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Jayna Katz and Adam Woolsey create fireworks in The Last 5 Years (Review)

Those explosions you heard over downtown Jackson the last couple nights have been caused by Jayna Katz and Adam Woolsey blowing the roof off of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra performance space during The Last 5 Years, the Jason Robert Brown two-person musical. Telling the story of a meeting, a wedding, and a breakup (hers fromContinue reading “Jayna Katz and Adam Woolsey create fireworks in The Last 5 Years (Review)”

Fiddler on the Roof at Encore Musical Theatre Company is hit-and-miss (Review)

Tevye (Stephen West) and family in Fiddler on the Roof (photo courtesy Encore Musical Theatre Company) Fiddler on the Roof opened at the Encore Musical Theatre Company in Dexter, MI last night, and if the crowd response was anything like it will be throughout the run, Encore has another hit musical on its hands andContinue reading “Fiddler on the Roof at Encore Musical Theatre Company is hit-and-miss (Review)”

Energetic, colorful Legally Blonde The Musical at Center Stage Jackson (Review)

The third of eleven local productions of Legally Blonde the Musical in the SE Michigan area came by way of Center Stage Jackson at the lovely Potter Center Baughmann Theatre. This production was a very solid community theater production, with an energetic cast, some great voices, and a fast-paced production that was colorful and funny.Continue reading “Energetic, colorful Legally Blonde The Musical at Center Stage Jackson (Review)”

Ride the Paddlewheel at Cedar Point (2012)….No, it’s not what you think…

So, as you most likely know (or if not, here’s the scoop) Cedar Point closed down the Paddlewheel Excursion last year to make way for this year’s Dinosaur’s Alive! animatronic display on Adventure Island (nee Millennium Island)…but that’s not the only Paddlewheel in town at The Point… One of the ORIGINAL Paddlewheels (from the 70’s)Continue reading “Ride the Paddlewheel at Cedar Point (2012)….No, it’s not what you think…”

Marlena Hilderley’s Elle Woods is superb in Legally Blonde (Croswell Opera House) – Review

It seems you can’t turn a corner without running into Legally Blonde The Musical this summer/fall in Michigan — in fact, there are 11 productions slated in just a 30 mile radius of each other, several of them playing on the same weekend. But it would be hard to find a better Elle Woods thanContinue reading “Marlena Hilderley’s Elle Woods is superb in Legally Blonde (Croswell Opera House) – Review”

Kings Island Live Shows 2012 (Review)

Kings Island has an interesting array of live entertainment this year….and lets start with the oddest: ED ALONZO’S PSYCHO CIRCUS OF MAGIC & MAYHEM at the Kings Island Theater is one of the oddest shows I’ve ever seen in a theme park. Fresh from Knott’s, the show mixes music, dance, comedy and magic that isContinue reading “Kings Island Live Shows 2012 (Review)”

Bunheads on ABC Family is the real deal (Review)

Set your DVR for June 11th — thats when ABC Family begins airing their new show BUNHEADS — and based on the pilot episode, the show does everything right that SMASH does so wrong week after week. Broadway’s Sutton Foster stars as a ex-ballerina/Broadway dancer now washed up Vegas Showgirl who impulsively weds a kindContinue reading “Bunheads on ABC Family is the real deal (Review)”

Cedar Point Live Entertainment 2012 (Review) – Updated including Luminosity and all shows

Note that this will be updated throughout the year as new shows open at Cedar Point. ABSOLUTE COUNTRY at the Red Garter Saloon (former home of Tropical Heat Island Beat the last few seasons) looks like this: Talented Alex Mack is back, playing guitar and singing. The electronic fiddle is back from a few yearsContinue reading “Cedar Point Live Entertainment 2012 (Review) – Updated including Luminosity and all shows”

Funny Business at Encore Musical Theatre Company — Nunsense (Review)

Back in ’86, I was onstage at the Met Opera House in NYC singing and dancing backup in one of the nation’s first big AIDS fundraisers. Among the stars and large-cast Broadway show ensembles there was a sudden rush of excitement as the habit-attired actresses from then Off-Broadway smash hit Nunsense whipped the audience intoContinue reading “Funny Business at Encore Musical Theatre Company — Nunsense (Review)”

Avenue Q is a stunner at Croswell Opera House (and thats a good thing) — Review

There are those of us who have already been initiated into the cult of Avenue Q on Broadway (where it is still running, Off Broadway); or on tour; or one of the sit-down productions across the country…and Croswell Opera House should be extremely proud of their current production onstage in Adrian as it ranks rightContinue reading “Avenue Q is a stunner at Croswell Opera House (and thats a good thing) — Review”