‘Colossal’ at Olney Theatre — An Amazing Play

What an amazing show. I saw this on Saturday. It’s the first time I’ve been to the Olney Theatre. This show was well worth the trip.

This is a story about a star athlete, Mike, as he comes to terms with an injury that has left him partial paralyzed.

As you take your seats the play has already begun with the cast in the midst of practice running drills and urging each other on. It is really amazing. Hanging from the ceiling is a scoreboard. It has a working clock which counts down the minutes left in each quarter (the play is 75 minutes long which is four 15 quarters as well as 15 minutes for half time) and of course it tells the score as well.

The hit that caused Mike’s injury is shown several times in the play. Mike has a remote and plays the injury back and forth. The choreography of this is nothing short of amazing. As Mike presses stop and moves around the scene in his wheel chair. The players come to a stop and hold their positions. Mike presses forward and the scene moves forward. Sometimes it moves forward at normal speed some time it is in slow motion. But most impressive is when he presses reverse and the scene backs up. The actors move backwards in slow motion. It’s just fantastic to watch.

From the Post:

And by dividing the role of severely injured Mike between two actors, one playing him as a ripped athlete (Joseph Carlson) before the incident and the other (Michael Patrick Thornton) as a patient in a wheelchair soon after, the playwright is able to draw out the facets of Mike’s psyche, in ways far more complex than one anticipates. For Hinderaker wants us to understand how Mike makes peace with his body by coming to terms with his life, with all of its new limitations, all of its discomfiting desires of old.

From DC Theater Scene:

Colossal is a rare theatrical experience not to be missed. Director Will Davis guides the play with a sure hand in both the quiet moment and the many full-motion group sequences (aided by Choreographer Christopher D’Amboise and Fight and Movement Choreographer Ben Cunis). A special shout out should also go out to the committed ensemble (Sam Faria, Will Hayes, Jeff Kirkman III, Michael Litchfield, and Matthew Ward).

From DC Metro Theater Arts:

Hinderaker’s play allows us to experience two versions of Mike simultaneously, in that we are also privy to his younger self in Young Mike, performed with adroit physicality, boundless energy, and honest vulnerability by Joe Carlson. With the mirror acting as a steady motif throughout, the image of Mike and Young Mike coexisting in the same psychological landscape makes for a palpable struggle throughout the piece. Young Mike struggles with his identity as a homosexual, an athlete, and a dancer, and the ways in which that masculinity does or does not play into these three aspects of his identity.

I won't give away the ending but I will say it packs a real emotional punch. 

Colossal runs through October 5. Go and see it. It's a great show.

The Best Day

Stuart has a friend whose daughter says this was the best day.

Stu and I came close to having that last Wednesday, May 25. We had tickets to see the matinee of Follies at the Kennedy Center. Our plan was to meet up at the Foggy Bottom Metro stop around 11 and then walk into Georgetown and have lunch at Mr. Smiths. It’s one of our favorite restaurants. I was going to have one of their burgers.

We met up right on time. We both looked very dapper. It was a nice sunny but not too hot day. A great day for a walk into Georgetown. We got to Mr. Smiths and found out that they didn’t open until 11:30. We decided to walk to Georgetown Park.

Georgetown Park is a mall along M Street in Georgetown. It has seen better days and that’s putting it mildly. I think there are more empty store fronts then there are actual stores. It is struggling to survive. In fact at one point earlier this year it was on the verge of closing all together. One thing that does bring people into the place is that a branch of the DMV is located there. But I’m not sure that guarantees that people will do any shopping. We took a walk around and then headed back to Mr. Smiths.

It turned out we were still a little early so we walked down to Barnes and Noble. After that it was time for Mr. Smith’s to be open. It was after 11:30 but they were still not opened. We then opted for an Italian place around the corner. It just so happens this place is part of my mileage plus program with American Airlines. It also just so happens that from the middle of May to the middle of June each time you eat out at a restaurant that’s part of the program you get 300 miles. Not bad at all. The meal itself was great. I had pan seared salmon with a salad. Very good.

