If/Then Tour 2015 - Articles Page 3

Tony Award-winning Broadway star LaChanze (If/Then, The Color Purple) will join the national tour of IF/THEN when it plays a limited one-week engagement at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall June 7-12. LaChanze's addition to the touring cast reunites her with Jackie Burns and Anthony Rapp, who along with LaChanze, starred in the original Broadway production of IF/THEN.

Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta announced today that tickets for the National Tour of IF/THEN, which was named the "Best Musical of the Year" by New York Magazine, will go on sale Sunday, May 22. IF/THEN will perform a limited one week engagement from August 9-14 at Atlanta's Fox Theatre to close the 2015/2016 Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta Series.

If/Then, a musical from the creators of Next to Normal and the director of Rent, opened last night at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. The show, which was written as a star vehicle for Idina Menzel, is one of the most exhilarating new musicals I've seen in a decade – and mere moments in any concerns that the show lacks something without a celebrity in the lead were put to rest.

The National Tour of IF/THEN, which was named the 'Best Musical of the Year' by New York Magazine, will perform a limited engagement at Detroit's Fisher Theatre, March 29 - April 10, 2016.

An incredible opportunity has presented itself to the cast of If/Then upon arriving in St. Louis last Tuesday to carry out a 2 week run at The Fabulous Fox Theatre (March 15-27th). After sitting and talking with Anthony Rapp (star of If/Then, RENT), he told us that the Hard Rock Cafe contacted them and offered to donate their space for them to perform in, if they could find a use.

It's interesting to me that IF/THEN is billed as 'a new musical'. It's the use of the word 'new' that I find puzzling. The concept certainly isn't an original one, having been explored on the big screen in the films Blind Chance (1981) and its sort-of remake, Sliding Doors (1998). And, even though neither of those movies were musicals, they both featured the idea of having their lead traverse optional story lines, with Blind Chance even offering up three different scenarios for its protagonist to experience. But, this show is new in the sense that it explores contemporary trends, with the caveat that some audiences may not find much to identify with, and it features a wonderfully fresh and tuneful score (music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey). All of that just might be enough to make this show worth seeing. Because it does feature a talented cast who have the ability to pull off these roles and the memorable songs provided with considerable conviction. But, the trickery seems a bit cloying at times, and the show does seem to drag at over 2 ½ hours. I guess, like our heroine, Elizabeth, I'm straddling the fence too, at least when it comes to my opinion.

Hard Rock Cafe in St. Louis presents IF/THEN's 'Now/Then: A Benefit Cabaret for BC/EFA', Monday, March 21 at 7pm to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. 

Mark Hamill has once again opened up about the long-running speculation as to STAR WARS' Luke Skywalker's sexuality. In a new interview with The Sun, the actor double-downed on his stance on the character's ambiguous love life in the films.

BroadwayWorld.com Chicago reviews the national tour of IF/THEN

I happened to be in D.C. on November 5, 2013 when IF/THEN opened its preview run. I was fortunate enough to get tickets to opening night.

Original Broadway Cast member Jackie Burns (If/Then, Wicked, Hair), Tamyra Gray (American Idol Season One Finalist, Rent), and Matthew Hydzik (Side Show, West Side Story, Grease) have joined Original Broadway Cast member Anthony Rapp (Rent, Six Degrees of Separation, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown) and the rest of the previously announced cast in the National Tour of IF/THEN. The tour is now playing at the Connor Palace Theatre in Cleveland through Sunday, February 21. BroadwayWorld brings you photos of the new cast in action below!

The Barn Players Community Theatre held its annual Barney Awards and Volunteer Appreciation Celebration this week.

IF/THEN begins well enough with a compelling musical number. The song 'What If?' weaves a tapestry of tight harmonies and interesting staging. It immediately establishes the premise: a woman paralyzed by the song's title question proceeds to live out two possible life paths for the audience. Think 'Sliding Doors,' but with more supporting characters and a lot more songs. Unfortunately, this ambitious multi-layered premise proves too much for the authors, and the show ultimately loses its way.

The National Tour of IF/THEN, which was named the 'Best Musical of the Year' by New York Magazine, will perform a limited engagement at Detroit's Fisher Theatre, March 29 - April 10, 2016.

If/Then, just by the way it is written, will always be about if the woman playing Elizabeth/Liz/Beth is on or not.  While the show was on Broadway Elizabeth was played by Idina Menzel so obviously people will always want to compare.  I for one, am not going to do that because Jackie Burns was too amazing. She completely sold both story lines and sang her face off.  The vocal performance that this character requires is no easy feat and Burns made it look effortless.

Original Broadway Cast member Jackie Burns (If/Then, Wicked, Hair), Tamyra Gray (American Idol Season One Finalist, Rent), and Matthew Hydzik (Side Show, West Side Story, Grease), will join Original Broadway Cast member Anthony Rapp (Rent, Six Degrees of Separation, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown) and the rest of the previously announced cast in the National Tour of IF/THEN, playing at the Fabulous Fox Theatre March 15 - 27.

When IF/THEN debuted on Broadway in March 2014, it reunited original RENT stars Idina Menzel and Anthony Rapp with RENT director Michael Grief. Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt, whose 2008 rock musical NEXT TO NORMAL had received the Pulitzer Prize, wrote the much-anticipated show, and New York celebrated the team's brisk New York return. Although the show received mostly mixed-to-positive reviews, it lasted a mere 430 performances, despite mother-daughter duos flocking to see Menzel upon the icy heels of FROZEN's success.

Original Broadway Cast member Jackie Burns (If/Then, Wicked, Hair), Tamyra Gray(American Idol Season One Finalist, Rent), and Matthew Hydzik (Side Show, West Side Story, Grease), will join Original Broadway Cast member Anthony Rapp (Rent, Six Degrees of Separation, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown) and the rest of the previously announced cast in the National Tour of IF/THEN, starting tomorrow,Wednesday, January 27 at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: IF/THEN gets fresh faces on tour, three shows begin off-Broadway and more!

Over the past few years, the theatre community has been quietly buzzing about the stage work of Jackie Burns, the young actress whose credits include Elphaba in Broadway's WICKED, a soloist in the tribe of the 2009 HAIR revival, the original off-Broadway production of ROCK OF AGES, and most recently, as standby to IDINA MENZEL (WICKED, RENT) in the 2013 Broadway musical IF/THEN. This week, during her lunch break from rehearsals in New York City, Jackie sat down to chat with me about revisiting the show, and the pressure of stepping in for the FROZEN star.

Much like the opening night performance I experienced at the show's debut at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood last month, I was once again blown away by Menzel's incredible musical gifts with the show's opener at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa (which plays through January 24). Even better: she is still surrounded by the same equally astonishing support cast, particularly her original Broadway co-stars LaChanze, Anthony Rapp, and James Snyder. So how was the experience this time? While my initial reaction to the show itself hovered somewhere in the middle, I have to admit that I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed the show the second time around. Dare I say, I even think I *loved* it more.

BroadwayWorld learned tonight at GREASE: LIVE's TCA panel that IF/THEN, NEXT TO NORMAL and FREAKY FRIDAY songwriters Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey have written a new tune for 'Frenchy', played by Carly Rae Jepsen in FOX's upcoming live production.

In addition to Idina Menzel's predictably powerhouse vocals, IF/THEN features a stellar performance by LaChanze. She is a non-stop engine of energy, delivering one knockout song after another and acting up a storm. Janine DiVita stands out as well as a talent to watch.

Hennepin Theatre Trust announced today that tickets for the Minneapolis debut of the national tour of If/Then, named the "Best Musical of the Year" by New York Magazine, will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 8, 2016.