My Generation

              Before we start, I want to tell you right now this probably has nothing to do with what you think it does. That being said, let’s talk about My Generation, the Musical Concert event that was put on as the Spring Show in March of 2012 by The University of North Dakota’s Theatre Department. If I had to compare this to something it would probably be North Dakota’s version of Glee, part of me wants to leave it at that, but of course the other more dominating part of me is going to tell you more.

                I honestly thought that it was actually a really good production overall. There was a group of about 16 girls and boys helped build the show on the songs that the director, Emily Cherry, choose. They did songs from all sorts of genres, the following be a list of songs that they did (as far as I can remember)

1. Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night

2. Soul Sister/No One Mash-up

3. The Lazy Song

4. Cowboy Casanova

5. Sexy and I Know It

6. Facebook Song

7. Gravity

8. We Are Young

9. 21 Guns

10. Set Fire to The Rain

11. Born This Way

12. The Song of Purple Summer

13. Stereo Hearts

14. Not Over You

                These songs are not in order but I’ll give you the overview on my opinion on them. First off my favorite song was probably 21 Guns. It had this intense performance that just really went with the lyrics and it was just awesome basically. Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night, it was a good song, but I didn’t really like the choreography to it but it wasn’t bad once the entire cast was in it together. We Are Young was pretty awesome, my only critique would be that it almost seemed too staged but it was good. Born This Way was the finale and it was pretty awesome, they went full Gaga and got some pretty crazy costumes going and everything so that was all pretty cool and Stereo Hearts was intense because they stomped the yard in the choreography which was awesome! I think they sped it up too much to go with the stomping but the guy who was rapping along with it couldn’t quite keep up, so if I would have suggested slowing it down just a smidge. The song of Purple Summer was a fantastic song, I think it has a great message and it was really intense and just well done.

                All of those songs were done with the entire singing and on stage. The Solos were Facebook Song, which is from YouTube and it was good, but I think that they were trying too hard to add more of an internet aspect and that is why this song got added and I wasn’t an overall fan of it. Gravity was absolutely amazing, it was sung by Daniella Lima (sweetest girl I have ever met!) and along with the song they had two dancers dancing along to it and it was just an overall beautiful song that I loved watching the performance of. Set Fire to the Rain was such an intense song, I think it was almost too intense, I liked it and thought it went well, but I think the singer was trying too hard to add intense emotions to it.  Then Not over you was a duet that I thought was interesting, I liked the song overall but I didn’t like how they made up this story to go along with it. It was the only song that made me feel like I was in a theatre watching a musical and I just didn’t think the story they put behind it fit with the show.

                Each gender had its own song, the females going for Cowboy Casanova and I think this one of those songs where they were once again trying to hard add variety to the show by putting in country. I also think that it should have been more of a female empowering song like the males got but it was still about this guy that screwed them all over (at least that’s what I got out of it). The Males tapped Sexy and I Know it for their number and it was overall really funny. I think they did a really good job, I had a hard time taking some of it seriously because I know the guys in the show and it was weird watching them pelvic thrust and stick their asses up and down in the air but whatever, it was funny. It was probably one of the most memorable moments in the show because it was a moment when they boys brought a girl up from the audience and interacted her in the show and that was super awesome (I got to do it for one of the tech nightsJ).

                Soul Sister/No One Mash-Up was done at the beginning of the show as a duet and I’ll just say I wasn’t a fan, I think if that song had to be added, I would have personally used different people. I think they tried too hard for ‘sexy’ and the two people they had just looked awkward together. The Lazy Song was a trio of boys, I only think of the voices actually fit with the song and the other two just threw it off and made it sound bad, I wasn’t a fan. Out of all the performances that was probably my least favorite.

                As much as I hate to say it, I think that I could definitely tell who the director’s favorites were, they got the most stage time and I’m not saying they aren’t talented but I think some of the cast members kind of got the shit end of the stick when it comes to stage time. And maybe it wasn’t a matter of favorites, maybe it was a matter of a talent, I however think that each cast member should have been featured more evenly.

                Overall I thought the performances were lovely, I saw it multiple times so it was good. It is currently being held in consideration for performance at the Kennedy Center American Collegiate Theatre Festival 2013. Part of me hopes it doesn’t go, that isn’t because it wasn’t a great show, I don’t want to have to cut my Christmas Break short to come back and work on this show some more. Yep, I’ll be selfish about it, I only get so much time during the school year to spend with my family and friends back home, I don’t need any less. However, I won’t have to cross that bridge till at least December so baby steps.

                I hope you guys enjoyed my review and stayed tuned for all the posts that I have coming. Feel free to share my blog and comment or let me know what you think through Twitter or whatever. Have a fantabulous day!