The Wonderful Music of Oz

The Wonderful Music of Oz

Lone Tree Arts Center

Lone Tree, CO

October 12, 2019

L. Frank Baum’s masterpiece The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, is an American classic. The bestselling book became a beloved film and has inspired musicals, plays and songs. It’s no wonder someone came up with the idea to celebrate the music inspired by this novel.

Singers Kelli Rabke, Scott Coulter and Chris Blum accompanied by pianist John Boswell brought the music to vivid life. In his role of host Scott Coulter added interesting facts and trivia between the songs.

The show opened with a harmonized version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The lineup also included a lively rendition of “King of the Forest,” Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “The Wizard and I” and “Rainbow Connection” from The Muppet Movie. Kelli Rabke demonstrated two different interpretations of Glinda by pairing “Popular’ from Wicked with “Believe in Yourself” from The Wiz. The show came to a rousing finale with Rabke’s soaring version of “Defying Gravity.”

The concert showcased the incredible talent of the performers, the enduring charm of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the incredible music it has inspired.  

Miss Saigon

Miss Saigon
National Tour
Buell Theater
Denver, CO
September 10-22, 2019

Miss Saigon is a musical from the great spectacle era on Broadway. It was known more for its impressive helicopter recreation and casting controversies. But will the stand after thirty years?

Many of the show’s lyrics were changed – most to make the language cruder. These took away from the poetry of the original score.

Act Two began with a brilliant performance of “Bui Doi” with gorgeous harmonies from the ensemble. It was accompanied by an emotional slideshow. It also brought John to the forefront after being barely noticeable in Act One. He created a solid foundation for the rest of the performance.

Despite the show’s title, the Engineer is considered the lead role. (This is due to Jonathan Pryce originating the role on London’s West End and on Broadway.) At the beginning he was hard to understand but as the show progress he became more commanding in the role.

Kim, the heart of the story was the typical timid flower. While she was likable, she was unremarkable. Likewise, Chris came across as conflicted, but we never felt like we knew anything about him. And Ellen, suffered greatly from the updated score. Her passionate song “Now That I’ve Seen Her” was replaced by the weaker “Maybe,” making her appear wishy-washy and uncommitted.

The most memorable moment was the recreation of the Fall of Saigon. The set and it’s movement helped the cast create a scene of chaos and confusion. The helicopter was mostly light effects and simple stagecraft, far for the original piece that set audiences buzzing in the 1990’s. But this production proved it needed to be there to create a finality to the US withdrawl from Vietnam.

Despite the label of a spectacle musical, Miss Saigon has proven that at its heart it is a story about love and human connection. This new production emphasized the damage left behind after a war. While it doesn’t undermine the PTSD experienced by many soldiers, it reminded audiences that those left behind also suffer. 

Anastasia

Anastasia
National Tour
Buell Theater
Denver, CO 
August 7 - 18, 2019

In 1997, Twentieth Century Fox released the animated film Anastasia as an attempt to capture some of the Disney Princess magic. On its initial release, it was a box office disappointment. However, in the 22 years since it has gained a cult following among princess fans.

The new musical version is appealing to a new generation of princesses. However, this is not the Anastasia any of them remembers. The creators removed the character of Rasputin and all elements of magic. Instead the antagonist is the new Soviet empire and specifically Gleb, an officer and son of a Romanov executioner. The most unfortunate part of these changes is that audiences may believe that these changes are closer to the reality of the Anastasia legend, when in fact, it is a completely fabricated story.

While some of the charm of the film remained in the characters of Anastasia, Dimitri and Vlad, the overall feel was darker and less magical. The few remaining songs from the original film shone among the forgettable, uninteresting new additions. The cast was talented, but they had an impossible task of holding up a dark, dragging storyline.

The plot was in desperate need to comic relief, and in Act Two we were introduced to the Countess Lily. She brought a Carol Burnett style humor to the scenes in France. However, her duet with Vlad “The Countess and the Common Man” was not family friendly.

The real star of the show was the set. While the background was made up of mostly projected scenery, it blended seamlessly with the actual set pieces making for a realistic look. The costumes brought a glamour to the scenes in Paris as an offset to the bleakness of Russia.

The film version of Anastasia will inevitably draw families and especially young girls to the theatre for this show. However what they will experience is a bloody trip through the Russian Revolution and a gun wielding villain with an intense climax. While the creators may have striven for a more “realistic” story, they have alienated the built in audience from the original film.

Madame Butterfly

Madame Butterfly
Central City Opera
Central City, CO
July 7 - August 5, 2019

Madame Butterfly is a rare opera that reaches further than just classical audiences. It inspired the play M. Butterfly and the musical Miss Saigon. Even people who do not love opera know the name and the story. This year the Central City Opera Festival features it as their marquee show.

The music was beautiful and well sung but the story was dated. The script did not give a clear explanation that Butterfly’s motive was to preserve her honor. In today’s society, it came across more that she was in despair.

