Month: February 2019

Review: The Women

Theatre

The Women, directed by Dyan Hobday at Mysterium Theater, is a great ensemble piece full of talented women. The script by Clare Boothe Luce is very dated, but the challenges these women face are still very relevant today. The dialogue is witty, though a bit long winded. Definitely be prepared to sit through a three hour show, but I promise it will be worth it.

In a fabulous ensemble cast, Katt McLaren stands out as the chatty, catty Sylvia Fowler. She is strong, opinionated, and speaks very quickly so you’d better pay attention. The audience has a love/hate relationship with Sylvia, but McLaren really pulls on your heartstrings and makes you feel for her as she loses friends (and her husband) through fault of her own.

Chloe Brewer plays the sweet and innocent Peggy Day with grace and poise. She may be walking around with her head in the clouds, but she does it in style. She is the newlywed and seems to be truly in love, but falls victim to one of the greatest contributors to divorce even today: money problems.

Although they have less stage time than some of their cast members, Julianne Bancroft (Countess de Lage) and Glenda Wright (Ms. Shapiro / Dowager) are hilarious in every moment of it. They really lighten up the mood between the heavy scenes and are some of the most memorable ladies in the show.

Other standout performers are Christina Chan (Nancy Blake), Helen Clare (Maggie / Miriam), Sierra Henderson (Jane), and Emily Wood (1st Hairdresser / Miss Watts). All of the ladies come together to form a cohesive ensemble under the great direction of Dyan Hobday. Every person contributes to the overall story and the many who play multiple characters make them distinct from one another. The entire cast is enjoyable.

The set is gorgeous and enhanced by the great use of furniture and prop pieces. The scene changes are a bit long, but it is so worth it to see the result. With such a distinctive set design, I wasn’t sure if it would be easy to distinguish the different scene locations without actively utilizing your suspension of disbelief, but the furniture and other set accessories really pull each location together and make it distinctive from the one before. Additionally, having worked at Mysterium before, I am well aware of the space constraints, so it is extremely impressive that this crew was able to use and store so many different set pieces. Furthermore, the magnetic, moveable walls are a subtle element for the audience, but very effective.

There’s a gorgeous set, fabulous period costumes and wigs, and lots of beautiful, talented women–what more could you ask for? Check out The Women at The La Habra Depot Playhouse through March 3rd.

Have you seen the show? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Haven’t seen it yet? Get your tickets below!

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Review: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Theatre

I had the pleasure of attending The Hunchback of Notre Dame, directed by Marla Ladd, at the Lewis Family Playhouse this past weekend. This is the third production that I’ve seen in the last six months, fourth time overall, and to say I was impressed wouldn’t even begin to cover it.

Every single voice is beautiful. They blend so well together and the harmonies are flawless. This production has the largest choir that I’ve seen and they are excellent. I was lucky enough to sit in the orchestra section and having the choir on both sides of the audience, as well as having the ensemble come out into the aisles during some numbers, really brings the audience into the show.

There is a full orchestra that plays seamlessly in the performance. I actually thought they had recorded music at first because of how perfectly they played. This is one of my all time favorite musical scores and this orchestra did not disappoint.

Andrea Somera plays a beautiful and passionate Esmeralda. Not only is her singing impressive, but she dances harder than almost any lead I’ve seen perform while still delivering beautiful vocals. Her performance is strong and heartbreaking.

Keegan Michael Riojas is such a sweet Quasimodo. He brings you in from his very first appearance and has you feeling all of his pains. I have never seen a bad Quasimodo, but Riojas is superb. His voice is strong, his acting stellar, and I sobbed and sobbed over every unkind word spoken (or sung) to him. He makes you feel a real connection with him and his character, really enhancing the experience for the audience.

Jordan Killion looks like the ideal image of Phoebus De Martin. As a young girl, I loved watching the Disney film and always had a fondness for Phoebus and Jordan lives up to all of that and more. In addition to looking like the cartoon come to life, he has such a beautiful and powerful voice. He exceeds any expectations you could have for the character, in looks, voice, and acting. He really steals the show.

Other standout performers are Timothy Jackson (Jehan), Ron Hastings (Frollo), Steven Teats (Frederic), Daniel Berlin (Saint Aphrodisius), and all of the gypsies. I’m not much of a dancer, but I was very impressed with all of the choreography by Michael Lopez, especially in “Topsy Turvy”, “Rhythm of the Tambourine”, “Tavern Song”, and all of the gypsies in general. They are on point with their dance moves, as well as their facial expressions and acting choices.

