Last night it was so much fun to see a full production of The Music Man at Centerpoint Legacy Theatre (the first for CPT since the pandemic). I really love all of the old classic musicals, especially The Music Man, because they remind me so much of my Grandma Anderson. Every single familiar song made me want to sing along, especially "Ya Got Trouble," "Seventy-Six Trombones," "The Wells Fargo Wagon," and "Gary, Indiana," but I somehow controlled myself! This show tells the well-known story of a traveling salesman who comes to swindle the residents of River City into buying band instruments and uniforms but falls in love with a librarian instead and this production is very well done! I really enjoyed the entire cast! Russell Maxfield is incredibly charismatic and charming as Harold Hill and Mailee Halpin has a beautiful voice as the uptight yet vulnerable Marion, particularly in the songs "Goodnight My Someone," "My White Knight," and "'Till There Was You." Chad Wilkinson is the embodiment of befuddled pomposity as Mayor Shinn ("Not one poop out of you, madame.") and Angela Brown is hilarious with her version of a Grecian Urn as Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn (as a sometime character actress, Eulalie is my dream role). Tyler Bender as Zaneeta, Mayor Shinn's oldest girl, and Brevin Gardner as Tommy Djilas, a boy with reform school written all over him, are amazing dancers who lead a terrific ensemble in the big production numbers (more on them later). Micah Thornton is adorable as Winthrop, especially when he lisps, while Bridget Maxwell is an absolute hoot as Amaryllis and I laughed out loud during her cross-hand piano piece (I love this young actress because she stole the show as Gloria in HCT's production of Wait Until Dark and again as Lavender in HCT's production of Matilda). The feuding school board members, Nathan Asay, Eric Corrington, Paul Dixon, and Jeffrey Duncan, harmonize beautifully in "Goodnight Ladies," "Sincere," and "Lida Rose" and they are definitely a highlight of the show. The sets are also very well done and I especially liked the two-level library, the interior and exterior of the Paroo house, the fountain in the park, and the footbridge. The energetic choreography is a lot of fun and it is executed very well by the talented cast, particularly in "Seventy-Six Trombones," "Marion the Librarian," and "Shipoopi." I had a smile on my face throughout the entire show because it is just so delightful and I highly recommend it for a bit of nostalgic fun (go here for tickets).
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Saturday, January 16, 2021
The Secret Garden at CPT
My first show of 2021 was The Secret Garden at CenterPoint Theatre last night and, even though I'm not a big fan of this musical, I really loved this production. CPT chose to perform the shorter Spring version with a very minimal set and projections to keep the cast and crew safe and I think this actually puts the spotlight on the actors who all do a wonderful job! Mary Lennox (Caroline Drake) is orphaned by a cholera outbreak in India and sent to live with her uncle Archibald Craven (Zach Watts) at Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire. He has been grieving the death of his wife Lily (Laura Strong), who died in childbirth, for ten years and has closed off his heart, the house, and Lily's garden. Mary receives a cold welcome from the housekeeper Mrs. Medlock (Michelle Clark) and an indifferent one from her uncle. She is lonely and unhappy but is encouraged by a maid named Martha (Jessica Wadley) and her brother Dickon (Alex Young) to play outside and she soon discovers Lily's abandoned garden. She also discovers her cousin Colin (Colin Burke) who has been kept an invalid by Archibald's brother Neville (Russell Maxfield). As Mary brings the garden back to life, she also brings Colin and Archibald back to life. As I previously mentioned, the entire cast is phenomenal but I was especially impressed with Drake as Mary, Young as Dickon, and Burke as Colin. I always prefer the interactions between the children over the interactions between the adults in this show and these young actors are absolutely brilliant in the songs "Wick" and "Come Spirit, Come Charm." I particularly liked Young because his portrayal is so charming and charismatic. My favorite song has always been "Hold On" and Wadley gives a very powerful rendition of it. I also really enjoyed Strong's version of "Come to My Garden" because she has a beautiful voice and her duet of "Lift Me Up" with Burke gave me goosebumps because it is so emotional. Even though the set is very minimal, featuring a series of platforms at various levels, and there are only a few props, such as Mary's skipping rope and Colin's wheelchair, the costumes are quite elaborate, the lighting is dramatic, and the projections of various rooms in the manor and the gardens during the different seasons are very effective. I had a lovely time watching this show and I highly recommend it for the inspirational story of redemption and the stirring performances. It runs on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays through January 30 and tickets are $15 for the balcony and $18 for the main floor (go here).
