#playreviews

[wordtowords]

A Review: The Great Gatsby: The Musical

public domain - noun - the state of belonging or being available to the public as a whole, therefore not subject to copyright.

On January 1, 2021, F. Scott Fitzgerald's comparatively brief, literary masterpiece, The Great Gatsby entered the public domain after 95 years of copyright protection. With it, the doors to Jay's mansion were opened up to permit party crashers (present writers) to enter and reek anarchic havoc indefinitely on a flawless classic that deserves to be preserved since perfection needs no improvement.

The other night, a close friend of mine invited me to see the premiere of the new musical The Great Gatsby at the Tony-winning regional theater, the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. As a Gatsby connoisseur, I gratefully accepted, hoping for the best.

On the plus side, the show's cast list reads like the Broadway version of Who's Who, and the production values are excellent, completely comparable to that of any present-day Broadway musical. The music is pretty much Disney-esque (think "Frozen" here). Surely, the producers must have high hopes to realize a continuation of the show on the Great White Way after the limited engagement at the Paper Mill ends in December. The entire run, apparently, is sold out, which is most unusual for a local New Jersey theater. For The Great Gatsby: The Musical, the buzz is loud and boisterous. But is the reality? Sadly, no.

Considering what it is, a musical loosely based on Gatsby, the title is all wrong. It should have been called, "Jay and Daisy, Nick and Jordan." Why? Perhaps ignorant of the original, yet conscious of the contemporary trend to erase the ugliness of history in favor of "woke" ideology, the updated version pays little attention to Fitzgerald's organization of events, realigning key moments and lines of dialogue so that they just do not make any sense contextually. It also reimagines the main characters (a buffoonish Jay; a manipulative, vengeful Daisy) as well as relatively insignificant secondary characters, changing them to significant ones by reconceptualizing their personalities, and adding contemporary dialogue to make all of them scarcely credible given the setting of the 1920s. Forget about Nick's first person narration as well. Meyer Wolfsheim enters on occasion from stage left as somewhat of a stage manager–for what reason, I have no idea. Further plot complications are also included (Myrtle Wilson winds up pregnant with Tom's baby, which makes Daisy guilty of double manslaughter), but definitely not needed. The jostling, rearranging, reimagining and adding amount to chaos. Yet apparently, the audiences are eating it all up, awarding the piece with standing ovations night after night. Do they not see that the Emperor is not wearing any clothes? "Ignorance is bliss." I'll say so. 

No doubt, the money from the box office receipts will continue to pour in, bolstering this parody of the original. If Fitzgerald were still alive and seated in the audience, he might have enjoyed it, but don't forget that he had a sense of humor (he married Zelda), needed the money desperately, and most likely would have been roaringly drunk at the performance. My guess is that the masterminds of The Great Gatsby: The Musical might be fans, not of Scott but of Mark Twain, embracing his idea that it is "easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled." 

My hope is that the laws of public domain will be edited so that classic literature will be protected from slanderous imitation indefinitely. Tip for writers: Be original. Come up with your own ideas for musicals. Don't borrow from the greats just for the sake of the all-mighty dollar. You'll most definitely come up short, maybe not in this climate, but in the long run when people finally wake up to see that the Emperor is actually naked, recognizing what they might have thought was ingenious is actually rubbish. 

[haute-lifestyle-com]

Wicked, the enchanting, magical, musical currently playing at the Gershwin Theater on Broadway, in New York City, presents an adaption of the Wizard of Oz, taking audiences back to witch's academy, when friendships were made and severed

[animeshonly]

বাংলা নাটক: আর্ট (রিভিউ)

আর্ট দেখলাম। তৃতীয় বার। অনেক গুণী মানুষ আর্টের টেকনিক্যাল দিক গুলো নিয়ে অসম্ভব সুন্দর করে রিভিউ লিখেছেন বলেই আমার অন্য কিছু নিয়ে আলোচনা করা ভালো।

হল থেকে বেরোনোর সময় শুনলাম একটি ছেলে নিজের বান্ধবীকে বলছে শুধু অনির্বানদার কমিক রিলিফ গুলোর জন্য নাটক টা ��েখা গেল! অবাক হলাম না। দোষ টা খারাপ খাবারের। যেটা দি���ের পর দিন খেয়ে খেয়ে ওটাকেই স্বাভাবিক বলে মনে হয়। হঠাৎ ওরকম ছক ভাঙা কিছু দেখলে হজম করতে কষ্ট হবেই তো।