Then it was off to the Kennedy Center. We had great seats. Seven rows back. The show was incredible. We both really enjoyed it. Elaine Paige was in it. The last time I saw her was in Chess in London just about 25 years ago. Bernadetts Peters was also in it. She of course I saw just last fall in a Little Night Music another Sondheim show. Just a fantastic show.

From there we went back to my house to do resume. Stu is still looking for a job. We even had fun doing that.

Then I said I take us both out to dinner. We went to Franklin’s which is about 10 minutes away from my house by car. I finally got my hamburger and it was great. Stu had vegetarian cottage pie. He liked it too. After dinner, I drove Stu home. And that was our best day.

Chess at Signature Theater

I saw Chess at the Signature Theater on Friday night. The last big event for my vacation. It was very good. It's interesting how they rearranged elements of the show and the order of the songs. Yet they still were able to create a great show. Here's a review from the Post.

The first time I saw the show was way back on my first London trip, March 3, 1987. I saw it twice on that trip that's how much I enjoyed it. Elaine Paige was Florence in the production. Her voice was incredible. I also saw a version put on by Marriott's Lincolnshire Resort sometime in 1990. This version followed very closely to the one I saw on Friday.

It was a very enjoyable night.

Rehearsal for Murder

Sunday was indeed a delightful day. It actually warmed up and the sun came out. I wen to see Rehearsal for Murder put on by the Providence Players of Fairfax. It just so happens I know one of the people in the play. He’s one of the people I volunteer with at Food and Friends. He hasn’t been at volunteer night for the past couple of months because he was in rehearsals.

On Sunday three other Food and Friends volunteers along with myself met up for brunch. We went to a great place called La Cote D'or Cafe.

Then it was off to see the show. It was very well done. It is as you might have guessed by the title a murder mystery. Just when you think you've figured it out, it throws you a very big curve.

Here's a little of what the Post had to say about it:

Richard Levinson and William Link leaven the drama with jokey asides and silly aphorisms ("There's no beastliness like show beastliness," one character declares), and rely on the broadest stereotypes of the genre -- a dark and stormy night, a suspicious beverage, an assembling of all of the suspects in one room and a sudden blackout. Still, the old formula works its magic one more time.

Afterwards, we congratulated our friend on a job well day. It was a great way to spend a Sunday.

The Heavens Are Hung In Black

Went to this play last night at the new renovated Ford's Theatre. Ford's has taken over the building to one side. It has placed the lobby in that building along with the box office, gift shop and the bathrooms. The theater reopened on February as part of the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. For details about the gala go here.

They certainly did a wonderful job with the restoration. The interior of the theater is incredible. The seats well you can actually sit in them. Calling them uncomfortable in the past would be kind.

The show itself was very well done. It takes place during 1862. The play starts shortly after the death of Willie, Lincoln's son in spring of 1862 and goes until late summer 1862. It delves into Lincoln coming to grips with emancipation. Here's the review from the Post.

From the review:

Plagued throughout the nearly three-hour "Heavens" by grief at the death of his own son -- and his guilt over the legions of fathers, sons and brothers he's sent into battle -- the Lincoln conjured by playwright James Still seems as movingly human as any man who's occupied the presidency. Selby helps immeasurably here, endowing his Lincoln with the gift of humility. The depth of empathy is such that you are allowed to believe that the president -- visited by a woman seeking a pardon for her soldier brother, who's been condemned for falling asleep at his post -- might get down on his knees with her and weep.

The play was in three acts. I thought act two was the best. The third act was just a bit too long. Overall it incorporated many of Lincoln's famous sayings and some of his actions while in the White House. One involves the pardoning of a toy soldier his son Tad has condemned to death because of sleeping at his post.

David Selby (of Falcon Crest and Dark Shadow's fame) plays Lincoln and he really does seem to become Lincoln on the stage. In all a very enjoyable evening.

