Observations Along The Road... at Dreamwidth

It’s sad, somewhat, that I must start out with clarifying that I’m writing about the original live musical on stage, not the movie. We haven’t seen the movie yet. Perhaps Christmas Day.  But I’m leaning towards the Bob Dylan movie. I do wonder what those who have only seen the movie—never read the book, never seen the musical—would make of the stage musical. How would they feel with the direction into which the second act descends? For Wicked, my friends, is not a light and fluffy musical. Like other musicals with staying power, it has much deeper messages. You want light and fluffy. Go see Legally Blonde-The Musical. You can find your pink girl power there.

As you might have guessed, last night we saw Wicked at the Pantages. We rarely see the same production multiple times (and I consider a tour instances to be the same production as other tour instances, as they are the same producing and designing team). We’ve seen Hamilton three times. But normally, there needs to be something novel to make a show worth seeing again. A regional or small theatre mounting (such as 5-Star doing Frozen). An interesting twist in the execution (such as the Deaf West American Idiot). But, for example, Annie (which is also coming to the Pantages)—I have no urge to see it again.

This brings us to Wicked. We saw the tour when it first came to the Pantages in 2005. I think 20 years is a sufficient waiting period, and yes, the show has been on tour that long. No regional productions. No local productions. So it was time. My green friend, you’ve held up well.

Back when I first saw it, I didn’t write a detailed review. I was just getting started with my writeups. Since then, I’ve been doing more analysis. I’ve also read the books — multiple times. But I had forgotten the depth of the show. It’s popularity, of course, comes from the music and the implied girl power and friendship between the two principals: Elphaba and Galinda. There are those who see themselves as the outcast, never accepted, Elphaba. There are those who see themselves in the princess, Galinda. There are those who ache for those two sides to come together.

But watching the show last night, what struck me more was how political the show was, and how increasingly relevant the political heart of Greg Maguire’s book that remained in the show is. For Wicked, at its heart, is an intensely political show. It was written in the heart of the Bush administration, with commentaries on Bush’s treatment of political prisoners and the views against minorities. But in our new political era, it is even more timely. Here we have a story about a talented flim-flam man, who knows how to manipulate public opinion and spread falsehoods for his own power and gain. Here we have a society that has made a literal scapegoat of the Animals (following the book’s convention, Animals are the creatures that have the power of speech, whereas animals do not). They blame the Animals for their economic problems (remember the reference to the Great Drought), and then serve to exclude them and push them from society. Deport them, as you might characterize it. We see those who look different and act different being ostracized, and accepted only for what they can give to those in power. We have celebrities harnessed to spread the message of the flim-flam man, spreading lies and stories they know not to be true. But this has no resemblance to what we have seen in 2024-2025, does it.

And our heroine? She is someone who is rejected who uses her power to speak out for those that literally have lost the voice they used to have. She is able to sway others to her position and eventually sweeps the administration of the political flim-flam man away. He leaves the country, with the people unaware of the extent of his crimes, and his cronies end up in prison.

We need an Elphaba today to start the fight. We need a Glinda, post-Elphaba, to arise and push out the flim-flam man. Perhaps in 2026.

The best musicals reflect their times, and are often not well received when they first come out, although sometimes they are popular. Chicago was a failure when it first came out. But after OJ and the rise of the celebrity trial where we realized it was all showbiz, it was a hit. It has been going strong since then, with a steady stream of Roxies keeping the show going. Wicked was poorly received the season it debuts. Avenue Q was the big hit of that season. But although Avenue Q is still being produced regionally, Wicked remains open on Broadway and on tour. It resonated with audiences. They saw the girl power and the humor, and perhaps they absorbed the political message.

In response to the movie, there are those on the right who are claiming that the movie is “woke” and propaganda. A petition from Million Moms states: ““Of course, the musical contains a tremendous amount of witchcraft and sorcery, and that content prompts most parents to avoid taking their children to see Wicked. But the film also shows not-so-discrete crossdressing and men crushing on men, which parents may not expect. Instead of an uplifting Broadway musical about friendship and family, talents and resources were used to create a dark movie that also pushes wokeness.” Kristen Chenowith, the original Glinda, has spoken out against this statement. But even more: Wicked has always been political. It has always been “woke”. It was never a musical primarily about friendship and family: it was a musical about the importance of speaking out for those with no voice. It is a musical that makes the point that those whom our leaders purport to be “wicked” may really just be those who are speaking out to power, who are speaking up for truth and justice. Wicked has always been this way, from the original book, to the original musical.

[And, I guess I should note: Those on the other side of the political spectrum may also see their views in this. Sigh. But they are wrong.]

A musical that has been running this long has created a large family of Ephabas and Glindas. One might think a 20 year old tour might be tired, and the performances would be weaker. That clearly seemed to be the position of Charles McNulty of the LA Times, who bemoaned the fact that the tour cast wasn’t near Chenowith and Menzel. I disagree. I don’t think there was a weak performer in the entire tour cast. At worst, some were merely very good.

At our performance, we had some substitutions. The primary tour Ephaba, Lauren Samuels, was out for some reason. We didn’t have one of the other understudies or standbys; instead, the producers brought in a former Elphaba for the role: Olivia Valli. She was out when we saw the Pretty Woman tour, alas. She was outstanding, bringing a wonderful personality to the role. I was just fixated in watching her face. During the curtain call, she broadcast such happiness with being able to perform the role again. It was clear she was broadcasting that happiness during her performance. Had McNulty seen her, perhaps his opinion would have been different.

Our Glinda, Austen Danielle Bohmer, fell into the very good category. She was good in the role, but was more a Laura Bell Bundy as Elle than Kristen Chenowith. She lacked the little extra spark that the role needs. But it wasn’t a bad performance, but when up against Valli’s Ephie, she just couldn’t hold her own.

The other substitution we had was David Kaverman as the Wizard. He was good, but came off as a little too young, with not quite the paternalistic charm required. Was he even old enough to be Elphaba’s father?

Other cast members were very strong, including Kingsley Legg’s Dr. Dillamond, Erica Ito’s Nessarose, and Xavier McKinnon’s Fiyero. The production quality was very high; something my daughter commented upon. The orchestra was also very strong. One might think, after 20 years, the production values would get tired and worn, but the company seems to be doing an excellent job of keeping the quality and production high. This wasn’t a schlocky tour that was dependent on projection.

That leads to another side note: Some shows you know will fade into the history books because of their production demands. Few regional theatres will be able to do Back to the Future: The Musical because they can’t handle the productions and the Delorian. Similarly, could a regional theatre or an intimate theatre or school do Mrs Doubtfire because the the needs of the latex mask? Looking at Wicked from that point of view: It’s doable. Sure you need a flying rig, but that’s known technology from Peter Pan. You don’t need the dragon at the top of the stage, and pretty much everything else is achievable. I think there is the potential, when the tour eventually ends as it must, for Wicked to be a hit on the regional and smaller circuits. I’ll note that will be harder for Hamilton, as some creative thought will be required to rework the staging for venues without double turntables.

Attempting to wrap this up: With the movie now in theatres, should you shell out the bucks to see Wicked on stage. I think so. First, folks rarely sing back at a stage musical (and the ushers will slap them down if they do). At the movie, folks sing back to the screen (one reason I’m hesitant to see the movie). Second, you get to see the whole story. You don’t have to see Act I, and then wait a year for Act II. The musical condenses the story, and in doing so provides a tighter focus on the story. The performances on the tour are strong, and unless you have seen it on stage recently (I think it was out in LA just pre-pandemic), it is worth seeing again. Of course, if you have never seen it, you must see the stage version BEFORE the movie, so you get the whole story. I also strongly recommended reading the Greg Maguire books (and there are four, now five, in the series: Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz. The latest in the series, Elphie, just came out. I haven’t read it yet.

Wicked continues at the Pantages through February 3.  You can buy tickets through the Pantages web page.

———

Wicked. Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Book by Winnie Holzman. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire. Directed by Joe Mantello. Musical Staging by Wayne Cilento.

Cast. Lauren Samuels Olivia Valli Elphaba; Austen Danielle Bohmer Galinda/Glinda; Aymee Garcia Madame Morrible; Blake Hammond David Kaverman The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; Erica Ito Nessarose; Kingsley Leggs Doctor Dillamond; Xavier McKinnon Fiyero; Alex Vinh Boq; Jennifer Mariela Bermeo Ensemble; Anthony Lee Bryant Ensemble; Sean Burns Ensemble; Matt Densky Ensemble; Kelley Dorney Midwife, Ensemble; Kayla Goldsberry Witch’s Mother, Ensemble; Rose Iannaccone Ensemble; Mattie Tucker Joyner Ensemble; Lauren Leach Ensemble; Colin LeMoine Ensemble; Tiffany Rae Mallari Ensemble; Adelina Mitchell Ensemble; Brayden Newby Ensemble; Allsun O’Malley Ensemble; Madison Clair Parks Ensemble; Kat Rodriguez Ensemble; Derek Schiesel Ensemble; Wayne Schroder Witch’s Father, Ozian Official; DJ Smart Chistery; Brett Stoelker Ensemble; Ben Susak Ensemble; Justin Wirick Ensemble. Swings (⇑ indicates swung in): ⇑ Anthony Lee Bryant;  ⇑ Mattie Tucker Joyner; ⇑ David Kaverman; Kelly LaFarga Dance Captain; Marina Lazzaretto; ⇑ Ben Susak Dance Captain. Understudies: Anthony Lee Bryant u/s Chistery; Sean Burns u/s Boq; Matt Densky u/s Boq; Kelley Dorney u/s Madame Morrible; Mattie Tucker Joyner u/s Nessarose; ⇑ David Kaverman u/s Witch’s Father, Ozian Official, The Wizard, Dr. Dillamond; Colin LeMoine u/s Fiyero; Adelina Mitchell u/s Elphaba; Allsun O’Malley u/s Glinda, Nessarose; Madison Claire Parks u/s Glinda; Kat Rodriguez u/s Madame Morrible; Wayne Schroder u/s The Wizard, Dr. Dillamond; Brett Stoelker u/s Fiyero; Ben Susak u/s Chistery.  Standbys: Carly Augenstein Elphaba Standby.

Music Department (^Ł indicates local): William David Brohn Orchestrations Stephen Oremus Music Supervisor; Alex Lacamoire & Stephen Oremus Music Arrangements; Michael Keller Music Coordinator; Faith Seetoo Music Director, Conductor; Derek Shorter Associate Conductor, Keyboard 2; Luke Flood Keyboard 1; Amy Tatum^Ł Piccolo / Flute / Alto Flute / Recorder / Penny Whistle; Michelle Forrest^Ł Oboe / English Horn; Katie Faraudo^Ł French Horn; Jeff Driskill^Ł Soprano Sax/E♭ Clarinet/B♭ Clarinet / Bass Clarinet; Aaron Smith^Ł  Trumpet / Flugelhorn; Nick Daley^Ł  Tenor/Bass Trombone; Michael Valerio^Ł Bass (Acoustic / 5-String Electric / Fretless); Michael Abraham^Ł Guitar (Electric / Nylon String / Steel String / 12-String / Banjo / Mandolin); Chris Jago^Ł  Drums; Bruce Carver^Ł Percussion; Alby Potts^Ł Keyboard 3; Adam McDonald^Ł Keyboard 4; Mary Ekler^Ł Keyboard Sub; Eric Heinley^Ł  Orchestra Contractor.

Production and Creatives: Eugene Lee Set Design; Susan Hilferty Costume Designer; Kenneth Posner Lighting Design; Tony Meola Sound Design; Elaine J. McCarthy Projection Design; Tom Watson Hair and Wig Design; Joe Dulude II Makeup Designer; Jake Bell Technical Supervisor; James Lynn Abbott Dance Arrangements; The Telsey Office Casting; Lisa Leguillou Assoc. Director; Corinne McFadden Herrera Associate Choreographer; Edward Pierce Assoc. Scenic Designer; Chic Silber Special Effects; Dawn Fenton Production Stage Manager; Michelle Dunn Stage Manager; Colleen Danaher Asst. Stage Manager; Joseph Heaton Asst. Stage Manager; 321 Theatrical Management General Management.

Favorite minor credits: Sascha Kaminski Spellbooks; Bob Flanagan Puppets; Michael Durry Design Inc Flatheads and Monkey Wings; although a close second was Bra* Tenders Undergarments and hosiery. 

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending). We’re a bit light on theatre while my wife is recuperating from her knee replacement.

