The new musical Bandstand (a true fan favorite in 2017 and the darling of the Broadway press corps) plays its final performance at the Jacobs Theatre on September 17, and you owe to yourself to see it before then. Here’s why:
The Score and The Musicians Are Incredible
The sound of Bandstand is electrifying. It transports you—it lifts you up, it breaks you down, and it’s smart as hell! Then you add on top of that the six actor/musicians onstage, who not only give you fully realized character performances but they jam the house down. While the cast recording is a total must-own, there’s nothing like seeing these guys perform that music live at 110% as Laura Osnes sings her face off.
It’s a Good Cathartic Cry
Confession: I’m a tough cry. (Yes, the last 15 minutes of Evan Hansen and most of Next to Normal—I’m not a complete monster) That being said, Bandstand gets me emotional from the first time Corey’s character comes to Laura’s house for dinner and they look at photos and she asks him to compliment her mom’s meatloaf until curtain call. Whether you’re coming at it as a war show, a love story, or a musical about loss, Bandstand is going to bring you to tears. Ugly crying at the Jacobs.
Laura Osnes & Corey Cott All. Day. Long.
The career-best performances from the musical’s stars Laura Osnes and Corey Cott were egregiously overlooked by Tony nominators, but that doesn’t matter anymore. With the show preserved on film, people for years to come will say, “Wow, Laura Osnes sang that theatre to the ground” and “Corey Cott’s passion is palpable—he taught himself piano for this!” The same way we watch the Sunday in the Park DVD and marvel over Bernadette and Mandy or Bernadette and Joanna Gleason in the Into the Woods DVD.
Andy Blankenbuehler’s Tony-Winning Choreography
Andy Blankenbuehler brought home his third Tony Award in 2017 and the Chita Rivera Award for Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show for his work on Bandstand. His stylish movement and staging runs the gambit, from Max Clayton and Jaime Verazin’s heart-pounding partner swing dance to the unforgettable visual moment of the fallen soldiers pushing the piano out while Corey Cott plays. Just stunning.
Support Original Musicals!
It’s easy to roll your eyes when a musical adaptation of another film or TV series is announced, but then you have to support new musicals that tell original stories. Bandstand took a huge risk bringing the story of WWII vets who survived the war to return stateside only to battle with depression, addiction, and suicide. The art form grows when we get stories we haven’t heard before, and Bandstand brought something new and important to the table. The bravery of that deserves your support.
