Written by guest author: Mitchell Stevko

Not since Dorothy and Oz, have a pair of red shoes shone so brightly in a musical.

Except in this case, the red shoes are Kinky Boots, the 2013 Tony award winning best musical that opened December 2014 at The Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco.  This is a fantastic show that delivers spectacular, catchy songs, a great story, tons of laughs, and of course, fabulous drag queens in outlandish costumes. I really connected personally with one of the shows themes, about not meeting a parents expectations of who you will and should be, and accepting yourself fully in spite of that.

Kinky Boots is based on the 2005 indie film about a men’s shoe factory in a UK factory town that’s going out of business, until the new owner Charlie meets drag queen Lola in London and realizes there is an opportunity to sell upscale women’s boots to cross-dressing men.

The show’s music is for me the biggest start of the show.  It’s fun, catchy, it’s got heart, and it’s written by pop icon and first time musical theatre score composer Cyndi Lauper (remember “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”). From the opening number “The Most Beautiful Thing in the World (is a shoe)” to the hand clapping anthem finale “Raise You Up” (a funky groove about accepting yourself and others) the songs really leave the crowd on super upbeat, feel good highs. Lauper integrates many styles we have been used to hearing in modern musicals, including rock, pop, acoustic, techno, folk, and classic showtune belting.

The touring cast for Kinky Boots delivers the goods with strong vocal, acting and dance performances, with many touching, funny and inspirational moments. Any of the leads in this show could do the role on Broadway, and I predict most of them probably will. Kyle Taylor Parker, as Lola, was an Angel in the original Broadway cast and a standby for Lola, and brings a well-balanced amount of swagger, empathy and dead-pan one liner delivery to the role. He got a three minute ovation for “Hold Me in Your Heart”.

Steven Booth plays Charlie, the reluctant hero son of the fallen shoe store factory owner. He previously played Rod in Avenue Q on Broadway, and delivered incredibly powerful vocal performances and was an affable Charlie. His “Soul of a Man” (a soaring power rock ballad), was another show stopper and one of my all time favorites . Lindsay Nicole Booth plays Lauren, the factory worker/love triangle interest with Charlie and she delivers many laughs on her hilarious solo number “The History of Wrong Guys”.

The fourth star of the stage were the six drag queens, the totally over the top, “I’d like to see you try this in six inch heels” dancing Angels, played fabulously by: Darius Harper, Tommy Martinez, Nick McGough, Ricky Schroeder, Juan Torres-Falcon, and Hernando Umana. Now, these are guys that dress like girls that just wanna have fun, and every scene they are in, they completely light up the stage.  Joe Coots does a fine job as Don, the factory worker that just doesn’t get “blokes wearing dresses”. Broadway veteran Craig Waletzko has several great lines as factory foreman George. Grace Stockdale is deliciously unforgiving as Charley’s girlfriend Nicola.

You have another great script by Tony winning playwright Harvey Firestein (Hairspray, La Cage aux Folles) that’s filled with humor, empathy, and positive messages about self-acceptance and accepting others. Direction is crisp and the show is well paced by Broadway director Jerry Mitchell, and has outstanding musical arrangement by Stephen Oremus (Wicked, Book of Mormon).

Costumes by Gregg Barnes are, well, kinky, bright and fantastic. Sets and set changes integrate well thanks to David Rockwell, and lighting by Kenneth Posner sets the right mood. Kudos also to Hair by Josh Marquette and make-up by Randy Houston Mercer.

This is a must see musical that will entertain you with all the things a truly great musical has to offer: catchy songs, great story, inspiring message, humor, strong acting and singing, great dancing and costumes. So few musicals deliver on all these markers, but Kinky Boots is as shiny and eye catching as the boots featured in the show.

If you love musicals, like musicals, or think you may like musicals, go see Kinky Boots. 

When their parents both die of a mysterious illness that swept through their small Welsh village, surviving children Thomas, Haydon, and Nettie are forced to fend for themselves in a community that has largely shunned them. Thomas has taken control of the household, Nettie is coming into her own (and out of her shell) as a member of the community by selling her clothing she makes and Haydon wishes for something larger than this small town. Inspired by the gypsies who once shared their home, Haydon heads off to Liverpool, guitar in hand, to find what the world has to offer. There he meets Mirela, a beautiful young Romani woman who speaks to his wandering soul. However, when word comes that Haydon that his sister is deathly ill, he is forced to choose between the family and life he left behind, or the freedom and love he has found.

Listen to the show in entirety on Youtube, here. Or click on the videos below.

ACT 1

“Away”

“Keep it In”

“Stay”

“Come Along”

“All This Time”

“For Tonight”

“Wait for the Morn”

“Home”

ACT 2

“Suo Gan”

“Dark and Bright”

“Don’t Go it Alone”

“Don’t Forget Me”

“Will I Burn?”

“Oh Love of Mine”

“Process”

“Suo Gan – Reprise”

“No One Knows”

And the weird thing is, it was actually quite liberating… freeing even.

(To be honest, I’d rather be at home watching Homeland or The Walking Dead.) 

