Fio was excited about attending a performance of Leonard Bernstein'sWest Side Story at the Georgetown Palace Theater because although she could sing along with many of its songs, she had never seen a stage production ot the show. Her first surprise was that the whole show takes place in front of the same stage setting, which, surprisingly, works beautifully. Her second surprise was how dated the show was. Rumbles, shivs, zip-guns--who knows what those are nowadays? Her third surprise was how stereotyped the adult actors were--Fio prefers a little more depth. And her fourth suprise was how much of a ballet the show is--choreographer Jesee Smart approached genius level in putting together all those numbers.
On the other hand, the casting was a little dicy. Some of the "teens" looked over the age limit, and although "Maria" sent thrills of appreciation through Fio every time she opened her mouth, "Tony" needed a couple more years of voice training. (THE MASK, TONY! SING INTO THE MASK!)
In general, Fio liked the show, and she cried when Tony was killed at the end, which was beneficial bceause she needed a good dose of emotion to drown out the preachiness Bernstein had stuck into the show at the last moment. To be frank, Rodgers and Harmmerstein would have handled the ethnic tolerance aspect better, letting the audience come to its own realization rather than having a character shout it out to them.
Showing posts with label musical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label musical. Show all posts
Monday, March 27, 2017
Monday, October 31, 2016
1776 GeorgetownTheater Review--B-O-R-I-N-G
Fiorella had high expectations of the Georgetown Theater's production of the musical 1776 because it was a much-lauded Broadway show, and also because, in her second book, she had given her hero a role in Bosque Bend's civic theater production of it. But the Palace show dragged into boredom, and, when, despite the beautiful voice of Buddy Novak singing a heart-wrenching ballad, the last scene of the first act fell flat, she and Husband decided enough was enough and walked out at intermission.
There were other problems too. For some unisex reason, a good number of the male roles, including that of John Adams, were played by women who dressed as men but sang in decidedly female voices, and although Danielle Ruth played Adams manfully, it didn't help that "his" wife was a good foot taller than he was. Also, the portrayal of Benjamin Franklin as a buffoon affronted Fio, who always enjoyed reading--and teaching--his clever essays. And she got tired of characters making sniggering sexual references like dirty-minded schoolboys.
On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson (Justin Dam) was a heartthrob with an electrifying voice, and most of the women also had excellent singing voices. But their speaking voices got loud and painfully shrill during the political arguments, which made Fio realize why Hillary keeps her vocal tone under tight control.
The company was a motley crew. The representative from Georgia, played by a chirpy little blonde, didn't even try for a southern accent while the representative from South Carolina (Rutledge, played to perfection by Emily Perzan) had it down pat. In fact, Fio's eyes kept following Perzan, who stayed in character the entire time.
The setting (of the first act at least) was interesting, a reproduction of Independence Hall, tally board and all, but the costumes looked like leftovers from earlier productions, and the "men's" wigs looked like restyled women's wigs, Franklin's being the worst.
Two final notes.
1) Listening to the right/left song. Fio couldn't help but wonder if scheduling 1776 for the month before elections was deliberate, a subtle attempt to influence the electorate to, as the Continental Congress did, go left.
2) Studying the skeleton of this slow-motion bomb, Fio realized she too could write a boffo Broadway show. How about she flesh out the "Gift of the Magi" musical she outlined in her second book? Producers, angels, are you listening?
There were other problems too. For some unisex reason, a good number of the male roles, including that of John Adams, were played by women who dressed as men but sang in decidedly female voices, and although Danielle Ruth played Adams manfully, it didn't help that "his" wife was a good foot taller than he was. Also, the portrayal of Benjamin Franklin as a buffoon affronted Fio, who always enjoyed reading--and teaching--his clever essays. And she got tired of characters making sniggering sexual references like dirty-minded schoolboys.
On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson (Justin Dam) was a heartthrob with an electrifying voice, and most of the women also had excellent singing voices. But their speaking voices got loud and painfully shrill during the political arguments, which made Fio realize why Hillary keeps her vocal tone under tight control.
The company was a motley crew. The representative from Georgia, played by a chirpy little blonde, didn't even try for a southern accent while the representative from South Carolina (Rutledge, played to perfection by Emily Perzan) had it down pat. In fact, Fio's eyes kept following Perzan, who stayed in character the entire time.
The setting (of the first act at least) was interesting, a reproduction of Independence Hall, tally board and all, but the costumes looked like leftovers from earlier productions, and the "men's" wigs looked like restyled women's wigs, Franklin's being the worst.
Two final notes.