The cast was disappointing in the obvious lack of Asian performers. For a show set in Japan, it would have been appropriate to have people who appeared Japanese.

The character Butterfly got her nickname due to her effervescent and fluttery personality. However that wasn’t rally the case. She was large and stoic. She didn’t bring butterflies to mind at all. Pinkerton, her love, was uninteresting and rather smarmy. He came across as a callous player rather than the man of anyone’s dreams.

It was Butterfly’s son who stole every scene. While a bit too old for the part, the child was charming and hit every cue.

The set was simple, yet was surprisingly versatile throughout the show. It had many entrances to create a feeling of a larger space. The costumes were beautiful and were the most integral part of creating the Japanese setting.

Overall, the Central City production of Madame Butterfly was lovely to look at and listen to. But some casting decisions did take away from the integrity of the production.

Cinderella and Her Barely Godmother

 Cinderella and Her Barely Godmother

Arts in the Open
Four Mile Historic Park
Denver, CO
July 25, 2019

Cinderella and Her Barely Godmother is not the y typical fairy tale damsel in distress story. In fact, this play took the familiar story in a brand new and very modern direction.

The show was created for outdoor showings. This performance was presented at Four Mile Park in Glendale. The production team chose the locations wisely, using the historic buildings that perfectly set each scene. The guide was also well versed in the local wildlife that he would point out between scenes.

The show began as expected. The stepmother and the stepsisters were cruel and not too bright. Cinderella was clearly demonstrated her intellectual and social skills early.

The second scene took the audience to Fairy Godmother school which might have been mistaken for Hogwarts. Each student godmother had their own personality and issues that came across quickly. There the audience met Barely, the struggling student "godfather."

Barely was a charming, awkward character who bonded sweetly with the practical Cinderella. Their interactions were the heart of the show. The script allowed their relationship to unfold with a few surprises. The cast jumped from character to character quickly and used simple costume pieces to create a new persona. They kept a consistency despite the constant changes.

The production at Four Mile Park brought Arts in the Open back to the Denver area for a relaxing walk instead of a strenuous hike. It created an ideal experience for families with small children. Hopefully they will return to this venue in the future.

Lunar Landing 50th Anniversary Celebration

Lunar Landing 50th Anniversary Celebration
Colorado Symphony
Boettcher Concert Hall
Denver, CO
July 20, 2019

This year marked the fiftieth anniversary of the first Lunar Landing. To mark the occasion, the Colorado Symphony presented a special concert.

The program was filled with soundtracks written by John Williams. It started with the main theme from Star Wars and also included suites from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and ET, the Extraterrestrial. These familiar pieces were more dynamic when played live.

Passages was the last number before intermission. It was preceded by a short video about how it was created for the 100th birthday of John F. Kennedy. Unfortunately, the video was necessary to understand the piece.  It was a strange operatic singing of Walk Whitman’s A Passage to India interspersed with soundbites from Kennedy, some manufactured, some real. It was confusing and not pleasant to listen to.

The highlight of the show was From the Earth to the Moon and Beyond, featuring a slideshow and narration by astronaut Richard Heib. It brought together the feat of landing on the moon in 1969 with a look into the future of space travel. It was an inspiring piece.

The encore performance of Clare de Lune or Moonlight was pretty, but it was anti-climactic after the powerful performances that preceded it.

The Lunar Landing Concert was a unique way to celebrate the anniversary of one of humankind's accomplishments. And it showcased how music and art reflect life.

Hamlet

Hamlet
Foothills Theatre Company
Clement Park
Littleton, CO
July 19 - 27, 2019

Summertime is the season for Shakespeare. In Colorado, at least five companies regularly present the Bard’s works in an outdoor setting. The smallest of these companies is Foothills Theatre Company who performs their shows for free in Clement Park. This season’s play was Hamlet.

Hamlet is a huge undertaking. Presenting it outdoors with a limited set and a small cast was a challenge, but this group did not shy away from it.

Hamlet himself was a young man. He played the feigned madness of the character effectively, but the transitions between his crazy antics and lucid thoughts were not believable. His feelings for Ophelia were also unclear. In the early scenes he seemed to dislike her. It wasn’t until after her death he admitted he cared for her.

The performance of King Claudius was mesmerizing. He was a narcissistic character who only displayed remorse when he was caught. The role was played with passion and depth, giving the show a complex villain.

For the role of Polonius, the directed opted to cast a woman. The gender switch worked well within the script, creating Polonius as a confidant of the queen rather than a lord with an over friendly relationship with her. Unfortunately the performance was stiff and the audience was unable to bond with the character.

The set looked basic but it was surprisingly versatile. The main backdrop hid a small scaffold which was used as the ramparts where the ghost of Hamlet’s father was seen and a balcony where the ghosts of slain characters eerily watched the actions after their deaths.

Hamlet was not an easy choice of show, but the cast and crew pulled it off. It was never too ambitious, rather the goal was to simply tell the story, which it did successfully.