I have seen some shows where the second act is markedly better than the first, and I’m very happy that I’ve stayed but both shows that I walked out of had no hope of getting any better and if it did, I’m not really sad that I missed it. The funny thing is both people that I was with didn’t want to ask to leave but when I said I wanted to, they were so relieved, and we were out of there in about ten seconds flat!

For me, the first production I left at intermission wasn’t telling the story. The director had completely forgotten why the audience was there. I was there because I wanted to be taken away on a journey and be in their world! It wasn’t there, so I left. 

The second time I left was because the show was miscast and I was frustrated with the musical direction and  direction to the point that I had no opportunity to connect with the piece. I was annoyed the entire time. It was a complete departure to what I had seen on Broadway and I wasn’t happy.

And so here it is folks: if you don’t have me by intermission, I’m out. I guess my 30’s have given me a sense of owning my time, and I’ve sat through enough bad productions in my 20’s that I’m not wasting anymore time — even if I’ve paid a $100 bucks.

If you’ve left a production at intermission, I want to know why? And have you ever left before intermission?!

Give us the gory details in the comments, I want to make sure I’m not the only one.

Clearly all of those naysayers didn’t get it completely right, because $203 million dollar is something and a lot of their investors did get their money back though not all of them. But, let’s be honest: Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark never belonged on Broadway, and even Julie Taymor knew that. It was mentioned in the new tell-all book, The Song of Spider-man, that Taymor never wanted the show to be a Broadway musical, but rather a circus-rock-concert-drama. She was adamant about that.

So why did the producers push the show in New York when it should have flew into Las Vegas from the beginning? The spectacle, the music, the “feel” of the show fits in with all of the Vegas-type-Cirque shows which all capitalize in the hundreds of millions of dollars (not even close to what Spider-man cost). Maybe this question is answered in the book (I haven’t finished the entire thing yet), but it seems pretty logical to produce this in Las Vegas and a lot better idea than New York. (Though 42nd Street in New York is looking more and more like Las Vegas every time I walk that block.)

I’m not too sad that this is happening, since I hope to cover the opening of Spider-man: Turn off the Dark 3.0 in Las Vegas, but it will mean that I will miss Spider-man: Turn off the Dark 2.0 since I was planning on seeing 2.0 in February 2014.

Hopefully, the producers will get it right this time, and they will “rise above” all of the drama and put on a good show in Las Vegas — a more completed version of the circus-rock-concert-drama that Taymor envisioned years ago.

Or not.

I’ll still be there.

Last week, I received a tweet from a friend, Jeffrey Miele saying this: “@abroadwaycritic any chance you were at the 1st preview of @SpideyOnBway? If so you’re quoted in #songofspidermam (pg 189)”. I tweeted him back and asked what it said, and lo and behold, it’s true — The Broadway Critic Blog was quoted in Chapter 11 in the new book Song of Spider-man: The Inside Story of the Most Controversial Musical in Broadway History written by the show’s book writer, Glen Berger.

I instantly bought the book on Amazon.com and waited for it to come in the mail. I went to pg. 189 and sure enough, there it is (pictured above)! Berger has quoted my writer, Sean O’Conner, in his review of the first preview. You can read the entire review here. What you don’t see in the picture above is Michael Reidel’s quote saying how much he loathed the production right underneath mine! Obviously, two very different opinions.

And there you have it… I know some readers weren’t very happy that I posted a “review” of the first preview of Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark, but now it’s a part of Spider-man’s history. I just kinda wish that the quote actually came true… 

I do have tickets to see Spider-man 2.0 in February 2014. Since I’ve only “reviewed” Spider-man 1.0 in the past I’m looking forward to seeing the changes that were made between the two versions (if I can even remember the original).

Hopefully the book is as interesting as the drama that has surrounded Spider-man over the last three years… I hope to read it this weekend.

I only wish they wrote “The” before “Broadway Critic Blog”, but it’s okay – I’ll take the quote where we can get it!

Have you read it? What are your thoughts?

There’s a few shows this Broadway season that you can not miss! Here are my top five:

5. After Midnight

“The band takes the last bow in “After Midnight,” the sparkling new jazz revue that opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theater… This may be unusual for Broadway, where the players are normally in the pit — and the music often sounds as if it could have been piped in from Hong Kong — but it’s entirely as it should be.” – New York Times Review This review alone got me interested in seeing After Midnight. It’s not on the top of my list, but I definitely think it is something that I’ll see (eventually). I would love to see Fantasia live and I love this idea of rotating singers in and out of the “lead” but not as a “replacement” but as a convention. It does sound like that the band is the main reason to check out this production.

4. Rocky

Oh Rocky! What can I say: I’m intrigued? I’m always intrigued in shows that writers take an unusual subject matter and put in on the stage. It’s even more interesting when the unusual subject matter is boxing, and they are supposed to sing about it. I mean, come on, Rocky singing? Will it work? I don’t know… I can’t wait to find out. The producers are hoping it’s going to be a huge blockbuster success after moving Mamma Mia out of the Winter Garden Theatre, and replacing it with Rocky. The best part about all of this — I can finally say I went to the Winter Garden Theatre. Finally.

