Dora LIVE! (Thursday, July 23, 2009 at 1:49pm)
As any parent knows, there is nothing quite like watching your toddler light up. On Tues. night we had the pleasure of taking Eamon and his friend Lainey to go see DORA Live courtesy of Broadway Across America. Eamon will be 2 in September and Lainey will be 3 this fall. I was more confident that Lainey would behave well but as it turned out, both kids were awesome. This is an 80-minute show with an intermission, and they were captivated and focused the entire show. I worried they might be disruptive, but the Bass Concert Hall has incredible acoustics that did not disappoint. There were thousands of small kids and you couldn’t make out the noise from the row behind you. I’ve never been so aware of how acoustics can enhance a live show in my life! Both kids were primed for excitement. We had been taping and letting Eamon watch Dora a couple times a day for a week. And he already loved the show, although he loves Dora’s cousin Diego more. His Diego water cup is a special and prized possession. They were so excited from being told they were going to see Dora. It was more useful than Santa Claus… as in, “If you don’t get off the table we’re not going to go see Dora!” Both kids on the day of the show were unable to take a nap they just kept blabbering about Dora. The lack of naps also had me a little worried. But when the time finally came, you would never guess them to be tired. For toddlers, seeing their favorite cartoons come to life on stage is as close to magic as it comes. It didn’t hurt that we had amazing seats so the kids could see and hear everything clearly. Although there don’t seem to be any “bad seats” at Bass, if you have a chance to take your kids to a show like this and are able to, I strongly recommend getting the closer seats.
Probably the funniest moment of the evening for me was trying to convince Lainey that really she couldn’t get ON the stage with Dora. Eamon just kept exploding into fits of joy stomping his feet, giggling and clapping wildly. The actors were all very good singers that did a great job of engaging and connecting with the audience as if they were actual cartoons. Boots was impressive with his acrobatics and the Live show followed much of the format of the television show which helped the kids to follow along. The set was bright and colorful, and in the closing song number they released confetti when the audience was on their feet dancing along. Lainey was so excited she looked up and said “Fireworks!” Of course the fact that we saw it in July might have influenced this declaration. At the end of the night I asked Eamon what his favorite part of the show was. He’s not old enough to use this word regularly, so he blew me away when he responded right away with “Diego!” who was part of about one third of the show.
Overall it was a wonderful, magical night with two happy kiddos. And what a great introduction to the theatre! I don’t know that either child has ever been on better behavior or more expressive of thanks for getting to go. I’m so grateful Broadway Across America gave me this opportunity!
Is the Wicked Witch Only an Emerald in the Rough? A review of the touring production of Wicked, now in Austin
Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 2:32am
Wicked is the story of two young girls united in an unexpected friendship and divided by different choices in life. The story's backdrop is the Oz we never saw in the original and beloved tale of Dorothy. This prequel to The Wizard of Oz focuses on 'The Wicked Witch of the West' and 'Glinda the Good Witch'. It explains the origins of flying monkeys, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow. The story also recounts the complex nature and questionable motives of the 'Great and Wonderful Wizard of Oz'. Wicked chronicles the power of a female friendship that is ultimately so strong it survives even a complicated love triangle. The story challenges society's subconscious obsession with beauty that predisposes us to assume good looking people must be good and people who look 'different' are the enemy. It is always good to be reminded that not everything is as it appears. It takes us out of our comfort zone to empathize with a character we always knew was bad. In addition to balancing these themes in a careful and well orchestrated plot, the show is damn funny!
Glinda the Good, played by Heléne Yorke, was reminiscent of Reese Witherspoon's role in Legally Blonde with a touch of the ambition she displayed in Election. She is, as the character Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) points out, blonde. She is pink, frills, perkiness, popularity and wealth. When confronted with her own cruelty Glinda takes Elphie on as a makeover project. Not that Elphie, played by the astonishingly talented Marcie Dodd, needs much help. Like the quiet girl in so many teen movies who is actually hot but just needs to take off her glasses, Elphie is always beautiful, inside and out, except for the unfortunate green skin that no one can change.
