The Phantom of the Opera (Nov. 2, 2013)

The Phantom of the Opera

This will be a very brief little review; I mostly saw the same cast as in the October 31 review, so this review just covers the new Christine and a bit more on Jeremy. 

Harriet Jones
(Phantom Website)

I want to try to avoid a comparison of Harriet to Olivia. I don’t think that’s fair to either of them, as they are such incredibly different Christines. Yes, I’m more partial to one than the other and of course I have comparisons in my head, but for the purposes of this review I’d like to try and treat Harriet as an individual as opposed to one of many Christines, because she’s really quite different from any of the Christines I remember seeing. The first thing I’d like to talk about Harriet is her voice. It’s incredibly strong, and as far as I can tell, essentially perfect. There isn’t a moment where you doubt she’ll be able to hit the notes, no matter what she’s doing at the time. I did like her voice quite a lot, but what I found about Harriet was that she was most in character when she let her voice go a bit. Songs like Think of Me were nicely done, but completely vocally dependent. Because of this, I didn’t expect much different from the rest of the songs, so I was pleasantly surprised for Twisted Every Way. She stopped just singing it and really got into the character. I honestly think that was Harriet’s best moment in the show. The Final Lair was similar; not quite as effective, but very nearly there. I saw glimmers of this as well in Wishing and Past the Point of No Return, and I think that given a few months she’ll get more comfortable with the role, and be able to bring what she did to Twisted and Final Lair to all of the songs. While I’m not in a massive rush to see her again, I’m definitely hoping to see her in January or February. I think Harriet has a lot of potential to be a very strong Christine, and I’m excited to see that. I don’t really have a lot more to say about Harriet; she was nice overall, and I look forward to seeing her Christine grow over the next few months. She’s also a very nice person; she was lovely enough to let us see her dressing room and her costumes (best.day.ever).

Jeremy Secomb and I

I did mention Jeremy in my last review, but I felt the need to mention him again in this one (It’s typical; in 12 years and 9 shows I never saw the same Phantom twice, and now in the space of three days that streak was broken). I really, really like Jeremy. He’s actually starting to remind me of Hugh Panaro; he’s got an extremely violent and reckless Final Lair, and I love it! In my mind, the Phantom is pretty crazy, and I always want Christine to stay with Raoul (I’ve never been “team Erik”). The absolute madness in the Final Lair is perfect for showing this. At the same time though, the way he does the Lair also makes you feel a bit sorry for the Phantom, because obviously he’s devastated that Christine is leaving him. Jeremy actually had a line flub in the Final Lair, but as it’s only his third show and he recovered immediately (if you didn’t know the song, you wouldn’t’ve noticed), I’ve got no issues with that. I honestly don’t mind line flubs/other accidents in general as long as there is a strong recovery. Jeremy didn’t miss a beat, so good for him. I also need to mention his bit at the end of All I Ask of You; he stands right up in that Angel, and it’s so intimidating and magnificent at the same time. Really enjoyed Jeremy’s Phantom, and I really hope to see it again!

Layla Harrison and I 

That's basically all I need to say about Phantom; everything else is covered in my other review. There weren't any major bloopers aside from the line fluff, and Stage Door was fun (as usual) but not as exciting as Thursday's. Hope you enjoyed the brief review :) 

The Phantom of the Opera (October 31st, 2013) AKA Phantowe'en!

The Phantom of the Opera

(Phantowe'en)

Let me start by saying: BEST HALLOWE'EN EVER. Absolutely epic. I'm definitely doing this again next year. Alright, now onto the things that people who read this blog (do people actually read this blog?) read for (I assume... maybe you like these tangents?). 

I'm not sure where to start where this show. It was, in a word, stunning. Another word? Fantastic. More words? Awe-inspiring, perfect, beyond belief. I can't actually articulate this experience (and I'm incredibly embarrassed about this fact as I ended up quite speechless when speaking to Olivia and I will never forgive myself for that). I think that basically says everything; I'm rarely left speechless. I usually have something to complain about, or corrections/alterations I think need to be made. Obviously, I still have things I didn't like, but they are few and far between, and are vastly outweighed by the fantastic-ness that was this show.  

Cast board for the show I saw!

