Posts Categorized: Theatres

Hello Dolly at Fords Theatre Reviewed – Discount Tickets Here!

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hello dolly fords theatre tickets on sale

hello dolly fords theatre tickets on sale

I went to see Hello Dolly at the Fords Theatre in Washington DC the other night and absolutely loved it.  You expect Carol Channing to take the stage or Barbara to sing in her NY accent, but instead of having a lead that you would expect, Broadway Veteran Nancy Opel took on the role of Dolly Levi and absolutely killed it!  She was amazing!  When you have a show where there are no special effects and just props and place it in a small theatre where the lights are basically always on and you can see the audience, you have to rely on acting and talent.  That is exactly what Nancy Opel and the rest of the cast did.

Instead of worrying about having a giant flying gown or flying monkeys, they used their ability to act, sing and dance to take an audience of all ages and make everyone pay attention for the entire show.  Some of the best characters were Barnabe or Zack Colonna who was perfect at playing a dumpy but cute dimwit and his facial expressions and presence were amazing.  You have Nancy Opel who completely stole the role of Dolly Levi and gave it her own twists and made it unique.  One thing she also did was take some of the songs and add in her own drops, notes and belting and it sounded perfect.  It’s rare to get the sound working perfectly during an entire show, but somehow they did it and pulled it off so that everyone sounded amazing, no one’s voice took over and the entire cast interacted perfectly with each other vocally.  One last mention was the taller dancer.  You hit every step and did a great job, but you were showing off a bit to much and sort of took away from the other dancers.  You were amazing, but you also ruined the routines by trying to hard and really overdoing it with your hands, arms and lines.  You should try to fit in so people don’t keep looking over and so that you don’t ruin the routines which were actually extremely well done.  Especially when they are at the restaurant in the end.

When I was a little kid I got to see Hello Dolly with Carol Channing in it.  Although I didn’t get most of the show, Carol kept me entertained the entire time.  Although Nancy did an amazing job as Dolly, I did notice the kids would get slightly bored, but she did eventually bring them back with the added comedy to the show.   If you are thinking about going to see Hello Dolly at Fords Theatre and need tickets, don’t pay full price for them.  I was able to find discounts at almost 50% off on tickets to Hello Dolly at the Ford’s Theatre by using one of my advertisers.  I included a link in the top right section of this post.  Just click on the banner and you’ll go to their site.  Enter a new username, create a password and enter your zipcode and you’ll instantly have access to discounts on a ton of tickets including shows at the Kennedy Center, Spamalot at the National Theatre, Miss Saigon at Signature theatre and Discount tickets to Hello Dolly at the Fords Theatre.  If you don’t live in DC, they have discount broadway tickets in almost every major city and some smaller cities to so check it out to see if they have your city listed.

les miserables touring cast

Les Miserables Touring Cast Washington DC Reviews – Get Tickets Here

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les miserables touring cast

les miserables touring cast

I just went to see the 25th anniversary touring cast of Les Miserables at the National Theatre in Washington DC and was absolutely blown away!   I was nervous about seeing it because the movie comes out on Tuesday, but I am extremely happy I went, besides the overweight guy next to me elbowing me during the first half and the rude guy snorting behind me, I don’t think I’ve teared that much since I saw Phantom which is one of my favorite shows.  Overall the 25th anniversary touring cast of Les Miserables reviews should be amazing.  They did an awesome job.  Here’s my full Les Miserables Review.

Buy les miserables tickets here.

The only negative things I had to say about the show were that the grown up Cosette was not memorable.  You didn’t remember her, you don’t think of her and she just didn’t exist.  The same could be said for Marius.

The difference between Marius and Cosette is that Marius had an awesome voice.  Unfortunately he lacked any and all stage presence.  On the barricade, you didn’t see him, even when they called him out.  Instead you watch other people.  At his wedding with Cosette, you were watching other characters and they both disappeared.  You enjoyed watching him as Eponine died, but that is only because Briana Carlson-Goodman was holy sh*t amazing!  If she was the Eponine I saw in the London cast of Les Miserables,  the scene would have died, not the characters.  In his defense, his microphone didn’t seem to be working correctly during the first act, but his acting and his voice were solid, he just lacked the ability to grab your interest and stand out.  The blond guy and the guy with the brown hair that was combed to one side caught your eye the entire time, even when the spotlight was on Marius. The last weak cast member was Jean Val Jean.

He acted like he didn’t want to be there.  He walked on stage, sang his song and left.  He honestly looked like he didn’t care.  I don’t care if it’s the holidays and you might want to be with your family, or if you’re just having a bad day and wanting to be a diva.  People are paying over $100 per ticket to see this show and for the person playing Jean Val Jean to give a performance like he was annoyed and didn’t care about being there is offense to every actor, every person who paid for the show and everyone around me commented that he was very good.  If you don’t want to be there, quit the show and let someone else have your part.  I was offended by his performance.  With that said, lets go into the good stuff.

