Interview from Hair...

I had a chance to sit down with Brooke Bradley of American Stage's In The Park production of Hair. Brooke and I had a wonderful conversation about the in's and out's of performing such a well known show and relating to a show set forty plus years ago.

onstageTampa: So Brooke, how did you get attached to the show?
Brooke Bradley: I am in a dance company based out of the University of South Florida called Moving Current Dance Collective under the direction of Erin Cardinal, Cynthia Hennessey and Kristin O'Neal. Eric Davis, the director of Hair contacted Moving Current to conjure some choreography for the show...and as it came closer to show time we were asked if we wanted to be a part of the actual show. So, I accepted and knew I had to make some sacrifices and have an absolute blast doing it.

onstageTampa: Had you ever seen Hair before?

Brooke Bradley: I had not. I haven't even seen the movie. I was only familiar with a couple songs and very vague on the subject matter.

onstageTampa: You didn't see the movie, did you do anything special to prepare for the performance...?

Brooke Bradley: Personally, I didn't do anything to prepare myself, but in the first week of rehearsals with American Stage they handed out a packet that had all sorts of [researched material] relevant to lines or names or drugs and anything of that nature we that didn't kind of know what it was really about so as actors we were more educated in terms of our intention when delivering lines or anything like that.

onstageTampa: As you know Hair is a very time-centric piece. It's set in the 60's in the Vietnam era. What do you think it is about the show that keeps directors choosing it and audiences coming to see it?

Brooke Bradley: From being a performer in it, it's a fun show to do. In terms of music, it's a very emotional being inside of it with the draft and all that. As an audience member, watching some of the actors go through their lines. Being as young as I am, I can't connect to it as well as someone who lived during that time and I believe that some of the subject is relevant to what is going on now with our lifetime. I talked to my mom after she saw the show and she said that even though we were young and we didn't live during this time it was still believable. I think it's easy to know about by the age of the cast. And directors keep coming back to it because it's a relatable show. I think everyone can find something in the show they can relate to.

onstageTampa: Is there a song or a piece in the performance that you look forward to performing every night?

Brooke Bradley: Yes and no. There is a specific time in the show where the dreaded nude scene comes along. We pair off before we go off stage to unclothe ourselves and we have a long stare down with our partner and it's fun to challenge myself to keep a straight face with my partner. Going out on stage covering myself with my hand and a poster is quite liberating.

onstageTampa: What do you hope someone our age [25] would take away from this show? You said we can't relate to it as much, but what do you hope someone could take away from it, even though we can't connect with it as much as older audiences.

Brooke Bradley: I think there's little nuggets of history that can definitely be picked up on. If you listen close enough there's somethings that you don't know about that...you might want to research for yourself. I know that now that I've been a part of this show, it's going to change my life forever. Even my sense of style has changed since I've had to be this hippie persona. I'm not a big history person so it's kind of hard to put myself in that position. I think you can definitely learn something new about that time period and apply to what's going on now. And it raises some questions in yourself like, what can I do now to be proactive about the war in Afghanistan and all of this that is going on.

onstageTampa: So what's next for Brooke Bradley?

Brooke Bradley: After the show is over, I am a part of a concert that Moving Current is putting on called New Grounds. I'm dancing a piece choreographed by Brie Hinman and that is the following weekend after Hair closes. After that Moving Current is headed down to Miami and sharing a concert.

onstageTampa: Lastly, any thanks or plugs?

Brooke Bradley: Thanks to Cindy for accepting the project. Thanks to Eric Davis for his knowledge of theatre. My parents of course. And Gator's Dockside for allowing me to keep my job.

Many thanks to Brooke for her time and also to the cast of Hair for an incredible run.

Hair...

American Stage in the Park

St. Petersburg, FL

May 2, 2010

Let the sunshine in! The show that refused to comply with the Rodgers and Hammerstein formula to musical theatre makes a stop on the waterfront in St. Petersburg. Complete with a cavalcade of characters, emotional musical numbers and “did they just say that” entendres, Hair is a complete show performed with top notch local and national talent.

