Les Miserables 6/6/13

Hey everyone! On June 6, 2013, I saw the nation tour of Les Miserables in Sacramento! Oh. My. God. This show was absolutely terrific! I am so glad that I saw it! I loved every second of it! I'm going to review specific actors/actresses from the show, then point out my favorite parts from the show, like always. 

Peter Lockyer played Jean Valjean and his performance was unbelievable! His "Soliloquy" was so emotional and you can see how at the beginning of the song, he was very weak and broken down and in the end, he was independent and strong again. His voice was really great and his acting was outstanding. I think his acting vocally really sold this part for me. He also physically looked the part. Of course he sang "Who Am I?" with so much power and clarity. It sent chills down my spine. And lastly, his "Bring Him Home" was so beautiful. Peter was crying the entire time he was singing the saw which added so much more raw emotion to a beautifully written song. 

Andrew Varela played Javert. He was REALLY good. Of course, my favorite Javert will always be Norm Lewis, but Andrew comes in a quick 2nd place for me. A lot of the Javert's play the part very slyly and cunning, but Andrew played him very tough and "soldiery" like he had been raised in the military all of his life. His diction was very clear and powerful and his "Stars" was just absolutely brilliant. 

Genevieve Leclerc was Fantine. BEST FANTINE EVER! She tops Lea Salonga (who I LOVE) and Patti LuPone and every other Fantine. Her "I Dream the Dream" was so beautiful. It send chills down my spine and made me cry, and it is very hard to make me cry during a show, so kudos to her! 

Julie Benko was Cosette. Now Cosette isn't a particularly interesting character, but she made this character interesting and very loveable. Her voice was so beautiful, as was she. When she sang, it sounded like a little bird. Her voice just floated effortlessly and it was so beautiful. 

Briana Carlson-Goodman played Eponine. PHENOMENAL! Perfection! Her voice was so powerful and amazing and her acting was outstanding. "On My Own" was just beautiful and perfect and hands down brilliant. Devin Ilaw was Marius and he was sooooo good! His voice was the best I have ever heard from a Marius before! "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" was so heart breaking and sounded perfect! His performance was very young and high energy! Loved it! 

Now we got the highlight of Les Mis, the Thenardier's. Timothy Gulan and Shawna M. Hamic were absolutely hilarious in these roles! Timothy Gulan was very shady and sly in his portrayal. Shawna M. Hamic was very comedic and stole the show whenever she was onstage! These two were terrific!

The ensemble was great and so were the children! The sets were amazing and the costumes were beautiful! The orchestra was in really great shape and sounded outstanding! This show is definitely in good hands! My favorite part was definitely "One Day More". That song is just so fantastic and powerful and when they held the last notes of the song, I got chills like I had never gotten from a musical theatre number before! 

There were quite a few major mistakes. During "Castle on a Cloud", Young Cosette's microphone broke so it was not picking up her voice. But I could still hear her alllll the way in the second balcony so kudos to Ava Della Pietra! And then...after "On My Own", the barricade comes out, and is just there, onstage, for like 20 seconds, with no actors on it, as we are all sitting there in silence. Then we hear "Due to technical difficulties, we will be taking a short break" literally 5 minutes after intermission ended. But hey, that's live theatre! The show was phenomenal! Go see it if it comes near you! :D 

Billy Elliot 4/13/13

   Hey guys! I haven't seen a show in about a month and today I went to go see the national tour of Billy Elliot in Sacramento with my dad! Now, to start this review off, I want to say that I didn't know much about the show going in. I saw the movie and loved it so I knew the plot but not the music. I love Elton John as a broadway composer but something about rock musicals makes me skeptical. I mean I love Rock of Ages but dislike American Idiot. So I went in with a clear mind. And...I loved every second of it! It is now my #5 favorite musical after Next to Normal! Let me start off by reviewing the performers individually.
    Mrs. Wilkinson was played by Janet Dickinson. OH MY GOD! She was amazing! Her voice was just beautiful and that accent! And her sass was just over the top and...yes! Loved her! "SHINE" was absolutely amazing! And she made me cry during the mum's letters scene ( and I usually dont cry at shows).
    Drew Minard as Billy was fantastic! That kid is gonna win a Tony some day! His energy was just so over the top and his dancing and singing were flawless! His "Electricity" was outstanding! He got a standing ovation half way through the number! And his "Angry Dance" was so amazing! I could feel his anger just building up inside of him! Great job Drew!
    Richard Herbert played Dad. He was really good! Every time he was on stage I could feel his emotion! When he sang "Deep Into the Ground" I got chills! Very moving performance! Jake Kitchin as Michael was so funny! Patti Perkins as Grandma was superb! Her "We'd Go Dancing" was so comedic and I loved the part when she sang "we were sober" haha had me and my dad laughing so hard! The rest of the cast and the ensemble were great! I loved how the sets were so simplistic but well thought out.  And the orchestra was the best I have ever heard at a show before! Well done to the entire production team!