এর আগে অনেকে গৌতমদার গলা শোনা যায়না বলে জানিয়েছিলেন। আমার তো বরং এবারের শো তে অনির্বান দার কিছু শব্দ কিছু জায়গায় শুনতে অসুবিধে হলো। এবং অদ্ভুতভাবে একটুও অসুবিধে হয়নি! পুরো নাটকটির অভিনয় এতটাই স্বতঃস্ফূর্ত যে এই শব্দ হারিয়ে যাওয়া কে আমাদের রোজকার কথাবার্তার মতোই স্বাভাবিক লাগে।

নিজে anxiety র সমস্যায় ভুগি বলে মৈনাকের বডি ল্যাঙ্গুয়েজ বড্ড চেনা লাগলো। একগুঁয়েমি টাও!

রিশেলের pseudo ইন্টেলেকচুয়াল (?) সত্তা আর মৈনাকের ডিপ্রেসেড ন্যারোনেস কোথাও গিয়ে মাস মেডিওক্রিটিকে সিম্বলাইজ করে। অনুভবের মতো (নাকি সুপ্রিম বোসের মতো করে!) করে আর অনুভব করে ওঠা হয়না আমাদের মধ্যেকার 'আমি' আর অন্যদের 'তুমি' গুলোকে। আমাদের আমিগুলো তাই আমাদের মতো করেই আমাদের আমি হয়ে থেকে যায়। অন্যদের মধ্যে থাকা আলাদা আলাদা 'আমি' কে আর চিনে ওঠা হয়না।

যে কারনে বন্ধুত্বের সম্পর্কে মৈনাক কন্ট্রোলফ্রিক/ ডমিনেন্ট হতে চায়। রিশেল পুঁজির জোরে সফিস্টিকেশন গায়ে মাখে। আর অনুভব সবদিক সামাল দেওয়া নীললোহিত! মাঝের সময়টা একটু ড্র্যাগড লাগলো। দৈর্ঘ্য একটু কম হলে ভালো হয়। ওয়াইন গ্লাসের ওয়াইন শেষ হতে এতগুলো চুমুক লাগে না!

প্রথম ছয় সাত মিনিট তিনটে চরিত্রকেই কোন কারনে ক্লান্ত লাগছিলো। এগুলো নিয়েও কেন আর্ট সত্যিই আর্ট সেটা জানতে হলে ছক ভাঙা থিয়েটার দেখা অভ্যেস করতে হবে।

এবং:

বাংলা থিয়েটার কারা দেখে থাকেন? কোন বয়সি? তাদের শিক্ষা দীক্ষা কতদূর? তারা কি থিয়েটার হলের বেসিক এটিকেট গুলো ফলো করেন? তারা কি আদৌ উন্নত মানের থিয়েটার ডিসার্ভ করেন?

প্রশ্নগুলো নিজেকেই করলাম। প্রত্যেক বার নাটক দেখতে গিয়ে উত্তর গুলো পেয়ে থাকি। তারপর আশ্বস্ত হই বাংলা থিয়েটার নিজের দুর্গন্ধময় গুহ্যদ্বার নিয়ে সুখী আছে। সুখী আছে সিটে বসে অনর্গল কাশিতে, ফোনের রিংটোনে, দুমদাম হুড়হার আওয়াজে, 'কোনটা' সিরিয়াল করে সেই আলোচনায়, সঙ্গীকে ধারাভাষ্য দিয়ে /ট্রান্সলেট করে যাওয়ায়...

ঠিকই আছে। যেমন কোমর, তেমনি জা��্গিয়া! ঠিকই আছে। নাট্য সিন্ডিকেট, অতি অভিনয়, চুতিয়া অভিনয়, মেকআপ, অপ্রয়োজনীয় সেট, বস্তাপচা টেক্সট, প্রচুর আলো, প্রচুর মিউজিক, কস্টিউম এই সব নিয়ে ঠিকই তো আছে! কার কি যায় আসে!

