Show: Hair
Date: 9/4/09
Type: Audio
Cast:
Dionne ... ... ... ... Sasha Allen
Berger ... ... ... ... Will Swenson
Woof ... ... ... ... Paris Remillard*
Hud ... ... ... ... Darius Nichols
Claude ... ... ... ... Gavin Creel
Sheila ... ... ... ... Caissie Levy
Jeanie ... ... ... ... Kacie Sheik
Crissy ... ... ... ... Katie Kiyan*
Mother/Buddhadalirama ... Megan Lawrence
Dad/Meade ... ... ... Andrew Kober
Hubert/Booth .. ... ... Josh Lamon
Abe Lincoln ... ... ... Krystal Joy Brown
TRIBE:
Ato Blankdon-Wood, Krystal Joy Brown, Steel Burkhardt, Jackie Burns,
Matt DeAngelis*, Briana Carlson-Goodman*, Allison Guinn, Andrew Kober,
Josh Lamon, Megan Lawrence, Nicole Lewis, John Moauro, Brandon Pearson,
Megan Reinking, Michael James Scott*, Hannah Shankman*, Maya Sharpe,
Tommar Wilson
Everyone seemed really on. And the understudies were great too. Paris sounded really good in Sodomy, he held some notes beautifully and it was great. I feel the same way about Katie's Frank Mills as I did last time. One thing I found really cool was that this was recorded in the front row, which you can tell whenever someone's standing near it sounds like they're talking directly to you. I don't remember thinking a lot of things special about this one. Typical awesome Hair.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Day 15-12/4/09
Show: Next to Normal
Date: 8/29/09
Type: Audio
Cast: Alice Ripley (Diana), J. Robert Spencer (Dan), Meghann Fahy (u/s Natalie), Kyle Dean Massey (temporary Gabe), Adam Chanler-Berat (Henry), Louis Hobson (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine)
Okay, so honestly I could not tell the difference between Meghann and Jenn. Maybe Meghann's voice is a little softer, but not really much of a discernible difference. On the other hand, Kyle sounds much much different from Aaron. I definitely like Aaron better.
I'm so sorry that there's not more I can think of saying. I was working a lot while listening to this...
Date: 8/29/09
Type: Audio
Cast: Alice Ripley (Diana), J. Robert Spencer (Dan), Meghann Fahy (u/s Natalie), Kyle Dean Massey (temporary Gabe), Adam Chanler-Berat (Henry), Louis Hobson (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine)
Okay, so honestly I could not tell the difference between Meghann and Jenn. Maybe Meghann's voice is a little softer, but not really much of a discernible difference. On the other hand, Kyle sounds much much different from Aaron. I definitely like Aaron better.
I'm so sorry that there's not more I can think of saying. I was working a lot while listening to this...
Friday, November 27, 2009
Day 14-12/3/09
Show: American Idiot
Date: 9/10/09
Type: Audio
Cast: John Gallagher, Jr., Michael Esper, Matt Caplan, Mary Faber, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Tony Vincent, Christina Sajous, Declan Bennett, Andrew Call, Gerard Canonico, Miguel Cervantes, Joshua Henry, Brian Charles Johnson, Chase Peacock, Theo Stockman, Ben Thompson, Alysha Umphress, Morgan Weed, Libby Winters, Lorin Latarro, Omar Lopez-Cepero.
I said I was going to be listening to the Addams Family, but I couldn't really hear anything all that well on the one I had, so I'm listening to this instead.
I really like the music. In 5th grade I was a huge Green Day fan. All the time, every day. I even listened to the longer songs (which were around 9 minutes) while running so that I could get my mile time down. I never did. My mile time is 12 minutes.
Annnyyyway, I think John's voice is perfect for the music. Everyone sounds really strong. It all really sounded like kind of a rock concert, very fun.
Oh, but one question:
What the hell was going on?
Date: 9/10/09
Type: Audio
Cast: John Gallagher, Jr., Michael Esper, Matt Caplan, Mary Faber, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Tony Vincent, Christina Sajous, Declan Bennett, Andrew Call, Gerard Canonico, Miguel Cervantes, Joshua Henry, Brian Charles Johnson, Chase Peacock, Theo Stockman, Ben Thompson, Alysha Umphress, Morgan Weed, Libby Winters, Lorin Latarro, Omar Lopez-Cepero.
I said I was going to be listening to the Addams Family, but I couldn't really hear anything all that well on the one I had, so I'm listening to this instead.
I really like the music. In 5th grade I was a huge Green Day fan. All the time, every day. I even listened to the longer songs (which were around 9 minutes) while running so that I could get my mile time down. I never did. My mile time is 12 minutes.
Annnyyyway, I think John's voice is perfect for the music. Everyone sounds really strong. It all really sounded like kind of a rock concert, very fun.
Oh, but one question:
What the hell was going on?
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Day 13-12/2/09
Show: Spring Awakening
Date: 4/16/08
Type: Audio
Cast: Jonathan Groff (Melchior), Lea Michele (Wendla), Blake Bashoff (Moritz), Emma Hunton (Ilse), Skylar Astin (Georg), Lilli Cooper (Martha), Jonathan B. Wright (Hanschen), Gerard Canonico (u/s Ernst), Brian Charles Johnson (Otto), Phoebe Strole (Anna), Remy Zaken (Thea), Kate Burton (Adult Women), Glenn Fleshler (Adult Men)
It's clear no notes in Mama Who Bore Me are difficult for Lea, but she doesn't sound young at all. There's this professional tone that comes through, and here I can SERIOUSLY hear it and it really bothers me.
For some reason my list says this is Kate, but it's totally Christine. The stork scene was...same old. I've kind of gotten tired of this scene, it's not really all that funny to me.
Mama Who Bore Me sounds fierce. Those wonderful harmonies, I can hear a little of Lea and Lilli especially.
Groff is great, especially in All That's Known. I'm not a fan of Blake's Moritz and I really dislike it with Groff, he and Gallagher had such chemistry.
I like that Gerard's Ernst isn't as high pitched as some of the others. One kind of funny thing was Skylar sort of fumbling with Grossebustenhaulter which made it all the funnier.
The girls scene and My Junk are really cute, but I can't stand Lea in them. Lea's line in My Junk is totally not believably a teenage girl. While the rest are so wonderfully convincing. Anna and Thea are definitely the most familiar characters, and I love the way Remy and Phoebe portray them. Remy gives Thea this spunk, it really shows when she says "we've all got our junk" she kind of says junk like ju-unk which gives a lot of personality. And Phoebe plays Anna as so sweet and very daydreamy. If you remember my criticism of Gabby's Anna being snobby and as if Wendla wasn't cool for not coming to the wedding, the way Phoebe says "orchids and chrysanthemums" is it's her dream wedding or something. And her voice is just gorgeous in her My Junk lines, and like I said the "spend the day wondering what you do..." emphasizes her girly daydream quality. Lilli also plays her part wonderfully, I find the way that she plays along with the rest while having her own desires is really nice. I really like that she likes Moritz based on more than just his looks.
I'll always find the Georg/Hanschen part of My Junk funny, but it's so much funnier when you're actually seeing it.
The journal scene is always very different depending on Melchiors. I like how Groff's take sort of scoffs at the world how it is. It works well with how he's so old (that sounded weirder than intended) and the way he talks to Moritz is like his protege, there's definitely that mentor/mentee admiration.
Touch Me started off great with Groff, then was immediately brought down with Blake. I have to admit, I didn't really even realize it was Gerard as Ernst because I've never found Ernst's solo as amazing as other people's. Brian was great, although whenever I hear or see him I kind of imagine Max!Otto. Skylar was also really good, but what I loved was that you could slightly hear the girls with their harmonies and it was absolutely gorgeous.
The Melchior/Wendla conversation was fine, Word of Your Body was lovely on Groff's part but Lea's voice was irritating me.
The Passed scene was also fine, but it kind of sounded like Blake said "actually heaven must feel like this"
I really love the way Anna and Thea tease each other, it's really cute and believable. Also Lilli does an excellent job confessing her secret, the girls react much better here than they did in the tour recording.
Dark I Know Well was great, Emma and Lilli sounded wonderful together.
The journal scene I find really powerful. Because of the relationship Melchior has with Moritz here, you can understand Melchior's anger at what happened. He's really having this world that he dislikes hurt him, which understandably angers him.
With Groff and Lea both being way too old for the roles, the conversation between the two almost isn't so bad. But wow, when Groff test-swings the stick, you seriously can hear it slicing the air. Reminds me of when I used to whip my violin bow. The beating itself was very disturbing, very loud and lots of yelling. Some odd grunting on Groff's part. Lea's crying was really loud, I'm not sure how I felt about it.
Blake's part of And There Were None is super hard to hear because of the instruments overpowering him. Probably for the better.
I found the harmonies much more interesting in Mirror-Blue Night and I Believe than what was actually happening.
I Believe definitely has beautiful harmonies, especially the girls. I was pretty sure I could hear Eryn a little.
The Guilty Ones was a little hard to hear, as was Don't Do Sadness I think because of the proximity to the band. I'm not a huge fan of Emma's acting, I think she makes Ilse seem a little weird, but her voice is just gorgeous.
Left Behind was awesome, Groff really sings with this sadness in his voice and the harmonies you could hear were beautiful.
Totally Fucked was fucking awesome, Groff always says the opening line with a wonderful punch it's great.
As I said before, I really enjoyed Gerard's Ernst because he doesn't have a very high pitched voice like the actual Ernsts often do. The dialogue before Word of Your Body Reprise was kind of hard to hear.
Gerard sounded great in WOYBR. I'm just going to say this: I don't like how JBW sounds in it. It sounds like he's saying "gawna." I find it so irritating. But this may be my favorite WOYBR that doesn't have Matt in it. Not because of Gerard, and definitely not because of JBW but because of Phoebe! The information for this audio says that you can hear her, but it's not just that you can hear her but she sounds absolutely gorgeous! Seriously, breathtaking. Love that girl.
I'm not a fan of Whispering, I partly think it's kind of a boring song. And also-especially here-Wendla's acting more than she's singing. I mean you can sort of tell that Lea's trying to cry and act upset and it doesn't sound as good as it could perhaps.
Although Groff is good at seeming distraught, his "no"s sounded a little bit constipated.
Those You've Known was decent, Song of Purple Summer was so beautiful. You can hear several people separately. I know I heard Phoebe, Eryn and BCJ. Maybe others as well.
That was fun, see you tomorrow with Addams Family!
Date: 4/16/08
Type: Audio
Cast: Jonathan Groff (Melchior), Lea Michele (Wendla), Blake Bashoff (Moritz), Emma Hunton (Ilse), Skylar Astin (Georg), Lilli Cooper (Martha), Jonathan B. Wright (Hanschen), Gerard Canonico (u/s Ernst), Brian Charles Johnson (Otto), Phoebe Strole (Anna), Remy Zaken (Thea), Kate Burton (Adult Women), Glenn Fleshler (Adult Men)
It's clear no notes in Mama Who Bore Me are difficult for Lea, but she doesn't sound young at all. There's this professional tone that comes through, and here I can SERIOUSLY hear it and it really bothers me.
For some reason my list says this is Kate, but it's totally Christine. The stork scene was...same old. I've kind of gotten tired of this scene, it's not really all that funny to me.
Mama Who Bore Me sounds fierce. Those wonderful harmonies, I can hear a little of Lea and Lilli especially.
Groff is great, especially in All That's Known. I'm not a fan of Blake's Moritz and I really dislike it with Groff, he and Gallagher had such chemistry.
I like that Gerard's Ernst isn't as high pitched as some of the others. One kind of funny thing was Skylar sort of fumbling with Grossebustenhaulter which made it all the funnier.