3. Bridges of Madison County

Jason Robert Brown’s new musical, Bridges of Madison County, has me all excited for numerous reasons. One, I’m interested in hearing how Jason Robert Brown’s music has morphed since Songs for a New World and The Last Five Years – both shows that shaped my love for musical theatre. Second, it has Kelli O’Hara and Steven Pasquale in the production. I saw both in Playwright Horizon’s production of Far From Heaven and they were phenomenal together. To be honest, I’ve never seen the movie but I’m interested and have tickets for the second week of previews. I’ll be sure to tell you all about it! For now, I’m content to listening to the above track over and over.

2. Les Miserables

All I have to say is: Ramin Karimloo as Jean Valjean. Frankly, that’s all I have to say. It’s his Broadway debut. And I’ll probably see this multiple times because of him. I have a man crush on this guy — one of the most unbelievable voices of this century.

1. If/Then

A few of my favorite things are in this cast: RENT alum: Idina Menzel & Anthony Rapp, Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey wrote the piece and it’s directed by Michael Grief. It tells the story of a 40-year old woman named Elizabeth who moves back to New York City for a fresh start. I’m excited for new musicals and I’m definitely interested in this one. I hope it’s as fantastic as I hope it will be. I need a new Next to Normal in my life. I have high expectations.

—

What musical are you most excited to see this upcoming season? Be sure to take the poll below.

You can read past top 5’s here:

• Top 5 New 2012-13 Broadway Musicals I’m Excited About
• Top 5 New 2012 Broadway Musicals I’m Excited About
• Five Broadway Shows You Should See #3 – June 2010
• Five Broadway Shows You Should See #2 – March 2010
• Five Broadway Shows You Should See #1 – November 2009

Pinewood School’s Performing Arts Department is proud to announce the high school and regional premiere of Whisper House, written by Obie Award winner, Kyle Jarrow (book & lyrics), and Grammy and Tony Award winner, Duncan Sheik (music & lyrics), opening on November 8^th, 2013 in Los Altos Hills, CA.

It’s 1942 – at the height of World War II – and Christopher, an imaginative young boy, is sent to live with an aunt he has never met: Lilly, a reclusive woman who serves as the keeper of a remote lighthouse. Not yet comfortable in his surroundings, Christopher begins to hear strange music no one else can hear seeping through the walls. It does not take long for him to suspect the lighthouse may be haunted, and these ghosts tell him that Yasuhiro, a Japanese worker that Lilly has employed, should not be trusted.

Is Christopher’s imagination getting the best of him? Or are these ghosts warning Christopher about the very real dangers that lie ahead? Whisper House is a touching and beautiful story about how we should embrace, rather than fear, the unknown.

“Whisper House is a piece that both Duncan and I love, and we couldn’t be more excited to have it produced at Pinewood,” book writer Kyle Jarrow said. “One of the original (adult) actors from the San Diego production of Whisper House, David Poe, had the chance to go up to Pinewood School to do a master class and see these young actors at work. Poe was blown away by their talent, excitement and smarts.  Coming from a world of professional theater that can sometimes be exhausting — and like all professional arts, very much business-minded — it’s refreshing to know high school actors are sinking their teeth into the show with enthusiasm and awesome commitment.  Thanks Pinewood for doing our show!”

Talmage Wise (Male Ghost) and Annie Whitacre (Female Ghost) lead this ghostly story with Rachel Brenneman (Ghost chorus) and Carolyn Ehrlich (Ghost Chorus) by their sides. This small cast of nine also includes Dariya Smith (Aunt Lilly), Justin Stangenes (Christopher), Carson Robinette (Yasohiro), Ben Montrym (Sherriff Charles), and Andrew Yaholkovsky (Lieutenant Rando).

“It’s been wonderful to be able to connect theatre professionals, such as Duncan, Kyle and David, with the educational world,” says Spencer Williams, Producer and Performing Arts Department Chair. “When original cast member David Poe came to Pinewood to do a master class with the cast, the students were so invigorated by his comments and praise. It was such a wonderful moment to see the two worlds colliding – one of my favorite moments in my professional career.”

Williams, an associate member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (www.namt.org), is also incredibly proud of the opportunity to have high school students produce new musical theatre. “It’s so exciting that my students get the opportunity to take on new characters – a very rare opportunity for them. Usually, that opportunity only comes in at the professional level but as a writer/composer and teacher, I feel it is necessary to start creating new musicals at this level if musical theatre wants to continue to gain new audiences.”

Whisper House is directed by theatre teacher, Mr. Doug Eivers, and musically directed by music teacher, Mrs. Shenelle Williams.

Tickets for Whisper House are available at www.pinewoodarts.com.  Whisper House opens on November 8^th and runs until November 16^th, 2013. All performances are at Pinewood School – 26800 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022.

The question of a decade: how many Broadway shows have you seen?

I get that question asked a lot, mostly by my students or from people who have never been to New York City. While, I haven’t seen as many of some of my friends in New York City, I feel like I have conquered Broadway in the last decade with some fantastic fanaticism. Since the day I saw my first Broadway show, June 2nd, 2000, I’ve been hooked.

I’ll do a detailed analysis in a different post, but I did put how much I paid and the totals for each show and category. It’s a very interesting list and one I’m proud of! Here’s to the next 150 shows!

