Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at Hopebox Theatre

Last night I went to see Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at Hopebox Theatre. I don't particularly like this version of the classic fairy tale (Cinderella is a social reformer who rescues the prince from his advisors at court) but I thoroughly enjoyed what Hopebox did with it. The music is really beautiful and, because it is by Rogers and Hammerstein, it requires an impressive vocal range. This cast is definitely up for the challenge, especially Jennica Johnson as Ella and Brianna Skeen as Marie/ Fairy Godmother. I loved their performances of "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible," "Glass Slipper/ It's Possible," and "There Is Music In You" because they imbue these songs with so much emotion. Johnson also has a lot of chemistry with with John Derington, as Prince Topher, and their songs together, "Ten Minutes Ago," "Loneliness Of Evening," and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful," are incredibly romantic. Other highlights from the cast include Hillary McChesney as Madame, because she is channeling her inner Christine Baranski with her haughty demeanor and over the top line deliveries (she made me laugh out loud multiple times), Alexa Thomas as Charlotte, because her version of "Stepsister's Lament" is hilarious and she just about steals the show with her accordion playing in "When You're Driving Through The Moonlight," and Josh Rogers as Lord Pinkerton, because is is so overwrought (I loved his handkerchief). The choreography is a lot of fun for "The Prince Is Giving a Ball/ Now Is The Time" and "Ten Minutes Ago (Reprise)" and I was especially impressed with the number of synchronized couples twirling on such a small stage during the latter song. I was also impressed by the staging "Glass Slipper/ It's Possible" and "The Pursuit" because the transformations of the Fox and Raccoon into the Coachman (Kira Wootton) and the Footman (McKenna Mills), respectively, and back again are magical (even without the technical wizardry of professional theaters). Speaking of transformations, Marie's change into the Fairy Godmother and Cinderella's change into her ball gown are dazzling (a little girl in the audience squealed with delight). I really loved the set, which features backdrops of Cinderella's cottage, the prince's castle, and the town square created with rotating panels, because they look like the illustrations found in books of fairy tales. This fairy tale aesthetic is continued in the set pieces brought on stage, particularly the spectacular coach and white horses that take Cinderella to the ball. Finally, the costumes are gorgeous, especially the ball gowns (although most of the hems are starting to show a lot of wear and tear), and the puppets are really cute (be sure to watch them). As with every production at the Hopebox Theatre, the proceeds will go to someone battling cancer in the community (go here to meet the recipient for this show, Alan Goodfellow) so you will have a delightful evening of entertainment and support a very good cause by buying a ticket (go here). It runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through October 30.

Other Mommy

I was on the fence about Other Mommy but, when my nephew expressed an interest, I thought it would be fun to see it with him.  We went to a Thursday preview last night and we had more fun discussing how bad it is on the drive home than we did watching it. Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark) is a seven-year-old girl who lives with her disinterested mom Ursula (Jessica Chastain) and her distracted dad Russ (Jay Duplass).  She seeks out the supernatural entity hiding in her closet, which she calls "Other Mommy" because it takes the form of her mother, whenever she is left alone.  Other Mommy repeatedly asks Bela to let her into her heart so she can protect her from her dysfunctional family but in reality she just wants to possess her body in order to be reincarnated.  The secrets that have been festering between Ursula and Russ, including the affair she is having with Frank (Arian Moayed), make Other Mommy more and more powerful which ultimately leads to a showdown between her and Bela.  I enjoyed the theme that children often internalize the tension between their parents and there are some interesting visuals that show what is happening from Bela's distorted perspective.  However, this theme is not developed very well and the conclusion is incredibly underwhelming because nothing has changed in the family dynamic (I've heard that it differs from the source material).  The jump scares in this movie have been hyped a lot in the marketing but I did not find it scary at all.  In fact, the only unsettling scene is the one used in the first trailer.  To be fair, the trailer did freak out the audience the first time I saw it but it no longer evokes the same sense of dread after multiple viewings.  The tone is all over the place and the performances are strangely inert (Chastain is weird rather than menacing and I wondered more than once why an actress of her caliber agreed to appear in this B-movie).  This is definitely something you can wait to see when it streams but only if you have nothing better to do.