• December: ♦ Once Upon a Mattress at CTG/Ahmanson;
• January: ♦ Anything Goes (Concert) at Pasadena Playhouse (Pasadena Civic);
• February: ♦ Sondheim’s Old Friends at CTG/Ahmanson;  ♦ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at BIH/Pantages; ♦ Desperate Measures at ICT Long Beach
• March: ♦ Top Dog/Underdog at Pasadena Playhouse; ♣ Nefesh Mountain at McCabes; ♦ Fake It Until You Make It at CTG/Taper; ♦Drat the Cat at Group Rep; MoTAS/MoTBH Mens Seder @ TAS

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Green Girls and Politics | "Wicked" @ BIH/Pantages by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

Well, that was different.

I went into Kimberly Akimbo not quite knowing what to expect. I knew that I absolutely loved the final song in the show. I knew the show was about a girl with progeria. I had listened to the cast album, and I knew it had won the Tony award. I had read the LA Times review of the show.  I was hoping for good things.

Kimberly Akimbo was … different, but then again, Kimberly Levaco was different. It wasn’t bad; and it certainly wasn’t a Girl from the North Country, but it was (in many way) unlike a typical Broadway musical. It was less of a Shrek, and more of a Caroline or Change. As an example: At intermission we overheard the folks behind us discussing the show, and noting there wasn’t a single song that stuck in their head. Indeed, the only real memorable song in the show is the last one, “Great Adventure”, which reminds me of “Travel Song” from Shrek. The plot and the story build slowly, and it isn’t until you’re nearly at the end that the point of the show makes itself clear.

I’ll note that I ended up liking the show (although I won’t say it was a favorite); my wife was more “meh” on it. So this really is a show where your mileage may vary. It could also be a show like Soft Power, where your initial impression is one thing, but as you think about the show more (and perhaps see it a second time), that the message becomes clear.

I’m not going to do a full synopsis—you can find that on the Wikipedia page.  Succinctly, the story centers on Kimberly, who has just moved to a new city in New Jersey after some incidents in Lodi NJ (not California). She’s attempting to make new friends in school, but she’s facing two problems: one, she looks like a senior citizen, and two, her disease has a live expectancy of 16 and it is her 16^th birthday. Her parents are more focused on themselves than her, and her aunt (who shows up) has similar issues, on top of being a criminal. The show basically shows how Kimberly navigates this point in her life, making friends and finding her path forward.

What’s not to like, right?

FIrst, depending on the relationship with your parents, the show could bring up feelings and be triggery. I think the ultimate message of the show offsets that, but that message may come too late for the overall show’s impression. Second, much of the music is very scene specific, and doesn’t always have a hummable theme line.

What’s there to like, then?

First, the show has some very funny moments. In particular, the aunt, Debra, is a hoot. Second, the performances are top notch, especially from Carolee Carmello as Kim, Miguel Gil as Seth, Dana Steingold as Pattie, and Emily Koch as Debra. Carmello, in particular, was just outstanding with her facial expressions. I also note that most of the cast members were in the Broadway production (although the lead roles are different actors). Third, unlike many of the shows today, the show does not depend heavily on technology or projections; this increases the odds that the show will have a life at the regional and below levels. Lastly, I really liked the ultimate message of the show: You only have one chance at your life, so grab it, take that chance, and embrace the day.

At the end, the message of the show is what saves the show and elevates it. Kimberly realizes that she can either wallow in the sadness of her disease and her horrible parents, or she can move past it and take control over what is left of the rest of her life. Our past and our situation doesn’t define who we are: we define who we are. Kimberly goes out getting the wish she didn’t know she wanted: a roadtrip (and we can all use a good roadtrip).

This was a strange show to win the Tony for Best Musical, especially given the competition (all of whom are coming to Los Angeles in the future: New York New York, Some Like it Hot, and Shucked to the Pantages, and & Juliet to the Ahmanson). But the Tony awards have (of late) been awarding shows that are pushing or experimenting with the art form: the previous year’s winner, A Strange Loop, is an example of that.

So, now the real question: Should you see it? That’s hard to answer. As I noted before, this isn’t a bad show or a depressing show. It’s not Girl from the North Country. But I think if you go in expecting a traditionally structured upbeat musical, with big song and dance numbers, you’ll be disappointed.  If you had a problematic relationship with your parents, you might have trouble. If you go in with an open mind, and just get into the story, you’ll be just fine. You just have to be willing to go on a great adventure.

Kimberly Akimbo continues at Broadway in Hollywood/Hollywood Pantages through November 3. Tickets are available through the BIH Box Office online.

———

Kimberly Akimbo. Book and Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. Music by Jeanine Tesori. Based on the play by David Lindsay-Abaire. Directed by Jessica Stone. Choreography by Danny Mefford.

Cast: Carolee Carmello Kimberly; Miguel Gil Seth; Jim Hogan Buddy; Emily Koch Debra; Dana Steingold Pattie; Grace Capeless Delia; Darron Hayes Martin; Pierce Wheeler Aaron. Understudies: Sarah Lynn Marion u/s Pattie, Debra; Regene Seven Odon u/s Seth, Aaron, Martin; Marcus Phillips u/s Seth, Aaron, Martin; Bailey Ryon u/s Delia, Teresa; Brandon Springman u/s Buddy; Valerie Wright Kimberly Standby. All cast members are members of Actors Equity.

Music Department (^* indicates local): Chris Fenwick Music Supervisor; John Clancy Orchestrations; Macy Schmidt Additional Orchestrations; Strange Cranium/Billy Jay Stein and Hiro Iida Electronic Music Design; Leigh Delano Music Director, Conductor, Keyboard 1;  Ryan Edward Wise Assoc Music Director, Keyboard 2; Aveion Walker Reed 1; Alex Lemma Reed 2; Frank Zambrano Drums; Dominic Lamorte Bass; Azana Hightower Guitar; Kevin Irving Cello; Sean Franz^* Reed 1 (Clarinet / Flute / Oboe / Alto Sax); Ken Fisher^* Reed 2 (Bassoon / Clarinet / Bass Clarinet / Tenor Sax / Bari Sax); Ira Glansbeck^* Cello; Eric Heinly^* Orchestra Contractor; Brian Ge Assoc Music Supervisor; Antoine Silverman Orchestra Contractor; JoAnn Kane Music (Kyle Brenn, Russell Bartmus, Jessie Rosso) Music Preparation.

Production and Creative: David Zinn Scenic Design; Sarah Laux Costume Design; Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew Lighting Design; Kai Harada Sound Design; J. Jared Janas Wig, Hair, and Makeup Design; Lucy Mackinnon Video Design; The Telsey Office Casting; Ryan Emmons Assoc. Director; Brittney Griffin Assoc. Choreographer; Baily Ryon Dance Captain; Arabella Powell Production Supervisor; Shawn Pennington Production Stage Manager; Geoff Maus Stage Manager; Maya Bhatnagar Asst Stage Manager; Candace Hemphill Company Manager; Juniper Street Productions Production Manager; 321 Theatrical Management General Management.

Favorite Minor Credit: Ken Benson Skate Sharpening.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

• November: ♦ American Idiot  at CTG/Taper; ♦ Back to the Future: The Musical at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; possibly ♦ Fiddler on the Roof ⊕ at La Mirada PAC; ♦ La Cage Aux Folles at Pasadena Playhouse; possibly Santa Claus Conquers the Martians ⊕ at Maverick Theatre
• December: ♦ Wicked at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ Once Upon a Mattress at CTG/Ahmanson;
• January: ♦ Anything Goes (Concert) at Pasadena Playhouse (Pasadena Civic);

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Bruce Kimmel will be bringing the rarely done Drat! The Cat! to Lonny Chapman’s Group Rep in March 2025.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Taking a Chance | "Kimberly Akimbo" @ Broadway in Hollywood by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

What do you do when you have a beloved music that has grown increasingly problematic in portions of the story over the years? This is an increasingly common problem for revivals, as dated and stereotypical portrayals of women, minorities, and LGBTQ folks abound. For example, you see few revivals of the musical Thoroughly Modern Mille for that very reason. The whole “white slaver” plot from the movie, which they tried to rework in the musical, is still a major problem. You have a similar problem in Adrift in Macao. Perhaps there is no better example of that than the classic musical Peter Pan, based on stories written in the early 1900s, with the first major stage adaptation in 1954 that had loads of problems even getting to the stage (evidenced by the credits: Myrics by Carolyn Leigh, with additional lyrics by Comden and Green; Music by Moose Charlap, with additional music by Jule Styne, and a book based on Sir J. M. Barrie’s play adapted by Jerome Robbins).

The 1954 Peter Pan has loads of problems into today’s context. Nevermind the fact that it traditionally tells the story of kids in 1900s London (which kids of today wouldn’t understand—I mean, boys in nightdresses?). There is the dated portrayal of women’s roles solely as mothers and caregivers, doing whatever the men say. But the biggest problems are the Indians (and I use that term specifically, as that’s what they were called in those days). The portrayal uses gibberish language and savage imagery. There are references to an Indian Princess fighting off randy braves with a hatchet. How to fix the underlying timeless story about growing up (and refusing to grow up), save the great music as much as possible, while removing the cringe.

An attempt was made to do this in the 2014 Live TV version of Peter Pan. It had other problems (cough, Christopher Walken Z”L, who seemed to be presaging Joe Biden’s low-energy debate performance). But the reworks were interesting. They added some songs from other Comden/Green/Style shows, notably “Vengence” (reworked from “Ambition” from Do Re Mi), “Wonderful World Without Peter” (reworked from “Somethings Always Happening on the River” from Say Darling). They got rid of the “Mysterious Stranger” song (which never made sense), and brought back in the cut “When I Went Home” to explain why Peter never returned. They reworked the problematic “Ugg-a-wug” into “True Blood Brothers”, using a Wyandotte word instead of the gibberish, while (sigh) retaining the stereotypical music and portrayals. They also increased Captain Hook’s role, and brought back the Mermaids. But the changes made in this rework ultimately failed, and didn’t become part of the Pan Canon.

Last night, at the Pantages, we saw yet another attempt at revising Peter Pan for a new generation. This version features a reword by Larissa Fasthorse, and additional lyrics by Amanda Green, Adolph Green’s daughter. I thought, for the most part, they worked (although they are sure to anger the traditionalists and the crowd that protests anything they perceive as “woke”). Let’s start with the simple, and work our way to the cigar store Indian by the door.

This production used ethnically-diverse casting, and (horror of horrors!) broke the traditional casting of an older white woman as Peter to use a 17-year old guy in the role. The kids were equally diverse (and clearly adopted, which makes the end of the story work much better): A white father and an East-Indian mother adopt a black girl, an asian boy, and a caucasian boy. I had no problem with this, although my wife noted tt Wendy being black created the question of the Mammy stereotype. Well, as they said in The Wiz, “You can’t win”. The casting of the Lost Boys and the Pirates was equally diverse. Notably, they kept the traditional duel casting of Mr. Darling and Captain Hook, and moved a wife to a member of the crew. It might have been more interesting (if these changes were being made) to move Mrs. Darling into the Smee role. They also eliminated the Nanny Dog (although it is referenced in the script), and created a babysitter who is too engrossed in cell phones and texting to make a difference in the plot.

Speaking of cell phones: They also updated the setting to the present day, and increased the agency of women. Mrs. Darling has a career in addition to her husband; and Wendy is driven and wants to go to medical school. In the scenes on Neverland, it is clear that Wendy has more agency and is clearly more than a stereotypical mother, fighting Captain Hook alongside the boys. Tinkerbell seems to have a much diminished role, but I don’t recall specifically how big her role was in the original.

I really liked the change in Peter: As a boy, he brings a different energy and playfulness to the role. The songs seem to work better with him, and he comes across as more genuine. They did keep the cut song “When I Went Home” to explain why he didn’t return.

This portrayal of Captain Hook made me think of Christian Bohle, and was generally strong and hammed up appropriately. The interactions with Smee were hilarious. They also added a reprise of “I Won’t Grow Up”, called “We Hate Those Kids” as the Act II, in front of the curtain, opener.

Now to the cigar store Indian in the room: How did they fix the Native American problem. Pretty much by getting rid of the problem. Gone were the Indian stereotypes (no headdresses, no feathers, no peace pipes, no drums). Gone was Ugg-a-wug, replaced by the song “Friends Forever” that used the melody from “Comes Once in a Lifetime” (Subways are for Sleeping). Tiger-Lily was given agency and made an equal of Peter, and each member of her “tribe” represented a different traditional people that had gone to Neverland to avoid extinction of their culture. I thought that worked, and worked well. I liked the stronger Tiger Lilly, and I liked the interplay with Wendy and Tiger Lilly.

