Funniest TV Quotes 2012

Here it is — my favorite/funniest quotes list of the best of TV 2012 — of course, I haven’t seen every show, but of those I have, here’s the annual list!  Enjoy —

“Do you smell that? Fresh cut grass.”

“Well, if its fresh cut its not ours.” — The Middle

“I prepared the clams in the traditional way, and then sampled them, and disposed of them. You can thank me very much.” – Happy Endings

Emma: “Got anything in that bag that can help me with a beanstalk?”

Mulan: “A hook.”

Cpt Hook: “Hey!” — Once Upon a Time

“Pastel walls give me the chills” – The New Girl

“So Mike and Rusty made up, which wasn’t too hard since Rusty didn’t even realize they were in a fight” — The Middle

“I don’t know what you two are up to. I think its amazing. I want no part of it.” — Happy Endings

“This place is so unappealing even I don’t look good here” — 2 Broke Girls

“For heavens sake, change out of those wingtips, your a kid…your not Nixon on the beach” – Modern Family

“You have to outsing Anna!…Do you know “Send in the Clowns?” cause I could help you” — Ben and Kate

“Our community has not yet learned how to modulate baby gifts” — Modern Family

“Robin and Patrice’s BFF Fun Day!” — HIMYM

“Do not fall into the evidence, Hodgins….it will only add to the humiliation” — Bones

“You can’t ask Wil Wheaton to leave…he’s a minor celebrity….once you explain who he is people recognize him” — The Big Bang Theory

“We’ve been laughing all night! (long pause). Except for right now, now its just weird” – Suburgatory

“Haley, this is real life, not an excellent movie” – Modern Family

‎”The thing I learned from ‘Hoarders’ is that it usually doesn’t end well for the cats” — The Middle

“I figured the best way to talk to Models was just to point to things and label them — this table is round and flat” — The New Girl

“That girl is so whack, her first name should be Knick-Knack-Patty” — Happy Endings

“Neither you, nor Cleveland, knows how to get over someone leaving you” – HIMYM

“Oh Damnit, I forgot to punish Brick”

“He didn’t lick another mailbox, did he?” — The Middle

Becket: “Take your hand off your tool, Marco”

Castle: (snickers)

Becket: “Shut up” — Castle

“A suicidal lemur has got my gun” — American Dad

“Was it great? No…was it good?….no” — Partners

“Twitter is stupid, and Instagram is Twitter for people who can’t read” — 2 Broke Girls

“Why was this more fun when we were kids?”

“Because when we were kids we didn’t have kids” – The Middle

“See, this is why my people spank” — The New Normal

“I don’t know, I’ve always been a bit of a saboteur” — Happy Endings

“Cleanings not her thing, but she has other strengths”

“Em, I don’t see them” — Two Broke Girls

“I am so tired of people using ‘Vanilla Sky’ to defend everything.” — Happy Endings

“I’m not completely secure when I sneeze” –Patsy, AbFab Olympics Special

“No one is going to judge me on my past. Everyone is going to judge me on my cheerleading talent alone.”

“She keeps saying that like its a good thing” — The Middle

“I won’t change too much — I’ll be like the old me, only a little bit different….like a Coldplay album” — Not Going Out

“That sounds like quite an embroglio”…Cougar Town

“If we don’t find that tutu, we’ll have to cut Clara, which will make us look ridiculous” — Bunheads

“Oh, how very Turning Point” — Bunheads

“That rude Roo ruined my room” — Suburgatory

“I’m only an okay storm, I’m not a perfect storm” — Cougar Town

“You are clearly having thoughts….you should go see the Guidance Counselor” — The Middle

‎”Want to see some real zombies, check out the red carpet at the Tony Awards” — Castle

“I don’t miss the sex…I miss summer in Minsk….I miss smoking in hospitals.” — Two Broke Girls

” I didn’t roll my eyes…I just had to really quickly look at the ceiling” –The New Girl

“Are you a Bond villain? Cause you just told me your whole plan”…The New Girl

“I was gonna help you, but then I didn’t want to”….Don’t Trust the B in Apt 23

“When I get married, I hope I’m just as pregnant as you”…Cougar Town

“How many times have I said I want to do beading?”

