The beloved children's book was turned into a Broadway play this fall when this show hit New York City. The story of a boy with a brilliant mind who is determined to figure out who killed a neighborhood dog currently has audience raving. Lets just say, if this show doesn't win any Tony's this June, I'll be extremely surprised.
I went into the show with no knowledge of what it was about. The only thing I was absolutely positive about was that it was based off of a book. Being that it was a children's book originally, I assumed it was going to be quite childish. Walking into the theatre and seeing the grid-like set, I knew I was ready for something special.
One aspect that I absolutely adored about the show was the set. It wasn't very complex to build; however, it represented a very complex idea. The set was supposed to mirror the mind of the protagonist, Christopher, on his endeavor. The stage had several boxes and was set up like a grid. The lighting designers did an excellent job with this show. There were several times where there were numbers on the set, or certain visuals, that helped you understand both the show more as well as Christopher as a character. The immense illusion to numbers and calculations reminded me of the play, "Machinal" in which the entire play was very precise and statistical to correspond with the overarching theme of machines. Even if the play doesn't win the Tony for "Best Play" or "Best Actor", it definitely deserves to win for lighting and set. It was genius.
My favorite aspect of the show? Simple: Alex Sharp. This new name to the Broadway community graduated from Juliard College not too long ago and is now the topic of several conversations. His performance of the character Christopher was absolutely phenomenal. It was clear he did his research on the disability he had as well as the book in general. I always have so much respect for an actor who can play a character with a disability and make it believable, and Sharp definitely did so. He evoked such pathos from the audience and definitely gave them a reason to come to the theatre and spend their money. And apart from being a fantastic actor, Sharp was an even better person. Meeting him at the stage door was an absolute pleasure. The man is extraordinarily humble and you can just tell he loves meeting his fans and being onstage. As an aspiring actress, it's wonderful to see another actor so happy and in such a good place in their life.
Overall, I can genuinely say I have no complaints about this show. I walked away from the theater feeling more intelligent and more fulfilled than I did previously. It's another one of those shows that makes you feel something post performance. I predict this show running for a very long time being that it is so popular among the Broadway community currently. I can't wait to see it be nominated and win Tony's.
5 out of 5 rikdastars.
Until next time!
-Rikki
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