West Side Story

In all the excitement about the inaugural I forgot to mention that on Tuesday I went to see West Side Story (pictured above are Josefina Scaglione and Matt Cavenaugh, who play Maria and Tony) at the National Theater with my friend Mark. It was very good. You can read about it here.

I think Mark summed it up very well. The women were better than the men and the sharks were better than the Jets. It's not to say the men were bad; they weren't. It just that the women really have more material.

There is an interesting change in the way the musical is staged or I should say sung:

Such is the allure of the performance that even when Scaglione is singing in Spanish -- which she does repeatedly in this novel, bilingual incarnation, directed by its librettist, Arthur Laurents -- an English speaker discerns the radiant spectrum of emotion in a young girl caught between ethnic hatred and desire. No matter how you conjugate them, it seems, the giddy verbs of "I Feel Pretty" (or rather "Siento Hermosa") ring out with verve.

I thought the addition of Spanish made the show much more realistic. The draw back on some of the songs is if people in the audience are not familiar with the lyrics to the songs. But no matter what language the show is sung in the power of the songs transcends it.

It is amazing that the original author of the book to the show, Arthur Laurents, is now the director of it. Laurents is 90.

For more pictures of the production follow these two links. This one shows the company in rehearsal. This one shows scenes from the actual show.

Altar Boyz

Saw this very funny show last night at the Bethesda Theatre. It is a spoof of boy bands. This boy band happens to be a Christian boy band. There are five guys in the show. They characters are Matthew, Luke, Mark, Juan and Abraham. Abraham just happens to be Jewish.

Here's a review of the show:

The long running off-Broadway hit, Altar Boyz, has been extended for the second time at the Bethesda Theatre, a former Cinema-Draft house movie theatre on Wisconsin Ave about 3 miles off the Capital beltway. Having been the movie theatre a few times in the past it seemed a perfect medium sized venue for smaller live theatre productions. And I must say it works.

No longer is the seating long tables for pizza and beer; it’s now a real art deco theatre with a state of the art stage and quality sound system that really showed off it’s quality in the pseudo-christian-boyband-rock concert musical.

It’s the last night of a catholic saving soul’s tour to bingo halls and ex-movie theatres as described by the lead singer Matthew to the audience. Through their faith, a dozen or so tunes and high energy dancing they attempt to win souls for Jesus all within a style of satirical Christianity. The witty choreography mimicking every one from Justin Timberlake to Britney, Cher, and JLo is as hysterical as the lyrics in the phony Christian rock ballads and pop tunes. Imagine NKOB with a chastity promise.

The mostly local cast of 5 performers, lead singer and heartthrob Matthew (Jared Zirilli), Mark (Patrick Ellott) who wants to be as big as Clay Aiken and not so secretively in love with Matthew, sexy Juan (Michael Busillo), Luke (Travis Morin) just out of the hospital for….exhaustion? and Jewish Abraham (David R. Gordon- how did he get in the group?) are all talent singers and performers. The ensemble not only had the young girls in the audience screaming but most of their mothers, and not just a few guys, too.

The on-stage band rocks the house while not deafening the audience as the national tour did when it played the Hippodrome and Warner Theatres a few years ago.

Altar Boyz is a story about bringing audiences to Jesus and some personal redemptions that are secondary to the singing and dancing.

Here are a couple of clips. One is from the show the other is an interview the cast did.

Mamma Mia Sneak Preview

Mamma Mia: Here I go again.

I got to go to a sneak preview of the movie version of Mamma Mia. Thanks to T0m for inviting me and to Ira and Brett who got the free tickets.

It was at the Regal Cinemas at Gallery Place. There were a lot people in line for the preview. Lucky for us they opened another theater and put us in there. They actually moved the people who were in the theater to one next door to accommodate us. It was a pretty good size theater. I'd say it was maybe a third full which means they'd filled a similar size theater.

So how's they do?