The costumes are gorgeous and well done. The ensemble should really be commended for how much they do and how quick they are able to change costumes between scenes and characters. I’ve done plenty of shows with lots of quick changes, but this was very impressive.

I do want to point out the gargoyle costumes. As I mentioned, this is the third production I’ve seen in the last six months and each one has done something different for the gargoyles, statutes, and paintings. With the gargoyles in particular, I found these costumes the most interesting. They are somewhere between being puppeteers and actually dressed up as the gargoyles, but I found it interesting to watch. It is more distinctive than plain costumes, but more immersive than puppets.

My final note is on the set. It’s simple, but works so well. Each set piece has a purpose and there is nothing frivolous, which really makes the actors (and costumes) stand out. It was very aesthetically pleasing to watch. Additionally, the fly in of the bells, yes multiple bells (pictured above), is what I would hope for in any production and really added to the overall look and brought out the beauty of this Notre Dame.

Overall, this production is excellent. The voices are gorgeous, the set is well done, the acting is moving, and there’s no way that you’ll get through the production without at least tearing up. If you have a chance, make sure to check it out!

The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Lewis Family Playhouse is playing through February 24th.

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Any Dream Will Do

Acting, Theatre

I’ve had a conversation with almost every performer I’ve ever worked with about dream shows and/or dream roles. We all have them, no matter how out there or unrealistic they may be. I, for one, know all about the unrealistic as most of my real dream roles are men’s roles (hello, Ren in Footloose and Phoebus in Hunchback of Notre Dame). But, along with those that we know will probably never happen, there are also a few that we just can never stop dreaming about.

These roles and shows have been prominent in my mind lately because I’ve either seen or done some of my dream shows over the last year. One of my dream roles which I may never be able to play is Peron’s Mistress in Evita. I absolutely love the show and the music and I’m so happy that I was able to do the show last year as part of the singing ensemble, but playing Peron’s Mistress has always been a dream role of mine. Previously, it seemed like it could still be in reach, but at 28, I’m really at the edge of being too old, so maybe it’ll stay a dream forever. However, her song is a great audition song that I love to use, so maybe I’ll just continue to live out that dream in auditions.

I have other dream roles such as Joanna and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Lucy in Jekyll & Hyde, Lucy in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, and Kate (Lilli) in Kiss Me, Kate and The Taming of the Shrew, just to name a few. I’ve also been very lucky to actually get to play two dream roles so far, Sorel in Hayfever and Rhoda in The Bad Seed. I’ve played many different roles that I’ve loved and enjoyed, and also definitely played some roles that were not my favorite, but there’s just something about fulfilling those dreams that helps keep you going for future shows and allows you to continue to dream.

Beyond just dream roles, there are also so many dream shows that I just want to be a part of. While I would love to play Sally in Cabaret, just being able to play one of the Kit Kat Girls would be a dream come true. I love Les Misérables, and while I definitely connect with certain characters over others, I would be so happy to just be part of that show in any role. Other dream shows for me would be Hunchback of Notre Dame, Rent, 42nd Street, and Wicked, just to list the first few that come to mind. I’ve also been amazingly lucky to already have done one of my dream shows last year, Titanic: The Musical, and I will happily do that show over and over because I just love the music so much (top 3 favorite score, check it out!).

I find that dream roles and dream shows are interesting because they don’t always overlap. Just because you have a dream role from a certain show doesn’t mean you dream of actually doing that show. Often, I’ve found that it can be an all-or-nothing situation with your dream role because if you don’t get that role, it’s not worth doing the show. I can understand this on a few levels because I’ve experienced it myself. If you audition for your dream role and don’t get it, accepting another role in that show can be challenging. I think that it can create a natural separation or judgmental barrier between yourself and the person who has the role you wanted. Even if you don’t find yourself to be a judgmental person and don’t go looking for conflict, it’s only natural when you’ve dreamed of yourself in that role to compare what you would do to what the other performer is doing and evaluate their choices.

In my opinion, it’s not always a bad thing to compare how you have interpreted a character’s actions and how someone else has. Sometimes I see other performers at auditions or performances and think that I wouldn’t have made that choice, but that it’s interesting and different, and how it really works. However, I’ve definitely also watched and focused on choices that I really didn’t think worked, but that’s the very nature of interpretation.

Regardless, these dreams give us something to look forward to and strive toward. They keep us looking forward, continuing on, and learning new things. I will continue to strive toward my dream roles and shows and some will stay dreams, but some will become reality and that makes it all worth it.

What are some of your dream roles and dream shows? Let me know in the comments!