Broadway 2 A Day: 2005-2008 (The Color Purple, Spring Awakening, Legally Blonde and more!)

I can't believe October is almost over and there are only two months of shows left! Seeing shows like Spring Awakening and Legally Blonde on the list reminds me of just how far we've come since January. I have listened to, or at the very least skimmed through, 333 shows and am firmly in the era of modern musical theatre. 

It's only getting better (or at least more familiar from here.) Let's get into it.

• The Woman in White
• Have I heard of it before? No, I don't know how I missed all these random Andrew Lloyd Webber shows
• Did I enjoy it? No, this score was truly painful
• Synopsis: Drawing master Walter Hartright arrives at Limmeridge House to teach sisters, Laura and Marian. Walter falls instantly in love with Laura and his feelings are returned. However, their relationship is thwarted by Laura’s engagement to the apparently honorable and charming Sir Percival Glyde. When Walter has a chance encounter with a mysterious woman, dressed all in white and looking the double of Laura, he realizes that Sir Percival is not all he seems. Although Walter finds himself unable to prevent Laura’s marriage, when he hears the news of her sudden death, he and Marian embark on a mission to reveal the truth about Sir Percival Glyde’s past and his role in Laura’s death. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: I Believe My Heart
• The Color Purple
• Have I heard of it before? Of course, it's a classic text
• Did I enjoy it? Yes I enjoy the music overall and it is very moving
• Synopsis: The Color Purple spans 35 years in the life of Celie, a teenage African-American girl living in Georgia who is given by her abusive stepfather to an even more abusive husband. Though Celie spends most of her days as a servant in her own household, she, cut off by her husband from those she loves, tries to remain hopeful that she will ultimately be reunited with her sister Nettie and her children by way of her stepfather, Adam and Olivia. Over the years, Celie, increasingly jaded by her lot, finds ways to cope with life--a potential lover in the fabulous Shug Avery, a friend in her stepson’s wife Sofia, a love of making stretchable pants that turns into a booming business. Though her string of unfortunate events, though, Celie learns that the most important thing is that she is a survivor, and that no matter what happens to her, she is still here. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: I'm Here
• Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me
• Have I heard of it before? No, but I'm not surprised Martin Short had a one-man show
• Did I enjoy it? I had a couple laughs but I think this is one you have to be in the audience for to really enjoy
• Synopsis: In order to give the people what they want, Martin Short alters his somewhat tame musical autobiography mid-show to interject some struggle, pain and scandal. (Playbill)
• Favorite song: All I Ask (Is You Love Me)
• Grey Gardens
• Have I heard of it before? Yes but I never listened to it in full
• Did I enjoy it? Yes it is very dramatic and feels very classic (in a good way)
• Synopsis: Based on the 1975 documentary film of the same name, Grey Gardens is a tragic, frequently funny, and utterly unforgettable musical about two “staunch” and legendary American women: Edith Bouvier Beale, and her grown daughter, Edie. Grey Gardens begins at the grand 1941 engagement party of stunning and spirited “Little Edie” Beale to handsome Navy man Joe Kennedy, Jr., hosted by Edie’s mother, Edith Bouvier Beale. As the upper-crust, New England family gathers, so do the storm clouds of trouble that eventually leave both “Big” and “Little” Edie alone and heartbroken. The second act launches the narrative into the overgrown, cat-riddled, and bug-infested estate in 1973, where the two Edies live, alone. “Big Edie” is now bedridden, and “Little Edie” grows more eccentric by the day, haunted by dreams of love and success, long since dashed. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Another Winter in a Summer Town
• Mary Poppins
• Have I heard of it before? Of course
• Did I enjoy it? Always, it's a fun show you have to admit
• Synopsis:  In the musical, Bert, a jack-of-all-trades, invites us into the world of London, England in 1910 — and, specifically, into the dysfunctional home of the Banks family. Jane and Michael, the young Banks children, have sent yet another nanny packing, dismissing these children as hopelessly and irrevocably spoiled and misbehaved. With a father who works constantly and mother who is always distracted, Jane and Michael have suffered without strong caretaking forces in their lives. Then the magical Mary Poppins flies in on the wind, bringing with her a combination of whimsy, magic, and disciplined common sense to the children’s lives. Together, they go on memorable and magical adventures — and also learn the importance of a tidy nursery and of taking the medicine they need (with a spoonful of sugar, of course.) (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Step in Time
• High Fidelity 
• Have I heard of it before? Nope but I gather it's based on a movie
• Did I enjoy it? I did! If you like shows like Rent you would probably enjoy this one
• Synopsis: The show follows the adventures of Rob, a record store owner who knows almost everything there is to know about pop music, but almost nothing about how to keep a girl. Rob's love life, already a broken record of heartache, falls off the charts completely when he gets dumped by Laura. But that just sets him up for a romantic comeback. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Number 5 with a Bullet