Well, I'll get one part out of the way right away. Pierce Brosnan cannot sing at all. In fact people laughed when he tried to "sing." I can't imagine why he was picked. It reminds me of the guy who played Sam (that's Brosnan's character) in the first touring company. He didn't have a very good voice either. Brosnan was just bad and not in a good way. He did one duet with Meryl Streep, SOS, and song not in the original show, When All Is Said and Done. He was a little better on the second one but not by much.

With that out of the way, the movie was actually really good. I thought they did a great job of transferring the musical to the big screen. The location is Greece and it is just beautiful.

Meryl Streep is great as Donna. She has a harried expression in the opening scenes as if she really is running an inn on a Greek Isle. Her wish to get away from the island in the number Money, Money is just hilarious. The staging for Mamma Mia is very funny and original as she tries to peak in on the three guys without them seeing her.

Julie Walters is hysterical as Rosie and really gets into Take a Chance on Me. Christine Baranski well is Christine Baranski what more can you say. She looks great and sounds great too.

As for the guys well I've talked about Mr. Brosnan (did I mention he can't sing). The other two do well in their rolls. Stellan Skarsgård is Bill Anderson (the last name was Austin in the show) but since Skarsgård has a Scandinavian accent the name change was a good idea. He is good as Mr. Anderson and his scene when he realizes he could be Sophie's dad is very funny. Colin Firth is Harry Bright and he plays the uptight Harry as well uptight. He has a good singing voice. I was surprised as some of his later scenes but I won't ruin the surprise as to what they are.

Skye is played by Dominic Cooper and Sophie is played by Amanda Seyfried. They really work well as a couple and their voices are very good.

I was very very pleased with the results of the movie. It was great fun and everyone I went with had a really good time. And, yes I think I will have to go back and see it again.

First Stop Mamma Mia Tickets

I decided that, if everything about arriving went well, I'd see a show.

I thought the perfect way to start would be to see Mamma Mia.

I went down and got a ticket to the 5pm Friday performance. the theater was packed. As with every production there are differences. I thought this production was a little bawdier then other ones I've seen.

The big difference was that no one got up for the encores. I sat through Mamma Mia. No one got up. Then came Dancing Queen. No one got up. Well once Waterloo rolled around I decided I had to put a stop to this. I got up and slowly but surely so did about 2/3 of the audience in the stalls (that's what they call the orchestra section).

A perfect evening

It really was a perfect evening and those seldom come along.

I went off to see Spamalot again at the National Theater.

The first thing I needed to decide was what to do after work. It seemed rather silly to go home and then a little over an hour and a half later come back downtown. This is especially true since the National is only a few blocks from where I work.

So I decided to go to the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum. They are in the same block. The are also about a ten minute walk from my office. What is great about these museums is that they are open until 7:30 each night.

I saw two great exhibits. One on Katharine Hepburn which was a series of photos through the course of her career. Here’s a link to follow to get a look and the exhibit. Also on hand was the contract Hepburn signed which gave her the rights to the Philadelphia Story. The film that relaunched her career and made her a super star. The other one was called Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American portraits. Follow this link to take a look at it. It was a series of portraits of famous African Americans starting from the mid 1860s and going to the present. I got a very quick look at Legacy: Spain and the United States in the Age of Independence, 1763-1848 but want to go back and look at that one again. Actually I want to go back and look at everything again.

If that wasn’t enough I got to see the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard. This is a courtyard created by placing a ceiling in the space between the two buildings. It was used in the past but now obviously can be used all year round. It is spectacular and that I really want to go back and see on a bright sunny day.

For dinner I went to the Capitol City Brewery. I had a chicken Caesar Salad and for dessert I had pumpkin pie with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. On the side of the dish was sprinkled pumpkin pie spice. It was fantastic!

Then it was off for another great performance of Spamalot. Here's a link of the review in the Post. Most of the actors were the same from the last time I saw it but a couple were new. The Lady of the Lake and Sir Robin. It is a very enjoyable show. It was two hours of great entertainment and laughter. Here's what I said the last time I went.

I just may have to go back and see it again!