“I don’t know…never?” — The Middle

“These shorts are for a younger person, wouldn’t you say?” — Sprint Commercial

“I’m KFC, baby….you don’t mess with the Colonel’s recipe….”  — Barney, HIMYM

“Do you know what the worst part of today was?”

“I imagine it’s hard to choose….” — Modern Family

“There’s no availability at the Inn…” – Bones

“Ive never said you are not good at what you do….it’s just that what you do isn’t worth doing….” – Big bang Theory

“I broke my leg while ski-boxing….it’s a sport created by energy drinks” — Happy Endings

“I knew our group would get weird….now I know what it was like to be in ‘No Doubt'” — Whitney

“Usually my hook is that its closing time and I’m there”….The New GIrl

‘OMG, I have been doing this a long time and I have never seen a credit score that low…did you just

wake up from a coma?”….The New Girl

“Dahlia, you can’t just throw Hangover Monkeys at the problem.” — Suburgatory

“Those people were victims of a Fonzie scheme” – Modern Family

“I have tons of wallet chains you can borrow” — Schmidt, The New Girl

“People are talking…okay, it’s mostly us…and that’s usually how it starts…” — Suburgatory

“I love you….I blew up a Chipotle for you!” — 2 Broke Girls

“I do things….I read half a book about Zombies…”  – Nick, The New GIrl

“Can I offer you a Swedish Massage….accent optional?”…Phil, Modern Family

“This is a horrible neighborhood…there are youths everywhere.”

“Youths???…Who are you, Officer Krupke?” — The New Girl

“I don’t think its fair for me to be on a jury, because I am a hologram” — 30Rock

“Now she’s cavorting with dwarves? When did THAT happen?” – Evil Queen, Once Upon a Time

“Oh my God, I’ve been using an old hooker’s lipgloss” — Two Broke Girls

“Damn it, I can’t find my driving moccasins anywhere” — Schmidt, The New Girl

“Its my fault the dog fell in the pool…I let her out but then got caught up in my couponing” – Manny, Modern Family

“Do you know what’s under that hockey jersey?”

“A Family Guy tattoo?” — Happy Endings

“Live long and suck it, Zachary Quinto” – The Big Bang Theory

“Les Miserables” movie is stunning, emotional, and divisive (Review)

Do you hear the people sing? Do you scour all the movie reviews to decide if you want to see a movie or not? Do you trust your Facebook friends and their opinions? It seems everyone has an opinion on “Les Miserables”, the movie adaptation of the long-running stage musical. I, among many, just loved it.

Image

Arriving nearly intact from its stage incarnation, its a good adaptation of the musical, and almost every change made is helpful.  A few of the songs have been re-ordered to give them more flow in a movie setting, and a few lyrics have been changed, along with two all-new recitatives that catapult several short scenes into one There is also one new song, “Suddenly”, added for your consideration, Academy (since songs from another medium are not eligible).

Hugh Jackman is a convincing Jean Valjean, and delivers the money songs at full voice. There’s little subtlety in his performance, but it fits the style of this production. Sure, Alfie Boe would have sung a far superior “Bring Him Home”, but Alfie Boe would not have sold 18.5 million dollars worth of tickets in the first day. Russell Crowe, much maligned as Inspector Javert, actually turns in a very decent performance — having seen the stage production in London, NYC, and various tours probably more than a dozen times, I can easily say that he is no worse than some stage Javerts, while a far cry from the best of them. His singing voice is somewhat lackluster: its not off key, it’s not horrible, but it lacks inflection. While lack of inflection seems to be a necessity in rock bands these days (of which Mr Crowe is a longtime participant in addition to his acting career) its detrimental when singing a semi-operatic musical theater score. While his songs don’t soar, I imagine 99 percent of movie goers aren’t going to care, as long as there are lots of closeups of his eyes. One of the movie reviews I read called him a “singing fire hydrant”.

Anne Hathaway gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Fantine, and her “I Dreamed A Dream” will win her that statuette next month. Might as well mail it to her already.

Amanda Seyfried (Cosette) and Eddie Redmayne (Marius) both have too much vibrato in their voices, but their acting is genuine and in the case of Redmayne, at times exhilarating. “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” is emotionally overwhelming. Samantha Barks fares better as Eponine, but then she gets the musicals best songs by far. Helena Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen play the Thenardiers for laughs, and the parts are what they are — they are out of place in the stage musical, and they look even more out of place in the movie. Aaron Tveit makes for an excellent Enjolras.  The ensemble is terrific — and if you look closely, you will find dozens of Broadway and West End musical theater up and comers, in particular the guys playing the student compatriots of Marius and Enjolras.