Hair is a rock musical born in the 1960’s full of protest, rebellion, free love and experimentation. We meet the culturally diverse cast of characters throughout the first handful of songs and learn a little bit about each of them along the way. Criticized since it’s inception, Hair contains themes of race relations, tribal associations, free love, drug use, pacifism, environmentalism and views of anti-establishment youth. Presented in a stream of consciousness setting, we meet and understand all of our characters as the show unfolds.

A host of characters encompass the musical as the show progresses. We meet Woof, Hud, Berger, Sheila, Marjorie and Claude among others. The show revolves around the free spirited nature of the cast and the reserved yet yearning Claude. When each of the cast members burn their draft card, Claude is hesitant and decides at the last moment to concede his decision. Claude states at the beginning of the show that he hails from Manchester, England sporting a bad James Bond accent; only to be reminded he is from Flushing, New York. The juxtaposition of anti-establishment youth and those only pretending was not hard to find. We learn later that Claude does join the Army and realizes his fear of becoming invisible.

I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of Hair at American Stage in the Park hosted in St. Petersburg. A mixed bag of audience members ranging from young to old all seemed to enjoy the show. Set in the 1960’s Vietnam torn America, many of the audience member my age may not connect wholeheartedly with the material, but Hair’s timeless charm and message endures to this day. I would easily argue tooth and nail with anyone in my generation that assumes this is a dated show with little relevance today. I’m sure they would have a good point or two, but challenging the establishment is what our country was founded upon. Kudos to the cast for bringing this ground breaking musical to life once again.

All in all, I was pleased and delighted to be an audience member for the show. Having a cast member sit next to me, hold my hand and rhetorically mutter “peace and love” made the drive across the water worth every mile. It was a pleasant change of pace to see a show on the waterfront on a blanket. American Stage does not disappoint with this Equity laden cast and top notch staging, I look forward to American Stage's next 'In the Park" production of RENT next year.

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Music of the Post - inkwell

Anatomy of a Community Musical...

Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story

Directed by Shannon Willis Scruggs

Town Theatre, Columbia, SC

March 17-21, 2010

From March 4-22, 2009, my life was turned upside down. I was cast in a community musical production of Buddy, the Buddy Holly Story at Town Theatre in Columbia, SC. Being a musician most of my life, I never gave theatre a chance due to some teachers in my life who frowned over the drama department. Being the golden musical child I was, I followed blindly. I took a chance. I had never performed in front of anyone without an instrument before. I have played in a group in front of a sold out Raymond James Stadium and didn't even blink. I lost sleep over the thought of talking in front of 330 people. I slowly learned the ropes and became part of one of Town Theatre's most successful shows to date. In late 2009, I was offered to chance to rejoin the cast in a limited one week revival. In this every-so-often opportunity, I opted to keep a keen, Anderson Cooper-esque record of the trip. I just hope my journalistic integrity isn't compromised by my earnest immersion back into the acting/performing lifestyle. Enjoy.

Saturday March 13, 2010
Woke up and made the obligatory drive to my place of work. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love what I do, but I was dreading having to pull a solid six hours with an impending seven hour drive thereafter. The three o'clock hour couldn't come soon enough. With nothing but the open road and time as my co-pilot, I embarked on the arduous trek. Getting off to a slow start through the tourist-laden Orlando highway, I made it to I-95 North on the east coast of Florida with a "Carolina or Bust" mantra I've only felt one other time in my life. Helping the drive was the omnipresent collection of music.
Along for the ride and in order mind you:

Weezer - The Blue Album

Emery - In Shallow Seas We Sail

Dane Cook - Retaliation
Underoath - Define the Great Line
RENT Broadway Cast recording (no road trip complete without it)
Acceptance - Phantoms
Yellowcard - Paper Walls

Hoping and praying I could make it to Columbia by the time I planned seemed to be slipping ever so slightly with every mile driven. Though the Georgia stretch, I struggled for clarity thanks to precipitation, at night! And lets not forget the Orlando traffic jam from a few hours earlier. Only forty-five minutes past schedule, an extra 512 miles, and almost eight hours of driving, I made it.
Greeted by my bubbly roommate, I walked into a lap of luxury that is now my home for the next seven days. After settling in and making the hotel feel more like home, I crashed after what can only be described as exhaustive.

