I recently had the pleasure of visiting one of my favorite cities in the world: New York City. I have loved NYC all my life and was thrilled when I got to go back to the magical city on the East Coast.
I always have loved musicals and was thrilled to see three different shows while I was there. Two of them I loved, and one of them was, well, interesting.
Moulin Rouge!
Saturday afternoon, I saw Moulin Rouge! at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. It was a big, flashy Broadway production that captured my heart after the first song. Everything about this show was perfect: the music, set, costumes, and storyline were flawless.
Moulin Rouge! is a jukebox musical, meaning that it doesn’t have original songs, but rather does mashups of popular songs already released. One of my favorite songs from the show is called “Backstage Romance,” which is a combination of “Bad Romance,” “Seven Nation Army,” “Toxic,” and “Sweet Dreams.”
It was a staggering experience to hear songs I had grown up listening to have a different meaning in the story of the show. “El Tango De Roxanne” is another one of my favorites because it gets played during what I would call the climax of the show. It conveys the emotions of the characters and the seriousness of the moment.
The set was breathtaking. Red drapes strung across the ceiling, and lights illuminated the stage and the theater, a giant elephant and windmill on either side of the stage. I find it difficult to describe the beauty in words; you would have to see it for yourself.
The storyline enthralled me; I was hooked the second Satine entered the stage. The story follows an American composer, Christian, who moves to France to find a source of inspiration. He meets Satine and the Duke at the Moulin Rouge, and it takes off from there. It’s a story of truth, beauty, justice, and, of course, love.
Moulin Rouge! is a musical I would gladly see 100 times more.
The Book of Mormon
Sunday, I went to the Eugene O’Neill Theatre and saw a show that had me awestruck in the worst possible way. Book of Mormon was written by the creators of the TV show South Park, so naturally, it was going to be crude. But, I didn’t expect it to be that crude. It was by far the dirtiest and most uncomfortable show I had ever been to.
Despite my reservations, I actually found the first 20 minutes to be quite pleasant, and I enjoyed the first few musical numbers as well. The performers sang immaculately, and the talent they displayed ended up being my favorite part of the show. The musical numbers “Hello!” and “Turn It Off” were my favorite musical numbers in the show.
For the right type of audience, this show is hilarious and enjoyable, but if you’re not a fan of crude humor, this show is probably not for you.
Six
That same night, I headed over to the box office at the Lena Horne Theatre and purchased a ticket to see Six. My parents felt bad that I disliked Book of Mormon so much that they let me see Six by myself.
Six isn’t your average Broadway show: there are no set changes, hardly any costume changes, and only six characters. In my opinion, it felt like more of a rock concert. The performance was only 80 minutes long, but I loved every second of it.
The show is about the six ex-wives of Henry VIII: Katherine of Aragon (Hailee Kaleem Wright), Anne Boleyn (Aubrey Matalon), Jane Seymour (Kristina Leopold), Anna of Cleaves (Nasia Thomas), Catherine Howard (Zoe Jensen), and Catherine Parr (Marilyn Caserta). Most of the show is a competition between them to see who had the worst past.
At the specific performance I attended, half of them were alternates; but, they were amazing. I couldn’t believe that they were the alternates because they could sing and perform so well.
The show’s upbeat songs—“Haus of Holbein,” and “Don’t Lose Your Head”—to more peaceful songs like “Heart of Stone” complemented each other brilliantly. The balance of seriousness and upbeat fun was on point. I was dancing along one minute and feeling sorry for them at another.
Six was an amazing experience that I will most definitely be seeing again, but next time, I won’t be alone.
I came back from New York with one of my new favorite Broadway shows and my new least favorite. I’m so excited to see many more shows in my future and see Moulin Rouge! again.
