Wicked

Wicked
National Touring Company
Buell Theater
Denver, CO 
June 3 - July 5, 2015

I saw the original tour of Wicked when it passed through Denver in 2007. This year, Wicked returned for a record fifth run. And despite the many trips to Denver, the shows are still sold close to capacity.

Unlike the previous time I saw the show, I now know the soundtrack by heart. The original cast is a tough act to follow, but the cast of this tour proved up for the challenge.

Elphaba’s voice was powerful and passionate. “The Wizard and I” (never one of my favorites) carried the hopes of every member in its strong presentation. But nothing was more stunning than her growth in “Defying Gravity,” which gave me chills.

Glinda was light and silly when needed and gorgeous on the high notes. Her rendition of “Popular” bordered on ridiculous and the audience enjoyed every moment of it. The wide range of emotion needed for “Thank Goodness” was impressive as you believe every note as her dreams crash around her.

The rest of the cast was equally talented. The songs were polished and the dancing energetic. In the audience I could feel the enjoyment of the performers and their efforts were rewarded with loud applause.

The audience had many members who have seen the show numerous times. Also present were children seeing it for the first time. Clearly that is the appeal of the show. It continues to draw audiences from all age groups and tell the universal story of friendship. The connection to the audience is as strong as ever.

Little Red and Her Feisty Friends

Little Red and Her Feisty Friends
Theatre-Hikes Colorado
Chautauqua Park
Boulder, CO
June 6 - July 26, 2015

Theatre-Hikes has become a summertime tradition for me. This year we saw their show Little Red and Her Feisty Friends at gorgeous Chautauqua Park in Boulder.

The hikes I have taken with them before have been fairly light. But the one at Chautauqua was very different. It was quite a hike just from the parking lot to the meeting spot. The show and hike were just over two hours covering two miles. It was a real hike.

As a bonus, the playwright was the guide when I saw the show. She explained that she was asked to write a play about Red Riding Hood. Since it’s just a short story, she created a piece which took the audience around the world through mythology. The actors played numerous characters within each scene as well as story to story. It was fun to watch.

The stories were silly and fun. After Red Riding Hood, we saw Mighty Mountain Man, The Lad Who Went to the North Wind and The Ogre’s Feather. The stories were told on five stops on the hike.

Some of the terrain was difficult which were difficult for the younger members of the audience. And considering the subject matter there were quite a few kids in the audience. Some groups actually dropped out before the show was over. The final scene was also nowhere near the beginning, so we had to hike back to the start as well. But overall, it was a fun way to hike.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Little Foxes 
The Aurora Fox Theater
Aurora, CO
June 9-25, 2015


The Little Foxes, the children’s theater program at the Aurora Fox Theater, presents matinee performances through the summer. Their first offering this year is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It’s robust material for an hour-long child-performed play. However, the Little Foxes proved to be up for the challenge.

Since most of the characters are animals, the costuming proved creative and just believable enough. The set was well thought out. As an audience member, I appreciated the care taken to immerse the child actors and audience in the world of Narnia.

Naturally, some of the child performances were stronger than others. At times dialog was difficult to hear. But overall, it was an impressive effort by all involved.

The audience was filled with children, some who had read the book and many who had not. This production managed to delight them all.