Musicals

P.S. By the way...

I was a little bummed out that they didn't include Carol Channing

in the IN MEMORIAM segment of the Academy Awards, yesterday.

Sure, most people only remember her in "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (1968)

but...BIG BUT.....that was a film and for real, she did get

a Supporting Actress Oscar Nomination for the part. So......wtf?

R.I.P. Muzzy.

Shout out to KT who performed in her big Middle School musical Shrek Jr. this weekend!

 

She played Young Fiona, which was just the perfect role for her as she's supposed to be seven years old and she was one of the only kids at school that could legit pull that off! Yay for a positive finally for being short! She also played two ensemble characters in Act Two.

*A Star is Born!* Such great shots of Kristen - very pro! (It's funny that I never notice her being "short" in your family photos of her. I guess she "photographs" taller.) Congratulations on her newest acting credit!

Alice

congrats to Kristen!

looks like she's having a ball in those pics too!

^ Congratulations to a young rising star!

 

And ^^ yes, there was a Japanese production of "Fiddler,"

in the late 1960's or so. I remember seeing a tour program where,

like today`s touring shows, Mormon and Wicked to name a couple,

they also showed pix of world wide productions of the same show.

 

And "the word" from the Japanese was, that they couldn't understand

this being "An American show" as the values and such, made it

so ...... Japanese. They were very impressed with it.

How funny that the Japanese audience of "FIDDLER" identified so strongly with the show. Altho, I guess that its story IS universal! and its haunting yet lively music beautiful in ANY language. (Thanks for that bit of info. You are my Show Biz Wikipedia! )

P.S. I, too, am amazed that Carol Channing was not mentioned in the Awards' In Memoriam'!!!! Unfair and just WRONG!

Alice

^ LOL, thanks. But for the recent Broadway info and news, I get most of that from http://www.broadway.com, which also posts some awesome interviews with ALL and EVERYBODY who acts on The Broad Way (and Off, too). Worth bookmarking, IMhO.

^ LOL, thanks. But for the recent Broadway info and news, I get most of that from http://www.broadway.com, which also posts some awesome interviews with ALL and EVERYBODY who acts on The Broad Way (and Off, too). Worth bookmarking, IMhO.

Yes, that is a WONDERFUL site....but your delivery of that info has a special flair!

Alice

^ Well, thanks. I do what I can, for what I love in this world, heh.

In the mean time, this is coming out, as well as a possible Brdwy transfer

from Jolly Old London Town! The lead was in Bring It On! as the "opposition."

P.S. Saw the Come From Away tour, this past Wednesday...wow, whatta wonderful show!

It's so continuous, you have this pent up BRAVO! in you, till the absolute end of the show, and

then it all just erupts from the audience! It runs without intermission, and understandably so.

A steller touring cast, wonderfully written, and the score is just amazing. But - if you watch it

closely, you will see WHY this won the 2017 Best Director TONY (over Best Musical Dear Evan

Hansen's director) back then. Totally deserved! And, they had the REVOLVING STAGE for the tour!

A MUST SEE Show, if it travels through your town.

Edit to Add: There's a great review about the show too, in our local paper...

https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/local-arts/theatre-review-come-from-away-is-better-than-spectacular

It really is amazing for this kind of musical (non-Big Production) to still be a hit, almost two years of existence, on Broadway! As a recent quote stated....."I am so glad Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949."

Streaming first on Amazon.com, then hopefully, the CD drops soon after that.

Now on it's first North American Tour! YOU MUST SEE THIS MUSICAL!

Damnit, missed this by a day....

Happy Birthday, Stephen Sondheim & Andrew Lloyd Webber!

(Yesterday, the 22nd, for the both of them!)

Damnit, missed this by a day....

 

Happy Birthday, Stephen Sondheim & Andrew Lloyd Webber!

 

(Yesterday, the 22nd, for the both of them!)

Happy Birthday, Youngsters! And thanks for making the world a more alive and special place!

Alice (fan forever)

Dear Evan Hansen Review

So tonight I got to see the touring version of Dear Evan Hansen at the Dr. Phillips Center here in Orlando. Let me just mention that the cast for this tour is *ABSOULTELY INCREDIBLE!* And the fact that this show only has a cast of eight people still blows me away!

That being said, so here's some of my thoughts and musings I have about the show...

First, I love the music... *LOVE* it! I don't think there is a single Broadway playlist I have that doesn't include the entire of Act one of this show. It's rare that there is a show where I don't skip at least one song in an act, but I feel as though Act I of Dear Evan Hansen is about as perfect as a musical gets as far its songs are concerned.