The girls scene and My Junk are really cute, but I can't stand Lea in them. Lea's line in My Junk is totally not believably a teenage girl. While the rest are so wonderfully convincing. Anna and Thea are definitely the most familiar characters, and I love the way Remy and Phoebe portray them. Remy gives Thea this spunk, it really shows when she says "we've all got our junk" she kind of says junk like ju-unk which gives a lot of personality. And Phoebe plays Anna as so sweet and very daydreamy. If you remember my criticism of Gabby's Anna being snobby and as if Wendla wasn't cool for not coming to the wedding, the way Phoebe says "orchids and chrysanthemums" is it's her dream wedding or something. And her voice is just gorgeous in her My Junk lines, and like I said the "spend the day wondering what you do..." emphasizes her girly daydream quality. Lilli also plays her part wonderfully, I find the way that she plays along with the rest while having her own desires is really nice. I really like that she likes Moritz based on more than just his looks.
I'll always find the Georg/Hanschen part of My Junk funny, but it's so much funnier when you're actually seeing it.
The journal scene is always very different depending on Melchiors. I like how Groff's take sort of scoffs at the world how it is. It works well with how he's so old (that sounded weirder than intended) and the way he talks to Moritz is like his protege, there's definitely that mentor/mentee admiration.
Touch Me started off great with Groff, then was immediately brought down with Blake. I have to admit, I didn't really even realize it was Gerard as Ernst because I've never found Ernst's solo as amazing as other people's. Brian was great, although whenever I hear or see him I kind of imagine Max!Otto. Skylar was also really good, but what I loved was that you could slightly hear the girls with their harmonies and it was absolutely gorgeous.
The Melchior/Wendla conversation was fine, Word of Your Body was lovely on Groff's part but Lea's voice was irritating me.
The Passed scene was also fine, but it kind of sounded like Blake said "actually heaven must feel like this"
I really love the way Anna and Thea tease each other, it's really cute and believable. Also Lilli does an excellent job confessing her secret, the girls react much better here than they did in the tour recording.
Dark I Know Well was great, Emma and Lilli sounded wonderful together.
The journal scene I find really powerful. Because of the relationship Melchior has with Moritz here, you can understand Melchior's anger at what happened. He's really having this world that he dislikes hurt him, which understandably angers him.
With Groff and Lea both being way too old for the roles, the conversation between the two almost isn't so bad. But wow, when Groff test-swings the stick, you seriously can hear it slicing the air. Reminds me of when I used to whip my violin bow. The beating itself was very disturbing, very loud and lots of yelling. Some odd grunting on Groff's part. Lea's crying was really loud, I'm not sure how I felt about it.
Blake's part of And There Were None is super hard to hear because of the instruments overpowering him. Probably for the better.
I found the harmonies much more interesting in Mirror-Blue Night and I Believe than what was actually happening.
I Believe definitely has beautiful harmonies, especially the girls. I was pretty sure I could hear Eryn a little.
The Guilty Ones was a little hard to hear, as was Don't Do Sadness I think because of the proximity to the band. I'm not a huge fan of Emma's acting, I think she makes Ilse seem a little weird, but her voice is just gorgeous.
Left Behind was awesome, Groff really sings with this sadness in his voice and the harmonies you could hear were beautiful.
Totally Fucked was fucking awesome, Groff always says the opening line with a wonderful punch it's great.
As I said before, I really enjoyed Gerard's Ernst because he doesn't have a very high pitched voice like the actual Ernsts often do. The dialogue before Word of Your Body Reprise was kind of hard to hear.
Gerard sounded great in WOYBR. I'm just going to say this: I don't like how JBW sounds in it. It sounds like he's saying "gawna." I find it so irritating. But this may be my favorite WOYBR that doesn't have Matt in it. Not because of Gerard, and definitely not because of JBW but because of Phoebe! The information for this audio says that you can hear her, but it's not just that you can hear her but she sounds absolutely gorgeous! Seriously, breathtaking. Love that girl.
I'm not a fan of Whispering, I partly think it's kind of a boring song. And also-especially here-Wendla's acting more than she's singing. I mean you can sort of tell that Lea's trying to cry and act upset and it doesn't sound as good as it could perhaps.
Although Groff is good at seeming distraught, his "no"s sounded a little bit constipated.
Those You've Known was decent, Song of Purple Summer was so beautiful. You can hear several people separately. I know I heard Phoebe, Eryn and BCJ. Maybe others as well.
That was fun, see you tomorrow with Addams Family!
Day 12-12/1/09
Show: Spring Awakening Korea
Date: 8/23/09
Type: Audio
Cast: Noooot sure.
So obviously I have no idea what they're saying. But I can still infer stuff. The Wendla has a really pretty voice, Mama Who Bore Me was lovely. Koreans talk really fast! Pretty much all asians do, but man they talk fast compared Americans. Mama Who Bore Me sounded pretty fierce and All That's Known was cool, Melchi has a nice voice. I kind of think the Adult Men sounds like George Takei. My Junk was really interesting, it sounded pretty much just the same but as if they were speaking giberish. All the songs sounded really great. Mirror-Blue Night sounded kind of lower than I'm used to. And when Melchior's telling Wendla "out" this one kind of screamed as if it was "OOOOOOUUUUUT" but I have no idea what he was even saying. The "enough" in the beginning of DDS kind of sounded like "come on!" The suicide scene sounded very sad. Beautiful harmonies in Left Behind. The teachers kind of said Gabor like Cabo, and Totally Fucked definitely had the same power as in English, especially the blahs. (I totally knew what they were saying there!) and Melchior's YES really resonated well. Whispering is really gorgeous. Again, in Those You've Known, Wendla's voice is just gorgeous. The others sound good too. Ilse has a really nice voice, very pretty SOPS intro. All of Song Of Purple Summer was really beautiful.
Date: 8/23/09
Type: Audio
Cast: Noooot sure.
So obviously I have no idea what they're saying. But I can still infer stuff. The Wendla has a really pretty voice, Mama Who Bore Me was lovely. Koreans talk really fast! Pretty much all asians do, but man they talk fast compared Americans. Mama Who Bore Me sounded pretty fierce and All That's Known was cool, Melchi has a nice voice. I kind of think the Adult Men sounds like George Takei. My Junk was really interesting, it sounded pretty much just the same but as if they were speaking giberish. All the songs sounded really great. Mirror-Blue Night sounded kind of lower than I'm used to. And when Melchior's telling Wendla "out" this one kind of screamed as if it was "OOOOOOUUUUUT" but I have no idea what he was even saying. The "enough" in the beginning of DDS kind of sounded like "come on!" The suicide scene sounded very sad. Beautiful harmonies in Left Behind. The teachers kind of said Gabor like Cabo, and Totally Fucked definitely had the same power as in English, especially the blahs. (I totally knew what they were saying there!) and Melchior's YES really resonated well. Whispering is really gorgeous. Again, in Those You've Known, Wendla's voice is just gorgeous. The others sound good too. Ilse has a really nice voice, very pretty SOPS intro. All of Song Of Purple Summer was really beautiful.
Day 11-11/30/09
Show: Rock of Ages
Date: 8/8/09
Type: Audio
Cast: Constantine Maroulis (Drew), Savannah Wise (Sherrie), Adam Dannheisser (Dennis), Mitchell Jarvis (Lonny), Michelle Mais (Justice), Lauren Molina (Regina), Paul Schoeffler (Hertz), James Carpinello (Stacey Jaxx), Wesley Taylor (Franz), Ericka Hunter (Waitress Number One), Katherine Tokarz (Ensemble), Andre Ward (Ensemble), Jeremy Woodard (Ensemble), Angel Reed (Ensemble)
I'm sort of torn on this show. The plot's average and predictable, but the music is worked in really well and it's pretty funny. I like Savannah's voice more than Amy's it sounds a little younger and naive. I really don't like Constantine's acting or singing, ick. Mitch Jarvis is so funny..."stars are undeniable, like herpes"
I don't know if I can make words for how great Lauren and Wesley are. Lauren sounds awesome and is totally fierce. and Wesley is just great, so cute and his voice is awesome. Even when I don't understand what he's saying his voice is so cute!
I had seen a video, but I stopped in the middle of Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Everything after that point was new to me, and some of it I didn't quite get. I thought the "I'm not gay, I'm german" or whatever was pretty funny, especially seeing as I had just seen Legally Blonde with "is he gay or European?" but a lot of the show after Every Rose Has Its Thorn sort of had me confused. And there was screaming during Wesley's part of Don't Stop Believin. Major bummer.
See you tomorrow with Addams Family or American Idiot!
Date: 8/8/09
Type: Audio
Cast: Constantine Maroulis (Drew), Savannah Wise (Sherrie), Adam Dannheisser (Dennis), Mitchell Jarvis (Lonny), Michelle Mais (Justice), Lauren Molina (Regina), Paul Schoeffler (Hertz), James Carpinello (Stacey Jaxx), Wesley Taylor (Franz), Ericka Hunter (Waitress Number One), Katherine Tokarz (Ensemble), Andre Ward (Ensemble), Jeremy Woodard (Ensemble), Angel Reed (Ensemble)
I'm sort of torn on this show. The plot's average and predictable, but the music is worked in really well and it's pretty funny. I like Savannah's voice more than Amy's it sounds a little younger and naive. I really don't like Constantine's acting or singing, ick. Mitch Jarvis is so funny..."stars are undeniable, like herpes"
I don't know if I can make words for how great Lauren and Wesley are. Lauren sounds awesome and is totally fierce. and Wesley is just great, so cute and his voice is awesome. Even when I don't understand what he's saying his voice is so cute!
I had seen a video, but I stopped in the middle of Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Everything after that point was new to me, and some of it I didn't quite get. I thought the "I'm not gay, I'm german" or whatever was pretty funny, especially seeing as I had just seen Legally Blonde with "is he gay or European?" but a lot of the show after Every Rose Has Its Thorn sort of had me confused. And there was screaming during Wesley's part of Don't Stop Believin. Major bummer.
See you tomorrow with Addams Family or American Idiot!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Day 10-11/29/09
Show: Legally Blonde
Date: 2/24/07 (I think, by deductive reasoning)
Type: Video
Cast: Laura Bell Bundy, Richard Blake, Christian Borle, Orfeh, Kate Shindle, Annaleigh Ashford, Nikki Snelson
I think this show is/was really cute. I like the way it spun the movie a little for the music, and I think the songs were created so well to work. I think Laura Bell Bundy is real cute and definitely adds a lot of perk and spunk to the character, although I did like how in the movie despite being blonde Reese could make Elle actually take herself seriously. I think Richard Blake almost looks exactly how Warner did in the movie, and pretty good voice. Christian Borle is also really good, I like how he looks a little nerdier than Luke Wilson. Orfeh has a good voice, but I'm not in love with her Paulette. Definitely like Vivienne. I thought she looked a little prettier than in the movie, and it's definitely wonderful. The entire sorority was really cute and great.
I think this was Pre-Broadway, because Positive isn't included. I'm not even sure what that song is that they're singing, but my god, Positive is so much better. I also thought some of the songs seemed to be lacking energy, this could be because I'm watching at midnight but also it could be because it is lacking energy. So Much Better was awesome, like so cute! Whipped Into Shape was nice, but I liked the Ali Larter Brooke so much more, because she kind of had a little bit of a fear factor. Take It Like A Man is cute and funny, and she has really nice voice. The "I see dead people" before the Bend and Snap was hillllarrriiooous. the Bend and Snap was a hilarious scene in the movie and it translated soo well, so funny! I didn't like Legally Blonde, because I think it's so stupid that they made a song from the title and it's too ballady. But I did really love the Legally Blonde Remix and Ireland Reprise. Hate that they went back to the "scene of the crime" because that would just NEVER happen.
