Andy's Film Blog: Stage

Showing posts with label Stage. Show all posts

Monday, May 9, 2016

Working

A parking attendant, secretary, fireman, telephone operator, millworker, housewife, truck driver truck driver, and more lend insights to the intricacies and monotonies of their individual occupations. From a flopped Stephen Schwartz Broadway musical and adapted from the Studs Terkel book, Working is a studio made for television adaptation which looses something in that approach. Some of the vignettes are brilliant, others are blah, and most of the songs are disposable, with the exception of the poignant "Millworker". Worth watching for a great sequence with Charles Durning and memorable spots by Scatman Crothers, Eileen Brennan, and James Taylor, who contributed a few songs to the production.

** 1/2 out of ****

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

I had a chance to catch one of my favorites tonight at Playhouse Square. If memory serves me correctly, I have seen Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in three separate high school or youth group productions and even appeared in our grade school's rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's biblical musical adaptation (I received some serious notices for my performance as the jilted, money grubbing Potiphar). But tonight was the first opportunity I had to see the production put on by a professional ensemble and it was certainly worth the trip. The story straight out of Genesis, which tells of Joe's betrayal by his envious brothers followed by a swift ascendancy due to his soothsayer abilities, is told with energy, enthusiasm, and very little filler. The songs are both lively and catchy, the sets and lighting were extraordinary, and actors Ace Young playing Joseph and Diana DeGarmo as the recurrent narrator along with the rest of the cast were all tremendous.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Chicago

Last night, I travelled with friends to The Palace Theater to see Chicago, the long running Broadway musical billed as "a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery-all those things we hold near and dear to our heart" and also a production I'd wanted to see since becoming enamored with the popular movie adaptation over a decade ago. It tells the story of Roxie Hart (Bianca Marroquin), a low rent floozie with big dreams of stardom on the vaudeville stage, who murders her lover in cold blood, hires hotshot lawyer Billy Flynn (John O'Hurley) for her dazzling defense, and strings along her dupe husband (Ron Orbach) while overtaking the begrudging Velma Kelly (Terra MacLeod) as the Windy City's top mistress of murderer's row. With music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, from a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse, and based a stage play from 1926, the era in which it is set, Chicago is a lively presentation with several knockout numbers (Carol Woods was a highlight as Matron "Mama" Morton), a fun, mercurial performance from Marroquin, and O'Hurley (of Seinfeld fame) well cast as the "silver tongued prince of the courtroom." I enjoyed how the orchestra was set right on stage facing the audience with the action taking place as one with it, but I was a little disappointed how there were no other sets used and very little variation in terms of costumes. There was also a slightly unfortunate incident when MacLeod was replaced after intermission due to illness and her understudy (who I thought had a fantastic voice) got tangled in the curtain during the final number, though she and her costar handled the snafu smoothly. Still, through performance, song, dance and its great source music, Chicago delivered.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Les Misérables

With the pall of the abysmal recent screen adaptation hanging over my head, I journeyed to the Palace Theater last night to view Les Misérables, the beloved musical version of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel, and although the stench of Tom Hooper's clunker could not be completely extricated, I must say that the stage production was a lively and moving experience. With its cast of booming voices, the orchestral melodies, and the magnificent sets, it is easier to overlook the lyrics, which seem at times as if they were composed by a 5-year-old. Looking back at the mesmerized audience from my corner balcony seat, and later regarding the numerous bawling women exiting the theater, I realized what a sensational production this is, and wished I had skipped that bloated, confounded film.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Frankenstein

In his 2011 production of Frankenstein for the Royal National Theater, Danny Boyle and playwright Nick Dear proposed two remarkable takes for the often told Mary Shelley tale: first was to cast actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller (both currently in a feud of sorts over the latter's Sherlock ripoff series) as the monster and the creator, and having them alternate roles for each successive performance (I saw the version with Cumberbatch as the monster, filmed for the screen). The second was to give the monster his voice back, something which was robbed of him in most film renditions. Boyle's vision is unique, bold, intelligent, humorous, and extremely dark, with his lead actors (the monster is the meatier role), abetted by a game supporting cast, delivering sublime performances in what are backbreaking, highly demanding roles.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Mousetrap

During a massive blizzard, an assorted array of travelers arrives at an inn just taken over by a young couple, shortly after a murder has taken place at a flat in nearby London. A notepad found at the scene of the crime had two addresses scrawled in it, first the location of the murder and second, the address of the inn. With everyone present a suspect, Scotland Yard sends a detective in the middle of night to investigate and root out the murderer. Agatha Christie's most famous play began its London run in 1952 and has not ceased in the 60 years since, making it the longest running play in the modern world and swearing its audience to secrecy of its major plot revelation all the while. The play is a brilliant and eerie construction and was given marvelous treatment in its recent run in Cleveland by the Great Lakes Theater Company, whose eclectic cast carries off the difficult, highly British material with intelligence and grace. I have longed to see the great mystery writer's intriguing work on the stage and with this interpretation, it more than does her work justice.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Memphis

