Disney's Aladdin - North American Tour playing at the Cadillac Palace in Chicago

Another magnet added to the collection

I saw the second performance of Disney's Aladdin North American Tour last night at the Cadillac Palace from three rows from the backrow in the balcony - and I want to go see it again!

I've been a subscriber of Broadway in Chicago for near 10 years now and although I was not excited about many of the shows in this years spring package - I was excited about Aladdin.

The one thing about a Disney Production is that it is a PRODUCTION.  Oh my goodness, the costumes, the sets (even though it's a touring set), the dancers and the leads make it one heck of a show.

Don't think that you're going to get a scene by scene rendering of the classic 1992 movie starring Robin Williams - you're going to get something different and better.  I know sacrilegious, right?  But it is a different show.  The theme is the same, the scenes are the same but they don't try to disguise people as animals (i.e. Iago) instead you've got fully fleshed out character and his side-kick has been transformed into three best friends.

This tour includes the original Ali - Adam Jacobs and introduces Anthony Murphy as the Genie.  Adam was wonderful and kept the show grounded because Anthony blew the roof off.  At first he really reminded me of Titus Burgess' character Titus Andromeda from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, but then he morphed, and morphed again he had one-liner after one-liner and not old ones, new ones.

Enough has been written about the show itself, but this is the first production of the National Tour so that's why it requires being written about.  The show is so popular that it's been extended until September 10th and to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if it were extended through the Holidays.

The thing with an actual Disney production, and not the faux kind like the last touring company of "Disney's Beauty and The Beast" presented by "not Disney," is that you get a REAL show.  From the very opening notes of the orchestra you're swept away to the dessert and land of Agrabah.

The costumes were beautiful, brightly colored and the men were mostly shirtless - I was for once sad that I was three rows from the back instead of three rows from the front!  For only the second "public" performance by this Cast, they have really pulled it together.  There were a few klumps along the way, but there was nothing that was distracting or made you go tsk tsk.

I would seriously go again to just watch the Cave of Wonders/Friend Like Me number over and over.

 Up until that point the sets were expected, they did a good job of portraying the scene but they were just good.  OMG, the Cave of Wonders was AMAZING and it just kept going and going.  When he first entered the Cave there were a few things on stage, and then more came from the fly space, more came from the sides, more came from down in front it just kept coming and coming and truly became a Cave of Wonders.

This is the scene where Ali meets Genie for the first time and Genie sings "Friend Like Me" a nearly 8 minute long production number with nearly the entire cast jumping up from inside the stage, appearing in columns magically on stage, performing a magic chest trick, wearing rhinestone tuxedos that were blinding me three-rows from the back - it was spectacular and THEN there was the tap number, pyrotechnics and confetti!  When the number finished the audience clapped for nearly 3 minutes, seriously we just clapped and clapped and clapped it was awe inspiring and probably one of the best scenes I have ever seen on stage, so much better than Be Our Guest - meh!  The cast really pulled it together and presented a spectacular number, I can only imagine that it will get better the more they perform it.

Yep, that's my view from my seats

I haven't even talked about the Magic Carpet yet - that transition from Jasmine's room to the carpet is a bit wonky, but once they're on the carpet it's amazing.  Perhaps it was a mix up but the entire scene was REALLY dark, like from the third row from the back I could barely see what was going on.  I know there's some amazing technology behind making that carpet go all over the stage, but it was just really too dark to see what was going on.  It's like when they don't want you to really see the monster in a horror movie so it's really dark - it was that dark.  The scene itself was beautiful to watch, I seriously thought they were about to do a Mary Poppins and have them fly off the stage into the audience.  Sidenote:  Mary Poppins started it's National Tour in Chicago in the same theater.

One of the nice things I like about being a subscriber - is getting to see the show EARLY, literally this was the second public performance of this cast and it's going to be running through September.  I would like to go back and see it later this year if I can find some affordable tickets, just to see how much better they are going to get as they hit their marks, find their groove and really get into the show, I know they'll be phenomenal.

Find out more information about Disney's Aladdin playing at Broadway In Chicago

The SpongeBob Musical Review - playing in Chicago until July 7 2016

The SpongeBob Musical Review - I liked it more than I ever thought I would.  This review is of the pre-Broadway World Premiere showing at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago until July 7, 2016

This show is as close to watching a cartoon as there ever will be!  Bright, loud, colorful, full of inside jokes that I didn't get because I never watched SpongeBob but nonetheless - funny as hell.  Sound effects as the characters walked (Squidward), rapid screen swipes as action moves from character to character and digital projection GALORE!  Costumes were out of this world, since I don't watch SB I don't know who all of the characters are, but the audience sure did and gleefully clapped as each character was revealed.

