#michaelleebrown

how

the

FUCK

are

you

so

*Minor plot spoilers ahead

Michael has a gorgeous voice.  He uses more vibrato than either Ben or Colton, which was a tiny bit jarring only because I'm not used to it in this role with these songs, but he sounded GREAT at all times.  I also think he really doesn't need to use the vibrato as much; when he holds a high note without it, his voice is to.  Die.  For.  

I was struck how Michael's Evan is most believably a high school teenager.  I have no idea of MLB's actual age, but he's the only Evan during which it never once seems like this is an adult man playing a teen, if that makes sense.  This lends an added vulnerability to his portrayal.  

It also makes the eventual Evan/Zoey romance a bit less believable, because since he feels so young, Zoey actually seems like the older student.  For her to fall for Evan in this dynamic doesn't feel quite as realistic.  I honestly think a few more performances in the role would easily take care of that, though, and help them find a more credible romantic bond.

There are acting choices that MLB makes that I like very much; specifically a part where he got an audience laugh out of a line that had never gotten one before (that I don't even think was written for a laugh.)  Naturally, because I slept before posting this, I now CANNOT REMEMBER the line.  GAH!

WTAW was sung spectacularly.  I think the singing was the focus here because of the importance of the song to the show, and he was holding back a bit acting-wise in favor of getting the notes right, which he definitely did.  More turns in the role will also help there, as it will with You Will Be Found.  It was sung *beautifully*, and just needs more palpable panic from MLB's Evan when he drops his note cards mid-speech.

I love love LOVED MLB's dynamic with Rachel.  It felt like Michael's different portrayal of Evan gave her something substantively new to work with, and she KILLED it.  This was one of the best performances for her of the seven I've seen.  At the moment when out of pain, Heidi sarcastically apologizes for not being able to give Evan certain things, and Evan bites back, "It's not my fault other people can!", the audience audibly gasped.  It was this huge "oh no he DIDN'T" moment, which I've never seen happen quite like that at that point in the show.  VERY dramatic.  

Particularly because that moment was so harsh, Evan needs to be especially overwhelmed by what he's done in "Good For You," and I didn't quite feel that.  Again, I believe this is down to the newness of performing the role. I think remembering where he had to move on stage during the song was likely the priority here.

I also felt that Will Roland's performance got a new life playing opposite Michael.  He had the audience in the palm of his hand every time he opened his mouth.  It was fantastic.

Words Fail.  Boy howdy, there aren't enough ways to say how thoroughly Michael CRUSHED this.  Snot bubbles glistening and visible from Row L, y'all.  What I especially like is how he was able to act this full-out, yet made the conscious choice to almost never drop the melody in favor of the drama (something both BP and CR do more of.)  I don't think it's necessary to growl the lyrics quite so much to sustain the dramatic effect, and Michael proved this definitively last night.  So, so good.

*Plot spoilers ahead Colton's portrayal of Evan is more informed by Ben's performance than Michael Lee Brown's is.  His rushed, staccato delivery of the opening monologue immediately makes us feel this is the Evan we know.  Vocally, he makes some of the same choices as Ben, most notably when he growls out some of the lyrics in Words Fail.  Both of them sacrifice the melody of the song somewhat in ceding to the drama of the moment.

Whereas I think Michael's performance as Evan prioritizes the vocals, Colton's definitely puts acting the part first.  This can lead to the occasional vocal hiccup as he is so thoroughly invested in the emotion of the moment.  That said, when he is singing full out and putting more focus there, it is a thing of beauty.

Yesterday I talked about MLB's strong dynamic with Will Roland's Jared and especially Rachel Bay Jones' Heidi.  I should've also mentioned that Kristolyn Lloyd's performance as Alana seemed more intense opposite MLB, too.  Colton's Evan, on the other hand, shines more with the other characters.  

His interactions with the Murphy parents are more heartfelt, and you can completely feel the parent/child bond that forms between them, making the eventual reveal all the more heartbreaking.  Colton's easy camaraderie with Mike Faist's Connor is on display as well, making their interactions (especially in Sincerely, Me) a joy to watch.  Finally (and I'm ready to fight this out), Colton's Evan has the most believable romantic connection with Laura Dreyfuss' Zoe of all three Evans. There is a physical chemistry between them not present with the other Evans. In both Ben and Michael's takes on Evan, the weight of the events that take place seems to build on them as the story goes on.  Colton's Evan, on the other hand, seems to be almost immediately overwhelmed by everything going on.  He feels on the edge of his emotions from the start, and like with every new development, he could break under the burden of what's taking place.  There is something very visceral about the way he's grasping to hang on throughout, and I think it makes us sympathize immediately with Evan, because we can see how close he always is to drowning under all of this.

By the time Evan drops the note cards before You Will Be Found, even having seen the show before you think "this is it; there's no way he recovers here."  The naked fear and shame in Colton's Evan in this moment is absolutely breathtaking.  When he clutches Connor's tie (for dear life, it would seem), you see the moment on his face when he decides he must overcome his own demons to give Connor a tribute that's real in some way.  When he talks about wishing they could have helped Connor not feel alone, you absolutely feel Evan's sorrowful regret that he didn't - that he failed to see someone in the same pain as him and help.  This palpable remorse makes the buildup of You Will Be Found very affecting and the climax incredibly heartrending.

Okay you all already know I'm a huge MLB fan (he wished me and my friend happy birthday at the stagedoor in September and he's an amazing Evan) but his music is a whole different level, and I've only listened to "The Way It Used To Be".

The beat? I was actually jamming out. The music is so, so catchy and it just makes you feel good.

The lyrics are so simpLEE (haha) and wonderful. They have so much meaning and they're easy to follow along to, which is always a bonus.

MLB's voice is so different here than when I saw him as Evan, and it's awesome! He's got power but he's also so good at pulling back. A true talent.