhere near the caliber of Netflix.

Most of the musicals are already on DVD and have been available for a long time.

The plays are still mostly Shakespeare, but the others are pretty much from BBC and/or very dated.

Subscription cost around $150, so I can't say that it is worth it to pay to watch plays and musicals no one really wants to see.

I hope that in the future, Broadway HD will add more titles to their selection.

I can only give them time since this is a relatively new website.

If you would like to check it out, click here.

Break Legs,
Sydney

Why You Should Watch The Tony Awards

There is only one awards show I will watch from start to finish and then watch over nad over again: The Tony Awards.

It is the best awards show out there and here is why you should be watching it, too.

1) The Hosts Are the Best

From Neil Patrick Harris to Hugh Jackman to Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming to now James Corden, these amazing hosts all brought something different to the show and made sure to entertain audiences between awards and performances.  They pull out all of the stops when it comes to the show's opening number, something every fan looks forward to.

James Corden will host the Tony Awards this year.
Photo Credit: Tony Awards

2) Full-on, Live Theatrical Performances

If you can't get to New York or can't afford a Broadway ticket, have no fear.  The Tony Awards gives performances from the musicals and even some of the plays currently on Broadway.  They are also archived on YouTube, so they can be enjoyed year-round.

The performances are always huge.
Photo Credit: The New York Times

3) The Acceptance Speeches

It is extremely hard to land a role on Broadway, so when you are recognized with a nomination or even bigger, an actual Tony Award, it is very overwhelming.  The actors and actresses get so emotional and are so thankful for the awards that they give the most genuine acceptance speeches I have ever seen.  If you don't believe me, check out Kelli O' Hara's speech when she won a Tony after being nominated six times.

Catch the Tony Awards June 12 at 8 p.m. on CBS.

Break Legs,
Sydney

Why Broadway's 'Fun Home' is Revolutionary

The winner of the 2015 Tony Award for Best Musical, Fun Home, is more than just a show.

Based on the autobiographical graphic novel of the same name written by Alison Bechdel, Fun Home tells the story of Alison who recounts her life after her father's suicide and when she found out that he was gay, as well as herself.

This show has often been called "the first mainstream musical about a young lesbian."  Audiences are taken through the Bechdel's life, from the time she was 10, to college-aged to an adult.  The character of Alison is played by three different actresses in order to accurately portray each age.

Fun Home tackles the issues of homosexuality, death, family issues and coming-of-age. It is also presented in the round, allowing audiences to sit onstage and be in the middle of the action.

While this show is entertaining, it is also informative.

It allows audiences to see the private struggles of a family dealing with change and loss.

Nowadays, LGBTQ issues are in the forefront, but they are usually stigmatized.  Fun Home lets us into the private thoughts of people struggling with their sexual identity in a time where it was not as accepted as it is today.

This show also showcases talented, young actors, like Sydney Lucas (no longer in the show), who was nominated for a Tony at the age of eleven.

Michael Cerveris, who played Bechdel's father, won a Tony for his performance.

Fun Home presented something completely new and revolutionary on Broadway in 2015.

Even though some of the topics are uncomfortable and upsetting, it is important to show that this is something that many families go through.

Just because it is a musical, Fun Home has changed the Broadway game and is definitely revolutionary.


Break Legs,
Sydney Cheuvront

Why Tours Need to be More Appreciated

I love tours of Broadway shows.  I live in Maryland which is about a three and a half to four-hour drive to New York, plus I go to school in North Carolina.  It is not alway easy to get to New York to see a show plus ticket prices can be outrageous.

That is why I love tours.  They bring the magic of Broadway to the entire country.  But, many people see them as less than the actual show from when it was on Broadway.  I'm here to disprove that.

1) The original writers and directors are in on it

When a show announces that it is going on tour, the director, writer, choreographer, etc. all work on the tour to get the tour actors ready and to make sure it is as close to the original as possible.  While a show may have to be changed a little to make it easily moveable, it is the same quality as a Broadway show.

2) The actors and crew have it harder

Can you imagine having to live out of a suitcase for a year, move around every week and still have to rehearse and perform one to two times a day?  Well, that is what the tour cast and crew have to do.  Tours can last for years, like The Phantom of the Opera tour has.  It is not easy to constantly be flying or driving and then performing.

3) Tours allow people to experience live theater

Like I said before, tours bring Broadway magic to everyone across the country.  For example, I saw A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder on Broadway right after it won the Tony Award for Best Musical.  A year later, I saw it on tour in Durham and loved listening to the audience's reactions and then talking to the people sitting around me about it.  For one, the tour was just like the Broadway show.  Secondly, the audience was delighted to see such a great show, especially since New York is over 10 hours away from here.

While the tour of a show doesn't usually feature the Broadway stars, it doesn't mean that it isn't good.  So, if a show is coming to your town, but a ticket and enjoy a night at the theater.

Why High School Theater is Just as Hard as Sports

I started doing theater when I was in the fifth grade and continued it throughout high school.

When I got to high school, the theater department was always shunned in favor of the various sports teams we had.

This made me very angry because us theater kids were busting our butts just as hard as the atheletes and yet we received no acknowledgment.

So here are a few reasons why theater in high school is just as hard as being on a sports team.