What didn’t work? What I would call gratuitous changes to modernize words. One of my favorite exchanges in “Hook’s Waltz” is:  “Though little children love me, I′m told they play at Peter Pan and the strongest always chooses to be Pan. They force the baby to be Hook. The baby. That’s where the canker gnaws. No! By carbonite of soda, no!” But what did they change it to? “No, by Pepto Bismal, no!” WRONG. This was an intentional pun: bicarbonite ➝ by carbonite. The change didn’t work. A friend also noted that they changed “Slightly Soiled” to “Tumble Dry”—perhaps more modern, but less funny. There were also some jarring anachronisms in the updating, especially in the opening nursery scene.

But, overall, I really liked the changes, and I like this production. I think they got a lot of the overall notes right; their changes made things a lot less offensive (although surely they will annoy the traditionalists). It was funny. It was great for kids (although perhaps a bit long, but it was shorter than the original 3-act version). One thing that this tour has going for it is very strong casting. Nolan Almeida is outstanding as Peter (especially considering he is only a high-school junior). Hawa Kamara is great as Wendy, and I loved watching her facial expressions in response to Peter and his outdated attitudes. Raye Zaaragoza was so strong as Tiger Lily that I went out and bought her latest album.  Cody Garcia made a great Hook, playing off the audience, hamming it up, and seeming to channel more Christopher Bohle (as I noted) than Cyril Ritchard. I also liked Shefali Deshpande’s Mrs. Darling, although she faded into the background as a member of the pirate crew.

Special effects had weaknesses and strengths. The flying wires were a bit too visible, distracting from the effect, and it was clear when the cast would go to the side to get them on and off. The flying sequence, when combined with the projection graphics, was very strong for the flying over London scene. I also liked Tinkerbell, and thought I tried to see a wire, I just couldn’t. They did a lot less on the Pirate Ship for some reason; it only appears near the end.

The dancing was strong and athletic, and there were some funny dance scenes. I did enjoy the tap scenes, but I’m a sucker for good tap dancing.

As a side note: The production opened Friday, not Tuesday as scheduled. Our understanding is that this was due to an electrical problem that was created when the previous production moved out. That delayed the ability for the Pan production to move it. They moved in Thursday for the first show on Friday.

So, the ultimate question: Should you see this? If you don’t mind what is traditionally a children’s story: Yes. The changes work for the most part, and the performances are excellent. If you can’t stomach sitting through was is admittedly a show aimed more at the younger set, or if you take offence at changes from the traditional or color-blind casting, then stay home. You’ll be happier. Dredge up the Mary Martin production of Peter Pan on your favorite streaming service.

Peter Pan continues at the Pantages through July 28. Tickets are available through the BIH Website; discount tickets may be available through Goldstar Today Tix (although it looks like they only have the show in Orange County).

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Peter Pan. A musical based on the book by Sir J. M. Barrie, originally adapted by Jerome Robbins, additional book by Larissa Fasthorse. Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh; additional lyrics by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Amanda Green. Music by Morris (Moose) Charlap; additional music by Jule Styne. Originally directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Directed by Lonny Price. Choreography by Lorin Latarro.

Cast (colors indicate performer/roles at our production; serif indicates cultures): Nolan Almeida Peter Pan; Cody Garcia Mr. Darling, Capt. Hook; Hawa Kamara Wendy; Raye Zaragoza Tiger Lily (Hohokam, Yamato); Shefali Deshpande Mrs. Darling, Boa Sr (Bo), Pirate Ensemble; Kurt Perry Smee; Reed Epley / Camden Kwok Michael, Lost Boy (Twin); William Foon / Micah Turner Lee John, Lost Boy (Twin); Zaynn Arora Lost Boys Ensemble; Levi Chrisopulos  Lost Boys Ensemble; Charles Antenen Lost Boys Ensemble; Jonah Barricklo Lost Boys Ensemble; Chrstina Hélène Braa The Croc, Gyo ti (Olmec), Jane, Pirate Ensemble;  Jordan T. DeLeon Bai Bi’a (Gonaqua), Pirate Ensemble; Leo Gallegos Lost Boys Ensemble; Brandon Gille Lost Boys Ensemble; Ryan Perry Marks Nintoku (Yamato), Pirate Ensemble, Co-Fly Captain; Michael Marrero Aiyo (Chorrera), Pirate Ensemble; Kenny Ramos Acoma (Cahokia Mississippian), Pirate Ensemble; Hannah Schmidt Liza, Žemyna (Early Slavs), Pirate Ensemble; Kiara Williams Ife (Nok), Pirate Ensemble. Swings: Tony Collins Asst. Dance & Fight Captain; Bailey Frankenberg Dance, Fight, & Co-Fly Captain; Leo Gallegos; Cheyenne Omani.

Music Department ([Ŀ] indicates local): Jonathan Marro Conductor / Keyboard; Michael Gilden Assoc. Music Director; Victoria Hurlburt Violin; [Ŀ] Jen Choi Fischer Violin; Roman Wood Cello; [Ŀ] Ira Glansbeek Cello; Ryan Claus, Kevin Vu Reeds; [Ŀ] Jeff Driskill Reed 2 (Flute / Clarinet / Bass Clarinet); Sophie Manoloff Trumpet; [Ŀ] Aaron Smith Trumpet 2 (Trumpet / Flugelhorn); Kyle Knepper Trumpet / Flugelhorn; Jon Dowd Trombone; [Ŀ] Danny Lawlor Trombone; Brian Ganch Drums / Percussion; [Ŀ] Eric Heinly Orchestra Contractor; John Mezzio Music Coordinator; Billy Jay Stein, Chris Petti, Hiro Iida, Benedict Braxton-Smith, and Jason Howland for Strange Cranium Electronic Music Design; Michael Pacifico and Jacob Fjeldheim Music Preparation; Andy Einhorn Music Supervision, Orchestra Adaptation, and Additional Arrangements. David Dabbon New Fight & Dance Music; David Dabbon & Andy Einhorn Fight Music & Dance Arrangements.

Creative and Production Team: Paul Rubin Flying Sequences Choreographer; Anna Louizos Scenic Design; Sarafina Bush Costume Design; Amith Chandrashaker Lighting Design; Kai Harada Sound Design; David Bengali Projection Design; J. Jared Janas Wig, Hair, & Makeup Design; Paul Kieve “Tinker Bell” Design; Matt Coward Assoc. Director; Travis Waldschmidt Assoc. Choreographer; Sordelet Inc. Fight Direction, Intimacy Coordinator; Anastasia LeGendre Intimacy Coordinator; ARC/Duncan Stewart, Patrick Maravilla Casting; Michael Donovan, CSA, Richie Ferris, CSA Additional Casting; Bond Theatrical Tour Booking, Marketing, & Publicity; Gentry & Associates General Management; Megan Belgam Production Stage Manager; Kendall Stevens Assistant Stage Manager; Luke Meyer Company Manager; Royce Matthews Asst Company Manager.

Favorite buried credit: Crocodile Costume built by Randy Carfagno Productions.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

• July: ♦ The Sound of Music at 5-Star Theatricals;
• August: ♦ Clue at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Company at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♣ Postmodern Jukebox at The Magnolia, El Cajon.
• September: ♦ Hamilton at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; Cyrano de Bergerac at Pasadena Playhouse; possibly Randy Newman’s Faust ⊕ at The Soraya
• October: ♦ American Idiot ⊕ at CTG/Taper; ♦ Little Shop of Horrors at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ Kimberly Akimbo at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages.
• November: ♦ Back to the Future: The Musical at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; possibly ♦ Fiddler on the Roof ⊕ at La Mirada PAC; ♦ La Cage Aux Folles at Pasadena Playhouse; possibly Santa Claus Conquers the Martians ⊕ at Maverick Theatre

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Patrick Page will be bringing All the Devils Are Here to the Broad Stage in Santa Monica in April 2025. Looks interesting.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as By Carbonite of Soda, Go | "Peter Pan" @ BIH/Pantages by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

Last night, we saw Girl from the North Country at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages. When I got home from the show, I wrote on Facebook: “Geeze, if I wanted something depressing where everyone dies in the end, I’d see Shakespeare… and Shakespeare has the advantage of having a discernable plot. ” A friend commented back that we did better than they did: They left at intermission. Which, I’ll note, was the same thing that the folks sitting in front of us did, as did a quarter of the audience. Yeah, that good.

Don’t let the ads fool you. You’ll see ads touting multiple Tony nominations (including Best Musical) and that the show is Tony-winning. That win was for orchestrations, folks. Although, to be honest, I don’t see the Pantages pushing this much — certainly now as much as they are pushing later shows, such as Doubtfire, Wicked, or even Peter Pan. One wonders if they realize this one is more of a clunker than The Bodyguard.

But what did you think of the show, Mrs. Lincoln?

Girl from the North Country is an attempt by Conor McPherson to craft a musical from Bob Dylan’s music catalog. Choosing a number of Dylan’s more depressing and slow songs, he created a depression-era musical. That’s certainly how this was staged. The lighting was dark. The tone was dark. The subject (as I could discern it) was dark. It was hard to see and hear. And, in the end, no one ended up happy. Theatre should be joyful. It should lift you up, or at least make you think. This didn’t.

What’s funny here is that—if you read the reviews—critics seems to like it. At least I think that’s what McNulty at the Times was saying. His review was as convoluted as the plot of this show. Perhaps this speaks to those looking for indecipherable art at the theatre. But then again, McNulty liked Kate at the Pasadena Playhouse, which we didn’t.

You may ask: So what’s the plot of Girl from the North Country? Beats me. It’s set in the depression, in a boarding house, in Duluth MN. We meet the cast of characters in the house: the owner, his catatonic wife, son and adopted daughter. The owner has a balloon payment due, and is about to lose the house. His adopted daughter (who is black) is pregnant, but no one knows by wom. We meet a bunch of the folks living there. A doctor. Some black woman, who is having an affair with the owner and might get an inheritance. A family. A shoe shop owner, who wants to do something creepy with the adopted daughter. Things happen. A boxer and a preacher arrive. People interact. But nothing ever causes the audience to invest, or even like, these people. By the end of the show, I don’t think any of the characters have really changed or learned anything. They just moved on.

The show wasn’t helped by the production and staging. The sound design was horrible. There was narration, and people talking on stage, but sitting in row Q (which isn’t that far back), I was really hard to make out what people were saying.  I’m not sure if the problem was amplification, people talking too fast, or people trying to affect accents that impacted enunciation. But the words weren’t clear. The stage was dankly lit, making it hard to see people. Combine that with very similar costuming, and a dark costume design, and clearly distinguishing many of the characters was difficult. The stage requires broad differentiations so that you can tell people apart from the back of the balcony. With this show, your best approach was to sit back and listen to the music. Lastly, the staging never made sense. Actors would go up and sing into big standing microphones. Why? This wasn’t a radio show. There was no explanation for the microphones. They made no sense at all. It was just, depressing and confusing. The choreography was also off. It was more choral movement, but it was understated and depressing dance.

Here’s a good marker: After the show, usually there is a long line at the merch booth. Last night? About 5 people, no line at all.

This show was a failure with the audience. There wasn’t a strong curtain call, no “standing O”.

So, you may ask again: Was there anything good about the show? Well, a few of the performers had lovely singing voices, notably Sharae Moultrie and Matt Manuel. That’s about it.

The show also raises another, equally good, question: What makes a good jukebox musical. I’m not necessarily saying successful, but entertaining. I think the answer is that (a) the songs need to be predominately ones that are well known from the catalog, and (b) they need to serve the story. Item (a) is easy to understand: If the songs aren’t known, they won’t draw people in. Item (b) is a bit harder. Serving the story can mean many things. If you’re trying to build a plot, the songs need to advance the story in some way, even if not a perfect match. If you’re telling the artist’s story, the songs need to represent major milestones or pivot points. Revues can be just a collection of greatest hits, but not a show. Here, the jukebox provided neither. Here, perhaps about 5-6 of the songs were well-known: “Hurricane”, “Like a Rolling Stone”, “Jokerman”, “Forever Young”. The rest aren’t ones I remember from the charts. The songs also didn’t advance the story, but that’s probably more due to a lack of a coherent story to move forward.

