Luckytimez

First of all, it blew me away. I was completely floored, and honestly I still am. The show and what I remember of the music has stuck with me, and my thoughts keep wandering back to it whenever I find myself in a dull moment.

Dave Malloy’s use of sound is unmatched. He builds a complexity of sound that is so unique and it is truly breathtaking. I found myself on the edge of my seat, feeling the intensity of all the little sounds and samples of Tchaikovsky he put in his score. It works so well with the show and is so different from so much of traditional musical theater music. It feels like he is pushing the medium of musical theater forward, being, as I believe it, the future of broadway and theater as a whole. There’s only really one song that I found lacking, but even so, it was not bad by any standards. It just stood out because it was surrounded by pieces of music that stood out in comparison.

The scenery and lights were absolutely fantastic. I’m a scenic designer myself, so I was particularly drawn to the visuals and they were stark and beautiful. Scenes that stood out for me were the club scenes, the banquet, and the Swan Lake performance. The club lights were absolutely fantastic and the scene where Nina is high was just absolutely wonderful. The characters appearing in and out of the darkness was so cool!! The chandelier at the banquet was just fantastic and all that a scenic designer could dream of. The branches and moon for the final dance scene was also particularly memorable.

Last, and certainly not least, the choreo and practical effects. They were absolutely mind blowing. I don’t have words to describe how dynamic and effective the choreo was. Truly one of the best uses of choreography to ever grace the stage. It was thrilling and captivating, showing a deep understanding of the story they were telling and the art of dance as a whole. As for the effects, they were so clean in moments, I found myself amazed that what I was seeing wasn’t digital or just straight up fantastical.

The cast was also phenomenal!! Melanie Moore was an INCREDIBLE Nina. I don’t know how she is able to perform that show so many times a week.