Director Tom Hooper’s approach to the film is to close down some of it into closeup, while opening up other scenes for wide panoramas of sweeping scope. Aside from one odd shot in which St Paul’s Cathedral is visible in “Paris” (the movie was filmed in London), the sets look appropriately Parisian in nature. Most of the movie is filmed using hand-held cameras — now the standard for most action movies, new for musicals to be sure. There are some extreme closeups, and there are dizzying angles and camera sweeps. Photographers refer to putting things in “thirds”…Hooper works, at times, in “fourths” – with Javert, in particular, often appearing in the 4th quarter of the screen with nothing in the first three quarters. Its off-putting, and unique. After awhile, you start to feel that you are part of the action, that you are there, that you are peeking at the action from behind a crate or a ledge above; and Hooper wants it that way.

Les Miserables has always had its debates among the performance set: it’s an operetta masquerading as a musical…it’s a musical with operatic overtones. Its overblown, its overlong, its perfect. It should come as no surprise that the same debate rages now that the movie has been released. Take a look at the Broadway forum “All That Chat” for plenty of vitriol and debate. Reviews have been all over the map.

In reality, I don’t think it matters. Chalk up Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Hugh Jackman), Best Actress (Anne Hathaway), Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Redmayne), and a slew of technical awards, from costumes to scenic design.

Home for the Holidays, Dionysus Theatre, Review

Looks like Steve DeBruyne and Matthew Tomich have found (at least temporarily) a home for Dionysus Theatre at the Hartland High School auditorium — and its in a small beautiful space with professional amenities that theater companies envy. Its also a short 25 minute drive north of Ann Arbor (half the distance to Croswell for those who head there regularly) and they can use your support.

In a house that holds several hundred, only a handful were in attendance last night for their delightful original musical HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS — think “Bing Crosby Christmas Special” and its about all you need to know about the evening. Its a jolly Christmas-song filled entertaining two hours complete with surprise appearance by He Who Drives A Sleigh.

15 member cast and 5 piece orchestra weave an enchanting holiday spell as they tell their story interspersing on-stage and back-stage antics at a Christmas Eve holiday show. Familiar holiday tunes (some used very effectively here) abound, and there is plenty of great singing, dancing, and all-around fun. Look for a special appearance by “star” Liz Jaffe.

In a uniformly solid cast, Steve DeBruyne, Liz Jaffe, Marlene Inman-Reilly and Sarah Brown are particular standouts, but the entire cast is strong. Steve DeBruyne’s direction is fluid; Brian E. Buckner’s vocal arrangements and band are terrific; and Michelle Marzejon’s choreography fits the bill. There is nice setwork by Phil Harmer, and overall technical touches are very good — much more “ready for prime time” than another local professional theater when they launched a few seasons ago. Also look for one of those special appearances that I covet — Anne Bauman arrives on stage in Act II, sings one song, and calls it a night. My kind of featured role!

But, it appears that Livingston County doesn’t exactly know what to do with a new theater company — so there is lots of education that needs to be done in this community about theater attendance (and behavior inside the theater, which does not include talking, texting, and eating meals). This is a theater that deserves your support — and its only a short drive away from Ann Arbor, and a hop-and-a-skip from points north. Get off at 59, make your first left, and follow the signs to the new High School. But more importantly, help support this new theater company which promises great things. Their next production, the musical 9 to 5 will have better name recognition and hopefully draw from a larger base — but their current holiday offering is a family-friendly holiday treat that goes down easily. Take some time out during this last weekend of their performances and pack up your car and head to Hartland for HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

For tickets, call (517) 672-6009 or buy them online at http://www.diotheatre.com — or just buy your tickets at the door.

https://www.facebook.com/events/471469936238067/

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” musical tour (review)

Take a 10-minute book, turned into a 30 minute tv special, and expand it to a 90-minute intermissionless musical, and you have the plusses and the minuses of the holiday musical “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” which is currently playing multiple times a day at the Detroit Opera House on its holiday tour.