Javert was amazing!  Andrew Varela completely stole the show.  He was the only thing you could see, here and look at when he was on stage.  He stole the show and completely showed that he really was Javert and made you hate and fall in love with him.  His voice was strong, his presence was insane and he absolutely brought everyong to their feet, even before the cast took a bow.  He was incredible and it was amazing to get to see him perform.  I would gladly attend another show only because he is in the cast.

Eponine – Amazing!  Briana Carson-Goodman has a holy sh*t amazing voice, more presence than Carol Channing and is now almost one of my favorite people to watch at a level of Kristin Chenoweth.  I had never heard of her before, but after seeing her, Lea Salonga got taken on a run for her money.  This girl can sing, she can out act anyone else but Andrew Varela (close tie on those two, she wins though) and her stage presence was incredible.  When she was hiding behind the wall and not supposed to be seen, you actually kept trying to look to see her.  Her performance was amazing and her voice was incredible.  I would love to see the next show she is in and cannot wait to hear her again as well.  She took the song On My Own and absolutely brought it above and beyond what people were expecting.

Fantine was ok.  I enjoyed her voice, but I don’t like how they sped up the intro’s in some of her songs.  Her acting was good and she did a great job.  The Inn Keeper (Thenardier) and his wife were absolutely what you wanted to see and his wife completely stole the show when the two of them were performing.  The two made an awesome team that you loved to watch.  The two kids in the show were amazing and over performed their counterparts in the London cast and the rest of the cast gave a perfect show and performance.

The show was a shorter version of Les Miserables with a new staging.  They shrunk it down by speeding up some of the songs, which normally I would be pissed off about, but I actually enjoyed it.  I also like how they changed the set because of the size of the National Theatre vs. a larger theatre that could handle elaborate sets.

Instead of a rotating gate to Jean Valjean’s house, it was stationary.  The baricade took up the entire stage which was cool and the entries and exits were all done differently.  Instead of using a trap door to take Marius into the sewers, he dragged him off stage.  Instead of a blue light on Fantine when she died, they used white lights which was actually pretty cool.  They also had Jean Valjean sitting on the Baricade to sing Bring him Home instead of on the stool or at least by the floor and away from the other cast members.  It was a pretty cool way to do the show.

The 25th anniversary touring cast of Les Miserables is amazing.  I highly recommend you see it and you can buy broadway tickets for the show in your own city by clicking on the link above.  I give it 4 out of 5 stars because the show was amazing, but the person plating Jean Valjean ruined the role for me by looking bored like he didn’t want to be there and because the roles of Cosette and Marius weren’t as good as they should have been for the show.  If you are going to give someone lead roles, make sure they have a huge stage presence and that they can keep up with the other characters and cast members.  There is no reason you should be watching the supporting cast when they are singing solos and are supposed to be the focus.  Overall the show is amazing and I highly recommend you see the touring cast of Les Miserables.  Feel free to leave a comment below if you’ve seen the cast and what you think.

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at the Kennedy Center Reviews

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I just dumped the guy I was seeing so it was the perfect night to get to see Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Unlike Jekyll and Hyde which was just at the Kennedy Center, I was tearing and balling because this show was absolutely amazing. Even when the dancers were a bit out of sync, they were smiling and everyone was loving it. The show was phenomenal and is one of the only ones I will ever give 5 stars to.

From the minute the show starts in World War 2 when the characters are talking about Christmas and performing for their troops, you fall in love with the show. From the whistles, the singing and the bad jokes that make you laugh, you are instantly drawn in. Shows like Wicked or Spiderman need a ton of special effects to make an audience fall in love with them. Shows like Irving Berlin’s White Christmas rely on quality acting, dancing and a cast that can bring you into their own time and make you feel everything they are feeling.

From the songs like “Falling out of Love Can Be Fun” to “White Christmas”, you are instantly brought to Vermont in the 1950′s.  The characters are perfect, the Actors are all amazing and everyone continued to feed off of each other and make the show amazing.  Whether you love Bob and Betty or the sisters or anyone else, you will feel like you are part of the cast.  Everyone did an amazing job, the dancing was perfect, the singing incredible and the show is the perfect thing that can help you cheer up if you’re feeling depressed.  Even if you’re lonely or just broke up with someone, this show is perfect for you and you’ll leave feeling amazing.

I couldn’t pick which song to put a video for from Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, so I found a trailer about the making of the show.  The video actually describes what I am thinking in that it is almost impossible to put shows like this together, but when you have someone like Irving Berlin whose music is amazing and you combine it with a talented cast that is all able to work with each other, the show is incredible and everyone was tearing at the end.  I actually teared more at this show than I did when I saw Les Miserables.  If you get a chance to see Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at the Kennedy Center, go.  The show is amazing and you will definitely love it.