I'd like to start with Olivia, because she was the highlight of this show. It's easier to start with the things I didn't like as they are few, so I'll do that: I still don't love the lack of pointe shoes. I fully understand not everyone can wear them or dance in them (I definitely couldn't), I'm just overly nit-picky. The lack of pointe shoes does fix the height issue; she looks about a foot taller than the other dancers, so with her on demi pointe and the dancers up en pointe they look a little more unified. It's honestly not that big of an issue and I seriously doubt anyone else noticed. Really just me being pedantic. I excel at pedantic. 

Onto the things I do like. Like my brain after the show, this will be slightly disorganised and may require some deciphering. So good luck with that! I'd like to start with my favourite parts; Hannibal/Think of Me, and The Graveyard/Wishing. While Carlotta was singing Think of Me, I decided to watch Christine and Meg for fun, since I've seen Lara do it 4 times. Olivia was dreamily mouthing the song along with Carlotta, and my mouth dropped. That was the first of many little details that Olivia brought to Christine; such a small thing, and I doubt that half the people noticed, but it makes the world of difference to those of us who have seen the show more times than we can count. As for her own Think of Me, there's something about it that's just pure and beautiful. I can't explain it, but it just works. It looks like a young, inexperienced girl gaining confidence in herself throughout the song. I never liked Think of Me, but Olivia's was beautiful. You saw the growth throughout the song, as opposed to the immediate transition most Christines do after the first bit of the song. 

Olivia Brereton
(Tumblr)

My other favourite part (and yes, this needs its own paragraph), was The Graveyard/Wishing. The transition to the Graveyard scene is brief and beautiful. That's usually it. The music is stunning, the voice is beautiful, the costume is gorgeous - and that's where it ends. Not with Olivia. She does this thing with her voice, and I know nothing about singing so I don't know what to call it, or if it even has an official name, but when she sings "And speaks my name" something just happens in her voice, and it basically rips your heart out. And it happens again in Wishing, with "Why can't the past just die" (so my heart was ripped out twice and it hasn't come back yet. Just thinking about it I tear up again). It's just... heartbreaking, really. It turns Wishing into a much more emotional song; it's usually just this gorgeous, beautifully sung piece, and Olivia did that, but she made it so much more real. My words aren't doing it justice; you have to hear it to believe it. It's just magnificent. And it'll kill you inside. But still magnificent.

Olivia Brereton and Layla Harrison
(Tumblr)

More things about Olivia: I really love her look. She's got this beautiful graceful look about her, but facially she also looks quite young. It gets the point across that although Christine's dealing with all of this stuff, she's still a child (she's definitely under 21 in the books, right?). I've already covered her subtleties in Think of Me, but they carry throughout the show. When other Christine's might've been dead silent and just sort of looking at something, Olivia actually did something (like normal people). It didn't feel like acting. Her Christine actually grows and changes throughout the show; the journey becomes real. And finally, the fierceness! That's what I felt was really missing from her the first time; it was so real, but there wasn't any passion or fire. I can't say that anymore. During the second act, she really started to come into herself, gain confidence, and actually fight. The Phantom wasn't getting away with anything; she was going to fight for herself. The Final Lair was emotional; Olivia really killed it. I'll touch on Sean and Jeremy later; I mentioned that Olivia's Christine gained fierceness and passion, and this was the culmination of that. She fought. My favourite part was when she kissed the Phantom; once they'd broken away, she had her arms stretched out and it almost looked as if she was offering more, basically trying to do whatever she needed to save Raoul. If my heart wasn't already torn apart at that point, it would've broken a bit during this. It's just the subtleties that she brings to her performance; it left me speechless. It made songs like Music of the Night and Think of Me so much more realistic. She does Past the Point of No Return really well as well; you can tell she has utterly no idea that it's the phantom until she feels his mask and screams. And she tries to run away at first, but then she gets angry! She really got in his face and showed a lot of bravery and fight. That was a Christine that was sick of all of this and just wanted her life back. 

And so ends my Olivia Soliloquy. Sorry for gushing.

Jeremy Secomb
(Phantom Website)

On to Jeremy! I love his Piangi, and I really wasn't sure about Piangi being the Phantom. It just didn't sit right with me. But he was very good. He had a lot more confidence than Geronimo, which really showed in the performance (a little more reckless; Geronimo played it safe). He really threw Olivia around quite a bit, and I'm not sure how her wig stayed in place with all of that manhandling. He was definitely very fierce and violent at times, and it worked. The Phantom is a madman, after all. His voice was nice (I think his mic went out a couple times though), although a little weak at points (final note in Music of the Night). Point of No Return was a little bit like Piangi/Phantom-ception. It was good though; I think Olivia and Jeremy make a good pairing. They're very receptive to each other, and they had really nice chemistry without it being overwhelming. Overall, I liked him, and I'd be happy to see him again.

