Carmen

Carmen
Central City Opera
Central City, CO
July 8 - August 6, 2017

Every year, the Central City Opera Festival presents their Young Artists in a Family Matinee. This year, the opera was Carmen – a daunting task for any young artist. But this group proved they were up to the task.

The sets and ensemble of the show are the performers from the opera festival. As usual, they were both outstanding. The set was simple – a balcony and moveable stairs. But the placement of the stairs, the lighting and spare furniture transported the audiences to four distinct locations.

Out front were the four young artists in the roles of Carmen, Don Jose, Escamillo and Michaela. Each one brought a strong voice and impressive acting ability too their role. Carmen was beautiful and bewitching. Don Jose gave an exhausting emotional performance. Escamillo had all the charisma needed to capture the audience. Michaela was pretty and naïve.

The support of the ensemble lifted these young artists to a new level. Despite working with a whole group of different actors than they were used to, the chemistry among the cast was just right.

In each year I have seen the young artists perform, I have left wondering about the performances of the regular cast. This year, the young cast gave a satisfying show with no such thoughts lingering in my mind.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
BDT Stage
Boulder, CO 
May 13 - August 19, 2017

The Denver theater community is vibrant and talented. However regional performances rarely provides a production which is completely original and takes a well-known work into a new direction. That is what made Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat so special.

This show is known as a kids' show. But in the capable hands of the BDT Stage is became a spectacle that entertained everyone. The costumes were modern - Joseph's brothers wore jeans, leather jackets or even suits. The set was staircase, but it was anything but simple. It had lights which created everything from a dazzling white backdrop to a dark prison cell to a blaze of color.

The elaborate set didn't take away from the stunning musical performances. The solos were strong but it was performance of the ensemble pieces brought the house down. The harmonies created by the ensemble (and especially the eleven brothers) were immaculate.

But the real star of the show was the choreography. The dancing seemed nonstop throughout the show. The steps were more creative than any I have seen in the Denver area.


I have seen the "Joseph Megamix:" at the end of the show as a gratuitous extended curtain call. However, in the BDT Stage production I loved it. It gave the audience a chance to relive this magical theatrical performance once more before returning to the real world.

Annie

Annie
Phamaly
Stage Theater
Denver, CO
July 13-24, 2017

Annie is story of an underdog who overcame great odds to live happily ever after. It's an appropriate message for Phamaly, a company made up of actors living with disabilities. But this group made it very clear that these odds won't stop them from achieving their dreams.

The talent of these actors is undeniable. Miss Hannigan was perfectly portrayed – heartless and phony. Rooster, her brother, was equally villainous. Daddy Warbucks and Grace were perfection in their idealized goodness. And Annie shone as the little girl who brought them all together.

The scenes with the orphans and in Hooverville were even more sympathetic when played by performers with obvious disabilities. Their plight seemed more tragic with this added dimension to their situations. And seeing President Franklin Roosevelt in a wheelchair was not only historically correct, but also brought an added humanity to his character.

The set for the show took advantage of the wonderful Stage Theater at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Pieces of furniture were brought up and down smoothly through the elaborate trap door system, although other pieces were deftly brought onstage by the stage crew. The projection system took each scene to the next level. It was beautiful to see.

This Annie was as inspiring as it was entertaining. They didn’t just perform a show, they lived it. 

Hairspray

Hairspray
Inspire Creative
PACE Center
Parker, CO 
July 14-30, 2017

In the Denver theater community, some repetition is inevitable. The scheduling decisions made last spring led to Inspire Creative’s production of Hairspray to open just weeks after the Town Hall Arts Center’s fantastic version closed. 

The show contained Inspire’s usual exuberance. However, some of the casting choices were puzzling. While the talent was there, I found myself wondering why Tracy and Motormouth Maybelle were so thin when the script clearly called for them to have a different body type. Link, on the other hand, seemed to lack the charisma and sex appeal needed for the character.