Here’s my lists:

BROADWAY:

1. Aida at Palace Theatre (June 2nd, 2000), $10.00 – 3 out of 5 stars
2. RENT at Nederlander Theatre (June 3rd, 2000), $20.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
3. Swing at St. James Theatre (June 3rd, 2000), $25.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
4. Les Miserables at Imperial Theatre (June 6th, 2000), $31.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
5. 42nd Street at Ford Center for the Performing Arts (August 2001) $30.00 (?) – 3 out of 5 stars
6. Chicago at Shubert Theatre (August 27th, 2001), $42.50 – 5 out of 5 stars
   
7. RENT at Nederlander Theatre (August 28th, 2001), $35.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
8. Urinetown at The Henry Miller (August 29th, 2001), $25.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
9. Thoroughly Modern Millie (May 1, 2002), $55.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
10. Avenue Q at The John Golden Theatre (August 4th, 2003), $21.25 – 5 out of 5 stars
11. Movin’ Out at Richard Rodgers Theatre (August 5th, 2003), $30.00 – 3 out of 5 stars
12. Take Me Out at Walter Kerr Theatre (August 6th, 2003), $21.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
    
13. Nine at Eugene O’Neill Theatre (August 6th, 2003), $31.00 – 3 out of 5 stars
    
14. Hairspray at Neil Simon Theatre (August 7th, 2003), $20.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
15. Big River at American Airlines Theatre (August 9th, 2003), $21.25 – 5 out of 5 stars
16. Man of la Mancha at Al Hirscheld Theatre (August 10th, 2003), $30.00 (?) – 2 out of 5 stars
17. Wicked at Gershwin Theatre (December 25th, 2004), $55.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
18. Bombay Dreams at The Broadway Theatre (December 26th, 2004), $26.25 – 4 out of 5 stars
19. Bkyln, The Musical at Plymouth Theatre (December 28th, 2004), $26.25 – 0 out of 5 stars
20. Little Women at Virginia Theatre (December 27th, 2004), $30.00 – 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
21. 12 Angry Men at American Airlines Theatre (January 2nd, 2005), $25.00 (?) – 5 out of 5 stars
22. Democracy at Brooks Atkinson Theatre (January 2nd, 2005), $30.00 – 1 out of 5 stars
23. The Light in the Piazza at Vivian Beaumont Theatre (May 14th, 2005), $20.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
24. The Drowsy Chaperone at Marquis Theatre (May 27th, 2005), $25.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
    
25. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Imperial Theatre (May 28th, 2005), $26.25 – 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
26. The History Boys at Broadhurst Theatre (August 2005), $90.00 (really $0.00) – 5 out of 5 stars
27. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Hilton Theatre (September 2006), $30.00 (?) – 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
28. Mary Poppins at New Amsterdam Theatre (November 11, 2006), $20.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
29. Spring Awakening at Eugene O’Neill Theatre (November 25th, 2006), $25.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
30. Company at Ethel Barrymore Theatre (December 2nd, 2006), $36.25 – 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
31. The Apple Tree at Studio 54 (December 2nd, 2006), $36.25, 2 out of 5 stars
32. Beauty and the Beast at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (March 11th, 2007), $40.00 – 1 out of 5 stars
33. The Pirate Queen at Hilton Theatre (April 6th, 2007), $51.25 – 0 out of 5 stars
34. Company at Ethel Barrymore Theatre (April 7th, 2007), $36.25 – 5 out of 5 stars
35. Talk Radio! at Longacre Theatre (April 8th, 2007), $36.25 – 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
36. 110 in the Shade at Studio 54 (April 12th, 2007), $36.25 – 3 out of 5 stars
37. RENT at Nederlander Theatre (August 2007), $40.00 (?) – 5 out of stars
38. The Little Mermaid at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (February 21, 2008), $81.50 (really $0.00) – 0 out of 5 stars
39. Xanadu at The Helen Hayes Theatre (February 22nd, 2008), $41.40 (really $0.00) – 5 out of 5 stars
    