Cat Lane
(Phantom Website)

New Meg! We all know how much I adore Layla-Meg (otherwise known as world's greatest Meg), so I compare everyone to her. I have to say, I was disappointed in the new Meg. She was just a Meg. Her voice wasn't quite there, and she was over-anticipating the scenes a bit (she was on her feet before the set actually hit the ground at the end of Carlotta's Think of Me). I think once she's had a bit more time to settle into the role she'll improve, and I look forward to seeing that. 

Sean Palmer
(Phantom Website)

Some of you might remember my withering condemnation of Sean Palmer's Raoul. You'll be happy to know that he has improved greatly. He still doesn't do the jump into the 'lake' (no idea why), and I don't like that, but aside from that, he's actually moved out of the background and become a part of Christine's life. He almost did the belly-flop of Antony's that I love in the Final Lair! He really put himself into the performance this time; instead of just skating through it, I felt that effort was actually put in this time. I was very pleased with his performance in general, and I'm hoping for further improvement. More reasons to go back to the show again!

With Jeremy Secomb after the show

Now for one of my favourite parts: bloopers and funny moments! For bloopers, the most noticeable was when Olivia's cloak got caught on something during Wishing; it took her a couple of tries but she was able to tug it free eventually. In the Auction, the mans showing the props had a couple line flubs and actually ran into the chandelier once. He seemed a bit out of it. I'm not sure if this was a blooper or not, but Sean once again didn't jump from the bridge into the lake. He stripped off his jacket, then just kind of walked off. Not very heroic. Olivia's Aminta dress was ripped at the bottom; ironically the same place it was got ripped during the show when I saw her in June (I assume it's been fixed since then, but just got ripped again). There were a couple of other little things; I do love bloopers and accidents though (provided no one gets hurt of course). One of my favourite 'funny moments' was during Buquet's story for the Ballet girls; when he was talking about the "yellow parchment skin" one of the ballet girls exclaimed "EW that's disgusting!" I had to choke back laughter; it was brilliant. I can't remember what she said about his nose, but it was equally hilarious. It's kind of a reminder that the ballet girls aren't these sophisticated dancers; they're quite young as well. Those were the highlights for me; there were a lot of other funny little moments as well that I just can't remember off the top of my head. 

With Layla Harrison

With Lara Martins

Stage Door was fun; I love getting to talk to people that are waiting there as well, and I had a really nice conversation with a few people today. The best part, though, was the Hallowe'en costumes! The cast really went all out. Lara's was my favourite of the night; not sure exactly what she was, but it was a combination of Hannibal costumes, a black tutu, and some other things. It was a masterpiece. There were some great group costumes; a guy in a princess costume; Zombie red-riding-hood; a pumpkin with full face-paint; and many others. Layla was a devil, Jeremy was himself, Lara was whatever Lara was, and Olivia was some sort of Skeleton. It was a really fun experience; I had a lot of laughs at Stage Door. I basically collapsed with laughter when I saw Lara's costume. It was golden. It was funny talking to the people I was talking to as they quite quickly got the sense of how blown away I was by Olivia, and one of them said "we'll know when Olivia comes out because she'll start screaming." I didn't scream, but I did lose my ability to articulate myself. I need to apologise for that again next time I see her; I hate when people do that and I'm quite ashamed at myself for being one of those people. A funny thing about Stage Door is I guess I go there too much, because Lara, Olivia, and one of the ballet girls (not one I've ever spoken to) recognised me. I don't know how Olivia remembered me as I haven't been there since June, but it was still funny. I do love Phantom Stage Door though; everyone is so friendly. Given the things I've been dealing with over the past few months, it's very therapeutic. 

With Olivia Brereton

Phantom again on Saturday; expect another (albeit less detailed) review as I will be seeing Harriet as Christine for the first time. I'm quite grateful for this; I don't think I could take another of Olivia's Wishings so soon. Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed their hallowe'en! 

EDITS: Some things I remembered a few days after writing this review... another thing about Olivia is that she makes all of the idiotic things Christine does make sense. She doesn't just pin it on the idea of 'possession' as most Christines do; everything has a reason, and she shows it. The other things I wanted to add was a line issue in Wandering Child. During the 'fight' scene, either Sean repeated a line, or Jeremy said a line that was Sean's, because one line got said twice in a row. Not a huge issue, just thought it was interesting. 

