On the surface, it's easy to see the parallels between the two. You could swap the setting of London and making or missing the subway in "Sliding Doors" with New York and deciding which circle of friends to spend the day with in "If/Then." However, it's a disservice to both of these works to characterize them based solely on the similarities of their premise. While the former offers whimsy and romantic comedy, the latter is deeply rooted in emotional honesty -- something missing from many of today's big Broadway productions. "If/Then" is everything that a stage show should be and the best of both worlds: the joy and bombast of a musical with the resonance and maturity of a play. The show doesn't shy away from controversial, hot-button elements like homosexuality and abortion, yet it doesn't treat them with tokenism; they are ingrained aspects of the story rather than gimmicks to grab attention. "If/Then" isn't afraid to ask the big questions about life's volleys between fate and coincidence, but it satisfyingly settles for not having all of the answers.
Part of why I'm so impressed with this particular show is that its creators' previous stage project, "Next To Normal," was a highly lauded affair that never sat well with me. Despite multiple Tony award wins and even a Pulitzer Prize, I never felt its acclaim was worthy of the uneven production that was presented. Yes, the show was groundbreaking in its depiction of the main character's bipolar disorder -- such heavy subject matter isn't traditionally fodder for a Broadway musical -- but to me, the show itself was atonal, discordant, and unsettling. It's what would happen if someone took a promising art-house film and shoehorned a bunch of unremarkable, rock-inflected songs into it.
"If/Then," meanwhile, is the polar (pun intended?) opposite of its predecessor. The show has a palpable energy and spirit; it's not just going through the motions of a pretty but empty production. Its goal is to impact the lives of its audience members, even in the smallest ways, through story and song. Even more notable is how difficult it can be to find a truly original production these days that isn't a revival or a direct adaptation from another medium. The music propels the story forward courtesy of its forthright, unfiltered lyrics, while the book sounds like how people actually talk (profanity and all) without being too stagy. Perhaps most importantly, "If/Then" avoids the missteps of several modern shows by rebuking the pandering trend of jukebox musicals, which often fall into the trap of being little more than greatest-hits albums with dialogue. It manages to succeed on its own merits rather than accumulating the bulk of its running time from someone else's material.
In a rare move that prevents "If/Then" from becoming anyone else's too quickly, Denver's launch of the show's tour featured all of its original leads. Naturally, the major draw is Menzel -- after all, the show was written specifically for her. It's hard to imagine anyone other than her in the role of Elizabeth since the script and the songs are so tailored to the mannerisms of both her speaking voice and her singing voice. As the plots separate, she goes by Liz in one storyline and Beth in the other (a helpful device to keep the audience on-track during some of the quicker scene-changes). However, it's not just the Liz & Beth show. She is joined by three other established Broadway stars -- James Snyder, Anthony Rapp (of "Rent" fame), and LaChanze, a Tony-winner for "The Color Purple" -- as her love interest, an old friend, and a new friend, respectively. All four of these dynamic performers have created incredibly well-rounded characters who don't always say or do what you think they will. The momentum is further driven by sharp dialogue full of realistic observations (ex. "We both know love doesn't make us perfect. It just makes us want to be.") and an ingenious level of pacing that seamlessly transitions back and forth between the storylines.
Through Elizabeth's career path as a city planner, New York itself becomes a character as well. The parallels between building space and building a new life are cleverly interwoven without ever being heavy-handed or ham-fisted. For a musical with such big ambitions and production values, "If/Then" feels unusually small and focused -- a tremendous compliment given that the show's message remains intact despite everything else that transpires on the stage. Ironically, none of these songs could really stand on their own or hold up as breakaway hits like certain Broadway standards have done over the years. Because all of the songs tell important parts of a larger story, it seems counterproductive to expect them to succeed independently from the show. Case in point: when Menzel performed at Red Rocks this summer, she sang "Always Starting Over," her big solo number from the second act of "If/Then." As well as she did with the song in a concert setting, there was something infinitely more enriching about seeing what led up to that moment in the show as well as what followed, rather than seeing it out of context.
Make no mistake: all of the songs in "If/Then" are beautifully arranged and are impeccably rendered by each of the actors. From the humorous and insightful "What The Fuck?" to the spiraling, dialectic tension of the push-pull "I Hate You" (which perfectly encapsulates the warring emotions of a couple facing a turning point), the show hits the bullseye on all of its comedic and dramatic targets. Menzel is often defined by her larger-than-life voice, but there are so many intimate, poignant moments here that allow her to shine. She knows that it takes more than just sounding good; the audience has to feel what you're singing about. My eyes welled up with tears as she slowly spun a single lyric (no spoilers!) into the past tense, instantly breaking hearts and causing gasps and sniffles across the stunned audience. She along with her fellow cast members went for every beat with gusto without ever overdoing it or overpowering the critical moments. Rapp in particular has come a long way from his plaintively emo days in "Rent" and turned in a rich vocal effort from start to finish. Needless to say, I haven't been this deeply affected by a musical in a LONG time! If you can't attend one of its performances in New York or while it continues to tour, you owe it to yourself to at least listen to the original cast recording as a viable substitute.
Though the award recognition -- Tony and Drama Desk nominations for the score and for Menzel but no wins -- was disproportionate to the show's caliber, "If/Then" can take solace in the immeasurable way that it touches its viewers. No amount of awards can replace that kind of genuine connection. The show's recurring themes and metaphors about navigating the unknown and the unexpected in life reinforce the lasting surprise that such significance can still be realized on today's increasingly busy stage.
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