Elf the musical, Broadway, review

With plenty of scrooges in the New York media, it was with a bit of trepidation that I approached Elf, The Musical, currently playing at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre through the holidays. I’m happy to report that those scrooges were wrong, and the show is a delight.

Granted, this is not Les Miz that we are talking about here, but a lighthearted, Christmas-filled holiday confection based on the Will Farrell movie.

Here, Buddy is played with humor and charm by Sebastian Arcelus. Amy Spangler makes a jolly foil as Jovie. Beth Leavel (as Emily) and Mark Jacoby (Walter) are fine parents; and George Wendt a funny Santa. Matthew Gumley is a funny and talented younger brother Michael (okay, he had a funnier part in The Addams Family, but hey, this is Elf)…

The cast sings and dances and mugs and cavorts about the stage, with clever set design, solid direction, and plenty of holiday cheer. The music and lyrics are by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguilin (The Wedding Singer) and book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin. The story and book hold pretty true to the original movie (“Santa! I know him!!”) but offers plenty of up-to-date humor to keep you on your toes (Santa: “Now where is that iPad app naughty list…oops, that’s not it, that’s Angry Birds…”)

Completely entertaining and fun, the show is sure to return for at least one more season next year in NYC, and most likely will have a future tour. See it for some lighthearted and fun holiday cheer. Don’t expect much more than that.

For a relatively long video look at the show, take a look here:

“Spiderman” musical a technical marvel (Updated)

Yes, this is a review of a preview. No, the show has not officially opened (I saw preview #23) but that’s the way it goes. When a show of this caliber opens in NYC, charges full price for tickets, and pushes back official press openings, the gentleman’s rule no longer applies. Thousands of people a day are seeing the show AS IS, so this review is for the production AS IS. I paid my 140.00, I can say whatever I want at this point.

(Update: The opening has now been pushed back to March 15. Expect most reviews to arrive on February 8th, the pushed back opening date. Many papers, blogs, and websites have already reviewed the show, among them the Toronto Star).

So, here’s my take. I really liked Spiderman: Turn off the Dark quite a lot. Really. Granted, this isn’t a show that is high on story nuances, and is designed to be a spectacle. The source material dictates this. But the show is far far from the disaster that the nay-Sayers have been salivating their shadenfreudened lips over.

First, the production is a technical marvel — from the aerial tricks to the video screens, graphics, costumes and general design to the overall flow of the show. The production last night went off without a hitch, and (most) of the audience was highly entertained. The show received the obligatory Broadway standing ovation…but here’s the thing: this was a highly educated audience composed of many frequent theater goers and professionals (I spoke with almost everyone around me, and none were “tourists” just taking in a show). And people were impressed and surprised. Granted, there will always be nay-sayers.

The cast is uniformly strong. Reeve Carney is a likable and rock-voiced lead as Peter Parker. Jennifer Domiano a straightforward MJ. Patrick Page has a blast as The Green Goblin, and T.V. Carpio a very assured Arachne (she served as an understudy  and is now permanently filling the role originally played by Natalie Mendoza who left the  production).

The music by Bono and The Edge is serviceable, energetic, and in a few instances excellent (“The Boy Falls From the Sky”, “Walk Away”). But no doubt about it, the book by Glen Berger and Julie Taymor ( who also directs) is weak, serving to tie together stage pictures and special effects. But oh what effects those are.

People fly. Sets rotate and flip. Drawings come to life. The sets rotate and move to place you above and under action sequences much like a comic book from frame to frame. Subways cross the stage in the background. Cars move on the streets below in aerial scenes. There is a general wonderment to the whole thing and a bit of “how did they do that” to keep even this jaded theater director amazed. Special kudos to Scene designer George Tsypin, Lighting designer Don Holder, Costume Designer Eiko Ishioka and Projection Designer Kyle Cooper. The most brilliant visual effect involves the “weaving” of a giant tapestry during the opening sequence with cast members on swings and some nifty stage artistry.

