Newsies

We just got back from Newsies: The Musical at Playhouse Square!  I had never seen the movie and I didn't have huge expectations for the show, but I was greatly surprised and enjoyed myself.   The movie bombed back in 1992.  Alan Menkin actually got a Razzie for the score.   However, when it was produced as a musical version for the stage, that same show earned him a Tony Award.

It's all about the newsboy strike around the turn of the century.   There weren't protections for child laborers, who were greatly abused.

I really enjoyed the dancing and the singing.   Particularly, it's an all guy chorus of dancers.  There are lots of flips, tap dancing, and overall enthusiastic acrobatics.   The show is 98 percent sold out everywhere that it plays and I was fortunate to win some really nice seats in the loge.  

The dancing isn't just on the ground, it extends through the 3 steel towers that rotate around the stage.   The dancers climb and dance, and dance and climb.  It's an extraordinary show and is not to be missed!

The Capitol Steps

The Capitol Steps are a musical, political comedy troupe.  Tonight, I saw them live for the first time since 1996.  Many of their past and current members have had staffer experience.   I highly recommend that you check out their website or their YouTube channel.  The troupe's satire is excellent, covering all aspects of politics, diplomacy, and scandal.  The material was current, up to the third presidential debate and Donald Trump's video announcement.   Check them out!

The Cradle Will Rock

I just saw a rarely performed musical at Oberlin Summer Theater Festival.  The Cradle Will Rock is about unions in the 1930s.  A wealthy couple uses their money to manipulate people.  The newspaper editor, musician, artist, doctor, and dean of the college basically bend over backwards to do things for Mr. and Mrs. Mister.  There is quite a bit of slapstick and political humor.   I recommend reading the provided history of the musical. The show is 90 minutes without an intermission with free admission.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

I saw the Beck Center for the Arts' production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson tonight.  It's an amazing historical punk rock musical detailing the life and presidency of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States.

Now, you might think to yourself, "How the heck do you put punk rock and a Victorian era presidential story together in a musical?"  The answer: a large dose of anachronism.  Jackson's rise to the presidency is portrayed as a celebrity's ascent to stardom.  We see Jackson's orphaning as a young child, driving him to become a ruthless military leader, eventual President of the United States, and originator of the Democratic Party.  You have to see it to believe it.

The production makes it work.  I love the period costumes mixed with modern day punk clothing.  The language is mostly modern day English, with a heavy peppering of current day swear words.  Also, Jackson appears to be a blood fetishist who has a penchant for cutting himself when distressed.  However, the show emphasizes that it's just a metaphor.  Aside from translating the events into a vernacular type of situation, the play is historically accurate.  Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is funny, dramatic, and it seriously rocks.