iTunes Exclusive Episode If Then

The following is a sooner orgator production.
The following is a sooner orgator production.
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The 180th one of these, as we are closing in on another big milestone.
Welcome!
My name is Rob, I am the executive producer of the Clubhouse podcast, and I do kind of look back
at my life sometimes and I wonder if certain choices where they would have led me.
I think that just makes me human, but I'm not alone for this particular edition.
Joining me across the desk is my co-host, and a man who actually says that in his written
review at www.theclubhousepodcast.com, which is our website.
He is chat, welcome sir.
Good evening, my friend.
Also joining us across the desk is the official fact checker of this show, and a man who's
really good at comparative statements in English class.
You may know I'm as fond on go, but as a mom and even on board I'm going to call him
on board.
Welcome sir.
I'm better at math.
Really?
You guys are not good at it.
Oh, I'm a big English history.
So, whenever we do one of these, it is normally to review something.
This one is no exception.
But for this one, we are reviewing a stage production.
A fairly recent stage production had about a one year run on Broadway.
It is now touring the country.
It is called if then.
Sorry, Jackie Burns is Elizabeth Anthony Rapes Lucas, American Idol Season 1 alumni,
alumnus.
We've had this discussion.
To my regrets, Kate, Matthew Hidzick, as Josh Janine DeVita, as Anne and the list goes
on and on and on.
Before we begin, we have to thank Cindy Evans, everybody at ATT Pack, and also, when
Spirropper House provides us to this thing.
The ATT performing arts center is such an amazing, it's not one facility, it's a group
of facilities in downtown Dallas.
It is here for a very limited run.
We saw the night before we were recording this special edition and it only runs for
another three days.
So we wanted to make sure we got this thing out quickly so we could talk about it with
the Empire, because not only for the Empire here in the Dallas Fort Worth area, but all
over the country and all over the world, because this is touring around, we want to talk
about it.
Here's what you need to know, okay?
Stay with me.
Jackie Burns is Elizabeth as we have previously stated.
She is a young lady, turning 40, who has moved across the country to New York City, back
to New York City after a divorce.
She's looking to try to get her life back on track.
So one day she goes to a park, an inside park, our Lucas, played by Anthony Rapp, and
Kate played by Tamira Gray, and Lucas wants Elizabeth, who he is calling Beth, to go with
him to a protest over some housing issues, whereas Kate, who calls her Liz, because she's
a little more sassy, wants her to go with her and try to find a man.
At this point in the story, we'll see what five minutes in, give or take, we now, we spend
the rest of the musical finding out what happens on both sides of this decision, because
we all make decisions in every decision we make as consequences, some good, some bad.
So both of these stories are told in parallel.
So as one story line is going one way, the other story line is holding onto the
same place, but just what if she had made one quick decision difference.
I think there was like four, there were two, but the two spawned off.
I know that.
Okay, but we'll get into that because you have to have the Liz story and you have the
Beth story.
So there's two different story lines going on here.
I want to start from a technical aspect, because when you do this, I don't know that
I've ever seen a stage production done like this, where you're trying to tell multiple
stories with the same people at the same time.
As I kept thinking about it, it was flashed the musical.
I mean, it's it's earth one and earth two, as as I've said many, many times about other
things, there's a lot going on here, there's a lot going on here, you know what I mean?
And it's so fast and she even changes her appearance, so it helps you keep track of where
she's at because in the Liz story line, Kate has her wear a pair of glasses.
So you kind, it's kind of the Superman Clark Kent thing, I shall have her hair pinned
up a little bit or she'll be worried about it.
Well, but she was wearing white jacket, she was a black jacket and even the characters
that surround her, their situations change based on the choice she makes.
This is very much a butterfly effect, very, very much a type story line.
You know, I used in my written review at www.theclimhouse.com, which is our one type.
I used of sliding doors and Mr. Destiny, if you remember that one.
Okay, yeah.
Kind of that kind of thing, but more like sliding doors because there's two stories
going on there in parallel.
So from a technical aspect, you've got to be on point because you're trying to hold
an audience's attention, and if you go see this, use the restroom before use the restroom
at the intermission because this thing goes at a breakneck pace, and if you walk out
when they're in one timeline, you may come in in another part of it, and if you don't
know where to heck, you don't know where you left, or you're going to be able to disoriented.
So from a technical aspect, these people were truly, truly, truly on point, with stage
and lighting and the projection design, I mean, everything was integrated very, very well.
The video wall worked in very, very well.
Yeah, the projection design is what I'm talking about.
Yeah, the projection, you're there, you're talking about the lighting, you know, once
one storylines written red, the other one's written blue, so that kind of helps you
through the thing, the way the props are moved by the other members of the cast, I thought
was very, very smooth, what I really dug from a technical standpoint, and this kind
of bleeds into a little bit of the cast, but the supporting cast, what they're doing in
the background, without distracting from the main story, they're kind of enacting their
own versions of what's going on in the forefront.
