Cast: Moya Angela (Effie Melody White), Syesha Mercado (Deena Jones), Chester Gregory (James "Thunder" Early), Chaz Lamar Shepherd (Curtis Taylor, Jr.)
For complete info, check out the Dreamgirls website.
I'd never seen Dreamgirls live before. I knew the music and had seen the movie, but hadn't seen the live show. The most important thing in Dreamgirls for me is that Effie has a great voice, since And I am Telling You I'm Not Going is my favorite song from the show. I thought Moya Angela did well, but I definitely wasn't wowed by her performance.
Judging by the reaction in the crowd, a lot of people were really impressed with Chester Gregory. I think he played the character well enough, but his performance didn't blow me over. The story of Dreamgirls, loosely based on Diana Ross and the Supremes, is fairly interesting, though it's not super gripping. If you want a lively and highly exciting show, this is probably not it. However, the music is really good and the cast of the touring production does a good job, so if you haven't seen Dreamgirls it's worth checking it out on tour. If you have, you can probably skip this one.
Grade: C+
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Cheyenne Jackson (Woody Mahoney), Kate Baldwin (Sharon McLonergan), Jim Norton (Finian McLonergan)
For complete cast info, see the official Finian's Rainbow site.
I'd never seen Finian's Rainbow before and I really enjoyed seeing Cheyenne Jackson in Xanadu, so I was interested in this production. I'm glad I saw it. The cast is wonderful, the sets, costumes, lighting, etc. are all very well done. There's good dancing and pleasant music. It's a very good old-time musical. A simple plot with a happy Broadway ending that everyone is able to enjoy.
If you're looking for a deep show, this isn't it. If you want to have fun and just enjoy a light, happy musical, this may be the perfect show for you.
Grade: B
Labels: 2009, Broadway, Cheyenne Jackson, comedy, dancing, Jim Norton, Kate Baldwin, musical, revival, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kay Panabaker (Jenny Garrison), Naturi Naughton (Denise Dupree), Megan Mullally (Ms. Fran Rowan), Bebe Neuwirth (Ms. Kraft), Debbie Allen (Ms. Angela Simms), Kelsey Grammer (Mr. Martin Cranston)
For complete info, see IMDb's Fame (2009) page.
When I heard they were going to remake Fame, I was worried that they might use too much of the original and try to copy the movie. Thankfully, they didn't do that. The new movie is a different group of (mostly unknown - at least to me) actors playing the students and teachers that (for the most part) people will recognize. I'm glad Debbie Allen was in the movie, since she was in the original movie and the TV show based on the original movie. Clearly, her part isn't nearly as focal as it was in the TV show, but I liked seeing her in the new movie.
The cast is a very talented group of performers and I think they did a good job selecting everyone for the movie. The music is very good and almost all a different style - even the remake of the song Fame, which had to be included in the remake, was very well done and updated.
If you like the performing arts, I definitely recommend renting this one. Do you need to see it in a theatre? No, but it wouldn't hurt. It's a fun movie. It's not quite as good as the original or the TV show, but that's to be expected. As long as you're not expecting it to be the most amazing movie you see, I think you can enjoy the movie and the performances.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2009, comedy, dancing, drama, family, movie, musical, remake, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Josh Groban (Anatoly Sergievsky), Adam Pascal (Frederick Trumper), Idina Menzel (Florence Vassy), Kerry Ellis (Svetlana Sergievsky)
For complete info, see IMDb's Chess in Concert page.
As a huge fan of the musical Chess (and a firm believer that the potential in the show has never been realized in a full production), I was really excited about the new concert version. Sir Tim Rice was involved in this production and said he wanted it to be the definitive version.
This version of Chess has gotten some very harsh reviews and I definitely see many of their points. The graphics in the show are pathetic, there's a huge flaw in the only real set piece, and cheerleaders for merchandise? Ridiculous! However, I think they did a very good job for the most part. I knew they would change a lot of the lyrics and many other aspects of Chess. Most of the horrible reviews seemed to want everything exactly as it was in the original concept album. Not only is that unrealistic, but there are some changes that really improved on that concept album.
Some of the lines being changed from one character to another really helped the show. Clearly, a lot of the changes in the lyrics were not for the better. However, a lot of the changes in the show were for the better - even some of those made to the lyrics. Some of them make a little bit more sense now. I'm so glad they finally had Svetlana sing Someone Else's Story (my best friend and I always thought it would make more sense for Svetlana than Florence). Enjoy the latest version of this great show. It's difficult to hear new lyrics to songs we know so well, but I think they did a very good job with this one. If you like the musical Chess, give this version a chance.
