It was the spring of 2000 in not-so-swingin’ London.

MTV UK was alternating between Madonna’s shortened version of “American Pie” and Brittney Spear’s “Oops.. I Did It Again.”  The Millennium Wheel (also called The London Eye) had just started to operate.  And… Mamma Mia was a blistering hot theater ticket.

Capitalizing on the success of the ABBA Gold album throughout the UK, producers hit the jackpot by combining energized dance numbers, a crowd-pleasing story, and songs that will rattle in a person’s head for weeks.

Continue reading “Mama Mia — Cadillac Palace (11/11/15)” →

American Idiot is nothing if not honest.  Early in this musical written by Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Johnny (Luke Linsteadt) tells his friend Tunny (Steve Perkins) that the money he needed for a bus ticket to New York City came from robbing a convenience store.  “Well, actually,” he admits, “I stole the money from my mom’s purse.”  “Actually,” he admits again, “My mom loaned me the money.”

Continue reading “American Idiot — Hypocrites (10/18/15)” →

Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals thrive on ill-fated lovers. Consider the scenarios of four of their five most canonized works: A local ruffian and an innocent girl at a carnival.  A French murderer and a passionate American Nurse.  An uptight British tutor and a polygamist far-Asian King.  A nun and an Austrian general (I daresay, this is still most people’s favorite despite Carrie Underwood’s acting).

Continue reading “Oklahoma! — Paramount Theater (10/16/15)” →

On the positive side, D’Ysquith is a fun word to say.  Pronounced dies-k-with, an audience member viewing A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder will hear actors sing and speak this word several hundred times (it seems like thousands) during the course of this over-stretched musical.

Continue reading “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder–Bank of America Theater (10/8/15)” →