There isn’t much critical to say about this production — it looks swell and the costume and set design is colorful and works well. The cast members are covered in loads of makeup and hair design, so they are pretty much interchangeable. I have several friends in this cast, and (honestly) I couldn’t pick them out in the ensemble for quite some time. Though I guess that is what it is.

Stefan Karl is an excellent Grinch, and he is clearly having a ball playing his part. He’s surrounded by an energetic cast, singing unremarkable songs, only the original animated tv version songs stand out (and “Your a Mean One Mr. Grinch” follows you home after the show — seriously, I listened to it about three times in the car on the way home and changed my ringtone to the tune)…and the Grinch stealing the presents sequence is brilliant.

The first third of the show is slow-going, but what follows is a holiday treat — well written, finely performed, and expertly designed, it’s like holiday cookies and milk. Sugary sweet, check. Lump in the throat, check. Grinch’s heart growing three sizes, check. Yours too. Feeling guilty in enjoying this tasty treat, check.

Just to make sure, though, there isn’t any mistaking this production with a typical Broadway show (even though this did run in NYC for several seasons)…it’s a holiday entertainment that is fun for the entire family. And based on this afternoon’s very full (and skewed toward toddlers) audience, families are turning out in droves.

Welcome, welcome Christmas Day…fun fluff, you’ll have a fun time.

 

Broadway-bound JEKYLL & HYDE revisal is excellent…(Tour review, Detroit)

There’s no way around it…you either love Jekyll & Hyde the musical or you hate it…and this production might just change a few minds for those who don’t. Completely restaged, reimagined, re-orchestrated and more in line with the original concept album than the 97 Broadway production, the revised Broadway bound Jekyll & Hyde is magnificent and gets just about everything right that the original did not.

tumblr_m84yqmn3kZ1qcfo4q
Constantine Maroulis is excellent as Jekyll/Hyde as is Deborah Cox as Lucy. Teal Wicks turns in an emotional and heartfelt Emma and Laird Mackintosh as Utterson is steadfast and steady. Round it out with a fine supporting cast that never seems superfluous and never meanders across the stage without purpose as in the past production and you have a Broadway-ready cast and crew. All 20 cast members here are strong. Maroulis in particular is superb in the duel role of Jekyll and Hyde and he is in fine voice. Before the American Idol folks chime in, let me just remind people that before he was on that contest, he was a graduate of the Boston Conservatory and had done work at the Williamstown Theater Festival. He sings the part better than any performer I have heard in this part professionally.

Moodily atmospheric, Tobin Ost’s sets and costumes are stunning–and the stage far less cluttered and claustrophobic than the original…it works perfectly, complemented by Daniel Brodie’s excellent projections and Jeff Croiter’s rock-concert type lighting. The set and projections are so intertwined I’m not sure who to praise more, Tobin or Daniel, so I will praise them both.

Particularly effective here are the Fascade number (previously ensemble milling around in clumps) where, instead, maids and butlers dress the performers who play the Hospital Board of Governors. Another problematic number “Confrontation” which originally saw Jekyll turning his body side to side while singing “duet” with Hyde, here instead sings with a projection of Hyde, and it is magnificent projection design. Maroulis does very good vocal work here.

The one weakness at the Fisher is the sound design, which needs tweaking once it reaches the Richard Rodgers Theater, where it will no-doubt sound better than in the airplane-hanger-sized barn that is the Fisher Theater in Detroit.

This is a brand new show unlike the original and far superior to it. Who knew?  Clearly Frank Wildhorn did, as this reworked production is masterful. Credit director/choreographer Jeff Calhoun who manages it all at lightning pace without ever once missing a beat, while also not giving short-shrift to the quiet moments and emotion. Its very good work, and will surely be recognized at Tony time (as will, no doubt Tobin Ost’s set and Maroulis’s Jekyll/Hyde).  It comes in at 2:25 including intermission, and that is just right for this show. The great-looking scenery motion adds to the thrill — there are big pieces moving around here, and they flip and spin and rotate and revolve and form and reform like a gigantic erector set. No test-tubes and flickering candles in this lab, but an eerie, gothic, moody sensibility pervades everything.

Instant standing ovation at the end — expected of course, since this show has always thrilled audiences more than critics. I’ve been fortunate to direct this musical twice now…a few years from now, I am looking forward to directing this revised version somewhere, someday. Its superb. New Yorkers, feel free to purchase your tickets now — its coming in as a big fat certified hit.