Act I serves as the general Spiderman tale that theatergoers will be familiar with. Act II gets a bit more mystical with Arachne creating mayhem and tempting Peter Parker. It’s fun for those who undertand their classical mythology. It’s going over the heads of anyone under the age of thirty who no longer have been forced to learn this in high school.

And there’s the problem. Act I is brilliant. Act II will appeal to many of us, while alienating others. It needs to be fixed. And apparently it is being fixed. Large portions of the Act II that I saw at preview 23 were different from what a good friend saw in Preview 16, including changes in storyline, flying sequences, and focus. I expect these to change over the coming month as they clean and polish. And that is why shows like this have previews. Spiderman doesn’t have the luxury of doing this out of town, away from NY audiences. The biggest cut that needs to be made is the bizarre “shoes” number performed by Arachne and her minions. Clearly meant to be a humorous number in Act II, it is instead appalling. From what I understand Julie Taymor has stated that this number is NOT being cut — which is a mistake.

But the production is not, I repeat, is not any type of flop. It has a marvelous cast and crew that are working very hard to create an unforgettable night of theater. The media and very vocal “All That Chat” forum members (most of whom have not seen the show) are going out of their way to cast ill-will on a work-in-progress that will eventually have the kinks worked out. If the show becomes a critical failure, word of mouth should keep this running for years. Ticket sales even during previews have kept steady at about a million dollars a week.

When “Carrie the musical” was in previews, I dragged my friends to see it over and over because every performance got stranger and stranger. You knew it was a flop. The same can not be said of Spiderman. I have nothing but good wishes for it’s success. I liked it warts and all…it will only get better over the coming work period. And attending a preview will let you see how a Broadway team pulls it all together. I wouldn’t hesitate to see the show again at a later date to see how it all works when finished.

For an interesting look at the current state of the tech previews, see this article:      http://www.playbill.com/news/article/146171-DIVA-TALK-Chatting-with-Spider-Man-Turn-Off-the-Darks-Jennifer-Damiano

“Dreamgirls” tour positively electric (Detroit)

Get tickets, go, don’t hesitate for a moment. The current Broadway Tour that has landed at the Fox Theater in Detroit is positively electric. From the cast to the set, lighting, and orchestra it is just a high-energy evening of musical theater not to be missed.

This Dreamgirls is more than just a revival…it’s a complete re-imagining of the show. It moves at lightning pace, and Robin Wagner’s video wall sets have a life all their own. The production includes songs written for the movie, and they feel natural on stage. There are subtle revisions throughout the show, but not to worry: all the big moments are there, and “I’m telling you I’m not going” raises the electricity level to fever-pitch.

Moya Angela creates a tough Effie, but also delivers the goods when it comes to more tender emotion (something Jennifer Holiday could not). Syesha Mercado is a terrific Deena and Nikki Kimbrough a sure-voiced Loretta. The men are equally strong in this production, and Chester Gregory is the standout here, as James Thunder Early. He not only sings and wisecracks, but is an excellent dancer in his own right.

I have fond memories of seeing the original Dreamgirls on Broadway in 1982 as well as the revival. Those hold a cherished place in my musical theater heart…but this new version is an entirely different beast…and I loved it.

2010 Funniest TV quotes

Here they are! 2010’s funniest tv quotes. Granted I haven’t seen every single show out there, but of those that I have, here are my favorite of the year.

“Together we’re like Ghandi….I’m Skinny, and your Tan” — Better Off Ted

“Leonard, wake up, you are missing many excellent super-hero quips” — The Big Bang Theory

“I’m not really necessary. The last time I said that, I was in a three-way with two of the Backstreet Boys” — Jenna, 30Rock

“The Parade was excellent…Angela Lansbury was the Grand Marshal. Good Times, she Wrote.” — Phil, Modern Family

“Oh, you’re exquisite….you must let me paint you” — How I Met Your Mother

“The microwave is for pizza rolls…the oven is for bulky storage!”…The Middle

“My power rangers got married in so may different combinations it was like Fleetwood Mac” — Glee

“This whole experience has been so surreal. I never thought I’d be jealous of the long illustrious run that NBC gave “Joey” — Conan O’Brien

