broadwayblogger-blog

[broadwayblogger-blog]

Review: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, 7/22/15

With all the charm of an Edwardian funeral, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder comes to life as a comical musical, with the aesthetic of the murder mystery board game Clue. The outlandish premise takes a morbid turn when Montague (Monty) learns that he is ninth in line to inherit the earldom and decides to go for it. And by go for it, I mean, he starts killing off his eight wacky, unstable, questionable, and possibly inbred relatives--all played by the talented and hilarious Jefferson Mays--that precede him from gaining the class status that would enable him to marry the (shallow and social-climbing) love of his life, Sibella.  The ornate set (notably the dancing knight suits!) and opulent costumes were lovely, but content-wise, I felt like Act II was lacking, primarily in Monty’s character development. He does go from an innocent, poor man to a sly, scheming murderer, but there’s no backfire; the disasters that could have happened are only hinted at by throwing in another distant relative at the end. Otherwise, Monty gets away with cheating on his lovers and, well, murder. Perhaps I should have taken the title of the show at face value, but I walked out feeling a bit cheated.  In any case, the dark humor and virtual lottery made this show worth the trip and the ticket. If Act I could have overshadowed the ending, I’m sure I’d kill to see it again. 

[broadwayblogger-blog]

[broadwayblogger-blog]

Broadway in Byrant Park! Saw performances from STOMP and Wicked (Popular, As Long As You’re Mine, The Wizard and I)!! 

[broadwayblogger-blog]

Review: Something Rotten!, 7/4/15

This past weekend, after playing the virtual lottery for weeks, I finally lucked out and won tickets to Something Rotten! Huzzah! The show welcomes the audience to the Renaissance with a hearty opening number. Even though the show is set in 1595, there are wacky anachronisms packed throughout and modern day issues (feminism, family dynamics, creative pressures, etc.) to keep it relevant.

As a literature student and a theater fan, I am probably the target audience member for Something Rotten. There’s Shakespeare, major fangirling over poetry, and references from Annie to Avenue Q. Shakespeare is portrayed as an antagonistic rockstar by Christian Borle, clad in leather pants. The song “God, I Hate Shakespeare” made me crack up harder than the eggs that were used in the making of the omelette costumes (yes, there is a kickline of dancers in omelette suits at a point in the show). The Bottom brothers attempt to compete against the Bard by writing the first musical in history. The show gets very meta here, in a hilariously irreverent way, parodying musicals, itself included. I feel like Something Rotten got away with quite bit in terms of ripping off Shakespeare quotes and song lyrics from other shows, but it put its own comical spin on everything that somehow pulled it all together.  

By the end of the show, I wasn’t quite certain what I had seen. It was an impressive melange of randomness. I’m amazed by the sheer amount of ideas that made it into the show (the plague, puritans, breakfast foods, tap dancing, Nazis, Cats, Les Mis, Sir Walter Raleigh, jazz hands, America). Something Rotten definitely won me over with its over-the-top lunacy. And the Elizabethan ruffs, of course.

[broadwayblogger-blog]

Review: Wicked, 3/17/15

I wasn’t planning on seeing Wicked any time soon (because I have seen it more times than I can count), but the Munchkinland Tour (the only tour now *sob*...I saw Wicked for the first time nine years ago when the Emerald City/1NT came to Fort Lauderdale, with Stephanie J. Block as Elphaba and Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda) was coincidentally playing in Miami, and I just happened to be in for spring break.  This cast was so full of energy. Carrie St. Louis was an amazing Glinda! She was absolutely bubbling over with sparkles and curls.  Each note she sang was pure and clear.  She also brought such a sadness to mature Glinda in “No One Mourns the Wicked” and in Act II.  She was absolutely wonderful.  Lee Slobotkin also played the role of Boq so well.  He seemed so tiny and munckin-like next to the other cast members, and it was sad to watch him get turned down my Glinda over and over again.  I was not a huge fan of Alyssa Fox’s voice.  It seemed a bit too high at points, but she had a fierce “No Good Deed,” with some intense riffs.  John Davidson’s Wizard was humorous.  The singing was not his strongest point, but he injected the Wizard with comedy and a sense of humor that I had not seen before. I also did not feel like Ashley Parker Angel’s voice was exactly right for the part, but he did look good as Fiyero, super tall and muscular.   Overall, I had a good time.  I can’t get over Carrie St. Louis as Glinda; she was just perfect.  Wicked is playing at the Adrienne Arsht Theater in Miami until  March 29.  Tour lotto tickets are still just $25! 

