An Afternoon At The Theatre, "Pippin"

My only exposure to Pippin was the movie version and I only watched it because I liked William Katt. (Remember him from The Greatest American Hero?) I was aware that the Broadway revival was hugely popular, so I was looking forward to seeing the show with Chad.

I did enjoy the overall show. I'm not a fan of the storyline and there are some memoriable showtunes. What I liked best about the show was the circus theme. I loved watching the circus performers.

An Afternoon At The Theatre, "Dirty Dancing"

Yesterday Chad and I headed to Durham for the opening show of the new SunTrust Broadway season. I was looking forward to the afternoon for a couple of reasons. As you can see by the photo, our seats are pretty much in the center of the first row of the Grand Tier. No heads to obstruct my view and the legroom is invaluable.

I was also looking forward to seeing Dirty Dancing. I loved the movie and was interested in seeing it staged.

It wasn't the cast. It was the book. The opening number was just...odd. Baby is in her room packing for the summer and then dirty dancing couples appear. Baby is mesmorized by them, walks around them in a dream-like stupor and I'm like WTF? There were several scenes that were just out of place and in no way moved the story along. Some of the projections were okay, some were just laughable.

While I liked it more than Chad did (I'm a sucker for any kind of dancing), we both decided that life is too short to sit through bad theatre. We left at intermission and ate a late lunch at Tyler's Taproom.

This is strike two for Patrick Swayze movies turned into musicals. Should Red Dawn, Roadhouse or Point Break ever be made into musicals, rest assured I'm not going to waste my time.

A (Short) Afternoon at the Theatre

In 1990 several of my co-workers and I left work early to see the movie Ghost. Apart from Patrick Swayze's performance, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Whenever it's on TV, I sit and watch. It's a funny and endearing movie.

A few years ago I heard the movie was being made into a musical. Huh. Okay. The movie is so iconic. Why mess it up?

Six months ago Chad purchased season tickets to DPAC's Broadway Series which included a tour of Ghost: The Musical. When he asked if I wanted to go, I said yes. I liked the movie and I was intrigued with the prospect of the musical.

It started out promising. The two opening songs "Here Right Now" and "Unchained Melody" were nice although I was a little miffed at the video projection of Sam and Molly making love. (I got that that was where they were headed. I didn't need to see it on the big screen.) The next number, "More," was so completely out of place. It reminded me of the telephone number from "9 to 5." Sam's famous "ditto" response to Molly's "I love you" was nicely done in "Three Little Words." Sam is shot and killed and the show went downhill from there. Hospital Ghosts came out singing to Sam that "You Gotta Let Go." WTH? An ensemble of Halloween costumed ghosts? I was shaking my head in complete disbelief of the number. It was just so out of place. The subway scene where Sam first meets the aggressive ghost was the coolest thing. And then we meet Oda Mae and she was played like a badly acted imitation of Miss Cleo from the Psychic Network. And her "Are You a Believer?" number went on about 10 minutes longer than it should have. Oda Mae should be funny, not over the top. Molly's "With You" was dreadful. She was lamenting Sam's death and killing me with her awful high notes. The act one final number had me wishing I could "Suspend My Disbelief" that this show was anything but drek. "I Had a Life" and Chad and I decided to go and live it. We left at intermission.

We stopped at Tyler's Taproom for a late lunch/early dinner. We did some research on the show and found out it only played on Broadway about 6 months. Even just seeing the first Act we understood why. The show just didn't have a flow to it. Some of the numbers completely stopped the show, and not in a good way. It was just awful.

An Afternoon At The Theatre, "The Addams Family"

Ken and Heather were supposed to see this on Broadway. Due to the reviews, they gave their tickets to Sam and saw another show. Sam did see it, and he thought it was okay.

Unfortunately both Chad and I felt like it was 2.5 hours of our lives that we'll never get back. I thought it was absolutely horrible. The score was awful and the book was weak. The dance numbers had me laughing they were so bad. And "The Moon and Me" Uncle Fester number...I think I feel asleep.

Ken and Heather had the right idea. I wish Chad and I had painted a wall so we could have watched it dry.

An Evening At The Theatre, "Next To Normal"

Sam saw this show on Broadway and absolutely loved it. He burned me a copy of the CD and overall, I liked the score.

