by Mark G. Auerbach
If/Then, the 2014 Broadway musical by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt, who created the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical Next
Jackie Burns in If/Then at The Bushnell. Photo by Joan Marcus.
to Normal for Broadway, opened the Bushnell’s 2016-17 season this week. The creative team that launched If/Then on Broadway recreated the national tour, which offers a stunning physical production with outstanding sets and projections by Mark Wendland, Peter Nigrini and Dan Scully; nice staging by Michael Greif, and solid performances by Anthony Rapp from the Broadway cast, Tamyra Gray from American Idol, and Matthew Hydzik from Broadway’s Side Show.
The main reason to catch If/Then at The Bushnell is to catch Jackie Burns’ tour-de-force performance as Elizabeth, a late 30’s woman who returns to New York after a divorce to start life anew. Burns understudied and later replaced original star Idiina Menzel in the Broadway production, as she had in Wicked. Burns grew up in Middletown and Ivorytown, CT. A UConn alum, she was a member of The Connecticut Repertory Theatre, and she won a Connecticut Theatre Critics Circle Award. Burns delivers power ballad after power ballad with a strong, richly textured voice. If the role of Elizabeth was conceived with Idina Menzel in mind, Burns surpassed her, and the opening night audience welcomed her back to the Nutmeg State with resounding applause and a standing ovation.
Matthew Hydzik plays Elizabeth’s soldier surgeon boyfriend, and he delivers one of the most moving musical performances If/Then has to offer in “Hey Kid”. The score, nicely orchestrated by Michael Starobin, is a mix of contemporary ballads with hints of showtunes, but on first-listen in tonight’s performance, didn’t strike me as one which might have a life outside the show.
Jackie Burns and company in If/Then at The Bushnell. Photo by Joan Marcus.
The Bushnell’s Broadway series continues in the fall, and the offerings include the Tony Award winner, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, which originally premiered at Hartford Stage, An American in Paris, The King and I, The Book of Mormon, and Fun Home.
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The Bushnell presents “If/Then”. Book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. Music by Tim Kitt. . .Directed by Michael Greif. Choroegraphy by Larry Keigwin. Scenic design by Mark Wendland. Costume design by Emily Rebholz. Lighting design by Kenneth Posner.. Sound design by Brian Ronan. Projection Design by Peter Nigrini and Dan Scully. Through August 7..The Bushnell, Hartford, CT. For tickets: 860-987-5900 or www.bushnell.org.
Tamara Gray, Jackie Burns, and Anthony Rapp in If/Then at The Bushnell. Photo by Joan Marcus.
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Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio.
