Saturday, December 7, 2019
Photo Flash: FROZEN at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre
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| Caroline Ixnnerbichler (Anna), Caroline Bowman (Elsa), and the Company of Frozen. |All photos by Deen van Meer |
The Frozen North American tour by Disney Theatrical Producitons has officially opened for a nine-week run at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre starring Caroline Bowman as Elsa and Caroline Innerbichler as Anna, the sisters at the heart of the joy-filled musical. Joining them are principal cast members Austin Colby (Bowman’s husband) as Hans, F. Michael Haynie as Olaf, Mason Reeves as Kristoff, Jeremy Morse as Weselton, Collin Baja and Evan Strand alternating as Sven, as well as Stella Cobb (Young Anna), Alyssa Kim (Young Elsa), Jaiden Klein (Young Elsa), and Arwen Monzon-Sanders (Young Anna).
Frozen also features Caelan Creaser, C.K. Edwards, Michael Everett, Berklea Going, Michael Allan Haggerty, Tyler Jimenez, Hannah Jewel Kohn, Marina Kondo, Dustin Layton, Nika Lindsay, Tatyana Lubov, Adrianna Rose Lyons, Ralph Meitzler, Kelly Methven, Michael Milkanin, Kyle Lamar Mitchell, Jessie Peltier, Naomi Rodgers, Daniel Switzer, Zach Trimmer, Brit West, and Natalie Wisdom.
A mysterious secret. A family torn apart. As one sister struggles with being an outsider and harnessing her powers within, the other sets out on a thrilling adventure to bring her family together once again. Both are searching for love, but they’ll learn that to find it they’ll have to look inside themselves first.
This all-new production is created for the stage by an award-winning team. It features the songs you know and love from the original Oscar®-winning film, plus an expanded score with a dozen new numbers by the film’s songwriters, Oscar winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez and EGOT winner Robert Lopez. Joining them on a creative team that has won a cumulative 16 Tony Awards are Oscar winner Jennifer Lee (book), Tony and Olivier Award winner Michael Grandage (director), and Tony winner Rob Ashford (choreographer). Get your tickets now at HollywoodPantages.com!
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| Caroline Bowman as Elsa |
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| Collin Baja (Sven) and F. Michael Haynie (Olaf) |
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| Caroline Innerbichler (Anna), Naomi Rodgers, and Caelan Creaser |
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| Caroline Innerbichler (Anna) and Mason Reeves (Kristoff) |
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| The Company of Frozen |
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| Mason Reeves (Kristoff) and Collin Baja (Sven) |
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| Caroline Bowman (Elsa) |
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| The Company of Frozen |
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| Caroline Innerbichler (Anna) and the Company of Frozen |
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Labels: hollywood pantages
Monday, October 7, 2019
First Look: ANASTASIA at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre
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| Lila Coogan as Anya. Photo by Matthew Murphy. |
Adapted by Terrence McNally and set to a gorgeous score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Anastasia is currently celebrating an open-ended run on Broadway and now the touring production comes to the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, Oct. 8 - 27, directed by Tony Award®-winning director Darko Tresnjak. For tickets and more information, visit www.hollywoodpantages.com/anastasia.
