Let’s start with the main point here: The Wizard of Oz is an enjoyable staging of the Baum classic that … Continue reading The Wizard of Oz‘s Dorothy Glows at the Paramount (and Your Little Dog Too)
You’ll be humming songs about dysentery and giving God the finger days after you leave the Paramount if you’re one of the lucky people to get a ticket to this currently sold-out show. Sorry for the gushing, but I can’t say enough about this production. I loved it. It was much better than Cats. I want to see it again and again. Continue reading The Book of Mormon Will Teach You: “Africa is nothing like The Lion King!”
Murin’s timing as the bubbly Glinda always entertains, and her growth from simpleton airhead with no other cares but herself into a public figure who cares about Oz and her only true friend is rendered beautifully. Roscioli’s dry and witty Elphaba contrasts wonderfully. Continue reading “Wicked” Spins Its Magic with the Same Old Song & Dance
American Idiot is more Tommy than We Will Rock You, the “jukebox” musical cobbled together from Queen songs. The album holds together as the rock opera that Green Day intended it to be, and the musical version brings the characters of The Jesus of Suburbia, St. Jimmy, and Whatsername together in a story of disaffection, anger, loneliness, and redemption. Continue reading American Idiot at The Paramount is a Holiday for Green Day Fans
The fun part of these musical-née-movies is seeing how the best songs will come out live. This production’s showstopper is “Be Our Guest,” it was my favorite part the show and my niece’s. After a playful comic lead in by Lumiere (Michael Haller), the number builds as the company appears as brightly colored silverware and plates, a sort-of dancing, singing wedding registry. The climax features a bit of staging magic that, if financially possible, you’ll want to be in the first ten rows or so for. Continue reading Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Musical Gets Five Stars From My Niece
A skilled dancer (particularly with the more contemporary dance moves that are artfully blended with classical ballet moves), Lex Ishimoto is a terrific Billy. When his father, brother, and their fellow miners find out that Billy had been studying ballet in secret for two months–and mock him for it–he explodes in a thrilling dance of rage (“Angry Dance”). Ishimoto taps violently on every surface (vertical and horizontal), throws himself screaming on the acrylic riot shields of the police on the picket lines, all in a terrifying blend of ballet, acrobatics, contemporary dance, and grief. I would be surprised if there wasn’t anyone in the audience over the age of twelve who didn’t identify with that moment. We know, Billy. We know. Continue reading Let’s Hear It for the Boy: “Billy Elliot the Musical” at the Paramount (Review)
