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.  

Cinderella

Cinderella
Moscow Festival Ballet
Lone Tree Arts Center
Lone Tree, CO 
February 15, 2018

Every year around this time, the Moscow Festival Ballet makes a stop in the Denver area. Those who attend every year will undoubtedly recognize many of the dancers. That familiar feel brought a welcoming feeling to the show.

The set for Cinderella was beautiful but unfortunately to was stationary. The same backdrop was used for Cinderella’s home and the royal palace. The costumes were stunning. It was a refreshing change to see all the women at the ball wearing dresses and not tutus. Although, one of Cinderella’s stepsisters wore a blue dress much like the one in the Disney movies, so that took a bit of getting used to.

The dancer portraying Cinderella’s stepmother stole every scene he was in. Even more impressive was that he was the only member of the cast not wearing dance shoes. The stepsisters also danced beautifully, although always with an ugly expression on their faces. The leaps of the prince were astounding while Cinderella was a lovely to watch.

The music was prerecorded and often cut off before it ended, which reminded the audience constantly that is wasn’t live. But that was the only real distraction from a graceful fairy tale.

Evita

Evita
Lone Tree Arts Center
Lone Tree, CO
April 13-29, 2017

Evita is one of the most political shows in musical theater. It seems very timely for the Lone Tree Arts Center to present it.

The focal point of this show is always Eva. The casting of Lauren Shealy was nothing short of perfect. She had the charisma, the voice and the beauty to fully bring this character to life. It was easy to fall for her just as the people of Argentina did for Eva. Her chemistry with Peron paralleled that of the real couple. There was a clear physical attraction beyond the mutual political benefit.

The casting of Che was not as beneficial to the story., Che’s role was designed to be more than just a narrator – his biting commentary should keep the audience from completely falling under Eva’s spell. Unfortunately the bitterness and anger Che usually demonstrates was so watered down that anytime he attempted to interject his option into the narrative it fell flat.

The supporting role of Peron was well cast with a man much older than Eva – as he was in real life. He was commanding and yet malleable in the hands of Eva. On the other side, Magaldi was a bit too talented for his role. I don’t know if I have ever heard “On This Night of A Thousand Stars” performed better, however, he’s not supposed to be a great singer, so that piece didn’t actually fit.

The talent of the ensemble was impressive. At times they seemed to be stretched a bit thin. To have the men playing Eva’s rejected lovers dress onstage to become the military men competing for power in Argentina made no sense. In other songs it was difficult to determine the difference between the aristocracy and the peasants.

The set evolved well with moving pieces to give playing area many levels and some movement. “The Money Kept Rolling In” was spectacularly choreographed. Eva’s costumes were also a highlight, showing the audience what a clothes horse Eva had become.

Despite many flaws, it was an enjoyable production. The performance of Lauren Shealy alone was worth the price of admission. Evita was an ambitious choice for Lone Tree Arts Center’s first original production and I look forward to seeing their next effort.

The Sleeping Beauty

The Sleeping Beauty
Russian National Ballet Theater
Lone Tree Arts Center
Lone Tree, CO
February 16, 2017

For those who enjoy watching the ballet, the opportunity to see a Russian ballet company is a special treat. The Russian National Ballet Theater has stopped in other Colorado locations before., On this trip they presented Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty.

The Lone Tree Arts Center is an intimate venue which gives the audience a rare opportunity to see professional ballet dancers up close. Being able to see the detail in the exquisite costumes was a real treat. Each costume was stunning in the fabric and design.

The costumes and set took us to the fairytale land where it is set. It was a bit strange that the second set was nearly identical to the first – with the exception of the stained glass windows. In some scenes it was not clear who the ballerinas were depicting in a scene.

The dancers are obviously very skilled, however, the constant change of ballets and roles clearly has taken its toll. In some sequences the chemistry between dancers is not what you expect at such a high performance level. In her famous scene with the four suitors, Princess Aurora seemed unsure of her hand coordination from suitor to suitor.

The talent of individual dancers was on constant display. The Violet Fairy was poised and strong.  The leaping ability of the Prince was astonishing. Princess Aurora was young and energetic. The dancers in the ensemble were often more set dressing than participants in each scene. Even in that capacity, they were beautiful.

The audience was filled with families and this performance was tailored for that. And the decision to perform the ballet with one intermission instead of two showed an understanding of the spectators.