A Chorus Line @ Hollywood Bowl
7/30/16 (Fri), Hollywood Bowl
This is a strange choice for the annual Hollywood Bowl musicals, since the vast venue didn’t really seem the place for a show revolving around intimate monologues. I was wondering if director Baayork Lee had something in mind. Continue reading
Takarazuka: Chicago
7/11/16 (Mon), Yokohama
Takarazuka versions of Broadway musicals are always entertaining in their inimitable way, including rewritten scripts, reshuffled songs and superstar treatment for the main male character, regardless of his/her co-stars or the needs of the story. Chicago was a strange choice since its two leads are female – it’s just not as interesting when women are playing women, especially at the usual talent level of Takarazuka players. Continue reading
Grease Live (TV), 5/2/16 (Mon)
Fox’s entry into the live musical genre pioneered by NBC. Grease seemed a natural choice as an ever-potent title about high-school life in the 1950s, using a retooled version incorporating songs from the super-successful movie. The broadcast had received strong reviews and ratings, and while I’m not a big fan of the show itself, I had been interested in seeing what they did with it. Continue reading
How to fix LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (musical)
A bit of a presumptuous heading, I suppose; I honestly doubt anyone connected with La Cage thinks it needs fixing – it remains a tremendously popular show some 40 years after its debut, and picks up a Tony for Best Production every time it plays Broadway (one for Best Musical and two for Best Musical Revival). I’m actually a fan, so it’s hard to complain too much; whatever the flaws, it’s always a fun night out.
But the flaws are there. Continue reading
Well, whaddya know. Just a few days ago, I suggested an NBC Live “Mame” starring Bette Midler because I figured she wouldn’t go for a full eight-night-a-week Broadway run. And now she’s just announced that she’ll be doing that other Jerry Herman hit “Hello, Dolly!” on Broadway next year. I’m perfectly happy to be wrong in this case. What a perfect fit! They haven’t announced other casting, but does it matter?
Hopefully they’ll do two things. Continue reading
Carousel
2 December 2008 (Tues), West End
Carousel was pleasantly and unexpectedly old-fashioned, a throwback to the days when directors were confident enough to let the material speak for itself. As much as I enjoyed the National Theatre production years ago, I’ve always thought that Carousel, a show that includes joys like wife-beating, mental abuse, armed robbery and suicide, hardly needed darkening. The singing was magnificent, the best overall that I’ve ever experienced for this show. That’s a big plus for a score as beautiful as this one. The chorus was also very strong.
The acting, however, was another story. Continue reading
Gypsy
9 May 2008 (Sat), Broadway
I had high hopes for Gypsy, one of everyone’s favorite shows. I had seen this on Broadway twice before with very different portrayals by Tyne Daly and Bernadette Peters, not to mention the Rosalind Russell movie and the TV production with Bette Midler. The show depends on a strong central performance, and Patti LuPone had brilliant reviews – she seems pretty much born to do this role. So I was looking forward to it. Continue reading
Take Flight
2 December 2007 (Sun), Tokyo
A musical in the formative stages with book by John Weidman and songs by the Maltby/Shire team. It had been done on a tiny scale in London at the Menier Chocolate Factory, but local director Miyamoto Amon has reworked it for the 1,500-seat Forum with hopes of taking it to Broadway. Its main draw for the Japanese was ex-Takarazuka star Amami Yuki in her first stage musical role in some time, which seemed a fair guarantee of commercial success. I was pretty dubious of the creators developing a work in a language they don’t understand for an audience way outside their target, and Amon’s tendency towards works that have “significance” wasn’t encouraging either. (In an interview in Theatre Guide, he quoted Sondheim as saying that the musical was dead. So who does he think killed it?) On top of this, Weidman tends to write shows about themes rather than people, and Maltby/Shire haven’t done much of distinction together since Baby. (The trio worked together before on Big, which flopped big time. The score was execrable.) In any case, I’ve been wrong before, and these are all major talents, no matter what I think. So I was eager to take a look. Continue reading
Hairspray (film)
3 November 2007 (Sun), Tokyo
The previews of the movie had actually discouraged me from seeing it because of what seemed to be a strangely subdued performance by John Travolta, which suggested a take on the show that I wasn’t going to like. But curiosity got the better of me, and I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Continue reading
Young Frankenstein
15 October 2007 (Mon), Broadway
Mel Brooks’ latest ripoff of one of his old shows. It’s still in previews after a fairly successful Seattle run, and expectations and advance sales are exceedingly high. Tickets are apparently a pretty tight commodity even in previews, and I was lucky enough to be invited by a friend. I would normally have seen the movie again first, not having seen it since its original run in the 70s. But I hadn’t even realized the show was in town already, so it was going to have to be a surprise. Continue reading
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