I saw my first professional show when I was eight. It happened to be on Broadway. That show, Beauty and the Beast, has held a special place in my heart ever since. Beauty and the Beast was, in my opinion, brilliantly tranferred from the animated movie to the big stage. Disney has a way of wonderfully turning their movies into Broadway musicals. Successful Broadway musicals.
(I do have to say however, that Disney's newest venture, Shrek the Musical, seems like a disaster from the videos and reviews I've seen. Why someone would pay $100 to see a singing ogre, I will never know. Ridiculous. But I digress).
Beauty and the Beast is definitely a large-scale production. Creating the costumes for the household furniture is no small task. Mrs. Potts had a giant beautiful teapot, Lumiere was a candlestick with "flames" that really lit up, and Chip magically seemed to have no body-- just a little boy's face sticking out of the teacup. Impressive.
Beauty and the Beast is a beautiful show, and the lyrics of the song frequently get stuck in my head. I performed in the show once, and would LOVE to be in it again someday.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Wicked
Most people who know me know that I have a slight obsession for the musical Wicked. Okay, more than slight. I was fortunate enough to see Wicked twice in Chicago, and it is amazing! By far the best show I have ever seen, or ever will see. I have the t-shirt, CD, sheet music book, know ALL the lyrics to every song in the show, and may even have a Wicked cookie sitting on my desk that I refuse to eat- I am saving it forever. The cookie with the Wicked Witch frosted on it sits in its saran wrap on my desk and gives me great joy when I look at it :)
But my Wicked cookie is not the point. My love of Wicked goes beyond the promotional items-- I love the story. The plot ideas is genius... the story of the relationship between the Wicked Witch and Glinda the Good Witch pre-Wizard of Oz. Or, as the tag-line of the musical so famously states "So much happened before Dorothy dropped in." Brilliant.
Even though the show has now left Chicago after a hugely successful four-year run, the adoration I feel for Wicked will never change.
But my Wicked cookie is not the point. My love of Wicked goes beyond the promotional items-- I love the story. The plot ideas is genius... the story of the relationship between the Wicked Witch and Glinda the Good Witch pre-Wizard of Oz. Or, as the tag-line of the musical so famously states "So much happened before Dorothy dropped in." Brilliant.
Even though the show has now left Chicago after a hugely successful four-year run, the adoration I feel for Wicked will never change.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Pinkalicious
Yes, I went to Pinkalicious the Musical on Saturday.
But don't worry, I didn't go alone. I went with my favorite little babysitting buddies- ages 3 and 5. Aparently, pink is all the rage when you are five. Being the good babysitter that I am, I agreed to the outing. And so, their Mom, Grandma, Aunt, and I, and the little tykes of course, headed to the Orpheum in Sioux City for a pink extravanganza.
And let me tell you, I have never seen so much pink in all my life. I was instructed to wear pink by five-year-old Kate ("Greta- you HAVE to wear pink!"), and every other child in the audience happened to be wearing that lovely color too. Pink tiaras and pink boas and pink purses galor!
The show was..... cheesy, but cute. And for little Elin perched on my knee, it was thrilling! And for Kate, perched on my other knee, it was very funny! There was a lot of giggling and humming going on from my little audience members.
I have to give the actors credit for being willing to participate in the show. Not every female actor aspires to play Pinkalicious, the girl who eats too many cupcakes and turns pink. Yep- she had a pink bodysuit and pink wig and everything. Whew. When reading through the program, one does wonder why actors with numerous Broadway credits have chosen to be in Pinkalicious the Musical? Just a thought.
Elin was so enthralled with the show, that she ran around the aisles of Target afterwards yelling "Pinkalicious" at the top of her lungs, much to the amusement of the other shoppers. Oh to be three again.
So yes, that was my very pink experience. Priceless.
But don't worry, I didn't go alone. I went with my favorite little babysitting buddies- ages 3 and 5. Aparently, pink is all the rage when you are five. Being the good babysitter that I am, I agreed to the outing. And so, their Mom, Grandma, Aunt, and I, and the little tykes of course, headed to the Orpheum in Sioux City for a pink extravanganza.
And let me tell you, I have never seen so much pink in all my life. I was instructed to wear pink by five-year-old Kate ("Greta- you HAVE to wear pink!"), and every other child in the audience happened to be wearing that lovely color too. Pink tiaras and pink boas and pink purses galor!
The show was..... cheesy, but cute. And for little Elin perched on my knee, it was thrilling! And for Kate, perched on my other knee, it was very funny! There was a lot of giggling and humming going on from my little audience members.
I have to give the actors credit for being willing to participate in the show. Not every female actor aspires to play Pinkalicious, the girl who eats too many cupcakes and turns pink. Yep- she had a pink bodysuit and pink wig and everything. Whew. When reading through the program, one does wonder why actors with numerous Broadway credits have chosen to be in Pinkalicious the Musical? Just a thought.
Elin was so enthralled with the show, that she ran around the aisles of Target afterwards yelling "Pinkalicious" at the top of her lungs, much to the amusement of the other shoppers. Oh to be three again.
So yes, that was my very pink experience. Priceless.
Friday, May 1, 2009
He Doesn't Speak English
Last weekend I saw NW's production of The Foreigner. What a fun little show! I can honestly say that I laughed harder than I have in a long time (and I am usually one for laughing quite a bit). If NW was ever to due a show that was pure entertainment, this is it...