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| Victoria Bingham (Little Anastasia) and Joy Franz (Dowager Empress). Photo by Evan Zimmerman, MurphyMade. |
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| Lila Coogan (Anya) and Stephen Brower (Dmitry). Photo by Matthew Murphy. |
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| Lila Coogan (Anya) and the company. Photo by Evan Zimmerman, MurphyMade. |
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| Edward Staudenmayer (Vlad), Lila Coogan (Anya), Stephen Brower (Dmitry) and the company. Photo by Evan Zimmerman, MurphyMade. |
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| Jason Michael Evans (Gleb). Photo by Matthew Murphy, MurphyMade. |
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| Lila Coogan (Anya) and Stephen Brower (Dmitry). Photo by Evan Zimmerman, MurphyMade. |
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| Lila Coogan (Anya), Stephen Brower (Dmitry) and the company. Photo by Evan Zimmerman, MurphyMade. |
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Labels: hollywood pantages
Musical News to Get You Out the Door and Off to the Theatre
ANASTASIA
Anastasia makes its L.A. premiere at the Pantages Theatre Oct. 8 – 27. The dazzling Broadway musical will transport the audience from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family. Adapted by Terrence McNally and set to a gorgeous score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Anastasia is currently celebrating an open-ended run on Broadway. The touring production is directed by Tony Award®-winning director Darko Tresnjak and also features choreography by Peggy Hickey, music supervision by Tom Murray, music direction by Lawrence Goldberg, and orchestrations by Doug Besterman. The cast stars Lila Coogan as Anya, Stephen Brower as Dmitry, Jason Michael Evans as Gleb, Joy Franz as Dowager Empress, Tari Kelly as Countess Lily, Edward Staudenmayer as Vlad and Victoria Amelia Bingham as Little Anastasia. A limited number of $25 tickets will be offered by Digital Lottery. Get all the details here: hollywoodpantages.com/Lottery. Click Here for more information and to purchase tickets.
DEAR JERRY SEINFELD
You can check out the latest rock musical from composer Michael Teoli this month at Three Clubs when he combines Seinfeld and Dear Evan Hansen to bring you Dear Jerry Seinfeld. If watching Jerry, Elaine, George, Kramer and even Newman sing and dance about nothing sounds like the stuff of your dreams, then this one’s for you. Starring Alex Lewis of Bring The Funny, Allyson Phillips, Heather Woodward, Matthew Patrick Davis, Brock Baker, Dahlya Glick, Madison Lanesey, Vic Michaelis, Andrew Young and Ari Stidham from the TV series Scorpion as Newman. Thursdays at 8pm, Oct. 10 – Nov. 21. The Three Clubs has a two drink minimum per person but you can bring in outside food. Please note, you must be 21 to attend. www.dearjerryseinfeld.com
This “prequel” to William Finn’s groundbreaking March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland is directed by Corey Lynn Howe, and produced by Zachary Harris Lutsky and Tal Fal. In the opening chapter of the Marvin Trilogy, Marvin explores his sexuality and identity through his relationships with the three most important woman in his life: his high school sweetheart; his teacher; and his wife. Torn between his natural inclination and his desire not to upset his family life as he knows it, Marvin ultimately makes the decision he feels is best for him. Cast stars Braxton Molinaro in the title role, with Tal Fox (His Wife), Michelle Lane (His Teacher), and Lea Madda (His High School Sweetheart). Brooke van Grinsven is the Female Cover. The show is appropriate for ages 14+ and runs 90 minutes with no intermission. Oct. 11 – Nov. 3 at the Lounge Theatre in Hollywood. brownpapertickets.com/event/4323015
Get those trombones ready everyone! Adam Pascal stars as Professor Harold Hill in 5-Star Theatricals’ upcoming production of The Music Man at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. The Meredith Willson classic musical is directed by Larry Raben and features musical direction by Brad Ellis and choreography by Peggy Hickey. The cast also includes Katharine McDonough as Marian, Trent Mills, Joshua Blond, Lisa Dyson, Savannah Fischer, Dani Gonzalez, Rich Grosso, Joe Hart, Christie Lynn Lawrence, Antonia Vivino, Chris Hunter, Jonathan Matthews, James Thomas Miller, Richard Storrs, L. Michael Wells, Adam Winer, and an ensemble of 24. Oct. 18 – 27 at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. 5startheatricals.com [Photo by Ed Krieger]
