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Go to the ‘Water for Elephants’ national tour for the circus more than the musical (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

One tricky part of being a theatre critic is not all musicals and plays offer the same types of entertainment. Some we go to for the story, others the great music, some the choreography and spectacle, as well as many other elements that can make a show special. I might say a show is great and someone else see’s it says ‘but the story was so trite’ but my praise had little to do with the story it was the spectacular dancing or singing. You get the idea. With the national tour of Water for Elephants what makes it special is the circus performers and acrobatics. The story and music is less memorable. I still enjoyed it because I’m a sucker for dance and acrobatics but your mileage may vary.

I should clarify upfront that I have not seen the movie or read the book Water for Elephants is adapted from so I can’t speak to its authenticity in that regard. The story is pretty thin gruel to go off of with hunky kind-of-vet Jacob meeting star circus performer Marlena in the 1930s. They hit it off immediately. The only problem is Marlena’s husband is the ringmaster of the circus, August. One of my least favorite plot contrivances is the ‘let’s justify an affair because the spouse is a jerk.’ Nope. It just doesn’t make me swoon when people are cheating even if they are cheating on a jerk. So that aspect of the plot was not going to work for me.

They also have an older version of Jacob (referred to as Mr Jankowski in the program) kind of narrating the story and that felt very poorly integrated and random. It wasn’t as bad as the old Neil Diamond at the psychiatrist element of the recent musical Beautiful Noise but it felt very out of place. I also didn’t love the way they integrated the animals into Water for Elephants. Some animals like the monkeys are played by humans in costumes but then others are puppets with the elephant being introduced in pieces. Sometimes we’d get a trunk, other times ears. When we finally get the big reveal of the elephant I was left thinking ‘why didn’t we have this whole time?’

Anyway, the entertaining part of the show is the circus performers. Particularly all the aerialists are some of the best I’ve ever seen. Yves Artieres plays a horse and that might sound strange but it was one of the more beautiful dance performances I’ve ever seen. He manages to capture the majesty of this animal perfectly and what he does with the silks is unbelievable. I also really enjoyed Tyler West as Walter the little person clown and all the rest of the ensemble of dancers and performers. They really make the show a delight to watch and the dancing is no small aspect. It’s a huge part of the show.

The songs are pleasant to listen to but not especially memorable. The highlights are probably Jacob singing “Silver Stars” and the company with “The Road Don’t Make You Young.” In the national tour Jacob is played by Zachary Keller with leading man charisma but he doesn’t have much chemistry with Helen Krushinksi’s Marlena but I can’t really blame them because the story makes it tough for them to develop that chemistry (I just don’t love cheater love stories!) Connor Sullivan is appropriately sinister and sniveling as ringmaster August.

The tour is directed by Ryan Emmons with Jessica Stone the original Broadway direction. The circus design is Shana Carroll and the choreography by Jesse Robb and Shanna Carroll. There is some beautiful lighting by Bradley King and the sound design by Walter Trarbach help the animals feel as real as they can especially when we are only getting a piece of said animal.

But when it comes down to it, Water for Elephants is all about the circus. Of course one could just go to a circus performance (we had Cirque du Soleil in Salt Lake this holiday season with Twas the Night Before and I’d say these performers were as good if not better.) If aerialists and dancers appeal to you than go see Water for Elephants. If you need more than that you can probably skip this show at the Eccles. It is playing through August 30th and tickets can be purchased here.

Water for Elephants is a musical with music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co which is a indie folk band and theater company consisting of 7 musicians. They have been performing together since 2007. The musical book is by Rick Elice based on the novel by Sara Gruen. It premiered on Broadway in 2024.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.

RACHEL’S THEATRE LOG 77 (NYC TRIP 1- ROCKETTES SPECTACULAR, DEATH BECOMES HER)

| Rachel's Reviews

Hi theatre friends! Last week I was able to make my way to the great NYC for a little post-Thanksgiving trip with my family. It was actually a really fun experience because my aunts and cousins were as well as 2 of my sisters all enjoying New York and remembering my Grandma Wagner who we all miss so much. I also got to see some Broadway shows while I was there and that included 2 I paid for and 3 are comped; therefore, they will get their own full reviews coming soon. However, today I am going to share quick thoughts on the 2 I paid for and attended as patrons.

RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR-

One of the key memories of my Grandma when it comes to New York is seeing the Rockettes in all their holiday glory. They are in fact a spectacular in every way in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular! I saw this production years ago with my Grandma in 2000 but haven’t seen it since but they’ve definitely updated elements over the years. The most stunning feature was the projections that went out onto the ceiling and into the audience. They even had a sequence with Santas where the projections are shadows of the Santas (or we think so at first) and then the shadows start dancing independent of the Santas. It’s very clever.

Of course the Rockettes are amazing in this production. The kicklines and other choreography never fail to impress along with when the wooden soldiers drop on top of each other in a line together. They also had new innovations like the snow fairies as little drones with wings which is fun to see.

The highlight of the performance was the live nativity with farm animals (and even camels!) They truly do have all the Christmas one could ever absorb and I recommend checking it out. The Spectacular is playing through Jan 5th and you can find out more here.

DEATH BECOMES HER

Next up we have the new musical Death Becomes Her. This, of course, is based on the classic film from from 1992 and has music and lyrics by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey with a book by Marco Pennette. It tells the story of 2 feuding divas who end up taking a beauty potion that has grisly consequences even after they have technically died.

The main standout for this show is the very funny script and the wonderful leading performances of Megan Hilty as Madeline and Jennifer Simard as Helen. I was unfamiliar with Simard (although I think I had seen her in the recent revival of Company) but she particularly steals the show with her incredibly funny and physical performance. Michelle Williams is also excellent as the mysterious Viola Van Horn who provides the beauty potion. My only regret is the script doesn’t give any time for the 3 of them to be on stage together or have a song with each other.

Director Christopher Gattelli keeps everything popping on stage with dazzling special effects as things get more and more unhinged for our partly-dead ladies. I won’t spoil it for you but there’s even one visual effect involving a severed head that I’m still not entirely sure how they pulled it off. The songs are catchy with bangers like “If You Want Perfection” and “For the Gaze” and the costumes by Paul Tazewell are as big and unforgettable as you’d hope for.

After I left the theatre I said Death Becomes Her is the best comedy I’ve seen on Broadway since The Drowsy Chaperone back in 2006 and it is certainly one of the best screen to stage adaptations we’ve ever had. I really enjoyed it and hope it has a long life on Broadway. You can purchase tickets to it here.

I will have individual reviews of the 3 other shows I saw as they were the comped tickets but let me know if you have seen the Rockettes or Death Becomes Her and what you thought of it.

These logged shows I pay for out of pocket and I’d love to do that as much as possible. If you have a show you’d like to take a look at and write a full review let me know. I also have my patreon which is a great way to support what I do and get some really fun perks. Find out more here.

‘SOUVENIR’ HITS THE RIGHT NOTE AT PTC (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

As I stepped away from the Meldrum Theatre on Saturday, after having seen Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of Souvenir, I found myself wondering about the universality of the piece. What would happen if Florence Foster Jenkins lived today? Would she be the subject of derision and bullied away from singing or would she be an even bigger figure? Who knows? Would Florence and her terrible singing be a tiktok phenomenon in 2024? Maybe she was the Rebecca Black or William Hung of the 1930s? It’s interesting because we like to think we have progressed so much over the years but maybe we laughed at bad singing then and we laugh at it now?

Regardless, I like a play that makes me think without being heavy-handed or dogmatic and the Souvenir does just that. It’s also a welcome relief from the holiday fare (which I know I’m the queen of Christmas but it’s nice for some variety as well!) In the production Linda Mugleston plays Florence Foster Jenkins masterfully with a moral ambiguity that keeps us constantly guessing as an audience. How self-aware is she? We don’t know and I like that. The play’s author Stephen Temperley gives Florence one moment of shame or embarrassment but for the most part she doesn’t seem to hear the problems (or perceived problems) in her voice. Indeed, this does seem accurate to the actual historical figure who really did perform at Carnegie Hall despite audiences uproariously laughing harder at her than they did at actual clowns. One critic after this concert said “Florence indulged last night in one of the weirdest mass jokes New York has ever seen.” That’s what made me wonder. Is not most of tiktok a weird mass joke?

