BroadwayReviewed.com

Last Sunday I went to see George Hamilton and Chris Sieber star in one of my favorite shows, La Cage Aux Folles. Although I loved the choreography, singing and dancing in other versions that I’ve seen, this cast fell short in soo many ways.

La Cage Aux Folles brought us amazing songs like Put a Little More Mascara On, I am What I am and The Best of Times. Unfortunately this cast could not pull off a single one of them. The Best of Times was flat, nobody sang out or really hit a solid note to make you smile or want to cry with I am What I am. The tap dancing you expect with the show basically didn’t exist and the actors couldn’t pull you in. It was the very first show I have ever seen that did not get a full standing ovation at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

George Hamilton is a bit older, probably to old for the part, but he did do an ok job. It wasn’t the best performance, mainly because he reminded me of Bob Barker hosting The Price is Right instead of a drag queen nightclub owner dating a star. I have seen and heard much better performances from Chris Sieber before which is why I was shocked to see such a bad show from him. I was hoping that at least he could take it up a few levels and make the show amazing. Unfortunately neither of them could pull it off. Luckily for them, there were two characters who stole the show. Jacqueline who was played by the fabulous Gay Marshall and Jacob the Butler/Maid played by Jeigh Madjus.

Jacqueline and Jacob stole the show. They both had more than enough presence to take a show that people would have walked out of and bring in comedy, life and entertainment. The two of them lit up the stage and got everyone smiling and laughing. They are the only reasons that a few people had stood up and were the only two characters that people were loving after the show was over. I hate giving bad reviews because I know how hard the actors work, but if you are going to see the tour of La Cage Aux Folles, save your money if there is something better to do. It isn’t the worst show I have ever seen, but it isn’t one I would recommend spending more than $40 on for good seats.

If they would bring in new choreography, better singers and actors for Albin/Zsa Zsa and Georges as well as add some life back into the show, it would be a hit. I give the touring cast of La Cage Aux Folles 2 out of 5 stars because I just didn’t fall in love with it. It may have been an off night, but after talking to people who had seen other performances with this cast, they all said the same things. Jacqueline and Jacob saved the show from getting 1 or no stars at all.

Here is the original broadway revival cast singing The Best of Times from La Cage Aux Folles.

I heard this song the song Coffee in a Cardboard Cup from 70, Girls 70 on Sirius XM the other day and absolutely fell in love with it. The song Coffee in a Cardboard Cup from 70, Girls 70 is a song about two waitresses or servers, depending on the time frame and how PC you want to be, singing about how everyone is in a hurry now a days and no-one has any time to even sit down for a real cup of coffee. Instead they just want their coffee in a cardboard cup and to move on.

The ladies sing about ready whip and other instant products instead of enjoying home made cream, whipped cream, coffee boiled at the right temperature and everything else. They are frustrated with how fast the world is moving and how they don’t see why everyone is in such a rush. Why can’t they sit down and enjoy a good cup of coffee instead of needing to have it to go in a cardboard cup. The reason this song stuck out to me is that I was with a client the other day and she was amazed with how things worked now.

When I was setting up an account, I used my cell phone to verify that we were legitimately the organization that wanted the account. I typed in my number and within seconds got a text with a passcode and we were instantly approved. The client was amazed at how technological eveything has become and was impressed, but also realized it’s time to catch up…which is why they hired me. That is why I loved getting to listen to the song Coffee in a Cardboard Cup from 70, girls 70.

Instead of just playing one version of the showtune, I figured I would give you two options. One is Mandy Pitinken who you may remember from Patti Lupone. The other is two women playing the characters how they are supposed to be played. I love that you can take a broadway showtune and tweak it to be able to mean anything. Mandy makes it his own version about how he feels like is going to fast and the two waitresses make it there own. Listen to how different the two versions are and think about how fast everything is moving and if you’ve taken any time over the past couple weeks to enjoy a cup of coffee or to just sit down and relax.

So lots of people think that broadway is for the gays. The truth is that gay people tend to love broadway, but so do straight people, conservative people, liberal people and everyone in between. Live broadway shows don’t have to be gay, unless you end up with a show by the fabulous Ms. Roger Dupree. If you remember in the show the Producers, Roger is the fabulous producer that they need to take over the show Spring Time for Hitler. The two main characters also think that he is about the only person who is able to take this show and get it as tacky, campy and insane as possible so that it can fail. When you finally get to Roger’s house, you all of the sudden figure out why they had selected him to put on the show.