I suppose I could have made this a much shorter review by just simply writing “I loved this production, go see it.”
Bravo.

Broadway Fall 2012 – Annie, Drood, Chaplin (reviews)

Musical Theater is in full swing on Broadway this fall, with some new material, and some revivals — and the good news is, whatever you choose, you’ll be in for a treat. Seen the weekend of November 16 – 18, this trip included revivals of Annie and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and the new musical Chaplin.

Lets start with the must-see performance of the season: Rob McClure as Charlie Chaplin in CHAPLIN. His physicality is amazing — from balancing on a tightwire, to pratfalls and tap dance, this is a star-making turn for a relatively unknown actor who has been working for years. Not only does his physical performance rate attention, but so does his ability to age from young adulthood to old age over the course of a couple of hours at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. He commands your attention each moment he is on the stage (which is pretty much the entire 2 hour-15 minutes performance – the show runs 2:30 with intermission). Not surprisingly, the Equity Fights Aids Broadway Cares auction at the end of the show raised 7000.oo for his autographed derby hat.

Great performances are also turned in by Wayne Alan Wilcox as his brother Sydney; Jenn Colella as Hedda Hopper, and at my performance Emilee Dupre as Chaplin’s mother, Hannah. Apparently Christiane Noll (the usual Hannah) has a contract which allows her frequent missed performances in order to perform her concerts across the country. Not to worry, Emilee is a terrific understudy. In general, the entire ensemble is solid.

The rest of the show doesn’t fare as well — stunning greyscale set design by Beowulf Boritt and costumes by Amy Clark and Martin Pakledinaz lit in shades of white and shadow by Ken Billington can’t hide the horrendous script by Christopher Curtis and Thomas Meehan, and bland music by Mr Curtis. Warren Carlyle’s busy direction and choreography can’t hide the gaping holes in script, and the banality of what is there. Chaplin is a fascinating character to be sure — but there’s little to learn in this musical between good-guy-come-millionaire in Act I, and possible communist spy in Act II. When you start rooting for Hedda Hopper to make it “all fall down” (a lyric repeated ad-nauseum throughout the show) its a sure sign that the audience is looking for someone, anyone, to spark some life into the script.

But oh, what a production. There is a reason this almost universally panned-by-critics musical is packing them in from night to night — and that is the cast that is solid from top to bottom, the excellent technical work,  and Rob McClure’s simply stunning performance. Its really an evening not to be missed, even though you might leave the theater wondering what this Chaplin guy was all about anyway.

Across the street on Broadway, they’re packing them in at the revival of ANNIE at the Palace Theatre, and its a dazzling new production. Directed by James Lapine and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler, the show quickly moves from orphanage to mansion and back again with lots of fun along the way. David Lorins forced-perspective sets look wonderful, and some aspects downright magical — take for instance the rooms of the Warbucks mansion, which flip like pages of a storybook as Annie is led from room to room upon her arrival.

We are a bit jaded here in the Midwest when it comes to ANNIE — its a show that has been done by every regional, community, high school, and junior high school in America — but its not that true in NYC, where the show made a revival appearance in the late 90’s and now again in this fresh new version. If you’ve seen Annie (and who hasn’t) you deserve to see it done right — with a professional cast and set design. Watching a professional production makes you realize why the show is such a challenge no matter who performs it; not only do you need a strong lead cast, but you also need an excellent across-the-board ensemble to make it all work. While the kids bring in the houses, the show is really about the adults.

And what a cast this production sports! Katie Finneran is a dynamo as Miss Hannigan, dripping with little girls (all of them very good).  Anthony Warlow makes for a highly likable Warbucks and he is a great actor, singer, and dancer. Brynn O’Malley performs a very strong Grace Farrell and gets to wear Susan Hilferty’s best clothing in the show (Go Blue, Brynn!) but also brings warmth and heart to her role; Clarke Thorell and J. Elaine Marcos (as Rooster and Lili) are hilarious and restrained — Clarke’s Canadian accent in the second act made me laugh out loud. Lilla Crawford, the usual Annie, was out for the evening, and her understudy, Taylor Richardson was superb! You can’t go wrong with any of the kids, and Taylor ranks among the best of the professional Annies (who now number legion).

