BROADWAY OFF!

Have you guys seen the sing off between the casts of Lion King and Aladdin in LaGuardia airport?? See it here if you haven't. I found it really beautiful, and imagine, that's just their voices! What more if you watch them on Broadway, in costume, with the set, and with a live orchestra?! After watching the clip, I looked at my boyfriend and exclaimed, "I want to watch Aladdin!!!". Oh, if only I lived in New York! I would be scouring TKTS by now! :)

Broadway is one of the things you shouldn't miss when visiting the Big Apple. Yes, we're lucky to have touring casts for some productions, but for the full spectacle, nothing beats Broadway. For one thing, the stage is set in somewhat permanent theatres. Bulky sets and big ass props? Check and check! You are sure to get the full experience here, and the best part is, Broadway shows can actually come out cheaper than shows in Singapore and Manila. Learn about Rush Tickets here.

During my NYC2015 trip, I was fortunate enough to have seen 4(!!!) shows. After watching my last show for the trip, my friends have asked me to rank them and it was super difficult, by the way! But I did it! Below is a "broadway off" of the 4. Can you guess my ranking? I'll mention the shows in order of when I saw it and you can guess my personal ranking below. I promise there won't be spoilers. ;)

Matilda. I loved the movie Matilda so this broadway show was pretty much an ode to my childhood - only on visual effects steroids. The show was a real spectacle, I loved how they interacted with the set - even in the choreography! The stunts - or should I say dances? - were heartstopping! The kids were really talented and Miss Honey lived up to her sweet name!

Greatest take away? "Just because you find that life's not fair, it doesn't mean that you just have to grin and bear it! If you always take it on the chin and wear it, you might as well be saying you think that it's ok, and that's not right! And if it's not right, you have to put it right! But nobody else it gonna put it right for me! Nobody but me is going to change my story! Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty!"

Wicked. It was my first time watching Wicked and it was something I've actually booked shortly after my flight tickets. Wicked was amazing! I was in theatre back in high school so the songs were more than familiar to me, but seeing it all come together was just - WOW! I even tweeted our Glinda, Kara Lindsay, because she was so so SO awesome. And she replied. Ahhh!!! :) And oh, I cried while watching! So much, dare I say it, feels.

Greatest take away? "Something has changed within me, something is not the same. I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game. Too late for second-guessing, too late to go back to sleep. It's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap! It's time to try defying gravity."

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. This was the only non-musical show I've watched, and sadly, I went there not feeling 100% in good health. I was really looking forward to this one given the high reviews of my friends, and come on, it just won an Olivier! It was a very interesting play that shows an adolescent with autism's take on the world. In the beginning you'd think that it was just about finding his neighbour's dog's killer but it turned out more than that. The set was really mind-blowing too! Don't be quick to judge because that small box does a lot of cool tricks! Train scene, anyone? Given the chance, I would watch this again just so I can fully appreciate it.

Greatest take away? "But in life you have to take lots of decisions and if you don't take decisions you would never do anything because you would spend all your time choosing between things you could do. So it is good to have a reason why you hate some things and you like others.”

Les Misérables. It doesn't get more classic than this! My heart dropped a bit upon finding out Jean Valjean would be played by an understudy, but boy oh boy, everyone in the theatre was blown away by Aaron Walpole's performance! It was such a beautiful production with amazing voices and a wonderful orchestra. Watching Les Miserables was sheer musical pleasure. There's a reason it's a classic and the performance I caught didn't disappoint! Everyone was on their feet applauding when it ended.

Greatest take away? "When the beating of your heart, echoes the beating of the drums, there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!"

Bonus: Rent. This is the show I will forever be thankful to have seen in Broadway. It doesn't get much New York than this! Greatest take away? NO DAY BUT TODAY.♥︎

So my ranking for the 4 shows I've seen? Les Mis, Wicked, Matilda, Curious. Les Mis is probably the best show I've seen in my life! I'll say it again, Aaron Walpole = WOW! I would choose Les Mis for Aaron Walpole alone, but it was more than that. The performance was superb and the orchestra was excellent. A real gem, if I say so myself. On the other hand, Curious was by no means a bad show, it's just that I preferred the other 3 more. And yes, I'm serious, given the chance to watch it again, I would just to fully absorb it more. :)

What about you? Have you seen these shows? What's your ranking? Anything you're looking forward to? Me, I wanna see Aladdin and I'm really looking forward to going back to New York!