আর্ট নিয়ে এতজন এতকিছু লিখছেন তার কারনটা উপরের এই ছ্যাবলামোগুলো (কেন ছ্যাবলামো সে নিয়ে পরে আলোচনা করা যাবে) নেই বলে! নেই বলেই গৌতমদারা আর্ট চালিয়ে নিয়ে যেতে পারছে সীমিত ক্ষমতা সত্ত্বেও। এটাই গুরুত্বপূর্ণ! মেদহীনতা! ফ্লুইডিটি! যদি আপনার বাবা দাদু আপনার জন্য নাটকের দল করে গিয়ে না থাকেন, যদি আপনার লবি/গ্রান্ট না থাকে, তাহলেও যদি থিয়েটার টা চালিয়ে নিয়ে যেতে চান, তাহলে ফ্লুইডিটি আনুন! বাদল সরকার হতে হবে না! শুধু নাটকের জন্য যা প্রয়োজন সেটুকু রেখে বাকি সব ছেঁটে ফেলুন।

বাঙালী দর্শক প্রচুর কাস্ট, সেট, কস্টিউম ওয়ালা নাটক কিছুদিন না দেখতে পেলে কিচ্ছু মনে করবেনা। এমনিতেই নতুন দর্শক নেই। নতুন দর্শক তৈরি হয়না। নাটকের লোকেরাই নাটক দেখে। নতুন, নাটক না দেখা দর্শককে থিয়েটার হলে টেনে আনতে হলে এক্সপেরিমেন্টাল কাজ, নিয়মিত কাজ এবং বাহুল্য বর্জিত কাজই উপায়।

অন্তত আমার তাই মনে হয়।

[spoiledeggreviewsmnl-blog]

"Kabesang Tales" by Ricky Lee is now one of our official September Play Reviews. @spoiledeggreviewsmnl is wondering how it scores on our "Eggometer of Awesome" 👑 Personally invited by the playwright himself, legendary Sir Ricky Lee. We look forward to this feature review! Follow us on all social media for a quick peak. Our host @rainnerona will be covering the event! ........................... #rainnerona #rainneronasongs #play #kabesangtales #rickylee #playreview #spoiledeggreviewsmnl #host #feature #eggometerofawesome #deejay #singeraongwriter #comingsoon #september (at Quezon City, Philippines) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1H2SQinjFz/?igshid=14mvccf4r61t5

[misspacheco12]

Making #playreviews just in case someone got it wrong! #gofalcons

[christiejomayo]

All My Sons by Arthur Miller (1947) Follow the link for a synopsis, characters, potential monologues, and my personal thoughts

#PlaysWithASideOfMayo

#playreview

#playrec

#playrecommendation

[binggeraemilk]

CONSTELLATIONS

          Last Friday I went to watch Constellations by Rabbit Hole Productions with my foundations of acting class. The play is about Marianne, a cosmologist, and Roland, a beekeeper and how their love blossoms through different universes. Marianne was played by Amelia Chen, who happens to be the producer for this play as well, played alongside Roland acted by Dominic Lucien Luk. The director is Qahar Aqilah, who is well acquainted with my theatre lecturer, Christopher Ling. Constellations is written by Nick Payne and first opened at the Royal Court Upstairs in 2012. The play was priced at RM 58 however, I only paid RM 44 because we had a group discount. However, I wouldn’t pay to watch it again.

          This play required a lot of concentration on their facial expressions rather than body movements which I couldn’t see because of the lighting. The lights did help in setting the vibe of each universe but there was very little lighting, especially face light on the actors' expressions. There were some scenes where their facial expressions were crucial in conveying the message of the script, and although Marianne’s gestures were understandable, Roland’s expression in response to Marianne's lines weren’t seen clearly. There were some flickering of lights during the play which I thought was a faulty lighting because it was so dim, but after inquiring, it was used to show Marianne’s frustrations during her rough time. This is just something to take note of because it was somewhat distracting during the play itself. 

          The nature of this play is repetitive as it portrays different consequences of decisions in different universes. Due to this, there were some scenes where it was highly predictable because whatever Marianne says, Roland who takes on her lines in another universe. However, the scene where Marianne got cancer was not predictable at all. I loved Amelia’s acting during this time as she expressed her struggles of wanting to keep her work and Roland yet wanting to heal herself. During the question and answer session, Amelia stated that she lost her father at a young age and that helped her express this line fully as there is an emotional attachment to it.

          During the play, the energy level of Marianne was high and enthusiastic which I thought would reflect on Roland, but it didn’t. I felt that Amelia put herself in Mariannes’ shoes and became Marianne but Dominic was just acting as Roland. Amelia maintained Mariannes’ mannerisms and accent even in the switch in personality and universe; I could tell she was and wasn’t the same person at the same time. Maybe because Roland’s personality is naturally sluggish as a beekeeper, I felt that I could’ve match her enthusiasm a bit more. There was a scene where Roland was talking about his bees and how he set them up if he really loved his job, I felt he could have expressed it to Marianne’s level when she talks about quantum physics.