Second, I will say that when I was first exposed to this musical, I really was not a fan, but it most certainly grew on me over time. And I think one of the major reasons why I wasn't a fan at first is that I have trouble getting into a show where I feel like I cannot connect, at least in some way, with the main character... and I still have that issue now, unfortunately.

I have kind of a love/hate relationship with this show, similar with my thoughts on Hamilton, where there are parts of the show that I seriously, absolutely *LOVE* but then there are other things that keep me from really liking it 100%.

With Hamilton it is the rap music, with Dear Evan Hansen it is the main character.

Evan is not a "good" person. And without giving away too many spoilers of the show, let's just say he gets caught up in his own lie, accidentally at first, but then throughout the show it is made very clear to the audience that Evan has a personal agenda and he's using that lie to his advantage. He's not a "likable" character by any means, and for me personally, probably my favorite parts of the narrative is when the inevitable scenario occurs where he finally gets caught up in his lie. He deserves everything that happens to him.

While Act 1 plays out like a mostly upbeat rock musical with very funny and engaging moments, Act 2 kind of plays out more like an episode of Three's Company where it is just one big "misunderstanding" after the next and the audience is just waiting for the lies that were told to finally catch up to the main character. There are a lot of moments where the audience is to feel "sad" for Evan, and while you do, you also can't help but to think "he knew what he was doing and he did this to himself."

All that being said, Dear Evan Hansen is a *GREAT* show for the music and story in Act 1 alone. While I'm not as big of a fan of Act 2, it does serve as nice conclusion to the show with a couple of good songs thrown in.

I also want to mention the staging. The minimalist sets with the "social media projections" work FANTASTIC! The entire show feels like a HUGE production, which is why I'm so amazing that there are only 8 cast members that come out at the curtain call. You look at them and think "Wait??? That's IT?!!??! That's ALL the members of this cast???" It does not feel like a small show at all!

This has been such a wonderful season at the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando. Such big-ticket shows this season: Hamilton, Hello Dolly, Anastasia, Come From Away, Fiddler on the Roof, Jersey Boys, etc... WOW!!! And the recent announcement of for next season is bringing some of my all-time FAVORITE shows back to Orlando! Miss Saigon and Les Miserables, which I've recently seen the updated productions are FANTASTIC NOT TO BE MISSED! Along with some of my recent favorite Broadway shows Mean Girls, Aladdin, and other classic My Fair Lady, 2019/2020 is going to be another stellar year for Broadway in Orlando!

If you are a local to Orlando we highly recommend getting season tickets, or if you are in town for the theme parks, be sure to check their schedule and add a Broadway show to your vacation plans! https://www.drphillipscenter.org/

The outside of the Dr. Phillips Center looks FANTASTIC! So happy they've been themeing the theater for the shows this season!

Just sat down... there is not a bad seat in this venue!

Kristen is super excited to see the show!

This was the "Put away your cell phone" message! I love the use of screens in this show.

The cast was just phenomenal! These guys NAILED IT just as good as their Broadway counterparts!

The first time I saw the pictures of the sets, I wasn't sure what to make of it.

The stating is very untraditional but it works and it is blows my mind to watch some of the lighting and visual production in this show.

And this is jaw-dropping. That's the cast! The ENTIRETY of the cast! Eight people! Yet it feels like a HUGE production with a full ensemble. Great job everyone!

Construction update!!! We are so psyched about the next phase of the Dr. Phillips center bringing Steinmetz Hall, a third venue for shows in 2020! This theater will feature 1,700 seats and I can't wait to see some of the performances put on in this new theater! Go Orlando!

Glad you enjoyed Evan Hansen! I thought it was a great musical.

As far as stuff on Broadway right now: Have you seen Come From Away? I was lucky enough to see it in New York a few weeks ago and was blown away! I personally liked it more than Dear Evan Hansen. It's incredibly well done and a lot of fun (but there are a fair share of serious parts). It's a small cast, but everyone plays like 3 different characters, changing character on stage, and putting on tonnes of different accents. The music is awesome too, and I cannot think of any other musicals with a comparable style.

In case you aren't aware, the show is based on the true story about how the town of Gander, Newfoundland in Canada came together on 9/11 to accommodate the thousands of people and nearly 40 planes who were grounded at their airport (it was a large airport originally used for refueling trans-Atlantic flights when airplanes couldn't fly as far). It's incredibly heartwarming, and they do a great job of representing many different stories from many different people. I highly recommend it for anyone who hasn't seen it.

^Very aware of it and finally seeing it in June. Super excited to see it!

In case you aren't aware...

lol! Saying "In case you aren't aware..." to us about a Broadway Musical is like when someone says "Oh, did you know there's this park called Dollywood..." or something.