40. Young Frankenstein at Hilton Theatre (February 24th, 2008), $61.50 (really $0.00) – 2 out of 5 stars
41. Spring Awakening at Eugene O’Neill Theatre (February 24th, 2008), $61.50 (really $0.00) – 3 out of 5 stars
42. Equus at Broadhurst Theatre (October 17th, 2008), $40.00 (?) (really $0.00) – 2 out of 5 stars
43. Billy Elliot at Imperial Theatre (October 18th, 2008), $41.50 (really $0.00) – 1 out of 5 stars
44. In the Height at Richard Rodgers Theatre (October 18th, 2008), $41.50 (really $0.00) – 5 out of 5 stars
45. All My Sons at Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (October 19th, 2008), $26.50 (really $0.00) – 5 out of 5 stars
46. South Pacific at Vivian Beaumont Theatre (March 27, 2009), $75.00 (really $0.00) – 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
47. Guys and Dolls at Nederlander Theatre (March 28th, 2009), $51.50 (really $0.00) – 1 out of 5 stars
48. Shrek at The Broadway Theatre (March 31st, 2009), $36.50 (really $0.00) – 2 1/2 out of 5 stars
49. West Side Story at Palace Theatre (April 1st, 2009), $82.50 (really $0.00) – 1 out of 5 stars
50. Next to Normal at Booth Theatre (April 1st, 2009), $111.50 – 5 out of 5 stars
51. Next to Normal at Booth Theatre (July 13th, 2009), $49.50 (really $0.00) – 5 out of 5 stars
52. Billy Elliot at Imperial Theatre (July 14th, 2009), $41.50 (really $0.00) – 1 out of 5 stars
53. God of Carnage at Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (July 15th, 2009), $81.50 (really $0.00) – 4 out of 5 stars
54. HAIR at Al Hirschfeld Theatre (July 16th, 2009), $37.00 (really $0.00) – 3 out of 5 stars
55. 9 to 5 at Marquis Theatre (July 17th, 2009), $36.50 (really $0.00) – 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
56. Rock of Ages at Brooks Atkinson Theatre (July 19th, 2009), $26.50 (really $0.00) – 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
57. Next to Normal at Booth Theatre (July 19th, 2009), $61.50 – 5 out of 5 stars
58. Hamlet at Broadhurst Theatre (October 8th, 2009), $25.00 (really $0.00) – 3 out of 5 stars
59. A Steady Rain at Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (October 8th, 2009), $66.50 (really $0.00) – 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
60. Memphis at Schubert Theatre (October 9th, 2009), $41.50 (really $0.00) – 2 out of 5 stars
61. Bye Bye Birdie at Henry Miller’s Theatre (October 10th, 2009), $69.00 (really $0.00) – 0 out of 5 stars
62. Finian’s Rainbow at St. James Theatre (October 10th, 2009) $35.00 (really $0.00) – 4 out of 5 stars
63. Next to Normal at Booth Theatre (October 11th, 2009), $26.50 (really $0.00) – 5 out of 5 stars
64. Fela! at Eugene O’Neill Theatre (January 16th, 2010), $27.00 – 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
65. Finian’s Rainbow at St. James Theatre (January 17th, 2010), $20.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
66. Time Stands Still at The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (January 17th, 2010), $27.00, 4 out of 5 stars
67. The Scottsboro Boys at Lyceum Theatre (October 7th, 2010), $26.50 (really $0.00), 1 out of 5 stars
68. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown at Belasco Theatre (October 8th, 2010), $116.50 (refunded) – 0 out of 5 stars
69. Next to Normal at Booth Theatre (October 9th, 2010), $25.00, (really $0.00) – 5 out of 5 stars
70. American Idiot at St. James Theatre (October 10th, 2010), $40.00 (really $0.00) – 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
71. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (October 10th, 2010), $60.00 (?) (really $0.00) – 3 out of 5 stars
72. Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark at Foxwoods Theatre (January 22nd, 2011), $119.00 – 3 out of 5 stars
73. Anything Goes at Stephen Sondeim Theatre (March 10th, 2011), $89.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
74. Catch Me If You Can at Neil Simon Theatre (March 11th, 2011), $69.00 – 2 out of 5 stars
75. The Book of Mormon at Eugene O’Neill Theatre (March 12th, 2011), $69.00, 0 out of 5 stars
76. Sister Act at The Broadway Theatre (June 22nd, 2011), $121.50, 5 out of 5 stars
77. The Addams Family at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (June 23, 2011), $comp – 0 out of 5 stars
78. Baby It’s You at Broadhurst Theatre (June 24th, 2011), $comp – 1 out of 5 stars
79. Priscilla Queen of the Desert at Palace Theatre (June 25th, 2011), $comp – 4 out of 5 stars
80. How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying at Al Hirschfeld Theatre (June 25th, 2011), $comp – 4 out of 5 stars
81. Follies at Marquis Theatre (October 6th, 2011), $35.00 – 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
82. Godspell at Circle in the Square Theatre (February 16th, 2012), $50.00** (really $0.00) – 4 out of 5 stars
83. Chicago at Ambassador Theatre (February 17th, 2012), $45.00** (really $0.00) – 2 out of 5 stars
84. Sister Act at The Broadway Theatre (February 18th, 2012), $50.00** (really $0.00) – 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
85. Ghost at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (May 9th, 2012), $59.00 – 2 1/2 out of 5 stars
86. Once at Bernard Jacobs Theatre (May 9th, 2012), $89.50 – 3 out of 5 stars
87. Leap of Faith at St. James Theatre (May 10th, 2012), $27.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
88. Newsies at Nederlander Theatre (May 13th, 2012), $55.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
89. Evita at Marquis Theatre (June 20th, 2012), $32.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
90. Nice Work If You Can Get It (June 21st, 2012), $comp – 3 out of 5 stars
91. Jesus Christ Superstar (June 23rd, 2012), $comp – 1.5 out of 5 stars
92. Kinky Boots (March 14th, 2013), $57.00 – 3 out of 5 stars
93. Matilda (March 15th, 2013), $67.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
94. Annie (March 16th, 2013), $40.00 – 3 out of 5 stars
95. Hands on a Hard Body (March 16th, 2013), $79.00 – 2 out of 5 stars
96. Cinderella (June 25th, 2013), $59.50 – 4 out of 5 stars
97. Pippin (June 26th, 2013), $89.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
98. Annie (June 27th, 2013), $comp – 1.5 out of 5 stars
99. First Date (October 17th, 2013), $79.00 – 0 out of 5 stars
100. Les Miserables (revival) (June 10th, 2014), $57.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
101. If/Then (June 11th, 2014), ? – 3 out of 5 stars
102. Bullets Over Broadway (June 12th, 2014), $35.00, 3 out of 5 stars
103. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (June 15th, 2014), $40, 4 out of 5 stars
104. Violet (July 5th, 2014), $45 – 3.5 out of 5 stars
105. Holler if Ya Hear Me (July 10th, 2014), $45.50 – 2 out 5 stars
106. Cabaret (revival) (October 22nd, 2014), $25.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
107. The Last Ship, (October 23rd, 2014), $85.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
108. Hedwig & the Angry Inch (October 24, 2014), $49.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
109. On The Town (revival) (October 25, 2014), $89.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
110. Dames at Sea (October 16, 2015), $32.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
111. Allegiance (October 17th, 2015), $46.50 – 4 out of 5 stars
112. Something Rotten (October 18th, 2015), $35.00 – 3 out of 5 stars