Last night Chris and I attended the touring production in Charlotte. I was very much looking forward to seeing Alice Ripley in the role that won her a Tony Award.

The set was reminisent of Rent and Spring Awakening with scaffolding and purple, bright lighting.

Curt Hansen played Gabe and Emma Hunton played his younger sister Natalie. Both were outstanding. Jeremy Kushner played the dual role of Dr. Madden and Dr. Fine. He was okay. Nothing about either performance really stood out for me. Asa Somers performance was absolutely heartwrenching. By the end of the show I was trying to hold back tears. I was not successful.

Alice Ripley was astoundingly disappointing. I'm no singer, but I can certainly tell when someone is off key. She ever found the appropriate key. It might have been that she was tired. It might have been that she was sick. It might have been that she really didn't want to do the tour. Whatever it was, it came through in her performance.

If it hadn't been for the strong performances by her castmates, I would have demanded my money back.

An Evening At The Theatre

When I discovered that Billy Elliot The Musical was going to be playing at the ASU Gammage while I was in Tempe I made immediate plans to attend.

Right after class I walked from CHQ to the Gammage Auditorium. I had decided to purchase my ticket at the Box Office instead of messing with an online purchase. For $50.50 I got a first row, first tier balcony seat (68). I grabbed a chicken pesto salad at the Portico Café, and reviewed the Playbill.

Unfortunately we did not get to see Faith Prince as Mrs. Wilkinson. Beverly Ward played the role well enough. Our Billy was Giuseppe Bausilio, 13, who hails from Bern, Switzerland and enjoys cooking, skiing, swimming, reading, speaks 5 languages, studies kung fu, cello and piano. And oh, he's a trained ballet, modern, jazz, flamenco, hop-hop, and tap dancer. Of course.

Overall the show did not reach the levels of excitement I had expected. The "Angry Dance" which was performed with gusto at the Tonys, was only ho-hum. While certainly capable, Giuseppe lacked, well, the anger of the piece. His "Dear Billy" (Mum's Letter) duet with Mum (Jennifer Evans) and Mrs. Wilkinson brought tears to my eyes. Heartwrenchingly beautiful. "Dear Billy" (Billy's Reply) was equally so.

My absolute favorite scene was the Billy and Older Billy ballet/aerial dance. Maximilien A. Baud, who played Older Billy, was wonderfully mesmerizing. Again, the simplistic beauty of their performance brought tears to my eyes.

Jacob Zelonky played Michael, Billy's BFF. He is one talented kid with perfect comic timing. His performance and personality during "Expressing Yourself" filled the stage as much as the come-to-life dresses did.

An Evening at the Theatre

Earlier tonight Ken and headed down to Charlotte to the Belk Theater. We were going to see Twelve Angry Men. I knew Richard Thomas was in the show, and for some reason I thought George Wendt was also in the show. I had read the play last year for the KLT playreading committee and I wondered how the show could be staged. As such, I was excited to be seeing the show.

The ushers immediately made me feel right at "home". I wasn't allowed to bring in my just-purchased-at-their-concession-stand Skittles into the auditorium. So I did what any decent person would do. I put the bag in my purse, snuck them in, and ate them while reading the playbill. How appropriate that I felt a little criminal before the show started.

The set was as you'd expect. A large room containing a table and chairs for twelve, a water cooler, a window, etc. The lights changed as the jurors filed in. Richard Thomas received a round of applause when he entered. And then the play began.

At some point during the show I realized that I was sitting, literally, on the edge of my seat, leaning forward. I had totally forgotten I was watching a play, and became completely wrapped up in the jurors voting on the fate of a young, black boy. I was absolutely enthralled!

On the way home I bored Ken to death by peppering him with questions about trials, courtrooms and jurors. I've never served on a jury, but if Richard Thomas served with me, I'd volunteer!

An Afternoon at the Theatre

Mallorie and I went to see Movin' Out at the Greensboro Coliseum yesterday afternoon. We both loved it!

The storyline: Long Island in the 60's. Sweethearts Eddie and Brenda break off their high school romance, as James and Judy get engaged. Another member of the group, Tony, picks up with Brenda shortly before all of the boys head off for Vietnam. James loses his life on the battlefield, leaving Judy shattered. Tony and Eddie return home with feelings of loss and alienation. Tony and Brenda's relationship becomes more and more complicated, while Eddie slips into narcotic abuse. In a drug laced fantasy Eddie follows the image of Judy which steers him in the right direction and he soon finds solace. Meanwhile, Tony and Brenda renew their love for each other. The friend reunite to discover they have all found their way back home.

