11 February 2008, Lyric Hammersmith, London
This is a multi-Tony-award winning musical (but then again, which musicals don’t win an extensive list of Tony-awards :P) from Broadway.. and moved into the Lyric Hammersmith last week. Went to see it tonight.. and it was good! It does almost live up to all the 4 and 5 star reviews it’s been getting thus far. And there were plans of extending the run, even before it had started.
The cast was incredible. Really truly great actors and actresses. I really liked how the two ‘grown-ups’ played multiple characters. How everyone sat on the side of the stage to watch the action, reflecting the closed community they lived in. The singing was good, the acting was incredible. Lots of great young talent. The plot itself.. while powerful, was slightly highschool-ish (but you go in knowing that…) The 2nd act definitely was a lot stronger and had a quicker pace. I guess 2nd acts usually do, as that’s when they get past the initial introductions. Everything was very simply choreographed, but to a very efficient and effective manner. I liked how they had a signature sequence of movements (can’t really say it’s a dance..?) that they repeated throughout the show… and the cheesy mid-air chair. Heh, actually that’s the 2nd time I’ve seen that. Gonna use that somewhere someday.
One down thing was sitting next to lots of noisy disrespectful teenagers 😦
And All Shall Fade
The Flowers of Spring
The World and all the Sorrows
At the heart of everything
but still it stays
the butterfly sings
and opens purple summer
with a flutter of its wings
The earth will wave with corn
the grey-fly choir will mourn
And mare will neigh
With Stallions that they mate
Foals they’ve born
And all shall know the wonder of purple summer…..
Eat Your Art Out 
I love the music for this show… the I Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind “duet” kills me every time I hear it. (the plot itself, not so much…) But yes! The teen fans of this show! are so nuts!
It’s nice that you point out the choreography — I think it won the best Tony for dance (but since I am utterly oblivious to details like that, I completely missed any repeating movements or themes…)
Song of Purple Summer is beautiful… to be honest, I don’t know what they’re really singing (thanks for the words!) but it’s one of my favorite songs of the show. Agree about the choreography! It was interesting to see the guys repeating the moves from Mama Who Bore Me. Oh, and yay for talented adult actors too.