OFF-BROADWAY:

1. Tick, Tick Boom! at Jane Street Theatre (August 30, 2001), $20.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
2. The Last Five Years at Minetta Lane Theatre (May 2nd, 2002), $20.00 (?) – 5 out of 5 stars
3. The Thing About Men at Promenade Theatre (August 10th, 2003), $37.50 – 3 out of 5 stars
4. Altar Boyz at New World Stages (April 5th, 2007), $0.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
5. Rooms: a Rock Romance at New World Stages (March 30th, 2009) $0.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
6. The Toxic Avenger at New World Stages (July 15th, 2009), $45.00 (really $0.00) – 4 out of 5 stars
7. Vanities, a New Musical at Second Stage Theatre (July 18th, 2009), $35.50 (really $0.00), 2 1/2 out of 5 stars
8. Without You at New York Musical Theatre Festival (October 7th, 2010), $40.00 (really $0.00) – 5 out of 5 stars
9. Carrie at Lucille Lortel Theatre (February 18th, 2012), $20.00 – 4.5 out of 5 stars
10. RENT at New World Stages (February 19th, 2012), $50.00 – 3 out of 5 stars
11. Murder Ballad at Union Square Theatre (June 28th, 2013), $49.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
12. A Lasting Impression at Joe’s Pub – a reading (June 29th, 2013), $15.00 – 3 out of 5 stars
13. Far From Heaven at Playwrights Horizon (June 30th, 2013), $? – 3 out of 5 stars
14. Fun Home at The Public Theatre (October 18th, 2013), $20.00 – 2 out of 5 stars
15. Little Miss Sunshine at 2nd Stage Theatre (October 19th, 2013), $81.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
16. Fly By Night at Playwrights Horizon (June 14th, 2014), $? – 3 out of 5 stars

1. Phantom at The Phantom Theatre, The Venetian Resort (June 23rd, 2009), $60.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
2. The Lion King at Mandalay Bay Theatre (February 20th, 2010), $comp, 4 out of 5 stars
3. Phantom at The Phantom Theatre, The Venetian Resort (February 20th, 2010), $comp – 5 out of 5 stars
4. Jersey Boys at The Palazzo Resort (February 21st, 2010), $comp, 5 out of 5 stars