October is Drug Abuse Prevention Month and AK Ink is giving back by donating all proceeds from their new musical Good Fishermen Know A Lot About Sex to benefit Opioid Abuse Prevention. Writer Alexa Karas and composer Konner Scott explore what happens when you combine a grieving family of four, hoping to put the past behind them, with a boatful of local Hawaiian fishermen. As Ally and her family learn about the cycle of life and how sex and fishing are intimately connected, they realize that even when faced with the most difficult of circumstances, life goes on. The cast includes Kelley Pierre, Ryan Lee Hughes, Peter Miller, Dorothy Blue, Earl Baylon, Kit Nolan, Konner Scott, and Jimmy Clabots. Oct. 11 – Nov. 3 at the Hudson Theatre. onstage411.com/goodfisherman
MainStreet Theatre Company opens its new season at the Lewis Family Playhouse with the west coast premiere of OLIVÉRio: A Brazilian Twist. This musical retelling of Oliver Twist is set in modern-day Rio de Janeiro and features book and lyrics by Karen Zacarías and music by Deborah Wicks La Puma. A play-within-a-play setting follows Oli (Ella Saldana North), an orphan girl who asks Iemanja (Patricia Jewel), the goddess of the sea, for a “little bit more” in her life. Along comes con artist Falcão (Janet Greaves) and her artful young thief Zé Esquiva (Max Torrez) who attempt to use Oli’s innocence for their own gain. Soon everyone must decide whether they will do the right thing or take the easy way out. Robert Castro directs, choreography is by Tamica Washington-Miller, and Richard Miller is musical director. The score will be performed by a live Brazilian band. Also included in the cast are Anthea Neri as Nancí, a wash maid with dreams of her own, Reuben Uy as Sykes, an unscrupulous policeman, and Gigi Bermingham as the rich widow Rosa Maria. Oct. 12 – 27. www.lewisfamilyplayhouse.com
3-D Theatricals launches its 2019-2020 season with ONCE, The Musical directed by Kari Hayter and choreographed by Linda Love Simmons with musical direction and conducting by David Lamoureux. Adapted from the Academy Award-winning motion picture written and directed by John Carney, ONCE follows a heartbroken Irish guitarist who has given up on love and music until an immigrant girl inspires him to keep going. Their shared love of music draws the two together and the unexpected friendship quickly evolves into a powerful but complicated love story. 3DT’s production stars a company of actor/musicians who will play their own instruments and the venue will be transformed to an intimate in-the-round configuration. Cast includes Tom Frank as Guy, and Aurora Florence as Girl, Tony Award-winner Scott Waara as Da, and original Broadway cast member Andy Taylor as Bank Manager, along with Chuck McLane, Katherine Washington, Cynthia Marty, David Coe Lamoureux, Andrew Huber, Cameron Tagge, Erich Schroeder, Leota Rhodes, and Quinn Copeland. ONCE, The Musical features a book by Enda Walsh, and music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. Oct. 11 – 27 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. 3dtheatricals.org
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Labels: 3D Theatricals, 5-star theatricals, hollywood pantages, hudson theatre, lounge theatre, mainstreet theatre company, three clubs
Saturday, March 2, 2019
Review: The CATS Phenomenon Continues at the Hollywood Pantages
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| Dan Hoy as Munkustrap. All photos by Matthew Murphy |
Without a doubt, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical CATS is of an era. Based on one of Lloyd Webber’s favorite books as a child, T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, it was a perfect vehicle for the tastes of theatre lovers in the eighties, the decade of excess. The large-scale production, which opened on Broadway in 1982, was a highly theatrical concept featuring an elaborate light show, impressive dance numbers, and an intoxicating score, exactly what the public had come to expect from the composer of Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita.
It also had cats. Lots and lot of cats. A cast of 26 humans, spectacularly costumed and greasepainted, were choreographed to move with all the quirks and habits of their feline counterparts. Crowds ate it up.
Cut to today and the Trevor Nunn-directed North American tour that just opened at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre and you’ll see that little has changed. Fans of the original won’t be disappointed by the bewitcing revival and, from the thundering applause heard on opening night, today’s audience loves the theatricality as much as it did 27 years ago.