Sunday March 14, 2010
Another day, waking up at the normal time as always. Or so I thought it was. Daylight savings snuck in under the radar, I hope the farmers are happy. After some breakfast and yoga, I made my way to Town Theatre to set up my drums and get started putting together a full on musical in three days. Costuming, lighting, microphones and sound checks galore, it was an exhausting day to say the least.



Right around 2pm, our director called places and we did a full run of the show. No warm up, no pow-wow talking about what has to happen, just a full run right off the cuff. There were times sitting at the drum set not even knowing the music seconds before we were supposed to play. It was quite the learning curve.
All in all, six hours at the theatre took all that I had not to break down, but how can I complain about a day like this?

March 15, 2010
A quasi off day in Downtown Columbia. Waking up to breakfast at sunrise, what to do with a day waiting for that 7pm call time? A nice run along the river at the aptly named Riverfront Park downtown. After a little lunch and The Devil Wears Prada, the waiting for the 7pm call time begins...
For lack of a better word, rough would be the way I would explain the run tonight. Trouble getting the voice over and lighting cues down seemed to happen. It's funny how we're two days away from opening night and we're not happy with the show. La Bamba was another rough patch, but I'm sure today will bring better rehearsals. When the time comes, the curtain is down, the murmur of the audience grows and the crew calls places, something will click and we'll kick it into gear.

March 16, 2010
Lounging around another day leading up to the penultimate rehearsal before our limited engagement takes the stage. After another bountiful breakfast, I set out around Columbia to take some artsy photos that can't be taken in Tampa.

The slow afternoon ended with a trip down dementia lane starring Vince Vaughn. Gus Van Sant's terrifying adaptation of Psycho.

It's strange to see Vince Vaughn in a non-comedic role. But that's what actors do. They take on characters outside of themselves.

The Calm Before the Storm.

The time has come. Our show is going on. It's time to cross our fingers, make a wish, hope for divine intervention, whatever it is we do, it's showtime.

March 17, 2010
With the ever rising prevalence of sports metaphors in our daily lexicon, it's Game day! Every performer, or athlete for the sake of metaphor, has their warm up routine. Mine? Nothing. I learned at a very young age that consistency creates results. I usually put the idea of hundreds of audience member scrutinizing my every word and move out of my head. Just relax and enjoy the afternoon. The day is upon us. A full year since we last did this. Let make it the best show we can.

And scene.

What a great night of performing. Given our Buddy Holly show is a small limited engagement, the word of mouth advertising we're hoping on is kind of late to the party. But, tonight's crowd was one of those quality over quantity evenings that remind you why we do what we do. The show went very well and ended with uproarious applause and accolades. It's always nice to end the evening over a drink and great company. Happy St. Patrick's Day.

March 18, 2010
Radio? We don't need a radio...
Well, whether we needed it or not, Charlie and I made a quick appearance on two radio stations this morning. If you were lucky enough to catch us, we played "Everyday" on Magic 98.5 WOMG, and NewsTalk 1320 WIS both in Columbia, SC.

Thanks to the crew on both stations for having us on. Hopefully, it'll help sell out the end of our run. As for the remainder of the day? I guess I'll join the conversation and fill out my bracket for the tournament.
Not to give too much away from behind the scenes, but I think it's safe to say Thursday's first act was less that stellar. Missed lines and blown cues were disheartening, but we made it through. Kudos to Charlie Duncan, our Buddy Holly, for holding the show together. I'd like to look back and say we could have made it through the show otherwise, but I'd be lying. Knowing we had a paying audience and only one more act to make their evening worthwhile, we worked out a game plan during the intermission and collectively decided to go back out their with guns blazing. Our most overtly comedic scene in act two was met with great laughter, so we knew we could pull out the remainder of the show. We ended the show in style as we always do. The musicians and I looked at each other and knew we pull it out. Three more shows to go...

March 19, 2010
Friday. Three more shows to go. Hoping to pack out each of the remaining shows and leave each one of the audience members thoroughly enjoying themselves.

What a Show! The Friday night crowd was treated to our best show yet. Very happy to have my parents make the 500 mile drive up to Columbia for a show. It's nice to have someone in the audience who you really hope enjoys the show more than anyone else.

