Mostly Musical Theatre

Better Not Say You are Bored (SE Michigan August edition 2014) August 3, 2014

So — I don’t want to hear anyone say they are bored this august, what with all the entertainment available — one of the richest months of August I can remember…

First, at the movies, get out and go see GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY…its the best thing since, well, ever…I can not recall the last time I saw a movie four times in one weekend — it creates one of the most complete worlds in recent filmdom, with the best developed characters since Star Wars. Go see it, and splurge, see it on the biggest, loudest 3-D screen you can find, preferably in IMAX.

Second, either at the handful of theaters still showing it, or Video on Demand, or iTunes or Google Play, watch SNOWPIERCER. You will either love it, or hate it, but you cant walk away from it without thinking about the world it creates on its caste-system train screaming through the frozen wasteland carrying the earth’s last precious cargo of humans. Don’t think too much about it, its not really about the science, but a scathing indictment of the Korean caste system, tree-huggers, and the green-movement alike. Its the most political movie of the year, and its a doozy.

Then there is the bountiful musical theater currently available to you….CAROUSEL is running at the Encore Musical Theatre Company, and FOREVER PLAID at the Dio. SWEET CHARITY runs for two weeks at the Croswell Opera House, and THE BIG BANG has just opened at the Williamston Theatre.

The big draw for the next two weeks continues to be the Michigan Shakespeare Festival in Jackson — presenting three superb productions in repertoire, don’t miss the exceptional Shawn Plautsch in the excellent HAMLET…or the comedy and witt of Oscar Wilde’s THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST…or the magical and hilarious comedy/drama of the very rarely produced CYMBELINE. You can’t go wrong with any of the three (but if you can only see one, don’t miss this Hamlet). There’s also a different production of it at Starr Jaycee Park in Royal Oak.

Also on local stages, there are the well-reviewed ERNIE in downtown Detroit, and THE LAST ROMANCE at the Purple Rose.

A bit further afield, the musical [TITLE OF SHOW] is running at Farmers Alley in Kalamazoo, and HAIR and HELLO DOLLY are playing at the Barn Theatre in Augusta.

In the non-professional realm, you can pick up Brass Tack’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM, Southfield Community Players THE CEMETERY CLUB, Peppermint Creek’s COCK, Over The Ledge’s MARRIED ALIVE.

On TV, we’re having one of the best summers in recent memory — AMERICA’S GOT TALENT presents its finals live from Radio City Music Hall…the excellent THE STRAIN is running over on FX…despite the dumb name, AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR features some of the best athletes your going to see this summer…and WELCOME TO SWEDEN is a charming sitcom (already renewed for next season) for a warm summer night. In other good news, the NBC series UNDATEABLE was burned off during July — and it got renewed! Catch it now on demand, or iTunes and/or other streaming media and catch up on the funniest comedy seen in a sitcom in a very long time.  If all else fails, there are the reruns of THE MIDDLE on ABC Wednesday nights.

And last but not least, not sure how anyone could not be entertained by a night out at Comerica Park watching our DETROIT TIGERS make their pennant run — see them now for a fraction of the cost those playoff tickets will cost starting in late September…