Broadway Tour of "Cats" at the Orpheum Theatre

People dressed in cat suits dancing and singing songs based on some poems about cats. How on earth did this bizarro idea win seven Tonys include Best Musical, become the longest running show on Broadway at the time it closed in 2000 (now 4th longest, soon to be passed by Wicked), and become a worldwide phenomenon?! I first saw it on tour 25 years ago, and at the Chanhassen a few years later. Since then I've become a bit more discerning in my music-theater tastes, preferring the smart and clever scores of Sondheim, or edgier musicals like Next to Normal, to commercial blockbusters like Cats. You know, musicals that are about something, and have something to say. But I also know that I wore out my OBC recording of Cats back in the day, and I do believe cats to be the superior animal, so I decided to revisit the musical. At opening night last night it was obvious that the crowd loved it, and I can see why. It's completely ridiculous, but in a kinda wonderful way. This production features some amazing and unique artistry, honors the divine felinity, and is a whole lot of fun. And sometimes that's enough. Experience the phenomenon yourself at the Orpheum Theatre through Sunday only (visit the official HTT site for info and tickets).

"School of Rock" Broadway tour at the Orpheum Theatre

#TCTheater friends, I'm coming to you from NYC, the great white way, where I'm going to see as many Broadway shows as I possibly can, and share my experiences with you right here and on Instagram. But don't feel too envious of me, if you can't come to Broadway, Broadway will come to you. The latest Broadway show to make its way across the country to Minneapolis is Andrew Lloyd Webber's smash hit musical adaptation of the 2003 Jack Black movie School of Rock (with book by Julian Fellowes, the same writer who gave us all those delightful Dowager quips), which opened in 2015 and is still running. While it's no secret that I am not typically a fan of the movie musical adaptation, this one makes more sense than some because the source material is a story about music. About our love of music, and the power of music to inspire, motivate, and bring people together. It's also an excuse for a dozen incredibly talented young quadruple threats (act, sing, dance, play an instrument) to rock out on stage, and for the audience to rock out with them. The cliched motivational teacher story comes alive due to the talent of these kids (and the grown-ups onstage with them) and ALW's catchy rock score.

"Evita" at the Orpheum Theatre

My third opening night on Hennepin Avenue (aka the Broadway of Minneapolis) in just over a week was for the touring production of the recent Broadway revival of Evita. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, this musical about the first lady of Argentina Eva Perón won seven Tony Awards in 1980. It's a compelling story about a woman from a poor family who rose to become one of the most powerful and beloved women in Argentina, with a beautiful and recognizable score ("Don't Cry for Me Argentina," "You Must Love Me"), and this is a lavish production with a great cast. I saw a nearly perfect production by Theater Latte Da a few years ago so I wasn't sure I wanted or needed to see it again. But I love the score (I have the soundtrack from the 1996 movie starring Madonna), so I enjoyed seeing it brought to life by a large and talented cast and orchestra.

In the entirely sung-through musical, Eva's story is told by a narrator known as Che. We follow Eva as she escapes a life of poverty in a small village to run away to Buenos Aires with a musician. There she makes a career as a singer and actress, and eventually meets the politician Juan Perón. She hitches her wagon to his star, and after he becomes president, together they become a powerful force and the celebrity couple of the day. Her legacy is somewhat complicated, as politics mixed with charity and wealth. After Eva went on a PR tour through Europe, dubbed "The Rainbow Tour," she fell ill and died at the age of 33, with a lavish and well-attended funeral. The musical brings us full circle, beginning with a scene from her funeral, and then flashing back to tell her life story, ending at the funeral again. Throughout the highs and lows, Che is there to offer commentary on the issues that her story brings up - fame, politics, celebrity worship, class.