So this show just failed on just so many levels. What I don’t get is the praise the show has gotten. All I can think is that the tour staging has destroyed any magic the show had; however, that doesn’t jibe with the poor choice of catalog selection from Dylan. So I just don’t get it. It’s all Kate Berlant to me. But there are times that critics and the audience disconnect (although often it is the other way around). This did have an incredibly low number of performances on Broadway: 117, although that does include a shutdown for COVID. It had high attendance opening week, but never sold out, and it looks like attendance dropped from there to a low of 19% two weeks before closing. To me, this says that word of mouth in New York was horrid: Successful shows should grow, run near capacity for a while, and then peter out as they get tired.  I think the critics were seeing the artistic ambition, and not the entertainment. This is a common failure.

Girl From The North Country continues at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages through June 2, 2024. Tickets are available through the Pantages/Ticketmaster; discount tickets do not appear to be on TodayTix, but it looks like some resellers have them. I can’t recommend this one, but if you’re a Dylan fan, you might think different.

———

Girl From the North Country. Written and directed by Conor McPherson. Music and lyrics by Bob Dylan.

Cast (⇓ see “At This Performance”): Alan Ariano Dr. Walker; David Benoit Mr. Burke; Ben Biggers Gene Laine; Jennifer Blood Elizabeth Laine; Matt Manuel Joe Scott; Sharaé Moultrie Marianne Laine; Jay Russell Mr. Perry; John Schiappa Nick Laine; Chiara Trentalange Kate Draper; Jill Van Velzer Mrs. Burke; Jeremy Webb Reverend Marlowe; Aidan Wharton Elias Burke; ⇓ Carla Woods Mrs. Neilsen; D’Marreon Alexander Soloist / Ensemble; ⇓ Ashley D. Brooks Soloist / Ensemble; Kelly McCormick Soloist / Ensemble; Kyle Sherman Soloist / Ensemble. Swings: Rayla Garske, Warren Nolan Jr. , ⇓ Ali Regan, Danny Vaccaro.
At this performance: Ashley D. Brooks Mrs. Neilsen; Ali Regan Soloist / Ensemble.

Musicians (🎭 indicates actor): Timothy Splain Conductor / Piano / Harmonium; Edward Hamilton Associate Conductor / Guitars; Camille Vogley-Howes Violin / Mandolin; Adam Overacker Bass; 🎭 David Benoit / 🎭 Jill Van Velzer Drums; Dean Sharenow Music Coordinator; Randy Cohen Keyboards Keyboard Programmer; Emily Grishman Music Preparation / Adriana Grace / Alden Terry Music Copying.

Production and Creative: Rae Smith Scenic & Costume Design; Simon Hale Orchestrator, Arranger, Music Supervisor; Mark Henderson Lighting Design; Simon Baker Sound Design; Lucy Hind Movement Director; Arc, Inc. Casting; Campbell Young Associates Wig & Hair Design; Justin Myhre Production Stage Manager; Rachel Heine Stage Manager; Katie Girardot Asst. Stage Manager; Barbara Rubin Assoc. Director; Jeff Brancato Production Supervisor; Hudson Theatrical Associates Technical Supervisor; Bond Theatrical Tour Booking; Foresight Theatrical General Manager.

Favorite Credit: For Runaway Entertainment Producer: Miss Maple Syrup Office Dog.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

• May: ♦ The Play That Goes Wrong at Canyon Theatre Guild
• June: ♦ Jelly’s Last Jam at the Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ A Strange Loop at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Mrs. Doubtfire at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ You Can’t Take It With You (⊕) at Group Rep; and potentially some ♦ Hollywood Fringe Festival shows, although June is pretty well booked already.
• July: ♦ Peter Pan at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ The Sound of Music at 5-Star Theatricals;
• August: ♦ Clue at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Company at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♣ Postmodern Jukebox at The Magnolia, El Cajon.
• September: ♦ Hamilton at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; Cyrano de Bergerac ⊕ at Pasadena Playhouse;
• October: ♦ American Idiot ⊕ at CTG/Taper; ♦ Little Shop of Horrors at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ Kimberly Akimbo at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages.

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Season renewals are in process: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; and Pasadena Playhouse are all renewed. We’re looking to see what Chromolume Theatre (which is returning) and Canyon Theatre Guild are planning. Other than that, Jason Alexander will be doing Fiddler on the Roof , directed by Lonny Price, at La Mirada in November.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 A Depressing Mess | "Girl from the North Country" @ Pantages/BIH by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

There’s an important lesson that is taught in the musical The Wiz (which we saw last night at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre): Believe in Yourself. Dorothy is supposed to learn, while out on the road, that the things she needed to survive and thrive were in herself all the time. She just needed to trust herself and see them. It is a lesson that this pre-Broadway tryout of The Wiz needs to learn: trust the material, and do it justice, and it will bring you home happier than when you left. But if you fail to discover your smarts, your heart, and your courage along the way, you may be stuck in a fantasy land that is more charade than real.

I’m probably one of the dwindling number of folks who saw the original version of The Wiz when it was on the road: it was at the Ahmanson Theatre the summer I graduated from high school. We didn’t have all the original cast, but we had some key folks: Dee Dee Bridgewater, Andre de Shields, Ted Ross. I subsequently got the cast album, and fell in love with it. It had such energy and pop. “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News” had me from that opening piano vamp; it is currently #24 in my Top 50 Most Played Songs out of the 56,000+ songs in my library. “So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard” grabs you from those opening horns and drums, and never lets you go (the recording I linked was from the opening night back in 1975, and you can just hear the energy). Even “Slide Some Oil to Me” has that energy and tempo, drawing heavily on the piano and the horns. The music and lyrics of Charlie Smalls, with some additional authors, combined with the original orchestrations of Harold Wheeler, just stun. Don’t want to go back that far? Listen to the energy of these songs in the somewhat recent live TV version (here’s No Bad News).

Now I’ve never seen the movie. I could never bring myself to transpose this story to New York, or age Dorothy 10+ years to satisfy some diva’s desire for screen time. But even there, the problem was the interpretation (more on that in a minute), not the musical interpretation. Mabel King and “No Bad News” still brings down the house. Even Nipsy Russell’s “Slide Some Oil To Me” isn’t bad.

But my wife and I both had the same comment with respect to the musical interpretation of this pre-Broadway tryout of The Wiz: It was tepid. The music lacked tempo. It lacked energy. It lacked horns and piano (I’m sorry, but one trumpet and one trombone does not a powerful horn section make, It gave the feeling that the director (Schele Williams) and the orchestrator (Joseph Joubert) were going for a Bluesy field, as opposed to the Jive Jazz of the original. It does not work—this show needs to up the tempo if it is going to make it. Of the faster songs in the show, only two got it right: Kyle Ramar Freeman’s performance of the Lion in “Mean Ole Lion” was spot-on; and the ensemble’s energy in “Everybody Rejoice” was great. However, for the slower numbers that were more traditional R&B, the interpretations were great. Nichelle Lewis (Dorothy)’s rendition of “Home” was wonderful, and Melody A. Bett (Aunt Em)’s was great with “The Feeling We Once Had”. Bett’s is a great example: Great on the slow number, but from the opening notes of her rendition of “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News”, you knew the tempo was off. The voice was there. The energy wasn’t.

The director also failed to trust the material. The problem was not the added and material by Amber Ruffin. Those did a great job of updating the characters. No, the problem was the more fundamental changes to the material. Songs were added (or restored) based either on the movie or recent productions (for example, “You Can’t Win”). Songs were rearranged; notably “What Could I Do If I Could Feel”, the Scarecrow’s introduction in the first act, became “We’re Gonna Make It” in the second act. “Wonder, Wonder Why” was added from the 1984 revival. A totally different version of the Tornado Dance was used. I’m not sure it helped. “You Can’t Win” was cut in Detroit in the original Broadway version; it was added back to the movie because it showcased Jackson. The song still isn’t right.

But the problem with the trust in the material goes beyond just the music—it goes to the story. As it was so long ago, I reviewed the synopsis of the original Broadway version.  The original stage show set aside many of the “additions” that came in the 1939 movie, and hewed closer to the original L. Frank Baum material. William F. Brown (the original book writer, adapting the Baum material and not the movie), preserved many of the things from the book that never made it to the movie: Munchkin land was blue, Glinda’s land was red, the land of the Winkie’s was yellow, and the Emerald City was only green because you were required to wear green glasses upon entry. But here, the director’s vision muddled things around. Instead of the Munchkins, we got a New Orleans style wake for Evamean, the Wicked Witch of the East… and we get both Addapearl and Glinda. Instead of an opening with both Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, we get just Em (and with a pre-prise of “Soon as I Get Home”). We get a tepid tornado. We get a strange scene with the poppies (which had a different way of resolution in the original). We get drastic cuts in the battle with the witch in the second half. We get a completely different resolution with the Wiz in the second act, and how the characters learn that they always had the attributes they were seeking. We get the WInkies in bright multicolored T-shirts, vs the yellow that is the tradition of Winkie-land.

In some ways, it is as if the director was cutting things to save costs, reduce the scenery required for the road, and perhaps reduce the cast size. The orchestra was certainly cut back from the size it was in the 1970s. There are ways to work within a budget. Skimping in the wrong places is not one of them.

This production is on the road to Broadway. I think it opens there in April 2024.  Fixing the tempo of the songs is something that is doable, and is something that I hope they listen to the reviewers and fix. Fixing the changes they made to the story is a lot harder, and probably can’t be done. Are these story changes enough to torpedo the show? They will be problematic for purists like me who love the original. But I do think the story changes won’t be noticed by younger audiences, who remember only the movie (which was little like the original stage production), or the live TV production (which was only broadcast twice).

Some of the other production aspects were, to lack a better term, workable. The choreography by Jaquel Knight was good and pleasant to watch; but it rarely wowed or went above and beyond. The set design was clearly built to fit the touring life well, but there was still the over-dependence on projections. Projections at times can simplify things and lower costs, but they can also make it harder for subsequent regional life of a show.

To be clear: I’m not saying this was a bad show. It was very enjoyable. But it could have been so much more. It just had under-developed heart, brain, and courage. But there were many pieces that did work.

First and foremost, the cast was spectacular. Nichelle Lewis was a knockout as Dorothy: she got the characterizations down pat, and boy could that girl sing. From her opening pre-prise to the closing note of “Home”, she grabbed you. Her companions on the road were equally strong, most notably Kyle Ramar Freeman’s Lion; but Avery Wilson’s Scarecrow and Phillip Johnson Richardson’s Tinman were also great. Although the tempo was wrong, the singing and characterizations in “Slide Some Oil To Me” were great. Melody A. Betts’ opening number as Aunt Em (“The Feeling We Once Had”) was a perfect characterization; her voice was great in “No Bad News”, even if the tempo was off. Wayne Brady was strong as the Wiz, especially in “Y’all Got It” (although he didn’t quite have the energy in “Meet the Wizard”). Deborah Cox’s Glinda did spectacular with “Believe in Yourself”. So the talent and casting was spot-on.

Also strong was the costuming: The bright colors popped in numerous sequences, but even more notable was the opening number. It was costumed to make everyone appear to be black and white, making the transition to color work. I can’t recall if the original did this. It was certainly a takeoff of the technicolor transition of the original, but this one works. Notably, unlike the movie, when Dorothy returns to Kansas for the closing scene, the color has returned to the landscape.

The additional humorous material added by Amber Ruffin worked well. This show has many laugh out loud moments, and has much more humor than did the original.

So, let’s get to ultimate question: Should you see this? If you want to get a sense of what the original 1975 version was like, I’d say to watch the Live TV version (skip the movie: I still think the transition to New York and a 24 year old schoolteacher was wrong wrong wrong). However, if you want to see some remarkable performances and a … different … take on the material (more bluesy, less in-your-face uptempo jazz), this is worth seeing. Hell, it’s worth seeing just to see the star-to-be that is Nichelle Lewis. That girl is going to go far. It’s also worth seeing for Kyle Ramar Freeman’s lion.

The Wiz continues at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre through March 3, 2024. I understand the run is close to sold out, but tickets may be available through the BiH Website. Note that Broadway in Hollywood will be announcing their 2024-2025 season on February 23; it is at that time that autorenew subscribers (like me) will have a chance to purchase tickets for the return of Hamilton (over the summer) and Wicked (December 2024). I have guesses as to which shows will show up based on what I know is touring. If I had to guess, I’m sure & Juliet, Shucked, Some Like It Hot, New York New York and Back to the Future will show up, although one of those could end up at the Ahmanson. The revival of Sweeny Todd might to to the Pantages, although it seems more like an Ahmanson show; Life of Pi is certainly more of an Ahmanson show. I’m not sure where Kimberly Akimbo or A Beautiful  Noise will end up. The former is a toss up; the latter is more Pantages material but it all depends on the other shows they pick. So, yes, I’m looking forward to the announcement.