Yes, it’s dated, (the prominent appearance of a boom box is a not so subtle reminder) and it will never win over fans looking for intellectual fare, but it does a remarkable job of paying homage to the man who owned the genre at a high point in musical theatre’s evolution. The original production won seven Tony awards, ran for 18 years on Broadway, and has been seen by more than 73 million people around the world. Say what you will, the CATS phenomenon is nothing to sneeze at.
Neither is the hardworking cast who performs this show eight times a week. This group of athletes is in top form as they fluidly move through Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography, based on Gillian Lynne’s original work on the show. The physical stamina required is mind-boggling and yet they make it look effortless.
Ensemble numbers are exciting and packed with leaps, pirouettes, gymnastics, and plenty of fancy footwork. Specialty song and dances are filled with bold personality, the most engaging of which is Munkustrap (Dan Hoy), the alpha male protector of the group who also acts as narrator. In a show that can overwhelm the senses with all of its moving parts, his face in stillness is a wonder.
Fat cat Jennyanydots (Emily Jeanne Phillips) energetically taps her way through “The Old Gumbie Cat” while Mungojerrie (Tony d’Alelio) and Rumpelteazer (Rose Iannaccone) wrap around each other like fun-loving pretzels with mischief on their minds. Victoria (Caitlin Bond), the White Cat, and her pas de deux partner Plato (Tyler John Logan) are gorgeous to watch and Mistoffelees (Tion Gaston) is a crowd-pleaser in his LED light up tux and effects-driven breakout performance. Rum Tum Tugger (McGee Maddox) is the Mick Jagger of cats with a rock star persona that has his feline groupies swooning at every turn. Demeter (Liz Schmitz) and Bombalurina (Lexie Plath) slither through a terrific Pink Panther-sounding explanation of “McCavity, The Mystery Cat”. It’s interesting to note that Bombalurina is the role Taylor Swift will play in the film version of CATS out later this year.
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| McGee Maddox as Rum Tum Tugger |
But the most moving performance of all comes not from one of the dancing cats but from the “actor” of the group, Timothy Gulan as Gus the Theatre Cat. Once a great thespian but now old and rickety, his song has the sweetest of melodies and Gulan is so openly vulnerable and charming in his innocence that it’s enough to break your heart. Also, his singing voice matches his character.
The same cannot be said of Old Deuteronomy (Brandon Michael Nase), the leader of this group of cats and the oldest of the bunch. Instead, Nase has a strong youthful tenor voice and is dressed tragically like a walking shag carpet. Both are unfortunate creative decisions that undermine the integrity of the show and make the character seem like a joke. His purpose as the elder is to choose the cat who will be reborn into their next life yet it’s hard to take him seriously as currently envisioned.
The other disappointment is the role of Grizabella which won Betty Buckley a Tony award for her unforgettable performance of what would become her signature ballad, “Memory.” Currently played by Keri René Fuller as a physically twisted and broken cat, each time she appears on stage all the air gets sucked out of the room. “Memory” is still met with rousing applause because it is so recognizable but the voice falters without a deeper maturity level to anchor the character’s emotion.
CATS is at its best when the dancing takes over and carries the audience away to a whimsical world where a tire rising out of a junkyard becomes a space ship headed to another life, a string of lights is all that's needed to beckon us into a moonlight ball, and the sound of breaking glass signals a hidden villain on the loose. Who knows when you'll be invited to this kind of fantastical party again.
CATS
February 26 – March 24, 2019
Hollywood Pantages Theatre
6233 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tickets and more info: www.hollywoodpantages.com
For more about the Tour: www.catsthemusical.com
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Labels: hollywood pantages
Saturday, February 2, 2019
Review: HELLO, DOLLY! - At Long Last, It's Hello, Betty!