So much technology in this show it was astounding - digital projections that moved around the stage live, neon everywhere, junk everywhere, exactly what you would think Bikini Bottom would look like.  It's interesting to see how digital projection has grown.  I remember seeing the Lady in White (Andrew Lloyd Webber) in London, which was a big blank stage where they projected everything, and imagining back then how far it would progress - it seems as though you can't go to a show now where there isn't some kind of digital projection - it really helps move this show along.

Flanking the stage are two huge Rube Goldberg machines that spew out lava balls - unfortunately it only got used twice, I would have liked to have seen more of that.  The stage was built out, reaching out into the audience and covering the orchestra pit with ramps connecting each side; surrounding the stage and hanging above were all kinds of floatsam and jetsam that you would expect to see in the ocean.

ALL of the actors had, in my opinion, strong clear voices and they did great justice to all of the different songwriters, including doing the voices of the characters that so many people know so well.  I'd completely forgotten that Gavin Lee was playing Squidward.  Who's Gavin Lee?  He played Bert in the Broadway and then touring production of Mary Poppins.

Songwriters: there were twelve famous songwriters amongst the 15 songs, Plain White T's, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, John Legend.  I was concerned that it might sound more like a juke-box musical with so many different styles of songwriters - but there was no concern at all, each song flowed easily to the next and none seemed out of place.

My FAVORITE number was "I'm Not a Loser" which was Squidwards big song written by They Might Be Giants.  A huge production number where it seemed that the entire cast (men included) donned huge Vegas style show girl costumes replete with big feathered head dresses and a big tap number (I'm a sucker for tap).  Several of the songs I was bopping along or tapping along at which point I would catch myself and say "why are you doing that, you never watched this show?"

My favorite song was No Control by David Bowie and Brian Eno, within a few bars of the start of the song you KNEW it was a Bowie song.  Dark, twisty and the perfect way to start off the conflict of the show.

The choreography was really good, especially the tap number - they were ALL in sync for a show that's only been out for a week.  There were skateboarders and roller skaters that used the ramps in front of the stage and there was even a mini-pirate show to kick off each of the acts.  There was so much going on in this show that it really was like being in a cartoon.

I'm definitely not the target audience for this show, but the youngin's sitting around us definitely LOVED IT!  Everytime a character was introduced they'd go wild, when the actors would say or do something, people lauged.  Apparently it really fed right into the appetite of that target because the young ladies sitting next to us couldn't get enough, whereas the older couple sitting next to us never came back after Act One.

I surprised myself how much I liked this, so much so that when intermission came I didn't ask the question: Do you want to stay for Act Two?

I sorta wanna see it again, if it makes it to Broadway it's going to be a big hit with those that love SpongeBob!

Spring Awakening - Mama Who Bore Me

Got a chance to catch an intimate concert with the cast of the National Tour of Spring Awakening while they are here in Chicago.

Here are the ladies of the cast singing "Mama who bore me"

Spring Awakening - The Bitch

Spring Awakening - Touch Me

Today was the best and worst day rolled into one!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...oh wait, those aren't my words, but they sure say exactly what I want to say about today.

It was the best of times because President Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. Almost 2oo of my co-workers gathered in our "auditorium" to watch the inauguration on the "big screen" (i.e. a projector hooked up to my DTV box and antenna) and clapped and shouted when he said "So help me god." During his speech people clapped along and were transfixed, I can't recall an inauguration like it? Was it this grand when old Bushie was put into office 8 years ago? Who cares - out with the old, in with the new!

After a day of jubilation and excitment a dark clouded descended on me when I opened my email.

As I was scanning my new emails I saw the word CANCELLED, at first I thought it was just another magazine subscription that was threatening me for not renewing, but alas it wasn't! It was from a local theater, as I read the entire subject line a tear gathered in the corner of my eye....they were cancelling Chitty Chitty Bang Bang due to low local sales.

How could they!?!

I'm going to bed now!


First the good news is that President Barack Hussein Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.

After a day of jubilation and excitement I received an email that gave me a terrible shock

WICKED: A Second Look

I went to see Wicked the other night. Last week when I was attending to my Civic Duty and attempting to get on a high profile murder Jury I walked into the Oriental Theater and purchased a single seat ticket to a show the following week.

Wicked arrived in Chicago a little more than 3 years ago and has been playing strong....but they announced earlier this summer that they will be closing in January 2009. I guess everyone in Chicagoland has seen it.

I had been wanting to go see it again and I figured since I wasn't paying those ridiculous Ticketmaster surcharges that it was the perfect time to buy a ticket. I bought the best ticket I could ($90) and was sitting in row L on the aisle - a good seat.