1. The Phantom of the Opera at Curran Theatre (1995ish?), $? – can’t remember
2. City of Angels at AMTSJ (Spring 1997), $15.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
3. The Music Man at AMTSJ (Spring 1997), $15.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
4. Annie Get Your Gun at Capitol Theatre (February 2001), $36.00 – 3 out of 5 stars
5. Cabaret at Kingsbury Hall (December 2001), $25.00 (?) – 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
6. Les Miserables at Capitol Theatre (June 2003), $30.00 (?) – 4 out of 5 stars
7. The Full Monty at Capitol Theatre (September 2003), $30.00 (?) – 4 out of 5 stars
8. Scrooge, The Musical at Merriam Theater (December 31, 2003) $20.00 – 3 out of 5 stars
9. Windy City at Walnut Street Theatre (October 21st, 2006), $10.00 – 0 out of 5 stars
10. Legally Blonde, The Musical at Golden Gate Theatre (February 18th, 2007), $60 (really $0.00) – 4 out of 5 stars
11. Jesus Christ Superstar at AMTSJ (December 30th, 2007), $20.00 (?), 3 out of 5 stars
12. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at San Jose Rep (June 7th, 2009), $20.00 (?) – 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
13. Grey Gardens at Theatreworks (June 2009), $40.00 (?), 1 out of 5 stars
14. Monty Python’s Spamalot at Golden Gate Theatre (July 4th, 2009), $50.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
15. August: Osage County at Curran Theatre (August 21, 2009), $80.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
16. Wicked at Orpheum Theatre (August 30th, 2009), $25.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
17. American Idiot at Berkeley Rep (September 8th, 2009), $30.00 (?) – 5 out of 5 stars
18. American Idiot at Berkeley Rep (September 24th, 2009), $30.00 (?) – 5 out of 5 stars
19. American Idiot at Berkeley Rep (October 14th, 2009), $30.00 (?) – 5 out of 5 stars
20. Spring Awakening at Broadway San Jose (October 30th, 2009), $comp – 5 out of 5 stars
21. American Idiot at Berkeley Rep (November 1st, 2009), $50.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
22. American Idiot at Berkeley Rep (November 12th, 2009), $61.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
23. The 39 Steps at Curran Theatre (December 9th, 2009), $comp – 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
24. Xanadu at Broadway Sacramento (January 2nd, 2010), $25.00 – 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
25. Avenue Q at Broadway San Jose (January 14th, 2010), $comp – 4 out of 5 stars
26. Daddy Long Legs at Theatreworks (January 26th, 2010), $comp – 0 out of 5 stars
27. Fiddler on the Roof at Golden Gate Theatre (February 2010), $comp – 3 out of 5 stars
28. Whisper House at Old Globe Theatre (February 6th, 2010), $20.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
29. Wicked at Orpheum Theatre (February 11th, 2010), $35.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
30. Legally Blonde at Broadway San Jose (March 16th, 2010), $comp – 3 out of 5 stars
31. Girlfriend at Berkeley Rep (April 14th, 2010), $comp – 2 out of 5 stars
32. In the Heights at Curran Theatre (May 12th, 2010), $comp – 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
33. Compulsion at Berkeley Rep (September 19th, 2010), $comp – 4 out of 5 stars
34. Dreamgirls at Curran Theatre (September 26th, 2010), $comp – 2 out of 5 stars
35. The Color Purple at Broadway San Jose (November 23rd, 2010), $comp – 2 out of 5 stars
36. Shrek The Musical at Orpheum Theatre (December 1st, 2010), $comp – 0 out of 5 stars
37. Next to Normal at Curran Theatre (January 26th, 2011), $comp – 5 out of 5 stars
38. Ruined at Berkley Rep (March 2nd, 2011), $comp – 4 out of 5 stars
39. Rock of Ages at Curran Theatre (March 9th, 201), $comp – 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
40. Hugh Jackman at Curran Theatre (May 7th, 2011), $50.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
41. Mamma Mia at Broadway San Jose (June 7th, 2011), $comp – 2 out of 5 stars
42. Tales of the City at ACT San Francisco (July 26th, 2011), $comp – 2 out of 5 stars
43. Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup at Berkeley Rep (September 7th, 2011), $comp – 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
44. Newsies at Papermill Playhouse (October 8th, 2011), $25.00 – 5 out 5 stars
45. Bring it On at Orpheum Theatre (December 14th, 2011), $comp – 1 out of 5 stars
46. Mary Poppins at Broadway San Jose (May, 29th, 2012) $comp – 3 out of 5 stars
47. American Idiot at SHN’s Orpheum Theatre (June, 13th, 2012) $comp – 4 out of 5 stars
48. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at Sundance Theatre (July 29th, 2012) $25.00 – 2 out of 5 stars
49. The Sound of Music at West Valley Hale Center Theatre (July 30th, 2012) $25.00 – 5 out of 5 stars
50. War Horse at SHN’s Curran Theatre (August 3rd, 2012) $comp – 5 out of 5 stars
51. The Normal Heart at ACT San Francisco (September 9th, 2012) $comp – 5 out of 5 stars
52. Memphis at Broadway San Jose (September 23rd, 2012) $comp – 1 out of 5 stars
53. The Book of Mormon at Pantages Theatre (November 2nd, 2012) $85.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
54. The Lion King at SHN’s Orpheum Theatre (November 8th, 2012) $comp – 3 out of 5 stars
55. The Book of Mormon at Pantages Theatre (December 15th, 2013) $150.00 – 3 out of 5 stars
56. Big Fish at Broadway in Chicago (April 3rd, 2013), $88.00, 2 out of 5 stars
57. Barnum at The Mercury Theatre in Chicago (April 5th, 2013) $comp – 4 out of 5 stars
58. Beautiful at SHN’s Orpheum Theatre (October 8th, 2013), $comp – 3 out of 5 stars
59. Bright Star at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre (October 10, 2014), $97.00 – 4 out of 5 stars
60. Come From Away at La Jolla Playhouse (July 3rd, 2015) – 5 out of 5 stars
61. Up Here at La Jolla Playhouse (August 2015) – 3 out of 5 stars

I’m just going to put this out there at the beginning of this review. I don’t think that Beautiful was written for my demographic – white, male, early-30’s, straight. Honestly, that’s okay. I’m not offended. I’m pretty sure this show was written for folks who are over 40 that need to take a stroll down memory lane. And let me say: there is nothing wrong with that. For the audience members who could reflect and remember King’s music and the time period, I’m pretty sure they loved it.

That said, this is a well thought-out production – strong production numbers, incredible singing, wonderful choreography, great pace, and amazing talent all on one stage.

First and foremost, Jessie Mueller is a STAR. She will be nominated for a Tony Award and quite possibly win it. (Though, she will be up against Kelli O’Hara, Idina Menzel, and Kate Baldwin – three of my favorites!) Her performance in Beautiful is a tour-de-force. She creates character and detail in a memoir where there isn’t much sub-text and she brings King’s music to life in a way that is mesmerizing. (Her version of “Natural Woman” was fierce!) Frankly, I wanted more of Mueller. She clearly has it in her to go deeper into King’s emotions, and while the ensemble was incredibly strong, I ultimately just wanted to hear Mueller sing King’s music.