Caroline Bowman, Josh Young, Sean MacLaughlin,
and the cast of Evita

The show may be called Evita, but the star of this show is Josh Young as Che. He gives a completely engaging performance and displays incredible vocal range, from a lovely falsetto to a rich warm tone in the lower register, plus a rocker wail when called for. Che is onstage for almost the entire show, observing and commenting on Eva's life, and confronting her in one captivating waltz. I found myself constantly seeking him out to watch his reactions, and when he wasn't on stage, his absence could be felt. Caroline Bowman is a strong Eva, making a convincing transformation from an ambitious young girl to a well-respected woman with failing health. As Juan, Sean MacLaughlin is smooth and polished. The large ensemble is fantastic; Krystina Alabado is a standout with a beautiful performance of the poignant "Another Suitcase in Another Hall."

The sets and costumes in this Broadway tour are of course impressive, with lovely period costumes and a relatively simple set with one impressive piece - the balcony. The show also features nice use of what I'm assuming is actual video of the time.

If you can only see one of the three musicals currently playing on Hennepin stages, it should be Theater Latte Da's Cabaret at the Pantages Theatre - a stunning display of local talent. After Cabaret, the choice between Minneapolis Musical Theatre's Five Course Love at New Century and the touring production of Evita at the Orpheum depends on what you're looking for - a light and fun show in an intimate space with a small local cast (Five Course Love) or a lavish Broadway production (Evita, playing through this weekend only).

"The Phantom of the Opera" at the Orpheum Theatre

Before this week, I'd never seen "the most popular musical of all time," Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (it's the longest running show in Broadway history and has the largest worldwide gross of any musical). I was strangely proud of this; to me Phantom represents everything I don't like about musical theater - over-the-top, melodramatic, set-heavy and plot-light. But I decided I should see it at least once to prove my assumptions right or wrong. I'm glad I saw it and it was quite a sight to see, but in short, it was pretty much as I expected. A lavish spectacle of a production with amazing sets and costumes (and yes, the famous chandelier doing tricks), a little hard to follow, a little slow and draggy in parts, but with some beautiful musical moments.

If you have seen Phantom before, this show will be new to you; it's a new production of the 27-year-old musical about an angry disfigured man who haunts an opera house and falls in love with an ingenue, making her a star, but at a terrible cost. But since I've never seen the show before, I can't speak to what has changed, only what I saw. So let's break it down:

The good:

• Hearing those famous organ chords that begin the title song is nothing less than thrilling. The pit orchestra is pretty fantastic in general, and the three most well-known songs are beautifully performed (the title song, "Music of the Night," and "All I Ask of You").
• The costumes are stunning, the women in their bustled hoop-skirted confections good enough to eat, and the men in white tie and tails (even the Phantom, despite living in a dungeon, manages to look pristine and elegant). The masquerade ball is also great fun. (Costume design by Maria Björnson.)
• The set pieces are technically amazing. Yes the chandelier drops (I was really glad I wasn't sitting directly under it!) and throws off sparks, but even more impressive is the huge rounded wall that slowly turns around the stage to reveal different sides and hidden rooms, with stairs appearing out of nowhere. (Set design by Paul Brown.)
• All of the members of the cast give committed performances, including Mark Campbell as the tender-hearted monster, Julia Udine as his obsession Christine, and Ben Jacoby as her suitor Raoul. But my favorite is Jacquelynne Fontaine, who is quite fabulous as the resident diva who gets upstaged by the young Christine.

The bad:

• While I do love spectacular sets and gorgeous costumes, they alone do not make a show. I found the plot a little hard to follow (a little more dialogue would be nice) and slow in parts, and I never really understood who the Phantom was and how he became who he was (a psychically deformed man somehow became a learned scholar and artist, then was caged in a traveling circus, and then escaped to haunt an opera house?).
• Other than the three well-known songs, I didn't love the score, but it skews a little toward the opera side which is not my favorite.
• It's sooooo melodramatic. Lighten up a little! To quote the wacky and wonderful musical Xanadu, "What is the word for which I search? You know, when something is so grand and so earnest yes ultimately so preposterous that one has to laugh. What does one call that? Andrew Lloyd Webber." The Phantom of the Opera is very grand and very earnest.