If one isn’t fascinated by modern comparisons there should still be plenty to entertain in Souvenir. Temperley’s script is consistently witty and both Mugleston and Bob Walton, who plays her pianist Cosme McMoon, are very funny together and have a wonderful friendship chemistry. It’s nice director Wes Grantom gives us a version of Mugleston singing correctly at the end so we see what a performance it was for her to sing all those bad notes all that time. I bet singing badly is even more difficult as a performer than singing accurately when you have the correct ability.

The costumes by KL Alberts are also excellent especially when they are quickly switched out for the concerts. For the big Carnegie Hall sequence she goes from being a bar wench to an angel, to the Queen of the Night. All the other aspects of the production were simple but excellent allowing us to focus on the actors, their immersive performances, and the message of the play.

If I was going to nitpick I don’t think they really needed to have prerecorded audience sounds at various scenes. It felt a little like an unnecessary laugh track in a sitcom. We are the audience and provided plenty of laughter and other responses to what was happening on stage.

If one is comparing this production to the film from 2016 with Meryl Streep the big difference is the film includes her common law husband St Clair Bayfield played by Hugh Grant. Because of the transactional aspect of their relationship it gives the movie a more melancholy tone than the play but Florence’s character is essentially the same as I think that was her real-life persona. I enjoyed the film (gave it an A back in 2016) but had more fun with this play.

Still, if looking to have a delightful night of theatre than head over PTC for their production of Souvenir. It’s not only a terrific comedy about a real-life person but it might make one think a bit like it did for me. If it does I’d love to hear other’s thoughts in the comments. It’s after all what Florence would have wanted!

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks. Please take a look here.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST AT HALE IS A TALE AS OLD AS TIME WITH BIG SPECTACLE (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

So much of what makes for a successful piece of community theatre is matching the right show with the right venue. And while I would never want to pigeonhole a company into only doing one type of show it is true that some material is just a good fit for certain venues. Such is the case with Disney shows and Hale Center Theatre in Sandy. Indeed, when one finds their seat at the Young Living Centre Stage it feels like we have left Utah and are temporarily in Disneyland. Nowhere was this more true than in their current stunning production of Disney’s masterpiece Beauty and the Beast. Playing now through January 25th this majestic show will delight young and all and may be the best show Hale’s done since Singin in the Rain.

Beauty and the Beast is of course based on the animated film with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice with a book by Linda Woolverton. It tells the story of our headstrong Belle who ends up as the prisoner of a cursed Beast in an enchanted castle. Can these seeming opposites find love? We all know the answer to that!

I saw the MWF cast for this production and Jessica Hudson leads the group of talented actors as Belle with Kyle Olsen as Beast. My favorite performances, however, are from Russell Maxfield as Gaston and Scott Hendrickson as Lumiere. They are both very funny and expressive in their roles.

The costumes by Jenn Taylor are unforgettable and what impressed me the most is they had actual fire coming from Lumiere’s candle! In all the times I’ve seen Beauty and the Beast on stage I have never seen that effect. They also have actual fire for the mob which helps the scene feel all the more immersive than it might otherwise be.

Director Ryan Simmons makes big time spectacle to dazzle audiences with characters like the plates and cups coming from the sky for “Be Our Guest” and an awe inspiring finale where Beast and Gaston fight it out on the roof of the castle for all of us to see. As I said, a production at Disneyland would not be better or more immersive than what Hale has achieved and that’s saying something.

While I really enjoyed the production there are a few things they could work on. The main problem is one of the platforms the action takes place on has a large railing around it, which makes it almost impossible to see what is happening with the actors. For example, the scene where Maurice first comes to the castle I couldn’t see a single thing that was happening. Fortunately they didn’t use that platform much but I wish they would remove the railing because it served no narrative purpose.

They also had some problems with the sound mix. While I know there are times when the vocals are supposed to be a bit echoey like when Belle first enters the castle but there are other times when it is unintentionally off and it sounds like the characters are speaking from inside a cave.

Nevertheless, if you want a big spectacle Disney production and you don’t want to go to Disneyland make your way over to Hale Center Theatre and enjoy Beauty and the Beast. It’s a special opportunity to be immersed in a classic story well told. You will be glad to be their guest! Find out more information and purchase tickets here.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks. Please take a look here.