#also josh groban and annaleigh ashford on there for sweeney todd <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[sharkneto]

November receiptify! Thank you for tagging me @candiliam328 :)

Can you tell I finished binging Adventure Time? Those two songs hit that special soft spot in my heart. Also, shoutout to Mark and Elliot for being on the top artists list despite me apparently not listening to that album last month. Trans solidarity right there

if you so choose to play - @assaily @neosatsuma @sunriseseance and anyone else who wants!

[turtletoria]

youre never gonna believe this. but i really liked the musical with the miserable middle aged man

[overlookmax]

i know no one will see this but here are my thoughts about sweeney todd on broadway

(side note: this was my first time seeing the show fully. i knew the story and characters but i had never seen it all the way through)

1. the stage, i was seated on the right orchestra and i could see perfectly. in photos it doesn’t look that way but the stage is really close to the audience. i would recommend sitting in orchestra. the front mezzanine also looked like a good view, i wouldn’t be able to say if it was though.

2. the set was very simplistic which i think fully works for this production. this show focuses a lot on lighting which was so mesmerizing. (theres a reason they won that tony) i’m not an expert on broadway sets and such so i don’t have a lot to say but every set piece is very expertly made and executed.

3. every actor and actress fully embraced their role and did the absolute most with it in the best way possible. the cast really seems like they have fun with their roles. when i was there their was an understudy for the begger woman, mia pinero, and she was absolutely fantastic.

4. the music is incredible. i don’t think i have to convince anyone that anything that stephen sondheim has composed is amazing. most of the songs don’t have big choreography or sets or props or whatever because the actors and actresses are so captivating on their own. it takes so much talent to be able to entertain an audience just on your own and this company just absolutely blows it out of the park. every song was perfectly executed and played out. i’ll talk about my favorite performances by josh groban, annaleigh ashford, gaten matarazzo, daniel yearwood, and more in their own paragraphs.

5.josh groban as sweeney todd- i’ve seen many people say that josh isn’t a good actor/ he doesn’t much emotion when he sings and fully completely 100% DISAGREE. josh is incredible and soo captivating. he’s was a little more animated at times then i was expecting but that doesn’t bother me at all. i truly believe that he was born to play this role. he’s very intimidating as the character (best way i can describe it) in a way i’ve never seen. i always get worried i won’t like the singing in live musicals cause it won’t sound like the soundtrack but josh’s voice is incredible. i love his baritone it’s so unsettling yet soothing which i have no idea is possible. his voice is just so nice to listen to. the way they staged the song epiphany was not how i was expecting but i still absolutely loved it. it didn’t big bold action or lighting or whatever cause josh groban is enough to make the scene just so incredible. i loved his chemistry with annaleigh ashford, they were (despite the murder and cannibalism) so adorable together.

6. annaleigh ashford as mrs. lovett- was her accent cockney? no. was she hard to understand at times? yes. did i mind? absolutely not. they were literal 30 second laugh breaks and chears whenever she was on stage. i honestly can’t even describe how amazing and funny she was. she IS the sondheim it girl. i think she was also born to play this role. she is so ridiculously funny. easily the best performance of the show. with the song by the sea it was literally just them sitting on chairs on stage and yet it was probably one of the best performances. again, the chemistry they have. it takes a lot of talent to make two murderers cute and somehow they do it effortlessly. again again again, annaleigh ashford is incredible.

7. gaten matarazzo as tobias ragg- i get that this so very much stunt casting but gaten is truly great. he’s an incredible actor and singer and you can tell he really loves performing on stage. the relationship between lovatt and toby is so adorable and annaleigh and gaten really make it. gaten really embraces this role and again does the most with it. the ending i was not expecting and gaten really makes it so unsettling and sad.

8. daniel yearwood as anthony- as you know jordan fisher did leave the production sadly but daniel is amazing. i know i’m just repeating the same thing for each person but truly he is great. he’s an amazing singer and really captures the emotion in each scene.

9. maria bilbao as johanna- again just incredible. her singing was mesmerizing and beautiful. i though she was great. i wouldn’t say that she does anything mind blowing but that’s not a bad thing! i loved her i’m just trying not to repeat the same mantra for each character/ actor

10. mia pinero as begger woman- like i said she was an understudy. i think this was her first time performing this role but she was great. she was also very very sweet! i saw her at stagedoor and she talked to a lot of people but she was just so nice and i loved her so much.

11. i’ll condense this and just say that all the actors/actresses were incredible. i wouldn’t say that any person in the company wasn’t good or wasn’t as good as everyone else. the ensemble was just as captivating and mesmerizing as the main characters. at no point in the show was i ever bored.

12. stage door- i was standing directly in front of the stage door behind a few people. only three people came out- josh groban, mia pinero, and jamie jackson (judge turpin) all were very nice and i got all their signatures! for josh and jamie a very nice woman held up my playbill for them to sign and i was able to give mia the playbill myself and told her how incredible she was! i was next to three girls, two were in their twenties and one i assumed was in her thirties since she mentioned having a son. they were all very nice and i talked with them throughout the stagedoor. however behind was a young boy who would not shut up about gaten lol. i’m not trying to complain about him since he obviously didn’t know stage door etiquette but he kept holding his phone above my head and he got really mad at my sister for trying to stand next to me. he was really annoying and everyone around seemed to agree. besides that all the people at the stage door were very very nice and i’m very grateful cause this was also my first stage door

Overall! this show was incredible and i wish i could just sit and watch it over and over again. i’m very glad and lucky i was able to go. i would absolutely recommend any go if they can. being in times square is kinda annoying but the experience is worth it. that’s all! thanks to anyone who read this lol.