The only problem I had with the cast of this show is that they chose three people with musical theatre backgrounds (Adam Pascal, Idina Menzel, & Kerry Ellis) and one who's a singer and has never acted (Josh Groban) as the main four characters. The rest of the cast also seemed to have acting experience. I think with some acting lessons Josh Groban could have done a good job with the acting needed for Chess. However, since he didn't seem to have the time for lessons and hasn't really acted in the past, Groban ended up looking like he didn't belong in a musical theatre cast. If you can get past his lack of acting skills, the cast is wonderful and the story of Chess is better than ever.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2009, Adam Pascal, chess, concert, dancing, drama, Idina Menzel, Josh Groban, Kerry Ellis, musical, romance, sports, theatre, Tim Rice, TV
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 4 screams
Cast: Emma Watson (Pauline Fossil), Yasmin Paige (Petrova Fossil), Lucy Boynton (Posy Fossil), Emilia Fox (Sylvia Brown)
For complete information, see IMDb's Ballet Shoes page.
I loved all the books by Noel Streatfield when I was younger and I enjoyed the TV adaptation of Ballet Shoes. Clearly, it's mostly geared towards children (as is the original novel), but if you loved the books, I definitely recommend taking a look at this TV movie. The cast is great and the story is followed well.
Grade: B
Labels: 2007, ballet, dancing, drama, Emma Watson, family, movie, TV
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Rebecca Riker (Cassie), Gabrielle Ruiz (Diana), Emily Fletcher (Sheila), Hollie Howard (Maggie), Michael Gruber (Zach)
For the complete cast & schedule information, see Broadway.com.
I’ve always been a big fan of A Chorus Line. I love how it shows what one goes through during an audition – the
Overall, this cast was much better than the original Broadway revival cast I saw a couple years ago. Rebecca Riker (the understudy for Cassie) has a much better voice than Charlotte
d'Amboise. I was surprised that she didn’t sing when doing the combination with the guys either. I had thought they’d cut that out because d’Amboise couldn’t hold her own. I guess they just cut it from this production, though I can’t imagine a director being okay with Cassie simply choosing not to sing because she doesn’t feel like it. No director I’ve worked with would be happy with that and I’ve never worked even close to that level. Emily Fletcher as Sheila was also much better than Deidre Goodwin and since that’s one of my favorite parts in A Chorus Line, it was great to see it being done so well. Gabrielle Ruiz has an amazing voice, but didn’t quite have the spunk Natalie Cortez does for Diana and James T. Lane was much better as Richie than Anthony Wayne.
The overall performance was better than that on Broadway, though. Though some of the cast members are not as good as their Broadway counterparts, none of them were bad. They were all very good in their roles and had I not seen the other cast, I wouldn’t have thought they weren’t good enough. In contrast, I was very bothered by the performances of Charlotte d’Amboise and Deidre Goodwin on Broadway. Having a good Cassie and Sheila are important to me and both of them had been better in every other production I’ve seen of A Chorus Line.
I definitely recommend the touring production of A Chorus Line. There’s not much to the set, so it’s easy to take on the road and the cast is great.
Grade: B+
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
For details, see the official Tony Awards site.
Is it just me, or was it just crazy to see The Lion King open the Tony Awards this year? If I didn't have such a new DVR, I might have thought that I had started watching the wrong year's awards. I guess those costumes are so expensive that the more they use them the better they feel about the whole thing. Whoopi Goldberg coming out in Sebastian's outfit then was great, though.
I'm a big fan of the clips of great moments in the Tony's and was a bit confused by the clip with The Phantom of the Opera, since I know Michael Crawford was the Phantom in the Tony Awards that year and the guy singing didn't sound like I remembered or look like Michael Crawford that much. When Whoopi turned around and started singing, it all made sense. I'm still not sure I think opening with Circle of Life makes too much sense this year (I liked last year's opening with A Chorus Line, since it was a new revival that year), but I like what they're doing with putting Whoopi in the different shows. It's very entertaining and similar to the concept behind the amazing Oscar openings Billy Crystal has been putting together for years. Clearly, you can't do something like that in live theatre, but the concept is similar and it was very well done.
Kristen Chenoweth's joke about defying gravity would have probably come off horrible if it had been done by anyone else but her. Fortunately, she did a great job. Kristen seems like a very corny person, so she pulled it off well.
The comment about praying cell phones get turned off was nice. I would love to see theatres that somehow block all cell phone use and make doctors who might need to get paged check in to be notified. Perhaps someday... The law about it doesn't seem to completely help the situation on Broadway (and certainly touring productions all over the country where there are not laws to help out are SOL).
