Hamilton

Saw Hamilton last weekend.  Loved it.   Seeing the show definitely made the soundtrack more interesting.    It absolutely lives up to the hype.   It has references to both pop culture rap and musicals within the show.  I especially enjoy the leitmotifs employed for each character.   Even the part doubling has a good set of meanings to it.   If you have the opportunity, please go see it.

Disney's Aladdin the Musical

Las Saturday, I got to see Disney's Aladdin musical on tour at Playhouse Square.   That was truly fun and I loved it more than the movie.    Abu is gone, and is replaced by Aladdin's 3 friends.  Iago is still there, but he's now a human.  The show was expanded by Alan Menkin originally for non-professional companies (high schools).   But it was so excellent that it was made part of the Disney stage family.

The magic carpet is an amazing illusion.  Also, the Genie steals the show.  4th wall breaking, pop culture referencing, and massively fun.   He's worth the price of the ticket.   Go see this show if you have the chance.

The Humans

Yesterday afternoon, we saw the play, The Humans at Playhouse Square.   It is about a family Thanksgiving post September 11.   It touches on the reality of the American dream and how things have changed since it emerged.  There is simultaneous conversations between the family members on the first and second levels of the apartment (one of the daughters' places).   It vaguely reminded me of observing characters in the Sims.   Each family member has a secret of his or her own too.   Dreams, anxiety, religion, and family are all touched upon.   I liked it more than I thought I would.   

Rent

Last Saturday, I saw Rent for the first time live since the 90s.  I own the DVD of the closing performance on Broadway and I have seen the movie version.  I know the lyrics by heart.   Seeing it live does heighten the emotional impact.   I found myself crying from "Without You" in the second act on.   

Interesting tidbit, near the end of act one, the police sing a jarring line "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas."  This time the word right was inserted after white.   Good nod to current events.

Hair

I finally got to see Hair!  I had missed it at Playhouse Square in 2012, but the Beck Center has a collaboration going on with the Baldwin Wallace school.   I really enjoyed it.   The students are amazing and the choreography and singing are strong.    It was nice have some context put to the music.  I wrongly assumed that it was from the 70s, but it's from the late 60s.   It was a neat use of modern protest signs and clips with the show.  The video editing game is strong with this show.  Go see it!

Get On Your Feet

Last Saturday we went to see Get On Your Feet, the story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan.  That was really good and much more emotional than I was expecting.   I cried during act two.  It was amazing to see Cuban music come to our country in this inspiring American Immigrant story. 

Waitress

Yesterday, Steve and I saw Waitress at Playhouse Square.  It was truly a feminist musical and a lot of fun.   We laughed a lot.   Jenna is a waitress married to abusive husband.  She works at Joe's Diner and makes pies.  She finds out early on that she's pregnant and knowingly makes some bad decisions.  And you can't fault her for them!  She rescues herself!

This show was quite clever with their marketing.  They scented the lobby with apple pie and sold tiny pies in jars.   Brilliant!  Quite effective.  We ended up buying pie later at dinner, but it's certainly a good idea.  Go see it!

Hand to God

I got to see Hand to God the other day at Dobama Theater.  I enjoyed it and all of it's dark humor, but it wasn't what I was expecting.   It was advertised as a cross between Avenue Q and the Book of Mormon, two shows that I really love.  This show had puppets and a religious theme, but that's where the similarities ended.

Premise: a widowed woman works for the church and is trying to put on a puppet show.  Her son, Jason has a puppet (Tyrone) that has a very dark streak, eventually leading the group to believe that he is possessed by the devil.   

Tons of dark religious psychology in this show.  Eventually, Tyrone is revealed to be a manifestation of Jason's pain for his father's death.   Also, lots of violence and a gratuitous puppet sex scene.   This show is definitely for the 21 and over crowd.   It's not a musical, so you don't go home with a song in your heart.   Tyrone's last speech actually reminds me of Puck's at the end of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  The effect is eerie and fascinating.   :If you like creepy plays, watch this.  If dolls and puppets scare you, or if the religious overtones hit close to home, I'd advise you to avoid it.   It's not every day you see a guy bludgeon his own hand with a hammer.