[flagbridge]

Shows I saw in 2023 Part 4: 3 Show Broadway Weekend, also known as Standby/Swing/Alternate/Understudy appreciation weekend.

Okay, we’re caught up, from here on out, I’ll post each individual show (Sorry not sorry, I’m seeing Phantom five times in 2 countries in October)

In September, my mom and I sprinted through three shows and we had a non-primary actor in a principal role every time. They were all amazing.

1. Funny Girl-Julie Benko as Fanny. This one we knew because of a special TDF show. I was thrilled to see a rising star and Ramin Karimloo in a totally different role. Also, Fanny needs to be played by a Jewish actress. I don’t mind Lea Michele in the role because while raised Catholic she has Jewish heritage and has experienced discrimination because of it. Julie Benko is practicing and very open about her Judaism on social media, which is awesome!

2. Sweeney Todd. We found out while in line for security that Josh Groban had Covid and was out. Lesson learned—swap out your tickets at the box office for a refund and re-buy at lower cost. I really wanted to see Annaleigh Ashford and she was still in, plus Nicholas Christopher was incredible as Sweeney. Gaten Matarazzo, who I didn’t know was in the show, was incredible. I knew very little about this show and loved this absolutely deranged show—which featured a full orchestra in an era of downsized pits. We were basically sitting on top of the percussion. Gong, please.

3. Hadestown. Yaya was in for Eva. I’m a Classicist and know the stories but to see it still will break your heart. I cried.

Also—all the Playbills have the same color scheme?

[si-cucumber]

Mazz's Top 5 Shows (as of 8/23)

So I’ve been debating on letting my inner theater geek out on here for a while, but I also realize that....this is my blog so I can talk about whatever the hell I want to talk about.

If somehow you didn’t know already, I am and always have been a theater kid. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen tons of live theater in my day, whether it’s community, national tours, or in New York. And now that my current touring season is over, and I continue to gush over the amazing shows I’ve seen the past few months, I think it’s time for me to officially update my Top 5 Show list. 

5.) Six (US Tour)

So fun fact, I just saw this for the first time yesterday. I've been a fan of Six since it opened in the West End and waited super patiently for it to tour. It was entirely electric, the crowd was beyond into it, and the vocal talent was so stunning that I instantly bought tickets to see it again. That has never happened to me before. I was incredibly blown away and look forward to seeing it again next weekend lmao

4.) Next To Normal (Broadway, 2010)

This was my very first Broadway show on my first trip to New York. This was baby's first online fandom. Back in the day, my friends and I ruled the n2n category on FFnet. It was my first experience with fanfiction and fandom and it was fantastic. This show was everything angsty, teenage Mazz needed at the time. Being able to see the original cast and it being my first real Broadway show, it will always hold a special place in my heart!

3.) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2023 Revival)

I saw this back in June when I went to New York last! Actually, the whole reason for my trip was just to see this, especially since I missed out on Josh Groban in Great Comet. The most star-studded cast I've ever seen, tons of heavy-hitters. Sweeney Todd was a favorite of teenage Mazz and his theater friends. We'd spend our weekends in my friend's basement performing "A Little Priest" to the best of our ability. Even though I know this show inside and out, I was still on the edge of my seat by the end. Annaleigh Ashford was the stand-out for me. She was robbed of that Tony.

2.) Beetlejuice (National Tour)

I saw this back in January with one of my best friends. I've loved this show since it debuted ages ago, and was probably the best show I saw this touring season! The absolute funniest show I've ever seen. Like, we were laughing so loud and hard I'm pretty sure we were annoying the people around us lmao. But nonetheless, it was an excellent production and I left dying to see it again (no...pun intended).

1.) Some Like It Hot (Broadway 2023)

I will never ever ever stop talking about this show. Hands down, best show I have ever seen. The amount of joy i felt for hours after seeing this was incredible. I was so lucky to see this during pride month, so I have a pride version of the playbill, which is so so special to me. It was so refreshing to see a classic, jazz musical again and the choreography? Insane. Like jaw dropping insane. The final chase sequence blew my mind.

But what struck me the most was seeing a queer actor onstage playing a canonically trans character. A character who was done so well and felt so organic. I saw this at the point in my transition where I really started presenting and dressing masculinely. I was the little awkward trans guy from Ohio, alone in the big city, sat at the front of the mezzanine hearing the crowd cheer for Daphne. After months of feeling dread about the state of this country and the fear of being outwardly trans, this was just...the perfect thing at the perfect time. The amount of gender euphoria I felt was incredible, it was so moving to me. It will always hold a special place in my heart and that is why it's my number one.

So that is my current list! Will it change? Probably at some point lmao. My next season starts in October, and I look forward to seeing what awaits me next.