Go see the show — but remember, if your young ones cant sit still for 2 hours 30 minutes, then they do not belong inside the theater. The young ones in the theater come to life when the kids are onstage (which is for about 20 minutes of the entire show) and tune out for the rest. The family sitting next to me in the middle of the orchestra all required straight jackets and muzzles – kids and parents.

Finally, the revival of Rupert Holmes’s THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD is getting rave reviews at Studio 54 under the production of Roundabout Theatre Company. This has always been one of my favorite musicals, and your enjoyment will be greatly enhanced if you don’t mind audience participation, clapping and singing along, shouting “Drood” every time the name of the show is announced, and taking great personal responsibility to vote for the detective and the murder in Act II.

It looks great at the small Studio 54 theater, and Anna Louizos wraps it all in a Music Hall shell. The split orchestra in the side booths is under the direction of Paul Gemingani and they sound great. William Ivy Long creates the costumes, and they are colorful and delicious. Warren Carlyle choreographs with energy, and Scott Ellis directs with a sure hand and skill at controlling organized chaos on stage.

And what a cast! Stephanie J. Block; Will Chase; Gregg Edelman; Chita Rivera; Jim Norton; Andy Karl; Jessie Mueller; Betsy Wolfe; Nicholas Barasch; Peter Benson; Robert Creighton — its a virtual who’s who of current Broadway in multiple generations of performers. Jessie Mueller turns in a particularly wonderful performance as Helena Landless (of the vague and somewhat geographically untraceable accent)…as does Will Chase as John Jasper. But the entire cast shines, and everyone has their featured moment and it all feels just right.

While there are alternate endings based on audience vote, you can virtually be assured that everyone sees the same pairings from show to show — comparing who played what with friends who have seen the show over the past week all indicated the exact same actors were voted upon to take up the duties from show to show. Still, it feels fresh and spontaneous, as if the performers really did just learn of their vote. A particularly nice touch is slate-boards that hang over the exit, on which the audience can see that evening’s exact tally of how many votes each suspect got in the audience vote. (by the way, take a close look at those tallies and you will see why the same folks get voted on show after show — the tallies are not even close).

You can’t go wrong with any of these current shows. New musicals also running (and previously reviewed in this blog) are A CHRISTMAS STORY and ELF. And the only other new musical entry on Broadway, Kathy Lee Gifford’s SCANDALOUS, has recently opened to horrendous reviews at the Neil Simon Theatre.

 

Should I upgrade by iPad 3 to the iPad 4?

No. If you already have an iPad 3, do not upgrade to the iPad 4 unless you just have money burning in your pocket.

For all practical purposes, there is nothing different between the two except for a slightly faster processor (no practical application, you won’t notice the difference)…a better camera for FaceTime (do you even use that? Does anybody use that?)…and a new dock connector (you have to buy and purchase adapters for all of your  old iAppliances)…

The iPad 4 is what Apple considers a “refresh” product — a boost in internal functioning, not change in form or features. In fact if you have an iPad 3, I don’t expect you will need to look at a serious upgrade until October 2013, since Apple seems to be shifting to a fall release date for the iPad to increase holiday sales. In essence, you will get more value and more time out of your iPad 3 than any other version to date at the same high powerful specs.

 

“Evil Dead the Musical” is a hilarious 2nd year hit at DCP in Dexter…(Mini Review)

Evil Dead, the Musical, makes a triumphant return to the Copeland Auditorium in Dexter Michigan by way of Dexter Community Players, who stage the show for a second year in a row — and it is tighter, better performed, and funnier all-around with three-times the blood quotient.

Based on several of the Evil Dead movies, the musical has been a cult hit since it first made the rounds of the Canadian fringe festivals, then onto Toronto, NYC and now taking over the world…(There’s another version playing in Downtown Detroit for the second year in a row as well).

But Dexter’s is something special — its a community show coming together to stage something you would never expect in this otherwise smaller town — one of the strongest overall productions of the show outside of Toronto you are likely to see — complete with original stage effects and other surprises. For extra fun, wear white, and sit in the first 4 rows (called the Splatter Zone) and get drenched in gooey, icky, red-sugar-syrupy blood for two hours — and there is three times the gooey-goodness as last year. Wear a white tux; or a wedding dress; or purchase a white t-shirt at DCP.

