Next to Normal at OPPA

When I walked into the theater to see PTC's production of Next to Normal several years ago I had no idea what to expect because I didn't know anything about the show and was only there because I was a season subscriber. I walked out of the theater a huge fan because I loved both the music (I have listened to the Original Broadway Cast Recording more times than I can count) and the powerful depiction of mental illness. I haven't had the opportunity to see this show since then so I was thrilled to learn that it was being produced by On Pitch Performing Arts this season! I saw it on opening night and it is outstanding in every way! The Goodmans seem like the perfect suburban family but, in reality, Diana (Mindi Hansen) suffers from a worsening bipolar depressive disorder, her husband Dan (Nathan Sachs) struggles with how best to help her while trying to keep the family together, her sixteen-year-old daughter Natalie (Heather Jackson) tries to be perfect in order to compensate, and her eighteen-year-old son Gabe (Jacob Ericksen) is not really there because he died as a baby.  She, along with Dr. Fine and then Dr. Madden (both played by Jake Oaklyn), attempts to treat her delusional episodes with medication, psychotherapy, hypnosis, and, eventually, electroconvulsive therapy with varying results.  Ultimately, Diana must find a way to let Gabe go, Dan must finally acknowledge him, and Natalie must make peace with the fact that her family will never be normal with the help of her boyfriend Henry (Logan Kelly). I find the story to be incredibly moving because it is a very realistic portrayal of how mental illness affects both the individual and the people who love them and the rock opera score is brilliant because, even though it might seem incongruous with the subject matter, I think it really heightens the multitude of emotions felt by the characters. The entire cast give incredible vocal performances but I especially loved all of the nuances in their portrayals. I was particularly impressed by Ericksen's passionate renditions of "I'm Alive," because you can really feel his despair at the possibility of being forgotten by his mother, and "There's a World" because his interaction with Diana is so visibly manipulative. I also loved Jackson's performance of "Superboy and the Invisible Girl" (my favorite song in the show), because it is extremely raw and perfectly expresses how she feels about being neglected by her mother, and Hansen's performance of "You Don't Know," because her frustration is palpable. One of the things that really struck me when I saw PTC's production was the elaborate set featuring the metal outline of a multi-story house that appears to be made of glass. The set for this production is obviously more minimal, with open areas representing the house, metal outlines of doors, and an LED screen that mimics glass windows (I loved how the images through the windows change in response to Diana's inner turmoil), but I think it is even more effective because it provides a greater intimacy with the characters. The staging is also very clever with set pieces that perform multiple functions. I love this show so much and this production did not disappoint! It runs at OPPA on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through October 5 (go here for tickets) and I highly recommend it!

Mrs. Doubtfire at the Eccles

It is no secret that I am not a fan of turning a popular movie into a stage musical so, when the Broadway at the Eccles 2024-2025 season was announced, Mrs. Doubtfire (based on the 1993 movie of the same name) was the show that I was the least excited about.  I saw it last night and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  Daniel Hillard (Rob McClure) is an unemployed voice actor who loses custody of his children, Lydia (Giselle Gutierrez), Christopher (Sam Bird), and Natalie (Sunny Lauren Holder), after a messy divorce from his wife Miranda (Catherine Brunell).  When he learns that Miranda is hiring a nanny, Daniel creates the character of a Scottish nanny named Euphegenia Doubtfire and applies for the position so that he can spend time with his children.  However, the character begins to take on a life of her own but she ultimately teaches Daniel how to be a better father and that love is what makes a family.  The show is absolutely hilarious (I was laughing out loud all night) because it recreates most of the really memorable moments from the movie including when Mrs. Doubtfire tries to cook.  It is also quite heartwarming with some poignant messages about divorce from the POV of the children involved and I especially loved the songs "Just Pretend" and "As Long as There Is Love" (the woman sitting in front of me was sobbing during this number).  McClure, who originated the role on Broadway, had big shoes to fill in taking on a character played by Robin Williams but he absolutely kills it!  I loved all of his different voice impersonations (one of Donald Trump and an ad libbed joke about it got the biggest laugh all night) and his physical comedy is brilliant, particularly in scenes where Daniel changes in and out of the Mrs. Doubtfire disguise quickly.  One of the biggest criticisms that I have about turning movies into musicals is that the songs are often contrived and forgettable but I actually loved many of the songs (as well as the choreography and staging) in this show.  In addition to the aforementioned "Just Pretend" and "As Long as There Is Love," I especially loved the disco anthem "Make Me a Woman" where Daniel asks his brother Frank (Aaron Kaburick) and his brother-in-law Andre (Marquez Linder) to help him disguise himself as a nanny and they model his transformation on Jackie O, Princess Diana, Cher, Madonna, and Donna Summer (who appear on stage) until Daniel mentions that his character is an old woman and then Eleanor Roosevelt, Julia Child, Margaret Thatcher, and Janet Reno join them for a hilarious dance number.  I was not expecting to love this but I did and I highly recommend it!  Go here for tickets to one of the five remaining performances through September 15.