The ending was great, though.
I liked it and it'll be interesting to watch or listen again with understudies and such!
Date: 2/24/07 (I think, by deductive reasoning)
Type: Video
Cast: Laura Bell Bundy, Richard Blake, Christian Borle, Orfeh, Kate Shindle, Annaleigh Ashford, Nikki Snelson
I think this show is/was really cute. I like the way it spun the movie a little for the music, and I think the songs were created so well to work. I think Laura Bell Bundy is real cute and definitely adds a lot of perk and spunk to the character, although I did like how in the movie despite being blonde Reese could make Elle actually take herself seriously. I think Richard Blake almost looks exactly how Warner did in the movie, and pretty good voice. Christian Borle is also really good, I like how he looks a little nerdier than Luke Wilson. Orfeh has a good voice, but I'm not in love with her Paulette. Definitely like Vivienne. I thought she looked a little prettier than in the movie, and it's definitely wonderful. The entire sorority was really cute and great.
I think this was Pre-Broadway, because Positive isn't included. I'm not even sure what that song is that they're singing, but my god, Positive is so much better. I also thought some of the songs seemed to be lacking energy, this could be because I'm watching at midnight but also it could be because it is lacking energy. So Much Better was awesome, like so cute! Whipped Into Shape was nice, but I liked the Ali Larter Brooke so much more, because she kind of had a little bit of a fear factor. Take It Like A Man is cute and funny, and she has really nice voice. The "I see dead people" before the Bend and Snap was hillllarrriiooous. the Bend and Snap was a hilarious scene in the movie and it translated soo well, so funny! I didn't like Legally Blonde, because I think it's so stupid that they made a song from the title and it's too ballady. But I did really love the Legally Blonde Remix and Ireland Reprise. Hate that they went back to the "scene of the crime" because that would just NEVER happen.
The ending was great, though.
I liked it and it'll be interesting to watch or listen again with understudies and such!
Day 9-11/28/09
Show: Lost in Yonkers
Date: 11/25/09
Type: Live
Cast: Kevin Bergen (Eddie), Lise Bruneau (Gert), Tana Hicken (Grandma), Marcus Kyd (Louie), Kyle Schliefer (Jay), Max Talisman (Arty), Holly Twyford (Bella).
This play was soooo goood! I read it in 7th grade in Hebrew school...well actually I only read the first scene. Not the point. The entire cast was utterly brilliant. Grandma was amazing, ranged from funny to really moving. Bella was incredible, such a range of emotions and acting. Jay and Arty were great together, really played off each other well and the guy playing Jay was pretty cute. Max was...yeah. If only he had sung, that would have been amazing.
And the show was really funny for most of it. At the end it was really moving and quite emotional.
I know this is super short, but I just loved it and I have absolutely no nitpicking to do. Besides there are no songs to talk about.
See you tomorrow with Legally Blonde!
Date: 11/25/09
Type: Live
Cast: Kevin Bergen (Eddie), Lise Bruneau (Gert), Tana Hicken (Grandma), Marcus Kyd (Louie), Kyle Schliefer (Jay), Max Talisman (Arty), Holly Twyford (Bella).
This play was soooo goood! I read it in 7th grade in Hebrew school...well actually I only read the first scene. Not the point. The entire cast was utterly brilliant. Grandma was amazing, ranged from funny to really moving. Bella was incredible, such a range of emotions and acting. Jay and Arty were great together, really played off each other well and the guy playing Jay was pretty cute. Max was...yeah. If only he had sung, that would have been amazing.
And the show was really funny for most of it. At the end it was really moving and quite emotional.
I know this is super short, but I just loved it and I have absolutely no nitpicking to do. Besides there are no songs to talk about.
See you tomorrow with Legally Blonde!
Day 8-11/27/09
Show: Wicked
Date: 2003 (San-Francisco, Pre-Broadway)
Type: Audio (Soundboard)
Cast: Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Joel Grey, Norbert Leo Butz, Carole Shelley, Christopher Fitzgerald, Michelle Federer,
Kind of despised this show. Not all of it or it in its entirety. But parts of it, a lot of it.
First off I think Idina and Kristen are tragically overrated. Idina doesn't sound that good all the time and Kristen's voice, while impeccable, is irritating. Also, how is anyone supposed to believe they are college students? I find the story line dumb, painful, and at times disgusting. It's half campy and half bogged down with the disturbing plot of harming animals. The campy part is okay, I kind of like that. But the dark part, which to me seemed like a majority of the show is borderline unbearable. My heart really aches for Elphaba and the poor animals, but I don't feel like its a good thing in this case.
Because this is Pre-Broadway there were a lot of things here that changed. I'm not sure of all of them because I am not super-savvy with this show, but there were definitely lyric changes. I can't really place an opinion of the different lyrics because I can't say it made much of a difference. The song Dancing Through Life isn't in this, instead a song called Which Way To The Party? which has a lot of the bits that Dancing Through Life had but it's really different. Dancing Through Life is a million times better, it was a good change. Also after the lion cub scene Morrible announces that Dr. Dillamond has died and there's a funeral for him. You find out he's not dead after Wonderful which is the same as it was on Broadway.
I will admit that the music is really great in this, all of the underscoring and songs are beautiful. But the plot is just so bad, honestly. Also I can't stand the way they mispronounce/add syllables like "ignorify"
It's a pity that a majority of shows that I have are Wicked.
See you tomorrow with Lost in Yonkers!
Date: 2003 (San-Francisco, Pre-Broadway)
Type: Audio (Soundboard)
Cast: Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Joel Grey, Norbert Leo Butz, Carole Shelley, Christopher Fitzgerald, Michelle Federer,
Kind of despised this show. Not all of it or it in its entirety. But parts of it, a lot of it.
First off I think Idina and Kristen are tragically overrated. Idina doesn't sound that good all the time and Kristen's voice, while impeccable, is irritating. Also, how is anyone supposed to believe they are college students? I find the story line dumb, painful, and at times disgusting. It's half campy and half bogged down with the disturbing plot of harming animals. The campy part is okay, I kind of like that. But the dark part, which to me seemed like a majority of the show is borderline unbearable. My heart really aches for Elphaba and the poor animals, but I don't feel like its a good thing in this case.
Because this is Pre-Broadway there were a lot of things here that changed. I'm not sure of all of them because I am not super-savvy with this show, but there were definitely lyric changes. I can't really place an opinion of the different lyrics because I can't say it made much of a difference. The song Dancing Through Life isn't in this, instead a song called Which Way To The Party? which has a lot of the bits that Dancing Through Life had but it's really different. Dancing Through Life is a million times better, it was a good change. Also after the lion cub scene Morrible announces that Dr. Dillamond has died and there's a funeral for him. You find out he's not dead after Wonderful which is the same as it was on Broadway.
I will admit that the music is really great in this, all of the underscoring and songs are beautiful. But the plot is just so bad, honestly. Also I can't stand the way they mispronounce/add syllables like "ignorify"
It's a pity that a majority of shows that I have are Wicked.
See you tomorrow with Lost in Yonkers!
Day 7-11/26/09
Show: Avenue Q
Date: 11/18/07 ~ Des Moines, IA
Type: Video
Cast: Seth Rettberg as (u/s) Rod/Princeton, Kelli Sawyer, Angela Ai, David Benoit, Cole Porter, Carla Renata, Minglie Chen
I have a couple things to say before I review. The first is that I forwent all social interactions in favor of focusing on this video. The second is that this video is oversold, the review that comes with it is "Beautiful capture of the touring cast. This is a terrific cast and Seth was a great understudy. A+" So it is a terrific cast and Seth was good, but the video does not deserve an A+ because of the blackouts and washouts. The last thing is that the only thing I knew about Avenue Q before this was what I read on Wikipedia, and the OBCR.
I really liked this. One thing I was really excited to see was how they used the puppets. I must admit being surprised that Brian, Christmas Eve, and Gary didn't use puppets. I thought all the characters were puppets for a reason. In the beginning I was really distracted/confused by this small asian woman that was standing behind Nicky. But then I got used to it, and it was kind of interesting how the puppets with two people operating could do more movements. I also was interested in how they pull off having two puppets onstage at once. One thing I loved was how they used the screens, just really made it that much more fun. I loved the show in general, everyone sounded really good. I'm not going to pick this apart like I have been because I didn't really have much of a comparison. I had so much fun watching it. The Bad Idea Bears were hilarious, especially when convincing Princeton to hang himself.
Not really sure what else to say, I just really really loved it!
See you tomorrow with Wicked!
Date: 11/18/07 ~ Des Moines, IA
Type: Video
Cast: Seth Rettberg as (u/s) Rod/Princeton, Kelli Sawyer, Angela Ai, David Benoit, Cole Porter, Carla Renata, Minglie Chen
I have a couple things to say before I review. The first is that I forwent all social interactions in favor of focusing on this video. The second is that this video is oversold, the review that comes with it is "Beautiful capture of the touring cast. This is a terrific cast and Seth was a great understudy. A+" So it is a terrific cast and Seth was good, but the video does not deserve an A+ because of the blackouts and washouts. The last thing is that the only thing I knew about Avenue Q before this was what I read on Wikipedia, and the OBCR.
I really liked this. One thing I was really excited to see was how they used the puppets. I must admit being surprised that Brian, Christmas Eve, and Gary didn't use puppets. I thought all the characters were puppets for a reason. In the beginning I was really distracted/confused by this small asian woman that was standing behind Nicky. But then I got used to it, and it was kind of interesting how the puppets with two people operating could do more movements. I also was interested in how they pull off having two puppets onstage at once. One thing I loved was how they used the screens, just really made it that much more fun. I loved the show in general, everyone sounded really good. I'm not going to pick this apart like I have been because I didn't really have much of a comparison. I had so much fun watching it. The Bad Idea Bears were hilarious, especially when convincing Princeton to hang himself.
Not really sure what else to say, I just really really loved it!
See you tomorrow with Wicked!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Day 6-11/25/09
Show: Bye Bye Birdie
Date: 9/10/09 (First Preview)
Type: Audio
Cast: John Stamos (Albert Peterson), Gina Gershon (Rosie Alvarez), Bill Irwin (Harry MacAfee), Dee Hoty (Mrs. MacAfee), Nolan Gerard Funk (Conrad Birdie), Jayne Houdyshell (Mae Peterson), Allie Trimm (Kim MacAfee), Matt Doyle (Hugo Peabody), Jake Evan Schwencke (Randolph MacAfee)
One thing I really noticed was that this is a show that if you don't see it, you don't get it all. There's a lot of times I heard laughing but there was nothing to laugh at that I heard. So this show has been out for 2 months, and you've probably heard quite a bit about it.
John and Gina were about as bad as everyone says. John did okay with the acting but his singing wasn't so great. Gina seemed just pretty bad overall. One thing is that although you can't see her, you can tell by the way she's singing that she's making some strange faces (Also I have seen the video, so I know that) It was very odd, because in English Teacher the two weren't atrocious, they were...eh. But as the show went on they got worse. Spanish Rose is honestly just painful.