The Incomer

Last night my nephew and I went to the Broadway to see The Incomer and we both loved this weird, funny, and heartwarming movie.  Siblings Isla (Gayle Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O'Rourke) have spent their entire lives in isolation on a remote Scottish island being influenced by folktales about the mysterious finman (John Hannah) who demanded that their father sacrifice himself to the sea.  They defend their island fiercely against incomers from the mainland with odd rituals and, if need be, primitive weapons made of stone and bone.  Eventually, the Northeastern Scottish Council sends Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson), a meek and socially awkward land recovery agent, to the island to evict them.  They easily capture and restrain him but first Sandy and then Isla take a liking to him and soon they are sharing their folktales with each other (Daniel tells a folktale from the mainland about a hero named Frodo).  Hilarity ensues as Daniel tries to convince them to leave the island while Sandy and Isla try to get him to stay.  They ultimately discover that belonging comes from more than just a place.  My nephew and I are huge fans of quirky British humor and we were laughing out loud most of the time (as was the large crowd watching it with us).  I especially loved a sequence in which Isla and Sandy initiate Daniel with a "Way of the Gull" ritual (which is a long-standing tradition and not something they made up that morning).  Daniel is as lonely and as weird as the siblings and another amusing scene involves him using his phone, which the siblings have never seen before, to prove that he is a wizard.  In addition to the humor, this is also quite poignant because they find an unexpected kinship with each other and their interactions help them overcome their fears.  This is especially true when Isla realizes that the finman isn't real and that her upbringing and world view may have been skewed by her father's delusions.  The three actors give committed physical performances that are a lot of fun to watch and I loved their impersonations of birds (their bird costumes are fabulous).  Finally, the locations are spectacular (it was filmed in the Scottish Highlands) and the cinematography is beautiful, particularly a sequence on the edge of a cliff.  Some might find this tedious but if you have an offbeat sense of humor you will probably enjoy it as much as my nephew and I did.

Sense and Sensibility

I bought a ticket to last night's Screen Unseen very much hoping that it would be Sense and Sensibility and I was thrilled when it was revealed to be the title!  I really enjoyed this adaptation once I stopped comparing it to the 1995 movie.  The death of their father leaves the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones), Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles), and Margaret (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), in reduced circumstances so Mrs. Dashwood (Caitriona Balfe) accepts the offer of a cottage in Devonshire from Mrs. Jennings (Fiona Shaw), a distant relation, in order to escape the reluctant charity offered by John Dashwood (Tom Brooke) and his odious wife Fanny (Stacy Martin).  Eventually, the sensible and reserved Elinor falls in love with the equally taciturn Edward Ferrars (George MacKay) while the impetuous and passionate Marianne is swept up in a romance with the obvious cad John Willoughby (Frank Dillane).  They both experience heartbreak in London but, when Elinor and Marianne help each other balance reason and emotion, they ultimately find happiness.  Elinor finally reveals her feelings to Edward when he is free from his engagement to Lucy Steele (Ceara Coveney) and Marianne finds real love, rather than infatuation, with Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum).  I love that this version focuses more on the relationship between the two sisters than their relationships with their suitors but, having said that, I also think that it is incredibly romantic.  Both Edward and Brandon must earn the love of the sisters, Edward in an added scene in which he honors his obligation to Lucy when Elinor asks him to and Brandon in a restored scene (it was omitted from the 1995 movie) in which he confronts Willoughby for Marianne's honor, and both declare their love to the sisters in swoonworthy scenes.  The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, with an emphasis on the natural environment (I especially loved the rugged moors, windswept beaches, and rain drenched trees) as well as interiors lit by the warm glow of candles, and the production design feels very organic.  The main cast is wonderful and I especially enjoyed Edgar-Jones, because her performance emphasizes how hard it is for Elinor to keep her emotions bottled inside, and Shaw, because she is an absolute hoot (she provides much of the comic relief in this more restrained version).  The supporting cast also have moments to shine, particularly Chloe Pirrie, as Lady Middleton (she is omitted from the 1995 movie), when she comments on the weather and Turlough Convery, as Sir John Middleton, when he provides game for the Dashwoods.  There are some anachronistic details that distract (I didn't mind the hairstyles as much as I minded the modern dancing) and I did start to feel the runtime but this is a worthy interpretation of the Jane Austen classic and I highly recommend it.