The ugly:

• The Phantom. He seems mysterious and handsome with the mask on, until it comes off to reveal his heavily scarred face and whispy white hair. Still, I felt for him, he's not such a bad guy.

If you're someone who loves The Phantom of the Opera, go see this new production, I'd love to hear how it compares. It is a beautiful lavish production, and a spectacle for sure. But that's not what musical theater is to me (my kind of musical theater is this, and this, and this), although judging by it's popularity, I'm in the minority!  The Phantom continues to haunt the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis through January 5.

"The Wizard of Oz" at the Ordway Center

The Wizard of Oz is an iconic movie, beloved by old and young alike. Every moment is so well-known that it is ingrained in our culture, from "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too" to "There's no place like home." It's almost impossible to imagine it any other way, so when I heard that there was a new Andrew Lloyd Webber stage adaptation (being not the biggest ALW fan), I was a little skeptical. But I was also curious, so I eagerly, although somewhat trepidatiously, attended Blogger Night at the Ordway last night. And I'm happy to report that a few minutes into the first scene I was completely won over. I found the show to be a clever adaptation with innovative use of video technology and some great new songs that add to the story, along with the familiar tunes we all know and love so well. It's such a thrill to hear those familiar songs played by a live orchestra, with the beloved characters coming to life before our eyes. The Wizard of Oz is definitely a family affair (I saw more than one little girl dressed like Dorothy), but it sure to be enjoyable for anyone who loves the movie (and really, who doesn't?).

Since this is my third blog post of the day, let's jump right into it. Highlights of the show include:

• Danielle Wade couldn't be more perfect as Dorothy. Her voice is a powerful instrument and she exhibits incredible control over it; her "Over the Rainbow" is a thing of beauty. She also possesses the charm and likeability necessary in the beloved heroine.
• Dorothy's three Oz friends are perfectly delightful, from Jamie McKnight as the adorably scattered Scarecrow, to Mike Jackson as the tender tin man with the beautiful baritone, to Lee MacDougall as the tough but cowardly lion (who's a proud friend of Dorothy!). And they also exhibit their specific characteristics while in Kansas mode, which is fun to observe.
• The witches are wonderful and manage to differentiate themselves from both the movie and that other Oz musical adaptation (e.g., instead of pointy hats, they have pointy hair). Robin Evan Willis makes a lovely Glinda and Jacquelyn Piro Donovan is deliciously evil as the Wicked Witch (with one green leg sticking out from her dress ala Angelina Jolie).
• The opening number, a new song called "Nobody Understands Me," is a great song, a little more earthy and rustic than the Oz fantasy songs (this is Kansas, after all) and sets the stage well. Professor Marvel gets a new song, as does the Wizard and the Wicked Witch. I found the closing number "Almost Home" to be a little cheesy, but all-in-all I thought there was just the right amount of new songs and they all served a purpose.
• The effective but not too elaborate sets use perspective and colors painted on two-dimensional pieces to create the various worlds of the play. The special effects, including the tornado and flying monkeys, are created with the use of video projections on both the backdrop and scrim, with lights shone both on stage and into the audience for dramatic effect. It's extremely clever and well-done. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to start seeing videos every time I go to the theater, but in this production, it works (sets designed by Jeremy Sams, video by Jon Driscoll, and lighting by Hugh Vanstone).
• The munchkins are completely adorable. Actors of normal height (or maybe a little on the short side) stand in such a way (slightly bent at knee and waist) that they appear to be smaller without looking awkward. Kudos to the ensemble that plays everything from munchkins to soldiers to ozians. And they're pretty fantastic dancers too in some great big dance numbers. The choreography (by Arlene Phillips) is fresh and new, but also familiar.
• The costumes are beautiful, from the blue-toned and playful munchkin costumes, to the sleek green dresses and suits of the ozians, to the familiar looks of Dorothy and friends.
• Last but not least, little Toto is played by a real dog, a consummate professional who hits every mark and does everything he (or she?) is supposed to.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz is playing now through December 29. This production is the movie come to life, with new bits that add to the story and make it even more wonderful.