[broadwayblogger-blog]

Review: Matilda, 2/28/15 I finally got around to seeing Matilda the Musical at the Shubert.  The matinée lotto crowd was pretty small, so everyone there ended up getting tickets! The movie Matilda was a huge part of my childhood, and I love Roald Dahl, too, so I was wondering how the stage version would play off of both the film and the book.  It definitely follows the book more closely, but there are a few unique twists that the musical added to make the story even more magical. Brooklyn Shuck was on for Matilda, and I was amazed.  The entire cast of kids was adorable and had ridiculous amounts of talent oozing out of their ears.  The set was whimsically delightful, with colorful alphabet blocks stacked up to the ceiling and used inventively within the choreography. Christopher Sieber’s performance as Miss Trunchbull was phenomenal.  The music was catchy; I have not been able to get it out of my head since seeing the show.  When I Grow Up was truly beautiful and magical. It captured the most nostalgic and wonderful aspects of childhood and blended them with a rawer reality of adulthood in such a soaring and marvelous way.  

Broadway 2013: A Year In Review

Matilda The Musical

Opened April 11th, at the Shubert Theatre

[broadwayblogger-blog]

Vol. 15 of Carols for a Cure is out! Support Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS and purchase the 2 disc holiday CD for yourself or a theater-loving friend. 

[broadwayblogger-blog]

Review: Cinderella, 11/15/13

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella transports the audience to a familiar magical fairytale world upon entering the opulent Broadway Theater (equipped with plush red velvet seats and carpeting and a dazzling chandelier).  The Broadway production brings the classic tale with the original music and characters to life, from the 1965 movie.  The orchestra did a fantastic job, and I was surprised that I recognized the majority of the songs.

 Admittedly, I was not enthusiastic about seeing the show at first, but my friend desperately wanted to see the production. There were a few points in the show that were cliché and cloying, but overall, the characters and story had more depth than my 7-year-old mind attributed to them in the Disney version.  The characters even acknowledged the sappier lines and overdone fairytale scenarios.  They have realistic motives: Prince Topher wants to truly make a difference; Jean-Michele is spearheading a peasant uprising; one of the stepsisters has her own love interest.  Even if you’re not a romantic or think you’ve grown out of fairytales, there are some truly magical theater moments within Cinderella.

 Many of these feats are due to costume design. The costumes are an incredible engineering accomplishment.  William Ivey Long definitely deserved the Tony for his designs.  The (multiple) transformation scenes were mind-blowing.  In mere seconds, a beautiful ball gown poofed forth right in front of the audiences’ eyes from a dress of rags (and later got sucked into the stage, and left her back in her dress of rags). The set was also elaborate with multiple pieces, moving staircases, cottages, and looming trees to make up an enchanted forest. Everything was beautiful to look at, drenched in sparkles. Every surface glittered.  The lighting made everything shimmer in moonlight, and created a dreamy ambiance throughout the show.

 The majority of the choreography was heavily balletic.  Overall, it was decent, but not the strength of the show. 

 Laura Osnes was phenomenal.  The entire cast did a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life, without being caricatures.  Osnes truly embodied the sweet, kind character of Cinderella and exudes sweetness.

Despite my cynicism, I walked out of the show in such a positive mood, the message of kindness wrapped in a glitter dancing a waltz in my mind (along with the music). 

[broadwayblogger-blog]

Festivated at #WICKED10 

[broadwayblogger-blog]

#WICKED10 !!!!