“I’m having a really difficult time hearing anything you have to say today, because your hair looks like a briar patch. I keep expecting racist animated Disney characters to pop up and start singing songs about living on the bayou.” — Sue, Glee

“I trust award shows….they tell me how much to care about specific dead people” — 30Rock

“You had better get rid of all your booby traps by the time we get back from ham shopping”…Wizards of Waverly Place

“Give me chocolate or I will cut you” — Glee

“Honey, don’t take this the wrong way but I have practically no faith in you” – Clare to Phil, Modern Family

“It’s time to eat the sword” — Cougar Town

Danny: First you have to seek to understand before you can be enlightened.   Steve: I will literally pay you cash to stop talking.  — Hawaii Five-0

“She told me that kids that talk during Wheel of Fortune go blind.” — The Middle

“11 hours and 7 minutes into the Parent Teacher Conference I realized what I hate about these meetings….the other parents” — The Middle

“Did you notice how I used three different inks to express three different feelings?” — The Middle

“Hey Brad…look at you… tap dancing on my porch…where the neighbors can see…” — The Middle

“If they find us in these outfits its going to be very bad for the gays” — Mitchell, Modern Family

“Im not stepping on that one — I’m not playing Good Cop-Mom” – Phil, Modern Family

“Remember when I got my Chinese tattoo that was supposed to say “peace” but they wrote “White hooker” instead? — Jenna, 30Rock

“Your new vibe is a double edged sword, like the one Mickey Rourke tried to kill me with” — Jenna, 30Rock

“You know how I deal with stress? I embrace my Spanish roots — Siestas!” – Cougar Town

“Confession may be good for the soul, but it’s a hot lead enema for a marriage” – Two and a Half Men

“we’re both beautiful people, Lance, we’re bound to get jealous sometimes” – Bones

“I thought the bazinga was implied” – Big Bang Theory

“Why am I always being asked to play redicerous characters?” – Tracey, 30Rock

“I heard it from the lady who was playing Bingo down at Our lady of Reluctant Integration” – 30Rockk

“The skeleton appears to have suffered a great deal of damage in the washer ” — Bones

“They only created “The Girly Show” to counteract the flack they got when they aired “The Bitch Hunter” — 30Rock

“Im just a boy trying to bring style back to traveling” – Manny, Modern Family

Gloria: In my culture, mothers are very clingy to their sons. In fact, the leading cause of death among Colombian women is when their sons get married. But I’m not like that. — Modern Family

Phil Dunphy: Luke’s not much of a clown fan. 

Cameron Tucker: Really?

Phil Dunphy: Yeah, he never liked ’em.

Cameron Tucker: Has he ever seen a good one?

Phil Dunphy: Has anyone? — Modern Family

“There ain’t no party like a Liz Lemon party, because a Liz Lemon party is mandatory” – 30 Rock

“Is this that tv show where the puppets live in the Barrio?” – Dwight watching Sesame Street on The Office

“Big or small, I don’t like rabbits — they always look like they are going to say something, but they never do” – The Big Bang Theory

“Do you think you could make me pretty again?” -Christine   “When were you pretty?” – The Meany Moms

“homogenic = the tendency to look gay in pictures” – Rules of Engagement

“A) I rarely kid, and B) when I do you will know it by my use of the term “Bazinga” — Big Bang Theory

“Grayson is Pursie-whipped…he’s a lady-butler” – Cougar Town

“whoa, whoa, whoa…if we’re going to talk, I have to go get a can of listening juice” – Rules of engagement

“We are going to help you”…”I doubt that – I haven’t figured out how to do it, and I’m smarter than all of you” — Sheldon, Big Bang Theory

“GE brought good things to life…and bad things to Chinese rivers” – 30Rock

“We were meant to settle for each other…I could open cans and kill bugs for you, and you could make me look less gay at work functions” – Michael Sheen, 30Rock

“When you do something crazy after you break up with someone, tell everyone, because eventually someone will out-crazy you and you’ll feel better about yourself” — Tommy Johnagin, LCS, 2010