As Elissa said... yes... VERY aware, and finally seeing the show in a few weeks after having been on our list ever since it first premiered!

Re: Dear Evan Hansen Review

Appreciated your fluent review of Dear Evan Hansen.  It gave me a good 'feel' for the show and the desire to see for myself how it 'plays out' on stage.  Evan being a 'villain' would probably work for me, as I have a slightly 'sick' appreciation for things that are "dark."  (May explain why Monsters Inc. is one of my favorite animated flicks.)

Am still awaiting a musical of the film Idiocracy!  If only!!!!!....

P.S.  I look forward to your review of Come From Away.  Now THAT show is a zinger!

Alice

So about a week ago, I saw a community theatre production of The Little Mermaid that my sister was in (the mersibling Andrina) and I just have to give a shout-out to whoever came up with the idea for the Poor Unfortunate Souls set. They stretched a sheet of fabric across the stage and had ensemble members press their faces and hands into the sheet in an effect similar to the one below from A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Poor Unfortunate Souls

The show's Ursula was also played excellently by a Drag Queen, which was a nice nod to the character's original Disney design.

Me and Ursula, played by Brandon R. Caviness

I also had much of the cast sign my playbill with a Little Mermaid pen in the shape of a trident (purchased from a different production), while making a "yours is bigger than mine" joke with Triton.

^I would like to see a production of "The Little Mermaid" done here, by any company, professional or not.

When I remember that the Brdwy version had most mermaids on skate-shoes with tails behind them...

pretty bizarre way to "suspend disbelief" etc. But the production looked good, and sounded great via the cast cd.

Hope what you saw and heard was enjoyable and fun.

This just in, from Amazon.com ---

"This title will be released on May 10, 2019."

It's supposed to be an amazing musical, with THREE CHERS doing it all!

As the TONY Numinations are coming out on Tuesday, I have decided to have myself a little

tribute listening session, to a true Broadway Legend....Marin Mazzie, who we lost last Sept.

Right now, it's the wonderful revival of KISS ME, KATE (1998).

Tomorrow it will be the absolute epic original musical, RAGTIME (1999).

And then, the rawest that Marin ever was (to me)....CARRIE (2012).

You are totally remembered, Marin. And others. And loved.

Talk about wonderful things happening! The TONY Awards committee is planning to give out three special TONY Awards on the broadcast awards, June 9th. And one of them is to be posthumously given to (you guessed it) Marin Mazzie.

https://www.broadway.com/buzz/195659/king-kong-music-director-jason-michael-webb-late-marin-mazzie-receive-special-tony-awards/

Too good to be true. (Listening to RAGTIME later this afternoon.)

Her last Brdwy appearance: as Anna in revival of "The King & !".

A little self promotion if you don't mind!

A musical I wrote is FINALLY available for download or on CD.

Just This Once: A Song Cycle was performed at the Orlando International Fringe Festival in 2015.

Here is a link to that story:

https://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=38494&p=1586514&hilit=Orlando+Fringe#p1586514

And here is a link to download the music from Amazon Music:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07R92VNJ3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3R67KSRHUMIW5&keywords=just+this+once+a+song+cycle&qid=1556744370&s=gateway&sprefix=just+this+once+a+s%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-1

New Cast CDs coming out through the summer...

("Hadestown" and "Kiss Me, Kate" have yet to release concept art for their Brdwy CD covers.)

Best Musical Nom TONY 2019.

Best Musical Revival Nom TONY 2019.

Off Broadway, but hey - It's the guys who penned "Spring Awakening!"

Best Musical Nom TONY 2019.

For those who still loves their Fosse & Verdon... I just discovered, and watched entirely, an hour long look at Fosse's life and career...in a 1990 Dance In America special on PBS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wnSGs33JK4

Wonderful doc, with full clips of numbers, showing great dancing, with him in a few, too!

If you guys really wanna get a laugh, ANY StarKid musical is amazing for that!

Their next show (this year) is called "Black Friday," and I SO wanna see it!

http://www.teamstarkid.com/black-friday

Also, all their past shows are on YouTube to watch completely free!

[youtu_be]

This is my FAVORITE one, "The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals," awesome show.

^I would like to see a production of "The Little Mermaid" done here, by any company, professional or not.

When I remember that the Brdwy version had most mermaids on skate-shoes with tails behind them...

pretty bizarre way to "suspend disbelief" etc. But the production looked good, and sounded great via the cast cd.

 

Hope what you saw and heard was enjoyable and fun.

Look up the show at MTI, they are the ones who license it and list all upcoming productions. (Note there is a Jr. version so you'll probably want to avoid that one.) Messing around there appears to be three different productions within the next year in the Vancouver area.

^ Thanks, I'll do that!