Many came seeking for “the American Dream” and some were already living it. In this production, three families from contradistinctive societies came together all wishing for the same ideas: success, justice, and equality. This musical brought to light the diverse microcosms that segregated America at the time from upper class Protestants that represented the rich, white neighborhoods of New Rochelle, NY to the contrasting lives of African-Americans of Harlem and Eastern European Immigrant families arriving through Ellis Island. This performance touched on many aspects of the arbitrary history of America at the turn of the twentieth century.
There were many technicalities that made this performance paramount in my opinion. The entire cast did an outstanding job with all three aspects of musical theatre but what became exceptional to me was the true, believable acting. Everyone in the cast had so much motivation and commitment in the entire show and it truly captured what it was like back in 1906. I personally enjoyed the choice to freeze each group onstage during the introduction of the show. Not only was it visually appealing but it also showcased the diversity of the society back then. Not to mention the fact that the actors did an outstanding job at not breaking character or moving slightly during the freezes; especially at parts where actors had to freeze at intense moments in awkward positions. With that being said, I also thought that the cast did an exceptional job with stage combat during all fight scenes onstage. During these points in the musical, I could sense the “controlled chaos” that the entire cast had rehearsed for months. The vocal aspect was almost flawless in every song, and I thoroughly enjoyed the choreography especially in the number “Sarah Brown Eyes” with Coalhouse and Sarah. Overall, I thought the whole cast did a commendable job at keeping the audience captivated and still wanting more even after the production was over.
Along with...