Sorry I've Been Gone~

Well, there's not been much to write about. Also, yesterday morning my appendix was removed. So I am recuperating, and thus not really pursuing theatrical pursuits. Hopefully this will change soon.

In other news, I will most likely be moving to Nova Scotia, not Montreal. So disregard the earlier post about the Centaur Theatre.

REVIEW: Avenue Q

Elgin Theatre, Toronto, ON. Aug. 13/08
**.5 of ****

The thing I like about small theatres (ie, nearly every theatre I’ve been in thus far) is that there are no really bad seats. Despite being at the very back of the mezzanine, the action onstage felt immediate, and I felt connected to it. The Elgin, also, is a very beautiful theatre, the bottom half of the last remaining double-decker theatre in the world (the Winter Garden is above it).
Alright, expositional moment over. Onto the review! For those of you who don’t know, Avenue Q is, in its essence, a satirical (and very adult) take on Sesame Street, and the majority of the characters are puppets. It deals primarily with the story of Princeton, a fresh-faced college graduate attempting to find his purpose and make his way in the world.
Now, prior to this, I had neither seen the musical nor read the libretto. My only exposure to the musical itself was the original cast album, which I enjoyed, with a couple of exceptions I will get to in a moment. So I was expecting very little, except that the show be funny, which it lived up to admirably. The book is witty, and most of the songs serve their situations well (though some seem a little out of place, the poster child for this being the rather unfortunate “I’m Not Wearing Underwear Today”). Some of the songs, taken out of context, are unspectacular (I’m not a big fan of “Purpose” or “You Can Be As Loud As The Hell You Want”), but many are excellent, running the gamut from the amusing and insightful “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist” to the touching “There’s A Fine, Fine Line”. So, the musical itself is, I think, quite enjoyable.

But what of the performances? I thought they were, by and large, quite good. Brian’s understudy, Cullen R. Titmas, was on at the performance I saw, and was perhaps a little awkward, but still completely adequate in the role. Robert McClure was also good as Princeton and Rod, but seemed to have trouble distinguishing between the voices and mannerisms of the two characters, which would have been nice to see. Most of the others were perfectly enjoyable (one exception. I tell you in a moment, ja?), but two performers stood out above the rest. Anika Larsen was excellent as both Kate & Lucy, differentiating between the two characters in every way, while still making them both appropriately human and believable, and forging a path different from that of Stephanie D’Abruzzo from the OBC. And Angela Ai was knock-out hilarious as Christmas Eve, again differentiating herself from the original Broadway’s Ann Harada. Her “The More You Ruv Someone” was excellent, as she sang the first verse very small and then abruptly switched into full soul-ballad style. David Benoit, as Nicky, Trekkie Monster, and a Bad Idea Bear, was a bit of a disappointment. He was good as Trekkie and the Bear, but his Nicky fell a little flat for me. It seemed like he was trying too hard, and the vocal mannerisms didn’t seem natural. A final shout-out for acting to Maggie Lakis, who played Mrs. Thistletwat and a Bad Idea Bear. She doubled as the puppeteer for Kate, Lucy, and Princeton, and did a fine job.
As far as production, most of the show was completely adequate, with solid sets, lighting, and costumes. The wedding sequence near the end of Act I was hilarious, unexpected, and well-done. The one major letdown in terms of production values was the sound. On several occasions during the course of the show, the orchestra completely drowned out the singers, and, had I not been familiar with the cast album, I doubt I could have discerned the lyrics. Fortunately, these moments rarely lasted more than a second or two, and otherwise the sound design was fine.
Final thoughts: I enjoyed myself, and would certainly go see the show again, due to the strength of the book & score. The tour had a few kinks, and a few players didn’t seem too comfortable with some of the characters they were playing, but overall a more than adequate show. **.5 of ****

There you go! My first review. Good? Adequate? A blinding assault on human decency and the art of criticism? Guidance and comments very much appreciated.

A note before we begin...

I'll be posting my review of Avenue Q once I have cobbled my notes together into something meaningful, but first I'm going to lay out the rating system I'll be using. It's as much for my benefit as yours, because otherwise I'll be frighteningly inconsistent.