Due to the endurance needed for Eddie, 4 dancers rotate the role. We saw Andrew Pirozzi as Eddie, and he was awesome. Understudy Shayna Harris played Brenda. She was very good as well. John Corsa played Tony and when he and Shayna were on stage it was magic. I was not impressed with the dancers who played Judy and James. Kyle Martin was our Piano Man, and there were times when he sounded very much like Billy Joel.

The opening number, "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me", was slow to begin. Once the band warmed up, they maintained the needed energy throughout the show. While some of the dance numbers were spectacular (Tony "skating" across the stage in his hi-tops, Eddie's leaps through the air), some were not. Some of the dancers had timing difficulty, so their performances weren't as clean. And some of Twyla Tharp's choreography was just unusual.

Still, it's a very impressive show, and Mallorie was thrilled to have seen it with me. We listened to Billy Joel's Greatest Hits on the way to the coliseum, so she was familiar with a few songs I had grown up listening to. And I couldn't help but sing along to some of the songs.

So Excited!

I just finished printing my tickets!

Dyin' to See This

I first heard about Movin' Out in 2003, when it was nominated for several Tony awards, including the Best and Featured Actor/Actress categories. What made the show especially noteworthy, even in its nominations, was that there is no dialogue. The story is "acted out" through choreography.

I grew up on Billy Joel and I love the art of dance. As such I've been dying to see this. I missed it a couple of years ago when it toured in Charlotte. Good news! It's going to be in Greensboro this Saturday and Sunday!

Told through the choreography of Twyla Tharp and more than two dozen of Billy Joel’s songs, it's the story of lifelong friends through two turbulent decades that change them and the world around them forever. Songs like “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” and “Pressure” all come together to weave a musical backdrop which beautifully complements Tharp’s innovative choreography. The songs and dance take audiences through a poignant narrative comprised of three main elements: post-World War II idealism, the Vietnam War and its subsequent unrest, and finally, survival.

Many will recognize the main characters, as they come straight from Joel’s lyrics. There’s Brenda and Eddie from “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” Tony and Sergeant O’Leary from “Movin’ Out,” Judy from “Why, Judy, Why,” and James from “James”—and their story is told completely through dance, with no dialogue whatsoever. Movin' Out is “a story told without language,” Tharp says. “The movement and the action tell the story—the experience, the emotional resonance, comes from action rather than language.”

I'll be purchasing tickets no later than Tuesday, so let me know if you'd like to go with me!

An Evening at the Theatre

Ken, Emily S. and I travelled to Charlotte to see the touring of The Drowsy Chaperone at Belk Theater. It was a cute show.

The story centers around Man in Chair (Jonathan Crombie, who was wonderful!) who is feeling a bit "blue". To combat his depression he plays musical soundtracks. On this particular day, he chooses the soundtrack to the 1928 musical The Drowsy Chaperone. As the record plays, the musical comes to life in his apartment. I loved this concept, but wasn't very impressed with the actual musical within a musical. The costumes were the best thing about it. There weren't really any big dance numbers and the songs weren't very memorable. In truth, outside of the Man in Chair and the twin gangsters (Paul and Peter Riopelle) I wasn't impressed with the cast. The guy who played Feldzieg looked exactly like Dick Butkus!

Ken thought the show would have made a better comedy than a musical. I totally agreed. Still, we all had an enjoyable evening watching a very entertaining show.

Go, Go, Go Joseph!

Ken and I attended last night's performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Greensboro Coliseum. While I had never seen the show before, I quickly realized I was familiar with some of the music. (Courtesy of several Andrew Lloyd Webber compilation CDs.)

The big musical numbers were wonderful with their crashes of drums and flashes of light. The cast was full of cowboy and cheerleading energy. The show closed with the Joseph Megamix, a rock/disco medley of most of the major numbers. (I believe this number inspired Jamie to dance-up his curtain calls.) I was highly impressed with the music and choreography. The actual story....well, not so much.