Last time I saw Wicked we were all the way in the balcony near the Fire Exit, and even though I liked the show then - I was very disappointed with the ending - which sort of threw off my whole attitude towards the show. Plus at that time it was new and I was excited about it.

This time, it wasn't new, and I wasn't so excited about it, so I had a totally different experience.

The one thing that really put a bad taste in my mouth the first time was the whole ending (I'm not going there - so no spoilers here, you'll need to go read the original review for those), this time since I already knew the ending I could chew up the show and enjoy it for what it was and find all the "clues" they had hidden.

Let's just say that sitting close to the stage and knowing the end I had a whole new perspective of the show. The acting, costumes, sets and singing were all still phenomenal - even for a show that's been playing for 3+ years. There were parts though that I felt the singing was rushed and they didn't the "emotion" right but those were minor annoyances and it's my fault for listening to the "perfect" soundtrack so many times.

This time I enjoyed the show immensely, it's like watching "The Sixth Sense" for the second time and you realize that old Brucey is dead, this time I was able to enjoy the show for what it was and not what I wanted it to be.

The entire cast put out so much energy it was amazing, you honestly could not tell that they have done this show so many times that it's probably like walking to the bathroom in the dark for them. One of the benefits of sitting so close as well was the chance to see the actors faces - there were several cute Asian boys in the Chorus and the guy that plays Fieryo is very handsome - too bad he turned into the Scarecrow.

I'm still upset at the ending, but I'll get over that!

I can totally see why they are closing, a good third of the orchestra seats were empty on the evening I went. They only had one bar open on each floor but had 4 souvenir stands open (they wanted $19 for some silly green "Emerald City Sunglasses" - it's obvious where they're trying to make money now).

I'm sure that once the holidays start gearing up seats will be hard to find so if you've been wanting to see it, I would suggest going now.

So to take a note from all of the advertising:

"The longer you wait to see Wicked, the longer you'll wait"

***HONK*** Hey, watch what ya doin' man, I'm singing here

Last night was Step II in the Four Step Program of getting my continuing education credits in being a big homo.

At the last minute, tickets for the current open run of Jersey Boys made their way into my sweaty little palms and I headed downtown to watch those cute little boys sing for me.

I was supposed to see Jersey Boys last year as part of the Broadway in Chicago Series, but unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to do so. And up until last evening, there hadn't really been that compelling of a reason to go see it.

Also, I went to the show by myself last night - my sister would have a heart attack if she knew that. Unlike some people, I actually enjoy doing things by myself - going to dinner, to a coffee shop, vacationing alone. When I tell people that they always say "OMG, I would never be able to do xyz alone."

Well think about it this way, you've got one schedule and that's YOUR schedule, you get to do what YOU want to do and only what you want to do. You don't have to trapse through musty museums or used record stores only because your partner wants to (and vice versa). If you want to spend the day sleeping in the park and feeding the pigeons - guess what - you can!

Ok, back on track. So I jumped on the bus and after completly missing my stop and going about 8 blocks out of my way I finally made my way to the theater and grabbed my ticket from the Will Call window. I winnowed my way through all of the old people that were there, bought my magnet (I MUST buy a magnet for every show that I go to) and started climbing the stairs. And climbing the Stairs. And climbing the Stairs. I had almost the best seat in the house - the very last row in the center of the mezzanine (the area sandwiched between the orchestra seating and the balcony - you know - the area where you only get a slice of the view, you don't get to see the floor and you don't get to see the ceiling, it's like watching a live production in Cinema-Scope).

There was a whole lot of drama in my seating area, because apparently I was part of a much larger group (ergo the reason that I got my ticket) and who ever had organized it apparently didn't do a very good job of making sure that parties sat together. The girl sitting next to me kept whining that "OMG, my Mom is sitting all the way over there and the usher won't let her sit over her."

After about 15 minutes of this, I leaned over and said "Is it just your Mother? It is, well you know what, she can sit here and I'll sit in her seat, I really don't care." "OMG, would you do that, you'd do that, omg, that is so cool that you would do that." I then told her, "I don't know any of you people. I've just met the woman sitting next to me who told me that her knit pants were stretching in the rain and that's about the extent of my relationship with anyone here, so yes, I'll be glad to switch with your Mom."

By this point in time I would have sat on the toilet to get away from this girl, so I shoveled up my coat, my program and my newly purchased magnet and went and sat in Mom's seat (which by the way was better than where i was sitting) and proceeded to enjoy the show without anyone sitting on either side of me, in front of me or in back of me, I could have thrown my feet up on the seat in front of me if I wanted to.