Something Rotten

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of seeing Something Rotten.  We saw it on the final weekend, which is very unusual for us, but we had scheduling conflicts that couldn't be moved.   This is a really fun, original story for any fan of the Broadway musical genre.   Basically, two Brothers in during the Renaissance are writers in direct competition with William Shakespeare (who is portrayed as the David Bowie of his day).  With the gleanings of a soothsayer, they decide to write a musical, centuries before the genre is supposed its debut.  

The fifth number, A Musical,  garners multiple ovations in the middle of the first act.  Check out the link to see all the allusions to Broadway shows.  

The music is classic 1930's Broadway with lots of incongruous, campy, slapstick humor.  If it comes to your city, go see it!

The King and I

I saw the King and I this past Sunday at Playhouse Square.   Gorgeous costumes and nice use of the set.  The cast was actually mostly Asians.   All excellent in execution.  I guess I'm just not a Rogers and Hammerstein fan.  I loved Cinderella because of the new book and modernity injected into it.  This was classic.   And I definitely prefer newer shows with more up tempo plots.   I didn't hate it.  It was just not my style.

Bring it On the Musical

We went to the Beck Center to see Bring it On the Musical this past Sunday.  I cringed when it started because all of the sportsball.   I was afraid of it being vapid.   Honestly, it's a wonderful musical with music and lyrics by Lin Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame.   It bears only a superficial resemblance to the movie in uniform colors and title.  With only one plot point I find objectionable, I give it an B+.  

Into the Woods

I had the pleasure of seeing Into the Woods yesterday as performed by Fiasco Theater on tour.   Let me first say, that I adore the work of Stephen Sondheim.  Since I first saw the show back in college, I have been a big fan.  My high school did it the following year.  And of course I needed to own the original production on video starring Bernadette Peters.   This is the first time I've seen the show on tour by a professional company, and what they did was amazing!  

They managed to take a huge show with a large cast and orchestra, and scale it down to only about a dozen or so actors on stage.  It was accomplished by having all actors play various musical instruments and quite a few actors play multiple parts.  I know you think it's crazy, but it really works to showcase the brilliance of Sondheim's lyrics and music.  The singer is not fighting against a massive orchestra and the sheer genius of the words are laid bare.   I wasn't sure if I was going to be into it, but it totally worked!

Also, the set was minimal with everyday props such as hats and cloaks to distinguish the characters from on another.  This is a picture of Rapunzel and her cleverly knitted hair cap.  The actress was also Little Red Riding Hood.   It even worked when characters died.  You saw the actors really transform from one part to another.  The simplicity of the set and props made you fully get drawn in by the story and music.   It was magical.

Notice the bright pink hats.  These gentlemen portrayed Cinderella's stepsisters as well as the Princes.   Also, the one guy was Milky White.  This show features the best acting of a humanoid cow I have ever seen!  The cow was probably my favorite character.    Please go see this!   It's in town until the end of this month.

Finding Neverland

Hi world!  It's been a while.  Been really busy.  Last week we went to see Finding Neverland.   That was neat.   It's about the inspirations behind J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan.   Of course, some parts of the story were modified to make them more palatable to a Broadway audience, but that's to be expected.  
It was a bit of a slow starter for me.  Very early 1900s Victorian-ish beginnings.  Things got much better when Captain Hook appeared on stage.   Definitely worth seeing.

Fun Home

Yesterday afternoon, we got to see Fun Home, the Tony Award winning musical.  It started its national tour this past week in Cleveland.   The story is a true one, Alison Bechdel's coming of age tale, from a young 10 year old growing up in a funeral home, to a 17 year old college student at Oberlin, to her 43 year old self as a lesbian comic writer.

The story is non-linear.  We jump around in time through Alison's past.   We learn the biggest part of the story is her father's suicide as a closeted gay man.   Then it's all about watching the events unfold.

I really loved this musical.  The way that it's put together is so intricate.  It just works.   It's 90 minutes without an intermission.   Please bring tissues.  It's worth it.

Phantom of the Opera

Yesterday, we saw the new production of the Phantom of the Opera.  It is a new production and quite different from the version I had seen back in high school.   Key differences:  Carlotta is true opera diva rather than a caricature.  I can imagine her in many of the operas I have seen.   The phantom wants Christine in his show because he obsessed with her, not because of level of talent.  