Back on the road again. Driving up to Charlotte, NC tonight to pick up someone special at the airport. It's a bummer having to drive into another state to pick someone up from the airport, but all's well that ends well.

March 20, 2010

A day begins with so much promise.

Sleeping in with the blackout blinds, we had a solid seven hours to kill before heading to the theatre for another performance. That was, until I turned the key in the Element to no avail. Oh well, nothing like some car troubles to complete a road trip. Sorry Riverbanks Zoo, maybe next time.

Hey! Was that a crowd tonight or what! We didn't even get through the first song without having to pause our dialogue for applause. Let's hope Sunday is even better. It felt as if we couldn't do wrong. Even when we flub a line, somehow we pushed right through it and the audience loved it even more. It's too bad it's only a five show run. I could used to this.

March 21, 2010

The three C's for performing, and life for that matter: Cool, Calm and Collected. Today has brought the end of the run for Buddy, the Buddy Holly Story at Town Theatre in Columbia, SC. Thinking this could be my last time on the Town Theatre stage, I made sure to take some shots of the place for nostalgia, and blogging.

As I remember Sunday crowds being at Town Theatre, usually packed out, but not the most vocal. During the last scene of the show, I did my best to take in what I could from the stage. This is what I live for. Can't wait to get into it back in Tampa.

Lights out on the Buddy Holly Musical. Checked out of the hotel, packed up the drums in the Element, turned in my costumes, shook hands and said my goodbyes. On the road back to Tampa, and the grind. Thanks for letting me share something dear to my heart with you. Just remember it's never too late to try something new. I did. And now it may just be the missing piece I've been waiting for. What will yours be?

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boom!

Directed by Kari Goetz
Jobsite Theater
at the David A. Straz Center for Performing Arts
Tampa, FL
March 11, 2010



How would spend the last night on Earth?


Boom! Jobsite Theater strikes again! In what seems to be one successful show after another, the talented troupe of Jobsite Theater presents their latest production, boom!

boom! is a three character play presented in the intimately constructed Shimberg Playhouse at the David A. Straz Center for Performing Arts. The play centers around Jules and Jo as their potential one night stand eerily turns into post-apocalyptic survival. Spending most of his life studying sleep patterns of fish, Jules determines a comet colliding with Earth is imminent. In an attempt to recruit someone to help recreate humanity, Jules posts an ad for a steamy night of passion. Once locked inside Jo discovers this meet up might be longer than one night.

Along with Jules and Jo is Barbara, who keeps us informed during the show and throws switches like the Wizard of Oz himself. Every so often, Barbara momentarily stops the show to fill us in of what is lost in translation. Marine biologist Jules, and journalism student Jo banter back and forth about both of their fates. Jules, insisting that he has saved Jo from death, is only thanked by thousands of attempts to break down the door and leave.

Playing the role of the wrong place, wrong time woman, Geneva Rae (Jo), delivers sharp and crisp dialogue amidst the calamity between her and Jules. Combining physical comedy and complete despair in the same night is no easy task. Kudos. Never missing a beat or flubbing a line, Chris Holcom (Jules) portrays the "fish-whispering" marine biologist. Holcom, takes us for a ride as he solely drags us along for a misinterpreted night of passion that turns into a two to four year stay underground. Oblivious to Jo's wants and needs, Holcom presents the hapless protagonist flawlessly. Rounding out our cast is Summer Bohnenkamp-Jenkins portraying our Marge Simpson-esque narrator Barbara. Chiming in with her well timed anecdotes and clever use of the timpani, Barbara had me laughing every time the lights shined her way.

I sat in my seat enthralled by the perfectly executed juxtaposition of existentialism, impending death and great comic timing. boom! is a riotous, side-splitting look at polar opposites facing a similar plight. With a stage set up much like bomb shelter, I didn't quite know what to expect with the opening scene of pre-coital preparation. Once Jules begins explaining his purpose for contacting Jo that night, I knew I was in for a wild ride.