Jersey Boys is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, I was very surprised at the number of songs I actually knew. I think there were only two songs that I wasn't familiar with.

It's a very peppy show with singing and dancing from beginning to end, there were only a few spaces where there was just dialog. Overall, I was very impressed with the show and the amount of energy that they produced. It's no Wicked, that's for sure, but it's a great show overall.

I even caught one of the ushers dancing - he got all embarrassed when he looked at me, but I just smiled (he was cute).

So go see Jersey Boys....or just go see a Boy in Jersey if you have the chance.

And thus The Big Gay Marathon begins

4 Shows in 6 Days!

Starting last night and proceeding through Tuesday of next week I will be going to 4 shows.....someone has to do it.

I've been practicing the last few weeks, listening to only showtunes on my iPod, tap dancing while I'm waiting for the elevator (I had to stop that as my co-workers thought I just had to pee really badly), I've been working on my breathing so I can hold the long notes as long as the best Diva on stage, and I've stocked up on candies that don't make noises when they're unwrapped during the quiet romantic song at the end of Act I!

I just hope that all of my training will pay off, as I'll need it to get through this difficult time!

To kick off this hugely gay event, last evening I went to see Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and before you ask - NO, Johnny Depp was not there. This was the live version of the show that was recently on Broadway.

The great thing about this show is that it was staged by John Doyle and the actors are the orchestra. You may remember that back in November 2006 I went to New York and The Boyfriend and I went to see Company where I ended up starting a round of applause for a fabulously delivered line. Company was also directed by John Doyle (and it also happens to be a Sondheim) and it was on the same theme where the actors were the orchestra.

Sweeney was a great show, the actors were strong and after a few minutes the mysticism of them playing instruments while onstage faded away. I enjoyed the show a lot, but unfortunately my friend that joined me didn't enjoy it and actually left during intermission. He said that his knees were bothering him from being cramped in our seats at a high altitude, but I think he just didn't like the show!

Part II of TBGM (The Big Gay Marathon) is a viewing of Jersey Boys. This was part of the Broadway Series last year, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to see it. Through a set of bizarre circumstances a friend of a friend of a friend had some extra tickets to this evenings performance - and so I pounced!

Part III of TBGM occurs on Saturday Evening when I'll be having a discrete conversation with Margaret Cho. Well I'm sure it won't be just me, there will probably be some other homo's there as well. I'll be interested to see how many Straight Boys show up at that concert as Maggie is pretty much a Gay Icon!

The Final Event of TBGM will be three more days in the making when we go see Yelle. Now this will probably be a more one-on-one type of show because she's not a huge artist (although her music is very cool) and the space she's performing in was basically someone's house a hundred years ago....hmmmm

So I'm finishing up my training today and getting my stockpile of protien shakes made so that I can have the strength to finish this Big Gay Marathon.

Hold on, cuz it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

Champagne makes me drowsy

Last night was Show #2 in the Broadway in Chicago Series, it was the exciting show Drowsy Chaperone

I had the distinct pleasure of taking a friend with me who had never been to a Broadway Musical before. The Drowsy Chaperone was a great first musical for anyone to see, it's flashy, there's lots of singing, jokes, laughing, dancing and even tap dancing.

I wish that I could tap dance, but I'm so uncoordinated, my left foot barely knows what it's doing let alone know what the right foot is doing, but a girl can dream can't he?

The premise behind TDC is pretty unique, it starts out with a guy sitting in his apartment listening to records, specifically a recording of the 1928 smash hit - The Drowsy Chaperone. As he's listening to the record the action unfolds in his apartment as the show is recreated.

It was one of the cleverest shows I've seen in a long time. It played up all of the stereotypes of the old style musical, but at the same time making fun of it with current context.

It recently closed in NYC after 674 performances and 13 Tony Nominations. Even though this was the first time I saw the show, several of the original actors are with the touring company, including Georgia Engel (you may know her better as Georgette from The Mary Tyler Moore Show or Everyone Loves Raymond), she recreated the role that she originated on Broadway and she was hilarious; Jonathan Crombie, who was "the man in the chair" didn't originate that part on Broadway but did perform it for a little while; Andrea Chamberlain (the female lead) was an understudy on broadway but was amazing in this performance.

If you want to see a funny, hilarious, campy show go see this one.

Thank goodness I took my friend to this one because the next show in a few weeks is Sweeney Todd and goodness knows there's nothing soft, fluffy and pretty about that show at all. Although I am excited about that show because it is the John Doyle version, and a few years ago when I was in NYC we saw the John Doyle versioin of Company.