Bill Irwin has been criticized for being too campy, and he is. But I happen to kind of like it, although it is a little much. I did like Dee Hoty and Jake Evan Schwencke, they both were very believable as the characters and Jake is just adorable. Not so crazy about Nolan, I guess he wasn't terrible but he wasn't all that special. Jayne Houdyshell was pretty funny as the mom, but at times I thought it was a little much. Not necessarily her fault, but I felt like some of the bits just kept going. Allie was really good as Kim, her voice sounded so good in How Lovely To Be A Woman. I also liked how some of the lines that are really stupid she says with this false conviction. For instance "I'm 15 and it's time I settled down..." was said completely earnestly, but in a way that was really funny. She greatly showed up Gina in What Did I Ever See In Him, but there was one note at the end that she was kind of weak on. I bet now she hits it much better. She and Matt sounded absolutely wonderful in One Boy, their voices complimented well. I think Matt was absolutely hilarious. There's this one part before One Boy where he's all freaked out and talking kind of fast, I thought it was brilliant. It honestly sounded like they talk in old 50's movies. Like Allie, a lot of his lines are kind of stupid but the way he says them is just awesome.
Telephone Hour is probably one of my favorite songs, it's so fun and so cute. I also really like One Boy and sometimes I like One Last Kiss, Honestly Sincere, and Lot Of Living. The rest are sort of iffy for me.
I really wish I could see this show before it closes!
See you tomorrow with Avenue Q!
Date: 9/10/09 (First Preview)
Type: Audio
Cast: John Stamos (Albert Peterson), Gina Gershon (Rosie Alvarez), Bill Irwin (Harry MacAfee), Dee Hoty (Mrs. MacAfee), Nolan Gerard Funk (Conrad Birdie), Jayne Houdyshell (Mae Peterson), Allie Trimm (Kim MacAfee), Matt Doyle (Hugo Peabody), Jake Evan Schwencke (Randolph MacAfee)
One thing I really noticed was that this is a show that if you don't see it, you don't get it all. There's a lot of times I heard laughing but there was nothing to laugh at that I heard. So this show has been out for 2 months, and you've probably heard quite a bit about it.
John and Gina were about as bad as everyone says. John did okay with the acting but his singing wasn't so great. Gina seemed just pretty bad overall. One thing is that although you can't see her, you can tell by the way she's singing that she's making some strange faces (Also I have seen the video, so I know that) It was very odd, because in English Teacher the two weren't atrocious, they were...eh. But as the show went on they got worse. Spanish Rose is honestly just painful.
Bill Irwin has been criticized for being too campy, and he is. But I happen to kind of like it, although it is a little much. I did like Dee Hoty and Jake Evan Schwencke, they both were very believable as the characters and Jake is just adorable. Not so crazy about Nolan, I guess he wasn't terrible but he wasn't all that special. Jayne Houdyshell was pretty funny as the mom, but at times I thought it was a little much. Not necessarily her fault, but I felt like some of the bits just kept going. Allie was really good as Kim, her voice sounded so good in How Lovely To Be A Woman. I also liked how some of the lines that are really stupid she says with this false conviction. For instance "I'm 15 and it's time I settled down..." was said completely earnestly, but in a way that was really funny. She greatly showed up Gina in What Did I Ever See In Him, but there was one note at the end that she was kind of weak on. I bet now she hits it much better. She and Matt sounded absolutely wonderful in One Boy, their voices complimented well. I think Matt was absolutely hilarious. There's this one part before One Boy where he's all freaked out and talking kind of fast, I thought it was brilliant. It honestly sounded like they talk in old 50's movies. Like Allie, a lot of his lines are kind of stupid but the way he says them is just awesome.
Telephone Hour is probably one of my favorite songs, it's so fun and so cute. I also really like One Boy and sometimes I like One Last Kiss, Honestly Sincere, and Lot Of Living. The rest are sort of iffy for me.
I really wish I could see this show before it closes!
See you tomorrow with Avenue Q!
Day 5-11/24/09
Show: Bare
Date: 5/3/04
Type: Audio
Cast: Michael Arden, John Hill, Jenna Leigh Green, Natalie Joy Johnson, Aaron Lohr, Adam Flemming, Jim Price, Kaitlin Hopkins, Kearran Giovanni, Mike Cannon, Lindsay Scott, Kay Trinidad
This review is a little more general than my others have been because I was listening during my commute and lunch break and was not taking notes.
One thing I noticed was there were some songs that I liked better in this version than the CD. For instance You and I was definitely better here. I also liked Love Dad. Not more than I liked Plain Jane Fat Ass, both songs are quite different in the message. I did not like Wedding Bells more though, I thought the ending sounded so strange. But I seriously did not know that there were different lyrics to Bare! I thought they were the same as the CD! I was so confused when I was listening.
The singing overall is better on the CD I think, even the people in both sounded better on the CD. I know people rave about Michael Arden, but I thought he wasn't all that spectacular. His voice sounded kind of...chokey? Know what I mean? Maybe not. Sometimes his voice sounded really smooth and nice, but other times (most times) not so much. Also sometimes he sounded a little too operatic. Yeah, it's technically opera, but still. Same goes for Aaron Lohr, he also sounded too old for the role. Well they all did, not my point.
Like I said, Jenna Leigh Green sounded better on the CD in some parts like One Kiss, One, and Portrait of a Girl. But she was very strong in All Grown Up.
One thing I noticed was Peter and Jason are both more likeable on the CD, I know that's hard to imagine that Jason could be less likeable. But here he sounded like such a jerk in Touch My Soul because Ivy is literally begging him and he's just dumping her.
I also liked the chemistry better on the CD. Isn't it kind of weird that I like chemistry that was separate than actually together?
I quite liked Natalie Joy Johnson as Nadia, partly because I think she plays it much more sensitive than I found Keili.
In all I found this satisfactory.
See you tomorrow with Bye Bye Birdie!
Date: 5/3/04
Type: Audio
Cast: Michael Arden, John Hill, Jenna Leigh Green, Natalie Joy Johnson, Aaron Lohr, Adam Flemming, Jim Price, Kaitlin Hopkins, Kearran Giovanni, Mike Cannon, Lindsay Scott, Kay Trinidad
This review is a little more general than my others have been because I was listening during my commute and lunch break and was not taking notes.
One thing I noticed was there were some songs that I liked better in this version than the CD. For instance You and I was definitely better here. I also liked Love Dad. Not more than I liked Plain Jane Fat Ass, both songs are quite different in the message. I did not like Wedding Bells more though, I thought the ending sounded so strange. But I seriously did not know that there were different lyrics to Bare! I thought they were the same as the CD! I was so confused when I was listening.
The singing overall is better on the CD I think, even the people in both sounded better on the CD. I know people rave about Michael Arden, but I thought he wasn't all that spectacular. His voice sounded kind of...chokey? Know what I mean? Maybe not. Sometimes his voice sounded really smooth and nice, but other times (most times) not so much. Also sometimes he sounded a little too operatic. Yeah, it's technically opera, but still. Same goes for Aaron Lohr, he also sounded too old for the role. Well they all did, not my point.
Like I said, Jenna Leigh Green sounded better on the CD in some parts like One Kiss, One, and Portrait of a Girl. But she was very strong in All Grown Up.
One thing I noticed was Peter and Jason are both more likeable on the CD, I know that's hard to imagine that Jason could be less likeable. But here he sounded like such a jerk in Touch My Soul because Ivy is literally begging him and he's just dumping her.
I also liked the chemistry better on the CD. Isn't it kind of weird that I like chemistry that was separate than actually together?
I quite liked Natalie Joy Johnson as Nadia, partly because I think she plays it much more sensitive than I found Keili.
In all I found this satisfactory.
See you tomorrow with Bye Bye Birdie!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Day 4-11/23/09
Show: Spring Awakening
Date: 7/26/09
Type: Audio
Cast: Jake Epstein (Melchior), Christy Altomare (Wendla), Blake Bashoff (Moritz), Steffi D (Ilse), Ben Moss (Ernst), Andy Mientus (Hanschen), Claire Sparks (t/r Thea), Krista Pioppi (u/s Martha), Gabby Garza (Anna), Matt Shingledecker (Georg), Anthony Lee Medina (Otto), Henry Stram (Adult Men), Angela Reed (Adult Women), Lucas Wells (Chair of Rock), Perry Sherman (Chair of Rock), Julie Benko (Chair of Rock), Krystina Alabado (Chair of Rock)
This is actually a performance that I saw, so I still sort of remember what it looked like as well as knowing what it sounded like. You might think this is useless because I wrote a very detailed review 4 months ago. But I don't think I was entirely honest.
First thing I assumed when I pressed play, was that it sounded like a stage recording. I have no idea if I'm right. But it kind of sounded like Christy was next to the recorder and when she was moving and putting her dress on you could hear her voice getting further away. Definitely interesting. I thought her voice started pretty nice, as there have been times that I've really hated her voice. I just wish she had been powerful in the end like Lea was. The scene with the mom was cute, I could hear Angela groaning a few times after Christy said something which was interesting. I do feel like Angela may get like Christine Estabrook did and start seeming stale and overacting. This was early for Jake with the tour, but I'm ambivalent about him. His voice is fine and so is his acting, but sometimes it just sounds like lines. I really have a hard time standing Blake. I just don't like his voice when he's acting or singing. I found Anthony's Touch Me solo to be fine, but not a favorite for me. A lot of people don't like Matt Shingledecker in Touch Me, and I agree. He has a good voice, I mean he is hitting those notes nicely. But it's mostly the fact that he doesn't riff that people don't like. I don't understand why Wendla always seems to overpower Melchior in the Word of Your Body. Christy sounds really nice, but I could hardly hear Jake at all. I definitely liked Krista as Martha. When she's telling her secret her voice is softer and more scared than Sarah's which is louder and harsher. Also I loved her voice in Dark I Know Well, I don't actually like Sarah in this song usually but I really loved Krista's pitch. The only problem was that when Martha and Ilse sing together I can mostly only hear Steffi.
I really didn't like the beating scene. I never do, but I feel like Jake didn't help at all.
The failed scene/And Then There Were None were just okay for me, like I said. I don't like Blake. Mirror Blue Night and I Believe were both fiiine. I didn't like how Jake talked during I Believe, his "don't be scared." seemed like a harsh command and his "what?" made it seem like he just wanted her to shut up and let him do his thing.
In my mind Claire's Thea was so much better than Kimiko's. Her Thea seemed truly like a young girl with a crush as did Krista's Martha in My Junk. Gabby as Anna is really painful, even just listening. The way she says her lines isn't like the sweet friend that Anna is set as, but instead a snobby girl. The way she's talking about "decorating the entire sanctuary in orchids and chrysanthemums" and "i hope your mama approves of the man I marry" makes it seem like Wendla's uncool for not being able to go to the wedding like all the others. And her singing in My Junk is just not so good either.
I think Steffi sings Blue Wind quite beautifully, but her acting with Moritz is just not good. She plays Ilse in a way that seems crazy.
Left Behind sounds fine, but a little too high for Jake. As odd as it may sound, I found Totally Fucked a little "meh." Definitely could use more spark or something.
I find both Andy and Ben to be very overrated. I don't like either of their singing voices and I don't think there's anything spectacular about their acting.
Christy's Whispering was pretty, but I think her part in Those You've Known is even better. It's a pity that she was doing it with Blake and Jake because they brought her down. If I could have a time machine and go back to Toronto and get Blake to call out and have Lucas go on, I think that could have sounded quite excellent.
Steffi started out her Purple Summer solo beautifully, then she got a little weaker, and at the end of her part she strengthened up and sounded pretty again.
Song of Purple Summer sounded truly wonderful, the harmonies are gorgeous.
See you tomorrow!
