‘Almost Famous’ @ Jacobs Theatre: NYC (11/2/22)

I truly didn’t plan to see Almost Famous again during previews, but sometimes these things just have a way of falling into your lap and who am I to say no to attending the final preview performance!

Official opening night is November 3, 2022 so I saw the last preview and I really felt the excitement and energy of the actors on stage! (I heard afterwards at stage door that they were all trying on their opening night outfits after this nights performance~)

I’m going to try and be as honest and open in my reviews as I can. Please note these are my personal opinions and I’m always open to discussions!

Show Name: Almost Famous
Show Type: Musical
Location: Jacobs Theatre, NYC
Date Seen: Wednesday, November 2, 2022

I enjoy this show more every time I see it – this was Round 4. I’ve seen it once a week since previews started – and I really didn’t think I would see it this much! I’ve noticed slight changes each time, and this 4th and final preview time was the best change yet.

They fixed Sapphire’s iconic line, which I have been complaining about the entire month. The movie line goes, “They don’t even know what it is to be a fan. Y’know? To truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it hurts.” The previous weeks had the line go, “To blindly love” rather than “truly love”. But last night – she said truly. She quoted the movie. And I almost cried out of happiness. That was one of my biggest pet peeves – the hill I was willing to die on, so to speak – so I’m beyond thrilled they changed her line to how it should be.

Solea Pfeiffer, who plays Penny Lane, is my new favorite. She blows me away more each time, I adore her voice and her acting and I’m so glad she is Miss Penny Lane.

I really think the entire cast is strong and they all work so well together. I’ve said before how much I love each cast member and they’ve only gotten better each night!

We started in the mezzanine, 2 rows behind where I sat previews opening night, but saw some empty seats in the orchestra so during intermission we moved to the 2nd row orchestra behind the conductor as the seats were still empty! What a great view. I filmed bows, as I always do, and one of the cast members noticed me and played it up for the camera as he was walking off stage which had me laughing! This cast is so fun.

I was actually close enough this time to see the actors’ faces so clearly. During the hotel room scene where Penny overdoses and William needs to call for help, I could see tears in Casey Likes’ eyes and rolling down his cheeks. I never noticed that before and I was just in awe of how powerful that scene was, how William loves Penny but she’ll never love him back in the same way.

They throw out newspapers of the “Rolling Stone” article “William” writes at the end of the show and I had hoped that being so close, I could snag one – but being behind the conductor prohibited that unfortunately. But in a stroke of luck, I was able to get a Stillwater setlist! I didn’t even know that was a thing until I held it in my hands! Only I would go to a musical and walk away with a setlist, which is my usual brand of thing to do at concerts. I was so giddy!

The highlight of this night was once again the chaotic stagedoor experience. This stage door will never be easy or organized unfortunately, due to multiple theaters exiting here. A lot of the actors didn’t realize there were people waiting for them so we had to stop them before they got too far (thankfully there is power in numbers and the few of us stuck together)!

I was once again able to briefly speak with Cameron Crowe – something I didn’t expect, and he was kind enough to sign my playbill and my setlist and personalize it to me. I didn’t ask him to do that, he just did it and I’m really happy about it.

I also got photos with Casey Likes and Solea Pfeiffer. Solea is SO TALL. She’s over 6 feet at least. She’s truly the sweetest though and I’d like to be her BFF.

Overall this was my best Almost Famous experience yet and I can’t wait to see the show now that it’s officially open!

P.S. I will see this show again and if you win lottery or do rush please keep me in mind!

Have you ever seen the movie Almost Famous?
What do you think of it?

Advertisement