Tucker Schneider as Charlie, a.k.a. the foreigner, was HILARIOUS. Definitely the highlight of the show. He hardly spoke at all during the first act, but his priceless facial expressions stole the show. I laughed so hard I got tears in my eyes during the second act when he began to pick up on English. He was great, as usual. Oh Tucker.
Hannah McBride was another standout. Her part wasn't a funny one like the others, but boy does she have some solid acting chops. Wow.
After I was able to compose myself from the fit of giggles that came over me when Kailen Fleck walked on stage with a mullet, I focused on his acting. Kailen is a VERY intense actor in general, but it worked for this "evil" part.
Sara Chipman was surprisingly good as the old-lady part, Betty. I was wondering how she would pull that off, but she and Tucker had some great moments together.
All in all, a fun show that I think most people would find enjoyable. You should go to see Tucker, if nothing else!
Tucker Schneider as Charlie, a.k.a. the foreigner, was HILARIOUS. Definitely the highlight of the show. He hardly spoke at all during the first act, but his priceless facial expressions stole the show. I laughed so hard I got tears in my eyes during the second act when he began to pick up on English. He was great, as usual. Oh Tucker.
Hannah McBride was another standout. Her part wasn't a funny one like the others, but boy does she have some solid acting chops. Wow.
After I was able to compose myself from the fit of giggles that came over me when Kailen Fleck walked on stage with a mullet, I focused on his acting. Kailen is a VERY intense actor in general, but it worked for this "evil" part.
Sara Chipman was surprisingly good as the old-lady part, Betty. I was wondering how she would pull that off, but she and Tucker had some great moments together.
All in all, a fun show that I think most people would find enjoyable. You should go to see Tucker, if nothing else!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Over Easter break, I had the chance to see Mary Poppins at the Cadillac Theater in downtown Chicago, direct from Broadway.
After taking the mandatory pictures in front of the billboard out front with my younger sisters, we went in and were escorted to our main floor seats. And then... the curtain went up, and I could not stop smiling until the show ended two hours later. My youngest sister sat perched on the edge of her seat the entire show...
Phenomenal! Where to start? Ashley Brown as Mary Poppins (she originated the role on Broadway) was fantastic and "Practically Perfect" (hence the song). What a voice, what an actress, what a tap dancer. Her version of Mary Poppins was just how I imagined Mary Poppins to be. And Gavin Lee as Bert (original West End AND Broadway Bert), was stunningly good. What a demanding part- he danced for almost the full two hours. He was a wonderful Bert and so flexible and entergetic. The highlight of the show would have to be when he tap danced UPSIDE DOWN on the ceiling of the proscenium stage, while singing and holding his arms out.
The very important Banks children (Christopher Flaim and Aida Neitenbach the night I saw it) were very impressive and were onstage almost as much as Mary Poppins. Demanding parts for the very adorable and young-looking kids, but they handled everything like a pro, despite their young age. Not to mention their great acting chops and singing voices.
Speaking of special effects, those were amazing. There was, of course, lots of flying done by Mary Poppins, and she flew over the entire audience and into the balcony during curtain call. There was the tap-dancing upside down, the giant umbrella that came down from the ceiling and covered the entire stage, and all of Mary Poppins usual magic tricks-- sliding up banisters, popping out of chimneys, clapping to make beds appear, and pulling plants and lamps and tables out of that ever-famous carpet bag.
The set was fantastic, esp. since it's a touring show. The Banks house was a like a pop-up story book, the house "unfolded" to reveal multiple floors and a grand staircase. The set was constantly changing and the sets pieces all flew in from above.
Every scene in the show kept getting better and better and more exciting, from "Jolly Holiday," to "Supercalifradulistic," to "Step in Time." Wow!
What a show, what a cast, what an experience!
After taking the mandatory pictures in front of the billboard out front with my younger sisters, we went in and were escorted to our main floor seats. And then... the curtain went up, and I could not stop smiling until the show ended two hours later. My youngest sister sat perched on the edge of her seat the entire show...
Phenomenal! Where to start? Ashley Brown as Mary Poppins (she originated the role on Broadway) was fantastic and "Practically Perfect" (hence the song). What a voice, what an actress, what a tap dancer. Her version of Mary Poppins was just how I imagined Mary Poppins to be. And Gavin Lee as Bert (original West End AND Broadway Bert), was stunningly good. What a demanding part- he danced for almost the full two hours. He was a wonderful Bert and so flexible and entergetic. The highlight of the show would have to be when he tap danced UPSIDE DOWN on the ceiling of the proscenium stage, while singing and holding his arms out.
The very important Banks children (Christopher Flaim and Aida Neitenbach the night I saw it) were very impressive and were onstage almost as much as Mary Poppins. Demanding parts for the very adorable and young-looking kids, but they handled everything like a pro, despite their young age. Not to mention their great acting chops and singing voices.
Speaking of special effects, those were amazing. There was, of course, lots of flying done by Mary Poppins, and she flew over the entire audience and into the balcony during curtain call. There was the tap-dancing upside down, the giant umbrella that came down from the ceiling and covered the entire stage, and all of Mary Poppins usual magic tricks-- sliding up banisters, popping out of chimneys, clapping to make beds appear, and pulling plants and lamps and tables out of that ever-famous carpet bag.
The set was fantastic, esp. since it's a touring show. The Banks house was a like a pop-up story book, the house "unfolded" to reveal multiple floors and a grand staircase. The set was constantly changing and the sets pieces all flew in from above.
Every scene in the show kept getting better and better and more exciting, from "Jolly Holiday," to "Supercalifradulistic," to "Step in Time." Wow!
What a show, what a cast, what an experience!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