Date: 7/26/09
Type: Audio
Cast: Jake Epstein (Melchior), Christy Altomare (Wendla), Blake Bashoff (Moritz), Steffi D (Ilse), Ben Moss (Ernst), Andy Mientus (Hanschen), Claire Sparks (t/r Thea), Krista Pioppi (u/s Martha), Gabby Garza (Anna), Matt Shingledecker (Georg), Anthony Lee Medina (Otto), Henry Stram (Adult Men), Angela Reed (Adult Women), Lucas Wells (Chair of Rock), Perry Sherman (Chair of Rock), Julie Benko (Chair of Rock), Krystina Alabado (Chair of Rock)
This is actually a performance that I saw, so I still sort of remember what it looked like as well as knowing what it sounded like. You might think this is useless because I wrote a very detailed review 4 months ago. But I don't think I was entirely honest.
First thing I assumed when I pressed play, was that it sounded like a stage recording. I have no idea if I'm right. But it kind of sounded like Christy was next to the recorder and when she was moving and putting her dress on you could hear her voice getting further away. Definitely interesting. I thought her voice started pretty nice, as there have been times that I've really hated her voice. I just wish she had been powerful in the end like Lea was. The scene with the mom was cute, I could hear Angela groaning a few times after Christy said something which was interesting. I do feel like Angela may get like Christine Estabrook did and start seeming stale and overacting. This was early for Jake with the tour, but I'm ambivalent about him. His voice is fine and so is his acting, but sometimes it just sounds like lines. I really have a hard time standing Blake. I just don't like his voice when he's acting or singing. I found Anthony's Touch Me solo to be fine, but not a favorite for me. A lot of people don't like Matt Shingledecker in Touch Me, and I agree. He has a good voice, I mean he is hitting those notes nicely. But it's mostly the fact that he doesn't riff that people don't like. I don't understand why Wendla always seems to overpower Melchior in the Word of Your Body. Christy sounds really nice, but I could hardly hear Jake at all. I definitely liked Krista as Martha. When she's telling her secret her voice is softer and more scared than Sarah's which is louder and harsher. Also I loved her voice in Dark I Know Well, I don't actually like Sarah in this song usually but I really loved Krista's pitch. The only problem was that when Martha and Ilse sing together I can mostly only hear Steffi.
I really didn't like the beating scene. I never do, but I feel like Jake didn't help at all.
The failed scene/And Then There Were None were just okay for me, like I said. I don't like Blake. Mirror Blue Night and I Believe were both fiiine. I didn't like how Jake talked during I Believe, his "don't be scared." seemed like a harsh command and his "what?" made it seem like he just wanted her to shut up and let him do his thing.
In my mind Claire's Thea was so much better than Kimiko's. Her Thea seemed truly like a young girl with a crush as did Krista's Martha in My Junk. Gabby as Anna is really painful, even just listening. The way she says her lines isn't like the sweet friend that Anna is set as, but instead a snobby girl. The way she's talking about "decorating the entire sanctuary in orchids and chrysanthemums" and "i hope your mama approves of the man I marry" makes it seem like Wendla's uncool for not being able to go to the wedding like all the others. And her singing in My Junk is just not so good either.
I think Steffi sings Blue Wind quite beautifully, but her acting with Moritz is just not good. She plays Ilse in a way that seems crazy.
Left Behind sounds fine, but a little too high for Jake. As odd as it may sound, I found Totally Fucked a little "meh." Definitely could use more spark or something.
I find both Andy and Ben to be very overrated. I don't like either of their singing voices and I don't think there's anything spectacular about their acting.
Christy's Whispering was pretty, but I think her part in Those You've Known is even better. It's a pity that she was doing it with Blake and Jake because they brought her down. If I could have a time machine and go back to Toronto and get Blake to call out and have Lucas go on, I think that could have sounded quite excellent.
Steffi started out her Purple Summer solo beautifully, then she got a little weaker, and at the end of her part she strengthened up and sounded pretty again.
Song of Purple Summer sounded truly wonderful, the harmonies are gorgeous.
See you tomorrow!
Day 3-11/22/09
Show: 13
Date: 12/29/08
Type: Video
Cast: Graham Phillips, Allie Trimm, Eric M. Nelson, Delaney Moro, Aaron Simon Gross, Malik Hammond, Al Calderon
Want to hear something weird? Pretty much all of this cast is younger than me. Eek. I wasn't blown away by the opening number, 13. It seemed a lot like something my Broadway Jazz would do. One thing I did find interesting is that there are the same actors that are in the show later, but they have different costumes and characters. I saw this in a backstage video but I learned that they all have character/stereotypes that are different than the characters they usually play. I think Allie's like a skater person or something, and I recall Delaney being goth.
I kind of like the Jewish jokes, they're pretty funny "It's like the Jewish super bowl" and stuff like that. Lamest Place In the World is okay. I don't really like Allie much but I guess she sounds okay. Although some of the other characters are much worse, Evan is the type that makes you loose your faith in humanity. The type of person who has popularity way too much on his mind and even at the end he's not much better.
I find Graham's acting fine-ish. It's not stellar or anything, but I guess it works for his character. His singing I like less, it sounds really like a kid at his Bat-Mitzvah not necessarily a good thing. I think its just because of how young he was.
I'm trying to put aside my dislike for Allie. I found her acting and singing okay. Sometimes she sounds a little whiny, especially when she's regularly talking. But I do think her voice is nice, except the notes that she couldn't hit-there were just a few.
The characters Lucy and Brett were both a little too stereotypical. I don't think anyone is one hundred percent like that. I could definitely see Eric being someone at my school, but the character not as much. He has one line "7:30. Or maybe you're not as useful as I thought" which I find just not realistic. It's Middle School, not the mob. As far as Lucy, I feel that girls have just a little more discretion at least when they're in middle school. But I wish they hadn't taken out the song "Opportunity" in this video, it's a cute song and I think Elizabeth sings it well.
As much as I dislike and disagree with Lucy and Brett, I think Kendra is so much worse. It's so painful to see someone so pathetic and empty-headed. Some of her lines and expressions are just way too stereotypical. Especially because she was wearing a cheerleader's uniform while saying them.
The show was said to be the people and characters you know from your years, but how exactly is a handicapped kid really that common? There were mentally handicapped people in my middle school than physically handicapped, but I guess it would have been really controversial to make Archie have a mental problem. Anyway, I think the character is pretty well played. As with Graham, Aaron's voice still seems quite young and unpolished. Some time and it'll probably be much better.
Since when do middle schools have football teams?
The song Getting Ready isn't exactly a favorite, I think Graham struggles a little. Eric on the other hand sounds really good, but his character is doing this disgusting tongue thing that makes me want to cry. But there is a cute bit of it where Lucy and Kendra are in a bedroom that is covered in Jonas Brothers and Zac Efron, it was cute. It kind of goes along with Archie's youtube comment. I like the relevance of it. But I must say, I can't stand that they call it The Tongue. It's like how in Bye Bye Birdie how they called it Going Steady. But the difference is, people really used to call it "going steady" nobody's ever called it "the tongue" we call it "first base"
The first time I heard "Any Minute" I didn't hear it in context and I thought it was some song about being in an Emergency Room (I realized I was wrong after a few lines) I think Eric sounds much better than Archie in this song, but god they should not be calling it The Tongue.
The end of the movie theater scene is sort of pathetic. I don't know what else to say. Pathetic and unrealistic.
When I was listening to Bad Bad News on the OBCR I could've sworn there were 1 or 2 girls singing. Apparently there's not. Just a kid with a scary voice. He hits this note that is...scary high. Like I don't know if many girls could achieve it. Too bad he'll probably loose the high ability when he gets older. One thing that bugs me is how much the shorter kid uses his hands to sing, he does it in Bad Bad News and It Can't Be True, and it's pretty annoying.
There's this one line "captain hook also had a powerful weapon...until he forgot which hand to wipe with." it's pretty amusing.
There's also a part where Patrice asks "What does CQTABAITIOE mean?" and Archie answers like it's as obvious as LOL.
Tell Her's really a nice song, and although he doesn't sing Eric is pretty funny in it. But it's a nice song with a nice message. Graham really does bring Allie down, though. Also I wish someone had told Allie that it's not a good idea to stand with your back to the audience.
I mentioned that I really liked Opportunity and was a little disappointed that it was taken out. Here I Come, on the other hand, wasn't a good song and Graham was not great in it, so that being taken out wasn't so bad.
I have to point out that the rumors Lucy was spreading in It Can't Be True would have never been believed because she kept changing them. Also I think it's stupid that she was calling people up when she already said that she had a facebook, so if you were to spread a rumor that's how it should be done.
I think the fight scene is also lame and unrealistic. If That's What It Is could be good but the vocals just aren't good enough in it. Actually I don't think good vocals would make it better. It's just too preachy and lame. I think the kiss is stupid and pointless. And A Little More Homework is so cheesy as well.
So I don't think I like this show much, despite how hard I've tried to like it. I think it's an inaccurate portrayal that's too preachy.
Date: 12/29/08
Type: Video
Cast: Graham Phillips, Allie Trimm, Eric M. Nelson, Delaney Moro, Aaron Simon Gross, Malik Hammond, Al Calderon
Want to hear something weird? Pretty much all of this cast is younger than me. Eek. I wasn't blown away by the opening number, 13. It seemed a lot like something my Broadway Jazz would do. One thing I did find interesting is that there are the same actors that are in the show later, but they have different costumes and characters. I saw this in a backstage video but I learned that they all have character/stereotypes that are different than the characters they usually play. I think Allie's like a skater person or something, and I recall Delaney being goth.
I kind of like the Jewish jokes, they're pretty funny "It's like the Jewish super bowl" and stuff like that. Lamest Place In the World is okay. I don't really like Allie much but I guess she sounds okay. Although some of the other characters are much worse, Evan is the type that makes you loose your faith in humanity. The type of person who has popularity way too much on his mind and even at the end he's not much better.
I find Graham's acting fine-ish. It's not stellar or anything, but I guess it works for his character. His singing I like less, it sounds really like a kid at his Bat-Mitzvah not necessarily a good thing. I think its just because of how young he was.
I'm trying to put aside my dislike for Allie. I found her acting and singing okay. Sometimes she sounds a little whiny, especially when she's regularly talking. But I do think her voice is nice, except the notes that she couldn't hit-there were just a few.
The characters Lucy and Brett were both a little too stereotypical. I don't think anyone is one hundred percent like that. I could definitely see Eric being someone at my school, but the character not as much. He has one line "7:30. Or maybe you're not as useful as I thought" which I find just not realistic. It's Middle School, not the mob. As far as Lucy, I feel that girls have just a little more discretion at least when they're in middle school. But I wish they hadn't taken out the song "Opportunity" in this video, it's a cute song and I think Elizabeth sings it well.
As much as I dislike and disagree with Lucy and Brett, I think Kendra is so much worse. It's so painful to see someone so pathetic and empty-headed. Some of her lines and expressions are just way too stereotypical. Especially because she was wearing a cheerleader's uniform while saying them.
The show was said to be the people and characters you know from your years, but how exactly is a handicapped kid really that common? There were mentally handicapped people in my middle school than physically handicapped, but I guess it would have been really controversial to make Archie have a mental problem. Anyway, I think the character is pretty well played. As with Graham, Aaron's voice still seems quite young and unpolished. Some time and it'll probably be much better.
Since when do middle schools have football teams?
The song Getting Ready isn't exactly a favorite, I think Graham struggles a little. Eric on the other hand sounds really good, but his character is doing this disgusting tongue thing that makes me want to cry. But there is a cute bit of it where Lucy and Kendra are in a bedroom that is covered in Jonas Brothers and Zac Efron, it was cute. It kind of goes along with Archie's youtube comment. I like the relevance of it. But I must say, I can't stand that they call it The Tongue. It's like how in Bye Bye Birdie how they called it Going Steady. But the difference is, people really used to call it "going steady" nobody's ever called it "the tongue" we call it "first base"
The first time I heard "Any Minute" I didn't hear it in context and I thought it was some song about being in an Emergency Room (I realized I was wrong after a few lines) I think Eric sounds much better than Archie in this song, but god they should not be calling it The Tongue.
