Broadway Video, Spring 2012

GUEST BLOGGER- Wicked London

Apollo Victoria Theatre

1/27/12

My name is Heather, and I have been given the pleasure of being asked to write about a special vacation(that had theatre involved in it!) that I was able to go on recently.

My brother had given my mom a trip to London (and Paris!) for Christmas. They asked if I wanted to come along. Well, who would say no to that! I managed to get time off from work and off we went!

One of the things we planned was to take in one of the fabulous London West End theatre productions. We decided Wicked was the Winner!

We had looked into several deals and offers, including dinner and a ticket for 65 pounds, but nothing worked out. We left for London without tickets. On January 27, 2012, the day we were looking for tickets for the show, we went to a travel agency who claimed the best they could offer us was 72 pounds--a person. I had the idea of trying to rush the show, so we headed over to the beautiful Apollo Victoria Theatre. Luck was on our side, as we were able to score tickets in the orchestra seats, or "stalls," as they called them…..for THIRTY TWO pounds each!! That was a steal! We were 12 rows from the front! Excited, we headed out to explore the rest of London before the 7:00 evening performance.

We arrive at the theatre early, and it is already swarming with people!! They don't line up neatly on the streets like in NYC, they just kind of go in through any open door. Once they scan your ticket and point you in the direction you need, you are left to your own devices. No one takes your ticket and leads you to your seat. You are expected to find your seat yourself. Another thing they do, is not give you a Playbill. It took me until intermission to realize you had to buy the Playbill. It comes in what we know as a program, and they charge 7 pounds for it. Of course, I bought one, so it's an ingenious way to make a few extra bucks.  Hope they don't decide to adopt that policy in America, though! Getting a Playbill(for free!) is sometimes the perfect souvenir from a memorable show! Also, in America, ushers tend to monitor the audience a bit closer, being spread around the theatre. There were hardly any ushers to be found in London.  The last thing that I noticed as a difference, the day after the show I decided I wanted a Wicked charm bracelet from the Theatre, so I walked back to the theatre and told one of the ticket scanners I was just buying a bracelet. He let me through the doors without a second thought! I don't think that would have happened in America. If you don't have a ticket, you don't get into the theatre. Now, I am not the kind of person who would see a show dishonestly and sneakily, but I am sure other people are!

Now it is time for the show!

Cast:

Glinda-Gina Beck

Witch's Father: Kieran Brown

Witch's Mother: Bonnie Parker

Midwife: Aileen Donohoe

Elphaba: Rachel Tucker

Nessarose: Lillie Flynn

Boq-Adam Pettigrew

Madame Morrible: Julie Legrand

Doctor Dillamond: Christopher Howell

Fiyero: Matt Willis

Wizard: Desmond Barrit

Chistery: Paulo Teixeira

I don't think I need a synopsis, as this is a well-known and loved show, but summing it up quickly, this is the story of Glinda and Elphaba(aka the Wicked Witch of the West) in college, where they develop an unusual friendship.  In other words, a prequel to the well known and well loved Wizard of Oz.

The show begins, and we have a perfect view! I have only seen Wicked on tour, and this performance made me fall in love with Wicked all over again! There were much more special effects, and more of the Time Dragon Clock! The Time Dragon Clock was different from the Time Dragon Clock I have seen on tour and at the Gershwin Theatre in NYC(I have done a Behind the Emerald Curtain tour at the Gershwin).  The costumes seemed to be more elaborate in London, as well.  I was very impressed with the sets, props, and costumes.

The theatre itself was an older theatre, but very well maintained. It was immaculate. The seats were a bit worn but comfortable! But my favorite thing was of course, the talent of the cast!