The acting, singing and dancing lived up to the hype. But I have never seen another play where I was more aware of and impressed by the intricately beautiful set and lighting. These artistic pieces were sublime and transformed entertainment and talent into an experience to be remembered. Hats off to the entire cast and crew of this stunning production. I am so grateful to Broadway Across America for the complementary tickets. If you would like to see the show, you can purchase tickets here: http://www.broadwayacrossamerica.com)
© 2009 Shannon Aronin. All Rights Reserved
Do you remember your first kiss? Or how you lost your virginity? Of course you do! And do you remember how you felt that no one understood and no one felt as you do? We all had our moments of teen angst, those times when our emotions were so intense precisely because we had never felt them before. Young adults still feel that way today, and when our parents were growing up, and when our grandparents were growing up too. Too often we assume that "kids today" are so different from kids yesterday, but it just isn't true. Generation after generation kids have gotten pregnant out of wedlock, committed suicide, discovered their homosexuality, run away from home, been sexually and physically abused by their own parents, rebelled, and even fallen in love.The play specifically sets kids, who all have their own unique stories, apart from teachers, parents, and any other figure of authority. The male lead character, Melchior, aptly identifies oppressive adults as the "parentocracy." This point is driven home by the fact that all adults are played by the same two actors. It doesn't matter if it's your teachers, your parents, or your friends' parents, when you are young they might as well all be the same person. In one song this point is further driven home by a chorus line singing "blah blah blah blah blah blah blah." It was reminiscent of Teacher in Charlie Brown. Why bother listening to one of "them"?
Spring Awakening is a haunting reminder of what it felt like to be 16, even though the play was set in 1890's Germany. What gives the play it's modern feel is the juxtaposition of the old-fashioned costumes and music catchy enough to be Top 40 material. My favorite number, by far, was the song "Totally Fucked," which is about those moments in life when you know you are caught red-handed and want to run for the hills. The acting was outstanding, and the characters felt like people you knew in high school. The minimalist set is beautiful in its simplicity. The director relies heavily on incredible lighting effects to evoke emotion in conjunction with what is happening in the story line.
Due to brief scenes of nudity and language, this play is for mature audiences only. However, its brilliance is unmistakable and it deserved every one of the 8 Tony awards it received! To see if the cast will be in your town, and to buy tickets, please visit www.broadwayacrossamerica.com. As always, I am so grateful to Broadway Across America for the complimentary tickets.
© 2009 Shannon Aronin. All Rights Reserved
Teen Angst Is Timeless - A Review of Spring Awakening
Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 4:01am
Do you remember your first kiss? Or how you lost your virginity? Of course you do! And do you remember how you felt that no one understood and no one felt as you do? We all had our moments of teen angst, those times when our emotions were so intense precisely because we had never felt them before. Young adults still feel that way today, and when our parents were growing up, and when our grandparents were growing up too. Too often we assume that "kids today" are so different from kids yesterday, but it just isn't true. Generation after generation kids have gotten pregnant out of wedlock, committed suicide, discovered their homosexuality, run away from home, been sexually and physically abused by their own parents, rebelled, and even fallen in love.The play specifically sets kids, who all have their own unique stories, apart from teachers, parents, and any other figure of authority. The male lead character, Melchior, aptly identifies oppressive adults as the "parentocracy." This point is driven home by the fact that all adults are played by the same two actors. It doesn't matter if it's your teachers, your parents, or your friends' parents, when you are young they might as well all be the same person. In one song this point is further driven home by a chorus line singing "blah blah blah blah blah blah blah." It was reminiscent of Teacher in Charlie Brown. Why bother listening to one of "them"?
Spring Awakening is a haunting reminder of what it felt like to be 16, even though the play was set in 1890's Germany. What gives the play it's modern feel is the juxtaposition of the old-fashioned costumes and music catchy enough to be Top 40 material. My favorite number, by far, was the song "Totally Fucked," which is about those moments in life when you know you are caught red-handed and want to run for the hills. The acting was outstanding, and the characters felt like people you knew in high school. The minimalist set is beautiful in its simplicity. The director relies heavily on incredible lighting effects to evoke emotion in conjunction with what is happening in the story line.
Due to brief scenes of nudity and language, this play is for mature audiences only. However, its brilliance is unmistakable and it deserved every one of the 8 Tony awards it received! To see if the cast will be in your town, and to buy tickets, please visit www.broadwayacrossamerica.
com. As always, I am so grateful to Broadway Across America for the complimentary tickets.
© 2009 Shannon Aronin. All Rights Reserved
