The Merry Widow

The Merry Widow
CU Presents
Macky Auditoium
Boulder, CO 
October 27-29, 2017

The Eklund Opera program at the University of Colorado provides an excellent opportunity for aspiring singers and musicians to perform classic work in front of an audience. This spring they presented The Merry Widow.

The show began with the longest overture I have ever heard. The director attempted to break that up with a pantomime, but the scenes were too short and too choppy to fill the time.

The voices of the cast members were stunning to listen to. “Vilja” was spectacularly performed and the men singing about their difficulties and the men’s septet “Women” entertaining.

This show is one that contains dialog. The acting performances among the cast were uneven. Some showed flair for the dialog, others only seemed to be reciting the lines. The characters were fairly two dimension and few of them came across as real people.

The choreography throughout was rough. While the steps were designed to be impressive, the cast did not seem to have the ability to pull them off.

The sets of the show, likely professionally done, were delightful. The multiple entranceways and exits gave the space a feeling of depth. The costumes, also professionally done, were perfect to demonstrate the wealth of the characters.

The gratuitous finale scene at Maxim’s at least enjoyable to watch. While the ending was predictable, we had a fun time getting there.

Dracula

Dracula
Colorado Ballet
Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Denver, CO
October 6-15, 2017

For the past ten years, the Colorado Ballet has presented a wide variety of shows. Aside from the Nutcracker, only one show has been repeated in that time – Dracula. At time sit has been an extra show added in October. This year, it is one of the three main ballets being performed.

Dracula is not a typical ballet. It contains a much more complex story than the art form usually attempts. As a result, the show contained many interactions between the performers, but far less dancing than a regular ballet would.

The performance was made up of three acts. Each featured one major dance sequence in the midst of graceful stagecraft. Those sequences felt long and drawn out – especially since they did nothing to advance the story. Although the dance of the undead in the third act was more entertaining than the others.

Also unlike other ballets was the strong characters the dancers portrayed. The personalities came through the physical actions of these performers who never spoke. It was impressive to watch. Dracula’s slow, sensual movements added to his mysterious appearance. Although he had a habit of drawing others to him, pushing them away and then drawing them back which made little sense. The performance of Renfield’s psychotic behavior was also well crafting.

The costumes in the production were spectacular. Dracula’s red cape swirled about him majestically. His well choreographed flipping of it around his legs complimented his graceful movements. Not one costume looked out of place – they looked like the clothing of the period and not ballet costumes.

The sets brought the whole production together. They were clearly indicative of the mood of each scene and moved the action along. Once set change left Lucy on stage for a rather awkward costume change, but the rest seemed flawless.

For fans of traditional ballet, this ballet may take getting used to. This show does have the ability to bring in audiences who do not attend traditional ballets. That is a tribute to the power of the story – no matter how it is told.

South Pacific

South Pacific

Inspire Creative
PACE Center
Parker, CO 
September 29 - October 15, 2017

The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific was controversial in its day. The storyline of racial tension is still relevant today.

The current production by Inspire Creative used the original script, which created a much longer show. The audience was treated to little heard reprises and dialogue which didn’t drag down the tempo at all. Act One was so loaded with classic songs it was hard to believe they were all from the same show.

The story revolved around Nellie Forbush. This is a part that requires an actress who is attractive and charismatic. She had exactly the right balance of charm and silliness. It was easy to see why the entire camp practically revolved around her. And her voice was perfect for the classic Rogers and Hammerstein score.

Opposite Nellie, was Emile who was handsome and engaging. His voice was up to the lush romantic standard, “Some Enchanted Evening.” One particularly impressive performance was by Luther Billis. He seemed to steal every scene he was in.

The portrayal of Joe Cable wasn’t quite as strong as the others. He seemed to change from in love to horrified at the object of those affections with little motivation. His ballad “Younger than Springtime” wasn’t quite the breathtaking love song it should have been. However, his angry turn with “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” brought an intimate rage to the words, reflecting more anger at his upbringing than his current situation.

The costumes and sets were perfectly suited for the show and the directing showed great flair. A working shower added fun to “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” while a retractable scrim added mystery to the Bali Hai ceremony. The entire production played like a period piece without feeling dated.

If there was a downfall to this production it was the casting of some of the Polynesian characters. The actors performing the roles well, but considering the prejudice that occurred during the story, they looked too white to effectively move the story along.

Prodcutions such as this one effectively demonstrated why this show is a classic. In Inspire’s hands, it was timeless.

Frozen

Frozen
Pre-Broadway Engagement
Buell Theater
Denver, CO 
August 17,- October 1, 2017

The Broadway-bound production of Disney’s Frozen has been playing at the Buell Theater for six weeks now. I saw it on opening night and I was curious to see what changes it would go through during its time here. So I went to see it again.

The only changes I could pinpoint were in Act 2, which seemed to drag on opening night. One song, "When Everything Falls Apart," was eliminated and “Kristoff’s Lullaby” and the second reprise of “Hans of the Southern Isles.” For the latter, the change was an effective one. The previous version took away from the stunning revelation. The trimmed song was much more sinister and vicious – as it needed to be.

