Spring Awakening - Ahmanson Theater

Okay... I'm on the bandwagon. Big fan of this show. I haven't been taken away and washed over by the music in a musical in some time, but this score is like a pop CD. You can listen to it again and again and again...

Although this is is not a typical book musical, the exploration of teen angst is so vivid and well displayed through the outstanding direction of Michael Mayer. And the choreography by Bill T. Jones is also spot on.

This show is certainly a bit adventurous and not for the timid or repressed, but if you go you will definitely see the you you were, whatever that was, when your time for puberty came. Would never want to go back and experience it all over again, but it was sure a blast to go back there for two hours and watch it on stage. Perhaps I'm just getting old and nostalgic, but I still have a sneaky smile on my face and some pep in my step from seeing this show. In the vernacular of today's teens, it was TOTALLY AWESOME.

Dreampeddler

The Upcoming Minsky's at the Ahmanson

So here's the next one on the slate worth looking at. They are doing a pre-Broadway run at the Ahmanson in Los Angeles beginning in January. I'll be watching it closely. This is off the CTG website:

A BRAND NEW MUSICAL!

Minsky’s is a big, racy, new musical comedy set in a time when entertainment was about legs and laughs, and you had to push the limits to keep the customers buying tickets. A rollicking backstage story, set in Prohibition Era New York City, that peeks into a world populated by comedians, con men and seductive, sexy women; a world reigned over by the king of burlesque himself, Billy Minsky — until the day he falls in love and the cops come banging on his door.
Writer Bob Martin and Director/Choreographer Casey Nicholaw (both of The Drowsy Chaperone fame) join forces with the legendary composer Charles Strouse (Bye Bye Birdie, Applause, Annie) and acclaimed lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Jelly’s Last Jam) for this world premiere.

My Fair Lady - Ahmanson

So last night was the last show on my season ticket list for the Ahmanson. It was a very good production of My Fair Lady. Strangely though, for the third show in a row we saw the understudy instead of the lead. This seems odd to me as all the show times were prime slots like Friday or Saturday nights, but so it goes.

I'm not a big fan of the "old fashioned" musicals, but this production is beautifully staged and looks as if they definitely spent some money on sets and costumes. It even boasts a large cast which is nice to see for my fellow actor friends. Michael Farina, who was wonderful in my production of Fanny Hill, and Jesse Swimm, who was in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Westchester Theater that I played Judas in, were both in the production. I love it when people you've worked with show up in a production you go to see.

All in all, it was a very pleasant show. Nothing to jump up and down about from my perspective, but certainly everyone there enjoyed it.

Sweeny Todd at the Ahmanson

The show is the star in the new Sweeny Todd tour that came through the Ahmanson that I saw last night. Although there are some terrific performances in the piece, especially Judy Kaye in the deliciously devilish roll of Ms. Lovett, it is really the mind's eye of the designer/director John Doyle that shines through. And thank goodness. This is a very stylish, thoughtful piece that manipulates you down to every beat. This can only be done with a show that has a history of success and an already solidified pedigree in our consciousness. It seems to have come from the "let's do Richard III as if it were taking place in Natzi Germany" or "let's do a take on Romeo and Juliet that takes place in LA with fast cars, automatic weapons and beautiful youth." If we were not already familiar with the storyline, I am not sure we could appreciate all the thoughtful "variations on the original theme" that are taking place in this version.

That being said, it was wonderful to be in the theater and be challenged to concentrate on what was being delivered. This was not a Disney film turned Broadway musical that we know the ending before we start. This was an evening of clever surprises to what was coming next. Questions like, "how are they going to deal with all the blood that can be in this show?" - very effectively handled by slowly pouring a dark red liquid from one small white pail into another in a demonstration of symbolism (something I'm sure the stage hands appreciated). "How will they deal with the usually complicated barber's chair?" - again handled with the deceivingly simplistic use of a coffin, but broken down and arranged in intricate pieces to suggest the horrors to follow - and forces our participation as our imaginations take over to fill in the gory details.

The only detriment to the show in my book was all this thoughtful manipulation made the show almost too cerebral, demanding our respect, but not quite drawing us in. At the conclusion of the piece, I think everyone was duly impressed will all the talents on stage and the precision of the procedure, but my dentist's deft hand also demands my respect, but it still doesn't make my teeth feel better after a deep cleaning.

Dreampeddler

History Boys Review

I was impressed. Very good production of History Boys at the Ahmanson. What I found most interesting is how a show dealing with homosexuality and inappropriate touching by a teacher to his students was handled with no sensationalism. If this subject was put out by the American media, it would be a scandal. This production hardly condemns the acts of the main character and even canonizes him to some extent at the end of the show.

I wonder what the religious right would say about this show.

Performances by the two lead teachers were just terrific. Once again, it reminded me the importance of good casting. Actors, if they are truly exceptional, can lift a production to great heights that would not be possible without their performances. An example of that type of performance was that of Alan Mandell in Trying earlier this year at The Colony Theatre in Burbank. Trying was originally produced in NYC at the Promenade Theater and did not fare that well. Put in Alan Mandell and his exceptional performance, coupled with the superb direction of Cameron Watson, and the show became a huge hit.

On the other hand, the original production of The Scarlet Pimpernel was exceptionally cast (Douglas Sills was launched as a star in the lead role) but the complete lack of direction nearly sunk the show. The fact that it ran for nearly 2 years was simply due to the exceptional performance of Mr. Sills.

Dreampeddler

History Boys and 9 to 5

So we're off to see History Boys at the Ahmanson this evening. I am definitely looking forward to it. One of the most important things to do as a producer is to attend other shows as much as possible to see what other producers are up to and how the "market" is reacting to works. It is always cyclical. Remember when there was nothing but jukebox musicals coming out? Perhaps the producers of the Beach Boys musical, Good Vibrations, would have been better served to not come into the market after so many others had already opened, and quite frankly, made the critics very resistant to giving a good review to anything resembling this type of musical. They closed 44 performances after they opened.

The new trend is to base a musical on a famous movie. Next year, the Ahmanson is jumping on board this trend, producing the upcoming 9 to 5 with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton. They have a powerhouse cast lined up including Allison Janney (one of my favorite actresses from West Wing and many other shows) and Megan Hilty from Wicked. From an investor standpoint, this is probably a pretty good bet (although investing in theater is always gambling). But from an artistic standpoint, I would be very concerned.

It all started with the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast and Grease! We all know these stories from beginning to end before we even step foot into the theater. And because of that, these shows are not required to truly tell the whole story on the stage. What happened with Grease! was since the production was not required to show you the relationships of the characters on the stage because everyone already knows what is supposed to happen, all the numbers became these flashy, Vegas production type numbers that were there only to wow the audience, not inform the audience or push the story forward. With Beauty and the Beast, if you have not seen the movie, I would venture to guess you would be quite confused by the stage version as there are countless holes in the show that are easily filled in by audience members who know the story already so the holes are certainly forgiven if even noticed by those audience members.

My hope for 9 to 5 is this: Remember to show us the whole story in a unique way employing the special storytelling elements and medium of musical theater to entertain the audience. Don't just be a bunch of showy numbers about 3 women who get back at their terrible boss. If it falls into that category, it will be a terrible show. It it falls into the former, it has a shot to be something special.

Dreampeddler