          Besides all the criticism, I loved Amelia’s and Dominic’s chemistry in the play it was as if they were an actual couple. They weren’t awkward in the mature scenes as well such as touching each other and kissing each other even though they had only rehearsed for a month. Their coordination in their standing positions in every universe was spectacular as there was no collision and they knew exactly where to stand. I say this because, for 2 hours, they had different standing positions and if it was me, I could never remember so many in just a  month of rehearsals. Furthermore, the actors could recite their lines smoothly even though it’s repeated multiple times and there were even some with one word changed. 

          There was also a scene where Roland’s head was covered with his jacket and we couldn’t see his face at all. During this time, Dominic could express his feeling of nervousness through his voice and lines which helped me understand his current emotion. The production team and the director also paid close attention to small details such as the set and the poster. The set had a galaxy vibe with the black background and cosmic painting to represent Marianne’s world. To represent Roland, the floor and the hexagon-shaped bed was painted a yellow-orange color to represent his job. The picture taken for the poster was also interesting as Marianne is grabbing Rolands’ arms, where a watch would be, instead of his hands. Qahar said this represented that Marianne was the one leading this relationship.

          In my opinion, this play was just an average play with nothing striking about it. If you love a complex love story with multiple universes, this one's for you.

[mylitblog2]

Play Review: “Once”

On October 17th, I went to see a musical called “Once” at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts. I had never heard of the play before going to see it and only later learned that its story had been around for the past ten years. I gotta admit I did not have high expectations for this play because I am usually not a fan of musicals and their excessive amount of singing numbers. If the musical numbers are too long or not dispersed enough, I quickly lose interest in the storyline. But I was pleasantly surprised with this production directed by Andrew Shaver.

For the readers who, just like me, had never heard of this musical before, “Once” is the story of a Czech girl living in Ireland who suddenly meets a boy playing the guitar on the street. Boy has lost all hope for his music, but Girl (Boy and Girl are the actual names of the main characters) makes it her mission to help him find passion again. This play is essentially a love story.

I thought the performance by the main actress was phenomenal. She was quirky and full of energy and her voice was flawless during all the musical numbers. As for her male counterpart, I was not as impressed with his acting. His performance lacked a bit of depth in his emotions, but he made up for it with his voice which had a great raw quality to it.

However, there were a lot of musical numbers. I think that some of them, like the musical number with Girl’s family, were not needed. They did not add anything new to the story. But overall, I was impressed with the entire cast’s talent. Each actor played a different instrument and kept perfect harmony with each other. Also, I really liked the introduction to the musical. When everyone was waiting in the lobby before the show, a small group of performers came out and played a song in the middle of all of us. They later invited us to follow them into the room where they continued their performance with the rest of the cast. I had never experienced something like that before and thought it was a great way to start a relationship with the audience.

I rarely enjoy musicals, but this one really surprised me with its talented cast and cute storyline.

[iminloveforeverwithu-blog]

It was my first time to watch a musical play and it’s Amazing! Will be watching for some more 😊 #whosholiday “If you’re fond childhood memories include Dr. Seuss The Grinch, his dog Max, and a Ville filled with Whos You might like a sequel from 40 years hence Though if you’re a Grinch, too, you might take offense. The new play Who’s Holiday! by Matthew Lombardo Is strictly R-rated, so don’t bring your kiddo Yet if your mind’s open and you trust rave reviews His Off-Broadway treat will come as good news!...” #playreview (at Westside Theatre)

[purplerainillustrators]

New illustration by @joao.fazenda in this week's issue of @newyorkermag for a play review written by Hilton Als for #suzanloriparks 's “Scarlet Letter” Spinoffs. Thanks AD Chris Curry. #illustration #theather #joaofazenda #purplerainillustrators #editorialillustration #newyorker #playreview

[elizabethangal1589-blog]

The Tempest @ Blackfriars

Going to see the Tempest opening night! 1611 is a time to be alive. Review to come

[nyc-broadway-blog]

Fun Home: October 4, 2015

Fun Home, by Lisa Kron and Jeaine Tesori, is an original musical based o the 2006 graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. The musical has been in the works since 2009 but did not open until 2013 as an Off-Broadway production at the Public Theater. Its success led to its opening at the Circle in the Square theater on Broadway on April 19, 2015. Leading to its 5 Tony win, including Best Musical.