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Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; Geffen Playhouse (Mini-Subscription); 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming Theatre – Next 90ish Days:

• March: 🎭 One of the Good Ones at the Pasadena Playhouse;  🎭Million Dollar Quartet at 5-Star Theatricals; 🎭 Chicago at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; 🎷 Go Jazz Big Band at The Main; 🎭 Fat Ham at Geffen Playhouse.
• April:  🎭Funny Girl at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; 🧙🏽‍♂️ Renaissance Pleasure Faire; 🎭 Xanadu (🎫 Pending) at Canyon Theatre Guild; 🎷 Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band at BofA/Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks; 🎭 Spongebob Squarepants – The Musical  at CSUN Theatre.
• May: 🎭 Hands on a Hardbody at Charles Stewart Howard Playhouse (🎫 Pending); 🎭 Girl from the North Country at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; 🎭 The Play That Goes Wrong at Canyon Theatre Guild (🎫 Pending)
• June: 🎭 Jelly’s Last Jam at the Pasadena Playhouse; 🎭 A Strange Loop at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; 🎭 Mrs. Doubtfire at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages;  🎭 You Can’t Take It With You (🎫 Pending) at Group Rep; and potentially some 🎭 Hollywood Fringe Festivalshows, although June is pretty well booked already.

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica has announced their Mainstage 2024 Season, and it includes Bat Boy the Musical running Sept 28 through October 18. We saw Bat Boy back when CSUN did it in 2014; it is a wonderful musical about how a society treats outsiders. Conundrum Theatre Company will be doing Urinetown The Musical in mid to late March 2024 at the Broadwater; this is a great musical, but we can’t fit it into the schedule (nor does my wife care to see it again). However, if you haven’t seen it, it is worth seeing. I also just learned about a theatre company in Fullerton, Maverick Theater. They are doing Evil Dead: The Musical , which is a hoot if you’ve never seen it (we’ve seen it twice). They also have some interesting other stuff on their season, and we might drive down for Santa Claus Vs The Martians in November.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 "Believe in Yourself" | The Wiz @ BIH/Pantages by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

Expectations are funny things. Sometimes, someone else expectation can screw up your life. You may be expected to be the perfect mother, the perfect student, the perfect sibling, the perfect minority. The pressure of those expectations can sometimes be overwhelming, and can push you into paths you never expect.

Expectations can often color what you expect as well. When I first learned about the Ananis Morissette jukebox musical, I expected this heavy rock musical, especially with the name “Jagged Little Pill”. I’m an older fart (in my 60s) — my taste in music runs a broad gamut, from Broadway cast albums to folk to classic rock to bluegrass to celtic to dixieland to big band to … well, as you can see, a wide variety. But I had never knowingly listened to Morissette. Her classic album was not part of my vernacular. And although, thanks to the Tony nomination, I had listened to this cast album ahead of time, it hadn’t overpowered the expectation regarding this show. Going in, I was expecting this really hard rock, extremely dark and pulsating show … emphasizing the “jagged” nature of the title. Little did I know that the emphasis was more on the “pill”, as in “Mother’s Little Helper”. Little did I know that the title really referenced a prechorus (“Swallow it down (what a jagged little pill) / It feels so good (swimming in your stomach)”) to a key point in this show: “You live, you learn / You love, you learn / You cry, you learn / You lose, you learn / You bleed, you learn / You scream, you learn”.

Jagged Little Pill is a show that both didn’t meet my expectations, and yet exceeded my expectations.

One more digression before I describe the show … or perhaps it is more of a question: Why do we go to theatre (especially with what it costs these days)? Is it for mindless entertainment? We certainly get that with spectacles like Moulin Rouge, which at the heart of it is all flash and pizazz but no real substance or story. We certainly get that with the movies-to-stage pipeline, which bring familiarity and songs but not much new. But the really successful shows are those that make you think — that touch a raw nerve. That could be the struggles of our nation’s birth, as in Hamilton, or it can issue like sexuality as in the recent The Prom or Spring Awakening. Do we go for the comfortable, or do we go because the purpose of theatre is just to make us uncomfortable, to hold up that mirror, to make us think. (and we’ll revisit this again next week when we see Daniel Fish’s interpretation of Oklahoma at the Ahmanson next week).

This brings us back to Jagged Little Pill. First and foremost: Discard your expectations. This is not hard rock like American Idiot or Hedwig. This is more angsty ballads. As for the show itself: yes, it is dark. I’d characterize it best as a blender mix of Spring Awakening and Next To Normal. The subject matter touches on a number of triggery areas: drug abuse, rape and sexual assault, how we react to such assault, expectations on children, teen sex, gender issues. If these are triggers to you, be prepared. But the show handles them in a somewhat SFW combined with in-your-face manner. I didn’t find it too strong, but others might.

The show tells the story of the Healy family: super-mom Mary Jane, workaholic dad Steve, overachiever child Nick, and adopted minority child Frankie. Just from that description, what could go wrong. We learn over the course of the show the jagged little pill that this facade covers. This is told through the use of the Alanis Morissette’s catalog, primarily her album Jagged Little Pill (Glen Ballard also worked on the music, the book was by Diablo Cody, and additional music was by Michael Farrell and Guy Sigsworth).  I don’t want to give too much away of the plot, but given the warnings and the description of the family, you should be able to figure out the eventual arc.

This brings us to the first assessment: story and music. I should note that this assessment is tempered a bit by poor sound, which I’m going to blame on the touring company as I know that BIH can get it right. Especially during the musical numbers, the lyrics were muddied (perhaps folks were mic-ed bad, or perhaps speakers were misaimed or mistuned). I could hear dialogue just fine. Now, if you’re younger and you’ve memorized these songs, that probably didn’t matter. But if you’re an old fart, it made the lyrics inaccessible with just snippet here and there. You get the sense but not the specifics. My advice: Try getting the headsets for the hard of hearing. You’ll probably get better sound.

That said: I found the story engrossing and relatable. There were things in this story that hit home for me, and I’m sure others as well. No family is perfect, and this showed how our experiences shape us. Not just the successes, but especially the failures. Where we fail. Where others fail. The Jewish High Holy days are coming up, and this is something I’ll be thinking about: how can I learn from my failures. This show raises those questions. That’s a good thing.

The show also touches on a number of hot topics today: sexuality and gender; sexual assault, consent, and who you believe; the current opioid epidemic; and what pressure does to us. That it raises these questions and provokes discussion places this head over heels a spectacular like Moulin Rouge. For story and subject along, this is a must see.

Now we have the next assessment: vision and execution. Diane Paulus’s original direction, and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s original movement and choreography do a good job of bringing out the emotion. Place and mood is does through either projections or screens as opposed to traditional fly-scrims. This works well to immerse you in the story.

The last assessment is performance. Here I’d like to note a number of standouts. Heidi Blickenstaff (Mary Jane Healy) amazes me with her voice and her emotion. She conveys a wide range here, with a voice that handles both rock and soft well. Those who have been following her career know this well, from her first foreys with [Title of Show] to her performance in Freaky Friday. Her performance is remarkable. Also strong is Lauren Chanel (Frankie Healy), who really brings that character to life. Jade McLeod (Jo) is remarkable in “You Oughta Know”, and Allison Sheppard (Bella) does a wonderful job of leading the company in “No” (which should be a watchphrase for today: What part of “no” do you not understand). For the guys, I was really taken by Chris Hoch (Steve Healy), who reminded me a lot of the dad in Next to Normal. Dillon Klena (Nick Healy) was also strong.

Rounding out the performance credits with ensemble and smaller parts: Lee H. Alexander (Doctor, Ensemble), Delaney Brown (Denise, Ensemble), Maya J. Christian (Swing), Jada Simone Clark (Barista, Ensemble), Lani Corson (Jill, Teacher, Ensemble), Claire Crause (Swing, Dance Captain), Sean Doherty (Swing), Rishi Golani (Phoenix, Ensemble), Jason Goldston (Andrew, Ensemble), Zach Hess (Ensemble), Cydney Kutcipal (Ensemble), Jordan Leigh McCaskill (Pharmacist, Therapist, Ensemble), Alana Pollard (Ensemble), Daniel Thimm (Drug Dealer, Ensemble), Kei Tsuruharatani (Ensemble), Jena VanElslander (Courtney, Ensemble), and Charles P. Way (Swing/Asst. Dance Captain).

Music was provided by an onstage orchestra led by (🌴 indicates local) Matt Doebler (Conductor, Keyboard) and consisting of the following additional folk: Christopher Hanford II (Guitar 1), David Manning (Guitar 2), Jennifer Giammanco (Bass), Lucy Ritter (Percussion), 🌴 Nicole Garcia (Violin (Concertmaster)), 🌴 Rhea Hosanny (Viola), 🌴 Michelle Elliot Rearick (Cello), and 🌴 Brian LaFontaine (Guitar Sub). Rounding out the music department was: David Manning (Asst. Conductor), Michael Aarons (Music Coordinator), Emily Grishman (Music Preparation), Randy Cohen (Keyboard Programming), and 🌴 Eric Heinly (Music Contractor). Tom Kitt provided music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations.

The design team consisted of: Riccardo Hernández (Scenic Design), Emily Rebholz (Costume Design), Justin Townsend (Lighting Design), Jonathan Deans (Sound Design), Lucy Mackinnon (Video Design), and J. Jared Janas (Wig, Hair, and Makeup Design).

Rounding out the production team with tour and other support were: Pascale Florestal (Assoc. Director), Marc Kimelman (Assoc. Choreographer), Yeman Brown (Asst. Choreographer), Ira Mont (Production Supervising Stage Manager), Justin Myhre (Production Stage Manager), Jenn Gallo (Stage Manager), and Ashani Smith (Asst. Stage Manager). It is interesting that an Intimacy Coordinator was not listed.

I’ll note: For this writeup, I have not done my usual hyperlinking of artists. I may go back and fill that in. Not doing it saves a lot of time.

Jagged Little Pill continues at Broadway in Hollywood through October 2. Tickets are available through the BIH Website. Discount tickets may be available through Goldstar.

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Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member (modulo the COVID break). I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at Actors Co-op (FB), 5 Star Theatricals (FB), Broadway in Hollywood (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB), and we have a membership at The Pasadena Playhouse (FB). We were subscribing at the Musical Theatre Guild (FB) prior to COVID; they have not yet resumed productions. We have also been subscribers at the Soraya/VPAC (FB), although we are waiting a year before we pick that up again. Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups. Note to publicists or producers reading this: here’s my policy on taking comp tickets. Bottom-Line: Only for things of nominal value, like Fringe.

Upcoming Shows:

For right now, we’re pretty much sticking with shows that come as part of our subscriptions or are of interest through our memberships. Looking ahead for the remainder of 2022:, the remaining September shows are Andrew Lippa’s version of The Wild Party at the Morgan Wixson Theatre, and Oklahoma at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). October will bring Sanctuary City at the The Pasadena Playhouse (FB), Ghosts at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, The Addams Family at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), and To Kill a Mockingbird at Broadway in Hollywood (FB). November brings 2:22 – A Ghost Story at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Lastly, December will bring Annie at Broadway in Hollywood (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, On Stage 411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget (although I know it is outdated and need to update it). Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country (again, I need to review this for the post-COVID theatre landscape)!

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 You Attend, You Learn | "Jagged Little Pill" @ Broadway in Hollywood by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

Whew! It’s been a week, hasn’t it. I feel more exhausted than an actor trying to juggle pretending to be someone whom I’m not who is then trying to be someone who they are not while not letting out a secret… well, more on that in a minute. But I have been really busy, so please excuse the lateness of these writeups. They took a back seat to some other projects this week — working up updates to my highway pages,  and continued new work on getting a new podcast about highways off the ground. Combine that with a full time job, caretaking for my wife who is still down after her accident, and an ear infection, and … whew!

In any case, let’s talk about Tootsie, which is the current production of  Broadway in Hollywood (FB) at the Dolby Theatre. We saw it last Saturday, and I’m really conflicted in my reaction.  On the one hand, it was extremely funny with great comic timing. On the other hand, it is an attempt to bring 1980’s attitudes about men and women to a context 40 years later, and that just doesn’t work. Add to that the fact that this is a non-Equity tour (with the labor issues related thereto): yes, it gives talented actors their start, but it also treats them like second class citizens. Hmm, like women in a professional field. As I said, conflicted.

