By Kimberly Harper
What happens to the opportunities you don’t take? How do little decisions made in the moment influence major life events? From “The Road Not Taken” to “The Butterfly Effect,” writers and artists have been examining this idea for years, and the tour of “If/Then,” which opened at PPAC on Tuesday as part of the Taco/White Family Foundation Broadway Series, is musical theater’s latest attempt at answering the question.
Elizabeth is an urban planner in her late 30s who returns to Manhattan after leaving her dead-end, decade-long marriage. She meets up with two friends in the park and has a choice – go to a meeting with an old friend, or stay and listen to music with her new acquaintance? The show follows how Elizabeth’s life would unfold had she made either choice, switching between Liz’s lucky-in-love family life and Beth’s high powered career. Each scenario includes tough situations, happiness, and loss, showing us that no matter which choice you make, all are unavoidable in life.
It’s a clever concept but it’s also clear why the show was never a Broadway smash. For one thing, the scenes are a little confusing. My ridiculously observant literary nerd date had no problems with the Liz/Beth switch ups, but it took me a little bit to make the distinction and I wasn’t the only one. There’s an apartment scene where Liz winds up making the choice to stay the night with the man she will one day marry. Beth, on the other hand, hits on an unavailable man and ultimately asks someone else to keep her company. The woman behind me was pretty disgusted that our protagonist tried to bed three or four men in one evening, missing the fact that the characters were switching and the scene represented two entirely different scenarios. Some of the scenes are poignant and moving, others are clunky or bogged down by bad dialogue. I don’t want to spoil major plot points but plays on words describing the graphic way a friend’s loved one died are never going to sell well if you’re trying to add gravitas to a scene.
The actors are incredibly talented. The role of Elizabeth was originated in New York by Idina Menzel, the same actress who made the role of Elphaba in “Wicked” so iconic and who voiced Elsa in the Disney hit “Frozen.” Menzel has left the production but actress Jackie Burns is her doppelgänger in looks and voice, and she’s a pleasure to listen to. Anthony Rapp, who plays longtime grad school friend Lucas, is a familiar face and voice, especially if you spent your teenage years belting out your angst along with the “Rent” soundtrack. And Matthew Hydzik as potential love interest Josh and Tamyra Gray as new friend Kate are quite good. The casting is ethnically diverse, properly representing a multicultural city. But the songs are forgettable and seem to have the same message over and over – the road not taken is full of happiness and loss, the important thing is to love while you can, look for happiness, keep moving on, etc. The book could be a lot better with some heavy editing.
The score itself is good – it’s your standard modern musical pop sound, and it’s well done – but the lyrics need work. Some of them are so on-the-nose that it takes you out of what are clearly supposed to be intense, poignant moments. And the ending feels like a rush job. It’s exactly what you’d expect and it’s a little disappointing, even though you are rooting for Liz/Beth to make the most of her situation.
The set is pretty basic, but works well. The biggest focal point is the projection screen backdrop, which has some pretty stellar graphics. It’s a zoomed-in grid of New York City, but as the scenes move along, subway lines light up and move you along the map, highlighting the scene’s location. Projections of architecture and walls rise up to create the backdrop of the city. It’s visually interesting and enhances an otherwise fairly minimal set. The costumes were nothing to write home about but worked fine, and the orchestra sounded good.
Overall, it was a pleasant night out and there were moments I really enjoyed, but the show was a bit of a let down for me. It’s from the same composer, writer/lyricist and director who were behind “Next to Normal,” one of my favorite musicals and I expected more from them. If you’re going to hear good singers, some upbeat musical theater tunes and see some cool visual stuff, you’re going to have a good time. If you’re attending for the plot alone, you may be frustrated. It’s a good concept but If/Then needs some work if it’s going to be the hit it has the potential to be.
If/Then runs through June 19 at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence. Tickets start at $46 and may be obtained at the theater box office, online at www.ppacri.org or by calling 401-421-2787.