Down once more... to London, that is!

I will be in London October 31 to November 2! This trip has been in the works for months, and I'm so excited that in less than five days I will be sitting down to enjoy one of my favourite shows. My jam-packed schedule for this trip is: 

October 31st - Phantom of the Opera (Evening)

You can expect a brief review of either this Phantom show or the one from Thursday; with Sofia's departure, I'm unsure who I'll be seeing, but if it's anyone new, or just a particularly good/interesting show, I will briefly review one or both Phantom shows :) 

November 1st - Wicked (Evening)

I will likely write a brief review of Wicked, as this is the last time I will be seeing Louise and Gina in these roles. It'll be an emotional day for sure! 

November 2nd - Phantom of the Opera (Matinee) and Strangers on a Train (Evening)

See the other Phantom post :) This is going to be a very exciting day for me though, and I'm really looking forward to spending this show with a friend! We've got something incredibly special (once in a lifetime opportunity really) planned, and I couldn't be more excited!

I will be seeing the very first preview of Strangers on a Train! I loved the movie when I watched it in film class a few years ago, and I'm looking forward to seeing something fresh and new. I love seeing first previews as it's an opportunity to see something still in the works, and see the process that shows go through before their opening night. I usually don't see plays, but I've made an exception for this, and I'm very excited! I know previews aren't supposed to be reviewed, but expect a review anyway. 

Well, that's my trip! Very much looking forward to a few exciting days of theatre (as well as some shopping and a trip to the British Museum - and possibly a bit of essay writing here and there). Hope everyone has a great, relaxing, and healthy (I'm sick right now, and a lot of other people seem to be as well!) week!

The Phantom of the Opera (Sept. 12th, 2013)(New Cast!)

This is mostly just a point form review of the cast that I saw, both new and old.

The Cast...

Geronimo (Phantom) - Loved Geronimo; he had an incredible voice. I was really impressed by his Final Lair; it was passionate, crazed, maniacal - everything I love about the Phantom. The only thing I missed from him was the hands (I'm one of those people that likes when the Phantom has "sexy hands", for lack of a better term), and he was quite passive during Point of No Return. I'd like to have seen him moving about a little more, getting more into the moment. Otherwise, no complaints. He's obviously not totally comfortable with some parts yet (he was gripping the side of the angel for dear life during I Gave You My Music), but that'll come with time and practice. Overall, I really liked him!

Sofia Escobar as Christine

Sofia (Christine) - I didn't love Sofia; I feel like she was performing more like it was a concert as opposed to a stage show. In the first act especially; there was so much smiling and not very much acting. I didn't get Christine's transformation with her; she jumped right into a mature, more confident Christine. I thought she improved vastly in the second act; Twisted Every Way, Wishing, Past the Point of No Return, and the Final Lair were very good. I think Sofia does passionate and fierce very well when she puts her mind to it, but the first act was just... not right. Her accent bugged me quite a bit as well, which is really funny because when I met her, she had next to no accent. The theory that my friend developed was that she's trying to disguise it, and thereby making it worse. We also thought that she might have gotten too settled into her role; I think the break she's taking to get married will do her good, and hopefully she can come back to the role with a fresh approach. I didn't dislike Sofia, but she's not my favourite. Her strongest point was definitely Point of No Return; that was the one time I felt she had 100% captured the character. Music of the Night was also good for her, and I liked her quite a bit in the Final Lair. If she could do the first act the way she does the second, she'd be wonderful.

Sean (Raoul) - Sean was definitely a background Raoul; I felt like the show could've gone on without him and not much would've been different. I thought Meg was a much stronger presence for Christine in this show than Raoul; aside from the love interest bit, Meg could easily have taken his place. I didn't see any passion, any interest... I really don't have much to say about him. He didn't do much. His voice was fine, I liked his hairstyle... that's about it. I missed Antony's Final-Lair-faceplant. I'm usually a team Raoul person, but I was pretty indifferent at this point. 

Lara Martins as Carlotta

Lara (Carlotta) - I finally met Lara! It took me 11 months and 4 shows, but I finally did it! She was very lovely. And if you read my blog, you already know how much I love Lara's Carlotta. She's fiery, she's sassy, she's a complete diva, and I love it! It was weird how nice she was at Stage Door, because I had this Carlotta-esque personality in my head and Lara does it so well that I couldn't imagine the person being different from the character.