Roger is an extremely flamboyant man who enjoys introducing himself as a lady sometimes and enjoys everything that being gay has to offer him. His staff is gay, he is gay and everything about them is gay. Because everything is gay with him, obviously his shows have to be gay too. That is why when they approach him to take on the show, he has a vision of how it should look and the most important part is to keep it gay.

Keep it Gay from the Producers is one of the most popular songs. It is fun to sing, fun to watch and even more fun to watch the characters perform. Keep it gay from the Producers helps to set you up for what the official show is going to look like and how gay and campy it is really going to be. Keep it Gay from the Producers is one of my very favorite showtunes from the show and I love watching them play it at showtunes nights. Broadway does have a huge gay following, but it is meant for everyone regardless of if they are gay or not. Everyone loves a show and if you think that broadway is for the gays, the only person who may agree is Roger Dupree who thinks that the only way to make a show work is to keep it gay.

After coming back from Vegas I had to go to NYC for a couple of meetings. Since I was in NYC anyways it had to take a lot of convincing me, but I ended up deciding to see a show. Instead of going to see Follies with Elaine Page and Bernadette Peters, I decided to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical because I wanted something happy and fun. I had a great seat in the center of the first balcony which was absolutely the best place to buy a ticket for Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical. But should you buy Priscilla Queen of the Desert tickets?

Priscilla Queen of the Desert the musical is a show produced by Bette Midler. If you have ever seen a Bette Midler show then you know to expect a ton of foul humor and jokes, tacky but fun music and everything done over the top. If you’re a fan then you’ll probably love the show. If you liked the movie version then you may enjoy the show. If you hate bright lights, glitter, beads, sequins and feathers, do not go to this show. Would I recommend going to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert on broadway, yes, but only if there isn’t another show that you are dying to see.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert the musical is a fun filled and high energy dance musical with as much shiney things as you could ever want to see. The only way to fit anymore sequins on the stage would be to actually bedazzle it, but the actors would probably have an issue with that. The show stays very true to the movie and they keep all of the important scenes, but they do update the show to include cell phones, they changed Abba to Madonna and also upated some of the jokes which are from when the movie was produced. One thing that I absolutely loved was that Bette added in her own sense of humor and took it overboard. Not only did they add a ton of new jokes in, but they added in a few new props as well.

When Bernadette is driving the bus, she ends up killing a few things. You see a street sign go by with a Kangaroo and all of the sudden a dead kangaroo goes by with glitter blood all over it. Then you see a sign for Koala’s and a giant dead Koala goes by covered in glitter blood. After the Koala you get Tinky Winky and sure enough, a giant Tinky Winky from Teletubbies goes by covered in glitter blood. The show is absolutely hilarious and with the new jokes is even better.

Bette Midler keeps everything from the ping pong ball routine in the bar to Felicia singing on the high heel on the bus. If you want a great seat for Priscilla Queen of the Desert on broadway, you shouldn’t sit in the orchestra, but you should sit in the first balcony. You will not only get to see Felicia come out over the middle of the crowd in front of you, but you’ll get to see everything on stage better as well. Tickets for Priscilla Queen of the Desert the musical are reasonably priced and you can order them through this site by clicking on the banners to the right. If you want a fun show that is really off beat and will get you singing, Priscilla Queen of the Desert the musical is a good fit for you. I probably wouldn’t see it again, but I would recommend going at least once if you are looking for a show to see. If you’ve seen Priscilla Queen of the Desert the musical on broadway, feel free to leave a comment below and if you haven’t order your Priscilla Queen of the Desert tickets by clicking on the banners to the right.

Last week when I was in Las Vegas I wasn’t sure what show to see. I love the Cirque shows, but I’ve seen them all and Celine wasn’t performing so I ran into the promoters of a new show at Ceasar’s Palace called Absinthe. Not only did they sell me on why I should see Absinthe at Ceasar’s Palace, but they also gave me complimentary tickets so that I could share the show with all of you here. Feel free to leave a comment or any Absinthe Las Vegas Reviews below.

Absinthe the show at Ceasar’s Palace is a spoof of a Cirque De Soliel show. Although they do have amazing acrobatic and dance acts in the show, they tie in a ton of raunchy X rated humor, traditional burlesque dancing and singing as well as a ton of actual audience participation. The show can run anywhere from 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes depending on the acts, audience participation and how much fun everyone is having. The show is set up in a tent outside of Ceasar’s Palace and the stage is a circular platform that rises and lowers.

