The Bridges of Madison CountyMarsha Norman (Book); Jason Robert Brown (Music & Lyrics)Based on the Novel by Robert James WallerTheatreWorks Silicon Valley Rob Robertson & Joan HessAnyone coming to TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s The Bridges of Madison County fearing the evening could drip with sappiness certainly left thinking anything but. … [Read more...] about “The Bridges of Madison County”
Musical
“Saturday Night”
Saturday NightJulius J. Epstein (Book); Stephen Sondheim (Music & Lyrics)42nd Street MoonThe Cast of Saturday NightWhile it is not that unusual to hear about a first-born baby arriving late, forty-three years is probably some kind of a Guinness world record. That is exactly how long it took Stephen Sondheim’s first musical, Saturday Night, to receive its first … [Read more...] about “Saturday Night”
“The Music Man”
The Music ManMeredith Wilson (Book, Music & Lyrics)Broadway by the Bay As many times as I have personally seen the show, I experienced a week’s build-up of excitement to see Broadway by the Bay’s latest staging of the ever-popular tale of the huckster Hill, The Music Man. I am happy to report that the Broadway by the Bay production has the all brassiness, the … [Read more...] about “The Music Man”
“Love Never Dies”
Love Never DiesAndrew Lloyd Webber (Music); Glenn Slater (Lyrics); Ben Elton (Book)Charles Hart (Additional Lyrics); David Cullen & Andrew Lloyd Webber (Orchestration)Broadway San JoseGarder Thor Cortes & Meghan PicernoSince the longest running show in Broadway history opened in 1988 and after its six-year, record-breaking run in San Francisco (1993-1999), I must admit … [Read more...] about “Love Never Dies”
“9 to 5 The Musical”
9 to 5 The MusicalDolly Parton (Music & Lyrics): Patricia Resnick (Book)Foothill Musical TheatreThe Cast of 9 to 5 The Musical Dolly Parton’s premiere of 9 to 5 The Musical may have had a short run on Broadway in 2009; but in 2018, the trimmed, tongue-in-cheek comedy takes on new and pointed relevance in the Foothill Musical Theatre production, given the ongoing … [Read more...] about “9 to 5 The Musical”
“Weightless”
WeightlessThe Kilbanes (Music, Lyrics & Book)Z Space Kate Kilbane & Lila BlueIn the beginning, everything looks and sounds like a rock concert in an intimate space where audience members tiered on either side of the stage will sit on cushions and sip wine from the bar nearby. Two women, one straddling a bass guitar, face each other and begin singing a somewhat … [Read more...] about “Weightless”
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetStephen Sondheim (Music & Lyrics); Hugh Wheeler (Book)The StageNoel Anthony The Stage takes the Sondheim favorite, Sweeney Todd, that has graced Broadway three times, the West End four, and grand opera stages in at least ten countries worldwide and strips the musical down to a bare minimum of cast, set, and orchestra, putting … [Read more...] about “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
“Man of La Mancha”
Man of La ManchaDale Wasserman (Book); Mitch Leigh (Music); Joe Darion (Lyrics)Custom Made TheatreEdward Hightower as Don QuixoteAndy Williams, Frank Sinatra, Roberta Flack, Elvis, Cher, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir are just a few of the many who have recorded what is surely one of the most enduring standards to emerge from an American musical. And while every … [Read more...] about “Man of La Mancha”
“A Christmas Story: The Musical”
A Christmas Story: The MusicalBenj Pasek & Justin Paul (Music & Lyrics); Joseph Robinette (Book)San Francisco PlayhouseThe Kids of A Christmas Story: The MusicalFor those who celebrate it, Christmas universally evokes feelings of nostalgia based on memories that often seem even more precious and wonderful than the actual events may have actually been, especially when it … [Read more...] about “A Christmas Story: The Musical”
“Bright Star”
Bright StarSteve Martin (Music, Book, Story) & Edie Brickell (Music, Lyrics, Story)Curran TheatreCarmen CusackUpfront, let’s just admit that some of the lyrics are full of more corn and clichés than a barn’s loft and that the story’s twists and turns are so unbelievably fantastical that even the audience laughed when the story’s dramatic ‘big reveal’ was reenacted. … [Read more...] about “Bright Star”
“Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets”
Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic BulletsWilliam S. Burroughs (Book); Tom Waits (Music & Lyrics)Shotgun PlayersThe Cast of Black RiderWhat kind of play will be penned by a writer who, as a young man, shoots and kills his wife while playing with her a drinking game of “William Tell”? Imagine his then discovering an old German folktale where an unsuccessful suitor makes a … [Read more...] about “Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets”
“Singing in the Rain”
Singin’ in the RainBetty Comden & Adolph Green (Book); Arthur Freed (Lyrics); Nacio Herb Brown (Music)Broadway by the BayThe Cast of Singin' in the RainAs the orchestra ticks through well-known number after number during the “Overture,” the music swells until the one everyone knows is coming begins its familiar float of notes. And at that moment, a man in hat and with … [Read more...] about “Singing in the Rain”
“The Drowsy Chaperone”: Day 7, Play 8, Theatre Eddys at OSF Ashland 2017
The Drowsy ChaperoneLisa Lambert & Greg Morrison (Music & Lyrics); Bob Martin & Don McKellar (Book)Oregon Cabaret TheatreFrom the still-dark stage, we hear a squeaky, dramatic, and overly protracted sigh, followed by “I hate theatre.” But when the lights finally come up on a rather mousy, nervous-looking man in bow tie and sweater, we soon learn this Man … [Read more...] about “The Drowsy Chaperone”: Day 7, Play 8, Theatre Eddys at OSF Ashland 2017
