The family used their almost yearly visits to Disneyland as a place of solace and escape as they recover and move on with life. Dawkins deftly plays each of the four sisters and their mother. His rendition of the seven year old was precious. The Happiest Place On Earth is about more than just a retelling one one family’s story. It is a testimony to the resilience of American families, particularly those whose matriarchs keep the family functioning.
Mary Zimmerman’s genius for staging and set design use grabs audiences from the start catapulting them back to New York’s Greenwich Village in the 1950’s that was an enclave of artists, poets and composers and writers. Using Todd Rosenthals colorfully stunning set design inspired by a graphic illustration by Steven Duncan, Zimmerman ekes all the comedy from Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov’s book and from Betty Comden and Adolph Green hysterical lyrics with many of those precious little Zimmerman additions that garner laughs. Her staging is manic, fun, and breathtaking!. From the opening ensemble number, we get the feel that Wonderful Town will be funny, heartfelt and hopeful as we experience NYC in the 1950’s. I can’t remember a finer musical comedy opening that sets the audience’s expectations better!
For Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes forged a bond of trust out of both necessity and a mutual curiosity about events. Playwright Walsh weaves all the smart observations by Holmes with the unique observations by Watson that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would appreciate to establish a fine mystery. Add a Holmes style plot and this new work appeals to mystery lovers. Mush humor emerges as we view all Holmes and Watson’s foibles, Katie McLean Hainsworth’s performance is a winner as she delivers the cleverness and rich humor of the quirky Holmes.
Before all the Hamilton hype. Lin-Manuel Miranda created a four Tony winner, including Best Musical with In The Heights. I have seen the show three times now and I enjoyed and appreciated this musical on its own terms. Filled with a manic pace, toe-tapping rhythms and richly powerful vocals, Directer Brenda Didier and co-choreography Christopher Carter created wonderful dances including salsa, hip-hop and natural Latino beats. The energy keeps us engaged throughout.
We hear old friends, ex-lovers, estranged in-laws and sworn enemies grapple and whine about how life, indeed, sucks.. The seven souls talk, debate and grumble about their life as loneliness, regrets, and lack of personal ambition has rendered them unhappy. This play has many fine moments and several strong performances by Chaon Cross (Ella), Phillip R. Smith (Dr. Aster0 and Barbara E. Robertson (Babs).
All these weird dysfunctional traits lead to some funny moments but mostly become ‘head-scratching’ actions beyond belief. Andrew is an enabler unable to accept his soulmate is a lesbian; Eric is a weak person who has strange sexual practices; while Angel has substance abuse problems due to low self esteem. Eli, thought of as needing constant supervision, is the most ‘normal’ one of the brothers. The mother’s suicide five years earlier had profound effects on all but Eli.
The plot thickens as Cassius sways Brutus, Caius Ligarius (Matt Hawkins) and Caska (Julian Parker) to take the ultimate resolution to stop Caesar from becoming king. The assassination was vividly presented with red lighting and haunting sounds (lighting by Jesse Klug and sound by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen). This has been buildup by the discourse between Cassius and Brutus. We do hear the obligatory Et tu, Brute? uttered by a dying Caesar.
Helldrivers of Daytona wants to be a spoof of those corny 60’s rock films but its crude sexy references are neither sexy enough , raw enough or funny enough to raise the level of this show from the gutter. If audiences could understand the Broadway pop-rock singing from the boys, who must shout over the much too loud band, maybe more humor would emerge.
But, by far, this shows major flaw is with the girls. They all talk and sing with a silly squeaky high-pitched ‘chipmunk’ sound that is instantly hard to understand rendering the lyrics and much of the humor unintelligible. Few laughs throughout this production
Shepard’s enthralling storytelling and Wiens’ captivating performance make Shattered Globe’s production of True West one well worth seeing. Like watching in slow motion a vicious battle between two starving wolves, horror and awe of their destructive grace grip you and compel you to watch on.
Come and see these dancing feet for yourself! This high energy, passionate performance will have you dusting off your old tap shoes and hoofing around the house. A timeless classic performed with such style and enthusiasm is beyond impressive-just fabulous.
I knew I was in for a treat when the live orchestra directed by Kenneth McMullen, got the theatregoers tapping our feet and humming along with the beautifully played prologue. The cast of 32 performers lit up the stage from the get go leaving you yearning for more.