The Baker Street Irregulars

We saw the Baker Street Irregulars last week at Dobama Theater.  I really enjoyed this and it contains more than a bit of the holiday season.  The kids in it are excellent.  You can listen to an interview with the author, Eric Coble, here at WCPN.  You have until December 30 to see it.  I recommend you do.

The Diary of Anne Frank

I saw the Diary of Anne Frank this past Sunday at the Cleveland Play House. It was wonderful.   Tragic, because we know what's going to happen, but wonderful.   It really made Anne Frank into a human person, rather than the ideal I had imagined for all these years.

The set is in the middle of the Occault theater and it's a reproduction of the Secret Annex, minus the walls.   You really get a sense of how crowded the space was for those 2 years.   Also, parts of the diary that were omitted from the book (namely Anne's thoughts of her budding sexuality) have been restored! 

There is an intermission, but like the people in the novel, the actors are unable to leave the stage.   They go about with life stuff, and you really feel sorry for them.   I really recommend seeing this show.  Please bring tissues.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

We saw the Hunchback of Notre Dame at Great Lakes Theater this past Thursday.   I hadn't seen the movie until the week before.  I really enjoyed this production.   They made the ending closer to the book.   It was nicely un-Disney-like to remove the happy ending.   The music was lovely, lots of Latin.   Also, it is implied that the talking gargoyles may be part of Quasimodo's mind rather than the magical dancing characters seen in the animated film.   This is playing until November 4th, and I highly recommend it.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Net

It's a new theater season!   We saw One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at the Beck Center last Sunday.   There are no matinee showings because of the mature subject and themes of the show.

It really is an excellent production.   Very much like the movie and all the ancillary characters are spot on in displaying the signs of mental illness.   I was particularly impressed with the  guy with tardive diskinesia, a side effect of many drugs to treat mental conditions.  

As a healthcare provider, I can call this one a how not to treat your patients.   But the show is set in the 60's and the practices are thus outdated.   I recommend this show, but don't expect a happy ending.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

I loved the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time from the first time I read the book in the early 2000's.   Now it's a play that won many Tony Awards!   But, I get ahead of myself.

The story is about Christopher, a young man in Swindon, UK who lives with his father.  He discovers his neighbor's dog dead, speared through with a gardening fork.   He decides to investigate the murder and finds out truths of his own life.  

What makes the story unique is that Christopher is not neurotypical.   He is brilliant and mathematically gifted, with an eye for detail.   The book described life from his point of view, and the play brings it to life further.   You get a real sense of his perceptions through the lights, sounds, and Greek chorus.  The black box encompassing the stage really lets you into our protagonist's head and experience sensory overload.

The post play even features the proof of the Pythagorean theorem which was in the book's appendix.  If the tour is coming to your city, definitely go watch it.  It's not a musical, but it is a very faithful translation of the book with some additional enhancements.

Ken Ludwig's Baskerville

We were at Playhouse Square last night and saw Ken Ludwig's Baskerville.  That was amazingly fun!  5 actors who play over 40 parts with various costumes, hairpieces, and quick changes.  Only Holmes and Watson do not have other roles.   Quick changes happen so far, in seconds.  And the clothing isn't cheap looking either.  Everything looks convincingly Victorian!   There are 4 dressers to assist with the changes.  This was funny and smart, as well as a delight to watch.  Go see it!

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.

Sex with Strangers

This past Wednesday, we saw the play, "Sex with Strangers" at Cleveland Playhouse.   It was actually about books, the internet, and what is considered public and private.  It was an amazingly moving show.   Not crying emotional, but definitely passionate.  The two actors are incredibly believable.  It's about where generations collide and have their differences, and of course, sex.   It's intelligent and witty, with extreme moments of clarity.

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.

Mary Poppins

We just got back from seeing Mary Poppins at the Beck Center.  Now that is how a musical is supposed to be!  It was dozens of times better than White Christmas!

The plot has changed from the movie version, but all changes are an improvement.  You get a little more background on Mr. Banks, and Mrs. Banks has an internal struggle as she adapts from being an actress to a wife.  The children are naughtier in this version, but Mary Poppins sets them straight.  She's not all sugar and roses, but perplexing and enigmatic which makes her an intriguing character.  
This is a very strong production from the Beck Center and is not to be missed.

Carrie the Musical

Let me start by saying that this is the best musical about a telekinetic revenge rampage that I have ever seen!  Actually, it's the only musical of that type that I've ever seen.   The Beck Center for the Arts does an amazing amount of edgy theater, and Carrie the Musical is not to be missed!

I've never seen the movie, but the image of Sissy Spacek as Carrie at the prom, is one of the most remembered images in Hollywood history.  This show gets down to the true emotion of how the events happened. 

Carrie is a school outcast, raised by a fanatically religious mother.  After she gets her first period in the gym shower, the other girls mock her and throw tampons at her.  One girl, Sue, feels bad afterwards, and tries to make things right by apologizing and having her boyfriend take Carrie to the prom.  Chris, the lead female bully, gets cut out of prom because she doesn't apologize for her actions.   She decides to arrange the pigs blood incident at prom in order to get her revenge.  We all know how that ultimately works out.

I really loved this show!   I am curious how long it takes to get all that stage blood out of the dress for 3 shows a week.  You can appreciate the show without having read the book or seen the movie (or movies as I've now learned).  Go see it!

Wicked

We saw Wicked this afternoon.  I can't believe it's already been on Broadway for a decade!   Steve and I saw it in San Francisco in 2003.  I think I've seen it at least twice more after that, and then today.   The show has changed quite a bit since then, but for the good.   It's an amazing show. 

Two girls meet in the land of Oz in college, with intertwining destinies.  A friendship develops and political intrigue ensues.  You already know these characters from the Wizard of Oz, and this musical really portrays them in a more sympathetic light.

I really do love this show and will probably see it again in the future.   I just couldn't get into the book version.  Probably because I saw the show first, and really wanted the book to be as uplifting as the show.

The music, sets, and costumes are amazing!  I really have nothing bad to say about Wicked.   Just go see it!