1) Listening to the right/left song. Fio couldn't help but wonder if scheduling 1776 for the month before elections was deliberate, a subtle attempt to influence the electorate to, as the Continental Congress did, go left.
2) Studying the skeleton of this slow-motion bomb, Fio realized she too could write a boffo Broadway show. How about she flesh out the "Gift of the Magi" musical she outlined in her second book? Producers, angels, are you listening?
1776 GeorgetownTheater Review--B-O-R-I-N-G
Fiorella had high expectations of the Georgetown Theater's production of the musical 1776 because it was a much-lauded Broadway show, and also because, in her second book, she had given her hero a role in Bosque Bend's civic theater production of it. But the Palace show dragged into boredom, and, when, despite the beautiful voice of Buddy Novak singing a heart-wrenching ballad, the last scene of the first act fell flat, she and Husband decided enough was enough and walked out at intermission.
There were other problems too. For some unisex reason, a good number of the male roles, including that of John Adams, were played by women who dressed as men but sang in decidedly female voices, and although Danielle Ruth played Adams manfully, it didn't help that "his" wife was a good foot taller than he was. Also, the portrayal of Benjamin Franklin as a buffoon offended Fio, who always enjoyed reading--and teaching--his clever essays. And she got tired of characters making sniggering sexual references like dirty-minded schoolboys.
On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson (Justin Dam) was a heartthrob with an electrifying voice, and most of the women also had excellent singing voices. But their speaking voices got loud and painfully shrill during the political arguments, which made Fio realize why Hillary keeps her vocal tone under tight control.
The company was a motley crew. The representative from Georgia, played by a chirpy little blonde, didn't even try for a southern accent while the representative from South Carolina (Rutledge, played to perfection by Emily Perzan) had it down pat. In fact, Fio's eyes kept following Perzan, who stayed in character the entire time.
The setting (of the first act at least) was interesting, a reproduction of Independence Hall, tally board and all, but the costumes looked like leftovers from earlier productions, and the "men's" wigs looked like restyled women's wigs, Franklin's being the worst.
Two final notes.
1) Listening to the right/left song. Fio couldn't help but wonder if scheduling 1776 for the month before elections was deliberate, a subtle attempt to influence the electorate to, as the Continental Congress did, go left.
2) Studying the skeleton of this slow-motion bomb, Fio realized she too could write a boffo Broadway show. How about she flesh out the "Gift of the Magi" musical she outlined in her second book? Producers, angels, are you listening?
There were other problems too. For some unisex reason, a good number of the male roles, including that of John Adams, were played by women who dressed as men but sang in decidedly female voices, and although Danielle Ruth played Adams manfully, it didn't help that "his" wife was a good foot taller than he was. Also, the portrayal of Benjamin Franklin as a buffoon offended Fio, who always enjoyed reading--and teaching--his clever essays. And she got tired of characters making sniggering sexual references like dirty-minded schoolboys.
On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson (Justin Dam) was a heartthrob with an electrifying voice, and most of the women also had excellent singing voices. But their speaking voices got loud and painfully shrill during the political arguments, which made Fio realize why Hillary keeps her vocal tone under tight control.
The company was a motley crew. The representative from Georgia, played by a chirpy little blonde, didn't even try for a southern accent while the representative from South Carolina (Rutledge, played to perfection by Emily Perzan) had it down pat. In fact, Fio's eyes kept following Perzan, who stayed in character the entire time.
The setting (of the first act at least) was interesting, a reproduction of Independence Hall, tally board and all, but the costumes looked like leftovers from earlier productions, and the "men's" wigs looked like restyled women's wigs, Franklin's being the worst.
Two final notes.
1) Listening to the right/left song. Fio couldn't help but wonder if scheduling 1776 for the month before elections was deliberate, a subtle attempt to influence the electorate to, as the Continental Congress did, go left.
2) Studying the skeleton of this slow-motion bomb, Fio realized she too could write a boffo Broadway show. How about she flesh out the "Gift of the Magi" musical she outlined in her second book? Producers, angels, are you listening?
Sunday, October 2, 2016
What a Show!
Fiorella LOVED Georgetown's Palace Theater production of 42nd Street! It hit all the right spots and left the audience begging for more. Georgetown's Palace Theater has come along way from when it had to paint mustaches on high school boys and so they could pass as adults on stage.
42nd Street is a period piece, and Fio doesn't remember ever seeing it as a movie,but she did know most of the songs--notably Dames, We're in the Money, Sunny Side, Lullaby of Broadway, About a Quarter to Nine, Shuffle Off to Buffalo, Forty-second Street. The story, based on a movie based on a book, is cliche: a young, pretty hoofer comes to NY, is thrust into spotlight, and, despite setbacks, makes it big. It's a silly show biz parody in which even the villain turns sweet, but it's also somehow quite touching.