Jeremy (Piangi) - I've seen his Piangi as many times as I've seen Lara's Carlotta; I'm not particularly passionate about him, but I think he's very good, and I enjoy his portrayal of Piangi. 

Jacinta (Mme. Giry) - I wasn't fond of her voice; she seemed too young and not forceful enough. She was fine, but I wouldn't have any qualms about seeing another Mme. Giry. 

Layla Harrison as Meg

Layla (Meg) - Everyone knows that I adore Layla's Meg; she's the best rounded Meg I've ever seen (even when not in top form, she sings better than all the other Meg's I've seen). Something I love about Layla's Meg is that she makes Meg smart. Kind of a weird thing to say, but let me explain. Meg is usually portrayed as kind of a ditzy blonde who's really only there to be the Phantom's resident announcer, but people forget that Meg can't be stupid. She's the one who realises the trouble that Christine is in before anyone else does and sees the need to protect her, she's the one that tries to warn everyone about the danger, and she's also the first one to find the Lair. Meg is intelligent, and brave, and I love Layla because she shows that Meg is more than just a silly, brainless dancer (trying to fight agains the stereotypes of dumb blondes ;) ). 

Andy and Martin (Firmin and Andre) - I liked these two more than the more famous pairing that has just left; I felt that they were stronger performers, with a better sense of comedic timing. Again, not particularly passionate about them, but I did like them very much. 

A bit about the show...

It was pretty 'perfect' in the sense that there weren't any major mistakes. The veil got left on the stage during the curtain call and one of the ballet girls had to grab it and throw it in the wings, but that was about it. It wasn't an incredible performance, but I did enjoy it. I had fun sitting with my friend, seeing my favourite Meg, and seeing a bit of the new cast. I'm not in a hurry to see Sofia again; I'm hoping to catch Olivia (whom I adore) or Harriet (whom I haven't yet seen) on my next trip. 

Stage door...

This was a really funny experience at Stage Door; it is the first time I've been there with a friend instead of a parent, and the first time I've Stage Door-ed after a matinee. We'd had a bit of an advanced warning from Layla about it possibly taking some time to get out, so we were prepared to wait a while. It was quicker than expected though; Sofia was out very quickly, then Lara, shortly followed by Layla. Geronimo took a while, but we did get to meet him, which was nice. The funny part was that we were chatting about who we were going to meet, talking about everyone by first names, and people started asking us questions because it must have sounded like we had an idea of what was going on. We had people asking us when they would come out, what everyone's names were, etc. It was quite fun as we were able to answer all questions, and made us feel quite important :) It was especially nice that Layla recognised us right away, giving a little more credence to our familiarity with the cast. It was quite a cool feeling! Anyway, I feel kind of bad because both my friend and I were quite shy, so we had to make Layla had to go grab someone to take our group photo. Layla's possibly one of the nicest people I've ever met, and I definitely can't wait to see her Megging again! (although I'm still unhappy with myself for rambling; it makes sense in my head, but comes out sounding either odd, disjointed, or creepy. "I want your feet!" Nice one, Elizabeth. I'm so used to hanging around with sports people who say things like that all the time). Also hoping I can catch Lara again before Claire returns; I'd love to meet her again as well. 

That's another Phantom show finished for me; I'm sad it's over, but I'm already looking forward to my next trip (hopefully in November). If you're going to Phantom, I hope you have an incredible time!

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (Movie Review)(Warning: spoilers)

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Movie Review

I absolutely love the Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus book series. I read and re-read them constantly, and have for the past six (roughly) years. I'm counting down the days until House of Hades, the next book in the Heroes of Olympus series is released (54 days). So I was extremely excited back in 2009 when I found out they were making the series into a movie! Upon seeing the first movie, I was disappointed. Very disappointed. It was a good movie, but it wasn't anything like the book series I knew and love. The characters weren't the same, the plot wasn't the same - it was just plain wrong. Nonetheless, it was an entertaining movie, and I was glad when last year I found out they were making Sea of Monsters into a movie, 4 years after the first one was released. I was even more pleased when I heard rumours that the plot of this movie would be much closer to that of the book; rumours that were confirmed when the first set photos were released, showing a blonde Annabeth. 

