THE ANDREWS BROTHERS
Sunday, April 20th, 2008
Musical Theatre West has come up with the perfect musical for those who found last year’s Altar Boyz a bit too young and edgy for their tastes. In fact, the highly entertaining The Andrews Brothers is the kind of show which the older you are, the more you will love.
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I DO! I DO!
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008
If ever there was a musical which relies on its stars and director to work, it’s I Do! I Do! Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt’s adaptation of Jan de Hartog’s two-character The Fourposter follows 50 years of Michael and Agnes’ marriage, from their wedding day and night in 1898 to the day they vacate their family home in 1948. Without the right team behind it, the show can be a bit of a bore, as a 99-seat production of it proved a few years back. But with a stellar trio like Broadway leading players Brad Little and Barbara McCulloh and multiple Emmy nominated director Will Mackenzie at the helm, I Do! I Do! can sparkle like the diamond in Agnes’ wedding ring, and sparkle this new production at the La Mirada Theatre most definitely does.
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GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Saturday, April 12th, 2008RECOMMENDED
Transforming Charles Dickens’ 350-page/2 dozen-character novel Great Expectations into a musical is an ambitious task, but this is the challenge that book writers Brian VenDer Wilt and Steve Lozier, composer Richard Winzeler, and lyricist Steve Lane have dared to undertake. Even more challenging is staging it in a 99-seat venue like the Hudson Backstage Theatre.
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THE IMMIGRANT
Saturday, April 5th, 2008
Black and white photos show immigrants arriving in the United States in the early 1900s as the sound of a howling wind blows across the southeast Texas plains. While a newspaper headline announces “Victims Of Russian Massacres,” a sign welcomes travelers to Galveston, the “Treasure Island Of America.” A foreign-accented male voice is heard singing a beautiful but mournful tune: “The stars can see what we cannot, the stars remember what we forgot. See that shining spark. God is there in the dark…”
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THE WILD PARTY
Friday, April 4th, 2008
Tell a musical theater aficionado that you’re going to see The Wild Party and the first question you’ll be asked is “Which one?” Will it be the 2000 Broadway show with music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, or will it be the 2000 off- Broadway version with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa?
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JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
Sunday, March 30th, 2008RECOMMENDED
A TV monitor is tuned to “JNN” where an anchorperson announces news of possible terrorists on the loose, the detention of political leaders, etc. Onstage, a violinist and electric guitarist play the easily recognizable opening notes of a classic rock opera and are joined by men and women of various ages, races, and sexual orientations, one of whom carries a sign which reads “Troops Out Now.” This is clearly a Jesus Christ Superstar for the 21st century.
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BEAVERQUEST! THE MUSICAL
Friday, March 28th, 2008
Beaverquest! The Musical, Sacred Fools’ latest offering, is the brightest and most entertaining surprise of Spring 2008, combining elements of Urinetown: The Musical, Into The Woods, and TV’s Hee Haw. Though (as might be expected) Beaverquest! The Musical has countless double entendre references to the titular dam-building rodent, including fully five songs with Beaver in the title, it is more importantly a tuneful, joyous defense of acceptance and tolerance, love and sexuality. This is a show that kids can enjoy (the beaver jokes will go right over their heads) but that adults will love even more regardless of their age.
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THE SMARTEST MAN IN THE WORLD
Thursday, March 27th, 2008RECOMMENDED
The life of Albert Einstein might seem an unlikely topic for a musical, but Russ Alben, John Sparks, and Jerry Hart have tackled it in The Smartest Man In The World, now playing at the Pico Playhouse. Though the results are uneven, there are many bright moments and some fine performances to make this quaint, old-fashioned musical worthy of a look-see.
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