Saturday, December 19, 2020
We Need a Lot of Christmas Concert at CPT
For the second weekend in a row I found myself at CenterPoint Theatre for a Christmas-themed program! Last night, twelve incredibly talented performers, including Sterling Allen, Darin J. Beardall, Daylen Bills, Paul Dixon, Emily Erdman, Annie Ferrin, Kyra Furman, Mailee Halpin, Michael Hernandez, Isaac Larsen, Kacee Neff, and Jana Plowman, presented an evening of Christmas songs from Broadway and the silver screen. As someone who absolutely loves hearing Christmas music performed live, I thoroughly enjoyed this concert! The program included "Spirit of the Season" from The Polar Express, "We Need A Little Christmas" from Mame, "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas" from Miracle on 34th Street, "12 Days to Christmas" from She Loves Me, "Somewhere In My Memory" from Home Alone, "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" from How The Grinch Stole Christmas, "Snow" from White Christmas, "Silver Bells" from The Lemon Drop Kid, "Christmas Is My Favorite Time Of Year" from Catch Me If You Can, "The Christmas Song" from Jingle All The Way, "One More Sleep 'Til Christmas" and "It Feels Like Christmas" from The Muppet Christmas Carol, "A Christmas Song" from Elf, "New Deal For Christmas" from Annie, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" from Meet Me In St. Louis, "Happy Holidays" and "Holiday Inn" from Holiday Inn, and "White Christmas" from White Christmas. The stage was decorated like a winter wonderland with pine trees and giant snow flakes, the costumes had a very retro feel with lots of plaid and cardigan sweaters, and every number was creatively staged to mimic its counterpart from the stage and screen with the addition of a few props and a bit of choreography. My favorite numbers were "12 Days to Christmas," which added three tables filled with perfume to represent Maraczek's Parfumerie and manic choreography featuring customers trying to do their last-minute Christmas shopping (I absolutely love this show), "One More Sleep 'Til Christmas" and "It Feels Like Christmas," because they featured puppets (the children sitting in front of me lost their minds when they started singing), and "White Christmas," because it concluded the concert with snow falling on the stage and an audience sing-along just like in the movie (one of my favorites). The entire show had the feel of a performing arts Christmas program at a local high school in a small town where everyone in the community attends and I really loved that. It provided a bit of nostalgic Christmas cheer at a time when we could all really use it! Unfortunately, last night was the final performance of this show.
Sunday, December 13, 2020
A Christmas Carol at CPT
Last night I attended another performance of A Christmas Carol and I thoroughly enjoyed it. CenterPoint Theatre is presenting the musical version of the classic Christmas story with a cast of fifteen actors performing all of the roles, beautiful period costumes, a minimal set, and clever projections. The redemption of the miser Ebeneezer Scrooge (Nick Cash) begins when he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley (Lee Wright) who tells him that he will also be visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past (Kristina Boler), Present (Alexander "Xander" Richey), and Future (Julia Loveland-Bradford). These ghosts show Scrooge the true meaning of Christmas with the help of his clerk Bob Cratchit (John Lee Roring), Cratchit's son Tiny Tim (McGuire Bingham), his former employer Mr. Fezziwig (Craig Hovorka), and his nephew Fred (Derek Marsden). I really enjoyed all of the songs in this show but my favorites are "You Mean More to Be" by Cratchit and Tiny Tim, "Link By Link" by Marley's Ghost, "The Lights of Long Ago" by the Ghost of Christmas Past (Boler has a beautiful voice), and "A Place Called Home" by Scrooge. The choreography for the songs "Mr. Fezziwig's Annual Christmas Ball," "Christmas Together," "Dancing on Your Grave," and "God Bless Us Everyone" is very innovative because these numbers involve the entire cast but the actors are still able to maintain some distance from each other. In addition to the beautiful Victorian costumes (my favorites were those worn by all of the ghosts, especially the Ghost of Christmas Future), all of the actors wear clear protective shields but after a few minutes I didn't even notice them any more. The set consists of a series of black platforms at various levels (much like those used for this show) with projections to represent Scrooge's rooms, the Cratchit house, Fred's house, Fezziwig's warehouse, and the streets of London. Even though the set is very minimal I thought it was effective. All of the actors give heartfelt performances but I particularly enjoyed Cash as Scrooge because his transformation is authentic and Bingham as Tiny Tim because he is so adorable. If you are looking for a dose of Christmas cheer this show will definitely give you some and I recommend it for the whole family. It runs on the Barlow Main Stage on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays through December 19. Tickets are $18 on the main floor and $15 for the balcony (go here).
Note: I have been so impressed with all of the measures that CPT has taken to keep all of their actors and their patrons safe while still providing entertainment for the community.
Sunday, October 11, 2020
Broadway Villains in Concert at CPT
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Peter and the Starcatcher at CPT
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Holiday Inn at CPT
Saturday, October 5, 2019
The Hunchback of Notre Dame at CPT
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at CPT
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
My Fair Lady at CPT
Note: I have had lots of opportunities to see My Fair Lady this year! I saw the Academy Award-winning film adaptation as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series and I saw the concert version performed by the Utah Symphony.
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at CPT
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Lend Me A Tenor at CPT
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Elf The Musical at CPT
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Ragtime at CPT
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
The Pirates of Penzance at CPT
Note: If you see this show, pay very close attention to the supertitles!
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Crazy For You at CPT
Note: One of my former students was in the ensemble and he was fantastic! I didn't know that he could tap!