If/Then...Spoiler FREE review

Signed by Anthony Rapp

A few weeks ago, I saw the musical If/Then, which is previewing in a few cities before heading to Broadway. The main star is Idina Menzel, which means it definitely will be seen on Broadway no matter how the previews go. (Trust me, I saw a preview of this one musical that didn't even make it to Broadway and the title of the show even had the word "Broadway" in it.) Even so, I don't think the creators have anything to worry about, as it is a well-written and creative story, that would normally be hard to pull off in a theater with a live audience watching. It also has great music and I look forward to the soundtrack being released soon.

The story is about Elizabeth, a woman who moves back to NYC after her divorce, looking to start over again in her career and possibly in her love life. However, her life veers off in two different directions, based on a choice she does or doesn't make. This is inspired by her wondering "what if"....what if she didn't stop in the park that one day to listen to a guy play guitar? How would that affect the course of her life? As we see the two outcomes unfold, we also see two sides of Elizabeth: Beth, who is concerned about getting her career back on track, no matter who gets hurt, and Liz, who is a bit reluctant to take another chance on love, but does it anyway, which leads to more paths that may or may not be taken, as a result. In both lives, we also see what happens with her best friends, Kate and Lucas. Kate's life doesn't seem to be affected by Elizabeth's choice in either direction. However, one of her choices affects Lucas differently than the other.

I can promise you that I did not spoil anything, as there's more to these stories than the little background I just provided. I just don't want you sitting there all confused until intermission, like the people in front of me happened to be. For a little while into the show, it was unclear as to what was really happening. Like two of the same scenes were taking place, with two different outcomes. And sometimes everyone from both sides of the story would come together to meet Elizabeth in the middle....those knowing her as Liz and those knowing her as Beth.

I'd like to first comment on the music because that's the easy part. The songs were great and I really enjoyed listening to them. I still get the first song, "If," in my head and it's hard not to burst out singing it! (Imagine how intolerable I'll be once I get the soundtrack...) I loved the ones Kate sang: "It's a Sign" and "Jane." (I'm guessing song titles here because we weren't given a list in the playbill. Shocking, right?!?) The songs all ranged from quirky to funny to emotionally intense. There were few Broadway showstoppers in there, and Anthony Rapp even got a big solo number.

The set is really cool. Some of it is face value with actual props and decorations and some of it is more abstract, implying that it's part of the scene. There's a large mirror that reflects everything from behind. Some of the action takes place on a second level, as well. The costumes are modern and stylish. Nothing stands out too much, but Kate gets to wear some fun clothes.

The story is very thought provoking, as you're left to wonder "What if I didn't make this one decision in my life? Where would I be right now as a result?" If/Then explores these possibilities in a surreal fashion, while also keeping with the times....the pressures, expectations and fears of living in the 21st century. While I don't know that Beth's career choice was what I would have chosen to feature in a musical. I'm thinking of it as live chick lit here....would I really want my character as an urban planner when she could do something glitzier and have it stand out a bit more? Maybe I just don't get the high pressures of urban planning, but some things were just plain confusing in that regard. However, maybe that's the realistic angle the writers were going for. Why wouldn't Beth want to be an urban planner if that's what truly interests her? There are a couple of gay and lesbian aspects of the story, which also fits in with modern times. I don't know that it would have worked if this story were written 50 years ago. Given the fact that Idina and Anthony were in the original Broadway cast of Rent, I wouldn't expect them to be in another musical together without at least one gay or lesbian story woven in. It brought me back to my days of seeing Rent obsessively, which is a nice memory to have. While some people were crying from this show, I didn't feel an emotional connection. Yes, some aspects were sad, but I didn't find myself sobbing like I've done for other musicals.

As for casting, I'll break it down by the four main actors/actresses.

Idina Menzel (Elizabeth):
You probably know how much I've loved Idina ever since I heard her on the Rent soundtrack. (If you didn't, well now you do!) For this show, I just felt that if people were there to see Idina look beautiful and sing her heart out (like in a concert), they got their money's worth. If they were there to see her act, they're in for another story. I'm not saying that she can't act, but more that this role wasn't the best vehicle for her talent. Maybe I'm just used to Idina in loud, dramatic roles such as Maureen and Elphaba (and even Elsa from Frozen). Anytime I've seen her in anything other than that, she's just Idina and doesn't really seem to connect with the role she's given. (Even when she's Shelby on Glee, I feel like she's just there to sing and that her role could be played by anyone else otherwise.) Maybe because she was playing one character leading two different lives, it was harder to make a connection to either life she was portraying. I just felt like the role was too subdued for her and that she was there more to bring in audiences than to get into her character's head.

LaChanze (Kate):
I had seen LaChanze perform before....back in 1998, when I saw Ragtime. I remember that she managed to bring me to tears. This time around, she has the most dynamic stage personality and is really funny. She starts off by saying she's a kindergarten teacher. Then she says something along the lines of: "I'm a f--king great kindergarten teacher." You can just tell that she buys into her role and makes it what it is. Aside from that, she has a great singing voice and is all-around fun to watch.  She really enhances the show. This is also the role for which Idina would have been perfect. I could have seen her owning it and having a lot of fun along the way, as well.

Anthony Rapp (Lucas):
He hasn't lost his theater touch. He still has a boyish charm on stage and sounds great when he sings. I had a hard time reconciling the beard on him and it just didn't enhance his appearance. It made him look like Mitch on Modern Family more than anything else.

James Snyder (Josh):
While he's attractive and has a great singing voice, that's really all he has going for him in this show. If I didn't have the Playbill in front of me, I would have forgotten his name altogether (both the actor and the character). He looks like Joey McIntyre in some ways and I kept having to check the Playbill to make sure he really wasn't Joey. He's the kind of actor who'd be perfect playing Chris in Miss Saigon or Marius in Les Miz. (And not because of the military tie-in.) He just came off as someone who was easy on the eyes and ears, but didn't add much other substance to the show.

Overall, it was entertaining and I'm glad I got a chance to see Idina perform live on stage. It will be interesting to find out if any changes have been made for when this goes on Broadway. Keep in mind that this was a preview and that things could change based on what works and doesn't work. (I have seen Smash after all, and Bombshell wasn't the same as it was when the show started. Then again, neither was Hit List, but those changes were a huge mistake.) The thoughts I'm offering here aren't intended to go to the show's directors, producers, actors, etc. I'm just intending them for people like me, who want to enjoy a Broadway show and want to hear what the experience of this show was like before they decide to invest the money. Or perhaps they have seen this show already and would like to offer their thoughts too.