Note:  I love both the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and the 2005 version for different reasons.  I now feel the same way about the 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and this new version.

Jekyll and Hyde at the Empress Theatre

The musical Jekyll and Hyde is one of the first shows I saw on Broadway (the OBC with Linda Eder as Lucy) so it will always be a favorite of mine. I was, therefore, absolutely thrilled when the Empress Theatre very graciously provided me with a ticket to their production last night. I loved everything about it! Dr. Henry Jekyll (Danny Keetch) is a passionate man of science who wants to cure his father, who is suffering from madness, with a chemical formula he developed to separate good from evil. When his request to test his formula is denied by the hypocritical Board of Governors at St. Jude's hospital, he takes matters into his own hands. His alter-ego Mr. Edward Hyde, a terrifying madman, is created when Jekyll experiments on himself and all of his inner demons are unleashed. The two women who love him, his fiancee Emma Carew (Angela Warnock) and a prostitute named Lucy Harris (Joy Babcock Austin), and his friend John Utterson (Tyler Rasmussen) are unaware of his secret as Jekyll tries to control the monster within. However, he is unsuccessful and Hyde eventually kills all of the members of the Board of Governors and becomes a danger to the rest of the citizens of London, to Lucy and Emma, and to himself. Warnock and Austin are outstanding and I especially loved their touching renditions of "Once Upon a Dream" and "Someone Like You," respectively. Their performance of "In His Eyes" is one of the many highlights of the show because their voices blend together so beautifully and they both also have tremendous chemistry with Keetch, particularly a romantic version of "Take Me As I Am" featuring Warnock and an incredibly passionate performance of "Dangerous Game" featuring Austin. Speaking of Keetch, I loved his voice (it is very well suited to the pop-rock score) and he absolutely blew me away with his powerful performance of "This is the Moment," my favorite song in the show, but then he took it to another level in "Alive!" I was also impressed by the distinct changes in his physicality and his voice for the two characters (his first transition to Hyde is spectacular) and the entire audience was riveted when he transitioned back and forth between Jekyll and Hyde in "Confrontation" (it gave me goosebumps). The ensemble is one of the strongest I've seen at this theatre and, while the singing and dancing throughout the entire show is phenomenal, they do an exceptional job embodying the class divide found in Victorian London. This is especially true in the song "Facade" as the aristocracy and the members of the dance hall underworld circle each other.  I enjoyed the patterns created in the choreography for the engagement party (I liked seeing Stride, played by Coulter Thomsen, chase Emma through the rows of dancing couples) and the boisterous cabaret number "Bring on the Men" is another highlight. The staging for "Murder, Murder!" is incredibly dynamic (this number sometimes drags for me) because the pacing, energy, use of newspapers as props, and use of the different areas of the stage make it very engaging. The stage and surrounding areas of the theatre mimic the cobblestone streets of nineteenth century London and the set, which is minimal but very effective, features a small six-sided platform for Jekyll's laboratory, St. Jude's Hospital, the Red Rat, and other locations with the addition of a few pieces. The color red in the lighting design is very dramatic and is used to great effect during "Confrontation" to denote the two different characters. Finally, the period costumes are gorgeous and may be my favorite at this theatre. I had a really fun night watching a show I love performed brilliantly by one of my favorite community theatres and I cannot recommend it enough! There are performances every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday through October 17 with a newly added performance on Monday, October 5. Go here for tickets.