All in all, boom! is surely not to be missed. I can say without reservation that I have never laughed harder in the theatre. I was almost as if I was watching the Kids in the Hall. I had to stop myself to consider the themes expertly placed under the cloud of hilarity. If you're looking for a wonderful night of entertainment at the theatre, this is it. Please note, this is an show with situations.

boom! plays the Shimberg Playhouse at the David A. Straz Center for Performing Arts through March 28th. In talking with Jobsite's director David Jenkins, I was informed the first weekend was sold out a couple weeks before opening night. This show is sure to sell out it's run, so you better contact the Jobsite sooner rather than later.

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Music - the breakfast room at Staybridge Suites in Columbia, SC (and anberlin)

In the Heights...

In the Heights hits Orlando this week.



The smash Broadway musical continues it’s inaugural north American tour in Orlando this week.

After a momentous run Off-Broadway, In the Heights was moved to the Richard Rodgers Theatre and enjoyed a successful year complete with critical praise and Tony Awards galore. As the most talked about show in the 2008 Broadway season, it was only a matter of time before In the Heights packed up and took the show on the road.

If you haven’t seen this show, you will be in for quite a treat. In the Heights follows the story of a small community in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. Our narrator, Usnavi, owns a mom and pop bodega next to a the Rosario’s gypsy cab business and the gossip centered salon.

Complete with high energy dances, musical mix of salsa, hip hop and show tunes, In the Heights will surely entertain audience member old and new. Be sure to get your tickets sooner rather than later for this limited one week run.

In the Heights plays the Bob Carr Centre for Performing Arts in Orlando, FL March 9th through the 14th, For ticket information, please click here.

Don’t forget to check back for full reviews and criticism. Be up to date by following us on twitter.

Wicked...

February 3rd - February 21st
David A. Straz Center for Performing Arts
Tampa, FL

As this musical begins, the company opens with the overture “No One Mourns the Wicked”. And if you were like me and got to see Wicked during it’s run in Tampa last month, you know no one mourns after seeing this wonderful production.

Wicked is a stage musical written by Broadway veteran Stephen Schwartz based on the best selling novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire. Wicked chronicles events taking place before what happens in the beloved film “The Wizard of Oz”. Before Dorothy and Toto dropped in, we learn about the friendship between Glinda and Elphaba after mistakenly being coupled together as roommates. We also met characters like the hopeless romantic Boq who only has eyes for Glinda, but is passed along to Elphaba's sister Nessarose. And no fairytale is complete without a prince charming type, and Fiyero enters stage right. Through song and prose, Wicked tells the story of friendship, love and social equality simply packaged as a wonderful evening at the theatre.

After the wildly popular and Tony Award winning run on Broadway, original cast members Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel set a very high bar for the lead roles of Glinda and Elphaba respectfully. In the 2010 national tour of Wicked, Chandra Lee Schwartz and Donna Vivino rose to the challenge and exceeded expectations. Schwartz’s portrayal leaves little to be desired thanks to the sometimes ditsy and clueless, but ultimately heartwarming nature of Glinda the Good. Showing a vocal range reaching into operatic soprano, I was amazed of the talent on stage from Schwartz. From the moment she steps on stage as the green skinned odd one out, Donna Vivino demands the attention of everyone in the audience as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Anytime Vivino began a song, I knew it was going to take my breath away. Richard H. Blake's performance of Fiyero leaves little to be desired as the heart throb of the show. Justin Brill and Brynn O'Malley support the leads as Boq and Nessarose. Their forced relationship is heartbreaking and only gives the name of the story that much more meaning.



(Donna Vivino and Chandra Lee Schwartz as Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked)

With a musical with so much hype before it ever makes it to the touring circuit, you know it’s going to be a fantastic night out. Sitting in the theatre and seeing the mechanical dragon adorned above the proscenium, I couldn’t wait for the curtain to rise and show to begin. With wonderful songs placed expertly in between the gripping story, Wicked is one of those guaranteed shows that you can’t say too much about. If I did have two complaints about the show, I would have to say that there was a hard time hearing some of the ensemble members during the songs with everyone together. Thanks to Paul Bilyeu and Tara McNamara, we were able to have wonderful seats, so I can’t give the excuse of bad seats for the auditory issues. My only other complaint is that the show was too short! Yes, hyperbolic I know, but I was having such a great time I was sad to see the curtain call.