The seating style is arena where everyone sits on very uncomfortable wooden chairs in a circle around the platform stage. The walls are covered in pictures and random trinkets that makes you think of the movie Moulin Rouge and they have a bar which sells a ton of different themed drinks including Lucent Absinthe. The lighting definitely fits the seductive and erotic theme of the show, and I love the opening and consistent green theme to stick with the Green Fairy which is one of the most well known characteristics and nicknames of absinthe.

Absinthe Las Vegas starts out with a contortionist and acrobat names Vladimir who comes home to his house and prepares a shot of absinthe for himself. All of the sudden he begins his journey through the show and performs the first routine of the night which is him stacking chairs and performing acrobatics on them. Not only is his routine insane, but he does a press handstand at the very top of the tent just before it’s time for the first burlesque act to come out of the roof and perform a song as the Green Fairy.

This is Vladimir’s intro and the next video is the chair routine.

Absinthe Las Vegas is an extremely erotic and seductive show with X rated humor, incredibly hot performers and everything you could want from a show in Las Vegas. The ring master makes fun of the entire audience, Penny tells off beat jokes and they even have an impromptu lesbian surprise with two random audience members. If you’re looking for a cirque de soliel styled show but that has all of the sin that you hope to find in Las Vegas, Absinthe at Ceasar’s Palace is perfect for you. Tickets to absinthe are well worth the money and although the chairs are uncomfortable and the drinks are overpriced, you will love the show. I highly recommend buying Absinthe Tickets at Ceasar’s Palace and would probably go back to see the show again since it will change nightly because of the audience participation and the ringmaster. If you’re looking for a new show that is a bit different but is still something you would expect from Las Vegas, buy tickets to Absinthe at Ceasar’s Palace and you will get everything from comedy to singing and some incredible cirque de soliel styled performances. I highly recommend Absinthe Las Vegas.

This is the roller skating routine without the end performance which was absolutely insane. You’ll have to see Absinthe Las Vegas to find out what they do!

If there was one video that I wanted to save for the final post of the year on BroadwayReviewed.com it has to be one of my favorite broadway stars of all times Kristin Chenoweth singing a mash-up of Maybe This Time from Cabaret and I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady. Not only is Kristin Chenoweth amazing, but these two songs combined are the perfect way to describe a new year and how to move into the next one.

Maybe This Time from Cabaret starts off with Maybe This Time, I’ll Be Lucky, Maybe This Time He’ll Stay. Not only could that be talking about a relationship you broke up with in the last year, but it could also be anything that didn’t come through for you or that you didn’t do from your check list of New Years Resolutions. Maybe This Time is an amazing song to start with because it is about putting all of the things you didn’t accomplish from last years New Years Resolutions and making sure that you do them this coming year. That is why I love that in this version of Maybe This Time by Kristin Chenoweth it starts out with her singing the song and then ends up with her singing I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady.

I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady is an incredible song. It is about the main character singing about a party she just went to and had an amazing time at. Not only did she sing and dance and enjoy every moment of the party, but she is in love and very excited about seeing the person she is falling for. If you think about it for New Years Eve, the song could be about being excited for the new year to come and enjoying welcoming the new year in.

Krisitin Chenoweth’s performance of Maybe This Time and I Could Have Danced All Night on Dancing With The Stars was not only amazing, but it is perfect for the last post on BroadwayReviewed.com for New Years Eve. It starts with knowing that the next year is going to be even better and then ends with you being ready to celebrate and welcome in the new year. Thank you all for reading Broadway Reviewed and have a great New Years.

Ok, normally I am opposed to putting up songs that are purely offensive or have swear words in them…when it is just for the purpose of swearing, but there is something that I love about the song Kyle’s Mom is a Big Fat Bitch from South Park. Not only is it hilarious and completely immature, but I love the version from the movie musical where Cartman ends up not only singing Kyle’s Mom is a Big Fat Bitch, but he has the entire school singing it, then goes into other languages and even changes key.

South Park has always created hilarious songs and contributed to musical theatre, especially with their new show The Book of Mormon which is currently on Broadway. Not only are they amazing at satire and creating offensively funny songs and lyrics, but the songs are completely catchy and can easily get stuck in your head. I have no clue why, but for some reason Kyle’s Mom is a Big Fat Bitch from the South Park Movie was running through my head. They played it at showtunes night yesterday at Jrs in DC, but usually that doesn’t get songs to stick in my head.