• Spring Awakening
• Have I heard of it before? Oh yeah, the obsession I had with this show in early high school was intense
• Did I enjoy it? Always do - great music but don't think about the plot too much if you want to be happy
• Synopsis: Based on Frank Wedekind’s groundbreaking and controversial play (once banned in Germany), Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s brilliant rock score and searingly emotional book take the story of sexual awakening, youth revolt, and self-discovery into a new century. It’s 1891, and grown-ups hold all the cards. Headstrong Melchior and naive Wendla stumble into each others’ arms, passionate and curious, while anxious Moritz struggles to live up to the stringent expectations of society. With only each other for guidance, this group of young men and women travel the fraught and rocky path of adolescence, discovering their bodies, their minds, and themselves along the way. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Those You've Known
• Curtains
• Have I heard of it before? I'm pretty sure my high school did this while I was in middle school
• Did I enjoy it? Not particularly, it's not bad but it's kind of boring musically 
• Synopsis: Boston, 1959. At the Colonial Theatre, the cast of Robbin’ Hood takes their bows on opening night. Just as the curtain falls, so does Jessica Cranshaw, the profoundly untalented leading lady of the production. Enter Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, a fast-talking cop with a love for musical theatre. He quarantines the cast and crew inside the theatre while he searches for clues. But Cioffi doesn’t just investigate the murder--he also offers advice and insight into improving Robbin’ Hood. The musical will open again in 24 hours with a new leading lady, so the clock is ticking to find the killer and put on a killer show. Who could it be? Carmen Bernstein, the sassy and brassy producer? Christopher Belling, the campy and egotistical director? Georgia Hendricks, the lyricist who replaces Jessica onstage? Niki Harris, the ingenue with a secret? Everyone is a suspect, and only Cioffi can make sense of the evidence. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Wide Open Spaces (although I prefer the song of the same name by The Chicks)
• Legally Blonde
• Have I heard of it before? Oh yes, I had the honor to star as Saleswoman/Harvard Student/Ensemble in this production in high school and it was a blast 
• Did I enjoy it? Yeah this is such a fun show, I love Legally Blonde as a story in all forms
• Synopsis: Based on the novel and the hit-movie of the same name, Legally Blonde: the Musical chronicles the journey of the famously perky Elle Woods, a fashion-savvy, UCLA sorority girl who finds her life turned upside down when she is dumped by her boyfriend Warner. In an effort to prove to Warner that she is more than just some blonde sorority girl, she follows him to Harvard Law, where she struggles to fit in and do well. Ultimately, she defies expectations and manages to stay true to her delightfully pink personality. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: So Much Better
• LoveMusik
• Have I heard of it before? Nope
• Did I enjoy it? No it was super slow
• Synopsis: The story explores the romance and lives of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, based on Speak Low: The Letters of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, edited and translated by Lys Symonette & Kim H. Kowalke. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: September Song
• Xanadu
• Have I heard of it before? Yes
• Did I enjoy it? Of course I did it's ridiculous and fun. If you like shows like Mamma Mia you'll love this
• Synopsis: Xanadu follows Clio, the lovely and precocious Greek muse who decides to put on some rollerskates. legwarmers, and an Australian accent in order to help Sonny Malone, a chalk artist with half a brain and a heart of gold, rediscover his own creativity. With both help and hindrance from the other muses -- and from a clarinetist-turned-real estate mogul named Danny Maguire -- Sonny and Clio work to rebuild their “apex of the arts”: a roller disco. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Xanadu
• Young Frankenstein 
• Have I heard of it before? I love the movie but never gave the musical a full listen
• Did I enjoy it? Yes it's fun and hokey like Spamalot but none of the songs are super memorable 
• Synopsis: Victor Frankenstein, the mad scientist of legend, has died and left everything to his grandson, Frederick, who wants nothing to do with the family’s notorious legacy. To settle his inheritance, he travels to his grandfather’s castle in Transylvania, meeting the grandson of Victor’s loyal henchman, Igor; the beautiful lab assistant, Inga; and the mysterious Frau Blücher. Before long, Frederick is sucked into his grandfather’s experiments and succeeds in creating human life. But by the time they realize that the Monster’s been accidentally given an abnormal brain, the Monster has already escaped, seemingly set to terrorize the countryside like the Frankensteinian monsters before him. Will Frederick repeat the mistakes of his grandfather? Or will he succeed where the others have not and turn his Monster into a dapper, intelligent man about town? (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Roll In The Hay