All in all this was a professionally executed, top notch performance of one of the best musicals of our generation. I have to consider myself one of the audience members floored by “Defying Gravity” to end the first act. I looked over at my wonderful girlfriend and didn’t have much to say. With a timeless message of love, friendship and tolerance, Wicked proves it will be around for quite some time entertaining audiences old and new.

Wicked enjoyed an extremely popular run here in Tampa during the month of February. If you happened to miss the show while it was here, Wicked will be showing from March 3rd through the 21st at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. And for those looking to make a trip up to the city that never sleeps, be sure to drop by the Gershwin Theatre where Wicked plays eight shows a week.

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Music of the Post: the get up kids

Christmas Trio...

by Susan Hussey

Gorilla Theatre

December 5, 2009

For most of us Christmas is the time of year when we get together with the ones we love. For others, it’s the time of year when we get together with family because their our family, not necessarily because we love them.

Christmas Trio is a three character play written by Susan Hussey, produced by the Gorilla Theatre. As always with the Gorilla Theatre, Christmas Trio is presented in an intimate and in-your-face setting to the forty seven audience members in attendance. This dialogue driven character piece will have you wondering about your own family as you feel closer of theirs.

Christmas Trio chronicles the story of a family torn apart by joblessness, infidelity, alcoholism, divorce and miscommunication. As the play begins we meet Barbara, who enjoys a cocktail on her 40th birthday. Barbara laments about her life without a partner and how it stems from her home life, which she invites us to as Christmas time rolls around. Barbara visits her mother Edna in Florida the year she doesn't visit her father, Barry, at home. We learn of the trials and tribulations of this dysfunctional family over the years and eerily find parallels.

Well constructed and executed, this character study is flawless in inviting us into their world. Meg Heimstead, Karel Wright and Jim Wicker seamlessly cascade their soliloquies together to gel divided stream of consciousness to a building story. With a simple set and little use of props, Christmas Trio is an excellent example of words over dazzle and fluff.

With all of the superb dialogue and character development, I found Christmas Trio very hard to follow. One minute Barbara is a forty year old working professional who enjoys a cocktail and a bratty teenager the next. As we dive deeper into the turmoil of the family, it seems to go nowhere and wander aimlessly. Jumping from Barbara’s Christmas’s at age eight, sixteen, seventeen then back to forty left me with no resolution. Possibly, this is to mimic real life where we go through life with many unanswered questions in our past. Although in a place of escapism, I don’t like being reminded of that fact. Don’t get me wrong, the acting was there, but it couldn’t save the lacking storyline. I unfortunately left the theatre blasé with more questions than going into it.

All in all, I found Christmas Trio wonderfully acted and a well executed production. Although, if you’re looking for a feel good family piece for the holiday season, I would not recommend it. After the brilliant success of The Woman in Black, I was disappointed with the show as the lights faded. The Gorilla Theatre is a great place for intimate local theatre. This was not their best show but it won’t take away anything from Gorilla Theatre's reputation of top tier performance quality.

Christmas Trio plays through December 20th at the Gorilla Theatre. For more information please click here. Tickets start at $20 depending on the night.

Music of the Post - jimmy eat world

Wonderland...

Ferguson Hall
David A. Straz Center for Performing Arts
Tampa, FL
December 4, 2009

When you meet someone for the first time, you are usually asked the same question. What’s your name, or the less polite who are you? On the surface they may seem interchangeable, yet for Alice, it took a trip to Wonderland to realize they can be mutually exclusive.

Wonderland is a new musical written and produced by a creative team assembled by the David A. Straz Center for Performing Arts (formerly TBPAC). Marketed as a modern retelling of Lewis Caroll’s classic novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Wonderland delivers as such with laughter, song and delight.

Set in modern Manhattan, Wonderland follows the story of up-and-coming author Alice Cornwinkle. We learn about Alice’s irreconcilable differences with husband Jack which lead their daughter Chloe to runaway from home. Chloe leaves a riddle within a first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to find her. Alice takes an elevator “down the rabbit hole” into Wonderland to find the White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, the White Knight, the Cheshire Cat, and the Queen of Hearts. Chloe’s riddle states Alice must reach the eighth square through the eighth door and become Queen in order to find her again. Along the way, Alice learns about love, family, her new book’s title and who she is.