The end of the movie theater scene is sort of pathetic. I don't know what else to say. Pathetic and unrealistic.
When I was listening to Bad Bad News on the OBCR I could've sworn there were 1 or 2 girls singing. Apparently there's not. Just a kid with a scary voice. He hits this note that is...scary high. Like I don't know if many girls could achieve it. Too bad he'll probably loose the high ability when he gets older. One thing that bugs me is how much the shorter kid uses his hands to sing, he does it in Bad Bad News and It Can't Be True, and it's pretty annoying.
There's this one line "captain hook also had a powerful weapon...until he forgot which hand to wipe with." it's pretty amusing.
There's also a part where Patrice asks "What does CQTABAITIOE mean?" and Archie answers like it's as obvious as LOL.
Tell Her's really a nice song, and although he doesn't sing Eric is pretty funny in it. But it's a nice song with a nice message. Graham really does bring Allie down, though. Also I wish someone had told Allie that it's not a good idea to stand with your back to the audience.
I mentioned that I really liked Opportunity and was a little disappointed that it was taken out. Here I Come, on the other hand, wasn't a good song and Graham was not great in it, so that being taken out wasn't so bad.
I have to point out that the rumors Lucy was spreading in It Can't Be True would have never been believed because she kept changing them. Also I think it's stupid that she was calling people up when she already said that she had a facebook, so if you were to spread a rumor that's how it should be done.
I think the fight scene is also lame and unrealistic. If That's What It Is could be good but the vocals just aren't good enough in it. Actually I don't think good vocals would make it better. It's just too preachy and lame. I think the kiss is stupid and pointless. And A Little More Homework is so cheesy as well.
So I don't think I like this show much, despite how hard I've tried to like it. I think it's an inaccurate portrayal that's too preachy.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Day 2-11/21/09
Show: Hair
Date: 9/27/09
Type: Audio
Cast: Sasha Allen (Dionne), Will Swenson (Berger), Jackie Burns (Sheila), Gavin Creel (Claude), Kaitlin Kiyan (Crissy), Megan Reinking (Jeanie), Rachel Bay Jones (Mom/Buddhalirama), Andrew Kober (Dad/Margaret Mead/Lancaster), Darius Nichols (Hud), Bryce Ryness (Woof), Josh Lamon (Hubert/John Wilkes Booth), ATO BLANKSON-WOOD, KRYSTAL JOY BROWN, STEEL BURKHARDT, HEATH CALVERT (in Anthony Hollock's track)*, BRIANA CARLSON-GOODMAN (in Megan Reinking's track)*, LAUREN ELDER (sings Jackie Burns' part in Black Boys), CHASTEN HARMON (in Jackie Burns' track)*, JAY ARMSTRONG JOHNSON (in Allison Guinn's track)*, NICOLE LEWIS, JOHN MOAURO, BRANDON PEARSON, PARIS REMILLARD, MICHAEL JAMES SCOTT (in Maya Sharpe's track)*, HANNAH SHANKMAN (in Katie Kiyan's track), TOMMAR WILSON.
This is just an audio, so I can only judge by my ears.
Sasha started the show incredibly fierce, as always. I feel like Will's opening scene was only about 85%. He seemed a little more energetic in Donna, but there was a note that he kind of missed. One of the big notes, he just didn't reach it. I don't get Hashish, how exactly does it do anything for the plot? But really how does anything do anything for anything in this show. Sodomy sounded kind of high, and at the last note Bryce sounded like he was about to crack and instead hit this super high note. When he started talking he coughed a lot. The track is titled "Woof gets a hairball" and then he started off talking a little quieter. Maybe something just went down the wrong pipe. I find it kind of odd that people say "Hi Neil" I don't know why, maybe it's just too much. Darius is a rockstar, Colored Spade was a nice dose of familiarity of the CD. Gavin's accent was really funny, sometimes it was obviously fake other times it was a little more legit sounding. Manchester England is a fav song of mine just because of the funness of it, Gavin played it real nice. Something really sounded a little off with Bryce in Ain't Got No, his voice was a little less powerful and higher.
So we all know how I raved about Jackie so much yesterday. The first thing my ears noticed in I Believe in Love is that her voice is her voice sounds higher than Caissie's. It also seemed slightly less strong, but the pitch was quite gorgeous. And the pledge part sounded really pretty, like you could definitely see her singing the Anthem somewhere.
My other rave, Kacie was out this time. Megan first off sounded pretty good. This was her first time, so that must be pretty nervwracking. She didn't put on a voice the way that Kacie does, making it much more of a comparable sound. Not saying she didn't sound great. She also sounded like she was loosing breath every now and then. But really, she was good. Her scene after Air was a little less overjoyed than Kacie, also seemed a little more sensible. She doesn't exactly know what's going on, but she's a little less off than Kacie's Jeanie.
The new mom wasn't exactly a fave. I feel like she didn't quite know what the character she would go for was. The pity was she brought down Kober in this scene.
When Gavin began singing there was something wonderfully familiar. He sounded quite nice, and was definitely pretty riff-y. He sounds like he gets a little out of breath during the jumping, I guess that could be expected. I love Going Down/Expulsion but I did prefer Theo's Prinicipal.
Kober is love of course. He pulls off a drag voice very well.
I love how Hair has a ton of amazing energy, even in an audio. It makes me want to dance even though I want sleep really bad.
When Jackie's Sheila is telling the story of D.C. she has the same emotion as Caissie, simply with a different voice. I do feel like there is a younger touch to her voice and more sensitivity when fighting with Berger. Berger was atrociously jackassy.
Like I said, Jackie uses the emotion very well but she does hit the big notes a little fainter than Caissie does. I absolutely love her voice in some parts, sounds really sensitive. One thing I also noticed was sometimes it sounded like there were a little parts being rushed ever so slightly.
Megan's "This is the way it is...." monologue is fine, but it doesn't seem to have the same personality as Kacie's. Megan seemed a little more exasperated/disappointed than Kacie.
Also Megan's "Are you going to come to the be-in like a human being?" line didn't make as much of an impression as Kacie's. When Kacie says it in a way that stands out and kind of makes you laugh, while Megan sort of just said it.
I find the idea of Katie as Crissy maybe a little better than the thing itself. First off, she's one of the youngest tribe members and she's pretty good at acting as Crissy. But it sounded like Frank Mills was too high for her so she sang it lower or something. That being said, her voice is amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuRySC4tCPs
Gavin's Where Do I Go was so wonderful, but sometimes it sounds a little choppy like he doesn't have a lot of breath.
Black Boys was entirely understudies, and it pretty fierce. It was Lauren, Briana, and Hannah. Briana sounded great with the "clearly crazy..." part.
Hannah sounded amazing with Katie's line in Walking in Space. As did Megan with Kacie's.
Walking in Space altogether sounded truly wonderful.
Jackie/Sheila/Washington was good, sounded a little bit like Caissie, but good.
I liked Hannah's "Little Beaver say white man drop dead." but I liked Katie's more.
Nicole's Aretha is so amazing, almost sounds like the real thing.
Last time I saw Saycon as Abe, but now its after Krystal replaced her. I think Krystal sounds a lot like Saycon did, I mean really good. But kind of similar.
Not a fan of Rachel's BUDDHADALIRAMA I thought it just sounded pretty weird.
Megan and Jackie both sounded great in their 3500 lines. We all know I love this song, and it sounded great.
Can't say I was so crazy for What a Piece of Work Is Man. I didn't like the way it sounded with too guys, and Michael James Scott singing Maya's part was a little weird.
Jackie's Good Morning Starshine was really beautiful, except at times I wished it was just a little stronger.
Aquarius/Ain'tGot No/Yip Up The Sun is absolutely heartbreaking. Which makes Flesh Failures/Let the Sun Shine In BEYOND heartbreaking. Gavin sounded great and some of his long notes were beyond perfection. Jackie also sounded wonderful, fraught with emotion. The whole cast sounded wonderfully emotional.
That was fun, see you tomorrow!
Date: 9/27/09
Type: Audio
Cast: Sasha Allen (Dionne), Will Swenson (Berger), Jackie Burns (Sheila), Gavin Creel (Claude), Kaitlin Kiyan (Crissy), Megan Reinking (Jeanie), Rachel Bay Jones (Mom/Buddhalirama), Andrew Kober (Dad/Margaret Mead/Lancaster), Darius Nichols (Hud), Bryce Ryness (Woof), Josh Lamon (Hubert/John Wilkes Booth), ATO BLANKSON-WOOD, KRYSTAL JOY BROWN, STEEL BURKHARDT, HEATH CALVERT (in Anthony Hollock's track)*, BRIANA CARLSON-GOODMAN (in Megan Reinking's track)*, LAUREN ELDER (sings Jackie Burns' part in Black Boys), CHASTEN HARMON (in Jackie Burns' track)*, JAY ARMSTRONG JOHNSON (in Allison Guinn's track)*, NICOLE LEWIS, JOHN MOAURO, BRANDON PEARSON, PARIS REMILLARD, MICHAEL JAMES SCOTT (in Maya Sharpe's track)*, HANNAH SHANKMAN (in Katie Kiyan's track), TOMMAR WILSON.
This is just an audio, so I can only judge by my ears.
Sasha started the show incredibly fierce, as always. I feel like Will's opening scene was only about 85%. He seemed a little more energetic in Donna, but there was a note that he kind of missed. One of the big notes, he just didn't reach it. I don't get Hashish, how exactly does it do anything for the plot? But really how does anything do anything for anything in this show. Sodomy sounded kind of high, and at the last note Bryce sounded like he was about to crack and instead hit this super high note. When he started talking he coughed a lot. The track is titled "Woof gets a hairball" and then he started off talking a little quieter. Maybe something just went down the wrong pipe. I find it kind of odd that people say "Hi Neil" I don't know why, maybe it's just too much. Darius is a rockstar, Colored Spade was a nice dose of familiarity of the CD. Gavin's accent was really funny, sometimes it was obviously fake other times it was a little more legit sounding. Manchester England is a fav song of mine just because of the funness of it, Gavin played it real nice. Something really sounded a little off with Bryce in Ain't Got No, his voice was a little less powerful and higher.
So we all know how I raved about Jackie so much yesterday. The first thing my ears noticed in I Believe in Love is that her voice is her voice sounds higher than Caissie's. It also seemed slightly less strong, but the pitch was quite gorgeous. And the pledge part sounded really pretty, like you could definitely see her singing the Anthem somewhere.
My other rave, Kacie was out this time. Megan first off sounded pretty good. This was her first time, so that must be pretty nervwracking. She didn't put on a voice the way that Kacie does, making it much more of a comparable sound. Not saying she didn't sound great. She also sounded like she was loosing breath every now and then. But really, she was good. Her scene after Air was a little less overjoyed than Kacie, also seemed a little more sensible. She doesn't exactly know what's going on, but she's a little less off than Kacie's Jeanie.
The new mom wasn't exactly a fave. I feel like she didn't quite know what the character she would go for was. The pity was she brought down Kober in this scene.
When Gavin began singing there was something wonderfully familiar. He sounded quite nice, and was definitely pretty riff-y. He sounds like he gets a little out of breath during the jumping, I guess that could be expected. I love Going Down/Expulsion but I did prefer Theo's Prinicipal.
Kober is love of course. He pulls off a drag voice very well.
I love how Hair has a ton of amazing energy, even in an audio. It makes me want to dance even though I want sleep really bad.