The movie came out last Wednesday, and I finally saw it last Sunday. Let me say that first and foremost, I LOVED it. It was a wonderfully put together film, with appropriate moments of humour and suspense. 

Tyson, Clarisse, Grover, Annabeth, and Percy in
Polyphemus' lair. 

First, what I liked. My favourite part about this was that there was no longer any sexual tension between Percy and Annabeth, which was rampant in the first movie. I get that with older actors, you're going to have to play that angle a bit, but in the first movie they tried to turn Annabeth, my favourite character, into some sort of sexual figure with her tight armour, hair flipping, and sultry looks, especially during fight scenes. There was none of that during Sea of Monsters, for which I was VERY thankful. Clarisse took this spot to an extent, but not so much so that it was unbearable, like Annabeth in the first movie. The other thing I enjoyed was the plot. Yes, it was somewhat different from the book. But, even though I knew the end result, the plot changes made the movie more suspenseful. Instead of knowing exactly what would happen and thinking I couldn't be shocked by anything, the movie had me hanging on the edge of my seat. While I didn't like all of the changes, I do think they made the movie more enjoyable. I wasn't bothered by the absence of Tantalus, CC's Spa, or Scylla, and I didn't mind the way that Grover disappeared. As well, I thought Tyson was incredibly well casted. He wasn't the same as the book, but I liked the portrayal nonetheless. Also, loved Hermes, loved Mr. D. (STANLEY TUCCI!), loved Clarisse. No complaints on that front, they were all good.  One of the other things I adored was the opening, with Thalia's story (although I don't like the changes they made to the story). I do wish they'd gone into more detail as to why Annabeth was afraid of Cyclops though; I thought that was a key part of the storyline they left out. Really, I wish they'd have delved into Annabeth's life a little more; there's so much more to her than the movie shows, and I think that's why she lacks some character development. 

Annabeth in the first movie (left) versus Annabeth in the second movie (right)

When it comes to things I didn't like, there were many. However, it's mostly just me being picky; I really did enjoy the movie. Most of these are just minor nitpicky things that someone who wasn't as into the books as I am wouldn't mind. I wish they would've brought Annabeth's  invisibility cap into the story. As well, I think Annabeth in general still needs a bit of work; I did like her better in this movie, but she just isn't quite book-Annabeth enough yet. I wish they would have incorporated more humour into the movie; the books are hilarious and serious at the same time, and I wish the movie had more of that. I thought some moments were pure genius though; Luke's "get off my roof," was a personal favourite of mine. My big issue with the movie was (big spoiler warning here) when Kronos was resurrected. It was a good thing that the theatre was almost empty, because I said quite loudly, "Wait.... THIS ISN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!" It just seemed so utterly wrong. The big battle with Kronos, Percy's ultimate triumph and what the 5 books were building towards, happened. And it wasn't particularly well done either. The special effects were interesting, but I vastly prefer the original ending of the book. The other main issue I had was the makeup on the zombies on Clarisse's ghost ship. It just looked so fake! The main 'zombie' looked just like a normal person who had been painted and had red contacts in. Not ghostly or creepy at all. Just bad. I didn't expect something from The Walking Dead or Zombieland, but I did expect something a little more realistic. 

Percy and Annabeth in the Sea of Monsters

All in all, I loved this movie. It's got to be one of my favourite new movies of the last 12 months. It's funny, suspenseful, and would be enjoyable for both fans of the series and those who have never heard of it. I give it four and a half out of five stars! A must see!

*Of course, I may have to update this as I think of more things I did/didn't like. This movie had so much going on that it's easy to miss things the first time around.




Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIBPpc1cT1E

Anything Goes (August 4th)

Anything Goes!

It was a last minute decision for my family and I to go see Anything Goes; we booked out tickets at 3pm, and the show started at 8pm the same day. The three of us ended up sitting separately, and I was lucky enough to get the seat closest to the front, with an incredible view. 

Anything Goes is the story of the goings on onboard a cruise ship. It is consistently funny, entertaining, and never really stops moving. The only moments I lost interest were during the two big tap numbers; tap dancing is fun for a while, but eventually it becomes repetitive and boring. Aside from that, though, Anything Goes was uproariously entertaining. The jokes are witty, and still understandable decades after they were written. As a younger audience member (who was sitting surrounded by people in their 60s and 70s), a few of the jokes went over my head, but I also found that I was laughing at jokes that the older audience members around me either didn't understand, or didn't find humorous. It was an interesting blend; sometimes the audience reactions are almost as interesting as the on stage performance. 