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| Betty Buckley in Hello, Dolly! All photos by Julieta Cervantes |
In the lexicon of American Musical Theatre, Hello, Dolly! is one of the best star vehicles ever written. And, because of the title role’s iconic nature, almost everyone can name the leading ladies who have played her. Carol Channing, Mary Martin, Pearl Bailey, Barbra Streisand, and most recently, Bette Midler, have all donned the red sequined gown and outsized personality of Dolly Levi, matchmaker extraordinaire and the original mother of invention.
But, now, to the thrill of local music theatre fans, it’s time to say, “Well, hello Betty…” Betty Buckley, that is, queen of the Broadway musical, who originated the roles of Edwin Drood, Martha Jefferson in 1776, and Grizabella in CATS (for which she won a Tony Award). She’s played some of the genre’s most tragic characters, from Norma Desmond to Margaret White in the cult musical Carrie, to Triumph of Love’s Hesione. Everything she does is a master class in excellence. To watch as she brings her signature emotional heft to composer Jerry Herman and bookwriter Michael Stewart’s enduring classic is a high audiences won’t soon forget.
Dolly breezes into town like a breath of fresh air and Betty gives us a character full of chutzpah and heart, whose rare insight into the hilarious foibles of love endear her to everyone within reach. Before the curtain falls, she will succeed in delivering a new romance to two optimistic young men in search of a big city adventure, fulfill the dreams of a hat maker who longs for love, open the eyes of a quirky young shopgirl with her first infatuation, help a young couple convince her curmudgeonly uncle to support their engagement, and persuade said uncle that the perfect match for him is none other than Dolly herself.
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| Front left: Jess LeProtto (Barnaby) and Nic Rouleau (Cornelius) with Lewis J. Stadlen (center) and the cast of Hello, Dolly! |
Horace Vandergelder (Lewis J. Stadlen) is the well-known unmarried Yonkers half-a-millionaire whom Dolly has decided will take the place of her deceased husband, Ephraim. For ten years she has made a go of it on her own but, as she says in one of her loving asides, “I’m tired, Ephraim, tired of living from hand to mouth.” Still, she wants him to give her a sign it’s okay to move on and, when it finally arrives, it is the perfect tug-on-the-heart conclusion to this optimistic all-American musical.
Buckley and Stadlen, whose own credits include more than a dozen Broadway shows and Tony nominations for Candide and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, are a terrific pair. His chauvinism belongs to a different time and her unwavering ability to steamroll past any objection is a practice women are still having to exercise today. That their verbal volley works is a credit to director Jerry Zaks, who doesn’t try to sidestep Horace’s dated mindset but instead highlights it and then surrounds him with a theatrical reality big enough to make him grow in the process.
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| Betty Buckley and Lewis J. Stadlen |
Character bits abound and are played broadly for the sake of the comedy, particularly by the unlikely road duo of chief clerk Cornelius Hackl (Nic Rouleau) and his assistant Barnaby Tucker (Jess LeProtto) who both work for Horace. Going as big as they do within such a naïve framework makes them lovable rather than annoying and pays off beautifully as their capers spin out of control. Plus, Rouleau packs a bright classic music theatre tenor voice that rings to the back of the Pantages’ large house, and LeProtto has the moves of a modern-day Gene Kelly and an instinctive sense of comic timing.
Widow Irene Molloy (Analisa Leaming) and her assistant Minnie Fay (Kristen Hahn) are the women who catch their eye when the men accidentally duck into Irene’s hat shop. Leaming is lovely as the confident business woman who wants more from life than just selling hats, while Hahn’s eccentricities make her flirtations comedy gold. The rest of the cast members match their brio, each building on their character’s idiosyncrasies which, in this show, are plentiful.