For those unfamiliar with the story, Tootsie is based on a 1982 comedy starring Dustin Hoffman, with a screenplay adapted by Larry Gelbart, Barry Levinson, Elaine May and Murray Schisgal from a story by Gelbart and Don McGuire. The basic premise is: perfectionist male actor, who is so annoying he has been blackballed by most directors, pretends to be a woman in order to get an acting job. In doing so, he takes a job away from his actress best-friend, and turns what is a crappy soap-opera into a smash success with his suggestions for improvement. He falls in love with the leading lady of the soap-opera (who is having an affair with the director), and has a male leading man fall in love with him. When the secret comes out, then (as they say) hijinks ensue.

This was really funny stuff in the 1980s folks. I mean that this was the second most profitable film of 1982, and was nominated for ten Academy Awards including Best Picture. In 1998, the Library of Congress deemed the film “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. You can just imagine a producer thinking, 20 years later: This would be great on Broadway!

But the times, as Bob Dylan sang, are a changin’. The whole schtick of man dressing as women for humor isn’t as funny as it once was. Show real trans folk. That’s fine. Show real stories of drag queens, as serious drag queens (cough, Kinky Boots, cough, Everyone’s Talking About Jamie), OK. But dress as a woman for humor (as we saw in My Fair Lady or as is likely in the upcoming new version of Some Like It Hot), and it doesn’t work. I’ll note there are similar problems with playing on old and tired gay stereotypes — how well would a La Cage revival work these days. Perhaps this is why we’re hearing so little about Mrs. Doubtfire, currently on Broadway. It plays up the man dressed as woman for humor, and that just doesn’t fly. (Hmmm, he wondered, why there are so few shows that find humor in a woman dressing as a man? I can only think of two — both Shakespeare — and the humor is situational. Victor Victoria, perhaps? But I digress).

Now, add to this the problems related to #MeToo, sexual harassment in the workplace, and the growing concern about men not listening to the voices of women (as well as a man taking a woman’s job). You have to keep saying to yourself: What were these producers thinking smoking?

Yet with all these problems, Tootsie came to Broadway and found some measure of success. It was nominated for a slew of Tony awards and won two (including Best Book of a Musical). It beat out Beetlejuice, which was better and far less problematic. Yet problems remain.

To their credit, the new book by Robert Horn makes some significant changes. It moves the milieu from New York and the soap opera scene to Broadway. Now the actor (Michael Dorsey) is finding failure with Broadway directors, and so becomes an actress (Dorothy Michaels) in a successful new Broadway production. This makes it more accessible, and adds to the in-jokes that only those in the Broadway profession would get. But it works better on stage. Horn also explicitly acknowledges the problems with what Michael is doing: there is gnashing and wailing about how this is wrong, followed by jokes about how he’ll get paid less. There are scenes calling out Michael for mansplaining, while there are no remarks about the hidden-in-full-view Michael as Dorothy mansplaining away, and getting heard while women staffers are ignored.

So there are loads and loads of problems remaining in the book. And yet … I laughed. Especially in the second act, where Michael’s subterfuge is uncovered, and there are some wonderful comic timing scenes taking place. This thing is laugh out loud funny, while you’re thinking at the same time that it is so wrong. Just like Jackass. This is likely why it won best book: if the book can make you laugh at something that is patently so wrong these days.

While we’re talking book, we mustn’t forget this is a musical. In this case, the music and lyrics are by David Yazbek, The songs are very funny, but what kept bothering me is how much they sounded like Yazbek’s other work. I kept hearing hints of The Band’s Visit  or Women on the Verge and even The Full Monty. There are some particular riffs and styles that Yazbek likes, and they seem to have recycled themselves here. It was distracting, and Yazbek needs to work better on getting his musicals to not sound so much … like Yazbek-stereotypes.

The production was directed by Dave Solomon; Scott Ellis was the original Broadway director. Broadway choreography was by Denis Jones. Buried in the small print were the key local folks: Augustine Ubannwa Asst. Director and Chip Abbott Associate Choreographer. All are members of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. I always have trouble telling direction from performance (which is how it should be), but the comic aspects of the direction were strong. Dancing was a bit weaker: there wasn’t anything that particular stands out in my mind a week after the performance.

Let’s turn to the performances, but before we do: When this production was originally booked for Broadway in Hollywood (back in the pre-pandemic days), it was to be an Equity tour, with Equity actors, and Equity pay scales, and Equity health insurance and such. But, on the verge of going out, it was recast and went out as a non-Equity tour. So note: Union directors and choreographers, union scenic artists, union back and front of house, but non-union actors. This is not meant as a disparagement of the actors, who do a remarkable job (as I’ll describe below). But it is a ding to the producers, who are getting away with paying them less and providing fewer benefits (pay breakdown) and worse working conditions. This has led to increased efforts from Equity to go after the non-Union tours. In particular, they are going after the touring companies that often have union and non-union versions, feeding back into the same pockets. If you ever want a key difference between Broadway in Hollywood and Center Theatre Group: CTG only does Equity productions on the main stages (and CTG does show production, not just booking). BIH books both Equity and non-Equity productions. Rant over, and I will say that I do still love Broadway in Hollywood — their subscriber support folks are the greatest (more on that later). I just wish the talent got treated as well, and part of that is encouraging the industry to do Equity tours.

Despite being young, the cast was excellent — drawing heavily from other non-Equity tours and the strong regional theatre markets. In the lead position was Drew Becker Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels . Becker was remarkable in the role, with great comic timing and performing chops. He captured both the masculine and the feminine sides well, and had a strong singing voice. But as I noted, what really impressed me was his comedy. There were times where he said everything with a simple facial expression, a pause, or a simple reaction. To this untrained eye, that goes beyond the direction to bringing the actor’s chops to the role. I hope others see it.

The other key people in Michael’s direct sphere of influence were Payton Reilly Sandy Lester and Jared David Michael Grant Jeff Slater. Reilly’s role is really written more as comic relief, and we don’t see as much of her as we would like. She has a recurring song motif that is extremely funny and self-deprecating (even if it sounds like it could be plopped down in Women on the Verge). Reilly handles this well with great comic timing. Grant gets to play the lovable schlub friend — and you wouldn’t expect such a strong performance for that character. But Grant excels at the comedy — again, he’s a master of the timing and the look and the reaction. The scenes with him, Reilly, and Becker are just masterpieces. Watching their performances, you wouldn’t realize that these are relatively new actors — they are that strong in their roles.

Next we have the key people in Dorothy Michael’s stage life: Ashley Alexander Julie Nichols and Lukas James Miller Max Van Horn.  Alexander (who also appears to go by Ashley Seldon) has a remarkably strong voice and come across as a credible actor in her role. She gets less opportunity to play the role for the comic side. Miller, on the other hand, is heavily comedy — especially in the second act. The scene where he comes and hits on Dorothy is priceless, but his introductory scenes are strong as well.

In supporting roles we have Kathy Halenda Rita Marshall; Steve Brustien Stan Fields and Adam du Plessis Ron Carlisle.  All are written and played with appropriate stereotypes in mind. Halenda is the aging woman producer who wants to champion other women; Brustien is the typical agent; and du Plessis is the over-egoed director. The actors play them well.

Rounding out the cast in the ensemble and smaller named parts as noted are: Leyla Ali Gone Female Trio, Connor Allston Stuart, Darius Aushay, Michael Bingham, Kyra Christopher, Delaney Gold Gone Female Trio, Maverick Hu, Dominique Kempf Suzie, Gone Female Trio, Marquez Linder, Lucy Panush, Alec Ruiz Carl, and Stefanie Renee Salyers. Swings are Lexi Baldachino Dance Captain, and Ashton Lambert Asst. Dance Captain. The ensemble was strong, performing with spirit and energy, and seeming to enjoy what they were doing.

Music was provided by an orchestra under Andrea Grody Supervising Music Director and Andrew David Sotomayor Music Director The orchestra consisted of: Richard Mitchell Alto Sax, Flute, Piccolo, Recorder; Sean Franz Tenor Sax, Clarinet, Flute, Soprano Sax; Aaron Smith and Javier Gonzalez Trumpet, Flugelhorn; Charlie Morillas Trombone; Chris Thigpen Bass (Acoustic/Electric); Brian LaFontaine Guitar (Electric / Acoustic / Mandolin); Carl Thomson Drums / Percussion; Adam McDonald Keyboard 1; and Mary Ekler Keyboard 2. Other music credits: Dean Sharenow Music Supervisor; Talitha Fehr Music Coordinator; Eric Heinly Music Contractor; Billy Jay Stein and Iro Iida (for Strange Cranium Productions Inc) Electronic Music Design; David Chase Dance Arrangements; and Simon Hale Orchestrations.

Lastly, we turn to the production team, starting with the lead designers. Overall, the scenic design was suitable, although there were sound problems that left the distinct impression that some speakers were not working (because the music sounded off to one side). The set was relatively compact, with elements that opened up to create Michael Dorsey’s apartment, and that when closed became a generic New York skyline. My biggest complaint with the set design was more of a tour set design issue: there was a large frame around the set that would create site line problems for anyone sitting off to the far side. That’s bad design: even for a tour, sets should be designed to be clear and visible to all. The scenic design team consisted of: David Rockwell Original Scenic Design; Christine Peters Tour Scenic Design; William Ivey Long Costume Design; Christopher Vergara Costume Coordinator; Donald Holder Lighting Design; Brian Ronan Sound Design; Paul Huntley Hair & Wig Design; and Angelina Avallone Make-Up Design.  One costume/make-up note: The quick changes for Drew Becker (Michael Dorsey) were impressive, including changing the nail polish!

Rounding out the production team were: Binder Casting Casting; Andrew Terlizzi Company Manager; Suzayn Mackenzie-Roy Production Stage Manager; Brianna Thompson Asst Stage Manager; Brian Schrader General Manager; Heather Chockley Production Management. The tour manager was Troika Entertainment.

I mentioned earlier about the superb customer service from the Broadway in Hollywood subscription team. My wife currently is in a wheelchair, which requires handicapped seating. When I booked the show we were not in accessible seats; I had changed the tickets, but hadn’t realized they weren’t accessible either. Day of the show, the subscription folks in the box office got us changed to wheelchair accessible seats (in the orchestra, no less) without any muss. They may book non-union tours, but I still think Broadway in Hollywood is great!

Tootsie continues at the Dolby Theatre for Broadway in Hollywood (FB) until May 15. Tickets are available through the BIH box office (they have specials for $39). Discount tickets may be available through Goldstar. Tootsie goes next to the Segerstrom in Orange County.

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Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member (modulo the COVID break). I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at Actors Co-op (FB), 5 Star Theatricals (FB), Broadway in Hollywood (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB), and we have a membership at The Pasadena Playhouse (FB). We were subscribing at the Musical Theatre Guild (FB) prior to COVID; they have not yet resumed productions. We have also been subscribers at the Soraya/VPAC (FB), although we are waiting a year before we pick that up again. Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups. Note to publicists or producers reading this: here’s my policy on taking comp tickets. Bottom-Line: Only for things of nominal value, like Fringe.

Upcoming Shows:

For right now, we’re pretty much sticking with shows that come as part of our subscriptions or are of interest through our memberships. That may change later in 2022. Looking further into 2022: May brings Hadestown at at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). June will see Come From Away at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) and Pretty Woman at Broadway in Hollywood (FB), as well as Tom Paxon at McCabes plus as much of the Hollywood Fringe Festival as we have the energy for. July brings Moulin Rouge at Broadway in Hollywood (FB) [Pantages], Dear Evan Hansen at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB), Newsies at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), and Freestyle Love Supreme back at The Pasadena Playhouse (FB). August is quieter, with just The Prom at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Lastly (for this look ahead), September brings Oklahoma the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) and Jagged Little Pill at Broadway in Hollywood (FB), although they are on the same day so I’ll be shifting one show. September may also bring Andrew Lippa’s version of The Wild Party at the Morgan Wixson Theatre. This was a show I had been planning to see before the COVID shutdown, so I’m putting it in the “part of our subscriptions” list. There may also be some Hollywood Bowl stuff, depending on how my wife is doing.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, On Stage 411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget (although I know it is outdated and need to update it). Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country (again, I need to review this for the post-COVID theatre landscape)!