When Jackie's Sheila is telling the story of D.C. she has the same emotion as Caissie, simply with a different voice. I do feel like there is a younger touch to her voice and more sensitivity when fighting with Berger. Berger was atrociously jackassy.
Like I said, Jackie uses the emotion very well but she does hit the big notes a little fainter than Caissie does. I absolutely love her voice in some parts, sounds really sensitive. One thing I also noticed was sometimes it sounded like there were a little parts being rushed ever so slightly.
Megan's "This is the way it is...." monologue is fine, but it doesn't seem to have the same personality as Kacie's. Megan seemed a little more exasperated/disappointed than Kacie.
Also Megan's "Are you going to come to the be-in like a human being?" line didn't make as much of an impression as Kacie's. When Kacie says it in a way that stands out and kind of makes you laugh, while Megan sort of just said it.
I find the idea of Katie as Crissy maybe a little better than the thing itself. First off, she's one of the youngest tribe members and she's pretty good at acting as Crissy. But it sounded like Frank Mills was too high for her so she sang it lower or something. That being said, her voice is amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuRySC4tCPs
Gavin's Where Do I Go was so wonderful, but sometimes it sounds a little choppy like he doesn't have a lot of breath.
Black Boys was entirely understudies, and it pretty fierce. It was Lauren, Briana, and Hannah. Briana sounded great with the "clearly crazy..." part.
Hannah sounded amazing with Katie's line in Walking in Space. As did Megan with Kacie's.
Walking in Space altogether sounded truly wonderful.
Jackie/Sheila/Washington was good, sounded a little bit like Caissie, but good.
I liked Hannah's "Little Beaver say white man drop dead." but I liked Katie's more.
Nicole's Aretha is so amazing, almost sounds like the real thing.
Last time I saw Saycon as Abe, but now its after Krystal replaced her. I think Krystal sounds a lot like Saycon did, I mean really good. But kind of similar.
Not a fan of Rachel's BUDDHADALIRAMA I thought it just sounded pretty weird.
Megan and Jackie both sounded great in their 3500 lines. We all know I love this song, and it sounded great.
Can't say I was so crazy for What a Piece of Work Is Man. I didn't like the way it sounded with too guys, and Michael James Scott singing Maya's part was a little weird.
Jackie's Good Morning Starshine was really beautiful, except at times I wished it was just a little stronger.
Aquarius/Ain'tGot No/Yip Up The Sun is absolutely heartbreaking. Which makes Flesh Failures/Let the Sun Shine In BEYOND heartbreaking. Gavin sounded great and some of his long notes were beyond perfection. Jackie also sounded wonderful, fraught with emotion. The whole cast sounded wonderfully emotional.
That was fun, see you tomorrow!
Day 1-11/20/09
Show: Hair
Date: 3/15/09
Type: Video
Cast: Gavin Creel, Will Swenson, Caissie Levy, Sasha Allen, Allison Case, Andrew Kober, Megan Lawrence, Darius Nichols, Bryce Ryness, Kacie Sheik
I love this video! I love this show! The cast is amazing, they all have such great chemistry. Gavin is totally amazing vocally, and that kind of makes you forget how he's like 15 years older than the character. I'd say the song I thought he was the best in was Flesh Failures. In some recordings that have been more recent I thought his voice sounds not quite as good, but here it is SO good. Will's acting is amazing, especially his opening scene with the audience, he's so good at getting the audience to connect. His voice is great in the songs, but it almost seems less important than the acting the way he does it. I must say, I don't like the character of Berger all too much. His personality is fine in the first act, with the exception of the Easy to Be Hard scene. But in Act 2, it just seems like too much. Sasha Allen's voice is absolutely killer, but I don't feel like she really get's any of a chance to act. It's like a line here or there, but mostly you just get her singing. Allison Case is as cute as you may have heard, but she's not amazing. I find her voice to be quite nice, but her acting and facial expressions sometimes seem a little off-a little too much-not quite there. Katie Kiyan, on the other hand gets it right in her track. (I saw her as Crissy, which was a little too toned-down for my liking) Katie's great with her expressions, I absolutely loved her line in Walking in Space, and her line in the trip sequence was excellent. Kober is, well, Koberrific. I mean really, he's just great. I can't say he's terribly noticeable as Lancaster on my tiny ipod screen, but he's hilarious as the dad and Margaret Mead. It's really amusing to see him in the I Got Life scene, trying to be Gavin's dad. Megan Lawrence as the mom is hilarious, but as Buddhawhatever is just good. I love how Megan's mom voice is, you can definitely see a mom having that kind of voice. But I liked Allison Guinn's Buddhawhatever when I saw her more, not that Megan's isn't good just Allison did this crazy creepy head movement and it's hilarious. So Darius is pretty much amazing, he just has a great voice and really good stage-presence, which brings us to Caissie, also amazing. Caissie is completely believable as Sheila, like I actually feel bad for her at some times. She makes you want to be on her side, even if you're not. And she has this very strong voice, yet she fits into the choruses so well. I find Bryce Ryness playing Woof so interesting because Woof is supposed to be small, young and innocent. But I love how Bryce works what he's got. He's quite tall, and when he stands on stage he stands out quite a bit. He doesn't have to work for your attention when it's time to notice him. His Mick Jagger scene is totally hilarious "OFF OF MY LOVE!" Kacie Sheik is absolutely incredible. Whoever made the Broadway Secret awhile back about how she looks like Taylor Swift should be shot. Kacie blows Taylor, actually almost every blonde out of the water. Her voice is impossibly gorgeous. If you ever try to sing along with her you will fail miserably, because it's so hard to compare. Her acting is so wonderful. Almost everything she says is upbeat and charming, especially her scene after Air. I played that scene a few times because I honestly was so taken by it. You may hear/have heard people say that it's impossible to take your eyes off of Allison. I agree, if you substitute Jackie for Allison. Jackie really commands your attention, even on my little screen. Partly because, she's absolutely gorgeous. Also because she has this look, it's not an expression per se. Just a really fierce look, that you're interested. The group numbers are really the best in this show, not to say that the solos aren't good too of course. I'd say the absolute best would be 3-5-0-0. This is also the number that I found Allison to be truly great in. The whole cast is in a line at the front of the stage, but she's moving so much in her spot. She offers so much energy that the song has. Hair is such a wonderful song, but the effect is really dimished because the filmer has to hide the camera when the cast came into the audience. I know many people talk about how much they cry, but I can't seem to muster up tears when watching this. And I couldn't seem to cry when I saw it live either. I think the main reason for this is that the 2nd act is quite confusing and it's hard to comprehend, process, and cry. At the very least, the emotion exuted by the cast helps you feel it too.
Date: 3/15/09
Type: Video
Cast: Gavin Creel, Will Swenson, Caissie Levy, Sasha Allen, Allison Case, Andrew Kober, Megan Lawrence, Darius Nichols, Bryce Ryness, Kacie Sheik
I love this video! I love this show! The cast is amazing, they all have such great chemistry. Gavin is totally amazing vocally, and that kind of makes you forget how he's like 15 years older than the character. I'd say the song I thought he was the best in was Flesh Failures. In some recordings that have been more recent I thought his voice sounds not quite as good, but here it is SO good. Will's acting is amazing, especially his opening scene with the audience, he's so good at getting the audience to connect. His voice is great in the songs, but it almost seems less important than the acting the way he does it. I must say, I don't like the character of Berger all too much. His personality is fine in the first act, with the exception of the Easy to Be Hard scene. But in Act 2, it just seems like too much. Sasha Allen's voice is absolutely killer, but I don't feel like she really get's any of a chance to act. It's like a line here or there, but mostly you just get her singing. Allison Case is as cute as you may have heard, but she's not amazing. I find her voice to be quite nice, but her acting and facial expressions sometimes seem a little off-a little too much-not quite there. Katie Kiyan, on the other hand gets it right in her track. (I saw her as Crissy, which was a little too toned-down for my liking) Katie's great with her expressions, I absolutely loved her line in Walking in Space, and her line in the trip sequence was excellent. Kober is, well, Koberrific. I mean really, he's just great. I can't say he's terribly noticeable as Lancaster on my tiny ipod screen, but he's hilarious as the dad and Margaret Mead. It's really amusing to see him in the I Got Life scene, trying to be Gavin's dad. Megan Lawrence as the mom is hilarious, but as Buddhawhatever is just good. I love how Megan's mom voice is, you can definitely see a mom having that kind of voice. But I liked Allison Guinn's Buddhawhatever when I saw her more, not that Megan's isn't good just Allison did this crazy creepy head movement and it's hilarious. So Darius is pretty much amazing, he just has a great voice and really good stage-presence, which brings us to Caissie, also amazing. Caissie is completely believable as Sheila, like I actually feel bad for her at some times. She makes you want to be on her side, even if you're not. And she has this very strong voice, yet she fits into the choruses so well. I find Bryce Ryness playing Woof so interesting because Woof is supposed to be small, young and innocent. But I love how Bryce works what he's got. He's quite tall, and when he stands on stage he stands out quite a bit. He doesn't have to work for your attention when it's time to notice him. His Mick Jagger scene is totally hilarious "OFF OF MY LOVE!" Kacie Sheik is absolutely incredible. Whoever made the Broadway Secret awhile back about how she looks like Taylor Swift should be shot. Kacie blows Taylor, actually almost every blonde out of the water. Her voice is impossibly gorgeous. If you ever try to sing along with her you will fail miserably, because it's so hard to compare. Her acting is so wonderful. Almost everything she says is upbeat and charming, especially her scene after Air. I played that scene a few times because I honestly was so taken by it. You may hear/have heard people say that it's impossible to take your eyes off of Allison. I agree, if you substitute Jackie for Allison. Jackie really commands your attention, even on my little screen. Partly because, she's absolutely gorgeous. Also because she has this look, it's not an expression per se. Just a really fierce look, that you're interested. The group numbers are really the best in this show, not to say that the solos aren't good too of course. I'd say the absolute best would be 3-5-0-0. This is also the number that I found Allison to be truly great in. The whole cast is in a line at the front of the stage, but she's moving so much in her spot. She offers so much energy that the song has. Hair is such a wonderful song, but the effect is really dimished because the filmer has to hide the camera when the cast came into the audience. I know many people talk about how much they cry, but I can't seem to muster up tears when watching this. And I couldn't seem to cry when I saw it live either. I think the main reason for this is that the 2nd act is quite confusing and it's hard to comprehend, process, and cry. At the very least, the emotion exuted by the cast helps you feel it too.
A Challenge
I decided that I'm going to test/challenge myself:
-Listen to or watch at least one show a day.
-Write a review of it.
-Go for as many days as I can.
I have about 20 minutes left of Hair, and then I'll get started.
-Listen to or watch at least one show a day.
-Write a review of it.
-Go for as many days as I can.
I have about 20 minutes left of Hair, and then I'll get started.
Excerpt
My phone rang when I was near the front desk. It was the same number as before.
“Two times in one day, is everything alright?”
“Marky, it’s me. It’s-”
Even thought it had been a long time, I recognized that voice “-Dad?”
“Hey, sport. How are you?”
I was so happy to hear his voice I almost cried “Good” I lied “and you?”
“Same old. Did I hear something about you getting attacked?”
“Uh, yeah. But it’s not a big deal.”
“Your mom practically died when she first heard. No way it’s no big deal. What happened?”
What should I say?
“Someone ambushed me, and beat me up.”
“I’m so sorry. High School all over.”
“Yeah. If it hadn’t been for Sarah, I could’ve died.”
“Do you know why it happened?”
“Because…because” I fumbled with my words “I cheated on Sarah.”
“With who?”