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| Betty Buckley and the cast of Hello, Dolly! |
The touring production also benefits from the talents of the same creative team that mounted the 2017 Broadway revival. In addition to Zaks’ direction, Warren Carlyle choreographs one sensational production number after another on a set designed by Santo Loquasto that brings all the nostalgic charm of the Gay Nineties to life with extravagant detail. Its painted vintage backdrops, plush Harmonia Gardens staircase, and delightful train to New York are a fitting foundation for Loquasto’s costumes, which come in a blissful array of candy shop colors.
Musical direction is by Robert Billig, music supervision by Andy Einhorn, orchestrations by Larry Hochman, vocal arrangements by Don Pippin, and dance arrangements are by David Chase. What they are presenting is quite an accomplishment.
This national tour of Hello, Dolly! boasts so many outstanding elements that the only real response is for me to say, go see it. Those of you who are aspiring actors, dancers, designers, and musical theatre writers, this is your homework. To know where we’re going, we need to know where we’ve come from, and this American classic is an important part of our legacy. Everything about the show is infectious, from its non-stop energy to its heightened style. And with Betty Buckley at the center of it all, it is a musical theatre geek’s dream come true.
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| Betty Buckley and the ensemble of Hello, Dolly! |
HELLO, DOLLY!
January 29 - February 17 2019
Hollywood Pantages Theatre
6233 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tickets and info: www.hollywoodpantages.com
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Labels: hollywood pantages
Monday, August 6, 2018
Review: WAITRESS Bakes Up Slices of Life in a Pie Tin and Changes Lives in the Process
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| Charity Angél Dawson, Desi Oakley and Lenne Klingaman. All photos by Joan Marcus |
Can eating a pie be a religious experience? It can if it was made by Jenna, the diner waitress in the Broadway musical Waitress, who turns ordinary ingredients like butter, sugar, and flour into mouthwatering slices of life in a pie tin.
Her magical creations run the gamut from Deep (Shit) Dish Blueberry Bacon Pie and Mermaid Marshmallow Pie, to Lonely Chicago Pie and I Can’t Have No Affair Because It’s Wrong and I Don’t Want Earl to Kill Me Pie. Each one encapsulates an incident ripped from the headlines of real life and together they create the backbone of this heartwarming story of female empowerment.
The musical was inspired by the 2007 indie film starring Keri Russell as Jenna, the pie baker stuck in an abusive marriage who finds the courage to reach for something better, along with Cheryl Hines and Adrienne Shelly (who also wrote and directed the film). It opened on Broadway in March of 2016, where it is still enjoying great success, and its national tour - a quietly radiant production - is now playing at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre through August 26th. An Australian tour is planned for 2020. There’s no denying this brand of sugar is a popular commodity.
The story mirrors that of the film and a great deal of the dialogue is incorporated into the stage adaptation by bookwriter Jessie Nelson, who has a gift for writing dialogue that actually sounds like the characters. Nelson retains the film’s folksy charm but adds more comedy and a few new personal details with amusing payoffs.
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| Lenne Klingaman, Desi Oakley, and Charity Angél Dawson |
For instance, Jenna’s new gynecologist, Dr. Pomatter (Bryan Fenkart) is “off sugar” when he meets Jenna (Desi Oakley) during her first pre-natal visit, a character trait I don’t think he had in the movie (or if he did it wasn’t nearly this comical), but it fits his quirkier stage personality and sets up a clash between them from the start. He’s no match for Jenna’s baking, however, and one taste of her pie has him eating out of her hand...and forgetting about his sugar-free diet.
Of course, their attraction comes with complications. They’re both married - he to a doctor doing her residency in Jenna’s town, she to a disagreeable husband, Earl (Nick Bailey), whose obsessive behavior has choked the joy right out of her life. It isn’t long before a secret romance begins.
The musical builds on the film’s inherent eccentricities and delivers its message with warmth, honesty, and a heaping helping of heart. Much of its sensitivity can be attributed to pop songstress and storyteller Sarah Bareilles (“Love Song,” “Brave”) who wrote the score for the show. Her soulful sound and open-hearted lyrics are an alluring combination that helps create characters who sing what they think in individual musical styles that match their unique personalities.