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as I Shouldn't Be Laughing | "Tootsie" @ Broadway in Hollywood by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

It’s that time of year again. I’ve received email from Broadway in Hollywood (FB) (Pantages) that it is time to advance renew our subscriptions and that their season announcement was coming soon; I expect to hear something similar from the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). So I though I would go through the list of shows I know to be setting up tours, and predict what the seasons will look like. Let’s see how close I am once the announcements come out. My basis for show information is the Tours to You site, and the Playbill article on current and upcoming tours.

Ahmanson Theatre

The Ahmanson Theatre, in Downtown LA,  is a large venue that in the past has programmed both National tours, shows it has locally produced or produced pre-tours, or select touring productions from elsewhere, such as the West End. It has smaller capacity than the Pantages/Dolby, can accomodate mid-size runs but not long sit downs. There has been a recent strong push for diversity and local productions at CTG, and there is new artistic leadership, so I expect to see more diverse playwrights and local productions as opposed to only the tours we’ve seen of late.

My prediction:

• To Kill a Mockingbird (Tour). This was postponed from 2021.
• 1776 (Musical). This was postponed from 2021.
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. This could be a local mounting as a tour hasn’t been announced, but there has been a sister production at the Curran in SF.
• Jagged Little Pill. This just seems a bit more like an Ahmanson show.
• Diversity author slot.
• Pre-Broadway or West-End Musical

Broadway In Hollywood

Broadway in Hollywood, booking at the Pantages and the Dolby, has to fill large venues. They book only tours and such; no locally produced or unknown quantitites here. They also bring in a small number of retreads — shows that have done well before that might be worth another sit-down.

My prediction:

• Mean Girls. This was postponed from 2020.
• Six.
• Beetlejuice.
• Tina – The Musical.
• Ain’t Too Proud. This started out at the Ahmanson and went to Broadway. It is likely not to repeat at the Ahmanson — they want to reach a different subscriber base.
• Wicked. On tour, currently at the Segerstrom. A likely retreat that performs well and can do an extended sit-down at the Pantages.
• Girl from the North Country (although this could end up at the Ahmanson)
• Aladdin The Musical. This is a “newly imagined” version, and could be a draw.
• Maybes:
  • The new equity tours of either Annie or Hairspray. Both are older, both done regionally, but both might be crowd draws.
  • The Cher Show. The tour was postponed, but it might come back.
  • The Spongebob Musical. One can always hope.

So those are my predictions. Your thoughts? I could also see, if the new Music Man announces a tour this early, that it could end up at the Pantages.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 Prognostications for the 2023 Pantages/Ahmanson Seasons by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 (tap) (tap) (tap). Is this thing on? I’m so out of practice. I mean, I haven’t written a theatre review since March 8, 2020, when I saw Passion at Boston Court. We haven’t been to a Broadway in Hollywood show since Escape to Margaritaville at the end of February 2020. I mean it seems like forever since I’ve been, to quote a favorite show, “in a large building in a central part of town in a dark room as part of a play with a lot of people listening, who have all paid a great deal to get it in”.

If you haven’t figured it out, last night I was in such a dark room. With a mask on. Having shown proof of vaccination to get in. Feeling somewhat safe. Could it have been better? Sure. They needed a pre-show announcement reminding people to turn off their cell phones and keep off any device that generates light or noise (as people are out of practice). They needed an announcement to remind people to keep their masks on at all times unless actively eating or drinking (which you shouldn’t do during a show anyway). But still. 🎉 WE WERE AT LIVE THEATRE AGAIN.

Yes, we’re taking it slow. For now, it is pretty much our existing subscriptions and our prior subscriptions when they come back to life. Perhaps more as we get deeper into 2022 and the number of cases continues to drop. But we were at our first show in a long time, and it felt good. As the first notes of the overture drifted over us, the anxiety floated away.

But I ramble. On to the write up.

Last night we saw the Lincoln Center revival of the musical My Fair Lady at Broadway in Hollywood (BIH)/The Dolby Theatre (Program). This was the first BIH show at the Dolby post-COVID, and their second show overall post-COVID (Hamilton started at the Pantages Theatre back in August). As noted above, they have a number of protocols to make patrons feel safer; there’s also comfort in the fact that there have been no reported breakthrough incidents throughout the Hamilton run so far, meaning they are doing something right.

My Fair Lady is, in many ways, a creaky musical that is showing its age. It premiered in March 1956 (meaning it is older than I am), and ran for 2,717 performance. It is well known (especially due to the movie’s success) and for a long time was a staple for regional theatre. Loads of people know the bones of the story, but few have likely seen it on stage recently. Prior to the LCT revival, it was last revived on Broadway in 1994 (1977 and 1981 before that) — a 24 year span. LACLO last did it in 1969; the last big production in Los Angeles was the Downey CLO in 2009. It’s been a while, and truth be told, I don’t think I’d ever seen it on stage.

For those not familiar with the story, the basic premise is a man who studies dialect and English (Henry Higgins), and who thinks the only way to succeed is to speak the Queen’s English, runs into a lower-class flower seller (Eliza Doolittle). He makes a bet that in 6 months he can teach her proper English and pass her off as a member of upper class society. He succeeds at his bet, but at what price?

With these bones, you’ll think it doesn’t fit well in the society of today. Here you have a white man, using the power of his class, to try to take advantage of and rehabilitate a woman from a poorer class. Boy, are those class issues, with a touch of “we’re smarter, we know better”, problematic. Then their is the side of the woman, who is essentially a pawn to the men in her life (at least that’s how it was presented in the 1950s). How does that fit with today’s woman who has agency?

But that’s what memory tells one about the show. Watching the show, those themes aren’t quite there in such a start way. But there are some that are both worse and more familiar.  So let me frame the story in a different way.

Let me tell you the story of a man. This man is so full of himself he thinks he knows everything, and can solve the problems of the world. He certainly thinks he can change people into being what he thinks they should be. How does he plan to do this? By bullying them and torturing them. Further, when these people succeed, he’s there to take all the credit and claim he was the only reason things work out well. When the person who changed wants some acknowledgement of their role in the transformation, they are ignored and told they are ridiculous. They are in essence, no more than a trained monkey. A monkey that is useful to keep around, because they make him laugh and bring him his slippers. This man never acknowledges his own flaws; in fact, he projects his flaws upon others absolving himself of any part of a failure.

Now, does that man sound familiar? Have we run into anyone like that recently? But I’m not talking about a recent politician. I’m talking about one of the two main characters in this show: Professor Henry Higgins. The word we use to describe the recent politician fits Higgins to a T: “Narcissist”. Higgins in a narcissist. He believes the world revolves around him, that he can do no wrong, and those in lower positions are there to serve him. He treats anyone below him like crap, and is proud of the fact. So, point in fact, today’s eyes show us that My Fair Lady is, at its heart, a show about a narcissist.

The object of Higgins’ obsession is the flower girl, Eliza Doolittle. Throughout much of the show, she shows precious little character but does stand up for herself a few times. She’s generally bullied and broken down by Higgins — in fact, much of the first act is devoted to breaking her down like a Marine drill sergeant. In the second half, after Eliza finally comes to see the narcissism in Prof. Higgins she attempts to get away but is drawn back. The ending of the show is ambiguous as to whether she succeeds in doing so, but it clear that her attempt to make Higgins see his problematic behavior fails on deaf ears.

The conscience of the show — or at least what passes for one — comes in the form of Colonel Pickering, a colleague of Prof Higgins and one of the lone voices reminding him to keep Eliza’s feelings in mind during the process. But he is, in general, a background character and generally ignored.

The other major fleshed out character is that of Eliza’s father, Alfred Doolittle. He generally shows up to provide boisterous barroom dance numbers to balance the ballads that are fun to watch but don’t advance the plot all that much. But Mr. Doolittle is the source of additional show problems: He essentially offers to sell his daughter, disparages the middle class. When he is dragged into the middle class and has a well-known second act number “I’m Getting Married In The Morning”, he also introduces what I felt to be an unnecessary problem: characters dressed as the opposite sex just for the joke of it all. We have a woman dressed as groom, and men dressed at the bride and bar dancers, all in bustiers. Perhaps in the last millennium men dressed as women were funny. Nowadays it just seems wrong, and there was no context set up that a bar in London in 1912 would have such dancers or a wedding. It was a poor directorial choice for 2018.

As the above makes clear, story-wise, this adaptation of the 1913 play Pygmalion may have worked well in 1956, but feels dated and creaky in 2021. It somehow needs a bit more tweaks to fit with modern sensibilities, or at least more contextualization in the program to put it in the context of its time. But that doesn’t mean the show is bad. The show is grand, glorious, and glittering, under the direction of Bartlett Sher. What saves it are the well-known tunes by Alan Jay Lerner (Book and Lyrics) and Frederick Loewe, as well as the wonderful performances by the touring troupe.

Everyone knows the music from this show. From the opening “Why Can’t The English?” to the ear-worm “I Could Have Danced All Night”; from the dance numbers of “With a Little Bit Of Luck” and “I’m Getting Married in the Morning”; from touching songs like “I’ve Gown Accustomed to Her Face” or “On The Street Where You Live” — essentially every song is at the top of the form. About the only problem is you listen to some of them, such as “Show Me”, and think it was from their later show Camelot… but it wasn’t

The performances were also quite strong. Shereen Ahmed Eliza Doolittle had a lovely spirit and look, and had a remarkably beautiful voice. Ahmed is also noticeable for the diversity she brings to the cast, being Arab-American (as well as having a BS in Criminal Justice, so I sense a career for the restart of Law and Order in her future). Playing opposite her was Laird Mackintosh Prof. Henry Higgins. He bio makes clear that he has the chops to sing well (having been involved with an opera company); alas, he’s in a role that was designed for the sing-speaking Rex Harrison. He makes the best of it, and does bring a good fire to the role.

In the supporting positions are Adam Grupper Alfred P. Doolittle, Kevin Pariseau Col. Hugh Pickering, and to a lesser extent, Leslie Alexander Mrs. Higgins. I’ve noted earlier that Grupper’s role is more one of comic relief. He handles that quite well and is very playful in his numbers and his scenes.  Pariseau’s Pickering is also present in the traditional side-kick and reaction role, which he does well. Alexander blends in during the first act, but shines in the second act where she stands up to her son’s narcissism and takes Eliza’s side. There she is wonderful.

In the Tertiary supporting character category were Sam Simahk Freddy Eynsford-Hill and Gayton Scott (at our performance, Sarah Quinn Taylor was substituting) Mrs. Pearce.  Simahk captured the character as written well — a man with the personality of an infatuated puppy. Taylor’s Pearce had a bit more meat. Although she didn’t have many lines, she was able to capture through her actions and her face her disapproval of how Higgins was treating Eliza.

Rounding out the cast in various small and ensemble roles were: Lee Zarrett Professor Zoltan Karpathy / Selsey Man; Rajeer Alford Ensemble; Colin Anderson The “Loverly” Quartet, Higgin’s Butler, Ensemble; Mark Banik Frank the Bartender, Ensemble; Michael Biren Steward, Constable, Ensemble, Asst. Dance Captain; Mary Callanan Mrs. Hopkins, Higgins’ Maid, Ensemble; Elena Camp Queen of Transylvania, Ensemble; Christopher Faison The “Loverly” Quartet, Higgins’ Butler, Lord Boxington, Footman, Ensemble; Nicole Ferguson Higgins’ Maid, Ensemble; Juliane Godfrey (FB) Higgins’ Maid, Ensemble; Colleen Grate Flower Girl, Higgins’ Maid, Ensemble;  Patrick Kerr Harry, Ensemble;  Brandon Leffler Charles, Mrs. Higgins’ Servant, Ensemble; Nathalie Marrable Ensemble;  William Michals Hoxton Man, The “Loverly” Quartet, Jamie, Footman, Ensemble; Aisha Mitchell (FB) Ms. Clara Eynsford-Hill, Ensemble; Rommel Pierre O’Choa Mrs Higgins’ Servant, Ensemble; Kevin Quillon Ensemble; JoAnna Rhinehart Mrs. Eynsford-Hill, Ensemble; Samantha Sturm Lady Boxington, Hostess, Ensemble; Gerard M. Williams The “Loverly” Quartet, Steward, Constable, Ensemble; and Minami Yusui Ensemble, Dance Captain, Fight Captain. Swings were Kaitlyn Frank, George Psomas, Sarah Quinn Taylor, and Richard Riaz Yoder.