Yeah, I noticed.
I did, I did.
And I was impressed with that, because that's not something that you can pull off very well.
Don's kind of shaking his head over here.
No, I agree with you, 100%, and I would just want to get in and also that the lighting
was beautiful, how they use that video backdrop, I mean, I had no complaints whatsoever
when it comes to the props, the stage, how they were able to go from location, location,
everything that was perfect.
One thing I really dug is there's one song in the first act whose name we can't say
on our show.
And they actually do, if you go to their website and go to their store, they have a
t-shirt with the name of that song on it.
And how it goes from her in her apartment to her to a different apartment, that knocked
me out.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, that was modular thing in the center.
That was awesome.
And it was so, it's just a quick changes.
It really blew my mind.
I agree, 100%.
From a performance standpoint.
Wow.
Yeah.
Jackie Burns, let's just start there.
This role was originated on Broadway by one, I deena Menzel, and you can tell, and I can
say her name.
Because you're not comfortable with that.
So we, but what I liked about her in this, she was channeling Menzel.
There's no doubt in my mind, but she wasn't channeling so much where you're like, she
just, she wasn't doing it.
She wasn't a person.
She wasn't a person.
Like, like, she had her own flavor to it.
And I really, like, and you want to talk about a powerful voice, God Almighty, girl probably
doesn't need a mic.
Yeah.
That was she, she was amazing.
So my regret, who I was very happy to see her, you know, a lot of these American
aisle alumni are going to the great white way, and doing very, very well.
Yeah.
We saw one just in Guarini, fairly recently.
We did, indeed.
And to my regret, I think, is amazing in this.
She works with Jeanine Dividu, who I'm a huge fan of from this.
Their chemistry is wonderful.
Yeah.
She was born to do this.
I really do.
I mean, there are some, there are some idols that you see kind of come and go through
the pop scene.
But this is what she was born to do.
She really seems to be in her element, what she's doing this.
This whole cast in general, all strong.
You're welcome, Internet, what I really dig about this.
And if you go to their website, which is if then the musical.com, that is their website.
That is their website.
How does it get right when somebody else's website comes up?
Thank you for that.
Thank you, Internet.
Almost everybody in this cast is an understudy of one of the major roles.
Almost everybody.
So which I think is really, really neat because it really shows how much that this
cast cares about this production, that everybody's two or three deep.
And they all work well together.
They kind of have to Jason news that script don't.
I mean, it's just, just scrolling through the page.
I really, like, I was, I was in because when I read the Wikipedia page,
I read the Wikipedia page wrong.
So I thought it was structured differently.
So once I got to the musical, I was like, oh, okay.
So this, this, okay, this is how this is going to work.
And one thing, because if I went back on the right websites, if you go to my
written review, like the clubhouse, mycast.com, that's our website.
My, I said, burns hit it out without a doubt.
The lead roles had break chemistry, everything that they sounded great.
My two shining stars that were non-leading roles go to marked Ella Cruz in
Janine Divida, because I just saw the Ella Cruz as David.
Yeah.
Who is the dance captain in Korea?
I mean, Korea.
Oh, there's got to go.
But the, the sound mix between the, the level of volume of the music versus the singing
did it.
Try not to reach other great mix.
I mean, I said a shout out to the, to go, they had saxophones in the orchestra.
Shout out.
Yeah.
But the windspirer here in the windspirer, I mean, what do you, how many times
it was?
Beautiful room.
And my hats off to the technical crew, because they had a pretty, the night that
we attended, they, they had a little hiccup, but they worked through it beautiful.
Yes, they did.
Yeah.
It's, very professional.
Yeah, a very professional crew.
It just, I loved this on every level, which is then going to bring us to the way
it's presented.
And this is where the room's going to get a little divided.
And there's nothing wrong with that, because that's what we're, that's what we're
here for.
We're here to give our opinions.
It kept me the whole time, there were points where my head almost spun in a good
way.
We're like, even I was like, okay, here's where we are.
Okay, here's where we are.
Okay, here's where we are, and it, for me, it worked really well.
Don, I know that things got a little wonky for you.
You want me to go?
That's what I'm asking for.
It's simple.
When I'm so conflicted on this plague, a production, because everything is so perfect
except I hated the storyline in the plot.
I swear, after watching this things, there were four storylines, because I only
because I was like, with the issue with the incoming, I'm going to say is the incoming.
One thing, the name of say she was incoming, then one, she was, then another.
I got this felt like it went from, okay, I got a part of perspective.
Hi, here's a deal.
I was born a Wyoming, and I was born a Wyoming, and what happened is I was fishing and
building his Montana.
Then I was at the Stiller Game in Pittsburgh, then I went back to the Stiller Game, then
I went back to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, then I went back to Montana, and it got so confusing.
I didn't know which world was which, and when I go to see something like this, I don't
want to be confused on the plot.