0 - nothing redeemable about the show whatsoever. Abysmal.
* - Lousy show, but a few moments that are enjoyable, or maybe just one really gorgeous one.
** - Good show. Nothing particularly memorable, but nothing bad either. Just a decent time.
*** - Excellent show. Very good overall, with only a couple of problems to detract.
**** - Superlative show. Perfect in every way.

And, of course, the half star ratings (*.5, **.5, and so on), for those shows in between.

See you later!

Some reading...

So, yesterday I bought the script to August: Osage County. It was, in a word, terrific. In both senses. I don't trust my feeble ability to string a sentence together with expressing how this play made me feel, so I'll just say that I'm looking forward tremendously to seeing it (hopefully, this fall).

Today I will be going to Avenue Q. Cabaret, unfortunately, did not work out. Someday, when I can drive, I will be able to get to these things, but for now I have to rely on public transportation, which is, in a word, unreliable. Following the show, I will attempt to write a review (my first. So be kind, when I post it), then curl up in bed with one of my other two new books, either the libretto for Grey Gardens (a show I WISH I could still see)or From Assassins to West Side Story: The Director's Guide to Musical Theatre, by Scott Miller, which I flipped through in the store and seems very interesting. Fun times!

Another Suitcase, Another Hall

Here I am in Toronto for two weeks! I'm going to be working at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) next week, monday through friday. But this week I'm just relaxing, and I have two theatre-related goals which I think I can achieve.

1) See Cabaret at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival
Need to: Buy tickets, work out transportation and a place to stay and such (it's a two-hour drive, and we don't have a car)

2) See the national tour of Avenue Q right here in the city, at the Elgin Theatre
Need to: Walk down and buy tickets! It's like a 15 minute stroll.

So, hopefully I shall accomplish both of these. I am definitely going to do at least one. Look for review(s) later this week or early next!

Welcome To The Theatre

The Centaur Theatre, that is. Montreal's primary theatre company. My aunt Tracy* used to work there, and still knows many of the people who do. She expects she will be able to get me a job as an usher, meaning free shows for me. Which is terribly exciting. So, let's look at what the season has in store, shall we?

Scorched: "Described by Wajdi Mouawad as an exploration of “the questions of origins”, Scorched centers on Jeanne and her twin brother Simon, who are summoned to the office of a notary to hear the last will and testament of their mother, Nawal. They are each handed a letter written by their mother; one is to be delivered to their brother and one to their father. The mystery begins, sending them on a journey into their mother’s past, to a Middle Eastern country engulfed in a civil war where she was a political activist and later became a prisoner. Through poetic language and evocative imagery, the play connects the origins of these three members of a family in startling and unforgettable ways."

Thoughts: Could be interesting. I find political material has to be handled well for me to enjoy it, though.

Skydive: "Skydive is a unique theatrical presentation that is staged with the two performers soaring above the stage floor for the entire length of the play. The story unfolds in the 30 seconds of a skydiving free-fall gone horribly wrong. In the stretched out perception of time in a crisis, the story travels back in time to the events that led up to the disastrous jump when Morgan, a frontman for an ‘80’s cover band, decides to help his reclusive agoraphobic brother, Daniel, escape his spiraling descent into fear-bound paralysis by a therapy technique that involves jumping from an airplane in order to face one’s fears.

With breathtaking aerial choreography, cinematic action sequences, and a cheeky soundtrack of 80’s pop, Skydive is a celebration of the power of imagination in the pursuit of the universal dream to fly."

Thoughts: I don't know. For whatever reason, it doesn't interest me. I think it's the '80s thing. I look forward to seeing how it's executed, though.

Shirley Valentine: "Alone in her bland kitchen, consumed by boredom and the dull ache of routine, Shirley Valentine is talking to the walls until she commits the ultimate housewife faux-pas: serving her husband the wrong dinner. With resolve and determination, she leaves behind an uncommunicative spouse, a drop-in daughter and a drop-out son to board a flight to beautiful, sunny Greece and find the love, joy, wonder and passion she thinks she left behind with her youth"

Thoughts: This one sounds like a pretty interesting feminist-ish piece. I'm looking forward to it.