With a story with so many recognizable characters as Alice in Wonderland, precise casting is crucial. The caliber of acting was fantastic. With Julie Brooks as Chloe, Jose Llana as El Gato, Tommar Wilson as the Caterpillar, Nikki Snelson as the Mad Hatter, and Karen Mason as the Queen of Hearts, Wonderland is jam-packed with exhilarating performances. Fresh off of her run with In the Heights on Broadway, Janet Dacal delivers a superb performance as Alice. Dacal’s solid and believable portrayal of Alice leaves no question in casting decisions. Darren Ritchie’s stellar performance as Jack and the White Knight left me wanting more as the curtain fell at the end of the show. Bravo.

When I first heard that TBPAC was producing it’s own musical about Alice in Wonderland, I was skeptical. Although, when I read the list of actors contracted for the production I warmed up to the idea. By the end of the first act, I wondered why I questioned Wonderland in the first place.

Wonderland’s expert use of set changes, costumes, lights and song will surely entertain each audience during it's run. One note. The original book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is considered the epitome of literary nonsense. There are times when the entire company is dressed in the classic Alice attire, men and women alike. A two headed, three legged thing escorts Alice into Wonderland. I took these elements to follow the nonsensical tone of the book which allowed me to enjoy the show even more.

Wonderland is the first production of the Straz Center’s Broadway Genesis Project. The project is to produce and workshop productions poised for national tours and Broadway. With the exceptional production quality of Wonderland I would not be surprised to find it playing the Great White Way in no time. I applaud the Straz Center’s choice of Ferguson Hall. With 1,042 seats, you won’t have a bad seat with enough room to invite everyone you know. All in all, I endorse this production one hundred percent. I’m positive you’ll leave the theatre with questions just as I did, but wake up the next morning glad you saw it.



Wonderland is currently playing at the David A. Straz Center for Performing Arts’ Ferguson Hall. See this production now while it’s still at ground zero. For more information and tickets please click here. Tickets start at $38.50.

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Music of the Post - this town needs guns

RENT...

No Play Like This Play...

RENT

by Jonathan Larson
Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre
Orlando, FL
December 1, 2009


What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this masterpiece. If you are reading this review and haven’t seen RENT, drop whatever it is you’re doing and get in line!

Written and composed by Jonathan Larson, RENT is a rock musical update of Giacomo Puccini’s beloved opera La Boheme. Larson enjoyed a glimpse of success during the eighties and early nineties. Larson notable productions include Superbia, a rock retelling of George Orwell’s book 1984, and the small and intimate "rock monologue" which later became known as tick, tick…BOOM! In 1994, Jonathan Larson produced the first incarnation of RENT at the New York Theatre Workshop for a short three week run. After a lukewarm response, Larson reworked a couple songs and dialogue into the production we know and love today. In late 1995, again with the help of the New York Theatre Workshop, Larson was able to see his life’s work before his eyes. Sadly, on the night of the first preview, Jonathan Larson was found dead in is apartment due to a misdiagnosed aortic aneurysm. Instead of packing in the production, the cast crew decided to continue Larson's message of living for the moment. After a short run off-Broadway, the cast moved to the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway for what became a remarkable twelve year run. RENT closed in late 2008 one of the most respected and successful american musicals of all time.

In 2005, after nine years of success on Broadway, RENT was produced into a feature film. Personally, I find the film to be easily digestible for the non-theatre type, yet anyone who wants to feel the power and emotion of how it was intended to be seen should put on their Sunday best and catch a show.


For the 2009 North American tour of RENT, audiences are once again graced by original cast members Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp reprising their roles of roommates Roger Davis and Mark Cohen. Roger, an HIV positive musician who hopes to find his one great song and Mark, a bleeding heart filmmaker, echo Jonathan Larson’s sentiment of continuing their art in the face of harsh conditions. From the opening monologue through the blistering finale, RENT will keep you on the edge of your seat as you fall in love with the characters and learn how they live their lives trying to create with issues looming over each of them.