Costuming is gorgeous.  The opera within the play, Hannibal, looks like something I would really see at the Metropolitan Opera.  I'd totally watch that.

This show isn't as dark or macabre as its predecessor.   There is an increased focus on the backstage areas.   It feels more real to me.   Did you know that there really is a lake under the Paris Opera house?  

They do a really good job with the phantom's face at the end of the show.

 Christine has a lovely voice, but she just doesn't have the power/style that Carlotta has.   I liked this production, but the eighties synth in the score hasn't aged well. Still, quite enjoyable.

Heathers: The Musical

We just got back from seeing Heathers: the Musical at the Beck Center for the Arts and I feel compelled to write this review right now!  I have never seen the movie it is based on, but I do know that it's a cult classic with tons of high school drama.   This show is phenomenal.   The first two weekends are sold out in this regional premier.   I predict an extended run!   It has mature content, so our usual Sunday matinee was a Sunday night show.  Do not bring your kids and hold on to your hats and your hearts!

The story follows Veronica Shaw, a high school outcast who falls in with the popular girl clique, the Heathers.  They are Heather Duke, Heather McNamara,and Heather Chandler.   Veronica is seen as valuable because of her forging ability for things like hall passes and report cards.  She gets in and popular, then her life goes crazy.   Death, death, and more mayhem ensue.

This reminds me a bit of Sweeney Todd.  I came out of act one singing, "We All Deserve to Die" from that show.   This show is absolutely dark, yet somehow uplifting at the end.   Please please go see it.  You won't be disappointed.

Matilda the Musical

 Steve and I got to see Matilda the Musical this past Saturday.   I had seen the US movie adaption of the Roald Dahl book starring Mara Wilson and Danny DaVito.   This was wonderful!   I went ahead and ordered the book from the library to read later.

It's the story of one genius little girl who was born into a horrible, unappreciative family.   It's amazing that such a young actress and cast is able to carry the entire show.   There are 16 kids up on the stage and they are amazing.

I really recommend seeing it, renting the movie, and getting the book.   It's a wonderful show.

In the Heights

I missed the Broadway tour of In the Heights when it was touring a few years back.   Fortunately for me, the Beck Center is playing it right now!  Tickets are sold out and it's amazing!  

It's about a Spanish speaking neighborhood in Washington Heights.  It combines wonderful dancing, the story of a community, and rap/hip hop.   You should go see it!

If/Then

We saw If/Then yesterday.   It's about a woman, Elizabeth, and the choices she makes in her life.   The unique thing about this musical is two parallel realities are shown in alternating turn.  The stories break off at a single choice at the beginning of the show.  It's really fascinating the way it is performed.  In one path, Beth pursues career and her dream of becoming a city planner.   In the other path, Liz chases love and family.   The lead actress is Liz when she wears glasses and Beth without them.  It works incredibly well.

The part was written for Idina Menzel.  The actress who is on tour was Idina's understudy for Wicked and for If/Then.   I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this show.   In fact, once I got there, it reminded me of how I play visual novels.   I usually alternate save files between different choices.   I liked it more than I thought I would.

My one criticism of the plot is when Beth mentions that she didn't have a real marriage because she didn't have children.  That line really devalues the marriages of people who choose to not have kids or can't have kids.  I really disagree with it.

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Steve and I saw A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder the other day.  Absolutely loved it!   Hilarious Victorian tale of revenge and succession.  The pre-show talk describes it as Sweeney Todd meets Monty Python at Downton Abbey, and it's perfectly true!

Monty Navarro is a distantly removed heir of the D'ysquith family.  His mom was disowned for marrying for love.   There are 8 in the line above him and he successfully offs each of them in very creative ways.   There are two love interests, amazing costuming, and all of the D'ysquiths that Monty kills are played by the same actor (both men and women)!

The music is witty with terrific harmonies, reminiscent of Gilbert and Sullivan.   The lyrics remind me of the works of Stephen Sondheim.

We we ahead and purchased the soundtrack right after the pre-show talk before the show began!  It's really worth seeing!