It tells the story of Alison growing up trying to identify herself, while her father is doing the same behind closed doors. We hear the different sides of the story from the three stages of Alison Bechdel (Sydney Lucas, age 9; Emily Skeggs, age 18; Beth Malone, age 43), Bruce Bechdel (Michael Cerveris, Tony Award winner), and Helen Bechdel (Judy Kuhn). During the memories of small Alison, we get to meet Alison’s brothers Christian (Oscar Williams) and John (Zell Morrow). And during the memories of medium Alison we meet Alison’s first college girlfriend Joan (Lauren Patten). Throughout the musical there are various small male roles, all played by Joel Perez.

The book of this musical (Tony Award winner) is very unique because the story gets told through the music and the dialogue is mixed into it. It’s a magical experience to watch it all unfold in front of you. So as for the score (Tony Award winner), it all blends together to create a magnificent show. It does not have the typical sound of a Broadway musical where everything is big and “belty”. The music puts more emphasis on the lyrics and the mood of the show. It starts off with a great opening that sets the mood and explains the show without overwhelming the audience (“It All Comes Back”). After setting a very heavy subject of the show, we get a great bit of comic relief in “Come to the Fun Home” with the three Bechdel siblings filming a commercial for their family run funeral home. We then jump to Alison’s coming out in “Changing My Major” with a hilarious and relatable performance by Emily Skeggs. Then of course we have the Tony performance of Sydney Lucas in “Ring of Keys” which she sang for the last time this very night and had the audience in tears. And from here on out the tears don’t stop as we move on to one of the best performances I have seen on Broadway. Helen’s acceptance of her husband in “Days and Days” by the beautiful Judy Kuhn will make you want to hug her and never let her go. Then we have Beth Malone singing about her last conversation with her dad in “Telephone Wire”. And we end this trilogy of sad songs with “Edges of the World” by Michael Ceveris in which he finally accepts who he is as he runs into moving traffic. And jus in case you weren’t done crying, all of the Alisons come together in the end for the finale “Flying Away” to conclude this magnificent show.

I have nothing but praise for this cast. They all fit their roles so perfectly it’s amazing to watch. I was lucky to have had the opportunity to watch almost all of the original broadway cast as I had Joan’s understudy (Lauren Patten), who was still fantastic. I do have to say that as this was Sydney’s last performance you could really feel all the love on that stage and it just made the experience even more magical. And I will also say that Zell is the cutest child I have ever had the honor of meeting and watch perform.

The show is placed in a theater in the round, meaning that the adinere surrounds the stage on all sides. Personas this is my favorite kind of theater because if done right it can really make you feel like you are a part of the show. But it is very difficult and if done wrong it can be a disaster. Fortunately for this show, it worked magnificently. The use of the elevados was very helpful in moving heavy pieces, such as the piano ad the big bench used in various scenes. But the cast was also very helpful in moving set pieces and making it look smooth and in sync with the music. The actual set pieces were also very much like what Alison described her house weas like an old museum filled with antiques, including a fancy chandelier. 

This is the first show where I truly came to understand the use of lighting. Ben Stanton did an absolutely beautiful job designing this show. I never really thought that lighting could have such an emotional impact on an audience until I saw this show. It’s hard to explain such an experience in words, but it is worth every cent to go see the art that this man has created on this stage.

Costumes were very simple. I thought it was a wise choice since they kept the emphasis on the story and the music. Also, having read the comic, many of the costume pieces are a direct copy from it.

I applaud Sam Gold in his Tony Award winning direction on this musical. It  being in a theater in the round makes it extremely difficult to direct but he did it beautifully. I can only dream of directing such a jaw dropping show.

Hope you enjoyed my review and stay tuned for Spring Awakening! Works Cited: wikipedia.com

Here’s a GIF of Alison surrounded by her memories.

[bethanyibdptheatre]

Cry Trojans!

Cry Trojans!

When you first think of Trojans you think of the Greeks and their myths and legends. Well for this particular piece of theatre the Wooster Group, which is an experimental theatre group directed by Elizabeth LeCompte, took the story of Helena of Troy but completely changing the setting and time. Therefore creating a mind-blowing performance in the time of the Indians.

At first I was a little sceptical but kept my mind open to their idea. It was defiantly something I would not have done because they are such to different time periods. However the Wooster Group managed to pull it off, as they recreated the piece without changing a single line from the original text.

Not only that but how they planned I out was probably the most complicated part of the performance. As the lighting crew, stage crew and sound crew were also actors in the performance. This must have taken some serious planning and organization to allow these shifts to occur. Just seeing it in action from the scene changes when someone ran across the stage taking with her the fire and changing it to something else to create a different scene, in all it took a matter of seconds before the next scene was ready. They only changed the smallest of things or already had the props on stage.