Oakley, who plays Jenna, has a voice as sweet and rich as Bareilles herself and is the emotional center of the show. Jenna’s journey from the resigned acceptance of a “happy enough” life to a renewed desire for real happiness is a heartfelt one and Oakley has the depth, likeability, and dry wit to make you want to come along with her. She is dubbed the “Queen of kindness and goodness” by her friend and fellow Waitress, Dawn (Lenne Klingaman), a fitting title for the woman whose pie keeps bringing people together and Oakley wears it as comfortably as a second skin. Each of her songs is a knockout but her eleven o’clock number “She Used to Be Mine” is the best of the best. Oakley sings a lifetime into four and a half minutes that will alternately break your heart, lift you up, and echo your own inner longings.
Klingaman’s Dawn is a socially awkward, self-deprecating single girl who Jenna and Becky (Charity Angél Dawson) finally convince to try online dating. Her five minute date is a bust but Ogie (a wacky, overly-caffeinated Jeremy Morse) knows they were meant for each other and shows up the next morning with flowers and a declaration of love.
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| Lenne Klingaman and Jeremy Morse |
Never has an actor earned a reprise with more panache than Morse does with his over-the-top “Never Ever Getting Rid of Me.” Klingaman is hard-put to resist him when she finds out he has done even more Revolutionary War reenactments as Paul Revere than she has as Betsy Ross. Watching these two misfits fall in love on stage is geeky to the core and wonderfully sweet.
Dawson is also blessed with great pipes and a don’t-mess-with-me attitude as Becky. She’s an R&B belter who can grind out the high notes and throw a mean side eye with enough sass to check you when you least expect it. Becky is married (it’s complicated) but is secretly carrying on with Cal (Ryan G. Dunkin), the short order cook at the diner. When she sings “I Didn’t Plan It” we see how life has thrown each of the characters in Waitress a curve and we come to understand that the true beauty of living is in how we manage its messiness.
Director Diane Paulus and choreographer Lorin Latarro work this idea into the fabric of the show. Scenes, and scenes within scenes, blend into each other like a dance as set pieces roll on and off (including the excellent band) in a flurry of coordinated motion. Impulses for movement come from the body itself, often like a heartbeat pulsing softly and sweetly from within. It’s a very fluid style built on externalizing the internal that creates an exquisite expression of the complex emotions people don’t reveal. To see it coordinated flawlessly is quite beautiful. In this ensemble, every single member is important to the overall effect and there are no loose threads among them.
Even Joe, the finicky owner of the diner has his own way of coping with life’s endless annoyances. Larry Marshall captures the spirit of this gruff old curmudgeon who’s secretly hiding a heart of gold, at least where Jenna is concerned. Maiesha McQueen (Nurse Norma) is memorable in her short stage time as the no-nonsense nurse who knows what’s going on and is determined to get some pie of her own out of that knowledge.
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| Maiesha McQueen, Desi Oakley, and Bryan Fenkart |
Vocally, the show sounds terrific. Ryan Cantwell has finessed the material until its nuances shine through with an easy grace. Harmonies, particularly among the main trio of waitresses, are sublime, and will stand out to musicians who love the sound of voices shimmering when they resonate together.
So much ingenuity and heart has gone into the making of Waitress by its all-female creative team, a Broadway first but hopefully not the last, that you’re bound to leave feeling a whole lot better than when you walked into the theater. That’s worth it every time, in my book. And if pie-pop heaven is a thing, I’d say Waitress has taken us there and served up a slice of its finest counter goodness.
WAITRESS
August 2 – 26, 2018
Hollywood Pantages Theatre
6233 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tickets: www.hollywoodpantages.com
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| Nick Bailey and Desi Oakley |
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| Desi Oakley and Larry Marshall |
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| Ryan G. Dunkin and the ladies of Waitress |
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Labels: hollywood pantages