Michael “I need your undivided attention”   Dwight: “You couldn’t handle my undivided attention” – The Office

“Happy Valentine’s Day, No-one!” — 30Rock

“What we did last night was perfectly natural…like the wind, or not trusting Canadians”…CougarTown

“Oh God, we have unhappy Germans…nothing good has ever come of that”…Better Off Ted

“Either you don’t care at all, or you care 100-and-crazy percent” – Better Off Ted

“My new computer comes with Windows 7….which is more user-friendly than Windows Vista…I don’t like that.” — Sheldon, Big Bang Theory

“I don’t take the high road…the high road leads to Pansyville” – Better Off Ted

“Who are you calling a cootie-queen you lint-licker?” – Orbitz commercial

“When I pulled my hamstring I went to a misogynist” – Glee

“Dolphins are just gay sharks” ‘- Glee

“Don’t cry for me Tartine” — 30 Rock

“I think it’s an emotion — like “joy”, or “spicy food” — Better Off Ted

“When the sun goes down and the beer starts flowing, that’s when the really good ideas start happening”…Tom Bergeron, America’s Funniest Videos

“I would like to unsubscribe from whatever it is you’re doing right now” — Better Off Ted

“You need more chardoney….oh, and better chardoney” – Cougar Town

“It’s lonely always knowing what’s correct.” – Better Off Ted

Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Musical – (Review) Toronto pre-Broadway

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the Musical, now playing in Toronto and London, and heading to Broadway this coming spring, is in a word “FAB-U-LOUS.”

Seen in Toronto at the Princess of Wales Theatre, the musical follows the movie pretty faithfully, expanding on a few key scenes, and using much of the music of the original soundtrack (although some has been replaced with alternate songs due to copyright difficulties).

Not in the know? Rent the movie. Now imagine it larger, louder, more colorful, and with more outlandish costumes, and you have Priscilla the Musical.

The cast is uniformly excellent — led by Tony Sheldon, WIll Swenson, and Nick Adams, the very strong ensemble cast sings, dances, in drag and out, while hopping, bounding, and caroming around the (at times cramped) stage — and coming close to landing in the laps of the audience members on several occasions.

I can not recall the last time I had this much sheer fun at a musical and it is going to play on Broadway for years — so get your tickets now. (For those of you in the midwest, try to get to Toronto to see the show in the more intimate Princess of Wales, at half the price of Broadway tickets).

There is masterful work here across the board – from the performers to the dazzling stage effects throughout the production. The sets dazzle, the lighting is colorful, and everything moves at lightning speed.

Beware if you sit in the first five rows. “Evil Dead the Musical” usually calls the first few rows of its audience the “splatter zone” since you will get red-dye cornsyrup “blood” all over you….Well, Priscilla should call the first five rows the “Confetti and Glitter zone”…an hour after the show, and I am still trying to get it all out of my coat. It’s all great fun, though.

But most importantly – the show works. It’s great fun, but it has a heart larger than the whole outback, and I dare you not to cry. I dare you. But you don’t have much time to worry about it – because the show is instantly off  a few moments later and barreling along at a pace that literally leaves you gasping for breath. In a really good way.

I absolutely loved Priscilla, and am already making plans to see it again in NYC. This is just plain old one of the best musicals I have seen in ages — pencil in Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Set Design, and Best Costume Design Tonys right now — and it hasn’t even opened in NYC yet. It is that good. It’s hug-your-dog, blast your stereo and dance around the house good. It’s laugh your way all the way back to the hotel good. I don’t usually give stars in my reviews, but I will make an exception and rate this one Five out of Five stars.

By the way, needless to say, the show is not appropriate for the wee ones — it’s not particularly offensive unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 30 years, but it is filled with drag-queens-on-a-bus debauchery and meyhem. It is the gayest thing you will most likely ever see live on stage. And it is fabulous.