Having clips from the plays (complete with some set pieces on stage with Whoopi before showing them) was a nice touch. Plays are often so much shorter running than the musicals, so I understand why they can't all show us scenes from the nominated plays on the Tony Award stage. This year's solution was my favorite so far, by a large margin.
The Mary Poppins & Spamalot bits with Whoopi were very funny, too. They did a good job with this year's hosting segments. I'm sure having someone who can sing is helpful, but many of the past Tony Award hosts could sing very well, so perhaps it just took the right person to figure out what to do between awards. I was very entertained. With TONS of presenters, it's clear on any awards show that a host isn't really necessary, so I like to see them doing something that makes it worth having a host.
Stephen Sondheim getting a lifetime achievement award makes me happier than any other award could. I'm sorry he couldn't be there, but having Mandy Patinkin read his speach was perfect. Sondheim is truly amazing and I'm glad he's being recognized. Seeing how the current technology was used for Sunday in the Park with George in the revival was really great, too. The clips of that and the lead-in to the Tony performance of the revival were extremely well done.
Seeing Whoopi in one of my two favorite musicals (Spring Awakening) was wonderful! Having Anthony Rapp introduce my other favorite musical of all time (Rent) and then having the La Vie Boheme clip (How hard must it have been for the current Mark to follow the intro by Anthony Rapp?) was wonderful, especially since it initially made me think that I had misheard them earlier when they'd said that they had reunited the Original Broadway Cast for the night. Idina Menzel's cute comment about how it changed their lives and looking at her husband Taye Diggs was great. The current and original casts singing together on stage was really great to see. I'm glad that they showed the stars in the audience who were really into it (some of whom were even crying), too. This is going to be one of my favorite Tony Awards highlights of all time. Hopefully, one of these days they'll put some of these on DVD, so I can own them on something better than a video tape (there's no way I could keep them all on my DVR even if I still had the same one).
Patti LuPone's "Shut up, it's been 29 years" to the orchestra was another great Tony Award moment. I honestly thought they'd get more quiet at that point. I mean, she is Patti LuPone. I might not really like her voice, but she's an icon. I actually think her voice was perfect for her role in Gypsy and it was good to see how happy she was about winning again after such a long time and a few nominations in between wins.
I haven't seen In the Heights yet. I was hoping Xanadu would win, since it's definitely one of the most entertaining shows I've ever seen on Broadway. I guess I need to see In the Heights, since it won Best Musical. It must be better than Xanadu, which was a lot of fun.
I truly believe this was the most entertaining Tony Awards in a long time. I was surprised how entertained I was throughout the show. There really wasn't anything where I found myself thinking that they were wasting time or that I fast forwarded through when not watching live.
Grade: A-
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:33 PM show | 0 screams
See the Cirque du Soleil Corteo site for complete information.
Not surprisingly, Corteo is wonderful! I couldn't recommend it (or any Cirque du Soleil). Every time I see a Cirque du Soleil show, I'm amazed with all the interesting acts the creators think about. I just don't know how they come up with some of the ideas, let alone execute them.
The story of Corteo was one of the clearest of any Cirque du Soleil show I've ever seen. There was also a great deal of English, whereas the older shows tended to be all in French. Part of me misses the French (even though I only understand a little) and part of me was happy that I could understand everything I could hear (at times with the music and the low mic level, I couldn't hear what was being said clearly).
The tent shows are always a little uncomfortable, since the seats have very little padding, etc., but it's well worth it to experience Corteo. Check out the schedule and try to see it when it's close to you.
Grade: A
Labels: 2007, Cirque du Soleil, dancing, gymnastics, musical, tour
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Adam Pascal (Roger Davis), Anthony Rapp (Mark Cohen), Tamyra Gray (Mimi Marquez), and the rest of the cery talented cast
For info, see the official Rent site.
Everyone who knows me knows I love Rent. I even planned an entire trip just to see Rent with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal last month. I had seen them in the roles they originated in the movie (which I own, clearly) many times, but I'd never seen them live. I'm still kicking myself for allowing the fact that I had just moved to San Diego keep me from seeing the Original Broadway Cast of Rent. When they extended their run to include my originally planned trip, clearly I bought a ticket to see them in it again!
I'm so glad that Adam and Anthony decided to go back to their roles of Roger & Mark at the same time. They extended their run through October 7th, so if you still haven't seen them in Rent get tickets now! It's even been at TKTS, which is shocking to me, but clearly this is a slow time for Broadway with kids just getting back to school, etc.
The reception for Adam and Anthony (on stage and at the stage door) was not nearly what it was last month, so I'm really glad I planned that trip to experience the rock concert atmosphere at a Broadway musical. I doubt I will ever seen an audience so excited to see a musical in my life.