Anyways, if you get offended by swear words or if you are at work and shouldn’t play something with swear words, then don’t play the video below. If you want to laugh at a completely immature song that I absolutely love, then play it. Kyle’s Mom is a Big Fat Bitch from South Park the musical is one of my favorite showtunes of all times and even though there are tons of broadway songs with swear words from numerous shows, for some reason people only really get offended when it is from shows like South Park. Thank you again for reading and feel free to comment below or to share this post by clicking on the tweet or facebook buttons above.

When I was thinking about showtunes that are perfect for Thanksgiving, I instantly thought of all of the political ones, the scene from The Addams Family where they are at camp and have the play about the Pilgrims and even thought about using Charlie Brown. Then when I was thinking about the perfect song to use I instantly realized that the perfect showtune for thanksgiving is actually the song Thank Goodness from Wicked. Thank Goodness is all about saying thank you for the things around you.

The munchkins are thankful that the Wicked witch isn’t bothering them. Galinda is thankful she has a fiance who “loves her”. Madame Morrible is thankful that she has been able to climb the political ladder and the fiance is thankful that he can escape and go find Elphaba. The song is actually one of my favorite songs from the show, even though it doesn’t have anything amazing in it like Defying Gravity with the huge dress and high notes or the Wizard and I with the really high notes and loud singing or For Good which is extremely emotional. The part of Thank Goodness that I love is the long note that Galinda sings and belts out.

The song is actually beautiful and even though it isn’t one of the best or most well known songs from the show, it is a great one and a perfect fit for Thanksgiving. Even though Kirstin Chenoweth isn’t doing Wicked anymore, her version of the song Thank Goodness is probably the best. In the video below, it takes a couple minutes before the camera shows the stage, but when it does you’ll see how amazing Kristin Chenoweth does with this song and how incredible she did in the show Wicked. Anyways, I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving an here is Kristin Chenoweth singing Thank Goodness from Wicked.

I was looking for something to review today and I found this video parody of the Book of Mormon’s song Hello by a seriously talented kid who plays the characters from Harry Potter. The Book of Mormon Harry Potter Parody is extremely well done. The lyrics match up to the song from the show almost perfectly but make complete sense for Harry Potter instead. What I love even more is that it looks like it is the same girl playing all eight characters and doing them extremely well.

The Book of Mormon Harry Potter Parody video Hello is sort of only funny if you have either seen The Book of Mormon on Broadway, have heard the soundtrack or original cast recording if you’re a theatre buff and you are a fan of or have seen the Harry Potter books and movies. It has most of the major characters in it and each of them are holding a different book from the series. One of my favorite lines in the parody video of Hello from The Book of Mormon is when Harry Potter sings “This book is about my life” instead of the lyric “This book will change your life”. The entire parody is done well and each character stays in character and their lyrics match up to how they were in the Harry Potter books.

I absolutely love this parody and think that the girl in the video who does the Book of Mormon Harry Potter video has a huge career ahead of her. Not only did she do an amazing job playing all of the characters, but if she wrote the lyrics too, she is the next Miranda Sings or even Seth Rudetsky. If you haven’t heard the song Hello from The Book of Mormon, I put the video of it below the parody video so you can hear what the real version sounds like.

I did a post a while ago about the fastest songs on broadway and completely forgot about one of the fastest ones from one of the trashiest and most fun shows, Thoroughly Modern Millie. The Typing Test or The Speed Test is a song where she needs to be able to type fast, correctly and keep up with her boss. Unfortunately for her, she is able to do it and doesn’t get distracted with all of the people around her. It’s sort of like when you have deadlines at work.

You get frustrated because you know you have to get everything done and you don’t have much time. Unfortunately for Millie in the The Typing Test from Thoroughly Modern Millie, she is using a typewriter and not a computer. That means that if she makes a mistake, there is also no time to fix it. When you have tight deadlines and no time to check anything, especially if it is for your boss, you can get completely stressed out. Every noise, other people typing, etc… bugs you. What I love about this song is that it completely makes me think of deadlines and having to get things done quickly and correctly, but also makes it sort of fun.

The Typing Test from Thoroughly Modern Millie is a fun song that is hard to sing a long to. The music is very catchy and can easily get stuck in your head. I think that is one of the reasons that many people enjoy it. The Typing Test or The Speed Test from Thoroughly Modern Millie is a fun and fast broadway showtune that is great for listening to when you have a deadline or just to add to your mix for road trips. Here is The Typing Test or The Speed Test from Thoroughly Modern Millie.