"Sunset Boulevard" by Minneapolis Musical Theater at New Century Theatre

I'm really not much of a movie buff, spending most of my time at live theater. I've never seen the 1950 classic movie Sunset Boulevard, about a delusional aging Hollywood star and the younger screenwriter whom she takes as her lover while he helps her edit her screenplay that she believes will be her comeback. The movie was turned into a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and opened in 1993 in London, with by a Los Angeles premiere later that year, and Broadway the following year. The three productions starred, at various times, such legendary actors as Patti LuPone, Betty Buckley, Glenn Close, Elaine Page, and Rita Moreno. Minneapolis Musical Theatre has taken this big lavish production and stripped it down to fit on the small stage at New Century. But the story still remains big, and Sarah Gibson as Norma Desmond does an incredible job filling the shoes of the women mentioned above. I'm not the biggest Andrew Lloyd Webber fan (as they say in Xanadu, "so grand and so earnest but ultimately so preposterous that one has to laugh"), and this show is very Andrew Lloyd Webber. But if there's one reason to see this show it's Sarah's delightfully exaggerated and completely committed performance as this complex, manipulative, crazy, and somehow sympathetic woman.

If you're one of the two other people on the planet who have never seen the movie, here's a brief plot summary. Circa 1950, struggling writer Joe Gillis ends up at the grand estate belonging to silent film star Norma Desmond when his car breaks down. She lives there alone with her butler (and ex-husband) Max. When she finds out that Joe is a screenwriter, she shows him the screenplay that she has written, and convinces him to help her get it into shape to submit to the great movie-maker Cecil DeMille. It's awful, but Joe does his best. He moves in with her and she showers him with gifts, and they eventually become lovers ("I get suits, and she gets hope"). Norma is a master manipulator; she has Max wrapped around her little finger, and all it takes is a little uncontrollable weeping or a suicide attempt to get what she wants out of Joe. She sends DeMille her screenplay and goes back to the studio where she was once a fixture, and prepares to make her comeback, unaware that everyone's laughing behind her back. Meanwhile, Joe has been working with a young screenwriter named Betty to adapt one of his stories. Although she's engaged to be married, the two fall in love, until Norma calls Betty to tell her where and how Joe has been living. Disillusioned, Joe tells Norma that her comeback is a joke, and plans to leave Hollywood for good. But Norma is not about to let that happen.

Like many Webber shows, the musical is mostly sung-through; there's little spoken dialogue. It reminds me a little of Evita, with similar musical sounds and plot structure, with Joe serving as a narrator as well as a character in the story. I didn't think I knew the score, but the song "With One Look" is familiar to me, and of course I know "As If We Never Said Good-Bye" from that episode of Glee in which Kurt sings it. Both songs are beautifully delivered by Sarah. I've seen her in several shows in the past (most recently in a supporting role in Theater Latte Da's Light in the Piazza) and have always been impressed by her, but this is a star-making performance. First of all, she looks like a movie star out of old Hollywood (maybe because I've only seen her in period roles). In this show, her every gesture, every word (I particularly like how she enunciates "picture"), every movement, every cell of her body down to her little finger, is imbued with Norma Desmond-ness. In heavy eye make-up and red lipstick, wearing feathers and fur, animal prints, flowy sleeves, headwraps, and jewels, she plays the role to the hilt. But if Norma is the star of the show, Joe is our tour guide through this weird world. Tim Kuehl (who looks like Vince Gill and sings almost as sweet) ably carries the show from Norma's creepy world to the world of young Hollywood, representing the audience as a bit of an outsider in both. His version of the title song, somewhat desperate and sarcastic, is another highlight. The lovely-voiced Aly Westberg is charming as the bright young writer Joe falls in love with, as they sing a sweet duet "Too Much in Love to Care." There are also several nice group numbers performed by the capable ensemble.