Beautiful is a mix of three shows: Jersey Boys, Baby It’s You and Million Dollar Quartet. There’s also probably a bit of Motown: The Musical and even Smokey Joe’s Cafe in there. The story-telling through King’s music is reminiscent of Jersey Boys but for the most part it felt more like Baby, It’s You — more Broadway glitz/glam than story. The story would really start to get involved in King’s personal love life with her husband and then suddenly there would be a production number of epic proportions of one of King’s songs. The production numbers were phenomenal especially, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles and “On Broadway” by The Drifters. Even “Locomotion” by Little Eva was a fantastic number. And come to think of it “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling” by The Righteous Brothers was equally as impressive. They all were… but it felt like I was watching two completely different shows — a throwback 60’s musical and then a musical “biopic” of King’s life. Though King wrote all of those songs, the connection between the music and her personal life didn’t line up emotionally.

And this is where I’ll say that the over-40 somethings probably found more context/subtext in this show than I was able to. I, unfortunately, couldn’t fill in the gaps. While, I love King’s music and grew up listening to it (as my parents had Tapestry on all of the time), I didn’t have an ounce of knowledge surrounding her music and why it came to be. After seeing the musical about Carole King, I still don’t really know why she wrote what she wrote.

I literally learned more reading her biography off of Wiki after the show then I did watching the musical.

The main plot points usually focused on the men/friends surrounding King, but rarely “why” she wrote what she wrote as a composer. You actually never saw her in the process as a composer during the musical. I felt it mostly focused and followed her first husband, Gerry Goffin (a very talented Jake Epstein). They alluded to the main reason why she wrote her Grammy winning album, Tapestry, was because of her divorce to Goffin — highly doubtable that was the only reason. (And after reading Wiki, I found out she moved to LA in 1968 after her divorce to be in a songwriters community that included James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. And then three years later, she wrote Tapestry. All valuable and important information on King’s life that was excluded.)

The moments in the show that shined the most was when Mueller was at the piano singing. First it was with Goffin singing “Take Good Care of my Baby” and then again singing the duet, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”. The last song, “Beautiful” with Mueller at the piano was equally as mesmerizing. In these moments I saw magic on the stage. The chemistry between Epstein and Mueller was tangible. Those moments were the best in the show. As much as I loved the ensemble, I could have been sitting in a black-box theatre, with just Mueller and Epstein at the piano, and would have been more satisfied. But again, I wasn’t looking for a big Broadway musical; sometimes expectations are everything.

There’s very few people that have created such an impact on American music as a composer and singer/songwriter than Carole King. She’s written over 400 songs that have been recored by over a 1000 different artists. King’s music is some of the best pop music ever written – there’s no denying it. And Beautiful is cleverly crafted to create a musical with “Broadway-flare” and drama that keeps an audience interested. I just didn’t have enough information to fill in the gaps walking into it. Personally, I wanted more about King’s life and less “flash” but I have a feeling that I might be the minority in this thought as the audience jumped to their feet at opening night in San Francisco. The energy was palpable, the joy was infectious and you could tell that they loved it. I just felt a little left out on this one… and maybe that’s okay.

The one awesome thing about this musical is that King’s music is going to be on Broadway eight times a week starting in November and it deserves nothing less! Besides Mueller’s stand-out performance, it is King’s music that is the star in this musical and it’s a beautiful way to see the music shine!

Last night, Pasek & Paul charmed us at the newly-opened Feinstein’s at the Nikko, a lovely cabaret space at Hotel Nikko in San Francisco. Apparently, since their old home in New York City is being renovated, Feinstein’s decided to make its home in San Francisco bringing some of Broadway to the West Coast. Last night, Pasek & Paul filled in for Faith Prince who was previously engaged to perform this weekend. After Prince was cast as Miss Hannigan in the revival of Annie on Broadway, she had to pull out of her engagement which led us to Pasek & Paul filling in. A great choice for the West Coast to get to know these two new Tony-nominated composers better and in a great intimate cabaret space.

The main thing I was so surprised about was not that Pasek & Paul can actually sing (which they can and they talk about how no one has any expectations of their singing voice because they are composers), but that Pasek & Paul are so charming. Their stories in between songs were just as funny and entertaining as their songs. This talented duo sang songs from their shows: Dogfight, Edges, James and the Giant Peach, and the Tony-nominated A Christmas Story. My favorite song of the night ended up being their song that they wrote for the dead TV show SMASH, called “Rewrite this Story”. The story that goes with this song is equally as great as the song. It was a huge highlight of the night.

Of course, they couldn’t sing their entire catalogue in one cabaret performance, but I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed that they didn’t sing more songs from Dogfight — a new show that I’ve fallen in love with. If you do not own the cast recording, please go buy it, because it’s got some fantastic music on it. I really wanted them to have a guest singer come up and sing, “Pretty Funny” — one of my favorite Pasek & Paul songs. (I do know they are having guests perform at the their second show tonight, which there are still tickets for.) Even without “Pretty Funny”, I was happy that I was able to hear other music of theirs that I wasn’t familiar with.

It was great getting to know these composers a little better and I know we will see a lot more of them in the future. I look forward to following their careers.