Elphaba was played by the AMAZING Rachel Tucker! She was a powerhouse! Her vocal ability was simply amazing! Gina Beck, as Glinda, had a wonderful voice, too! They blended very well together on the harmonies. They had a real stage presence and fed off each other impeccably. Matt Willis played the adorably charming Fiyero, the handsome, rebellious schoolboy that both Elphaba and Glinda have set their sights on, was perfectly cast for the role. His voice was fantastic! Julie Legrand was fantastic as Madame Morrible, with the perfect amount of evil. Desmond Barrit had a lovely voice, and was a fantastic Wizard! As far as Lillie Flynn and Adam Pettigrew, they were an excellent casting for Nessarose and Boq. The whole show was outstanding, with no glitches and a sparkling, flawless performance. I was very pleased, and felt very fortunate to be able to snag tickets(for much cheaper than I would have in NYC without winning lottery!) to this performance of Wicked! Especially since shortly after I got tickets, the show sold out!

I also noticed the cast has performed a lot in different shows, but almost everyone had exclusively performed in England. I think if they came to shows in America, people would love any of them. I know I would go to see them, and enjoy any performance I was able to see them in!

Their English accents were also nice to hear during the show. I get so used to American actors, and it was pretty neat to hear the British during this show.

I did not stage door after this production. I was not sure if that was a custom in London.

In conclusion, if you are ever in London, DO NOT miss the opportunity to take in a West End production! I know you would not be disappointed, and the ticket prices are pretty reasonable!

Carrie

Off-Broadway
Lucille Lortel Theatre
March 10, 2012 matinee performance

Background:  The original Broadway production of Carrie opened in 1988 and ran for five performances before closing despite sold out performances. Now a revamped, re-imagined production of Carrie is running off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. The first thing that sparked my interest in the new production of Carrie was a cast of familiar names. Marin Mazzie... need I say more?  Christy Altomare... Wendla in the Spring Awakening tour. Carmen Cusack... Elphaba in the Wicked tour and Nellie in the South Pacific tour.  Then, I noticed that the “re-imagined” Carrie was getting a lot of press and I started thinking, how exactly are they going to portray a horror movie on stage? I became curious... and then kind of excited at the possibility of seeing something different and unique.  Then, I watched the movie for the first time and became REALLY curious... 

Synopsis: Carrie White is a 17-year old misfit who has been bullied by cruel classmates for her entire life.  Raised by an overprotective, religious fanatic mother, Carrie has known little outside of the Holy Bible when she realizes that she possesses telekinetic powers. Carrie tells the story of a girl struggling to break free of her mother’s firm grasp and fit in, but this ultimately has devastating results. 

Comments: I was pleasantly surprised by Carrie.  It was a wonderful show and not at all what I expected. I was expecting something over the top... gory... messy...macabre.  The book WAS written by Stephen King after all. But what struck me the most about Carrie the musical is that it’s really NOT a horror story at all.  It has more to do with human nature, relationships, and of course, the consequences of bullying and religious oppression, which is very much relevant in society today with all of the violence in schools.  

The cast was excellent. Molly Ranson was amazing as the title character. First of all, she has a beautiful singing voice. Everything about her acting- her demeanor, her mannerisms, her speech, her facial expressions- was believable. One of my favorite scenes was at the end of Act I when Carrie threatens her mother and then proceeds to eat her pie.  Eerily funny and brilliant. 

Marin Mazzie has taken on another demanding role just a year after completing a Broadway run as Diana in Next to Normal, and as expected, she was amazing.  Her performance was completely authentic as Carrie’s controlling, desperate, fanatical mother.  She somehow succeeds in not portraying Margaret as too loathsome, but rather as a mother looking out for what she believes is best for her daughter.  In a very skewed way, of course.  

Playing the role of Sue Snell, the mean-turned-nice girl who sacrifices her prom for Carrie’s benefit, is Christy Altomare.  This character takes on the role of narrator, guiding the story forward and Christy does this very well, making the character both likable and relatable for the audience. She is perfect at portraying this kind, sweet, guilt-ridden character, whose actions unintentionally backfire. 

