If I was a judge, these would be my placements (based on the live feed):
GC: Petal (Visuals, Vocals)
1RU: Jackson Academy
2RU: Brandon
3RU: Petal women
4RU: Briarwood (Overall Effect)
I really like how big Jackson Academy is (there must have been 60? performers on stage). With a little more refinement, they could really do amazing things. I have really enjoyed the direction Petal has been going in the past few years—they have made some modern strides in their staging and choreography (and I recognized the Fehr ballad). I wasn’t sure how to feel about Brandon’s Phantom set—there was decent execution of visuals, but I thought the music arrangements were a bit awkward (and a few soloists were not great). Briarwood gave me all the feels with the Breakfast Club theme—and the Dear Evan Hansen ballad (and ending with the ballad was very effective). Petal ladies had a great sound and got a very well-deserved standing ovation from the audience.
