Unfiltered

A fairly decent youth production (although it was Starlight’s first “audition only” show) of this delightful Menken-Ashman show. Mushnik was a little over the top for me, but as Laira explained, you hve to balance over the top performances with high energy…don’t want the kid diluting his/her performance to catatonic when they’re asked to tone [...]

*starts choking on cough drop* They destroyed it.  This was probably the worst college production I’ve seen to date.  Which is unfortunate when you actually know people in the cast….because at some point you know you’re going to have to talk to them.  My biggest problem is that the show is supposed to be a [...]

Delightful! Based on the short story Ninotchka by Melchior Lengyel, adapted into a film of the same name (with Greta Garbo) and later adapted to a Broadway musical with music by Cole Porter (his last Broadway musical) and later adapted to film with Cyd Charrise and Fred Astaire (in his last dancing role), this is [...]

Took the Metro up to Hollywood and Vine because the Pantages teamed up with Metro to offer discount tickets on Tuesday night performances. We stand in a line thinking it’s the box office line. I go forward to investigate while Laura saves our place in line, and I find out that there’s no line for [...]

The musical adaptation of Federico Fellini’s “8 1/2″ is wonderfully pulled off by the capable and talented cast and crew. Rarely produced it was a treat to be able to see it, especially when the understudy (Tony Torrico) gets his chance to shine as Guido Contini, a filmaker with as many lovers as creative ideas.

Zach reminded me of Robin Williams and Alan Tudyk. It is also my opinion that he would look good with the thin beard. The humor of Val’s lines and physicality was somewhat hindered by her unnecessary Lina-Lamont-esque accent. This is yet another example of the unfortunate tendency to play the broad comedy instead of aiming [...]

Parking was a nightmare because the Pageant of the Masters was happening. Wheee…. This is a really enjoyable jukebox musical featuring hit songs from the 50′s and 60′s by Andrew Bean (The Andrews Brothers and lots more). My godmother Janet Miller is the original choreography (she’s in New York right now helping the show open [...]

My Fair Lady It had the understudy London Mary Poppins as Eliza Doolittle, Marni Nixon as Henry Higgins’ mother and an enthusiastic, Step-In-Time-esque version of With A Little Bit of Luck. Watching this version, it was a stark realization of how much you don’t want to like Alfred Doolittle, but you still end up laughing [...]

They may call themselves a community theatre, but the performances are nothing less than Broadway. The show, co-authored by Groucho’s oldest son Arthur, takes place in the memories of Julius “Groucho” Marx as he guides through the up-and-down cycle that was his career in show business. One definite highlight of the show was the directorial [...]

A most amusing musical with a 4 person cast, from the guy who brought us the The Marvelous Wonderettes (Roger Bean). Chronicling the madcap mayhem that ensues when three brothers have to double duty their stage hand duties and perform on stage at a USO show when the Andrews Sisters get chicken pox, this is [...]