STAGEDOOR: I did not stage door because 1. It was a matinee and I assumed no one would hardly come out and 2. It was BCEFA day. So I went down to the lobby after the show and bought a full cast signed poster for $20 from Janet Dickinson who played Mrs Wilkinson and she was so nice! I told her she did a great job, bought my poster, and dropped a couple dollars into the bucket for Broadway Cares! I loved this show. It was amazing! Go see it if you get the chance!

Wicked 2/3/13

Hey everyone! On February 3, 2013, me and 2 of my friends went to the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco where the Wicked tour is currently playing and decided that we would enter the lottery for the matinee that day. Now since it was Superbowl Sunday, there was only about 30 people who entered which isn't really a lot. I am kinda a pessimist so I already had decided that we weren't going to win. So we put our names in and they started to draw around 12:30 and by the greatest stroke of luck, my name was called THIRD! I was so excited! I started jumping and screaming and making a complete full of myself! 

So we went to go eat lunch and then got to theatre around 1:30 for the show to start at 2. I ran to the understudy board to see who was on and was so happy to see that Carla Stickler was on for Nessa and Christopher Russo was on for the Wizard! I went to my seat (FRONT ROW) and was super pumped for the show considering Dee Roscioli was Elphaba and Patti Murin was Glinda! My seats were awesome and so close-up! I never realized how intricate the map to Oz was!

So the orchestra started and I got chills because I was 5 feet away from the orchestra pit and as soon as the Time Dragon Clock that was 15 feet above my head started to move and spew smoke, I knew it was going to be a great show! The ensemble was amazing! Sitting so up close I could see every expression on their face and every intricate detail in the costumes which are beautifully designed! 2 minutes into the show, the beautiful Patti Murin came down in the bubble as Glinda and she was phenomenal! Best Glinda hands down! Her voice is spectacular and her acting is hilarious! And she hit the incredible high note in No Mourns the Wicked AND Thank Goodness! Her Popular was the funniest I have ever seen! 

And as soon as No Mourns the Wicked was over, Dee Roscioli ran out as Elphaba with the biggest grin on her face and I literally beamed with excitement! Her The Wizard and I brought the house down! Her voice is just so powerful and perfect that it is just too good for words! What Is This Feeling was hilarious! I definitely believed that Dee and Patti hated each other from that number! 

Cliffton Davis as Doctor Dillamond was really great! I saw him in San Diego over the summer but I thought he was even better this time! He definitely has a unique way of portraying Doctor Dillamond! Justin Brill as Boq was fantastic! He really portrayed the sweet but also creepy side of Boq really well! Carla Stickler as Nessa....oh my god! She was AMAZING! Why she isn't lead I don't know but she needs to be! Best Nessa ever! Her voice is so sweet but strong and her acting is out of this world! Cliffton Hall as Fiyero was awesome! His Dancing Through Life was so energetic and just fun! During the Ozdust Ballroom scene when Glinda and Fiyero go off to the side, (their mics are turned off) I was sitting so close I could hear Patti tell Cliffton, "pull up your pants! You are sagging!" and he responded "yes mother!" and pulled up his pants! Haha

Kim Zimmer as Madame Morrible was great! She reminded me so much of Carole Shelley but she put her own twist to it! She was very...hmmm... WICKED! And her singing voice was great which you don't see in a lot of Morrribles. Christopher Russo as the Wizard was really really good! He needs to be lead! His Sentimental Man made me want to cry! And he was HILARIOUS! He definitely stole the scenes he was in! 

The show was amazing! Dee Roscioli and Patti Murin are my new favorite Gelphie pair! I am so glad I decided to lotto! I DID stagedoor after the show and got a Playbill and poster signed by Patti Murin, Dee Roscioli, Cliffton Hall, and Justin Brill! So I guess you can count it as a success! I will post pictures of my signed stuff later! I hope you all enjoyed this blog! Go see the tour of Wicked before Dee and Patti leave! It is a show that is not to be missed! I would rate this show a 1,000,000,000/10 stars! <|:D