His Three Daughters

Last night I returned to the Broadway to see His Three Daughters because I had heard so many good things about it.  It definitely hit a nerve (there were a few tears for obvious reasons) but it is also one of the best movies I've seen this year.  When cancer patient Vincent (Jay O. Sanders) is placed on hospice, his two daughters, Katie (Carrie Coon) and Christina (Elizabeth Olsen), return to their childhood home where he lives with Rachel (Natasha Lyonne), the daughter of his second wife.  Katie is uptight and judgmental, Christina is a mediator who suppresses her own feelings to keep the peace (until she doesn't), and Rachel is withdrawn and misunderstood despite carrying the heavy burden of caring for Vincent alone during his illness.  They must individually deal with their own grief over losing a father but also reconcile years of resentments and recriminations between them in order to heal.  Almost all of the action takes place inside a New York apartment and I loved the use of a long hallway for many conversations because it really emphasizes the tension between the women.  I also liked that Vincent doesn't appear until the final act, even though he is an imposing figure throughout the narrative, because the impact is incredibly powerful. The dialogue is very authentic, full of both pathos and humor, and all three actresses deliver brilliant performances.  I had a very visceral reaction to the message of this movie after recently going though a similar experience with my two sisters as we cared for our dad because, even though we were never estranged and were always on the same page about what was best for him, we had to support each other to get through it.  I highly recommend this touching portrait of grief (it begins streaming on Netflix on September 20).

Fiddler on the Roof at the Empress Theatre

Last night I went to the Empress Theatre for the third production of Fiddler on the Roof that I've seen this year. I obviously love the show but this version is full of so much heart it put a huge smile on my face. Tevye (Don Smith) is a poor Jewish dairyman living in the small Russian village of Anatevka with his wife Golde (Marie Roe) and his five daughters. He clings to his traditional way of life as a protection from the harsh realities of life but his three oldest daughters, Tzeitel (Makayla Porter), Hodel (Kieryn Crawford), and Chava (Abby Shelley), push against tradition when it comes time to find a match. This features one of the largest ensemble casts I've seen at this venue and the staging is done very well for such a small space. I enjoyed all of the different patterns created in the choreography for "Tradition," "To Life," "Tevye's Dream" (I always judge every production by this number because I once played Fruma Sarah and this one is a lot of fun), "The Wedding," and "Anatevka." One of the things I love most about community theatre is that the ensemble, especially those featuring young children, often includes family members and that is the case with this show. The children are absolutely adorable and I often found myself watching them because they were concentrating so hard on the songs, blocking, and choreography! I especially loved a young boy who sweeps during "To Life" because he definitely takes it very seriously and another boy who sings at the top of his lungs during "Sunrise, Sunset." The main cast is outstanding and many of the characters have little moments that are really poignant, particularly the scene between Tevye and Tzeitel when she begs him not to make her marry Lazar Wolf (Joel Clark), the scene between Tevye and Hodel when she leaves Anatevka, the scene when Golde learns that Chava has married Fyedka (Blake Nelson), and all of the interactions between Tevye and the Fiddler (Aimee Pike). My very favorites from the main cast were Ricardo Ramirez as Motel, because his nervous reactions to Tevye are hilarious, and Diana Sorenson as Yente, because she absolutely looks the part. The minimal sets for Tevye's house, Motel's tailor shop, and the village along with the simple rustic costumes are very effective at portraying the reality of life in pre-revolutionary Russia. I just loved this and I definitely recommend getting a ticket for one of the four remaining performances (go here for tickets).

Note:  I don't think I can pick a favorite Fiddler on the Roof from the three I saw this year. While HCT's production was probably the best I've ever seen, this one and the one at Terrace Plaza Playhouse were delightful!

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

I have to admit that I am only a casual fan of Beetlejuice (I finally watched it for the first time after seeing the musical of the same name last year) but I was still really excited to see the sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, at the Broadway last night.  It is so much fun!  After the death of Charles Deetz, Lydia (Winona Ryder), now the host of a supernatural TV show, her stepmother Delia (Catherine O'Hara), a performance artist, her fiance Rory (Justin Theroux), a narcissistic New Age TV producer, and her estranged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), who is still grief-stricken over the death of her father Richard (Santiago Cabrera), return to Winter River for his funeral.  When Astrid becomes trapped in the afterlife, Lydia is forced to call upon Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) to help her rescue her daughter.  In return, Lydia must promise, once again, to marry him so that he can stay in the mortal world.  Betelgeuse is eager to stay in the mortal world because his former wife Dolores (Monica Belucci) is pursuing him in the afterlife seeking vengeance despite the attempts of Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe), a dead actor who once played a B-movie detective, to apprehend her.  Mayhem (including a sandworm) ensues!  While there are a lot of sub-plots to keep track of (my least favorite is Rory trying to marry Lydia for nefarious reasons), I really enjoyed the dynamic between Delia, Lydia, and Astrid because Lydia now finds herself on the receiving end of the same type of disdain from Astrid that she used to show to Delia and the resolution between the three of them is both funny and poignant.  There are also lots of hilarious call backs to the original movie (my favorite is a performance of "Day-O" by a choir at the funeral) along with even zanier characters and more deranged hi-jinks in the afterlife.  Tim Burton returns to form with some truly creepy and ghoulish visuals, including both practical effects and stop-motion animation, and an over-the-top sequence to "MacArthur Park" is worth the price of admission alone!  Keaton, Ryder, and O'Hara (who is an absolute hoot) seem to be having the time of their lives revisiting these characters and Ortega fits right in as a girl who is herself strange and unusual.  I had a blast with this and I highly recommend it, particularly to fans of the original.