Clearly, it was amazing to see Anthony Rapp as Mark and Adam Pascal as Roger again. Tamyra Gray was amazing as Mimi. Definitely the best Mimi I've seen out of the 12 times I've seen Rent. I was a bit bummed that she didn't have long hair, since I love that part of Out Tonight, but it was worth it to hear her singing Mimi's songs.
I was surprised how much the cast had changed in just one month. The Benny I saw this time around (Rodney Hicks) was better than D'Monroe was on Broadway. Not sure why he changed his performance so much from how he did on the tour, but Rodney Hicks was definitely an improvement. Tonya Dixon isn't as good as Merle Dandridge, who was probably my favorite Joanne Jefferson to date. Everyone else was about the same as the last cast in performance levels.
I also noticed that they added Lisa (subtracting Sue) from the Life Support meeting. I wonder who Lisa is... I'm guessing she's someone who recently died of AIDS and I'm sorry to hear that. Initially, they say that Jonathan Larson had planned that the names of the Life Support meeting attendees would change with each cast and they'd be friends of the cast who had died of AIDS. When he died just before the opening of Rent Off-Broadway, I think that froze the show in many ways and no one wanted to touch it. I can understand that and I find it interesting that they did allow another name to break in to the meeting.
If you have a chance to get to see Rent on Broadway before Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal leave, do it! I'd still love to see the entire movie cast do the Broadway show, but I'm guessing that will never happen. At least I got to see Adam and Anthony. It's a moment I will cherish forever!
It's been over 11 years and Rent still rocks! I definitely recommend seeing it on Broadway if you haven't yet. The theatre was renovated specifically for the show, so it's definitely part of the experience. I was surprised to see that after 11 years some people still left the show, since they were offended by the content. It really makes me sad that there are still people who are that closed minded in today's day and age, but at least they wasted quite a bit of money, which is nice to know.
Unfortunately, they were still having problems with the microphones. I really think they need a new sound design guy. This should NOT be happening on a Broadway show - especially one that won the Tony award for Best Musical (even if it was 11 years ago). They were cutting out from time to time in the first act, so it sometimes seemed like someone had missed a line, but if you were watching them you could tell that they were on cue, but the mic just wasn't on (or wasn't working). Disappointing, but NOTHING could ruin the experience of getting to see Adam and Anthony in Rent. It was sad to be watching Anthony singing something then checking his mic to make sure it was plugged in properly, since no one got to hear the "I think we've met" or whatever else was being sung at the time... Very sad.
Grade: A+++
Labels: 2007, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Best Musical, Broadway, dancing, drama, musical, original
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Vicki Noon (Sophie Sheridan), Mary Jayne Raleigh (Donna Sheridan), Christine Sherrill (Tanya), Allison Briner (Rosie), Ian Simpson (Harry Bright), Milo Shandel (Bill Austin), Sean Allan Krill (Sam Carmichael), and a great supporting cast
For complete info on the tour cast, see the official Mamma Mia! site. You can also find out information on where the tour is heading and other locations of Mamma Mia! productions.
If you haven't seen Mamma Mia! yet, I definitely recommend you catch it in one of the many locations around the world. It'll be playing at the Winter Garden on Broadway for years to come and I'm sure the tour will continue for a long time, too. Mamma Mia! is a fun show. I was disappointed that more people didn't get up to dance on their own during the bows. I'd seen the show twice before and both times everyone in the audience was up and dancing by the second song. This time, Mary Jayne had to actually ask the audience to stand for the last song of the bows. Sad...
The cast is amazing and Mamma Mia! is very entertaining. The dancing is even better than I remembered. The ensemble is really amazing right now. I'm sure the dancing was great before, but I didn't remember how good and it was a wonderful surprise.
Grade: B
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Glover (Man in Chair), Mara Davi (Janet Van De Graaf)
For complete info, see the official The Drowsy Chaperone and the IBDb's The Drowsy Chaperone page.
I really enjoyed this show when I saw it in the world premiere pre-Broadway run at the Ahmanson with the Original Broadway Cast. My best friend had never seen it and I thought it would be a good one to see again. :-) The cast of the show on Broadway is wonderful now. It was great to see John Glover live and wonderful to see Mara Davi in a bigger role on Broadway. Mara was wonderful when I saw her as Cassie in A Chorus Line at Cal State Fullerton and as Maggie in ACL in her Broadway debut. It's great to see her have such a big part in only her second Broadway show. Sometimes, the good performers have things work out well for them and I'm glad to see that's happening for Mara.