I couldn’t get out to see the show last weekend, so this review comes with only a couple performances left…see dextercommunityplayers.org for tickets. And leave the young ones at home — this is R-rated stuff.

Don’t worry about the scares — they are all for fun and absolutely none of them actually make you jump; but they will make you laugh as curses fly, blood and guts splatter the cast and audience; guns shoot; trees dance; and everyone sounds great. Thanks to director Jason Smith for making it all work; Jonathan Sills for some great vocal work and band (which also includes Philip Eversden and Tim VanRiper), and the entire DCP cast and crew for a rollicking good time.

Kudos to cast Peter Crist, Stacey Smith, Corrina Gauss, Chris Bryant, Ann Hernandez, Katie Selby, Neil Clennan, Zak Stratton, Lawrence Bryk, and Nicole Roth.

GO SEE IT. Expect scene changes you can drive a truck through (can’t help it, costume/makeup changes are a bitch); schlocky perfectly timed performances (its what you expect with cheap horror right?) and a really fun evening out in Dexter. For you Ann Arbor folks, that’s a 10-minute drive west of town.

By the way, if you are not familiar with Dexter Community Players work, their shows often give the other local companies (civic or professional) a run for their money in the musical department; witness not only their current Evil Dead, but recent productions of Annie, The Wedding Singer, Curtains and others. Go check them out.

Dance-tacular “Anything Goes” looks great on tour (review)

What a joy to revisit an old classic and find that the tour is as fresh and spectacular as the original Broadway production (now closed). (Seen on tour at the Wharton Center, East Lansing, MI 10-21-12).

Starring Rachel York in a simply wonderful performance, the dance-laden show veers from joke to song to dance with an ease that one usually doesn’t associate with this creaky old Cole Porter vehicle from the 30’s. Marshall directs with a good eye for modern-day audiences, and the show zips along in a manner that defies its 2:45 runtime. York is magnificent singing, dancing, pratfalling, and tapping her way through all those numbers.

Also in the tour, is UM grad Alex Finke who is excellent as Hope Harcourt. Billy is played with dancing and comic skill by Erich Bergen. When Erich and Alex are together, or when Erich and Rachel are together on stage, its sheer musical theater heaven. They are supported by an excellent cast, in fact, one which I like more than the original Broadway cast. Fred Applegate is particularly superb as Moonface.

That the show is touring with what looks like the original Broadway set (unless my eyes were mistaken) makes it even more dazzling. My original review of the show when seen in NYC is here: https://a2view.com/2011/12/19/broadway-reviews-bonnie-clyde-on-a-clear-day-follies-lysistrata-jones-war-horse/

I know, I know — most of my readers have either seen this show a million times, or like myself been IN it a million times…but this is a revival that is stunning in its simple, straight-forward “lets show them a good time” cheer; that the choreography is some of the best in recent years makes it a must see.

Scrumptious “Sunday in the Park with George” – University of Michigan Musical Theatre program (Review)

Continuing in a long string of the most professionally produced and technically proficient musicals in Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan Department of Musical Theater presents a scrumptious “Sunday in the Park with George” at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater.

Directed by Mark Madama, musically directed by Cynthia Kortman Westphal and Alexander Gemingnani (who also conducts), the production virtually channels the original Broadway Production with excellent performances by all actors, and gorgeous set design by Arthur Ridley and Costume Design by Rachel Ridley (with a smattering of costumes from American Players Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival). It also has some of the most remarkable sound design I have heard in the Lydia Mendelssohn (kudos to Jim Lillie).

While all of the performers are excellent (as should be, given the pre-eminent musical theater program), Trevor St. John-Gilbert is outstanding in his role of George/George and Madison Micucci is superb in her role as Dot/Marie. On stage virtually the entire performance, they bring excellent musical theater singing and acting chops to the very difficult Sondheim score.

You already know my schtick — there is absolutely nobody in Michigan that does better musical theater productions than the University of Michigan’s musical theatre program. You can take the cast, sets, and costumes and plunk it into any professional theater in America.  As usual, the run is entirely sold out, so I will not list ticket information here. For the remaining performances, cancellations, if any, are available at the box office before show time. Don’t count on it. For those who perpetually miss the boat on buying their tickets, just know that season tickets go on sale early each year for the following season. It’s the best ticket in town. Really.