Regional Roundup 7/28: WEST SIDE STORY at the Lyric Theatre, MAMMA MIA! at The Gateway, and SOMETHING ROTTEN in Kansas City!
by BWW Special Coverage
- Jul 28, 2017
BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature West Side Story, Mamma Mia!, Something Rotten, and More!
BWW Review: THE KING AND I at the Kennedy Center - It is 'Something Wonderful'
by Charles Shubow
- Jul 24, 2017
Oh how delightful it was to hear a spectacular overture before a Broadway musical. When is the last time you heard one? We heard snippets of great music to come such as 'Something Wonderful', Whistle a Happy Tune', 'Shall We Dance' and 'Hello Young Lovers' all played by the talented orchestra (the massive 15 pieces) under the baton of Gerard Steichen.
Regional Roundup: Top New Features This Week Around Our BroadwayWorld 7/7 - BEAUTIFUL, LION KING, DISASTER, and More!
by BWW Special Coverage
- Jul 7, 2017
BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature BEAUTIFUL, THE LION KING, DISASTER, MY FAIR LADY, and more!
BWW Review: MY FAIR LADY at Olney Theatre Center is Just Plain 'Loverly'
by Charles Shubow
- Jul 6, 2017
I recall with reverence the illustrated cover of the original cast album of MY FAIR LADY by the acclaimed caricaturist, the late Al Hirschfeld (who has a Broadway theater named in his honor). It featured the author of 'Pygmalion' which MY FAIR LADY is based on, George Bernard Shaw, overlooking a cloud in heaven with puppet strings holding up the two lead characters in the show, Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, It's a true classic. So was the original cast which opened on Broadway in 1956 and starred Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison and later became a smash movie with Harrison and Audrey Hepburn in 1964. I recall having a reserved seat ticket for the film.
BWW Review: FINDING NEVERLAND at the Hippodrome - It's a Memorable Musical That Is Both Thrilling and Magical!
by Charles Shubow
- Jun 30, 2017
I always find it exciting to see a musical I know nothing about and FINDING NEVERLAND fits that bill. I remember watching Jennifer Hudson sing 'Neverland' on the 2014 Tony Awards and recall watching the cast perform on the NBC 'Thanksgiving Day Parade' in November, 2014. The cast included Matthew Morrison, Kelsey Grammer, Laura Michelle Kelly and Carolee Carmello. However, the Tony Awards snubbed the musical with no nominations. After seeing the show this week, I do not understand why. I found the musical absolutely wonderful and worthy of a Tony nomination for Best Musical. FUN HOME won the Tony for Best Musical in 2015 beating out SOMETHING ROTTEN!, THE VISIT, and AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. There were no nominations for FINDING NEVERLAND.
DORIAN'S CLOSET at Rep Stage - World Premiere Musical is Stunning!
by Charles Shubow
- May 10, 2017
Directed by Co-Artistic Director Joseph Ritsch, with book and lyrics by Richard Mailman and music by Ryan Haase, DORIAN'S CLOSET is a fictionalized account of Buffalo native Dorian Corey who headed to New York City for a life as a 'female impersonator' and 'performer' and became a huge hit. One may think of such Broadway hits like LA CAGE AUX FOLLES or KINKY BOOTS which both deal with the life of male performers dressing as females. And as in those two monster hits, a musical to succeed needs one heck of a star and Director Ritsch has found such an individual in Stephen Scott Wormley who is absolutely astonishing in his role as 'Dorian' . I recall seeing his former performances in ONCE ON THIS ISLAND (Olney Theatre Center), HAIRSPRAY at Signature Theatre, and in the HAIRSPRAY concert version with the Baltimore Symphony where he excelled as 'Seaweed'.
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