For most Staples students, “a show in the city” is more likely to mean a concert atMadisonSquareGardenthan a play on Broadway. However, for some, like Julia Greene ’15, Broadway is the place to be.
“I adore Broadway because you can’t get the experience anywhere else,” she said. “Broadway is modern-day story telling at its finest.”
Clearly, Julia Greene has high expectations when she walks into a Broadway theater. As the curtains lift, a challenge comes to her mind.
“I just think, ‘Wow me. I dare you,’” she said.
And why wouldn’t she expect to be impressed? Having seen at least 12 Broadway shows, not to mention numerous off-Broadway performances and her own experiences in theater, Julia Greene has a good idea of what a play needs to be impressive.
Her affinity for theater began when she was in fourth grade and saw her first Staples Players production. Broadway soon followed, as she was too eager to see more performances to constantly be waiting for Players to put on new shows.
When she was 9 years old, Greene went toNew York Citywith her mom to see her very first Broadway show, “A Chorus Line.” The show was not quite as enjoyable as she was expecting.
“It’s probably the worst show I could recommend for someone who’s 9 years old and has never been to Broadway,” said Julia Greene.
The primarily empty set and few costume changes were too boring, and the humor was too mature for someone so young.
“Any of the jokes I did get, I felt awkward laughing at in front of my mom,” she said.
However, nowadays, “A Chorus Line” is one of Julia Greene’s favorites. Not only does she enjoy the show’s deep emotional conflicts and superb dancing, but she has also come to appreciate the simplicity that did not appeal to her when she was younger.
“There aren’t elaborate sets or costumes to cover anything up,” she said. “It has to be a whole company of talent.”
Another of her favorites is the most recent addition to the list of shows she’s seen, “Follies,” which she saw in early January. Though she admits to not loving the actual plot or the characters very much, Julia Greene was extremely impressed by the female characters’ sparkly costumes and Steven Sondheim’s score for the play.
In regards to music, she likes the songs from “Rent” and “Wicked,” but feels they have become cliché soundtracks to talk about. Instead, she says her favorites are from “Guys and Dolls,” because the songs are conversational and funny, and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
“Maybe I just liked Daniel Radcliffe and Darren Criss a lot,” she said of the latter, “but the score was also really great.”
Music plays a big role in Greene’s love for theatre. According to her older sister, Emily Greene ’12, she has CDs from nearly all of the shows she’s been to – and she’s not shy about sharing her passion with the rest of her household.
“I can always hear her singing in the shower,” said Emily Greene. “Always.”
This is not the only way Julia’s penchant for Broadway has impacted the family. Prior to seeing “Legally Blonde: The Musical” live, they kept a recording of the three-hour show on their DVR for around 18 months.
“Because of her, I have seen that show much more than I would publicly like to admit,” said Emily.
Though Emily Greene isn’t a huge Broadway fan, her mom, Leslie Greene, is a self-described “theater-buff” and is Julia Greene’s main companion on trips to Broadway.
“It’s so special to share a passion with my daughter,” she said. “It is an indulgence, but I feel that living so close to the theater capital of the world, we should take advantage of the many wonderful offerings.”
Julia Greene thinks that the one thing that elevates Broadway productions above all others is their resources. Because Broadway shows have higher budgets than most, she feels that as long as the basic plot of the play is good, they can afford to make an incredible overall show.
“Hundreds of people audition,” she said, “so they can always find the best.”
This is not to say that Julia Greene has enjoyed every performance she’s seen. “Phantom of the Opera” stands out as one that she did not particularly love. Though she admits to perhaps being too young to have fully appreciated it, the operatic nature and predictability did not impress her.
Her problems with “Phantom” highlight one trend she’s noticed with theater overall: changing tastes as she gets older. Another example is “Avenue Q,” a show Julia Greene says she probably would have loved if it were the first show she ever saw, simply because it had puppets. However, as she has gotten older, Julia Greene has seen more shows and had more opportunities to act herself, both of which have made her more critical of the Broadway performances she watches.
In the future, Julia Greene expects that Broadway will continue to be an important part in her life and hopes she will be able to bring her own daughter to shows one day. In the mean time, she already knows the next play she wants to add to her lengthy list of shows seen.
“‘The Book of Mormon.’ I hear it’s just hilarious.”