My only complaint about this production would have to be the acoustics of the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre. Time and time again during the show I found myself struggling to hear some of the lyrics and dialogue. Granted, when the company sang together it was great. Special kudos and adoration goes out to Lexi Lawson with her portrayal of Mimi and Justin Johnston as Angel.

With songs “Light My Candle”, “Another Day”, “Will I”, “La Vie Boheme”, and the timeless “Seasons of Love” the cast of RENT will take you on a ride of love, loss, self-fulfillment and friendship. I wholeheartedly recommend this production to theatre goers and the curious alike. With the absence of over the top dance numbers, jazz squares, and set changes, the power of Larson’s message will overshadow it’s lack of “traditional” Broadway theatrics. With the cast’s cascading vocal arrangement in the finale earnestly stating “no day but today”, I guarantee you'll be on your feet joining the ovation.

RENT is currently playing at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre in Orlando, FL. Located next to the Amway Arena, a stone's throw from I-4, the Bob Carr PAC is a short drive for a great show. For ticket information please click here. Tickets start at $34.00.

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Music of the Post - sunny day real estate

Bad Dates...

Stageworks Theatre
Shimberg Playhouse, Straz Center
November 22, 2009

Have you ever had a date that you couldn’t wait to tell your friend about. Whether it was great or a complete disaster, you have to tell them something. In the fast paced, need our information now type of society, one could go on many dates, blog about it and have a vast following waiting patiently to offer their two cents. This wasn’t a Perez Hilton type event, but 130 people listening to someone talk about a handful of dates, and mob fronts, for ninety minutes wasn’t such a bad date to me.

‘Bad Dates’ is a one woman comedy-drama written by Theresa Rebeck. The story centers around a restaurant running, single mother who has decided to give dating another chance. The show is currently being produced by the Stageworks Theatre Company at the intimate Shimberg Playhouse. Set in a studio apartment in Manhattan, we listen to Haley Walker lament of her trials and tribulations not only as her audience, but her confidants.

‘Bad Dates’ is a wonderfully scripted monologue involving what happens before and after a series of bad encounters, not just possible suitors. We begin meeting Haley as a mid-to-late thirties single mother trying on different shoes and dresses in preparation for a date. We learn Haley has accumulated around six hundred pairs of designer shoes and can’t fit into many of them. Haley comes and goes from dates detailing what the men wore, what they talked about and even some sexual orientations. Haley has also brought herself into the dirty underbelly of organized crime as she rose from lowly server to restaurant manager of a laundering front. We ride Haley’s roller coaster of emotion for ninety minutes as she sings from the mountain top after a great date and drinks in low places after her string of bad ones. Haley receives a phone call one night that changes everything she thinks about herself, her daughter, and even someone she never thought twice about.


Sometimes when an actor is given the reigns of a big time role, say Hamlet, the expectations are through the roof. The production can rise or fall depending on the caliber of the portrayal. Though, every now and again, an amazing actor is given the opportunity to put an entire show on their back and let it rise and fall with them, literally. Jessica Rothert’s performance was a phenomenal journey of eternal optimism and innocuous desperation at the same time. Speaking for nearly ninety minutes straight, Rothert as able to create characters such as the daughter Vera, her brother BJ, Eileen, Emily, “Bug Guy”, “Gay Law Professor” and mob boss, all with only her voice and clever playwriting.
Rothert’s Haley was so engaging of the audience, there were times when she would ask simple rhetorical questions, and I had to stop myself from answering. Bravo.

With a simple bedroom setting, a litany of designer shoes, dresser and closet, Stageworks’ fantastic use of minimalism produces maximum effect. I found Jessica Rothert’s performance extremely engaging, even being on stage by herself. This show is primed to be a surprise hit here in Tampa. With shows like In the Heights, Wicked, and Wonderland at the Straz Center, audiences looking for an intimate production they can relate to up close and personal, look no further.

‘Bad Dates’ is currently playing through December 6th at the Shimberg Playhouse at the David A. Straz Center for Performing Arts. This show had it’s first two performances sold out before they opened. By the time this show reaches it’s final week tickets will surely be hard to come by.
Tickets start at $24.50 and can be purchased by clicking here or calling the Straz Center at 813.229.STAR.

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Music of the Post - anberlin