Carmen Cusack provided a lot of comic relief as the gym teacher, Miss Gardner. Jeanna de Waal had a wonderful voice and gave a great performance of “The World According to Chris”. Derek Klena as Tommy was charmingly cute and Ben Thompson as Billy also provided comic relief!  I was very impressed with the supporting cast. 

The Verdict: Forget what you think you know about Carrie and go check out this “re-imagined” musical at the Lucille Lortel Theatre before April 8th.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised.  

P.S. This show is completely worthy of a cast recording... 

The Addams Family Tour

March 20,2012

Providence Performing Arts Center

The Addams Family tour has arrived at the Providence Performing Arts Center now through Sunday, March 25th!  

The Broadway production of The Addams Family (starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth) ran for almost two years, closing on December 31, 2011 after a successful run.  Though the show received mostly negative reviews, only two Tony nominations, and did not even perform at the Tony’s, it was a fan favorite.  The touring production has been revamped with new songs and new story-lines... and after seeing the original version on Broadway in 2010 and now the new version, I am confident in stating that the show has been changed for the better.  

Let me start by saying that the Broadway production of The Addams Family was not nearly as bad as the reviews portrayed it.  If I remember correctly, Ben Brantley of the NYTimes termed it “ghastly”. There were parts of the show that I remember thinking were corny or shallow or a little far-fetched, but it was funny and entertaining overall.  With that said, the revised production is far better! 

The story-line is more cohesive and easy to follow. The changes to the story-line make for a better plot. For example, Morticia does not know of Wednesday’s engagement in the revised production, which causes tension between her and Gomez.  In the original Broadway production, Morticia’s story-line seemed to revolve around her obsession with getting older. One would expect a “juicier” plot and more character development for the female lead of a musical. I’m also very glad they got rid of the pet squid. I was never a fan of the pet squid that kidnaps Mal Beineke. One change I wish they had made was giving Grandma more scenes... or even better, a song. A Grandma song would have a lot of comedic potential. 

The highlight of the show was the performance of Douglas Sills as Gomez. He really nailed it with great comedic timing and stage presence. Sara Gettelfinger was good as the dark and dry Morticia. Cortney Wolfson as Wednesday sings two of my favorite songs in the show- “Pulled” and “Crazier Than You”. She had a great voice. Speaking of good voices, Patrick D. Kennedy as Pugsley was also vocally impressive. Blake Hammond as Uncle Fester was charming! The entire cast was solid. The sets and costumes were reminiscent of the comic strip origin of The Addams Family. The score offers many genres of music from pop to Spanish to the traditional showtune.  There’s something in it for everyone and it’s definitely appropriate for the school-age child. 

The Verdict: Go see The Addams Family at PPAC if you want to see something funny and entertaining for all age groups. 

"Beautiful Eyes" by Alice Ripley

There is no one else quite like Alice Ripley in this world. Anyone who saw her Tony award winning performance as the grieving, bipolar housewife Diana Goodman in Next to Normal knows that she is an exceptionally talented actress to say the least.  Alice gave 100% of herself to the portrayal of that character, and delivered an emotionally charged performance that will be talked about for years to come. 

Alice Ripley has given us another reason to love her with her new original single, “Beautiful Eyes” released on February 21.  “Beautiful Eyes” is a jazzy, story-telling number that could easily be mistaken for a showtune.  I can just see Alice back onstage at the Booth (or any theatre for that matter) with an orchestra pit in front of her and an ensemble of dancers behind her, performing this song. While the story and lyrics are a bit curious and will likely be interpreted differently by each individual, they are also quirky and kind of fun! The melodies are memorable and hummable, and will likely get stuck in your head (in a good way!). I love the sound of Alice’s voice in this song. It fits her voice so well.  After seeing her in Next to Normal twice and listening to the cast recording endless times, it’s also great to hear her sing something new, fresh, and original!  

The Verdict: Buy Alice Ripley’s new single, “Beautiful Eyes” on iTunes for just $0.99!!!! You will love it.  And let’s hope Alice puts out more singles!