The Drowsy Chaperone is a very funny show. I highly recommend seeing it. I'm still annoyed that it didn't win Best Musical. A cover band winning bugs me. I hope it will stay on Broadway a long time, since it's really a good show for those who love theatre to see.
Grade: B+
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Adam Pascal (Roger Davis), Anthony Rapp (Mark Cohen), Tamyra Gray (Mimi Marquez), and the rest of the cery talented cast
For info, see the official Rent site.
Everyone who knows me knows I love Rent. Nothing new there. This time, I planned an entire trip just to see Rent with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal. I had seen them in the roles they originated in the movie (which I own, clearly) many times, but I'd never seen them live. I'm still kicking myself for allowing the fact that I had just moved to San Diego keep me from seeing the Original Broadway Cast of Rent.
I'm so glad that Adam and Anthony decided to go back to their roles of Roger & Mark at the same time. Of course, it was only for 6 weeks and ending right before I planned to get to the city, so I had to plan a weekend trip to go see Rent with them. As much as I love my friends on the east coast, they all know that Rent was the important thing to me this weekend!
When Adam walked on stage, it was like a rock concert crowd. There is always applause for whoever is playing Roger, but this was wild. Anthony got the same reception when he came on stage. I've never heard anything like this in a Broadway theatre before, and I doubt I ever will again. It was just a wonderfully electric crowd. :) I'd guess that almost everyone in the crowd had seen Rent a few times (like me). I'm sure there were some there (like my friend Kenny) who were fortunate enough to see this cast in their first production of Rent, How lucky they are!
Clearly, it was amazing to see Anthony Rapp as Mark and Adam Pascal as Roger. It was really a dream come true for me. I didn't know much about the rest of the cast, though I'd seen a couple of them before. I don't watch American Idol, so I hadn't seen Tamyra Gray before. She was amazing as Mimi. Definitely the best Mimi I've seen out of the 11 times I've seen Rent. I was a bit bummed that she didn't have long hair, since I love that part of Out Tonight, but it was worth it to hear her singing Mimi's songs.
James and I both believe they've added some background choreography, since the last time either of us has seen Rent and we really enjoyed that. It added a bit, but wasn't too distracting.
I also noticed that they added Lisa (subtracting Sue) from the Life Support meeting. I wonder who Lisa is... I'm guessing she's someone who recently died of AIDS and I'm sorry to hear that. Initially, they say that Jonathan Larson had planned that the names of the Life Support meeting attendees would change with each cast and they'd be friends of the cast who had died of AIDS. When he died just before the opening of Rent Off-Broadway, I think that froze the show in many ways and no one wanted to touch it. I can understand that and I find it interesting that they did allow another name to break in to the meeting.
If you have a chance to get to see Rent on Broadway before Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal leave, do it! Of course, getting tickets will be difficult. It's great to see Rent selling at about 100% again! If I could have gotten tickets to see Rent the night that I saw the matinee, I would have gone back that night in a heartbeat. In fact, I look back and wonder what I was thinking buying tickets for just ONE performance out of the three I could see in the two days I was in New York for this trip. Oh well, live and learn... I'd love to see the entire movie cast do the Broadway show, but I'm guessing that will never happen. At least I got to see Adam and Anthony. It's a moment I will cherish forever!
The only down side was that they were having some real problems with the microphones. They were cutting out from time to time in the first act, so it sometimes seemed like someone had missed a line, but if you were watching them you could tell that they were on cue, but the mic just wasn't on (or wasn't working). Disappointing, but NOTHING could ruin the experience of getting to see Adam and Anthony in Rent.
Grade: A+++
Labels: 2007, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Best Musical, Broadway, dancing, drama, musical, Rent
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kerry Butler (Clio/Kira), Cheyenne Jackson (Sonny), Mary Testa (Melpomene, Medusa), Jackie Hoffman (Calliope, Aphrodite)
For complete information, see the official Xanadu on Broadway site or IBDb's Xanadu page.
I'm one of the people who actually liked the movie Xanadu so when I heard they were making a musical of it and that Kerry Butler (who I'd see in just about anything) was going to be in it, I was sold. She did a great job as Clio/Kira. At times, it sounded like she was actually Olivia Newton-John (who played the role in the movie). Cheyenne Jackson, the original Sonny in the musical (who had to miss the official opening due to an injury) was back in time for us to see the show and I'm so glad. Cheyenne is amazing as Sonny! He's very talented, as is the rest of the cast of Xanadu.
The only weak link was Tony Roberts as Danny. He did a great job as Zeus, but as Danny, he was definitely lacking. I think Joel Grey or Ben Vereen would have been much better choices, but perhaps they couldn't get them. They had to have a younger cast member do the dancing for him instead of him doing it himself (as Gene Kelly did in the movie). Tony Roberts is definitely no Gene Kelly.