What can Fio say? The casting was great, the costumes were perfect, the settings were right-on, and the dance numbers (choreographed by Jessee Smart) were unbelievably good. Fio's favorite routines were the French farce-like scene on the sleeper car and the Agnes de Mille hooker scene at the end of the show.
Getting down to nit-picking minutia, the heroine's blonde wig turned a surprising white under "nighttime" lights, the young boy in the cast never missed a beat but seemed out of place in the sometimes bawdy musical, and Fio and her guests couldn't figure out why a happy-looking man was dressed--and danced--as a woman in the final scene.
Anyway, the show was great. Fio's been through a lot lately and 42nd Street allowed her to escape into another world for two glorious hours. Maybe that's what show business is all about.
42nd Street is a period piece, and Fio doesn't remember ever seeing it as a movie,but she did know most of the songs--notably Dames, We're in the Money, Sunny Side, Lullaby of Broadway, About a Quarter to Nine, Shuffle Off to Buffalo, Forty-second Street. The story, based on a movie based on a book, is cliche: a young, pretty hoofer comes to NY, is thrust into spotlight, and, despite setbacks, makes it big. It's a silly show biz parody in which even the villain turns sweet, but it's also somehow quite touching.
What can Fio say? The casting was great, the costumes were perfect, the settings were right-on, and the dance numbers (choreographed by Jessee Smart) were unbelievably good. Fio's favorite routines were the French farce-like scene on the sleeper car and the Agnes de Mille hooker scene at the end of the show.
Getting down to nit-picking minutia, the heroine's blonde wig turned a surprising white under "nighttime" lights, the young boy in the cast never missed a beat but seemed out of place in the sometimes bawdy musical, and Fio and her guests couldn't figure out why a happy-looking man was dressed--and danced--as a woman in the final scene.
Anyway, the show was great. Fio's been through a lot lately and 42nd Street allowed her to escape into another world for two glorious hours. Maybe that's what show business is all about.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Buddy at the Palace
Fio googled it, and Buddy Holly's life was a lot more fraught and complicated than Buddy, the Buddy Holly Story, portrays it. The musical, now playing at Georgetown's Palace Theater, is really a tribute to the music of the '50s which uses a storybook version of Holly's life as its vehicle. The songs, of course, are what everyone is there for, as with Beehive--and just as people who attended Singin' in the Rain expected dancing.
And it's a good thing too, because most of the cast was GREAT musically, but only competent as actors. It's Fiorella's old complaint--they were declaiming rather than acting. Ah, where is Stanislavsky when you need him?
There were, however, three stand-outs. The first was Jacqui Cross, who imparted a joi de vivre to her roles that outshone everyone else on stage.. The second was set designer Barbara Jernigan, who made canvas look like cinderblock and brick.. And Fio loved the red lights in the recording studio and the spotlights hanging off the proscenium. The third stand-out was an accident. Justin Wright, playing a hip-swinging Richie Valens, ripped out the crotch of his tight, tight pants during his energetic number. In the great stage tradition, Wright and the cast covered as if it had all been part of the show. At that point every character on stage was energized.
Okay, why is Fiorella so much more aware of "being" the character than she used to be? She thinks it's because romance writing has tilted more and more toward "deep point of view," a sort of Stanislavsky of the literary world, and your Fio's tilted along with it.
She wants to not just observe, but to experience..
And it's a good thing too, because most of the cast was GREAT musically, but only competent as actors. It's Fiorella's old complaint--they were declaiming rather than acting. Ah, where is Stanislavsky when you need him?
There were, however, three stand-outs. The first was Jacqui Cross, who imparted a joi de vivre to her roles that outshone everyone else on stage.. The second was set designer Barbara Jernigan, who made canvas look like cinderblock and brick.. And Fio loved the red lights in the recording studio and the spotlights hanging off the proscenium. The third stand-out was an accident. Justin Wright, playing a hip-swinging Richie Valens, ripped out the crotch of his tight, tight pants during his energetic number. In the great stage tradition, Wright and the cast covered as if it had all been part of the show. At that point every character on stage was energized.
Okay, why is Fiorella so much more aware of "being" the character than she used to be? She thinks it's because romance writing has tilted more and more toward "deep point of view," a sort of Stanislavsky of the literary world, and your Fio's tilted along with it.
She wants to not just observe, but to experience..
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