A white half-wit stumbles into an all-black nightclub in Memphis circa 1950, claiming he can get the music heard by a larger audience. After much debate, he leaves with a few records and after being fired for playing them at the department store he clerked at, he steals airtime at a local station and begins the rock revolution. Soon, alongside his improbable rise to fame, he begins to an even more improbable courtship with the nightclub proprietor's sister, whose career he also tries to promote in a racially tense city. "Memphis" is a lively, high energy musical from Joe DiPietro and Bon Jovi keyboard player David Bryan, that features spirited, exaggerated and sometimes irritating performances. The songs are largely forgettable, but are performed with fervor in front of specatular set designs. "Memphis" is somewhat of a mixed bag but achieves its primary goal in being an engaging and infectious stage performance.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

An exiled barber returns home to London to seek revenge on the malevolent judge who stole his family. After forming a partnership with a wicked pie maker, he resumes business above her shop and sets to carry out his evil plan. "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is an excellent and macabre rendering of Hugh Wheeler's book, made palatable for the stage by Chtistopher Bond and featuring the deliciously deviant lyrics of Stephen Sondheim. The movie is a filming of the Tony Award winning play in 1982 featuring the original cast. In the leads, George Hearn and especially Angela Lansbury are quite spectacular in whirlwind performances. Along with the rest of a uniformly excellent cast, Hearn and Lansbury sing and dance to fun and often shocking material. Comparing the play to Tim Burton's excellent 2007 film rendition, it is quite a wonder to note how different their performances are from that of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is a delightfully debauched play and my only complaint is that I didn't watch it performed live.

Friday, October 28, 2011

An Evening with Garrison Keillor

Garrison Keillor is the American humorist most famous for his longstanding work on the radio program "A Prairie Home Companion". Telling his branded bizarre, folksy homespun stories from his fictional hometown of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, Keillor offers an impossibly descriptive and a long thought dead brand of American humor. I had the pleasure of seeing his one man show last night at Severance Hall, where for nearly two hours without pause in his patented red shoes, Keillor spun his outrageous tales about his childhood and eccentric family, mixing in the occasional musical aside lamenting modern technology, and culminating in the unfortunate incident of the spreading of his beloved aunt's ashes at sea. Keillor's monologues create such warm and vivid imagery and his style of humor truly is an American treasure.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Paul Simon Live at The Chicago Theater

Paul Simon is the quintessential songwriter of the 20th Century, having devised some of the most beautiful and memorable songs over the last six decades. For a long time, it has been a dream of mine to see him live in concert. When it was announced that he would tour this summer to promote his latest studio album "So Beautiful of So What" I knew I would be in attendance, and last night in Chicago my dream came true. To begin with, The Chicago Theater is a beautiful venue and a great place to see a show of this caliber. After an expected delay, when the band took the stage followed by Simon himself, it was the commencement of a night that exceeded expectations. Playing wonderful songs from his new albums along with standards such as "Kodachrome", "The Sound of Silence", and "Still Crazy After All These Years", he also played unexpected gems such as "The Obvious Child, Hearts and Bones, and The Only Living Boy in New York." The whole set was played wonderfully by the band, using a wide array of musical instruments spanning many different countries and culture's which is indicative of Simon's work. Paul Simon himself sang beautifully, making improvisations on his classic songs and realizing the limitations of his voice. As the night progressed, I was overtaken by the experience and was really in a state of reverie as I got to see a virtuoso perform.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

West Side Story on Broadway at Playhouse Square

So I know that this is a film blog, but for as long as I can remember I have loved West Side Story. So towards the end of last year, when I heard it was coming to the Palace Theater I knew I had to be in attendance, and when I finally saw it performed it was such a wonderful experience that I wanted to at least share the experience in my blog. West Side Story is the work of Arthur Laurents (who wrote the script and passed away just this past week), Leonard Bernstein (music), Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), and Jerome Robbins (choreography) and transplants the story of Romeo and Juliet to late 1950s New York City where it is set among rival American and Puerto Rico street gangs. Many are probably familiar with the beloved 1960 motion picture but to see it on the stage is a unique experience entirely. Everything about it is wonderful, the music, the acting, the singing, but I think the real star has to be Robbins' dance sequences (the dance at the gym was probably my favorite). Then there are the musical numbers, the best being Tonight, Gee, Officer Krupke (surprisingly crude), and The Quintet (I was a little disappointed that The Sharks do not take part in the America number). I was also surprised how much Spanish is used in the performance. On top of all the great music and dancing, the tragic story still has the power to move you. Seeing West Side Story performed live was a rare treat. I don't get out to the theater often which I assume most of you don't either, but I urge you not to let your chance to see this wonder of a play pass you by.