Something that I found shocking about the performance was their choice in costume. Because it was completely different from what you would have expected. They would sometimes change right in front of us or there would be clothes that you would not think would be allowed on stage especially in Singapore. But it was defiantly a change from the usual costumes seen on stage.

There choice in stage was a thrust stage, which for this performance was an excellent choice. We felt as if we were a part of the play and it was right up close so we could see every detail of there costumes, acting and facial expressions. Which was nice because normally we cannot see their facial expression therefore losing the focus on the characteristics and just look at the play it self.

There was something though about the performance that I find was not entertain which was the language. It was a wild difference between the time, place and language, however I find it a little to different and many times it was hard to understand what was happening through each scene. I ended up spending more time trying to read the summaries in the dim lighting of each scene then watching the play it self. Which then became something I did while the scenes were changing. There was just to much of a difference and really affect my view on the play. 

However the acting was superb which I think was what really made the play mind-blowing. Each actor had so much skill and talent that it was a performance worth seeing just to see him or her perform. Also they had to focuse on the screens that were playing while remembering their lines. It must have taken many months to perfect such a play and therefore really making it a nice smooth run.

Over all this performance was a mix between amazing and ok. I think it could have been better however there were so many scenes in the play that really made it worth watching and I’m really glad I got given the opportunity to see it.

[nyc-broadway-blog]

Hedwig and the Angry Inch: September 10, 2015

Hedwig and the Angry Inch, by James Cameron Mitchell, opened off-Broadway back in February, 1998 in the Jane Street Theatre with Mitchell as the role of Hedwig. The show closed in 2000 after 857 performances, then made its Broadway debut on April 22nd, 2014 with Neil Patrick Harris as Hedwig and Lena Hall as Yitzhak. Darren Criss and Taye Diggs also played the role of Hedwig, both accompanied by Rebecca Naomi Jones playing Yitzhak.

This rock musical is unique from other musicals in the way the story is told, as a concert. Throughout the concert Hedwig (Taye Diggs) opens up to the audience and shares her story. She tells the audience of her journey from Germany to New York City, specifically her sex change. In order to be married to the man she loved, Luther Robinson, and be able to move to America she needed to become a woman, so she had an operation that ended up being botched. The relationship with Luther fell to pieces and she found new love with Tommy Gnosis, a wannabe rockstar. Hedwig worked with Tommy by writing and performing songs with him and going on tour. An incident happened with Tommy that led to him leaving her behind. She then decides to tell her story and is helped by Yitzhak (Rebecca Naomi Jones), her back-up singer and husband. Yitzhak is a Jewish drag queen, but when he married Hedwig she made him promise to never do drag again. This is just one example of their abusive relationship that is portrayed in the play. Hedwig continues to share about her life before the operation. As the show goes on, the connection between the audience and Hedwig grows immensely leading to an impactful and emotional last minutes of the show.

All the songs are performed concert style but each cooperates to her story. Our first impression of Hedwig is in “Tear Me Down” where she shows us her outgoing, rebellious rock and roll side. She then shows her deep and personal side in “The Origin of Love” where she tells us a story of her childhood. She moves on to tell us about her relationships in “Sugar Daddy” (a crowd favorite) and “Wicked Little Town”. Most of the play concentrates on her sex change and how it has affected her life. We get the first taste in “Angry Inch” where she shows us her frustration towards her botched operation and her loss of identity. She continues to talk about her struggle in “Wig in a Box” and connects with the audience by letting them sing her lyrics. Towards the end, Hedwig has a meltdown and strips herself completely in “Hedwig’s Lament” and “Exquisite Corpse”.  Yitzhak sings back-up for most of Hedwig’s songs but has a couple of solos himself. Hedwig allows him to sing a song of Hurt Locker, “When Love Explodes”. When Hedwig becomes too emotional and leaves the stage, Yitzhak takes over in singing “The Long Grift” (my personal favorite). The musical ends with “Midnight Radio” and incredible duet that brings everything together and reminds both the characters and the audience what life is really about.

Taye Diggs had a lot to live up to after Neil Patrick Harris and Darren Criss. I did not see Neil or Darren perform so I can’t really compare them, but I can say that I high expectations of Taye. I can say that he did not disappoint. He is such a talented soul and connected really well with the audience. He fit into his genderqueer character so well that it made his improvisation very natural. At one point he could not stop laughing at a joke he improvised and the audience loved it. I did not expect much from Rebecca, because Lena Hall did such an amazing job before her. But Rebecca’s performance blew me away. Her voice is incredible and her acting as Yitzhak was so on point that if I didn’t know it was her I would believe it was a guy.