This video from YouTube features the original London cast, but it looks identical in Toronto:

 

Very funny “The Drowsy Chaperone” at Performance Network (review) Ann Arbor, MI

Performance Network in Ann Arbor is currently presenting the first professional Michigan production of The Drowsy Chaperone, and it is high on fun, sparse on tickets (it’s been extended to January 2nd) and a good musical in residence for the holidays. The more you know about musical theater, the more you will love the extraordinary book of the show. There is nothing particularly offensive for the young ones, but I would leave the pre-teens and younger at home. There are entire websites devoted to discussing the insider theater jokes and veiled references in the show.

First, let me say that it is difficult to review a regional production of a show that I saw on Broadway twice and whose professional Broadway tour passed through within the past year, using the original Broadway sets and costumes, and featuring what was arguably the Best Performance by a male actor in any tour anywhere during the past year (Craig Treubert as Man in Chair). See my review of that tour here:

https://a2view.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/charming-the-drowsy-chaperone-tour-stranahan-theater-toledo-review/

That being said, I found myself laughing and enjoying the entire production at the Performance Network. Carla Milarch’s direction is fast and breezy, and a bit over the top as the show presents it’s “musical within a comedy”. This cast sells the production well — Naz Edwards should be declared a national treasure, and she does a wonderful job in the role of the Chaperone. Another superior performance is turned in by Scott Crownover as lothario Adolpho. He steals every scene that he is in (by design), and when he and Naz are on stage together, theater magic takes place.

Phil Powers is strong in the role of Man in Chair and the rest of the cast is very good. To be sure, there is some unevenness, but the energy is palpable. The show is nicely accompanied by a four-piece ensemble that sounds larger than it is, and R. MacKenize Lewis has done a terrific job with the musical direction throughout — the diction and sound are very good. What a joy to hear every word of the deliciously funny book and lyrics.

Phil Simmons choreography is fine though a bit cramped in the PerfNet space. But he makes good use of the entire set, and what a set it is — Monika Essen has created another fine set that makes the stage look larger than it really is, and which has some nice touches, including a staircase that comes and goes, and rotating panel walls that change according to scene. It looks great. It’s all well-lit by Justin Lang and well costumed by Suzanne Young. You will be hard-pressed to find a better looking show this holiday season.

The sound of the taps in the dance number by Matt Anderson (George) and Brian Thibault (Robert) gets muffled on the non-resonant stage floor, but it’s a fine number overall and something PerfNet audiences have not seen in any of their musicals. Plus, I am partial to tap dancing. A later novelty number on roller skates does not work as well in the cramped space. Neither does the ending, since without flyspace it’s difficult to make anything magical of the airplane sequence at the end of the show (although PerfNet’s is clever and looks great). It leaves Man in Chair firmly earthbound at the end of the show instead of lifting off with the rest of the cast. A minor quibble in an otherwise well done technical production.

Once again, Performance Network presents a well-crafted and performed professional musical theater production that they should be proud of.

The Drowsy Chaperone continues at Performance Network Theater through January 2nd. Tickets are available at performancenetwork.org or by phone at 734-663-0681.

 

UM’s “Gibson Fleck” shows promise, fine score (review)

It’s hard to review a workshop production of a show. Such is the case at the University of Michigan, where the musical theater program is presenting GIBSON FLECK this weekend.

There are parts of this new musical that work well. There are others that don’t. But what works well works very well –the opposite is also true of the things that don’t work well. I won’t go into reviewing the show itself in this blog review, since it is a work in progress. Suffice it to say that the show involves a young man searching for his roots (and a sense of “home” as the songs often reflect) after being moved from “family” to “family” while growing up due to a series of coincidences.

Make no mistake, this is a full-fledged UM production, so the clever set (by Vince Mountain); the lighting, costumes, orchestra, and large cast are all super. The production makes terrific use of the Arthur Miller Theater on North Campus. It’s great to see a student-written production get this type of treatment. The direction by Linda Goodrich moves the production briskly along and makes for an entertaining evening.

