BeautifulBallad Reviews Gigi the Musical

Gigi is currently playing a limited pre-Broadway run at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The musical is based off the film of  the same name, which starred Audrey Hepburn as Gigi. The musical tells the story of a young girl who is on a journey to find her true self and her true love in Paris.

For her first big musical production, Vanessa did a splendid job as Gigi. Her childish giggles and carefree movements in Act 1 melted away into a mature and elegant posture in Act 2 which allowed the audience to truly see how young Gigi was before her transformation into a young woman. Vanessa’s singing was lovely and not too over the top. She struggled with the accent of the character and there were times throughout when it slipped. However, it was more an issue of needing more practice with the accent and not one of skill.

Newsies’ star Corey Cott plays the role of Vanessa’s love interest, Gaston Lachaille and, boy, can he sing. I had the opportunity to see him as Jack Kelly in Newsies a few years ago and to see him play such a different character with a broader singing range was great. Victoria Clark who played Madame Alvarez also shined. She was superb at handling all of her songs and commanding the stage.

The costumes and scenery for the musical took my breath away. From the early 1900 gowns to the subtle Parisian quirks, like the Art Nouveau stairwell and lamp posts, I felt as though I was there with the characters enjoying a drink at a little café in Paris.

Gigi, as a character, felt undeveloped and the love story between her and Gaston seemed rushed and out of nowhere. Adding another scene to the second act and a finale number would have made the musical feel more cohesive. The actors did a nice job bringing to life the story based on what they were given; even though the story felt unfinished and included several plot holes.

Hopefully, when the show premieres on Broadway in March some of these problems have been corrected. If you have a chance to see it while it is running at the Kennedy Center, do go. It is the perfect show if you are looking for something to do on the weekend or a random week night.

Favorite musical number: “The Night They Invented Champagne”

Grade: B