Edna, on the other hand, was an absolute delight. The actor’s use of his lower register at opportune moments added more humor to the show.
 

The set for the show set the mood for the show. It screamed 1960’s and lent itself well to each location. The costumes were fun, but the wigs for Tracy and Amber were very poor.  In Tracy’s case it effected the characterization since her hairstyle was an important part of her storyline.

This Hairspray is not a bad production. Mostly it has the misfortunate of following a more inspired version.

The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew
Colorado Shakespeare Festival
Mary Rippon Theater
Boulder, CO
June 11 - August 13, 2017

Like many people, my best understanding of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew came from an episode of Moonlighting from 1986. However, the original play is not quite what I was led to expect.

The play was basically what the audience expected - an out of control woman in a world controlled by men. But there were elements not as well known, such as how Petrucio starved and tormented Kate until she was too weak, and broken, to argue with him. It was not the romantic "love conquers all" notion, it is in fact quite cruel.

The Shakespeare Festival's interpretation did nothing to frame this mistreatment in a better light. Setting the show in post World War II Little Italy added no depth to the story. In fact, the idea of a man starving his wife in the 1940's brought a sadistic bent to Petrucio's character.

The character of Bianca added to the mean bent of the story. While Kate was outspoken and often over the top, it is Bianca who often provokes this behavior to present herself as the more obedient daughter, when in fact, she was manipulating everyone for her own devices.


The set was well designed and functioned well to frame the action of the play. The costumes ran the gamut from military dress to Petrucio's gaudy purple suit. They were interesting but didn't always make sense.

The outdated story line was not made more acceptable by this production. If anything, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival shone a spotlight on the inappropriateness of the action.

The Oddest Sea: Greek Gods and Giggles

The Oddest Sea: Greek Gods and Giggles

Arts in the Open
Chautauqua State Park
Boulder, CO
June 2 - July 30, 2017

The Odyssey is a tough work to perform on stage. Creating a comedic script that can be performed on a hiking trail seems impossible. And yet, Arts in the Open has accomplished just this feat.

Each actor wore a simple costume - a plain chiton in various colors. Throughout the performance each actor (with the exception of Odysseus) each actor donned hats and masks to create many characters. Beyond that, each actor's impressive skills transformed them into gods, seamen, sirens, cyclops and animals.

The Odyssey covers 10 years and even though the play didn't feel that long, it managed to capture the essence of Odysseus' many perils. And despite the tragic feel of the epic poem by Homer, this play found the humor in the endless series of misadventures.

The brilliance of the script and the talent of the cast brought this ancient text into real life. The people and the situations were no longer words on a page but real flesh and blood. And presenting it on the glorious backdrop of Chautauqua Park made for a perfect setting for a story of man versus nature.

Hairspray

Hairspray
Town Hall Arts Center
Littleton, CO 
May 19 - June 18, 2017

In 2003, Hairspray was the darling of Broadway, winning eight Tonys that year, including Best Musical. This popular show has been produced numerous times locally in recent years, the current production at the Town Hall Arts Center seemed to have captured some of that magic.

The focus of the show seemed to be on the humorous parts of the script. The audience laughed so often that it was like a comedy show. However, that didn't result in a loss of the serious message about racial inequality at all. Instead, it intensified it.

The cast of the show was strong. It was led by their Edna, who was a very convincing in the matronly role. And even though Edna and Wilbur were played by two men, the chemistry between them dominated the show. Tracy was a convincing dreamer with the right charisma to hold up the story. And Link was charming in his self-absorbed character arc.

The music of the show was the highlight. "Good Morning Baltimore" hooked the audience from the beginning  But the crescendo came during "I Know Where I've Been" by Motormouth Maybelle. This anthem was stunning in it's power.

While the set is not elaborate, it holds up well to the action. The costumes shone throughout. The show was fun with a powerful message.

I have seen many musicals in the Denver area this season. Hairspray is easily one of the best.