Both James and I were shocked at how much we enjoyed Xanadu. I expected to enjoy the music (which I already knew, for the most part), but I had no idea how much I would laugh. Xanadu makes fun of every show on Broadway (including themselves) and is really a lot of fun. As we passed the Winter Garden theatre later, James said he wasn't sure Mamma Mia! could claim to be the most fun you could have on Broadway any more, since Xanadu was such a blast.
I highly recommend catching this show on Broadway or in London or on tour (both coming in 2008). Enjoy yourself at this light show that's only one act and a lot of fun!
Grade: B+
Labels: 2007, Broadway, Cheyenne Jackson, dancing, Kerry Butler, musical
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Travolta (Edna Turnblad), Nikki Blonsky (Tracy Turnblad), Michelle Pfeiffer (Velma Von Tussle), Christopher Walken (Wilbur Turnblad), Amanda Bynes (Penny Pingleton), Zac Efron (Link Larkin), Queen Latifah (Motormouth Maybelle), James Marsden (Corny Collins), Elijah Kelley (Seeweed)
For complete info on the amazing cast and crew, see IMDb's Hairspray page.
I love musical movies and I'm very happy that the genre is thriving again. A movie based on a Broadway musical based on a movie is an amusing thought, even though they did the same thing with The Producers. The cast they chose for the Hairspray revival really could not have been better. While I agree with many who say that Harvey Fierstein should have been in the movie and is a big enough draw for the movie (Heck, did they need more of a draw? Look at the rest of the cast.), John Travolta did a wonderful job as Edna Turnblad!
The crowd at the movie theatre was ready to enjoy the movie. They were applauding at the beginning of the movie and cheered throughout the movie for some of the better scenes. It was definitely the right theatre to enjoy Hairspray, since it's such an outrageous movie.
Nikki Blonsky did a wonderful job in her first movie. I'm glad that they found the star of the movie much in the same way they found the star of the Broadway show. Tracy Turnblad being played by an amazingly talented unknown actress just seems to fit the part at this point.
They did an amazing job bringing the Broadway adaptation of the original movie back to the big screen. If you like musicals, you definitely need to see this one. Hairspray is a fun movie with a very good message.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2007, Amanda Bynes, Brittany Snow, Christopher Walken, comedy, dancing, drama, James Marsden, John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, movie, musical, Nikki Blonsky, Queen Latifah, Zac Efron
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
For complete details, see Cirque du Soleil's KA page.
KA is another very well done show from Cirque du Soleil. The theatre alone is amazing. It's very well themed and has speakers in the incredibly comfortable seats. Cirque du Soleil never does anything half-way and they did a wonderful job creating KA.
There were a couple slow points in the show, but overall, I really enjoyed KA and would recommend it to anyone who will be in Vegas. I'd rank it third in the Vegas Cirque du Soleil shows, behind 'O' (my favorite Cirque show anywhere) and Mystere, but it is very enjoyable and well worth taking the time to see.
As usual, every act in KA is amazing and fun to watch. Check out KA if you have the chance, you won't be disappointed.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2007, Best Musical, Cirque du Soleil, dancing, gymnastics, Vegas
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast:Christine Andreas (Margaret Johnson), Katie Rose Clarke (Clara Johnson), David Burnham (Fabrizio Naccarelli), David Ledingham (Signor Naccarelli), Betsy DiLellio (Franca Naccarelli), Jonathan Hammond (Giuseppe Naccarelli)
For complete cast info and how to get tickets for the rest of the tour, see the The Light in the Piazza tour page. Unfortunately, it leaves the Orange County Performing Arts Center after the performances tomorrow.
Clearly, I wouldn't see a show I didn't really enjoy twice in less than two weeks. I saw The Light in the Piazza (with almost exactly the same cast, Wendi Bergamini was not able to perform as Franca Naccarelli today, though Betsy DiLellio did a wonderful job and I don't think I would have known that it wasn't the same actress if I hadn't read the slip of paper in the program). David made fun of me for being a theatre freak, which those of you who know me well know is completely accurate, so I'm comfortable with that. I love the theatre and often get more than a little obsessed with it. *grin* I enjoyed The Light in the Piazza even more the second time I saw it and I'm so glad I got to see it again so soon. It's great that it was in town longer than a week and that I had a day free to see it. Although I'm sad it hasn't been selling out everywhere (since it's a wonderful show), I am thrilled that I was able to get a ticket.