An interesting feature of this production is the use of video. Screens on either side of the wide and shallow stage show still shots of Norma's house or the studio lot, adding to the sparse set decoration to set the scene. Oftentimes an onstage camera tracks Norma's movements and displays them on the screen. The shaky close-ups, on which Sarah's wide-open eyes are even more apparent, ramp up the creepiness of the story. Nice period costumes on everyone, but Norma's get-ups are obviously the standout (costumes by Rian Berberich). Last but not least, a shout-out to the great slightly-off-stage band (directed by Lori Maxwell).

This is only my second MMT production (the other being Gilligan's Island: The Musical, which couldn't be more different from Sunset Boulevard), and so far I like what I've seen (and I'm super excited about their summer show next year - the brilliant political satire Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson!). Sunset Boulevard is a co-production with Hennepin Theatre Trust, and plays now through June 23.

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at the Ordway

I walked into the Ordway Center in St. Paul last night and saw a sight I've never seen there before - children playing on stage.  Dressed in colorful clothing, they were skipping rope, tossing balls, doing cartwheels, dancing, and goofing around.  It turns out they weren't a school group run amuck, they were part of the production.  41 local school children, chosen out of over 300, were on stage most of the night - singing, dancing, or just sitting on the side of the stage, watching the action.  I had a hard time taking my eyes off of them (I saw a few little Rachels and Kurts in their midst), it was so fun to watch their reactions to the main action.  But the main action was well worth watching too.

Written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber in the late 1960s, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is based on the biblical story of Joseph, youngest and favored son of Jacob.  He was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, and because of his talent for reading dreams, he rose to power as the Pharaoh's 2nd in command.  He led the country through bounty and famine, and forgave his brothers when they unknowingly came to him for help.  The most famous of Josephs is Donny Osmond, who played the role in Canada and the US in the 1990s.  There was a Q&A with some of the cast and crew after the show last night, and several people brought up the Donny Osmond version of the show.  I don't think anyone who does Joseph will be able to escape comparison, at least for the next decade or two!

Instead of Donny Osmond, our Joseph is Anthony Fedorov (who has come a long way since his Idol days).  I saw a preview of him singing "Close Every Door to Me" at Sample Night Live a few weeks ago; I was impressed then, and it's even better in context.  He has a strong voice, and looks and acts the part of the young innocent Joseph who grows to become the powerful assistant to the Pharaoh.  The part of the narrator may be the most difficult and largest role, and Jennifer Paz does a great job leading the audience through the story as well as corralling the children at times. 

Most of the remainder of the cast is local.  The talented T. Mychael Rambo plays Joseph's father Jacob and several other roles, and the hilarious troupe of brothers is filled with local talent.  Their numbers include the country-style "One More Angel in Heaven," "Benjamin Calypso," and my favorite, "Those Canaan Days."  Jered Tanner really hams it up as Napthali.  The dancing is wonderful (the show was choreographed by director James Rocco, who is also Artistic Director of the Ordway), and the cast includes Chanhassen regulars and fine dancers John R. Sloan, Tony Vierling, and Julianne Mundale.  For the closing number of the first act, the rousing "Go, Go, Go Joseph," the cast is dressed in psychedelic 60s outfits and wigs that make the show look like an episode of Laugh-In.  There's even a disco ball hanging from the ceiling of the theater.  The curtain call includes a "Megamix" of songs from the show with everyone dressed in white, and colorful streamers spray out at the end of the show (see the blue and gold streamers on the playbill above).

With a run time of less than two hours including intermission, the Ordway's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a fast, fun, colorful, energetic show full of great performances from the large cast of professionals and children.  It's playing through January 2; check it out if you're looking for a light-hearted, entertaining night at the theater.