I'm no Bible scholar, so on the way home Ken and I discussed what I thought were flaws in the story:

1.) Preferential treatment by Jacob - I mean, who among us can really blame the brothers for their jealousy? It's easy to understand how sibling rivalry could get out of hand, especially since Joseph was the only one to get the "coat of many colors". Jacob could just as easily made 12 coats, each in a different color. (By the way, the word "technicolor" is never uttered in the show.)
2.) Joseph mouths off - Dreams about "my star being bigger than yours" and "you will bow before me". Hello? The brothers roughing Joseph up and throwing him into the pit, totally understandable. (Selling Joseph into slavery, not so much. Claiming Joseph is dead and celebrating, ok, a little extreme.)
3.) The Golden Cup - When Joseph jumps off the throne and secretly places his golden cup in Benjamin's sack, I thought Joseph was making sure his brothers are well taken care of; after the food runs out they could sell the golden cup for more food. Imagine my surprise when Joseph jumps off the throne a second time to accuse someone of stealing his cup! He searches each bag, knowing full well where he placed the cup. Was this really a test for the brothers to display their unselfishness and penitence? Or was it revenge?

We enjoyed the energetic performance and Ken and I had a fun time discussing the show's ambiguous message. And I'm not embarrassed to admit to dancing around my kitchen this morning pretending my (pink) robe was a (techicolor) dreamcoat.

I'm Done RENTing

Last night Ken and I saw the 473rd national tour of Rent. Ok, I'm kidding about the 473rd tour...but it has been playing on Broadway and touring for 10+ years.

I first fell in love with Rent strictly by listening to the cast CD, which I had been given for Christmas. The CD became a permanent fixture in my car. I loved the music, I loved the play (at least what I read about it from the CD booklet), and I loved the story behind the play.

The show came to Greensboro in December 1997, and I was there. In the balcony, singing my heart out. The show was absolutely wonderful! I bought a program and a "Seasons of Love" ornament. I was a true Renthead!

In October 2003, my best friend scored free tickets when Rent returned to Greensboro. He had never seen the show, but he was very familiar with the music. He loved the show, I was lukewarm. I hated the actor who played Roger. He was whimpy and a bit effaminate, and well, he just didn't "Light My Candle".

I've seen the movie several times; twice at the theater and several times on DVD with Mallorie. I loved that the original cast did the movie. I loved Traci as the new Maureen. I hated Rosario as the new Mimi. She just wasn't gritty enough.

When Ken and I were planning our "culture" for this year, I asked him to include tickets to see Rent. So, off we went to the Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte. I hate to admit this, but I was really bored with the production. I don't know whether it was because I've seen it so many times, or whether I just wasn't keen on the cast. Again, I didn't like the actor playing Roger. He was from the London cast and I just couldn't get past Roger sounding British.

The production was good. I just realized that I wasn't into it. I still love the music, I just don't have any desire to see the show anymore. There are too many other shows that I'd like to see.

An Evening at the Theatre

Last night Ken and I drove to Greensboro to see Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy. It was less a theatre production and more of an evening at the circus. A very colorful and talented circus.

The show was 90-minutes of floor and aerial acrobats (which I love!), contortionists, jugglers, balancers, dancers, a very tall drummer and a singing lady bug. I think there was supposed to be a storyline, but I couldn't understand the singing lady bug who acted as a narrator. She had a nice voice; I just couldn't understand what she was singing.

It was a neat show, but I kept thinking that Cade might have had more fun. After the first act the impressiveness of the colorful costumes and skills of the contortionists and jugglers began to wear off and I became slightly bored. I've seen similar talent on TV.

Still, if you haven't seen a show like this, it's cool to experience. Just bring along the little kids who can help you maintain your excitement.

Edward Scissorhands

Have you ever been to a musical without any singing or dialogue and with just dancing? That's the concept behind the new stage adaptation of Edward Scissorhands, which Ken and I saw last night at the Belk Theater in Charlotte.

I actually remember seeing the movie. It was January 1991, and Mickey Carroll took me to see it at the Hanes Mall Cinema. I loved the theatricalness (is that a new word?) of the movie and was very impressed with Johnny Depp as Edward. So, when we were in Charlotte for NCTC, and I saw the brochures for the show, I asked Ken if he wanted to see it with me. (I tossed in quite a few please, please, pleases as well.)