I got very lucky today and got a wonderful almost completely center seat in the 5th row of the orchestra (which is row B at the OCPAC). Normally, I wouldn't sit closer than row 5 in a theatre, since closer than that is too close for my neck, but due to the spacing of the seats at the OCPAC, I'd sit in row A, the 4th row, there. It's nice to have so much leg room in a theatre.
The lady next to me was really sweet. We ended up talking, since she was an older woman (86) who hadn't gotten a program and I offered to get one for her when she realized she didn't have one. I gave her mine. Next thing you knew, we were talking about our love for New York, how her friends told her The Light in the Piazza was a horrible show, how I'd already seen it and came back to see it again, David Burnham's great CD, how she's moving to Florida to be closer to her daughter, and just about everything else.
At intermission, the woman next to me said she thought there was a bit too much Italian, but that the music was beautiful. By the end of the show, she said she understood why I had come back to see the show again. I'd managed to convince her it was worth the trip. :-) I'd also convinced her to buy David's CD, but they only took cash, so I think she was going to have to buy it elsewhere.
When I saw the show the other time, I figured I'd buy a program online, since I didn't see a booth and my David was tired. The reason I didn't see a booth is that they didn't sell anything there. What a bummer. I would have bought a program and perhaps a shirt (depends on the designs available) if they'd had them to sell. I guess I'll look online to see what they made and see what I find when I'm in New York in August.
If you get a chance to see The Light in the Piazza and can handle not understanding every word that they say (and like romantic musicals), I highly recommend it. It's a wonderful show with a great story and amazing music. Until July, I can also say that the cast, scenic design, orchestrations, and everything else on the tour are well done, too.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2007, Christine Andreas, dancing, David Burnham, drama, Katie Rose Clarke, musical, romance, tour
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast:Christine Andreas (Margaret Johnson), Katie Rose Clarke (Clara Johnson), David Burnham (Fabrizio Naccarelli), David Ledingham (Signor Naccarelli), Wendi Bergamini (Franca Naccarelli), Jonathan Hammond (Giuseppe Naccarelli)
For complete cast info, see the The Light in the Piazza tour page.
For information on tickets while it's still at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, see their The Light in the Piazza page.
There is definitely a reason The Light in the Piazza won the 2005 Tony for original score, orchestrations, scenic design, costume design, and lighting design (much of which inspired the touring production designs). In another year, The Light in the Piazza might have won the award for best musical. I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to purchase the CD. While I understand why Spamalot won the Best Musical Tony and it appeals to a wider audience with the comedy angle, The Light in the Piazza's score was far superior to Spamalot's and I'm so glad it won the six awards it won (Victoria Clark won for best actress, too). It's too bad that it's not still running on Broadway, but I guess there will always be a bigger market for the shows with more spectacle and humor than heart.
When they say that The Light in the Piazza is the most romantic show in ages, it's very true. The story is beautiful and the music is gorgeous. I've already bought the album and look forward to enjoying it for years to come.
The touring cast is wonderful and all the designs have been wonderfully recreated for the tour. I definitely recommend catching The Light in the Piazza while it's at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. They're near the beginning of the run here, so it will be in town until the 13th. Of course, it will also be touring around the country - in LA later this year and surely going to other parts of the country if you're not in the LA/OC area. I enjoyed David Burnham so much as Fabrizio that I purchased his album, which was just released in March (what luck I had in the timing of the show coming to Orange County).
I'm glad they recorded the Lincoln Center production for PBS, which I currently have on Tivo. I plan to watch it sometime, just to get an idea of how it looked there, since I missed that production.
For those of you who have spouses, kids, or friends who get lost once people start speaking (or singing) another language and may start drifting if the music is a bit too soft and pretty, this might not be the show for them. David enjoyed it, but was a bit tired before the show started (even though the OCPAC starts their shows at 7:30 now, I guess it's a good thing...) and doesn't understand foreign languages or get the gist of what people are saying as well as I do, so he started to tune the show out in points. Personally, I could have listened to the music without understanding a word for hours and would have been okay with that. David isn't as easy to please. He enjoyed it, but the matinee might have been better for him. Of course, I picked the night I did, since this is our first year with OCPAC tickets and I wanted pretty good orchestra seats starting out and to work on improving them each year from there.
The whole point of part of the show being in Italian is that in the beginning, Margaret & Clara don't speak Italian very well. Therefore, they don't understand most of what is being said around them. The Italian in the show allows the audience members to be taken into their world, where they can't understand things that are being said (or sung). The music is beautiful, so I don't see why it would matter in the case of such a great show. However, if you can't get over a fact like that, skip this one and save those around you from having to hear you complain.