Phantom of the Opera, Washington, DC 2007

I bought my ticket for Sunday night’s performance of Phantom the night I went to see it in June. The ticket counter man said I had a really good seat. He must have know that it was in the front row. I was thinking wow row E that means I be really close. I didn't realize how close I would be. Front row almost dead center.

Being that close I missed a couple of things that went on during the show. I could not see the auctioneer at all in the opening scene. The chandelier was in front of me. Also there were several points where characters were literally on the stage floor and I could not see them. The reason for this is the orchestra pit extends out into the first four rows of seats. It comes out slightly higher than that level of the stage. That’s done, I assume, so that the conductor has a place to conduct and also not to block the music. It was cool to hear parts of the orchestration that would normally have been lost from not being that close.

Also the couple of times the Phantom is above the stage in the last part of the first act, I had to look straight up to see him which actually added to the experience of the show. However, those were the only draw backs if you could eve call them that. Like I said if I’d stood up I could have touched the chandelier when it was rising to the ceiling. And when the Phantom launched the chandelier at the end of act one, I had to look back to see it come down. Again it was really close to me. It was very cool. Many times I felt like the cast was singing directly to me. It was just truly amazing.

Phantom of the Opera in London 1987

This is what I wrote about seeing Phantom for the very first time in London March 4, 1987.

Saw Phantom of the Opera. The seats were way up in nose bleed territory. The show was excellent. The set was fantastic. When the Phantom takes Christine to his island, they actually row down the stage. Then once they arrive or I should say as they are arriving candelabras come up from the floor. There were a few slow spots but then they would go into a song that sent shivers up my spine.

Another amazing aspect of the set was the chandelier. It starts out on the floor of the stage. The show start with an auction set in the future after all the events in the show have taken place. One of the items is the chandelier. As the auctioneer starts to describe the piece and the strange events of the phantom of the phantom of the opera, the music starts and the chandelier rises up from the stage and moves to the top of ceiling of the theater. Then at the end of the first act the phantom causes the chandelier to fall to the stage floor.

The phantom appears in one scene above the curtain on a platform. This gives the impression of him creeping around the opera house.

The final scene is the most memorable. The phantom has taken Christine back to his island. There are being chased by people from the theater and Christine's lover Raoul. Eventually Raoul catches up to them, but he is captured by the phantom. The phantom is going to hang Raoul and turns to Christine and says choose me or Raoul will die. Christine eventually kissed the phantom. The phantom releases Raoul and tells them to go before any one else arrives. After watching them leave, the phantom goes over to his chair sits down and throws his cape over his body. At the same time the people from the theater have reached the island. One of them goes over to the chair and removes the cape. The phantom is gone. All that remains is the mask which is picked up and show to the audience. The curtain comes down. After that there was a moment of complete silence from the audience almost as if everyone let out a breath and then thunderous applause. The man who played Raoul was the understudy and he had a great voice.

In this the Phantom's Opera

I saw it Phantom of the Opera again tonight. Even though the ticket said row E; I was in the front row because the orchestra pit bumped out. If I'd stood up while the chandelier was going to the top of the theater I could have touched it. It was an amazing performance.

More about it tomorrow as well as my thoughts on seeing it for the very first time when I went to London in March of 1987.

But for now it's over now the music of the night!!

Phantom of the Opera

Last night at the Kennedy I saw Phantom of the Opera. I tried to do a quick calculation of the number of times I’ve seen he show. I think it is 11. I will be seeing it one more time before it leaves Washington.

The first time I saw it was in London. I debating with myself about whether I should see the show or not. I finally decided I had to see it. I bought an expensive seat from some ticket broker and sat way way up high. Michael Crawford was about 5 inches tall from my vantage point (ok probably more than that). I just thought it was great (thus the reason I’ve seen it so many times). I later learned the Crawford had left the show due to a hiatal hernia. However, the guy that replaced him fell through a trap door and got hurt. I think he broke a knee cap or something. All I can say to that is ouch. So I was lucky to be able to see him.