The set is the same throughout the whole show. It is supposed to look like a run down theatre about ready to close down. The stage is set concert style along with a car center stage and the band surrounding it. There is also a big stage door in the back that allows us to hear Tommy Gnosis in different scenes. 

Lighting was very concert like as well but with the use of colors such as pinks and blues (much like Hedwig’s make-up). The one number that stands out lighting wise is “The Origin of Love” in which the lights tell the story though moving images.

Costuming for both Hedwig and Yitzhak was amazing. I would like to point out that the costume change inside the car was perfect. And I would like to applaud Yitzhak’s quick change in the last song.

Staging under the direction of Michael Mayer was fantastic. A+, sir.

Hope you enjoyed my review and stay tuned for more in the next week or so. My review on my first Off-Broadway production is coming up and I’m planning on watching Fun Home!

Works Cited: wikipedia.com

Here’s a GIF of Taye as the beautiful Hedwig.

[nyc-broadway-blog]

Finding Neverland: August 25, 2015

Finding Neverland, by Gary Barlow, is an original musical based on the 2004 film. The musical opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in March of this year, with various revisions from its world premiere in Cambridge in 2012. (Fun Fact: It was supposed to open at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego in 2011 *woot woot hometown* but it never happened.)

This original musical tells the story of the life of playwright J.M. Barrie (Kevin Kern) in the process of creating the beloved play, Peter Pan. Barrie was a very well-known playwright back in 1902 working for Charles Frohman (Anthony Warlow), the owner of a famous theater. While struggling to write a new script, Barrie meets Sylvia Davies (Heather Parcells), a recently widowed woman, and her four sons: Peter (Jackson Demott Hill), Jack (Eli Tokash), George (Casey Butler) and Michael (Alex Dreier). He spends a lot of time with the Davies family and gets inspired for his new script. In the process, he has to handle some marriage issues with his wife, Mary Barrie (Teal Wicks). He also bumps heads with Sylvia’s mother, Mrs. Du Maurier (Carolee Carmello). But most of all he has an inner struggle battling his “dark side”, represented by Captain James Hook (Anthony Warlow) who is supposed to portray his boss (they are played by the same actor). With all these obstacles, he was still able to write the famous tale of Peter Pan. The musical goes on to explain the process of putting on the show and the initial controversy against it.

The script in itself is brilliantly written. I came in thinking this was a sort of prequel to the story of Peter Pan. Then I realized that it was the story of how Peter Pan the play came to be. Even though the story didn’t take place in Neverland, it still had that magical aspect to it. The script included various aspects from the Peter Pan we know and love, such as Tinker Bell and Captain Hook. Both stories were very well intermixed and gave a satisfactory feeling of realism and fantasy.

The overall scoring was beautiful. It had various styles that made it more diverse for it’s diverse audience that spanned from the ages of 5-85. The play had many comedic numbers such as “The Dinner Party” and “Play”. “The World is Upside Down” was also hilarious because it portrayed the life in the making of a play. But it also had some heart wrenching ones like “Circus of the Mind” and “When Your Feet Don’t Touch the Ground”. One of the most interesting numbers for me was “Live By the Hook” sung by the one and only Captain Hook. “All of London is Here Tonight” is also very, very, very well done. But by far my favorite of all musical numbers in this show is “Stronger”. I first saw this performance at the Tony’s and was in awe at how amazing it was. And seeing it live was just even more impactful. If you are not able to come watch the show I highly suggest listening to the soundtrack.

I was disappointed when I found out Matthew Morrison was not performing that night (I’m a total ‘Gleek’ so you can understand my dissapointment). But Kevin did such a marvelous job that it was very hard not to love him. He fit very well into the character and his vocals were on point. When he sang “Stronger”, he took the audience’s breath away. Heather also filled in that night and was of course fantastic. Her voice and acting gave a sort of gentle and magical feeling to the show, especially in “All that Matters”. Anthony had two very different characters; a very refined theater owner and a mischievous pirate. He played both roles beautifully and his vocals were perfect. Carolee also did an amazing job as the mother. The connection between the two was obviously there and her vocals in “Circus of the Mind” were flawless. Now, whenever I see children on Broadway I automatically applaud them because they are already achieving so much and are so incredibly talented. The four boys, Jackson, Eli, Casey and Alex were incredible both vocally and acting wise. But the boy I was most impressed with was Jackson who played Peter. His part in “When Your Feet Don’t touch the Ground” was tear-jerking and beautiful. I was thoroughly impressed with his performance.