The Light in the Piazza is a wonderful romantic show set in Florence and Rome (and a little in America) in 1953. I don't know how anyone who likes romantic musicals could not enjoy this show. The story is about a sweet girl meeting a wonderful (and gorgeous) guy in Italy and the events that unfold as a result. I recommend it and would definitely see it again.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2007, Christine Andreas, dancing, David Burnham, drama, Katie Rose Clarke, musical, romance, tour
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
See Cirque du Soleil's Love page for complete details.
I'm not a huge fan of the Beatles, so bear that in mind. I do really love some of their music (pun intended), but unfortunately, my two favorite songs weren't used in the show. My favorite song that they used was butched in a way (it was funny, but the music was totally removed and it was shouted as a poem). Other than that one bit, the musical was wonderful. The dancing and acrobatics were great.
Love is definitely not the typical Cirque du Soleil show, but as long as you go into the show knowing that, it's wonderful. It's energetic, creative, and beautiful. If you love Beatles music, you should definitely see Cirque du Soleil's Love! If you liked other Cirque shows, you'll probably enjoy Love. Just go into it realizing that it's not the same kind of show as their traveling shows (though it's similar to Delirium in many ways) or their other resident shows. It's more about the music, dancing, and art.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2007, Cirque du Soleil, dancing, gymnastics, musical, Vegas
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:24 PM show | 0 screams
Cast:Chita Rivera and an amazing ensemble
For complete info, see the official Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life website.
This show had been in LA and then San Diego before it went to Broadway and I missed it there. However, my aunt (wise beyond her years) caught it near the end of the run in San Diego and told me I HAD to see it. I tried when I was in NYC, but with my sister there, I wasn't sure she'd be interested in a show on dance. Now that I've seen it, I think anyone who loves Broadway theatre and/or dancing would love this snow, but I didn't know it at the time.
Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life is an amazing show. Catch it at a theatre near you if you can. If you enjoy dancing and/or musical theatre, it's an amazing retrospective of dance in theatre throughout her years in the theatre. The second Chita Rivera appeared on the stage, I thought, "Wow - I'd LOVE to look that good now." Considering the fact that she's 74 (I had to look it up online and I'm amazed that she's in such great shape) and I'm only 33, this is a bit of a sad statement for me. However, if you saw her in person, you would understand that she still has an absolutely amazing body and that same wonderful voice.
Before seeing this show, I didn't know much of what to expect. I didn't ask Tricia much about it, since I wanted to enjoy it for myself and (since we're alike in that way), she totally understood. I thought that perhaps it was a one-woman show. I was wrong and I'm so glad I was wrong. The ensemble in Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life is amazing! They're all wonderful dancers and singers and do such a great job.
I won't say too much about the structure of the show other than to say that Chita Rivera does some numbers herself and some with members of the ensemble. She narrates in between songs and sings parts of many wonderful songs from the shows she's done throughout her amazing career. If you like theatre and/or dance, you must get to a performance of Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life. If it comes out on DVD, I'll definitely own it. Then, my husband (a musical theatre fan, but not as fond of shows that are just dance) will get to see it. I went with a friend who loves dance and she enjoyed it, but I know that David will enjoy it, too. I really hope it's been recorded for PBS, since they always end up releasing the shows on DVD at some point and Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life really should be preserved forever.
Grade: A
Labels: 2007, Chita Rivera, dancing, musical, tour
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Ricky Ashley (Evan), Sara Niemietz (Patrice), Emma Degerstedt (Kendra), Caitlin Baunoch (Lucy), Jenae Burrows (Charlotte), Tinashe Kachingwe (Cassie), Tyler Mann (Archie), Ryan Ogburn (Ritchie), J. D. Phillips (Brett), Ellington Ratliff (Simon), Chloe Smith (Molly), Christian Vandal (Eddie), & Seth Zibalese (Malcolm)
For more information, see the Mark Taper Forum 13 site.
Jason Robert Brown has created another wonderful one act musical. 13 is a very well done musical. The fact that it's done with all teenagers (most 15 & under) makes 13 pretty amazing. Even the band (with the exception of the conductor) is made up of talented teenagers. The cast is very good. In fact, some of the kids are totally amazing. The music is good and the whole idea comes right out of almost anyone's middle school days (with some changes for the modern world of cell phones and text messaging).
I highly recommend catching this world premiere musical before it leaves the Mark Taper Forum. I don't know what the plans are after it leaves here, though I'm guessing a Broadway or Off-Broadway run is in the works. 13 is great for the whole family. Everyone can enjoy this flash-back to their early teens or snap shots of what they're dealing with in their lives now.
Grade: A
Labels: 2007, comedy, dancing, drama, Jason Robert Brown, musical
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:30 PM show | 0 screams