There is some lovely work in the score by A.J. Holmes and Carlos Valdes, especially when things slow down and become more melodic. The book by Ali Gordon never finds its voice. It’s not worth delving into this further here, because this is clearly a work in progress, and as future workshops and rewrites occur, it is sure to find a stronger center. As it stands, its a bit difficult to discern which characters one is meant to care about; and I didn’t want to care about all of them.

My own final thoughts on the way home: I loved seeing a new musical that clearly has some excellent young talent behind it; and wish nothing but good things for this team down the road. My take: I’d love to see a bit more about Gibson, and a bit less about some of the other people in his life. Congrats to the team involved. The lucky few with tickets will enjoy this new show, even if the road to the finish is a bit bumpy at this point.

Magical “Mary Poppins” tour (review) East Lansing, MI Wharton Center

Disney’s Mary Poppins the musical has been a magical sensation from its opening night in London, through it’s UK tour,  Broadway (where it is still running) and now the tour which arrived in East Lansing MI at the Wharton Center, where it will soon be a return visitor if the sold out audiences and enthusiastic crowds have any say. (This production moves to the Detroit Opera House Dec 16).

What you get is a wonderful tour production of the show that arrives looking as “spit-spot” as it possibly could given the considerations of touring shows. The set, lighting, cast, and entire production are just sparkling.

To anyone who has seen the show in London or New York, let me answer your questions right off the bat: Yes, Mary does fly across the audience and into the balcony. And yes, the tap dancing surprise moment in “Step in Time” is indeed there. And its theater magic in each instance.

This is a “practically perfect” tour cast. At today’s performance Elizabeth Broadhurst played Mary and was wicked good, and I imagine Caroline Sheen is also perfect in this role. The children alternate performances, so I am not sure which two we saw today, but they were very fine. All performances, in fact, were excellent.

A special standout (besides Ms. Broadhurst) is Nicolas Dromard as Bert (a role I saw Gavin Lee play in London) who makes the role his own with a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous smile throughout. With clear voice and very clean tap moves, he’s the heart of this big, boisterous musical. The thief-of-joy Nanny Andrews in this production is played by Ellen Harvey in a superb performance.

No expenses are spared on this tour: this is the real deal. You get smoke where you need smoke. You get stars and confetti where you need stars and confetti; and the energetic cast makes it all come to wonderful life.

This is musical theater at it’s finest and you owe yourself a trip to Wharton Center; or get tickets for the show when it arrives in Detroit at the Detroit Opera House (same production). I can’t imagine too many hard-hearted persons exist who could walk away from this show unmoved. Maybe they exist, but I don’t want to think too much about a world where they do.

 

Terrific DeBruyne, Cuppone, and Hissong in “Damn Yankees” Encore Theater, Dexter.

This isn’t really a review. I just wanted to take a moment to say that I had the opportunity to see “Damn Yankees” at Encore Musical Theater in Dexter last night.

I thought special mention must be made of the excellent work that Steve DeBruyne (Joe), MaryJo Cuppone (Lola), and Tobin Hissong (Applegate) turn in here. Steve has become an Encore favorite with a strong voice and terrific acting skills, and charming stage presence. MaryJo continues with a string of entertaining performances in lead female roles wearing jumpsuits (wink, wink…sorry, MaryJo, I had to!) and she makes a terrific Lola, even if the show is cleaned up to within an inch of Playhouse Disney-ism…and Tobin Hissong creates a droll and nuanced Applegate that is hilarious to watch throughout.

Terrific work, folks!

Dancap (Toronto) announces 2011 Broadway musical tour season

Dancap announces it’s upcoming Broadway musicals tour season in Toronto:

South Pacific – Feb 15-Apr 10, 2011 – Toronto Center for the Arts

9 to 5 – Jun 29–Jul 10, 2011 – Toronto Center for the Arts

Next to Normal – Jul 19-31, 2011 – Four Seasons Center

Come Fly Away – Aug 16-28, 2011 – Four Seasons Center

The Addams Family – Nov 16-27, 2011 – Toronto Center for the Arts

Memphis – Dec 6 -24, 2011 – Toronto Center for the Arts

Dancap can be reached at 1-877-518-5151