Doubt: "Set in 1964 in a Bronx Catholic school, Doubt centres around an older nun, Sister Aloysius, who does not approve of teachers offering friendship and compassion over the discipline she feels students need in order to face the harsh world. When she suspects a new priest of sexually abusing a student, she is faced with the prospect of charging him with unproven allegations and possibly destroying his career as well as her own. To help build her case, she asks for help from an idealistic young nun, who finds her faith in compassion challenged, and the protective mother of the accused boy, the first black student ever admitted to St. Nicholas."

Thoughts: Doubt is a play I've been curious about for some time, so I'm looking forward to the opportunity of seeing it.

Age of Arousal: "Enter the boldly uncensored world of loosened corsets as five Victorian women pursue a new age where erotic and economic freedom reign supreme. It’s 1885, and the typewriter is invented, a population imbalance leaves London flooded with half a million more women than men and an escalating suffrage movement has ushered in a rip-roaring New Age. Mary Barfoot, an ex-militant suffragette, runs a school for secretaries with her beloved Rhoda. The school’s invasion by three spinster sisters and a charismatic cad named Everard, creates a catalyst for political, sexual and emotional explosion. Ideas and libidos clash for dominance, as each character confronts the meaning of revolutionary courage. Sexy, fresh, and vibrantly funny, Age of Arousal is a modern look at forbidden Victorian desires on the brink of explosion."

Thoughts: I think this sounds both hilarious and like there's some thought behind it. Another I'm looking forward to.

With Bated Breath: "From the author of Divinity Bash / Nine Lives, The Weekend Healer and Whale Riding Weather, With Bated Breath is the provocative tale of Willy, a troubled but charismatic gay kid who flees Cape Breton Island for Montreal with hopes of forgetting a newly broken heart.
He finds momentary comfort with the denizens of the city’s red light district, but soon goes missing without a trace. Willy, in one way or another, has had a profound effect on the lives of the other characters. His presence lingers. As rumors fly, secrets explode, and reality blurs with fantasy, Willy is both remembered and reinvented. Imbued with equal measures of wit and warmth, MacDonald proves to be a master at merging the pedestrian with the highly theatrical."

Thoughts: Could be good, could be bad. I really don't know whether or not I want to see this.

So, there you have it. Anyone seen any of these shows? Able to tell me what to expect?

An Original Musical

But a tragically unoriginal [title] for a post about it, I'm afraid.

Yes, I'm talking about [title of show], which, pending my friend Nancy*'s input on what area of the theatre she wants to sit in, will be my FIRST BROADWAY TICKET PURCHASE. Terrifically exciting.

That's right, on September 6th, I will officially be a Broadway Theatregoer. I'm looking forward to it immensely.

I've liked [title of show] since February, and, fittingly, Nancy* was the first to introduce me to it. I went to her house (in Minneapolis), and we went to see the Sweeney Todd tour (which I am sure to blog about at a later date, because it was amazing. So keep an eye out for that, ja?). Post-Todd, the day after, in fact, we engaged in an epic Musical Theatre Cast Recording Exchange, in which we both benefited greatly. One of the shows I claimed was [tos], which I have since loved for its irreverence, humour, stars, tuneful score, The [title of show] show, and pretty much everything else about this plucky little musical.

Look for a review, once I've, uh, seen it.

*not her real name. This is a practice I intend to stick to.

Life is a Cabaret, Old Chum!

So, yesterday I bought Cabaret: The Illustrated Book and Lyrics. It's fascinating. Not because of the libretto (which is wonderful), or the pictures (which are numerous and in great quality), but because of the glimpses into the making of the show. It's got review clippings, quotes from Sam Mendes on his concept, and, perhaps most fascinatingly, excerpts from Alan Cumming's pre-show diary. The man's got a great sense of humour. Some of his anecdotes are incredibly amusing. "However, the fact that the choreography of my role consists of lots of touching the genitals of my fellow cast members (and a few twirls) I am getting to know people very quickly."