The Wiz

Last night Lisa and I accompanied Junie to a performance of THE WIZ at the High School of the Arts. I have seen countess performances there for the last ten years, as well as a few back in the '90's, so please take that into account when I say that this was easily the best musical I've ever seen there. 

How ironic that this will also be the last performance I see there, unless a grandkid attends in the far future. I guess they saved the best for last. 

 

Lex Crump (Dorothy) and Jordan Rodriguez (Lion) were superb, showcasing talent and charisma at a professional level. The orchestra, which I've always considered hit or miss at performances, was note-perfect, as was the vocal ensemble. The dances were tight and full of energy. The props and scenery . . . well, with a few exceptions, let's not think about them. 

Now you'll note I only referenced two performers by name, but don't take that as an insult to the rest. Junie's friend Kevin was very sharp in his turn as the Wiz, and even Auntie Em had a heck of a voice.

The show was just dang GOOD. 

Junie, as always, came prepared with flower bouquets and gift bags for each friend in the cast. 

Kudos to the cast, crew, and leadership. Bravo!!

Titanic: The Musical

Last Thursday Lisa picked me up from work and we headed out to Fort Atkinson, about an hour from work/90 minutes from home,  to see Titanic: The Musical at the Fireside Theater.

Lisa tried both "The Grand Staircase" and "The Wheelhouse." She didn't get past the first sip or two of the former, and I drank most of the latter. 

On Thursday's the dinner is a buffet, but starts with a salad served at your table. 

I clearly overdid it with the protein, but both the selection and the flavors were wonderful. 

Dessert was a disappointment. Chocolate creme brulee that tasted like cake batter and no crunch to the surface. Fail. 

For the show itself a first: balcony seats.

The view was spectacular. 

We knew nothing of the musical before the performance, but both the inventive set design and the stellar voices of the ensemble cast deserve praise here. The music is great, but I'm not a fan of some of the historical myths that it propagated: it demonizes Ismay, paints Smith as a frail man eager to please, and completely emasculates Murdoch. 

Anyway, you don't go to a musical for the history, right? 

As a musical, it was worth every penny. And as a date, it was the bomb. 

Christas Concert Rehearsal

I spent the afternoon at the rehearsal for tonight's school Christmas concert. Yes, these buggers annoy me often, but when I catch myself grinning ear to ear at one of these things, or getting a big hug from all of 'em afterwards, I know the truth: if nothing else, I was born to be a Daddy.

YaYa in "Mary Poppins"

This spring YaYa signed up for a role in her school's performance of Mary Poppins. You might remember me mentioning the twice a week after-school practices that demanded a lot of schedule wrangling.

I'm pretty blunt about school/kid functions. If it sucks, I'll say so - not to the kids of course, and I'll view it in the context of the ages involved - but you won't find me saying a music recital is as good as a day at Carnegie Hall.

Well, in the end the practices were worth it. Mary Poppins was unexpectedly good. Many of the main characters (all female; no males played starring roles) had strong voices, there was a decent attempt at scenery and costuming (the latter due to parent contributions) and the acting was decent for their age. Well done.

YaYa had a small speaking role as a bank customer. Lisa purchased her outfit from a convent thrift shop that caters to an older clientle, and my mother-in-law sewed the alterations.





Her line kicked off the run on the bank. "There's something wrong! The bank won't give someone their money!". She also vigorously pounded on a teller window, an act she kept hidden from us as a surprise for the show.





Our one complaint about the show was the length. It followed the musical line by line and stretched past the two hour mark. The trip to see the Uncle and other superfluous scenes should have been trimmed. As it was, however, Smiley did an admirable job staying serene for the show. LuLu had already saw the show at a 'school kids only ' performance and had no desire to sit through another.











Well done superstars!