Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Just In Time

This show really shouldn't be my cup of tea. I don't like biopics, I don't really love the big band style of music, I'm suspicious of stunt casting (which this is dangerously close to but I think technically avoids). However, the more I see from this show, the more fun it seems. I like the cast, I like the design choices, I do think it's an interesting take on the biopic formula, and I think overall this is one of the best versions of this show that could exist. Everyone says that this show is about Jonathan Groff being a showman and everyone just having a good time, so I was excited to see another example of that on this parade.

Yep, I think this performance was exactly what it was supposed to be. It was a medley (as it was always going to be), the band was swanky and fun, Jonathan was charming (as was the fun Bowen Yang cameo), it was fun to see Sarah Hyland & Sarah Dickerson get in on the fun (I don't think I've seen anything since they joined the cast), and we got the iconic splish splash dance break. Splish Splash was my way into Bobby Darin (through my neice's musical taste), so I was delighted to see that represented. I remember hearing that Jonathan is leaving the show, and I expect ticket sales will go with him, which I think is fine, I don't know that this show needs to run a long time, but I think I can be glad it was there and glad I got to see it perform here on the parade again. Certainly plenty to be thankful for.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Ragtime

I'll be honest, there is a small part of me that feels like we don't really NEED another Ragtime revival that does it the traditional way, however I am also kind of excited for this one. The last Ragtime revival came about when I was firt getting into Broadway and I remember being really excited about it, but was bummed when it never even got a recording. So now the fact that it's coming back with this all-star cast does have me a little excited. Is it new and interesting? No. But does it have the potential for being the best iteration of the old version we're likely to see? Yeah, I think it might be.

Before we started, the prediction in our household was that they would begin with the opening and then end with Wheels of Dream, so they through us a bit of a curveball by flipping them. I'll be honest, it started on a low note. I love Joshua Henry so much, but this was not his best lip-syncing performance (and if I'm being honest, not quite my favorite vocal performance, but that's just me). However I did enjoy them ending with the opening. The scale of this show is one of it's greatest strengths and I love the way that was on display here. While they didn't really dance and they weren't really singing, it did make me want to see that group of people do the whole show.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Buena Vista Social Club

I have never been a huge fan of this show in general, but I certainly acknolwedge that it is objectively good. I'm honestly a bit surprised it's still running but glad it's finding an audience and so happy for the folks who get to see something very different from the rest of what's on broadway.

This performance did seem pretty similar to their Tony performance to me (which is fine) but it did celebrate some of the best parts of this show. The musicians are super impressive (although I presume they weren't playing live today) and the dancing was beautiful (probably was live). Putting the band on a truck was an interesting choice that felt a little superfluous but I guess didn't hurt. As is the way, this performance didn't really make me want to see the show, but I think that's because it's not my kind of show. If it is your kind of show, this performance shows its strengths, and I guess that's all you can ask for.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Redwood

Not quite our standard "Broadway Parade performance," but it was a Broadway cast performing a song from the show so I think it counts. People have been talking about Redwood for years. Idina Menzel has been a part of it from the very beginning (she's credited as one of the writers) and while that's most of what anybody talks about when they talk about the show, I think it has a lot of potentential even outside of her attachment. It's an original show that isn't based off anything, and it's got a solid creative team, with writer director Tina Landau, music supervisor extraordinare Tom Kitt, and a relative newcomer to Broadway, composer Kate Diaz. I'm cautiously optimistic that this show could be really good, so I was excited to see the performance, even if it's just on a float.

So I'll be honest, I think this song is pretty good. I liked the melody, it had some solid lyrics, Idina gave a great performance, all of that was excellent. My one issue is maybe the orchestration? It sounded very "produced," very "hip hop," which would generally be fine, but it felt like a weird choice for a song about getting into nature to get away from the rush of our increasingly tehnologicial world. I wouldn't be surprised if in the show, the song starts more acoustic and they just kind of cut to the moment where the song built and that made it look more jarring than it needed to, which I guess is fair, but for here it didn't quite work. Nonetheless, I'm still looking forward to the show, and this did make me care more about the bronx zoo float than I ever have in the past, so maybe that's a win?

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: The Outsiders

For being a movie (and book) adaptation, I actually do enjoy The Outsiders pretty well. I think it's got great music, a dynamic cast, a compelling story (the show did actually make me read/listen to the book), and some of the most exciting fight choreography I've ever seen. So I'm pumped for them to get a parade performance and looking forward to their energetic performance!

This probably was my favorite performance yet. I like the number (Tulsa 1967) and while the opening bit with Brody Grant was a little low energy (I don't know what the crowd behind him was threatened with, but they looked terrified), but once the rest of the cast got there, I thought it was great! I was impressed that at least one of the guys still tried the "running on the tire" stunt in the rain, and I thought all of the dancing continued to be super impressive, especially with the environmental concerns. The transiation into the finale was a little jarring and I think unnecessary, but I guess I can't fault them too much for wanting to squeeze "Stay Gold" in there. I also appreciate that Ana Gasteyer made the joke about them performing in the rain on Broadway, that was a good touch. I think this is our last pre-parade performance :( but not a bad one to end on. Happy Parade everyone!

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Death Becomes Her

I have to say, people have been excited for this show for a while but it's never really captured my attention a ton. Yesterday I started listening to the sounds of the soundtrack they released, and the music was kind of fun, but I still do think it might not be for me. That being said, it is the only real new show to perform this year, so I was excited to see it on the list. This is my first chance to really see something from this show, so I was excited to be drawn in.

This song was an interesting choice. I think shows like this that are so built around their star power might have a disadvantage when it comes to parade performances, because they don't really feature the kind of high energy ensemble numbers that are usually best for parade performances. Having Jennifer Simard and Megan Hilty do the introduction was a good choice, and the song they chose did feature a nice ensemble, even if I wouldn't necessarily call it "high energy." This one didn't work as well in the rain, but this cast didn't miss a beat. They stayed focused and looking slick as ever as they hit their marks and stared deeply into the camera lenses. Michelle Williams also did a good enough job (although the lip syncing wasn't the best) and those costumes were definitely wonderful. I think this performance still didn't necessarily turn me into a devout fan, but I think it might have done a good job at reaching it's target audience, so I'll give it props for that. All in all, 3.5 of 5 stars.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Hell's Kitchen

I feel relatively "meh" about Hell's Kitchen myself. I think it's a good enough show for what it is. I'm just not a huge fan of Jukebox musicals and the soundtrack here doesn't really do a ton for me, but I think it has good stuff. I like the energy of the show and I do think the costume/scenic design/choreography is pretty fun. Nonetheless, I can't say I came into this show with super specific or high hopes.

The songs they chose make sense. The opening number is a great energy to start with, and ending with Empire State of Mind is also a must I suppose. I thought the cast did great. Honestly, dancing in the rain kind of added to the gritty New York feel, so while I feel bad for the cast, they worked it. It also kind of looked like they might have been singing live somewhat? If that's the case, that's pretty cool. Only critique is I don't know that I needed them to keep cutting away to the crowd, that seemed kind of unnecessary and distracting, but camera choices aside, I think the show itself did a good job and I had a good time watching.