The sets were incredibly simple with backdrops and a few extra set pieces. But they were all so detailed and precise that it completely transformed the stage. The lighting for the show was just like any other show but there were three scenes in particular that called my attention. During a few scenes they mention Tinker Bell, the lighting effect for the fairy is just absolutely magical. The timing between the light crew and the actors is so precise it feels like there is actually a fairy on stage. Another scene that called my attention was during the song “What You Mean to Me”, they played around with the shadows of Barrie and Sylvia which just added to the whole idea of Peter Pan and his shadow. The scene that is breathtaking was the end of “Neverland (Reprise)”. I won’t spoil it but the way they used the spot and everything else in that scene is beautiful.

Costumes were very well fit for that era and there was an obvious contrast between the Neverland costumes and the England costumes. But although there was a clear contrast, they had intertwining elements that brought the two together.

A dancer would say that this show did not have much choreography other than in “Play”, where they jumped over tables and spun around the stage. But I am not a dancer so when I say choreography I mean more like movement. So the choreography overall was extremely precise and I loved it. When everyone turned their heads at the exact same time I got chills. It’s my favorite thing. Since it is Peter Pan, there was obviously some flying on stage. Some of the flying was used with the usual gear and it was great. But some flying was, believe it or not, guys dressed in black carrying the actors. I am dead serious. It was absolutely flawless.

Staging under the direction of Diane Paulus was perfect. I have no complaints. I applaud her.

Hope you enjoyed my review and stay tuned for more in the next week or so. Planning on watching Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Fun Home!

Works Cited: wikipedia.com

Here’s a GIF of Barrie (Matthew Morrison) and Captain Hook (Anthony Warlow) in the beginning of “Stronger”.

[bethanyibdptheatre]

Peter Pan Reflection

Peter Pan Reflection

  Wow. This was defiantly a performance I would recommend for everyone and anyone to see. It was creative, Exciting and looked complete of the original Peter Pan story.

  The Berliner Ensemble performed Peter Pan and they did an amazing job. The director, Robert Wilson, had such a different point of view towards the story that it’s made me think back to the original and realise just how crazy it really is.

  When I was younger I continuously watched Peter Pan hoping that he was real just so that I could see Tinker Bell and “Neverland”. However now that I think about it I’m happy that he was not real at all. Robert Wilsons view made it seem as though Peter was a kidnapper who took children away and they never saw there families again, hence the name of the island “NeverLand”. This was also portrayed because of Peter Pan’s characteristics and look that made him more into a kidnapper rather then a best friend.

  Ulrike Heinemann’s make-up ideas also played a major role in creating the characters. What else could make a character seem more dead rather then in control of there own bodies? Make-up. Each character was so pale that it was not humanly possible. Also the make-up that circled the eyes and lined the cheekbones really brought out every detail on the face. It was different but was entertaining as the actors used the make-up choice to their advantage. For example when Wendy, played by Nadine Kiesewalter, blinked we could se it so clearly and we were sitting in the far back row. It wasn’t a fast blink but a slow forced blink giving different views on her mood at different points in the play. IF she fluttered her eyelids we could tell because the make-up allows us to see this from far away.

  Another aspect I really enjoyed was the costume choices by Jacques Reynaud. Although there was not that many character changes, each character had there own costume not only based around the original version but also showed the unsettling feeling of each character. For example with Peter Pans costume a green lather jacket was used, this jacket I believe represented a sort of man that would hide in allies and wait for young venerable people to come walking by.

  Something else I notice which I thought really put the icing on the cake of an amazing performance was how the actors portrayed their individual characters. Whenever Wendy was summoned by Peter or was noticed by Peter she would begin to act like a puppet and Peter would be her master. Also Tinker Bell was played like a drunken mother who was mentally unstable (yes it was that wired) but yet there is no doubt that the Actor played that part superbly even though he was a man playing the part of a fairy. It was so original I don’t think anyone else would have thought to portray Tinker Bell in that kind of way.

  Over all my favourite part was when Captain Hook had Wendy and the lost boys tied up to a pole. This was my favourite part because even though the stage wasn’t moving they were so instinct that it looked like it was actually swaying back and fourth creating the idea that it was on a shit. This was an amazing performance and I defiantly want to what else the Berliner Ensemble have to bring.