I was, at one time, totally obsessed with Josh Groban. I hung out on Twitter every night until 3 am chatting with other Grobanites and waiting for Josh to tweet.
He knew we were there. Things happened that made it clear that he was reading what we were writing. Other Grobanites noticed also.
There was a mysterious list of people who had tweeted him. Maybe he started it. As soon as you started tweeting him, you would get on the list. Maybe he followed the list so he could keep track of us. But he was definitely reading, trying to see what we would say about him.
Sometimes he directly answered a tweet. That happened to me several times. Or sometimes I would post a question and he would answer it in an interview.
I started calling him my three quarters friend. There was obviously some communication back and forth, but there was also a disconnect.
There were people who were obsessed with him, who followed the social media of women who had been spotted with him. There were comments made on Twitter by these women that seemed to be about him without actually mentioning his name. There were websites where people gossiped about these women.
Some of these comments made him sound somewhat unsavory. I don’t want to repeat what was said. There’s every reason to think it was unreliable.
Yet, I believed them enough to step back from my obsession with him.
The voices were spectacularly beautiful. The music was complex and fast. Singing some of those songs was like trying to say a tongue twisters faster and faster “Sally sells sea shells…”
Josh’s singing was magnificent, astonishing, loud, clear, well enunciated, and heading into bass territory. I wonder whether, after all these years of trying to be the barytenor that David Foster wanted him to be, he’s finally allowed to let us hear the strongest part of his voice — or whether his voice has simply gotten lower with age. That happens to many men.
He’s always been a great singer, but there was a step beyond here. Beyond great, as if he had woken up to a new level. There was that one song, I wish I could remember its name, where really his voice was like thunder. It was late in the first half. Perhaps someone will tell me which one it was. Perhaps I’ll get the record.
But it took me back to the unsavory things that were said about him, way back then, making me wonder if they were true, making me wonder his lifelong obsession with this show reflects something inside of him. It definitely has been a lifelong obsession. He named his dog Sweeney.
I was so surprised to discover that the song “nothing’s gonna harm you” was actually not Sweeney‘s song. It was someone else. That’s a song he’s sung in many many concerts for years. I assumed that whatever role that song was, he would sing the role that song came with — but, no, it was a different role.
He said something in some video that I saw that led me to believe he learned that song when he was four years old. Is it possible that his parents could’ve taken him to see *this* musical when he was four years old? Doesn’t seem like a good idea.
When I was a child, I saw “The Wizard of Oz” many times. I came to learn that it came on every spring. I would watch the newspaper for it. At first, I found the wicked witch very frightening. Later, I came to admire her iconic performance.
I learned that, while Judy Garland died relatively young of drug addiction, Margaret Hamilton lived to be 83. By all reports, Hamilton was a lovely person who worked for a time as a kindergarten teacher and became very concerned at how frightening her performance had been — concerned about its effects on children.
I developed a theory. I thought, perhaps, if you put all your goodness into your performances, you would take home the bad; while, if you put all your badness into your performance, you could take home your good. Maybe it will be that way for Josh.
They did have Josh dancing briefly on stage. Anyone who knows Josh will know that that is kind of incredible. It was very brief though. On the other hand, I’ve noticed that as he’s gotten older, he’s gotten less inhibited. There has been a swimsuit photo that would’ve been impossible even 10 years ago. He’s been on stage with sequins. That also would’ve been impossible 10 years ago. During the Awake tour, he wore a T-shirt, as I recall. Also, during the Awake tour, he was running on stage, so a suit jacket would’ve gotten sweaty.
I should say something about the other performers.. It’s a large cast. In some ways, I found Annaleigh Ashford to be at least as good as Josh, if not better, not so much for her singing, but for her comedic abilities. It’s not exactly that she made me laugh, but she was a comedic actress in a tragic/horror musical.
I found Ruthie Ann Miles‘ singing very intriguing. She had both a high, haunting soprano, and a loud, low belt. I’ve been criticized for having a lack of passagio. I didn’t hear any passagio from her. It was two voices. That’s the way I sing. I thought that meant I couldn’t sing on Broadway, but she’s doing it, and she sounds great.
I’ll have to look at the program and see if my memory is sparked about any of the other performers.
One of the reasons that I got disenchanted, with Josh, also, was the horrendous audio issues in his concerts. The audio was frequently way too loud and horribly distorted. At the NASA County Coliseum, they shone bright spotlights in our eyes, which was very painful. Theater, I knew that sort of thing wasn’t going to happen.
Still, I did go, even though I’m planning to have surgery in a couple of weeks, and getting a bug would be really bad from the perspective of having my surgery. I noticed that, although theater was packed, there were very few older people there. I think people my age are not going out that much still. Older people are still having severe consequences from Covid. That’s noticeable, because Josh has often had a contingent of older fans. I didn’t notice that the younger women behind me were saying his name over and over again. Therefore, there are definitely young women interested in him.
I really have to ask myself why I’m still so attached to him, despite all that’s gone on, that I would go out and take a risk with my health. I thought that attendance was dropping off at the seat at the show, because I’ve seen him advertising a lot; and the advance ticket sales have been way down.
Nevertheless, the show was absolutely packed. I thought maybe I wouldn’t have much of a chance later. I needn’t have worried so much. Still, I suspect, this show will not have as long of a run as “Natasha Pierre, and the great Comet of 1812” had. Despite the brilliant performances, the subject matter is very disturbing.
I still have a weird sense of loyalty to him. There’s still something in my head that tells me he’s my 3/4 friend. I have met them a few times in person. There was a time when I would’ve gone after the show to get my program signed at the stage door. I didn’t even try that this time. I hadn’t had dinner yet, but it wasn’t worth it to me.
He might recognize me. He’s met me a few times, because I used to do that stage door thing, and one time I paid a lot of money to go to an event, where he would see me in person. I doubt that I would be important to him, even if he did recognize me. There are so many other fans.
And, yet, there’s that sense in my head that my 3/4 friend has a show that might have sales falling off, and maybe I really should go show up.
I should feel that way about “Triple Threat”. The guy who’s doing that (off-Broadway) show really is my friend. I did see it online, when it was streamed, though. It was really great, and very inspiring. If you get a chance, go see that.
There was a long line for the women's room. Fortunately, it did move quickly, but they restarted after intermission, before everyone got in. That's not ok. They should wait.
I was in a theater this summer that had made the restrooms co-ed and made sure that there were enough of them for people to get through quickly. This involved making stalls that were private -- with floor to ceiling walls and doors with door jams. Sinks were out in public.
I don't think I'll buy the album for this show, tho, after all. As beautiful as the music was, it's not exactly easy listening.
I tend to like to be in the back at the top, and did even before the pandemic, because I figure that germs are heavier than air and will tend to fall down into the orchestra. The back row seems to be universally sold out on these shows, curiously. Maybe it was cheaper.
However, I realized I was out of practice. I didn't think to bring binoculars, so I could see the performers's faces. I know what Josh looks like, but not the others. Maybe when you buy a seat near the back, they should suggest binoculars.
The lady next to me left her umbrella. I tried to call out to her, but she was lost in the crowd.
#SweeneyTodd #Sondheim #JoshGroban #Groban #LuntFontanneTheatre #RestroomLines #Broadway #LostUmbrella