My favourite cast member by far was Rachel York as Reno Sweeney. While I'm not overly fond of the character herself, Reno provides a much-needed comic reprieve from the sometimes sickeningly melodramatic conversations of Hope and Billy. Moonface Martin was also an essential part of this comic reprieve; Hope and Billy's relationship would've been unbearable without this. Other characters had a similar impact, such as Erma and Lord Evelyn, but Reno Sweeney was certainly the most entertaining and interesting character of the show. Rachel York's portrayal was everything I could've imagined; having not seen this show before, I didn't have any expectations of portrayals, but based on similar characters in other shows, I think Rachel York absolutely nailed Reno's character. She was incredibly entertaining, and obviously an incredibly skilled dancer and singer. I'd love to hear what her voice sounds like in real life, because obviously Reno's voice was an exceptionally well-done 'character voice'.

Most of what I didn't enjoy about this show is easily eclipsed by what I did enjoy. The character of Hope Harcourt is an absolute bore, and by connection, Billy's is as well. Of course, they can't be eliminated from the story as they are the catalysts for everything that happens on board the cruise ship, but I liked it best when neither of them were on the stage. I also thought the tap numbers could've been shortened; you can only watch the same chaine turns and poses so many times before you start to lose interest. I also thought the characters of John and Luke, the two Chinese gamblers brought on board the ship by a reverend, were somewhat unnecessary. They didn't add a whole lot to the story until near the end, and their comic benefits were essentially non existent. Surprisingly, I did enjoy Erma's story line; it was a bit of a welcome distraction from the main plot line, and was crafted such that her little 'moments' fit into the scene that was happening/about to happen/just happened, not detracting or distracting from the main plot. 

Overall, I very much enjoyed Anything Goes. It was an incredibly entertaining show (I overused that word in this review, but it's the best descriptor of the show), and I would recommend it in a heartbeat to anyone. 

Once (Thursday June 27th)

Once

I'm so sorry this review took so long; Paris was a whirlwind with very little down time (and spotty internet), and then as soon as I got home, I had to catch up on sleep.

Once is, in a word, different. It was so utterly different from any musical I'd seen in my entire life. I may not have the widest experience of musicals in the world, but I have seen a decent amount in my 18 years, and never have I seen anything quite so unique as Once. 

For starters, there was no orchestra. Or rather, the cast was the orchestra. Each member of the cast, along with acting their respective parts, played one or more musical instruments. I didn't like it at first; I've always been a fan of actors playing one role, and one role only. Anything other than that has always been too confusing. But this time, it worked. I still don't love it, but I didn't get as confused as I thought I might.

Another thing I found interesting about Once is that the cast rarely left the stage. It was distracting at moments, but they did a good job of making themselves mostly invisible when it was required. The set was also very different; one can easily see the lighting rig from the audience, and the set doesn't go all the way to the top. I thought that this would bug me to no end, but I liked it. It made the set seem more natural and less contrived. 

The two lead actors, Zrinka Cvitesic playing Girl and Declan Bennett playing Guy, were outstanding. Both played their respective roles such that they were utterly believable. When watching shows, I usually zone out of the actual 'characters' and focus on the actors (if that makes sense). During this show, it wasn't until the very end that I remembered that they actually were actors, not their characters. Part of this was helped by the low-key atmosphere; it was a natural setting as opposed to the more artificial or magical settings from Wicked or The Phantom of the Opera. But mostly, it was because Zrinka and Declan just were Girl and Guy. Zrinka was humorous and energetic, and even when her jokes weren't funny, her reactions made it funny. Declan's character is subtler and much less 'out-there' compared to Girl, but he did a wonderful job of making Guy realistic and believable. Both looked absolutely exhausted by the end of the show, and understandably so.

The only complaint I have about Once is the character of Ivanka. The little girl really wasn't needed; she wasn't on stage very much, and there was only once scene that I thought could benefit from having a physical presence there, as opposed to just the mention of her. While the character herself isn't irrelevant, having an actual little girl on stage at very random moments felt like a waste of time. 

Once is a musical you definitely can't see just once (excuse the pun, I kidnapped it from a billboard outside the theatre). It doesn't make my top ten list of musicals, but I think if I saw it a few more times I would like it, and understand it, more. Regardless, it was an excellent show, and I would highly recommend it!