An Autumn of Broadway with Marist’s SPC
If you’ve ever stumbled across a line of 200 students sitting on the floor of the student center for hours on end or have been one of the dedicated discount lovers in the line yourself, then you know about the Broadway trips that Marist’s Student Programming Council (SPC) hosts throughout the school year.
For only $25, SPC takes you on a trip to Midtown Manhattan for a world-class show and then back to Marist in the course of about ten hours. This semester was no exception as SPC scheduled trips to Wicked, Mean Girls and Frozen. As someone who has never missed (*knock on wood*) an SPC Broadway trip in all five semesters that I’ve been here, I was very excited for this lineup. Wicked is a classic favorite while Mean Girls and Frozen are relatively new, starting their runs in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The Wicked and Mean Girls trips have already taken place, and the Frozen trip is just around the corner, so I wanted to reflect on the first two trips and project ahead with my expectations for the end of the semester.
Wicked, a timeless classic running at the Gershwin Theatre since 2003, was nothing short of spectacular yet again. The eccentric set and classic score are representative of the highest expectations of a Broadway show. The cast on October 8th was made up of professionals like Jennifer DiNoia, who played Elphaba and Brittney Johnson, an understudy who played Glinda.
In my opinion, it is often a blessing in disguise to see the understudy because they are not given as many chances to perform the role, so they often convey more passion and excitement. Johnson was a perfect example of that theory. As to be expected, the brilliantly written songs like “Defying Gravity” and “For Good” were as moving as ever and left the audience stunned with tissues in hand. A repeat trip for SPC, the Marist crowd was the usual size, showing that the show never fails to impress.
Mean Girls has been playing at the August Wilson Theatre since October of 2017 and is based on the 2004 film written by Tina Fey. A beloved movie about the toxic nature of popularity in high school, Mean Girls is a teen-comedy starring Lindsey Lohan, Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried, that originally was not set to a musical score.
Now a Broadway musical, the songs were written by Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin and the plot is consistent with Tina Fey’s original work. On October 6th, SPC took 200 students to see the show and it did not disappoint. The show brought some new twists to the classic plot like the upbeat songs and an increased emphasis on party culture, but also kept consistent with the light-hearted fun incorporating classic moments like the North Shore Talent Show, Glen Coco references and goofy Karen Smith moments.
Standouts in the cast were Regina George, played by Reneé Rap, and Janis Sarkisian, played by the understudy Olivia Kaufmann and of course Cady Heron, played by Erika Henningsen. All three of these artists were well-connected with their characters and really brought the classic role to life in addition to beautifully singing new songs. Some new set design elements and choreography were incorporated because of the new music, but a few songs were rather predictable. It felt as if the songs were simply placed within the plot in exchange for dialogue and were not given much thought. The songs were fun in the moment, but the soundtrack is unlikely to become one that gets extensive plays on Spotify or Apple Music. However, the show was upbeat and fun while being executed by an incredibly talented cast of Broadway regulars and newcomers alike.
With the next SPC adventure nearing, Marist students can look forward to seeing Frozen, which started it’s run at the St. James Theatre in March of 2018. This show is sure to be similar to the beloved movie, featuring sweet moments from Olaf, beautiful songs like “Let it Go” and a stunning wintery set. If other Disney on Broadway shows like Aladdin or Lion King or are any indication, Frozen is a show you definitely don’t want to miss!
Source: violinha via Creative Commons