While we had good seats (row D, seats 1/2) to begin with, they became even better seats when the couple in front of us left during intermission. Ken and I then had an unobstructed view of the whole stage. The show was impressive before the intermission, but after intermission, it was breathtaking.

I watched in awe as every dancer brought the movie characters to life. Some even brought to life Edward's garden shrub creations. I wanted to go backstage just to see how those costumes were made! I was not as impressed with the dancer who played Kim, the Winona Ryder role in the movie, though she and Edward had some nice "duets". One of two dancers plays Edward and I'm not sure which one we saw. But whichever it was, he was phenomenal! (And had really nice dancer's buns to boot!) He conveyed such wonderful innocence and humanity for Edward. Many in the audience connected with him as evidenced by the sniffles that could be heard during the final scene. A lump was in my own throat.

My favorite part of the production was the curtain call, specifically Edward's bow. Sam or Richard (damn, I wish I knew which one it was!) tottered out, in character, to the end of the stage. He stood there, soaking in the well-deserved applause and standing ovation. He titled his head to one side as if "Edward" was curious about the thunderous noise, raised his scissorhands over his head, and opened his arms. And then it started to snow. All over the entire audience.

Two words: breathtaking and unforgettable.

Broadway Weekend Continued...

I think Ken can now check something off his "Things To Do Before I Die" list. We saw Monty Python's Spamalot tonight. I knew that if I didn't accompany Ken, he most likely would not go. So off to Charlotte we coconut shell trotted.

Unlike Friday night's Hairspray, I did know a little something about Spamalot. A former boyfriend was an avid watcher of Monty Python and was prone to spout phrases from the series, usually after drinking. (If memory serves me correctly his favorite phrase had something to do with a penguin sitting atop a television....) To further my Monty Python "education" and to deepen our "love" I sat through "Monty Python's The Holy Grail". He laughed his ass off and I merely tolerated the movie. I just didn't find that kind of humor, well, humorous. A knight who continues to fight after all limbs have been cut off? Oh, come on.

However, tonight I was pleasantly surprised. We had great seats, row D seats 1 and 2 (d'oh, left and not center). The set was outstanding. I was very impressed with all the drops and flyies. The cast was fabulous, except for the Lady in the Lake. I couldn't decide if "she" was a she or a very good female impersonator. And much of the story followed the movie. Well, almost. After Act 3, sorry, Act 2, things got really interesting, and really funny. I actually laughed, several times in fact.

I can truthfully say that I thoroughly enjoyed Spamalot. But please don't make me sit through it again. Unless we can get row D seats 1 and 2 in the center! That alone would make a second seeing worthwhile.

Hairspray

Last night Ken and I went to see Hairspray. (Yes, this time he remembered the tickets!)

I didn't know much about the show, except that Harvey Weinstein played the mother on Broadway, and that's the same role that John Travolta is portraying for the movie. And I knew that Ricky Lake played the lead on Broadway. If Ken had backed out, I wouldn't have been hurt in the least. I wasn't really excited or looking forward to going. Neither of us were.

We were so glad we sucked it up. I was absolutely blown away, from the moment the curtain rose. I used to think Jamie's curtain calls were something. Imagine Jamie's curtain calls as every single musical number and there were a bunch of them since the storyline involved a local TV dance program, much like American Bandstand. The cast sang and dance and danced and sang. I kept thinking that by the end of the tour, the actress playing Tracy Turnbald would be skinner than a Victoria's Secret model. What a work-out!

The show is, hands down, one of the best shows I've ever seen. If the tour comes through your town, make sure you see it. It's a great show with a great message. And one helluva rockin good time will be had by all.

A Night At The Theatre

Last night, Ken and I drove to Greensboro to see a touring production of The Producers.

The show was a bit delayed in starting. Apparently the crew was running behind schedule due to an extended strike of Barney Live! We also did not get our Playbills. Word was that they had been shipped to the wrong address. There were also several instances when the backstage crew, and lighting crew screwed up. One crew member opened the door anticipating changing the scene only to learn the scene wasn't over. I'm used to seeing these errors in community theatre. I was very disappointed with these mistakes for a Broadway touring production.

The show itself....well, I hate to admit it but I was bored. I had already seen the movie musical and the touring production was exactly the same. I just was not impressed with the two leads who were acting more Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick instead of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom.