Tag: reviews-2024

🎭 Absorbant Subversion | “The Spongebob Musical” @ CSUN / Woodland

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The Spongebob Musical (CSUN)In my last theatre writeup before the pandemic hit (Passion, at Boston Court, on 3/8/2020), I wrote “Next weekend brings the MRJ Man of the Year dinner (and The Wild Party at Morgan Wixson). The 3rd weekend of March brings Marvin’ Room at Actors Co-op (FB) ; and the last weekend brings Spongebob Squarepants at the Dolby Theatre/Broadway in LA (FB) and the MoTAS/TBH Seder. ”

Well, The Wild Party was finally mounted by the Morgan Wixson in September 2022, and Marvin’s Room was finally remounted by Actors Co-Op in Februrary 2022. The MoTAS seder that year was cancelled. And as for our little Sponge? Well, COVID killed the tour and the engagement was cancelled. I was disappointed, as this is a show with great music (each song has a different rock artist) and a wonderful theme. Yeah, it was broadcast on Nickelodeon, but it wasn’t quite the same.

So when I learned an internet friend would be performing in a production of Spongebob up in Woodland CA, we decided to be spontaneous. We planned a weekend vacation to visit friends in Davis, and drove up to see the show and visit friends. However, I hadn’t restarted the writeups yet, so it never got written up.

Fast forward a few months. I discovered that the Theatre department of CSUN (Cal State Northridge) was planning to do Spongebob. If you aren’t familiar with CSUN Theatre, they are one of those unsung gems. I’m not talking about VPAC The Soraya.  I’m talking about the theatre department: the academic training ground for actors. Just as CSUN has one of the top-notch jazz and music training programs (in fact, we’re seeing one of the products of that program tonight: Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band), it also has an excellent theatre training program, training actors for both TV and stage. We’ve seen some remarkable CSUN Theatre over the years, including Bat Boy, Hair, and Edges. So I set a reminder, and then booked our tickets to see Spongebob again. This would be a compare and contrast: How does a small regional theatre’s production of Spongebob compare with one from a strong theatre department. So this writeup covers both productions.

Now, if you aren’t familiar with The Spongebob Musical, it is very subversive. On the surface, you’re probably going: “Spongebob? Singing and dancing? Why? Isn’t this just for kids?”. The reality is that the show features original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A., Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At The Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, T.I., as well as songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny, and Andy Paley. If you haven’t heard the cast album, you should give it a listen. The plot touches on xenophobia (fear of the outsider), distrust of science, the ultimate value of science, women in science, climate change, and the power of friendship and positive thinking. The show works on multiple levels: The kids see a silly sponge and a starfish; the adults enjoy the music and the deeper story. So are you ready, kids?

The Spongebob Musical (Woodland Opera House)The plot of The Spongebob Musical is summarized as “When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world!” The show opens with an introduction to the denizens of Bikini Bottom. Tremors indicate the undersea volcano will erupt. The town leadership just wants to hold meetings. The evil Plankton sees this as an opportunity for an evil plot. Spongebob and Sandy the Squirrel think it can be solved with science. Patrick wants to help, but soon becomes the object of worship for a school of sardines. Squidward just wants to be on stage, and Mr. Krabs just wants to make money. But after some adventures, science and friendship triumphs.

As I said, silly, but with a good message.

So how did the two companies do?

We saw the show first at the Woodland Opera House in August. This was a regional production, with community actors. My memory of the show is less fresh, but a friend was in the show as Patchy the Pirate (and he did a great job). What I do remember from the show was that their Spongebob, Erik Catalan, was excellent. I remember they did a great robotic Gary. I remember that, for their limited resources, they did a very creative staging. I also recall liking their Sandy and Patrick.  Although there is a credit for a musical director and conductor in the program, there are no credits for members of the band.

CSUN’s production was very strong. I really liked their Patchy the Pirate (Joshua Sandoval), who did double duty as Mr. Krabs. He was out in the audience about 1/2 hour before, warming them up, joking around, playing with the kids. He set the tone exceptionally well. Performances were very strong, especially Casey Davis (Spongebob), Mo Tandrow (Patrick), and Arely Vianet (Sandy). I didn’t like their Plankton (Jack Shepherd) as much, as he was very hard to hear with his overplay of the access. Scenic and props were good, although I preferred the robotic Gary to the simple puppet that CSUN used. The Mt. Humungous in their set more closely resembled the Broadway production. CSUN had a real band, and live music is always special.

The Spongebob Musical seems to have exploded in popularly: It is fun to do, and allows the production to be creative. There’s not a lot of technology required other than a strong Foley board, and the language doesn’t require cleaning up. So although the Woodland production is long closed (their current production is Damn Yankees, though May 5), and the CSUN production is practically sold out (there are some seats for this afternoon; the final performance this evening is sold out), I’m sure there will be a production near you at some point. It is worth seeing.

You can find more information on the Woodland Opera House at their webpage. Their 2025 season has some interesting shows: Amalie is a good show and not often done; Something Rotten is loads of fun; and The Prom is a great show with a great message.

You may be able to purchase tickets to CSUN’s production at their Spongebob Page. The upcoming Fall season doesn’t have much of interest to me: Argonautika, Guarded, Wit, and Dialogues of the Carmelites. Most of the shows I don’t know; I saw Wit way back in 2008 at REP East. We’ll see what the Spring Semester brings when it is announced.

———

The Spongebob Musical. Based on the series by Stephen Hillenburg. Book by Kyle Jarrow. Original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A., Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! AT the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, T.I. and songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny, and Andy Paley. Musical Production conceived by Tina Landau. Additional lyrics by Jonathan Coulton. Additional music by Tom Kitt.

CSUN Cast: Casey Davis SpongeBob Squarepants; Mo Tandrow Patrick Star; Ashton Bianchi Squidward; Arely Vianet Sandy Cheeks; Joshua Sandoval Eugene Krabs / Patchy the Pirate; Cayla Rose Guili Pearl; Jack Shepherd Plankton; Emily Gomez Karen / Ensemble; Duncan Allan Perch Perkins / Ensemble; Jeremy Thompson Foley Artist / French Narrator; Georgia Ryan Bikini Bottom Mayor / Ensemble; Haley Josten Mrs. Puff / Ensemble; Gisele Lajevardi Old Man Jenkins / Ensemble; Jules Thompson Larry the Lobster / Ensemble; Jaycee Luther Security Guard / Ensemble; Arabella Roman Electric Skate / Ensemble; Alexandra Carreron Sardine / Ensemble; Angel Cole Sardine / Ensemble; Danny Magana Sardine / Ensemble.

CSUN Orchestra: Greg Nabours Conductor / Lead Pianist; Andrew Hudson Keyboard 2; Nicholas Ferrante Lead Guitar; Leola Gravley Percussion; Daniel Neufeld Percussion / Drumset; Alizah Chao Violin; Andrew Krenzinger Violin; Zachary Pickens Bass.

CSUN Production and Creative: Directed by Garry Lennon. Musical direction by Greg Nabours. Choreographny by Luke Arthur Smith. Completing the team: Mark Mendelsohn Scenic Design; Elizabeth A. Cox Costume Design; Hope Kozielski Lighting Design; Julia Pinhey Sound Designer; Joshua Payuan Cruz Asst Director; Whitney Kim Stage Manager; Vincent Shnaider Prop Lead Designer; Veronica Guiterrez Prop Asst Designer; Sam Sintef Production Lead Coordinator; Michael Roman Technical Director; Branden Sandoval Asst Tech. Director; Dan Weingarten Department Chair.

Woodland Cast: Erik Catalan SpongeBob Squarepants; Shane Burrows Patrick Star; Ernestine Balisi Sandy Cheeks; Alexander Quiñonez Squidward; Eddie Voyce Mr. Krabs; Marie Campbell Pearl Krabs; Ahlani Santos Plankton; Karen Fox Karen; Scott Griffith Larry the Lobster; Travis Lindquist Patchy the Pirate; Omar Huerta Perch Perkins; Marie Nearing Bikini Bottom Mayor; Jeff Nauer Old Man Jenkins; Ruby Schwerin Buster Bluetang; Danny Beldi, Naomi Catalan, and Honey Creer The Electric Skates / Ensemble; Vinn Christianson, Sheccid Donatt, Erin Doolittle, Lynsey Goldberg, Trey Reeves Ensemble; Trey Reeves Narrator.

Woodland Production and Creative: Directed and Choreographed by Staci Arriaga. Musical direction and conductor: Kay Hight. Rounding out the team: Josh Hilliard Production Manager; Lou Anderson, Kelly Lynn Jordan Stage Managers; Anna Walton Asst Stage Manager; Paul ZIndel Lighting Designer; Gabby Garcia Sound Designer; Marcia Gollober Asst Sound Designer; Mark Deamer Scenic Designer; Denise Miles Costume Design; Diane Haas Prop Master; Cameron Fuller Technical Advisor.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; Geffen Playhouse (Mini-Subscription); 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica has announced their Mainstage 2024 Season, and it includes Bat Boy the Musical running Sept 28 through October 18. We saw Bat Boy back when CSUN did it in 2014; it is a wonderful musical about how a society treats outsiders. I also just learned about a theatre company in Fullerton, Maverick Theater. They are doing Evil Dead: The Musical , which is a hoot if you’ve never seen it (we’ve seen it twice). They also have some interesting other stuff on their season, and we might drive down for Santa Claus Vs The Martians in November.  I also just learned that Jason Alexander will be doing Fiddler on the Roof , directed by Lonny Price, at La Mirada in November. Lastly, I saw on FB that Chromolume Theatre may be returning in late 2024 or early 2025. They always did some interesting musicals that were rarely staged. Interesting….

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🎭 Leg Warmers and Roller Skates, Again | “Xanadu” @ Canyon Theatre Guild

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Xanadu (Canyon Theatre Guild)It is very interesting to compare and contrast different productions of shows. How does a director take a show that was designed for the large Broadway stage, and adapt it for a regional theatre production, or an intimate theatre production, or a community theatre production. Each has different resources, different fly spaces, different actor quality, and certainly, different budgets. When I saw earlier this year that Canyon Theatre Guild was doing Xanadu: The Musical, I was intrigued. I had last seen it in 2012 at a tiny black box theatre in Hollywood, back when Doma was a theatre company (it is currently an “Arts Complex“, with theatre “coming soon”). I had been coming off a series of camp musicals, having just seen Silence: The Musical the week before. So I was curious: How would a community theatre company tackle this admittedly camp piece. Train wreck or a success? So I placed a hold on my calendar waiting for tickets to go on sale. Then I learned that an actor-friend from REP days was cast in the show (George Chavez). George is great in anything he does, so this was a two-fer: I’d get to see a different adaptation of a show, and I’d get to see a show with George in it. Win-win.

As I noted last week, seeing a show for a second time awards me the luxury of not having to write the synopsis, or my thoughts on the book, unless they are different. The following is cribbed from the 2012 review; only the links and a couple of minor things have been changed to reflect changes in the times:

The 1980s were an interesting time. I know — I was there, in college, at UCLA. Olivia Newton John was at the top of the pop charts, and was coming off her success in the film version of the musical “Grease“. Her next film, however, was a box office disaster (although the album went double platinum): “Xanadu“. Xanadu, which also starred Gene Kelly in his last non-documentary performance, told the improbable story of Sonny,  a record jacket artist. Sonny thinks his art is going nowhere and is about to give up when he is to paint an album cover for a group called The Nine Sisters. The cover features a beautiful woman passing in front of an art deco auditorium; this same woman collided with him earlier that day, kissed him, then roller-skated away, and Malone becomes obsessed with finding her. He finds her at the same (but now abandoned) auditorium. The woman is Kira, and she inspires him to revive the theatre and turn it into a roller disco. Kira is, in reality, Terpsichore, a greek muse, come to Earth disguised with roller skates and an Australian accent. She also inspired Danny Maguire, who originally built the threatre. The story goes on from there — you can read the full synopsis on Wikipedia — but it gets sillier. The only redeeming aspect of the movie was the music — all Olivia Newton John and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). For the stage production, the music is credited to Jeff Lynne (who wrote the ELO songs) and John Farrar (who wrote the Newton-John songs). There were a few additional songs interpolated into the stage production.

In the mid-2000s, original producer Rob Ahrens came to book-writer Douglas Carter Beane with an idea.. an idea to take the film Xanadu and put it on stage. After a number of drafts and rewritings (all detailed in the liner notes to the CD) they came up with a book that kept the basic plot of the movie, but added elements of Clash of the Titans and more Greek mythology. The end result was a story whose goal was just to have fun: it could be self-referential and break the fourth wall; it could be a commentary on the state of the arts in the 1980s (a year that saw Barnum and Evita nominated as the best musicals), as well as a commentary on the state of society. In other words, it was fluff that knew it was fluff, and decided that since it was fluff, it was going to have fun.

The end story was as follows (edited down from Wikipedia): Chalk artist Sonny Malone is dissatisfied with his sidewalk mural of the Greek Muses and determines to kill himself. On Mount Olympus, Clio (the muse of history) convinces her eight sisters to travel to Venice Beach (rising out of the sidewalk mural) to inspire Sonny. Zeus’s rules require that Muses must always be disguised from mortals, so Clio wears roller skates and leg warmers, sports an Australian accent, and changes her name to Kira. Kira inspires Sonny to combine all the arts and “something athletic” all into one spectacular entertainment: a roller disco. Two of Clio’s sisters, Melpomene (the oldest sister, and the muse of tragedy) and Calliope (the muse of epics), are jealous that Clio is the leader of the Muses and that Zeus had promised “Xanadu” to her. . So they plot to discredit Clio and cause her banishment by tricking her into breaking one of Zeus’s rules: a Muse must not fall in love with a mortal, so they will curse “Kira” and Sonny to fall in love. Sonny finds a good location for the roller disco–a long-abandoned theater in Los Angeles called “Xanadu.” Inspired to locate the owner, he sets up a meeting with real estate mogul Danny Maguire. At the meeting, Sonny tries to convince Danny to donate the theater for the roller disco, because it would bring the arts to the district and drive up real estate values (yeah, like theatre does good things for a neighborhood :-)). But Danny scoffs, even though he had plans to open the theater himself, once upon a time, when he was inspired by an old love and dance partner of his, who looked suspiciously like “Kira,” named Kitty. But a flashback convinces him to redeem himself now by opening the roller disco with Sonny. Danny finds Sonny and tells him that if he can get the disco up and running in one day, he’ll give him 25% of the take from the Disco. Sonny finds “Kira” and tells her the good news. She is not impressed with the deal that he has cut. The evil sisters work their curse, and the winged Eros, along with “Mama Cupid”, shoots “Kira” and Sonny with the arrows of love. “Kira” is soon overwhelmed with guilt over her loving feelings and of having created her own art (a hand-drawn picture) alongside Sonny – both violations of Zeus’s restrictions on the Muses. With the help of some of the muses, “Kira” and Sonny fix up the old theater, and Danny agrees to go ahead with the opening. Clio realizes that she is falling in love with Sonny and tells him that she must leave. To make it worse for Clio, the evil sisters offer Danny piles of money if he will tear down the theater and build condos. Danny can’t resist and tells Sonny that the deal is off. “Kira” comes back to tell Sonny that she loves him, but the evil sisters tell her that she has broken Zeus’s rules, and that she must tell Sonny the truth. So “Kira” reveals all to Sonny, including that her name is Clio, but he does not believe her and is upset. He suggests that she is a crackpot. He also doubts that she really loves him, and she is angry and hurt. The evil sisters have triumphed, and Kira sets off for Mount Olympus to receive her punishment from Zeus. Meanwhile, Sonny and Danny discuss “Kira” and after seeing her in the sky, it all makes sense. Danny tells Sonny not to let go of his muse because of foolish pride as he once did back in the 1940s. Sonny, realizing that he really loves “Kira,” decides to find her – even if it means climbing Mount Olympus. I’ll leave the actual end open.

A silly story. As you can see, there were a number of changes from the movie. The mural aspect was brought back and the record album cover stuff was dropped (along with some stupid subplots). The Greek mythology aspects were strengthened, and the notion of evil sisters wanting to get even (common in Greek stories) was brought in.  [The book allowed the director to expand] on this a bit more, adding in references to current Los Angeles and the current weather, as well as amping up the commentary on the state of the theatre. It worked, and worked well. The story itself ended up being a fun-filled romp.

At the opening of the Canyon Theatre Guide production, the director noted that attendees tended to fall into 3, perhaps 4 camps: (1) those who loved the movie and Olivia Newton John (and yes, there were a number of those there); (2) those that hated the movie and wanted to make fun of it (she called those “Xanadon’t”, but I must note that Zanna Don’t is a completely different, and excellent, musical); (3) those who are saying “Xanawhat?”; and (4) those who are there because of their subscription or they know someone in the cast. We fell into that latter category (although we are thinking about becoming subscribers; this would replace our “small theatre” subscription, as the little theatres tend not to do that model anymore, with some exceptions (GRT, Odyssey, Anteaus).

This raises the next question: How did CTG execute the show? Well, this is community theatre. There were some strong performances (the leads). There were some outstanding performances. There were some where you could see the counting in the head. There were a few where the casting was focused more on getting the right talent than 100% the right look. There were sound problems. Bra straps were visible, distracting from the costumes. But on the whole, it was an enjoyable production. Yeah, the story was camp (and knew it). Yeah, I still don’t like ELO ballads. But the cast brought a great energy and joy to the production, and that can help overcome the weaknesses of the underlying book. Plus, this is a show that is rarely done—this puts it in the category of “see if you are a show collector”. I also enjoy the camp and self-referential aspects of the show.

There were some outstanding performances. George Chavez, who played Sonny at our performance (he alternates with another actor) was great. George gets his energy from the audience, and enjoys roles where he can amp up the silliness, and this role played to those strengths. Jaran Real, as Little Sammy/Street Dancer, was just spectacular with his dance moves and tapping; this is a kid with talent that will go far some day. I’m not sure which lead we had as Kira, but whomever it was, she had a very strong voice. Overall, the singing was very strong, the dancing was a bit more mixed. Characterization was good.

So, should you see this show? I could echo the director, but I won’t. If you look fondly on the 1980s, see this. If you liked the movie Xanadu , then see this (I’m looking at both of you that liked it). If you like to see rarely produced musicals, see this. If you like camp and self-referential musical, see this. If you want to see something silly, see this.

On the other hand, if you want a book that makes sense, say home. If you don’t like (or can’t at least tolerate) ELO, you should probably stay home.

We enjoyed it. But if a production of Xanadu: The Musical came around again, we’d probably pass. Twice is enough. Then again, if George is in that show… we might change our minds.

Xanadu: The Musical runs at Canyon Theatre Guide through April 28. Tickets are available at the Canyon Theatre Box Office. Next up at CTG: The Play That Goes Wrong. Again, it will be interesting to see how a regional theatre company (the level of company that is actually spoofed in the production) does with the show, compared to the Broadway tour we saw at the Ahmanson.

———

Xanadu: The Musical. Book by Douglas Carter Beane; Music and Lyrics by Jeff Lynne & John Farrar. Based on the Universal Pictures film. Screenplay by Richard Danus & Marc Rubel.

Cast: Erica Brauer / Tasha Taylor Kira (Clio); George Chavez / Zachary Santolaya Sonny Malone; Ted Tobin Danny Maguire; Jaran Real Young Danny, Street Dancer; Abi Bowling Melpomene; Jenise Spiteri Calliope; Rachel Logan Erato; Sophia Bellefeuille Euterpe, Andrew Sister; KiSea Katikka Terpsichore; Miranda Grace Massey Thalia; Lewis E. Powell III Hermes, Greek Chorus; Anna Dawahare Cupid, Greek Chorus; Matthew Gatewood Zeus; Michael Davies Zeus (Alternate); Sandra Salvatori Hera, Greek Chorus; Donna Marie Sergi Thetis, Greek Chorus; Faith Violet Aphrodite, Andrew Sister, Greek Chorus; Jack Matson Centaur, Greek Chorus; Brian Mann Centaur, Greek Chorus; Felicia Grady Medusa, Greek Chorus; Jacqueline (Jack) Rich Aglaope, Andrew Sister, Greek Chorus; Kelly Tomlin Molpe, Urania, Greek Chorus; Patty Assiante Polyhymnia, Peisone, Greek Chorus.

Production and Creative: Ingrid Boydston Director; Claudia Alexopoulos Asst. Director, Properties; John Alexopoulos Co-Set Designer; Carla Bellefeuille Vocal Director; Candra Bond Co-Costumer; Kasmira Buchanan Choreographer; Doug Holiday Co-Set Designer; Sam Kort Asst Choreographer; Michael T. Smith Co-Lighting Designer; Joe Swartz Stage Manager, Co-Lighting Designer; Clinton Kyles Guest Tap Choreographer; Patti Assaiante Roller Skate Consultant.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; Geffen Playhouse (Mini-Subscription); 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica has announced their Mainstage 2024 Season, and it includes Bat Boy the Musical running Sept 28 through October 18. We saw Bat Boy back when CSUN did it in 2014; it is a wonderful musical about how a society treats outsiders. I also just learned about a theatre company in Fullerton, Maverick Theater. They are doing Evil Dead: The Musical , which is a hoot if you’ve never seen it (we’ve seen it twice). They also have some interesting other stuff on their season, and we might drive down for Santa Claus Vs The Martians in November.  I also just learned that Jason Alexander will be doing Fiddler on the Roof , directed by Lonny Price, at La Mirada in November. Interesting….

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🎭 Mack and Mabel, by a Nose | “Funny Girl” @ Ahmanson

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Funny Girl @ AhmansonSome musicals get revived again and again and again. Certainly this is true of classics from Sondheim (cough, Gypsy, cough Sweeney Todd) and of course, Rogers and Hammerstein (cough, Sound of Music). But some shows are so tied to a particular artist that they are very hard to revive. You’re unlikely to see a revival of the Tony-award winning The Magic Show for that very reason—no one can duplicate Doug Henning. For the longest time, Funny Girl was in that category. Funny Girl put Barbra Streisand on the map. The songs “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade” create her voice in your head. They thought Funny Girl couldn’t be done without Streisand.

I certainly thought so back in 2016, when we saw a very rare production of Funny Girl at the Colony Theatre (the inaugural production, in fact, of Conundrum Theatre Company). Back then, I wrote: “There was talk of a Broadway revival starting at the Ahmanson a few years ago, but that petered out. There was a [2016] West End revisical that was well received; it is unknown if it is coming across the pond.” It never did.

Finally, in 2022, a revival opened with Beanie Feldstein in the lead. It did so so, and there was loads of backstage issues. Many wanted Lea Michele (of Glee fame) for the lead, but she was unavailable. She had done a number of songs during Glee. Evenually, Michele replaced Feldstein, and the show went on to success, and then went on tour. The tour has hit Los Angeles, and we saw it today.

One advantage of having seen a show somewhat recently is that I don’t need to rewrite the synopsis: I can past what I wrote before (presses Control-V):

As the show itself hasn’t been around much since the 1960s, you likely are unaware of its plot other than it starred Barbra Streisand. Funny Girl tells a highly fictionalized version of comedienne Fanny Brice’s romance and marriage to gambler Nicky Arnstein. It does this by presenting Brice on a stage awaiting Arnstein’s release from prison. The bulk of the show is a flashback telling of the story, returning to the present at the end. It begins with Brice’s first appears at the Keeney Theatre. It shows her first meeting with Arnstein, her transfer to the Ziegfield Follies, her subsequent marriage, and then the failure thereof. In some ways, this foreshadows the story Streisand would play again in her movie A Star is Born. She rises in  fame, eclipses him, and his ego and traditional male roles doom everything. You can read a much more detailed synopsis on the Wikipedia page.

However, this is a very fictionalized version of Brice’s story. She wasn’t the innocent when she married him (he was her second marriage); they actually lived together for six years before getting married. He had been to jail before the marriage, and actually sponged off of her for the entire thing. His jail stints were longer, and her performance history was quite differently. But in the theatre, the story becomes the reality; the truth of the story be damned.

In any case, the book is what it is (although Harvey Fierstein — who loves to doctor shows — doctored the West End version). It has its structural problems — the first act is far too long; the second doesn’t have the energy of the first. It was troubled in development, and like Mack and Mabel, does not end happily ever after. It is also a star vehicle, and requires a fairly unique mix of talent to be successful. Most actresses cannot carry it off. It requires a mix of physical comedy, comedic presence, dance, a belting voice, and the correct ethnicity. This is not a Kelli O’Hara show. It was ultimately built for Streisand, and there are few like her.

You’ll note I made a comparison to Mack and Mabel there. Mack and Mabel, which came after Funny Girl, has similar problems but with the genders reversed. You have a very funny very ethnic girl who builds a career off of comedy, and a love relationship is formed with a significant man (in this case, Mabel Normand and Mack Sennett). The relationship is doomed, and the second act gets bogged down in that doom and gloom. However, the score is glorious (it is viewed as one of Jerry Herman’s best); the book doomed the show. Funny Girl has similar structural problems: It is built around a famous ethnic comedian, who gets involved with a man that is no good for her. The second act gets bogged down in doom and gloom when he embezzles and loses his money and is exposed for the fraud he is. Like Mack Sennett, she never stops loving him, but the show ends on a down note. Subsequent productions have tried to fix the book, but it has never quite worked.

One other thing hit me in comparison with the 2016 production, in particular. The woman sticks with slimey handsome man narrative had nary a second thought in 1965. It didn’t really have a second thought in 2016. But now, we’re after “#MeToo”, and Nick’s behavior is much more creepy. A modern-day Fanny might have kicked Nick to the curb much quicker.

So, setting the problematic book aside, the performances are what make or break the show. In the original productions, these shows made Barbra Streisand and Bernadette Peters into stars. They elevated their leading men, Omar Sharif and Robert Preston. Once things settled down, the 2022 revival had similar stars: Lea Michele as Fanny Brice, Ramin Karimloo as Nick Arnstein, and Tovah Feldshuh as Mrs. Brice. But tours seldom get the stars. In Los Angeles, we have Katerina McCrimmon as Finny Brice, Melissa Manchester as Mrs. Brice, Stephen Mark Lukas as Nick Arnstein, and Izaiah Montaque Harris as Eddie Ryan. If you’re going “Who?”, you’re probably not alone.

Luckily, they cast well. McCrimmon knocked it out of the park: She had the voice, she has the comic timing, she could play up the pathos—she was the entire package. Manchester, whom you may know more as a singer/songwriter, brought the right ethnic and comedy to the part. Lukas had the required suaveness and a lovely voice. And boy, could Harris tap up a storm. About the only “alas” is that the actors behind the Brices weren’t Jewish. So rest assured you’ll be entertained by the performances, and McCrimmon was spectacular on “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade”.

A few additional notes. This production, more than most, shows the old stage technique of scenes that are there to allow the scenery to be changed behind a curtain. I can’t remember how Conundrum handled those scenes, but they stood out in this production. I also think the lighting design was a bit weak: in particular, they overused the proscenium arch lighting in such a way that it became distracting.

So, should you see this production? I think so. You’re not going to see a lot of regional revivals of this show (although I may be proven wrong). If you want to see what made Streisand a star, this is your chance.

Funny Girl runs at the Ahmanson Theatre through April 28, 2024. Tickets are available through the Ahmanson Box office; discount tickets may be available through TodayTix.

P.S.: We know we’re back to regular theatregoing. For the first time since COVID, we were at a Red Bucket performance for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. We gave. You can give too.

———

Funny Girl. Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Bob Merrill; Book by Isobel Lennart from an original story by Miss Lennart. Revised book by Harvey Fierstein. Special Material by Margaret Styne. Originally produced for the Broadway Stage by Ray Stark. Original NY production supervised by Jerome Robbins. Original production directed by Garson Kanin. Original production orchestrated by Ralph Burns.

Cast (strikethrough indicates folks not in our performance): Katerina McCrimmon Fanny Brice; Melissa Manchester Mrs. Brice; Stephen Mark Lukas Nick Arnstein; Izaiah Montaque Harris Eddie Ryan; Walter Coppage Florenz Ziegfeld; Leah Platt Emma, Mrs. Nadler; Cindy Chang Mrs Meeker; Eileen T’Kaye Mrs. Strakosh; David Foley Jr Tom Keeney, Actor; Lamont Brown Ensemble, Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat Man; Kate E. Cook Ensemble, Virginia; Julia Grondin Ensemble, Bubbles; Jackson Grove Ensemble, Piano Player, Tenor, Porter, Cornet Man; Alex Hartman Ensemble, Vera; Dot Kelly Ensemble, Maude; Ryan Lambert Ensemble, John, Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat Man; Kathy Liu Ensemble; Meghan Manning Ensemble; Sami Murphy Ensemble, Mimsey; Jordon Taylor Ensemble, Polly; Rodney Thompson Ensemble, Cornet Man; Sean Thompson Ensemble, Paul, Porter, Bartender, Mr. Renaldi; Swings: Vinny Andaloro; Brian Charles Moore Dance Captain; Emily Anne Nester;  Annaliese Wilbur Asst Dance Captain. Understudies and alternates: Hannah Shankman u/s Fanny Brice. At our performance: Vinny Andaloro Ensemble, Cornet Man; Brian Charles Moore Ensemble, Paul, Mr. Renaldi; Emily Anne Nester Ensemble, Maude.

Orchestra (◊ indicates local): Elaine Davidson Music Director / Conductor / Keyboards; Christian Regul Assoc Conductor / Keyboards; Mark E. Oates Trumpet/Flugel; Tansie Mayer Reeds; Sam Kurzontkowski Bass; Paul Hannah Drums / Percussion; ◊ Jen Choi Fischer Violin; ◊ Grace Oh Violin / Viola; ◊ David Mergen Cello; ◊ Dan Fornero Trumpet 2; ◊ Wendell Kelly Trombone; ◊ Laura Brenes French Horn 1; ◊ Sal Lozano Reeds 2; ◊ Glen Berger Reeds 3; ◊ William Johnson Bass; ◊ Robert Payne Contractor; ◊ Brad Gardner Keyboard Sub 2; Kimberlee Wertz Music Coordinator; Emily Grishman, Adriana Grace, and Alden Terry Music Copying; Phij Adams Music Technology; Randy Cohen Synthesizer Technician; Abel Garrida Music Dept. Assistant.

Production and Creative: Directed by Michael Mayer; Choreography by Ellenore Scott. Other production and creative: Ayodele Casel Tap Choreography; David Zinn Scenic Design; Susan Hilferty Costume Design; Kevin Adams Lighting Design; Brian Ronan Co-Sound Design; Cody Spencer Co-Sound Design; Chris Walker Orchestrations; Alan Williams Dance, Vocal, and Incidental Music Arrangements; David Dabbon Additional Arrangements; Carme Dean Additional Arrangements; Luc Verschuren for Campbell Young Associates Wig and Hair Designer; Jim Carnahan CSA Casting; Jason Thinger CSA Casting; Ray Wetmore & JR Goodman Production Props; Johanna McKeon Assoc Director; Jeffrey Gugliotti Assoc Choreographer; Torya Beard Asst. Director; Dre Torres Asst. Tap Choreographer; Jovon E. Shuck Production Stage Manager; Mariah Young Stage Manager; Rachael Wilkin Asst. Stage Manager; Justin A. Sweeney Company Manager; Ryan Mayfield Assoc Company Manager; Gentry & Associates General Management.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; Geffen Playhouse (Mini-Subscription); 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica has announced their Mainstage 2024 Season, and it includes Bat Boy the Musical running Sept 28 through October 18. We saw Bat Boy back when CSUN did it in 2014; it is a wonderful musical about how a society treats outsiders. I also just learned about a theatre company in Fullerton, Maverick Theater. They are doing Evil Dead: The Musical , which is a hoot if you’ve never seen it (we’ve seen it twice). They also have some interesting other stuff on their season, and we might drive down for Santa Claus Vs The Martians in November.

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🎭 The Lyin’ King | “Fat Ham” @ Geffen Playhouse

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Fat Ham (Geffen)Going into Fat Ham, which we saw last night at the Geffen Playhouse, I didn’t know much. I knew it had been successful during its Broadway run, garnering some Tony nominations. I guess it might be something like Fat Pig, which we had seen many many years ago at the REP. Note: It wasn’t. The reality: Fat Ham wasn’t anything like I expected (other than it was very funny); in fact, if you knew its source material, it wasn’t what that would lead you to expect.

Fat Ham, at the highest level, is loosely based on Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. This is a continuing tradition in the theatre, and it shows the brilliance of Shakespeare in that his work is so readily adaptable to different forms and eras. The title of this writeup is a reference to yet another adaption of Hamlet: Disney’s The Lion King. Malevolent Uncle marries the widow of the King, who the Uncle had killed. Son has to deal with avenging his father, with the help of friends. Similar story beats in Fat Ham.

Fat Ham transposes the story to one about a black family, somewhere in the south, sometime in the near past. The program states that is is North Carolina or Virginia or Maryland or Tennessee, but not Mississippi, Alabama, or Florida. The time is sometime in the 1970s or 1980s, based on dress and hairstyles and such. It is a blue-collar level (but not poor) house, in a rural area, where the family business is a barbeque restaurant run by Pap and Rev, two brothers. Pap went to prison for gutting a customer like a pig, and while in prison, was shafted. It turns out that Rev, Pap’s brother, had arranged the shafting … and not a week after the funeral, Rev married Pap’s widow, Tedra. The play takes place in the backyard of Tedra’s house, where there is to be a celebration of the wedding.

The focus of the story is Juicy, Tedra’s son. After Juicy’s friend Tio sees Pap’s ghost, the ghost comes to Juicy and asks him to avenge his death. Juicy is conflicted. Story beats of the traditional Hamlet story play out in the backyard, as Rev’s friend, Rabby comes to visit with her two children, Larry (who is in the Marines) and Opal. There are both rough and obvious correspondences: Juicy/Hamlet, Rev/Claudius, Tedra/Gertrude, Tio/Horatio, Rabby/Polonius, Larry/Laertes, Opal/Ophelia. But not all of the character beats are the same, especially as the story goes on and the relationships get … shall we say more contemporary.

There are also some key changes in the characters, beyond the obvious transposition from the Court of Denmark to the rural south, with the “Kings” becoming owners of a BBQ Joint. Juicy is a bit of a schlubsy student, attending the University of Phoenix. His friend, Tio, is a stoner addicted to porn. Rabby is a high church lady, her son Larry is on leave from the Marine, and her daughter Opal wants to go to the Marine, although her mom wants her to be a debutant. Relationships are not traditional.

The play clearly breaks the fourth wall and acknowledges the audience and even interacts with them, with characters commenting about “What are you telling those people?”. There are points where Juicy breaks into soliloquy, even going so far as to quote the source Shakespeare. The interplay with Shakespeare is quite interesting. There are jokes expected and unexpected (I particularly like “Aye, there’s the rub” in reference to cooking BBQ — someone has to use that as a restaurant name). There are many of the lines you would expect (yes, there is “What a Piece of Work is Man”, which (if you recall) was in Hair as well). Yet this isn’t Willy’s story, it is Juicy. It ends up in a different place (although the Uncle is still dead). There is magic, and there are ghosts. But there is also glitter and sparkle.

There are also the black family beats. While I was writing this up, the plot of the recent movie American Fiction. One of the central aspects of the story is the question of why stories about black families are successful only if they are ghetto, involve violence, guns, etc. Why don’t stories about middle-class black families sell. Think about that with respect to Fat Ham. Here’s a story about a black family. It involves prison. It involves murder. It involves shanking. It has characteristic black southern language and dress. It has poor people who can’t afford college; people that don’t have the generational wealth to make that a possibility. It has families with generations of killing and prison. The idea of success is getting a career in Human Relations. But the play was successful. What does that say about what the predominantly white theatregoing audiences expect from stories about black families? Is this just proving the point of American Fiction? Contrast it with the story from One of the Good Ones at the Pasadena Playhouse,  which is a successful middle-class hispanic family (questioning what it means to be hispanic). Why is that context for a minority family accepted? It is certainly something to think about—and perhaps the reason we need more playwrights of color so that we can see a broader spectrum of black and minority families.

Theatre is a reflection of ourselves, and successful theatre means seeing our stories on the stage. The timeless story of Hamlet is successful simply because treachery is part of the human experience, as is the desire for revenge and avenging a wrong. Lust fits in there as well. We see that story play out in all sorts of families: be it a pride of lions, or a lyin’ prideful family.

Fat Ham is a very funny play, although not as hysterical as the recent POTUS. The performances are remarkable and strong. It is worth seeing, especially as the Geffen has essentially brought back the Broadway cast. We don’t often get that anymore in Los Angeles (although we used to, as I noted in my Chicago review last week)

I’d particularly like to note the performance of Marcel Spears as Juicy. Most know Spears as the younger, nerdy son on The Neighborhood. His performance as Juicy made me see how good of an actor this young man is. He’s much more than just the comedy chops we see on TV. His performance here brings out a great range, and is well worth seeing.

The set and creative design was interesting. I particularly noticed the prints used to create the house; the transition for the closing scenes was so fast I didn’t even notice it. The… well, I guess you could call it a smoking jacket … used for the ghost was particularly creative, as were the entrances and exits of the ghost. Be prepared for lots of theatrical smoke, if you are sensitive to that. There is also some rough language, violent themes and sexual references. This isn’t a show for kids. Hamlet never was (well, unless you’re Disney).

Fat Ham continues at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood through April 28, 2024. Tickets are available through the Geffen Online. Discount tickets may be available though Goldstar TodayTix—yes, I just received email that Goldstar is officially changing its name, and my pandemic-time credit for a cancelled show is moving to TodayTix. I guess I’ll never get my Goldstar EGOT now.

A parking note: Although parking is convenience at the Westwood Medical Plaza next door, and much cheaper than the TJ’s lot a block away, the parking lot is really badly designed. It is never clear where you can park until you are deep in the bowels of the structure; there are no clearly marked handicapped spaces (drop your passenger off in the loading zone before the theatre first, then circle back), and at the end of the show, it takes 20-30 minutes before the line to exit even starts moving. You have been warned. It is worse than the El Centro Garage near the Pantages, and that’s equally poorly designed. You would think, by now, architects would know how to design good underground parking structures. But they don’t.

———

Cast: Nikki Crawford Tedra; Chris Herbie Holland Tio; Billy Eugene Jones Rev / Pap; Adrianna Mitchell Opal; Marcel Spears Juicy; Benja Kay Thomas Rabby; Matthew Elijah Webb Larry. Understudies: Jasmine Ashanti U/S Opal; Armand Fields U/S Juicy; Ethan Henry U/S Rev/Pap; Jarvis B. Manning Jr. U/S Tio/Larry; April Nixon U/S Tedra / Rabby.

Creative: Written by James Ijames; Original Direction by Saheem Ali; Directed by Sideeq Heard. Produced in association with No Guarantees, Public Theatre Productions & Rashad V. Chambers.

Production: Marcel Spears Assoc Producer; Maruti Evans Scenic Designer; Dominique Fawn Hill Costume Designer; Bradley King Lighting Designer; Mikaal Sulaiman Sound Designer; Skylar Fox Illusions Designer; Earon Chew Nealy Wig, Hair, & Makeup Designer; David H. Parker Assoc. Director; Lisa Kopitsky Fight Director; Chris Herbie Holland Fight Captain; Darrell Grand Moultrie Broadway Choreographer; Abdur-Rahim Jackson Assoc. Choreographer; The Public Theatre & National Black Theatre Originating Producers; Alyssa Escalante Production Stage Manager; Lauren Buangan Asst Stage Manager; Kate Murray CSA Original Casting Director; Phyllis Schuringa CSA Casting Director.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; Geffen Playhouse (Mini-Subscription); 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica has announced their Mainstage 2024 Season, and it includes Bat Boy the Musical running Sept 28 through October 18. We saw Bat Boy back when CSUN did it in 2014; it is a wonderful musical about how a society treats outsiders. I also just learned about a theatre company in Fullerton, Maverick Theater. They are doing Evil Dead: The Musical , which is a hoot if you’ve never seen it (we’ve seen it twice). They also have some interesting other stuff on their season, and we might drive down for Santa Claus Vs The Martians in November.

The Geffen Playhouse just announced their 2024/2025 season: The Brothers Size (08.14-09.08.2024); Dragon Lady – Part 1 of the Dragon Cycle (09.04-10.06.2024); Waiting for Godot (11.06-12.15.2024); Noises Off (01.29-03.02.2025); Furlough’s Paradise (04.16-05.18.2025); and The Reservoir (06.18-07.20.2025). Nothing particularly calls out to me. I like Noises Off, but it’s not worth dealing with Westwood Parking to make the trip worthwhile.

 

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🎭 Welcome Back, Suckers | “Chicago” @ BiH/Pantages

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Chicago (Broadway in Hollywood 2024)It’s been a hot minute, hasn’t it, Chicago?

As preparation for doing this writing, I searched and searched online to see if I could find the show in my archive of reviews I posted since I started my blog back on lil’ ol’ Livejournal back in 2004. I couldn’t. So I went to the garage to check my file of programs (which I really need to update with the 10+ years of shows since I last filed programs). It has been a hot minute. The last time I saw this version of Chicago was the first production of this revival in Los Angeles, at the Ahmanson Theatre, May 1998, with Charlotte d’Amboise, Jasmine Guy, Brent Barrett in the leads. The rest of that season, if you care, included Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in da Funk, Rent, and An Enemy of the People (which I don’t think I saw). The time before that was seeing the original production at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the LACLO 41st Season. Back then, Los Angeles and the LACLO tended to get the original cast, not a touring cast, so we had the originals: Gwen Verdon, Jerry Orbach, and Chita Rivera (and dancing in the ensemble was Susan Stroman). In case you’re curious, the other shows that season were Pippin, Pal Joey, and The Sound of Music (with Florence Henderson).

Chicago has long been one of my favorite shows—the music has the quality to uplift me. I constantly played the original cast album, especially loving the velvet tone of Jerry Ohrbach on “Razzle Dazzle”, as well as the other high energy numbers. A character modeled after Mr. Cellophane was my superhero when we did Superhero 2044 in the UCLA Computer Club. I still remember having to miniaturize weapons so no one would notice my character. When the revival album came out, I love it—especially Bebe Neuwirth’s timing and delivery. But I haven’t seen the show in a long time; with the tour still trudging along, Chicago is one title that has never been released to the regional producing circuits, and so there have been precious few productions since the 1996 revival other than the tour (at least in the US).

By now, I’m going to guess that most folks are familiar with the story of Chicago. The highly successful movie did that, even if folks never saw it on stage. People are familiar with the style of Chicago, which was Bob Fosse at his obsessive peak; the revival attempted to preserve that with choreography in the style of Bob Fosse being done by his second muse, Ann Reinking. What most people today aren’t familiar with is the original conceit of the show: Every number was to be a vaudeville style number, in the style of a different vaudeville performer. There’s a good analysis of that aspect of the show here; here’s a quote from that article to explain things:

Almost every song in the show is modeled on an actual vaudeville act or star. In “All That Jazz,” Velma is playing Texas Guinan, inviting the audience in to drink and have a good time. She is our host for the evening. “Funny Honey” starts out being an homage to torch song queen Helen Morgan’s song “Bill” from Show Boat, a song about an ordinary man, who’s nothing special, but she loves him anyway. Roxie even sits atop a piano, like Helen Morgan often did. But then Kander & Ebb turn “Bill” on its ear, as Amos finds out just who the murder victim is and rats Roxie out. As Roxie gets drunker and drunker, as Amos finally tells the cop how it really happened, the lyric changes its tone and it ends with her calling Amos “That scummy, crummy dummy hubby of mine.” A perfectly cynical Fosse moment. And if that isn’t cynical enough, we find out in the courtroom scene later that Roxie has cheated on her husband and murdered her lover on Valentine’s Day!

In the original, this homage was emphasized in the dress and the staging. But audiences at the time didn’t get it, and the show floundered against its competition, especially this new little show that swept the awards: A Chorus Line. The cast album survived; the show didn’t. In 1996, Encores at City Center revived the show with a minimalize production. No sets to speak of. The cast all in black, surrounding the orchestra (which was on-stage). It was a smash. It moved to Broadway and has been running ever since. 26 years. A tour started soon after, and iterations of that tour are still crossing the country. Back when I saw the revival, in 1998, I wasn’t writing up shows. If I had, I probably would have discussed how I enjoyed hearing the musical after all these years, but bemoaned that the original conceit was lost. That’s even worse today: do “the kids” of today even know who the vaudeville stars are?

Last week, writing about Million Dollar Quartet, I bemoaned how dated musicals about the 1950s really were, and how they didn’t speak to audiences of today; this is especially true for jukebox musicals. Yet Chicago was packed? With young folk, even. I guess that’s because greed and treachery never go out of style; sex and violence always sells. We have yet another politician attempting to win via razzle dazzle instead of substance and truth. The original came out in the post-Watergate era; we weren’t as jaded then. The revival opened in the era of the OJ trial; and the notion of trials that were circuses were in the news. America loves its sex and cynicism.

So how as the tour held up after all these years. I’ll note that this particular tour is a non-Equity tour, meaning younger actors and no real name actors. It’s also been on the road a long time, which can lead tours to get sloppy.

I’ll start with the good news: The Orchestra is flaming hot. You see that during the Entr’acte when they just wail. They are the real stars of this production (probably because they are union musicians). As for the performers, they are very strong vocally and with characterizations and dance.

Alas, for the bad news: The wear is showing. I noticed this first in the casting. Fosse was a perfectionist. He had a look, and he wouldn’t let it be destroyed for anything. The folks casting this tour? They may have picked for talent, but look was problematic. Kailin Brown, as Velma, had a visible tattoo between her breasts right at her cleavage; she also had a tattoo on her arm and stars down her back. This is the 1920s; women did not have tattoos then. Cover them with pancake for the show. Perhaps the kids these days who are in a tattoo world just didn’t notice; I found them a distraction that drew my attention away from the dance. J. Terrell, as Mary Sunshine, had a visible tooth missing in front. Strong vocally, but (again) distracting visually.  Lastly, Roxie is supposed to be a redhead—its in one of the song lyrics. The costumers missed that detail. I also found the choreography not quite as hot as it once was. Perhaps styles have changed. Perhaps it is because we’re in a show where the choreography has been a game of telephone: The Revival was Ann Reinking doing it in the style of Fosse; the tour has recreation of the original (revival) choreography by Gregory Butler.

Long running shows, and long running tours have this problem. I don’t fault the actors: they are trying hard, and doing their best. The problems here are all correctable: pancake makeup, a tooth cap, hair color. But what they demonstrate is complacency, living on a reputation. New audiences to a show may not notice. But there does come a time where a show may need to come off the road; where the Broadway production needs to close to let the show rest. Let a revival come after a few years to see what new it can uncover in the show. Let regional theatres get a crack to bring their own magic to the material. Gypsy is a fine example of this: It comes back after a few years with strong revivals. Hell, look at the current Sweeny Todd about to close on Broadway. Chicago, in particular, is great to keep touring because it is less expensive to tour: There aren’t a lot of costumes and sets; there isn’t a lot of projections and magic to recreate. Orchestra on stage; black leotards; cane chairs, and some ladders. It can fit in almost any theatre; few modifications and no real fly-space required.

If you haven’t seen Chicago on stage before, by all means go see this tour. It’s a great show, and the performers here give it their all. If you had the opportunity to see Chicago when it was fresh (either the original or the revival), then you’ll start to see the wear and the original magic may be lost a bit.

But I still love the music.

[As a PS: I’ll note my enjoyment was also lessened by the fellow sitting in front of me, who was tall and kept moving his head so I can to keep switching from side to side just to see the show. He also smelled. Some things are just out of your control.]

The last performances of this iteration of the Chicago tour at BiH/Pantages are today. I’m guessing they are sold out, but you can possibly get tickets through the website. From Los Angeles, the tour goes to such big cities as Conway AR, Tulsa OK, Dallas  TX, Oklahoma City  OK, and Easton PA. Clearly, this is not the first circuit for this tour cast.

———

Cast: Kailin Brown Velma Kelly; Katie Frieden Roxie Hart; Connor Sullivan Billy Flynn; Robert Quiles Amos Hart; Illeana “Illy” Kirven Matron “Mama” Morton; J. Terrell Mary Sunshine; Paul Amrani The Judge, Ensemble; Olivia Lacie Andrews Annie, Ensemble; Bentlei Benak Mona, Ensemble;  Jason Carroll The Bailiff / The Clerk, Ensemble; Ed Gotthelf Fred Casely, Ensemble ; Olivia Greco June, Ensemble; Liz Lester Go-To-Hell Kitty, Ensemble; Joe Meldrum Aaron, Ensemble; Adolfo Ortiz-Feder Harry / The Jury, Ensemble; Lauren Teyke Hunyak, Ensemble; Kodiak Thompson The Doctor / Harrison, Ensemble; Francisco Thurston Sergeant Fogarty, Ensemble; Cait Zuckerman Liz, Ensemble. Swings: Faith Jordan Candino, Austin Taylor Dunn Asst Dance Captain; Chelsea James Dance Captain. At our performance, Asher Van Meter had assumed the role of Harry / The Jury; Van Meter wasn’t even listed in the Playbill! Of course, this is a non-Equity show, so who do they complain to?

Music: Cameron Blake Kinnear Music Director, Conductor; Andy Chen Assoc Conductor; Sean Franz Reed 1 – Clarinet / Soprano Sax / Alto Sax / Piccolo; Brett McDonald Reed 2 – Clarinet / Soprano Sax / Tenor Sax / Piccolo; Ken Fisher Reed 3 – Bass Clarinet / Bari Sax / Tenor Sax / Soprano Sax / Clarinet; Aaron Smith and Javier Gonzalez Trumpet / Flugelhorn; Charlie Morillas Trombone; Alby Potts Piano ; Brian LaFontaine Banjo / Mandolin / Ukulele; Blake Cooper Acoustic Bass / Tuba; Joel Alpers Drums / Percussion; Eric Heinly Orchestra Contractor.

Original Creative and Production: Music by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb. Book by Fred Ebb & Bob Fosse. Original production directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse. Original NY Revival directed by Walter Bobbie. Original NY Revival Choreography by Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse.

Tour Creative and Production: David Hyslop Re-creation of Original Production Direction; Gregory Butler Re-creation of Original Production Choreography; John Lee Beatty Scenic Design; William Ivey Long Costume Design; Ken Billington Lighting Design; Scott Lehrer Sound Design; Robert Billig Supervising Music Director; Cameron Blake Kinnear Music Director; Ralph Burns Orchestrations; Rob Fisher Vocal Arrangements; Bernie Ardia Wig & Hair Design; Justen M. Brosnan Makeup Designer; Peter Howard Dance Music Arrangements; David Thompson Script Adaptation; JP Meyer Music Coordinator; Andy Chen Assoc Conductor; ARC-Duncan Seward, CSA & Patrick Maravilla Casting; Anita Dioniak & Melissa A. Hazek Tour Marketing & Press; Camden Loeser Resident Director / Asst Choreographer; Marc Clemiewicz Resident Company Manager; Taneal Williams Tour Company Manager; The Booking Group Tour Booking; Lauryn Elizabeth Production Stage Manager; Bethany Sortman Production Supervisot; Elspeth Bustard Asst Stage Manager.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; Geffen Playhouse (Mini-Subscription); 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica has announced their Mainstage 2024 Season, and it includes Bat Boy the Musical running Sept 28 through October 18. We saw Bat Boy back when CSUN did it in 2014; it is a wonderful musical about how a society treats outsiders. I also just learned about a theatre company in Fullerton, Maverick Theater. They are doing Evil Dead: The Musical , which is a hoot if you’ve never seen it (we’ve seen it twice). They also have some interesting other stuff on their season, and we might drive down for Santa Claus Vs The Martians in November.

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🎭 Four Men Walk Into a Studio | “Million Dollar Quartet” @ 5-Star

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Million Dollar Quartet (5-Star Theatricals)This afternoon, we trudged out to Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza to see the 5-Star Theatricals production of Million Dollar Quartet. Now this isn’t a new show to us: We saw the national tour back in June 2012 when it was at the Pantages. My opinion of the show itself really hasn’t changed: it is a good jukebox show constructed around a real-life incident, and it has appeals to those who grew up on that music. More on that in a minute.

About the show itself: For those unfamiliar, he’s how I described it back in 2012 (any updates are due to links moving):

[…]let’s start instead with the real history, summarized by Sun Records: According to Sun, the jam session seems to have happened by pure chance. Perkins, who by this time had already met success with “Blue Suede Shoes,” had come into the studios that day, accompanied by his brothers Clayton and Jay and by drummer W.S. Holland, their aim being to cut some new material, including a revamped version of an old blues song, “Matchbox.” Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records, had brought in his latest acquisition, singer and piano man extraordinaire, Jerry Lee Lewis, still unknown outside Memphis, to play the piano on the Perkins session. Sometime in the early afternoon, Elvis Presley, a former Sun artist himself, but now at RCA, dropped in to pay a casual visit accompanied by a girlfriend, Marilyn Evans. He was, at the time, the biggest name in show business. After chatting with Philips in the control room, Presley listened to the playback of the Perkins’ session, which he pronounced to be good. Then he went into the studio and some time later the jam session began. Phillips left the tapes running in order to “capture the moment” as a souvenir and for posterity. At some point during the session, Sun artist Johnny Cash, who had also enjoyed a few hits on the country charts, popped in (Cash claimed he was the first to arrive at Sun Studio that day). The event was captured by well known photograph of Elvis Presley seated at the piano surrounded by Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. The session tapes have been released on CD.

That’s what we know happened. Around this story a musical was constructed. The basic plot elements added by book writers Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux revolved around the following: (1) At the end of 1955, Phillips sold Presley’s contract to RCA to prevent Sun Records from going bankrupt; now RCA wanted to buy Phillips and the studio to get someone who knew how to work with Elvis; (2) Cash had been increasingly absent from the studio, and Phillips wanted to lure him back by presenting him with a 3-year contract; (3) the tension between Perkins, who had written “Blue Suede Shoes”, and Elvis, who made it a hit on the Ed Sullivan Show, and (4) Perkins, who was trying to find his next hit, and the just-hired Jerry Lee Lewis, a brash young upstart trying to prove himself. The songs chosen were some (but not all) of the ones from the original session, plus a number of well-known hits that may have come a little later. This isn’t a true story.

This also isn’t an impersonator show. You want that, go to Vegas. The actors in this show have hints of the mannerisms of the original artists, but are not going for exact impersonations or impressions. They have hits of the vocal quality. What they do have is the musical skills, which combined with the hints makes you see them as the artists.  This is the contribution of the original concept and direction by Floyd Mutrix.

So what makes or breaks this show is the quality of the music talent, as there is no other orchestra. Luckily, 5-Star cast reasonably strong, both in vocal and musical quality. We thought the strongest musical talent was Garrett Forestal Jerry Lee Lewis on piano and Benny Lipson Jay Perkins on bass. They were remarkable. Also strong musically were Will Riddle Carl Perkins on Electric Guitar, and Lonn Hayes Fluke on drums. We were a little less sure about the acoustic guitar work of LJ Benet Elvis Presley and Peter Oyloe Johnny Cash.  It was good, but not as remarkable as the others.

Vocally, the singing cast was strong, most notably the four leads mentioned above as well as Summer Nicole Greer Dyanne (who was a composite for Marilyn Evans). Having listened to all of the original artists, I think they leads captured the vocal characteristics well. Oyloe (Cash) could have used a bit more gravitas in his voice, but this was the younger Cash and that hadn’t fully developed yet. The remaining lead cast member, Adam Poole Sam Phillips really didn’t do any noticeable singing, but gave a strong performance providing narration and stringing the show together.

However, the show did have one major problem: The audience. This afternoon matinee was about 40% full, and that is after closing the balcony and moving the mezzanine subscribers to the back of the orchestra. A company cannot survive with audiences like that. We were talking about 5-Star’s season choices: Million Dollar Quartet, Sound of Music, and Little Shop of Horrors. All of these are shows aimed at folks who were in their teens or later in the 1950s and 1960s. That audience is dying, and with shows like this you’re not going to draw in the kids. I’m at the tail end of that generation (my teen years were in the 1970s), and even I think we need to move past the classic rock being the 1950s and 1960s. That’s like someone of my age being nostalgic for the 1910s.

Regional theatre companies must get past the classics of the 1960s and 1950s “Golden Age” of theatre; they must get past jukebox shows that harken back to the 1950s and 1960s (the recent Wonderettes – Dream On being a good example of that). These theatres need to be bringing in the latest “near Broadway” and recently released to regional theatres that they can. They need to partner and experiment with shows on their way to Broadway with sounds of the 1990s and later. For companies to survive, they need to be bringing in new audiences, and younger audiences. Don’t keep doing the shows that have been done to death; don’t keep bringing in jukebox shows that only the senior citizens will appreciate.

To sum things up: 5-Stars production of Million Dollar Quartet was excellent, and if you like the music of Jerry Lee Lewis, early Johnny Cash, early Elvis Presley, and Carl Perkins, you’re in for a wonderful jam session. But I question the skew of the 5-Star season, and encourage theatres planning their seasons to think about what will bring in younger new subscribers that are needed to thrive, not just the older seniors who (like the companies) are just existing.

Lastly: The TO Civic Arts Plaza isn’t helping. They are now charging $15 for parking. For that facility and location, it’s a ridiculous prices that will also turn away people. The Ahmanson downtown is $9. The Pantages is $25 or more, but that’s a much more space limited area using private garages. A price of $9-$10 would be much more appropriate. Further, the security at T.O. is excessive given the risk. It’s stronger than at the Pantages or the Ahmanson, for a much lower threat target. Again, this creates friction for patrons—something a struggling theatre company does not need.

Million Dollar Quartet plays for one more weekend, closing March 24, 2024. Tickets are available through 5-Star Theatricals, and possibly your favorite discount joints.

———

Cast: LJ Benet Elvis Presley ; Garrett Forestal Jerry Lee Lewis; Summer Nicole Greer Dyanne; Lonn Hayes Fluke; Benny Lipson Jay Perkins; Peter Oyloe Johnny Cash; Adam Poole Sam Phillips; Will Riddle Carl Perkins.

Production and Creative: Book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux. Original Concept and Direction by Floyd Mutrux. Direction by Tim Seib. No credit for Choreography. Other production credits: David Lamoureux Music Director/Conductor; Brandon Baruch Lighting Design; Jonathan A. Burke Sound Design; Alex Choate Props Design; Tuacahn Costume Rentals Costume Design; Derek McLane Original Scenic Design; Gail Garon and Chris Steele Wardrobe Supervisors; Phil Gold Production Stage Manager; Cameron J. Turner Stage Manager; David Elzer/Demand/PR Press Representative; Fresh Interactive Marketing.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; Geffen Playhouse (Mini-Subscription); 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica has announced their Mainstage 2024 Season, and it includes Bat Boy the Musical running Sept 28 through October 18. We saw Bat Boy back when CSUN did it in 2014; it is a wonderful musical about how a society treats outsiders. I also just learned about a theatre company in Fullerton, Maverick Theater. They are doing Evil Dead: The Musical , which is a hoot if you’ve never seen it (we’ve seen it twice). They also have some interesting other stuff on their season, and we might drive down for Santa Claus Vs The Martians in November.

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🎭 Family Dynamics | “One of the Good Ones” @ Pasadena Playhouse

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One of the Good Ones (Pasadena Playhouse)As the World Premiere of the new play One of the Good Ones (which we saw Saturday night at the Pasadena Playhouse) started, I was cringing. The dialogue and interactions of a white woman overplaying an encounter with a Hispanic worker was just.. uhhhhh. With that opening, I’m sure you’re expecting me to say that this play was completely cringe-worthy, a trainwreck.

But, no, that was my opinion of their last show, Kate.

One of the Good Ones is harder to characterize. At time, there was dialogue that was completely cringeworthy. At other times, the show was hilariously funny. The thought that kept coming to my mind was that this really was an extended situation comedy. Many of today’s sitcoms are like that. I’ll be watching The Neighborhood or even Abbott Elementary and there will be dialogue and situations that are completely cringeworthy—the “this is stupid and I want to turn this off” level. But then the show redeems itself.

This is that sort of a comedy, which with its length (80 minutes, no intermission) is very much an extended sitcom. This isn’t a theatrical classic. It is just a funny evening in front of the TV. In fact, thinking about this even more, I could see this being a real sitcom. The family presented here is set up and established and could result in many very funny story lines. TV executives down the freeway in Burbank (home to NBC, ABC, and a little down the road, CBS Radford): Are you listening?

So here’s the setup. Father, Enrique (Carlos Gomez) is a slightly hot-headed Cuban American, 2nd generation. Mother, Ilana (Lana Parrilla) is a Mexican-Puerto Rican American, also 2nd generation,  who does not speak Spanish. Daughter, Yoli (Isabella Gomez) is bringing home her boyfriend … make that serious boyfriend … make that very serious boyfriend, Marcos (Nico Greetham). So you’ve got intergenerational conflict, and parents who don’t accept their daughter growing up. And Marcos is claimed to be Mexican… after all he was born in Mexico City.

But then the secrets and truths start to come out, and the meat of the comedy comes out as well. I don’t want to spoil the jokes, but some of them are a bit predictable. Some I didn’t see coming at all. And yes, there were cringeworthy moments, such as the aforementioned opening where the mother, who doesn’t speak Spanish, completely over reacts to a Hispanic delivery person.

As I said: A sitcom. Actually, it would be a great sitcom, once the ensemble settled into the family that sitcom ensembles do.

Should you see this? I’d ask: Do you like sitcoms? If you do: If you (like me) find shows like The Neighborhood funny, go for it. I think you would enjoy this.

I should note that this play—just like some sitcoms—actually makes some deeper points in all of its comedy. In this case, the point is made about the problem with the whole American “Melting Pot” model. For all of the broad ethnic groups, our significant cultural and ethnic past as we melt into the larger group: Italians and Irish and English and … become “White”; “Mexicans” and “Spanish” and “Cubans” and … become “Latinx” (and there are some good jokes about that). Many different African and Caribbean and …. heritages become “Black”; Japanese and Chinese and Korean and …. become “Asian”. We lose the value of those identities. They then get further subsumed when we become the lump label “American”. Further, is what makes you your label dependent on your heritage or where you were born? Is a son of English and German immigrants, born in Mexico and speaking fluent Spanish, Mexican? These are deep and relevant questions today, and they are buried in the humor of this play.

But this isn’t new for a sitcom. Archie Bunker was making us think as he was making us laugh, and as he was saying things that were very cringeworthy. It’s an honored sitcom tradition. It isn’t the days of Leave It to Beaver  or Ozzie and Harriet anymore.

One of the Good Ones continues at the Pasadena Playhouse until April 7. Tickets are available through the Pasadena Playhouse website; they may also be available through the usual discount outlets.

One note for completeness: Last weekend we saw the folk music group Emma’s Revolution at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach. Great show, but I don’t always write up concerts. Here is their future show schedule.

———

Cast: Lana Parrilla Ilana; Carlos Gomez Enrique; Isabella Gomez Yoli; Nico Greetham Marcos; Santino Jimenez Pedro. Understudies: Abel Garcia, Anna LaMadrid.

Production and Creative Credits: Written by Gloria Calderón Kellett. Directed by Kimberly Senior. Other credits: Tanya Orellana Scenic Design; Denitsa Bliznakova Costume Design; Jaymi Lee Smith Lighting Design; Jeff Gardner & Andrea Allmond Sound Design; Rachel Lee Flesher Fight & Intimacy Coordinator; Ryan Bernard Tymensky CSA Casting; David S. Franklin Stage Manager; Brad Enlow Technical Direction / Production Supervisor; Davidson & Choy Publicity Press Representative; Jenny Slattery Associate Producer; Miriam E. Mendoza Asst. Stage Manager.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; Geffen Playhouse (Mini-Subscription); 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica has announced their Mainstage 2024 Season, and it includes Bat Boy the Musical running Sept 28 through October 18. We saw Bat Boy back when CSUN did it in 2014; it is a wonderful musical about how a society treats outsiders. I also just learned about a theatre company in Fullerton, Maverick Theater. They are doing Evil Dead: The Musical , which is a hoot if you’ve never seen it (we’ve seen it twice). They also have some interesting other stuff on their season, and we might drive down for Santa Claus Vs The Martians in November.

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🎭 “Believe in Yourself” | The Wiz @ BIH/Pantages

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The Wiz (Broadway in Hollywood)There’s an important lesson that is taught in the musical The Wiz (which we saw last night at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre): Believe in Yourself. Dorothy is supposed to learn, while out on the road, that the things she needed to survive and thrive were in herself all the time. She just needed to trust herself and see them. It is a lesson that this pre-Broadway tryout of The Wiz needs to learn: trust the material, and do it justice, and it will bring you home happier than when you left. But if you fail to discover your smarts, your heart, and your courage along the way, you may be stuck in a fantasy land that is more charade than real.

I’m probably one of the dwindling number of folks who saw the original version of The Wiz when it was on the road: it was at the Ahmanson Theatre the summer I graduated from high school. We didn’t have all the original cast, but we had some key folks: Dee Dee Bridgewater, Andre de Shields, Ted Ross. I subsequently got the cast album, and fell in love with it. It had such energy and pop. “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News” had me from that opening piano vamp; it is currently #24 in my Top 50 Most Played Songs out of the 56,000+ songs in my library. “So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard” grabs you from those opening horns and drums, and never lets you go (the recording I linked was from the opening night back in 1975, and you can just hear the energy). Even “Slide Some Oil to Me” has that energy and tempo, drawing heavily on the piano and the horns. The music and lyrics of Charlie Smalls, with some additional authors, combined with the original orchestrations of Harold Wheeler, just stun. Don’t want to go back that far? Listen to the energy of these songs in the somewhat recent live TV version (here’s No Bad News).

Now I’ve never seen the movie. I could never bring myself to transpose this story to New York, or age Dorothy 10+ years to satisfy some diva’s desire for screen time. But even there, the problem was the interpretation (more on that in a minute), not the musical interpretation. Mabel King and “No Bad News” still brings down the house. Even Nipsy Russell’s “Slide Some Oil To Me” isn’t bad.

But my wife and I both had the same comment with respect to the musical interpretation of this pre-Broadway tryout of The Wiz: It was tepid. The music lacked tempo. It lacked energy. It lacked horns and piano (I’m sorry, but one trumpet and one trombone does not a powerful horn section make). It gave the feeling that the director (Schele Williams) and the orchestrator (Joseph Joubert) were going for a Bluesy field, as opposed to the Jive Jazz of the original. It does not work—this show needs to up the tempo if it is going to make it. Of the faster songs in the show, only two got it right: Kyle Ramar Freeman’s performance of the Lion in “Mean Ole Lion” was spot-on; and the ensemble’s energy in “Everybody Rejoice” was great. However, for the slower numbers that were more traditional R&B, the interpretations were great. Nichelle Lewis (Dorothy)’s rendition of “Home” was wonderful, and Melody A. Bett (Aunt Em)’s was great with “The Feeling We Once Had”. Bett’s is a great example: Great on the slow number, but from the opening notes of her rendition of “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News”, you knew the tempo was off. The voice was there. The energy wasn’t.

The director also failed to trust the material. The problem was not the added and material by Amber Ruffin. Those did a great job of updating the characters. No, the problem was the more fundamental changes to the material. Songs were added (or restored) based either on the movie or recent productions (for example, “You Can’t Win”). Songs were rearranged; notably “What Could I Do If I Could Feel”, the Scarecrow’s introduction in the first act, became “We’re Gonna Make It” in the second act. “Wonder, Wonder Why” was added from the 1984 revival. A totally different version of the Tornado Dance was used. I’m not sure it helped. “You Can’t Win” was cut in Detroit in the original Broadway version; it was added back to the movie because it showcased Jackson. The song still isn’t right.

But the problem with the trust in the material goes beyond just the music—it goes to the story. As it was so long ago, I reviewed the synopsis of the original Broadway version. The original stage show set aside many of the “additions” that came in the 1939 movie, and hewed closer to the original L. Frank Baum material. William F. Brown (the original book writer, adapting the Baum material and not the movie), preserved many of the things from the book that never made it to the movie: Munchkin land was blue, Glinda’s land was red, the land of the Winkie’s was yellow, and the Emerald City was only green because you were required to wear green glasses upon entry. But here, the director’s vision muddled things around. Instead of the Munchkins, we got a New Orleans style wake for Evamean, the Wicked Witch of the East… and we get both Addaperle and Glinda. Instead of an opening with both Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, we get just Em (and with a pre-prise of “Soon as I Get Home”). We get a tepid tornado. We get a strange scene with the poppies (which had a different way of resolution in the original). We get drastic cuts in the battle with the witch in the second half. We get a completely different resolution with the Wiz in the second act, and how the characters learn that they always had the attributes they were seeking. We get the WInkies in bright multicolored T-shirts, vs the yellow that is the tradition of Winkie-land.

In some ways, it is as if the director was cutting things to save costs, reduce the scenery required for the road, and perhaps reduce the cast size. The orchestra was certainly cut back from the size it was in the 1970s. There are ways to work within a budget. Skimping in the wrong places is not one of them.

This production is on the road to Broadway. I think it opens there in April 2024. Fixing the tempo of the songs is something that is doable, and is something that I hope they listen to the reviewers and fix. Fixing the changes they made to the story is a lot harder, and probably can’t be done. Are these story changes enough to torpedo the show? They will be problematic for purists like me who love the original. But I do think the story changes won’t be noticed by younger audiences, who remember only the movie (which was little like the original stage production), or the live TV production (which was only broadcast twice).

Some of the other production aspects were, to lack a better term, workable. The choreography by Jaquel Knight was good and pleasant to watch; but it rarely wowed or went above and beyond. The set design was clearly built to fit the touring life well, but there was still the over-dependence on projections. Projections at times can simplify things and lower costs, but they can also make it harder for subsequent regional life of a show.

To be clear: I’m not saying this was a bad show. It was very enjoyable. But it could have been so much more. It just had under-developed heart, brain, and courage. But there were many pieces that did work.

First and foremost, the cast was spectacular. Nichelle Lewis was a knockout as Dorothy: she got the characterizations down pat, and boy could that girl sing. From her opening pre-prise to the closing note of “Home”, she grabbed you. Her companions on the road were equally strong, most notably Kyle Ramar Freeman’s Lion; but Avery Wilson’s Scarecrow and Phillip Johnson Richardson’s Tinman were also great. Although the tempo was wrong, the singing and characterizations in “Slide Some Oil To Me” were great. Melody A. Betts’ opening number as Aunt Em (“The Feeling We Once Had”) was a perfect characterization; her voice was great in “No Bad News”, even if the tempo was off. Wayne Brady was strong as the Wiz, especially in “Y’all Got It” (although he didn’t quite have the energy in “Meet the Wizard”). Deborah Cox’s Glinda did spectacular with “Believe in Yourself”. So the talent and casting was spot-on.

Also strong was the costuming: The bright colors popped in numerous sequences, but even more notable was the opening number. It was costumed to make everyone appear to be black and white, making the transition to color work. I can’t recall if the original did this. It was certainly a takeoff of the technicolor transition of the original, but this one works. Notably, unlike the movie, when Dorothy returns to Kansas for the closing scene, the color has returned to the landscape.

The additional humorous material added by Amber Ruffin worked well. This show has many laugh out loud moments, and has much more humor than did the original.

So, let’s get to ultimate question: Should you see this? If you want to get a sense of what the original 1975 version was like, I’d say to watch the Live TV version (skip the movie: I still think the transition to New York and a 24 year old schoolteacher was wrong wrong wrong). However, if you want to see some remarkable performances and a … different … take on the material (more bluesy, less in-your-face up tempo jazz), this is worth seeing. Hell, it’s worth seeing just to see the star-to-be that is Nichelle Lewis. That girl is going to go far. It’s also worth seeing for Kyle Ramar Freeman’s lion.

The Wiz continues at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre through March 3, 2024. I understand the run is close to sold out, but tickets may be available through the BiH Website. Note that Broadway in Hollywood will be announcing their 2024-2025 season on February 23; it is at that time that autorenew subscribers (like me) will have a chance to purchase tickets for the return of Hamilton (over the summer) and Wicked (December 2024). I have guesses as to which shows will show up based on what I know is touring. If I had to guess, I’m sure & Juliet, Shucked, Some Like It Hot, New York New York and Back to the Future will show up, although one of those could end up at the Ahmanson. The revival of Sweeny Todd might to to the Pantages, although it seems more like an Ahmanson show; Life of Pi is certainly more of an Ahmanson show. I’m not sure where Kimberly Akimbo or A Beautiful Noise will end up. The former is a toss up; the latter is more Pantages material but it all depends on the other shows they pick. So, yes, I’m looking forward to the announcement.

 ———

The Wiz. Book by William F. Brown, Music and Lyrics by Charlie Smalls. Adaopted from “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. Additional Material for this production by Amber Ruffin. Directed by Schele Williams; Choreography by Jaquel Knight.

Cast (∈ denotes ensemble): Nichelle Lewis Dorothy; Avery Wilson Scarecrow; Phillip Johnson Richardson Tinman; Melody A. Betts Aunt Em / Evillene; Wayne Brady The Wiz; Deborah Cox Glinda; Maya Bowles ∈; Shayla Alayre Caldwell ∈; Jay Copeland ∈; Allyson Kay Daniel Addaperle, ∈; Judith Franklin ∈; Collin Heyward ∈; Amber Jackson ∈, Dance Captain; Olivia “Melo. J” Jackson ∈; Christina Jones ∈; Polanco Jones Jr ∈; Kolby Kindle ∈; Mariah Lyttle ∈; Kareem Marsh ∈; Anthony Murphy ∈; Cristina Raé ∈; Avilon Trust Tate ∈; Keenan D. Washington ∈. Swings and Standbys: Michael Samarie George Swing; Matthew Sims Jr. Swing; Timothy Wilson Swing; Alan Mingo Jr. The Wiz – Standby.

Production and Creative Team: Joseph Joubert Music Supervision, Orchestrations, Music Arrangements; Allen René Louis Vocal Arrangements, Music Arrangements; Adam Blackstone Dance Music Arranger; Hannah Beachler Scenic Design; Sharen Davis Costume Design; Ryan J. O’Gara Lighting Design; Jon Weston Sound Design; Daniel Brodie Projection Design; Charles G. Lapointe Hair and Wig Design; Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche Makeup Design; Tara Rubin Casting Casting Director; Paul Byssainthe Jr. Music Director; Kathy Fabian Production Properties Supervisor; Michael Aarons Music Coordinator; Tavia Rivée Jefferson Assoc. Director; Anthony “Kanec” Carr Assoc. Choreographer; Candace Brown Asst. Choreographer; Ralph Stan Lee Production Stage Manager; Heather Hogan Stage Manager; David S. Cohen Asst. Stage Manager; Foresight Theatrical General Manager.

Orchestra (≡ indicates local): Paul Byssainthe Jr Conductor/Keyboard 1; Darryl G. Ivey Asst Conductor/Keyboard 2; Trevor Holder Drums; Sean Franz ≡ Reed 1 (Flute / Piccolo / Clarinet / Oboe / English Horn / Alto Sax / Tenor Sax); Ken Fisher ≡ Reed 2 (Tenor Sax / Clarinet / Bari Sax / Bassoon / Bass Clarinet); Katie Faraudo ≡ French Horn; Aaron Smith ≡ Trumpet / Flugelhorn; Nick Daley ≡ Trombone / Bass Trombone; Linda Taylor ≡ Guitar (Electric / Nylon & Steel String Acoustic); Chris Thigpen ≡ Bass (Electric / Acoustic); Danny Taylor ≡ Percussion; Dolores Duran ≡ Keyboard Sub; Eric Heinly ≡ Orchestra Contractor; Michael Aarons and M2Music Music Coordinator; Anja Wood Assoc. Music Coordinator.

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Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; Geffen Playhouse (Mini-Subscription); 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica has announced their Mainstage 2024 Season, and it includes Bat Boy the Musical running Sept 28 through October 18. We saw Bat Boy back when CSUN did it in 2014; it is a wonderful musical about how a society treats outsiders. Conundrum Theatre Company will be doing Urinetown The Musical in mid to late March 2024 at the Broadwater; this is a great musical, but we can’t fit it into the schedule (nor does my wife care to see it again). However, if you haven’t seen it, it is worth seeing. I also just learned about a theatre company in Fullerton, Maverick Theater. They are doing Evil Dead: The Musical , which is a hoot if you’ve never seen it (we’ve seen it twice). They also have some interesting other stuff on their season, and we might drive down for Santa Claus Vs The Martians in November.

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