The most effective parts remained unchanged. “Love is an Open Door” was even more entertaining than the film version. And the simple, yet elegant, staging of “Let It Go” was worthy of the song’s iconic status.

The show still has its share of awkward moments. The death of the king and queen was unnecessarily creepy and will confuse those few who have not seen the film version. The presentation of Olaf was underwhelming, especially with the impressive Sven costuming. The first song of Act 2, “Hygge” was still puzzling. While the song is enjoyable, the staging is decidedly un-Disney like. I find it hard to believe that it will open on Broadway as it was performed in Denver.

Disney likely has another hit on its hands, however, those looking for a new twist (or dare I say improvement) on the story, will be disappointed. While many aspects of the production were changes from the film, it doesn’t elevate it to another level as The Lion King did. However, with its already rabid fan base, Frozen will please its audiences.

Company

Company
Aurora Fox Theatre
Aurora, CO
September 22 - October 22, 2017

Company is a lesser known Stephen Sondheim work. While some avid theater goers may have heard one or two of the songs, they aren’t widely known.

The show was written in 1970, but the Aurora Fox production strongly showed that this show is as relevant now as they day it opened on Broadway. The set was a chic urban loft which was generic enough to set the scene for every location but not at all boring. The costumes were also well matched with each character – even if they were all black.

The cast of the show was nothing short of spectacular. Many of the characters could easily have become two-dimensional caricatures. But this talented cast took these stereotypes and made them into fully realized people. The chemistry between them was exactly right.

Beyond their acting abilities, the performance of the musical numbers was a sheer delight. Every voice was amazing on it’s own, but the musical arrangements made these great voices even better. (Although the “Bobby” sequences did get a little tiresome after a while.)

Each song helped the audience to get to know the characters better. None was more memorable than "Not Getting Married Today." The looks on the actress' face matched the tone of the song and had the audience rolling in the aisles.

The choreography of “Side by Side” was fun and kept the momentum going through a somewhat deeper second act. The show built into the climatic song, “Being Alive” which was the olive in the martini of a delightful cocktail. It was the perfect blend for a night on the town.

In the Heights

In the Heights
Town Hall Arts Center
Littleton, CO 
September 8 - October 8, 2017

With the enormous success of Hamilton, theater goers will have an increased interest in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first show, In the Heights. And with Hamilton scheduled to travel to Denver next spring, the Town Hall Arts Center’s production is well timed.

Despite their space limitations, the set designers did a fantastic job of creating a Washington Height’s block onstage. Each storefront had pieces which rolled out easily to expand the size of the store space. With the pieces rolled in, a street that was more perception than set, was revealed.

It didn’t take long for the audience to get to know the characters in the show. For the most part, they are people just like our neighbors and friends – very different people brought together by geography. And through the wonderful dialogue, we learned they have very different stories and backgrounds.
The costumes appear much like what young people wear today. The choreography was perfect for them.

At times, the music seemed a bit overwhelming for the cast. Some of the rap pieces were difficult to understand. But overall, the music was enjoyable.

The weakness of the show came from the plot. It was thin at best. There were the obligatory boy meets girl stories. The rest of the action was mostly centered everyday problems. The issues were resolved realistically, but the action isn’t as exciting as it could have been. The character of Abuela was too far in the background to have the emotional impact she should in Act 2.

This production of In the Heights is enjoyable, but it does not have the impact that Hamilton has. Denver audiences will have to wait to see if Miranda’s sophomore effort lives up to the hype.

The Music Man

The Music Man
Candlelight Dinner Playhouse
Johnstown, CO 
September 7 - November 5, 2017

Candlelight Dinner Playhouse is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. This group has found their sweet spot in the Colorado theater scene by presenting classic shows that aren’t often performed in the Denver metro area. The first show of their second decade is The Music Man – shows don’t get much more classic than this.

The show centered around Harold Hill, a smooth travelling salesman. Their Harold had a smile as wide as Iowa and enough charisma to charm the hardest of hearts. His antics gave the people of River City a much needed diversion from their dull daily lives. This character was so well performed that we couldn’t help but love him, despite his questionable motives.

Marian the librarian was lovely to look at and hear, even if she was a bit dull. She seemed too easily swayed by Harold’s charms, but it’s the scenario the audience longed for.

The main characters were surrounded by a wide range of crazy characters. The best was the Mayor’s wife who was a comedy show on her own. The barbershop quartet were spectacular to listen to, and I loved their silly antics when their situations were less than harmonious.

As always, the sets at the Candlelight transported the audience into the right setting. The scenes changed deftly and smoothly, never taking away from the action. I also appreciated how the characters changed costumes to denote changes in time. (A costumer for this show could easily decide to keep everyone dressed in the same costume throughout.)

There wasn’t anything to dislike about this show, It is not a deep social or political commentary and they never tried to make it into one. It’s a a fun time at the theater with something for everyone. And be prepared for one of the best curtain calls you will ever see.