1) Theater is usually more completitive than sports

The first show I auditioned for my freshman year of high school had 10 people in it: five women and five men.  Around 40 people auditioned.  Cuts have to be made and we are just as if not more competitive than sports teams because we are fighting for a very small number of spots.  Plus, these roles are not equal.  You have lead roles, secondary roles, walk-on roles and ensemble roles.  Of course, we want the lead role so we are going to fight tooth and nail for it.

2) We put in long hours, too

Rehearsals were usually two to two and a half hours long, but we would also come in on the weekends to build and paint sets or use our free period during the day to rehearse or put something together for the show.  When it got close to tech week and opening night, we could be rehearsing until eight or nine o' clock at night, sometimes later.  Then during performances, the show wouldn't be over until around 10 at night so we were always exhausted.

3) We get hurt, too

Many atheletes may consider theater to be a "sissy" thing, but it can actually be dangerous.  My drama teacher would always tell us of how a set caught on fire during one of her shows and the whole auditorium had to be evacuated.  I sprained my foot during a rehearsal and then performed the show on it two days later.  I've seen people fall and hit their heads and then go on performing.  Playing sports is dangerous, but theater has its risks too, and we usually perform through the pain.


Break Legs,
Sydney

Musical to Movie Adaptations

Let me preface this by saying that I do like how movie musicals expose audiences to the wonderful world of theater and can get them interested in a particular show.  I had that experience with the movie version of "Grease".

I would watch "Grease" every night before bed from the time I was two.  It wasn't until I was in high school that I watched the Broadway show and realized how different it was from the movie.

This is the problem I have with movie adaptations.

Apparently, the Broadway musical is good enough to be made into a movie, but not good enough to be kept the same.

I've seen this happen with pretty much every movie adaptation, like "Hairspray", "Rock of Ages", "Into the Woods" and "Little Shop of Horrors".

I have been in, seen or read the script for each of the shows above and I can confidently say that the movies are horrible adaptations.

I saw the movie "Hairspray" when it first came out in 2007.  I watched in over and over again because I loved it so much.

Seven years later, I did a project on the show in my technical theater class and read the entire script.  The writers and director changed so much for the movie that it did not seem like the same show.

I was in Into the Woods in high school and played Cinderella.  I was literally bouncing in my seat in the theater waiting to watch the movie in 2014.  I was very disappointed.

I later counted the songs that were cut out and reached the number of 14.

The show is popular because of the beautiful music written by Stephen Sondheim and the movie cuts out 14? Ridiculous.

I saw a high school production of Little Shop of Horrors and noticed that the movie completely changed the ending of the stage show.  I understand that the movie team wanted a happier ending to the movie, but it changes the entire story.

I think I am most upset about the movie version of Rock of Ages.  I was obsessed with the movie when it first came out and thought it was hilarious.  Then during my senior year of high school, I went to New York to see it on Broadway.

I left the theater feeling disgusted about the way the movie handled such an amazing show.

Plots were changed, characters were deleted and added and songs were altered.

It made me so bad that people were praising this movie when it was completely different than the show it was based on.

There are multiple musical adaptations in the process of being made so all I have to say is Hollywood needs to step up its game.

Break Legs,
Sydney

Why You Should See "The Last Five Years"

The Last Five Years.
Photo Credit: Sh-K-Boom Records

When I say that you should go and watch The Last Five Years, I do not mean the movie with Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan.  While good, the movie does not capture the true essence of the show.  I mean to find a live production and experience the theater.  If all else fails, just listen to the original or revival cast album, or both.

The Last Five Years tells the story of Cathy and Jamie's failed relationship that spanned five years.  The cool thing is that Cathy starts from the end of the relationship with the couple's divorce and moves backward while Jamie starts at the beginning of the relationship and moves forward.  The two intersect at their wedding.

I love getting asked what my favorite show is because I do not have to think about it.  I quickly say The Last Five Years.  This show is so special to me and here is why it should be to you, too.

1) Jason Robert Brown is amazing

Jason Robert Brown wrote the entire show and based it off of his own divorce, giving it true feeling and emotion.  Ending a relationship is not easy, but Brown makes it heart-wrenching for even the audience.  His lyrics show us how in love this couple really is, making their demise even harder to watch and to listen to.  He is also a piano prodigy, providing us with amazing music.

2) It Takes You on a Journey

The show takes audiences through Cathy and Jamie's entire whirlwind romance with its highs and lows.  It is something that not a lot of shows do.  I had the opportunity to see the revival of this show in New York in 2013 and I was completely blown away.  I already knew the show like the back of my hand and could recite every song lyric verbatim, but there is something about seeing it live that is different.

3) It's Real

Almost all of us can relate to having our hearts broken and not knowing what to do next.  This show does not present a fantasy world where everything is perfect and the two leads end up with each other and live happily ever after. Spoiler: They both end up very unhappy. While it is nice to be taken away from the real world for a couple of hours, sometimes audiences need something that they can immediately relate to.

4) It's Intimate

The Last Five Years cast is only comprised of two people: Cathy and Jamie.  This is not some big show with 50 cast members and big, flashy dance numbers and costumes.  It is usually a bare set with two people singing about real things.  No glitz, glamor or sparkle.

If you see a local production of The Last Five Years or if it (hopefully) comes back to New York, I highly recommend seeing it.

Break Legs,
Sydney