When it came to New York, I saw him there. He was much taller. Of all the phantoms I’ve seen, Crawford’s been the best which is after all to be expected since he originated the role. But the reason is he had the most expressive hands of all the actors to play the role. If you’ve seen the show you’ll understand what I mean for those who haven’t there’s a long scene in the second act where he has a hood over his head and the only way he can emote is through his hands.

Last night’s phantom was very good too. In fact I thought the entire cast did a good job. There were a couple of technical glitches in the opening scene when the opera house in all its glory is revealed. Some of the fabric covering the sets got stuck and it took a few good hard tugs to get it free.

I still got a chill up my spine when the auctioneer says:

Lot 666, then: a chandelier in pieces. Some of you may recall the strange affair of the Phantom of the Opera: a mystery never fully explained. We are told ladies and gentlemen, that this is the very chandelier which figures in the famous disaster. Our workshops have restored it and fitted up parts of it with wiring for the new electric light, so that we may get a hint of what it may look like when re-assembled. Perhaps we may frighten away the ghost of so many years ago with a little illumination, gentlemen?

And the music swells and the chandelier starts it ascent to the ceiling

The last half of the second act has me on the edge of my seat. I know what’s going to happen, but I still get drawn into the action.

I had a wonderful evening. Here's a link to a story about John Cudia being transformed into the Phantom.

Spamalot

I went and saw Spamalot in Baltimore yersterday. What a very very funny musical. Who couldn't laugh with such lines as:

Stand aside Mrs. Galahad while the Lady of the Lake and her Laker girls welcome your son to my army.

A sentimenal song
That casts a magic spell
They will all hum along
And we'll all overact, overact like hell

We're knights of the round table
We dance when e'er we're able
We do routines and gory scenes
That are too hot for cable

There's a very small percentile
Who enjoys a dancing gentile


A very very funny show. A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Mamma Mia there I go again!

Yes once again I’ve gone and seen Mamma Mia. I think this makes about number 11. So I guess I’m now officially obsessed with the show.

However in my defence it brings back very fond memories. This was the last thing I did with my parents before my mother died. We all went down to Chicago to see the show and we all really enjoyed it. We also had a very unique distinction in that we were probably the only people in the theater who could say they actually saw Abba live. In 1979, I flew to Chicago from DC and my dad, mom and my two best friends went down to the Auditorium Theater in Chicago and saw Abba live and in person.

This time around I saw it in Baltimore at the Hippodrome theater. Really great theater; really scarey neighborhood. To use a famous quote what a dump. There were some great looking condos across the street from the theater and several other buildings were being renovated but the rest of the area left a great deal to be desired. Several people with shopping carts and, as far as I could tell, not a grocery store insight. Also more than a few people with paper bags enjoying a late morning drink. In time I’m sure the area will be great but it has a ways to go yet.

After having seen Mamma Mia so many times, it is interesting to see the changes that have been made. A couple of the jokes were dropped, a scene or two has been altered slightly. Some of this is based on who’s in the part and how good of a dancer the person is.

A couple of quick examples: At the end of Chiquitita, Tanya and Rosie hand Donna a bottle of Jack Daniels to buck her up. In the first couple of versions Donna sings Try once more etc well she’s barely got out the word try because she’s reacting to her swig of whiskey. That has since been dropped. Also changed is what Tanya and Rosie are doing on stage while singing Dancing Queen. At one point Tanya pretended to play the drums and now Rosie is doing that. What’s interesting about is the same actresses are playing the roles. Another example Does Your Mother Know is a song where how well the actress playing Tanya can dance has a big part in what she does while one stage. The first time around the person playing Tanya could really dance. So her sequence with Pepper was very much a dance off where Pepper would dance and Tanya would then match what he’d done. Another time the woman playing Tanya didn’t dance much at all. The actress in the role now is somewhere between those two extremes.

But the bottom line is this a really fun show to see. And I plan on seeing it again. Maybe in New York next time!