[broadwayblogger-blog]

[broadwayblogger-blog]

Review: Once, 9/25/13

Wading through the crowds of people in Times Square is always an interesting experience.  It’s become pretty unpleasant since moving here, but occasionally, the flashing marquees and larger-than-life billboards still astound me as they light up the night.  Ticket in hand, I wove through the rows of plush red seats to stand onstage for the pre-show.  Audience members got to take a closer peek at the set: the curved set piece that made up the stage; the cracked, yellowing mirrors; the dusty checked floor.  To my surprise, we were allowed to stay standing onstage, backs pressed against the wall, while the actors came out and began to start the show. 

The actors presented a wide variety of people, some well dressed, others with ragged jeans and oily hair.  But their contrasting appearances didn’t matter; the music brought them everyone together.  Standing onstage, the energy and passion were especially palpable, like the beat of the music and sweet hum of the strings were pushing at your heels to get up and stomp and dance.  The sum of the fiddles, banjo, accordion, cello, guitar, ukulele created a magical swell of energy and beauty that swept everyone into the story going on onstage.

Once the music started melting into the story, the audience was ushered off to their seats as lively Irish jigs began.  David Patrick Kelly, Da, was adorable old man, just sprightly and energetic, spinning with his fiddle.  The music was beautiful, through the whole show.  The actors are true musicians, putting their souls into the songs, and last night, it reached out to the audience, all the way up to the mezzanine, pulling everyone in, with the story and the words and the music. 

The show was much funnier than I expected it to be.  Act One was full of quirky little jokes and sass.  There were also tear-away pants. 

Of course, it got more serious as the show unfolded.  The music truly unified everything, transcending barriers between languages and struggle, demonstrating the essence of the human experience and what living means. 

Arthur Darvill, who played Guy, had a raw voice that expanded to a huge belt.  It was gorgeous and passionate.  I was surprised to find out that he was sick since his singing was not impaired.  Likewise, Joanna Christie, who played Girl, had a lovely whistling voice.  It reminded me a flute playing high, clear notes.  The ensemble, of course, was wonderful—everyone really contributed to the harmony of the music and the dynamic energy onstage. 

Act Two had an aching, longing sense to it, as relationships grew more tangled.  It was sad, but depressing.  Falling Slowly, the anthem of the show, was sung once more.  In contrast to the first time it was sung, in the beginning of the show, this rendition was full and complete and overflowing with feeling.  Though Once did not close with a clear-cut happy ending, it was still a beautiful show with gorgeous music and performers.  

[broadwayblogger-blog]

Review to come

[broadwayblogger-blog]

Review: Unbroken Circle, 9/19/13

I'm back in New York and back to reviewing all sorts of shows. A couple of days ago, as part of the "20 at 20" deal (that I nearly missed...this seems to be an unfortunate recurring problem), I got a front row seat to the off-Broadway play Unbroken Circle.   The show takes place in Texas during the '70s, opening with a death in the family. The grandfather's funeral elicits a multitude of reactions from the different family members who are all pushed together under one roof for the first time in years.  Family secrets are revealed as the story plays out.  The vicious cycle of sexual abuse emerges as the root of this family's problems and tensions. Suzanna Hay, who plays Ruby/the grandmother, gave a phenomenal performance.  Her shift from worn-out mother figure to strong, desperate woman was frightening in the best way possible.  She convincingly conveyed her desperation to keep hidden family secrets hidden, proving the multifaceted, unpredictability of humans. In my opinion, was the highlight of the show.  The play itself could have been tweaked to not have quite so many overdone moments.  There were places where the dialog sounded cliché or the characters lacked common sense. The exits were too visible and obvious, with some awkward transitions between scenes.  However, the emotional scenes in which some secrets were revealed were intense.  The trauma that the family was going through was believable.   Overall, the deal was worth it to see the show for $20.  It was also an interesting experience to be seated so closely to the actors, yet with a solid wall between each sphere. It really felt like you were looking into a different time. You couldn't touch it or change it, and I guess that's what the show was going for. 

[broadwayblogger-blog]

Custom designed shoes (any design you'd like, from Broadway logos to cartoon characters to famous pieces of art) on sale for a limited time in my etsy shop! 

[broadwayblogger-blog]

[broadwayblogger-blog]

Went to the Drama Desk Awards tonight! Awesome performances and loved experiencing a taste of the Broadway community.