It got too complicated.
He got to the point by the second half started after the intermission, about 10-15 minutes
and I go, I'm done.
I'm done.
This is losing me.
I'm not even going to try to keep up, because it got too complicated for me.
At that point, I'm just like this thing's dragging, because it's too confusing.
Some people are going to get lost.
I did.
A lot of people, and I was leaving the production hall last night, a lot of people go back
to the garage and stuff like that, but they're seeing the same thing as me.
They got so lost and so confused beyond belief.
I lost all emotion, there's a huge emotional scene by the end of the production.
It didn't even touch me, because I did not care.
I just stopped carrying, and I'm just going, what's this thing in hand?
I'm done.
I just can't keep up.
I lost, got too confusing, and a lot of people said the same thing you want to leave.
I loved it.
To me, I guess after watching so much sci-fi and comic book films that have a similar structure
with parallel storylines going on simultaneously, I'm kind of conditioned to follow
stuff like this.
A lot of people are, I mean, again, that's why I called it Flash the Musical, because
that's kind of what the TV show Flash is doing.
There's a lot of people.
The wall was easier to understand than this thing.
I mean, and that's saying a lot, but go ahead.
It didn't throw me, I was able to, I kept up with it, and to me, it was fascinating to see
the contrast between what happens with this decision, what happens with that decision, and
it was more than just the immediate decision that was the difference maker that it literally
did affect every single thing around her, and every single person around her.
I like the premise what they should have done is done one act and do one story line
then do the second story line.
I mean, I would, yeah, I would have loved it, because I wouldn't have got confused.
Fair enough.
That would have been perfect.
That's the biggest correct, the whole thing.
They should have just done one world than the next world you're not confused.
And that's, you know, I'm just, I'm kind of a chat.
I mean, I really liked the way they did it.
I thought that, you know, again, don't leave the room.
Because it's going to take you a minute to get caught up when you get back, but it's, and it's
also kind of a new style of presentation, too, because this is only a two-year-old musical
at the most.
So it's a different style of storytelling, it's a different style of presentation, but for
me, this works on every level.
One thing I did like was the, there are some adult issues, so it's not the in language
and well-set, sir.
And there's some, some great comedy throughout which just hit it, which I loved.
I mean, this was like a modern play for adults, you know, without the real, you know,
not a grit, you know, not a notty put into it.
There's language, and we have to warm the empire on that, so a lot of language.
Not a kid friendly pronounce them.
No.
No.
Anything else we want to add before we get to the final analysis?
I think I didn't work.
I kind of summed it up.
All right, the way we do the final analysis on this show, we don't give you
thumbs up, thumbs down.
We don't give you letter grades or rankings or anything like that.
Our audience whom we affectionately refer to as the empire, they want us to dig a little
deeper so we're going to do that.
I'm going to ask these gentlemen to questions, question number one, is would you see
this production again?
The answer's no?
We're done here.
Did the answer's yes?
When we do stage productions, it's a little bit different.
I want to know, when you do go back, what do you want to sit?
Because that, that ticket price is going to kind of dictate how much they did enjoy
or not enjoy the film.
Let's start with you.
Would you see this again?
Oh yeah.
Were you going to sit?
Honestly, I was perfectly fine with where we were sitting.
Where we were sitting right behind where the soundboard is if you're looking at the stage
just off to the right.
Done?
This is where I'm so confident.
I love everything so much, but then the plot just killed it.
If the plot was perfect, I'd say yes on her percent, but I'm still going to give it the yes.
Okay.
This lighting, the stage, everything was perfect and I loved 100 percent no complaints
whatsoever, but the plot killed it so I'm still going to say to see it because of the
singing, but I'm going to say top level lowest ticket price available.
I definitely would love to see this again.
For me though, I do wonder if we sat at one level up in the first balcony, if that would
give us a better view of everything.
But this particular production, of course we're not complaining where we sit in the
window.
We're always sat in the window.
I was watching this.
I was like, you know what?
I wonder if just a little bit higher would be the best way to see this.
So you're saying first, first balcony, sit on the floor, I mean, it's worth the money.
It's an excellent production.
I enjoyed it very much.
I enjoyed everybody involved with this very much.
I mean, I personally think anything bad to say about it.
All right, not at all.
Before we end this thing, can we have to think Cindy Evans, everybody at ATT pack in the
Winsboro.
Such fans of those guys, thank you so much for inviting us guys.
Thank you so much.
We appreciate everything.
All right.
Let's do the plugs.
And just run through the 31st.
Yeah.
Everyone's waiting on.
But look forward to sitting here.
You.
Exactly.
Absolutely.
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So until next time, for Don, for Chad, for the Empire, I'm Rob.
Clubhouse is closed.
Brittany Palmer, dancing, money.
Just right there right there with everybody in the park, I'm just saying.
The preceding was a sooner orgator production.