Linda Beers from The Kennedy Center is “Wick” & Amazing

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Last week I missed my ticket to see Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at the Kennedy Center because I had a flu with a fever.  When I called the Kennedy Center to see if there was anything they could do so I wouldn’t miss a show I paid around $100 for.  The first two people I talked to were fairly rude (they just sounded annoyed and agitated which really wasn’t a good experience), but the one said that I should call someone names Linda Beers who may be able to help me.  I figured why not try calling a third time since the third time’s a charm and I did.

I called Linda’s number and got her voicemail.  I left a message (guessing I would never hear back based on the other two people) telling her what happened and that I didn’t want to get anyone else sick at the show.  The next morning I got a phone call and it was a happy, perky and friendly Linda Beers.  Linda was amazing.  Not only did she ask if I was feeling better and thank me for not bringing the flu into the Kennedy Center, but she asked if it would be ok to call me back on Monday and then she could help me locate a seat so I wouldn’t have to miss the performance.  She even actually talked to me about Irving Berlin and how we both love his music.  It was an awesome experience talking to someone who works at the Kennedy Center who actually loves the arts and wants to make sure that everyone gets to have exposure to them.  That is why I called her “wick” above.  It is a song from the Secret Garden.

The song and term wick means that there is some life left within something, even if it looks dead.  When I was talking to other employees at the Kennedy Center, I felt like it was pointless and that they could care less about providing good service or helpful advice.  Then when I talked to Linda, it was clear that there is still life at the Kennedy Center that loves the arts and wants to help people be able to see and hear amazing shows.  She also proved that although numerous employees are there because it’s a job and not because they love the theatre and wanted a job in it, they still have some people who love what they do and really help people to fall in love with the theatre and performing arts.

I wanted to thank Linda for helping me get to see a performance of White Christmas and I’ll be putting my review up within the next couple of days.  I also wanted to share a kind of cool version of the song “Wick” from the Secret Garden that I found on YouTube.  This version is really neat because they use people and props as the set.  Because they did this they can have a moving set that is actually alive.  Even though the people blend in, the set is always alive so it’s kind of cool that they did this and they did it for the song “Wick” as well.

Jekyll & Hyde Review – They Murdered a Musical

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I just got back from seeing Jekyll and Hyde the musical at the Kennedy Center and for a show about murder, they got it right. Constantine murdered the show and people were walking out. At the end, he even started trying to get people to cheer and unfortunately for him, no one would. Before I get negative about the show, there were some good things.

The girl who played Emma, Teal Wicks, was amazing! Not only did she bring the house down with her voice, but even when Deborah Cox went flat, she pulled everyone through. Her acting was perfect, her voice amazing and she was the only one in the cast that could get you to have goose bumps when she hit a high note and the only lead that could belt a note. Emma was incredible and the only reason you should see the touring cast of Jekyll and Hyde the musical.

Deborah Cox who played Lucy actually did an awesome job acting. She was believable and her voice was gorgeous. She pulled off the role very well and brought people into her character, but where she lost us was in broadway vs. pop voices and vocals. Although she could hit every note and her voice is amazing, she just can’t belt a note or hit it solid enough to bring goosebumps to you. Her voice was beautiful to listen to and I would gladly pay to see her in concert, but in a lead role with a couple of iconic songs, she fell flat. Her voice isn’t made for classic broadway singing, it is made for main stream music. She did a great job, but she just can’t cross over into broadway. Constantine on the other hand was horrible.

He had a couple of good moments as Hyde, but he destroyed the role. People walked out after he couldn’t pull off This is the Moment and when he destroyed the role of Dr. Jekyll he lost the audience. I actually started to fall asleep a couple of times I was so bored when he was on stage. He couldn’t even get the audience cheering when he finished and was looking for applause. He has a nice voice, but he cannot act and he cannot sing a classic broadway show. He may have done a good job as Roger when he was in Rent, but for a classic show, he needs to go back to singing rock music. He unfortunately made the show fail and was one of the worst actors I have ever seen. His performance was amateur and lacked any emotion. Anyone could have gone up and after a few weeks of training done an equal to better job. Unfortunately I cannot recommend this show with him in it. With Deborah, at least you have a beautiful voice and good acting. Teal can sing and act her ass off and the ensemble stood out more than the stars…besides Emma. It’s hard to switch from main stream music to broadway, and when you cannot do it, it becomes obvious because the background characters are more interesting and get a better applause from the audience than you do.

I do not recommend seeing this cast. There are amazing songs in the show and Constantine butchered them. Deborah had a gorgeous voice and Teal showed what an actor can do, but overall you’ll probably be bored and wish you got a refund. The people next to me were equally as disappointed, half of our group walked out at intermission and the people in front asked if it was supposed to be bad or if it was just an off night. I would normally hope they were having an off night, but when Constantine sat there trying to get people to cheer and applaud louder, he even had to shrug and leave the stage. Normally I hate giving a bad review, but this show is not worth seeing or paying for. Bring something else to keep you entertained if you decide to go.