Music was provided by the My Fair Lady Orchestra (🌴 designates local orchestra): John Bell Music Director, Conductor; Luke Flood Assoc. Music Director, Keyboard; Dmitriy Melkumov Violin, Concertmaster; Mark O’Kain Percussion; 🌴 Elizabeth Johnson Violin 2; 🌴 Erik Rynearson Viola; 🌴 Ginger Murphy Cello; 🌴 Ian Walker Bass; 🌴 Richard Mitchell Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet; 🌴 Michele Forrest Oboe, English Horn; 🌴 Jeff Driskill Clarinet; 🌴 William May Bassoon; 🌴 John Fumo Trumpet 1; 🌴 Aaron Smith Trumpet 2; 🌴 Katie Faraudo French Horn 1; 🌴 Lizzie Upton French Horn 2; 🌴 Denis Jiron Trombone; 🌴 Amy Wilkins Harp; and 🌴 Mary Ekler Keyboard Sub.  Music support and development was provided by Robert Russell Bennett Orchestrations 1894-1981; Philip J. Lang Orchestrations 1911-1986; Trude Rittmann Dance & Incidental Music Arrangements, 1908-2005;  Ted Sperling Additional Arrangements; Talitha Fehr and David Lai Music Coordination; Josh Clayton Tour Orchestrations, Music Copying; and 🌴 Eric Heinly Orchestra Contractor. Orchestras in Los Angeles are always superb due to the talent in the city. Notable about this orchestra is that I didn’t recognize a lot of the names. In the past, there was a revolving group of artist that showed up in the local component of theatre orchestras. This time, there were a bunch of new faces. That’s always great to see.

Turning to the production side: The production was directed by Bartlett Sher and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, assisted by Sari Ketter Assoc. Director and Mark Myars Assoc. Choreographer.  Generally the direction was good and helped the actors bring the characters to life. There were some questionable choices, such as the aforementioned drag actors during “Get Me To The Church on Time”. The choreography was also generally good, but one really got the sense of the confines of the stage: endless circling back and forth that, when combined with the set design, left one a little dizzy. But My Fair Lady is not a strong dance show except in the ancillary Alfred P. Doolittle numbers and the formality of the Ascot Gavotte. Again, this probably goes back to Rex Harrison.

Michael Yeargan Sets provided a scenic design that both worked and was confining. The principle piece was Higgins’ study / front room / door and was set on a turntable. When it was rotating it tended to be a bit dizzying and disconcerting, especially if you were watching the actors close through binoculars. I understand the confines of a tour, but wondered if more traditional pieces might have worked better. At least there were no projections. Catherine Zuber Costumes were, to put it simply, sumptuous. From the dowdy looks of the lower class, to the beautiful gowns for Eliza, they were lovely. The atmosphere was set well by Donald Holder‘s lighting design and Marc Salzberg‘s sound. There were also no obvious microphone or amplification problems — often the curse of a touring company. Rounding out the production team were The Telsey Office Casting; Tom Watson Hair and Wigs; Elizabeth Smith Dialect Consultant; Donavan Dolan Production Stage Manager; Aaron Heeter Stage Manager; James Ogden II Asst Stage Manager; Jeff Mensch Company Manager; Kiara Bryant Asst. Company Manager; Karen Berry General Manager; and Troika Entertainment Tour Management. Notable absent from the program was any credit (either at the tour level or the BIH level) for a COVID Safety Officer. Nowadays, that’s a vital role and deserves acknowledgement and applause. Luckily, I found it on the travel page of the company website: Kudos to Jody Bogner Covid Safety Manager Workplace Compliance and Amy Katz COVID-19 Communications Director, Policies/Venue Relations/Testing for keeping the My Fair Lady company safe and healthy, and in turn, keeping the audience healthy.

The Broadway in Hollywood engagement of My Fair Lady continues until October 31, 2021. Tickets are available through Broadway in Hollywood (Ticketmaster). Discount tickets may be available through Goldstar (Los Angeles, MFL Tour in General) or other ticketing agencies.

❧

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member (modulo the COVID break). I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), Broadway in Hollywood (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB), and we have a membership at The Pasadena Playhouse (FB). We were subscribing at Actors Co-op (FB) and the Musical Theatre Guild (FB) prior to COVID; they have not yet resumed productions. We have also been subscribers at the Soraya/VPAC (FB), although we are waiting a year before we pick that up again. Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups. Note to publicists or producers reading this: here’s my policy on taking comp tickets. Bottom-Line: Only for things of nominal value, like Fringe.

Upcoming Shows:

Wow. I haven’t done this in a while. (rummages through the calendar)

For right now, we’re pretty much sticking with shows that come as part of our subscriptions or are of interest through our memberships. That may change later in 2022. Later in October we will have Mamma Mia at 5 Star Theatricals (FB). November brings Hamilton at Broadway in Hollywood (FB) and Head over Heels at The Pasadena Playhouse (FB). December brings The Bands Visit at Broadway in Hollywood (FB) and A Christmas Carol at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). Turning to 2022: January brings Everyone’s Talking About Jamie at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). February brings Something Rotten at 5 Star Theatricals (FB); lastly, March brings The Lehman Trilogy at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB), and Ann at The Pasadena Playhouse (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget (although I know it is outdated and need to update it). Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country (again, I need to review this for the post-COVID theatre landscape)!

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 Please Don't Explain - Show Me | "My Fair Lady" @ Broadway In Hollywood/Dolby by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

Sunday was our crazy day of theatre in Hollywood, due to my forgetting to enter my 2019-2020 season tickets on my Google Calendar when I renewed my  Hollywood Pantages (FB)/Broadway in Hollywood (FB) subscription. Lesson learned for 2020-2021 — they are already on my calendar. In any case, when the Pantages mailed out an announcement regarding the availability of the bonus show The Simon & Garfunkel Story, I quickly grabbed Saturday matinee tickets. It was only when I went to put the on my calendar that I realized I hadn’t entered my series tickets. So I did … and discovered we had season tickets for Escape to Margaritaville that evening. Boy, was I glad I had done a matinee for S&G! So yesterday was a double Broadway in Hollywood day: S&G at the Pantages, followed by Margaritaville at the Dolby. Whew!

The Simon & Garfunkel Story (FB) is, essentially, a Simon and Garfunkel concerts. There’s little pretense of it being much more. There’s no book writer, no fake story constructed from the songs (such as Margaritaville or All Shook Up). There isn’t acting of a bio story (along the lines of Beautiful or Summer). There isn’t even a director in the traditional theatrical sense. There are actors portraying Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, a backing band, and a snippets of biographical information and story background along the way.

Musically, the show is excellent. The actors (George Clements (★FB) Paul Simon and Andrew Wade (★FB, FB) Art Garfunkel) are great performers, and capture the harmonies well. Individually (and when not singing) they don’t quite have the same voice and personality of the originals, but the personality that does shine through it good. Clements didn’t have quite the same nasal quality as Simon (he was about 90% there), and Wade didn’t have quite the pure tenor of Garfunkel but had the power when he needed it (he was about 90% there). They were close enough that one could enjoy the music, and mostly hear the same thing as the albums (there were a few slight differences). So on the music side, you won’t be disappointed.

I’ll note that the program credits two additional actors for Simon and Garfunkel (Taylor Bloom and Ben Cooley, respectively), although it is unclear when they are actually performing the roles. A “boo” to the Pantages for not having a signboard in the lobby indicating the actors that were in each role.

On the story side, however, there could have been so much more. It is here that the lack of participation by the real Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were apparent. The audience was left wanting for more details on the backstory, for more details on the backstory of each of the songs. The projections would have been so much better with real pictures of the duo from those days, including pictures that had never been seen before. But although there were some bits of information there that might not have been well known, there just could have been so so much more.

The projections had another problem: inaccuracy and incorrectness. From the use of modern images to respresent the past (e.g., that livery for British Airways wasn’t used back then — it might even have been BOAC, or that the postcards during “America” were too modern, or that images were from the wrong era of the story), to the disconnection of the image from the song (e.g., the postcards should have corresponded to the story points in “America”, the voices of old people from Bookends had images of children, and — for whatever reason — the images in Scarborough Faire were anti-war. Folks, if you want to do an anti-war song from that era of S&G, do Silent Night/6 O’Clock News. It is far more moving.

Perhaps those are nits. Certainly, if you were going for the nostalgia and the music, this fit the bill. From a few obscure songs from the Tom and Jerry era, to some (but not all) of the most popular songs, the concert aspect was great. The two leads were aided in this by their backing band: Alec Hamilton (FB) Keyboards and Background Vocals; Bob Sale (FB) Drums and Background Vocals; Marc Encabo (FB) Bass Guitar and Background Vocals; Josh Vasquez (FB) Guitars and Background Vocals; Josh Turner (FB) Guitars and Background Vocals; and Adam Saxe (FB) Keyboards and Background Vocals. Note that neither the program nor the theatre makes clear which guitarist and keyboardist are at a given performance. I know we had Hamilton at our performance, and I think we had Vasquez. The major weak point of the backing music was the lack of some horns. Electronic horns on a keyboard are a weak substitute. Simon and Garfunkel were known — in their later work and at the Concert in Central Park — for their strong horn sections backing the songs. That was missed. On the other hand, the musicians they had were great — in particular, Encabo and Vasquez, who were clearly having great fun up their on stage, rocking away and enjoying the music they were playing. The solos from Sale and Hamilton were also quite strong.

Finally, turning to the production side: There’s not much to talk about here. I’ve already noted the problems with Z Frame‘s projection design in terms of getting the period right, and timing the projections to the subjects in the songs. As for the lighting design of Mike Berger Design, it was mostly innocuous, although at times the light bar in front of the backup band was confusing. Other production credits: Dean Elliott (FB) Show Director, Musical Supervisor; Ralph Schmidtke (FB) General Manager; Brian Richard (FB) Company Manager; Adam Saxe (FB)/Alec Hamilton (FB) Music Director; Steve Beatty (FB) Sound Engineer; Steve Comer Lighting Operator, Lighting Programmer; John Tellem/Andy Coscarelli – Tellem Grody PR Press; Eric “Kacz” Kaczmarczyk Stage Manager.

The last performance of The Simon and Garfunkel Story at the Hollywood Pantages (FB)/Broadway in Hollywood (FB) starts in little over an hour. You might be able to get tickets at the box office. The Simon & Garfunkel Story (FB) is on tour, however, so if you’re in Spokane WA or Canada, it’s coming your way.

🎭

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted (or I’ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB), the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB),  the Soraya/VPAC (FB), the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) [2020-2021 season] and the Musical Theatre Guild (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups. Note to publicists or producers reading this: here’s my policy on taking comp tickets. Bottom-Line: Only for things of nominal value, like Fringe.

Upcoming Shows:

Saturday afternoon brought Escape to Margaritaville at the Dolby Theatre/Broadway in LA (FB), which is next to be written, and we just got back from Step Afrika at the Soraya/VPAC (FB) … which was great, but I’m probably not writing it up.

As for the last weekend of February, I’ll be in Madison WI visiting my daughter, the the lineup she has scheduled is busy: Madison’s Funniest Comic Contest on Wednesday (meaning I’ll miss Survivor), The Revolutionists from Mercury Players Theatre/Bartell Theatre on the UW Madison campus on Friday (Eileen Evers is an alternative); the Lee Blessing play Down The Road from Two Crows Theatre Company on Saturday (columbinus at Edgewood College is the bad weather backup), and MST 3000 on Sunday. Whew! Alas, I’ll be missing both Nefesh Mountain at Temple Israel of Hollywood and Tom Paxton and the Don Juans at McCabes due to this.

March starts with Passion at Boston Court (FB) the first weekend. The 2nd weekend brings the MRJ Man of the Year dinner (and The Wild Party at Morgan Wixson). The 3rd brings Morris’ Room at Actors Co-op (FB) ; and the last weekend brings Spongebob Squarepants at the Dolby Theatre/Broadway in LA (FB) and the MoTAS/TBH Seder. April is similarly busy: the 1st weekend is Mamma Mia at 5 Star Theatricals (FB); the 2nd is during Pesach and is open (but has Count Basie at the Soraya/VPAC (FB) the Thursday before); the 3rd is Once on This Island at the Ahmanson Theatre; the last is Hamilton at the Hollywood Pantages (FB) (and possibly Hands on a Hardbody at the Charles Stewart Howard Playhouse (FB)), and the first weekend of May is Mean Girls at the Dolby Theatre/Broadway in LA (FB).

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget. Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country!

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭🎸 "Feeling Groovy" | The Simon & Garfunkel Story @ Pantages/Bwy in Hollywood by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.