I started crying a little “Mitchell.”
“Does Sarah know?”
“Yes” I sniffed.
“What did she say?”
“She asked if that meant I had changed my mind. But I haven’t.”
“Are you sure? Your happiness is important.”
“Yes.” I knew he’d think this. “It only happened because I was drunk. But Sarah’s still the person who I want to be with.”
“And she seriously wasn’t mad?”
“Not really.”
“You’ve got a great girl.”
I was so surprised “Are you kidding?”
“I know I wasn’t so keen on her to start with. But I see that I was wrong. She’s definitely something else.”
“Thanks.” I said quietly, getting all verklempt again.
“And I want to meet your girls.”
I tried to hide my tears “Oh dad. Thank you so much.”
“Two times in one day, is everything alright?”
“Marky, it’s me. It’s-”
Even thought it had been a long time, I recognized that voice “-Dad?”
“Hey, sport. How are you?”
I was so happy to hear his voice I almost cried “Good” I lied “and you?”
“Same old. Did I hear something about you getting attacked?”
“Uh, yeah. But it’s not a big deal.”
“Your mom practically died when she first heard. No way it’s no big deal. What happened?”
What should I say?
“Someone ambushed me, and beat me up.”
“I’m so sorry. High School all over.”
“Yeah. If it hadn’t been for Sarah, I could’ve died.”
“Do you know why it happened?”
“Because…because” I fumbled with my words “I cheated on Sarah.”
“With who?”
I started crying a little “Mitchell.”
“Does Sarah know?”
“Yes” I sniffed.
“What did she say?”
“She asked if that meant I had changed my mind. But I haven’t.”
“Are you sure? Your happiness is important.”
“Yes.” I knew he’d think this. “It only happened because I was drunk. But Sarah’s still the person who I want to be with.”
“And she seriously wasn’t mad?”
“Not really.”
“You’ve got a great girl.”
I was so surprised “Are you kidding?”
“I know I wasn’t so keen on her to start with. But I see that I was wrong. She’s definitely something else.”
“Thanks.” I said quietly, getting all verklempt again.
“And I want to meet your girls.”
I tried to hide my tears “Oh dad. Thank you so much.”
Excerpt
The powerdrill, the sunglasses, the heat, and his shirtless chest were a painful combination. I couldn’t stay focused, and not for a lack of trying. The foreman told me I could get water and a break. Instead, I decided to satisfy my craving.
I walked up behind Mitch and put my arms around him. He felt so good.
“I missed you.” He told me softly.
I smiled “want to go somewhere private?”
We were about to sneak off when we heard a crash. I looked up and saw a pink hard hat rolling on the ground.
“Oh god. I think that’s Sarah!”
We ran up to where the action was. It looked pretty bad, but I really wanted Sarah to be okay. By the time we were there, she was lying on a stretcher.
“Hi guys!” she waved feebly. “I got his by a piece of wood!”
I smiled and nodded “I know. Have fun in the ER.”
She gave me a thumbs up. “Of course I will” and with that she was wheeled off.
I turned to Mitch, before I spoke he said “I think we should go. Be there for her.”
I was so relieved that he suggested it, because if I had it might have seemed weird.
I walked up behind Mitch and put my arms around him. He felt so good.
“I missed you.” He told me softly.
I smiled “want to go somewhere private?”
We were about to sneak off when we heard a crash. I looked up and saw a pink hard hat rolling on the ground.
“Oh god. I think that’s Sarah!”
We ran up to where the action was. It looked pretty bad, but I really wanted Sarah to be okay. By the time we were there, she was lying on a stretcher.
“Hi guys!” she waved feebly. “I got his by a piece of wood!”
I smiled and nodded “I know. Have fun in the ER.”
She gave me a thumbs up. “Of course I will” and with that she was wheeled off.
I turned to Mitch, before I spoke he said “I think we should go. Be there for her.”
I was so relieved that he suggested it, because if I had it might have seemed weird.
Excerpt
“You know I love you.” He told me.
I didn’t know where he was going “Yeah, I love you too.”
“I want you to be happy.” He then said.
I was pretty sure I knew where it was going now. “Are you breaking up with me?”
“No!” He interjected “I’m trying to say…do you think you like Sarah?”
Oh. That.
“I don’t know. I guess. A little. Maybe-”
“-Then if it feels right, be with her. If being with me turns out better, then maybe we could still be.”
I didn’t know where he was going “Yeah, I love you too.”
“I want you to be happy.” He then said.
I was pretty sure I knew where it was going now. “Are you breaking up with me?”
“No!” He interjected “I’m trying to say…do you think you like Sarah?”
Oh. That.
“I don’t know. I guess. A little. Maybe-”
“-Then if it feels right, be with her. If being with me turns out better, then maybe we could still be.”
Excerpt
I looked in and was slightly taken aback when I saw Marcus. Seeing him all bandaged and weak was so unusual. It was like role reversal. It also made it so hard to think of something to say. When I walked in he was lying on his side and I saw in a chair with him facing away from me.
“Hey” I said softly. But he didn’t even respond.
He was pretending to be asleep, it must be. When he finally faced me his eyes were all teary. I knew he cried at pretty much anything, but there wasn’t even the slightest reason to be tearing up now.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned for him.
“I’m sorry you had to go through this.”
I was angry at him for putting so much guilt on himself.
“You’re not supposed to be sorry!” I yelled.
“Why not?” He countered.
“Because then if I get mad it you, I’ll feel all guilty because you’re all sad…” I joked.
He smiled a little in response, which was kind of good.
“Hey” I said softly. But he didn’t even respond.
He was pretending to be asleep, it must be. When he finally faced me his eyes were all teary. I knew he cried at pretty much anything, but there wasn’t even the slightest reason to be tearing up now.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned for him.
“I’m sorry you had to go through this.”
I was angry at him for putting so much guilt on himself.
“You’re not supposed to be sorry!” I yelled.
“Why not?” He countered.
“Because then if I get mad it you, I’ll feel all guilty because you’re all sad…” I joked.
He smiled a little in response, which was kind of good.
Excerpt
I took a deep breath and knocked on Matt’s door. I’d given him some time to not be too upset, so maybe he’d at least talk to me. When he opened the door he didn’t look so good.
“Hi, Lexi.” He sounded depressed, but not quite angry.
“I’m sorry.” I said as honestly sincere as I could.
“I don’t understand. Why would you do that? I thought you were getting to be friends.”
That made me feel unbelievably guilty, “”I said it a long time ago. Before I knew her…”
His eyes still looked angry “Why would you say it at all? She does have a heart. I guess you just never struck me as that mean”
“It was because of you!” I shouted.
He looked surprised “What?”
“I really liked you. I was just jealously venting when I said all that. It was a mistake.” I hadn’t meant to say all that, but I did.
“Oh. Lex…”
“I really do feel bad.”
He nodded “Alright.”
“Did Sarah leave?”
He nodded solemnly “Yeah.”
“You should try to get her to stay.” I encouraged.
“I know.” He said quietly. “But maybe she’ll change her mind or something.”
I didn’t know what else to do, so I hugged him and left.
Excerpt
My mom and I got back and saw that Sarah had left. I decided to let Sarah tell me what happened, but I could tell it was my father’s doing. I knew that he didn’t understand. It hardly even made sense to me, and I should have known better than to bring Sarah to meet them, I thought they knew that I loved her. But unfortunately my dad was still trying to make up for my adolescence.
Excerpt
“Did Marcus tell you about being in school?”
I shook my head “No.”
“I can’t tell you how many times I had to pick him up.”
“What do you mean?”
“It seems like even when he was in pre-school, I was picking him up after he got into fights.”
“fights?” Why didn’t I know about this?
“I don’t mean he fought, but other people picked on him all the time.”
Oh, poor little Marcus.
“I used to be called in, maybe once a month, to take him home after someone beat him up.”
“Oh god.”
“When he was in high school he tried to hide it. I got called in because he was cutting classes. He didn’t tell anyone why, not me or his teachers or the counselors. So they didn’t do anything other than threaten to suspend him if he kept cutting class. Not long after he started going back I was called in again. This time it was because he had been beaten. Badly.”
“On no.”
“I was driving him home and I asked ‘I know you’re not that popular, but why does this happen?’ he looked scared, told me ‘they’ve always done this, but I think they found out something about me. And maybe that’s why…’ I have to admit, I wasn’t sure where he was going, until he said ‘Dad, I’m gay.’”
Mr. Fitzgerald looked at me and continued “I pulled over, he looked so scared—probably thought I was going to scold him or slap him. But I just wanted to let him know I was so proud of him. When I hugged him, he started crying. He said he’s been hiding it for so long.”
I could see where he was going, but I let him finish.
“Things definitely got better for him as time went on and the world changed.. Do you understand my story?”
“Yes.” I nodded fiercely. “I know how much it sucks to be an outsider. To feel like you don’t belong…”
“Fine, you have that in common. But what makes you right for each other?”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to sound full of myself.
“He came out to me. I don’t understand how he’s with you now.”
I didn’t know what to say. “I really like Marcus. Do you think he’d be with me if he didn’t like me too?”
“I don’t know. Are you paying him?”
“No.”
“Blackmailing him?”
“No”
“Threatening him?”
“No”
“Well I just don’t get it. First, my son is gay. Second, you’re all wrong for him. “
I was offended “Excuse me? How am I wrong for him? We have a ton in common, and maybe I’m not as perfect as he is, but isn’t that was being together is about?...Completion?”
“So it’s because you’re better than him? Your intellect completes him?”
“I never said that! Completion isn’t necessarily mutual.”
“Now we’re back to that you’re using him.”
“No! I honestly think in some odd way he wants to be with me. And if he decided-or realized-he wants to be with someone else. Then I’d help him make that happen.”
I didn’t want to cry in front of him “I have to go. To my car. To get something.”
I ran to my car and got the hell out of there.
I shook my head “No.”
“I can’t tell you how many times I had to pick him up.”
“What do you mean?”
“It seems like even when he was in pre-school, I was picking him up after he got into fights.”
“fights?” Why didn’t I know about this?
“I don’t mean he fought, but other people picked on him all the time.”
Oh, poor little Marcus.
“I used to be called in, maybe once a month, to take him home after someone beat him up.”
“Oh god.”
“When he was in high school he tried to hide it. I got called in because he was cutting classes. He didn’t tell anyone why, not me or his teachers or the counselors. So they didn’t do anything other than threaten to suspend him if he kept cutting class. Not long after he started going back I was called in again. This time it was because he had been beaten. Badly.”
“On no.”
“I was driving him home and I asked ‘I know you’re not that popular, but why does this happen?’ he looked scared, told me ‘they’ve always done this, but I think they found out something about me. And maybe that’s why…’ I have to admit, I wasn’t sure where he was going, until he said ‘Dad, I’m gay.’”
Mr. Fitzgerald looked at me and continued “I pulled over, he looked so scared—probably thought I was going to scold him or slap him. But I just wanted to let him know I was so proud of him. When I hugged him, he started crying. He said he’s been hiding it for so long.”
I could see where he was going, but I let him finish.
“Things definitely got better for him as time went on and the world changed.. Do you understand my story?”
“Yes.” I nodded fiercely. “I know how much it sucks to be an outsider. To feel like you don’t belong…”
“Fine, you have that in common. But what makes you right for each other?”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to sound full of myself.
“He came out to me. I don’t understand how he’s with you now.”
I didn’t know what to say. “I really like Marcus. Do you think he’d be with me if he didn’t like me too?”
“I don’t know. Are you paying him?”
“No.”
“Blackmailing him?”
“No”
“Threatening him?”
“No”
“Well I just don’t get it. First, my son is gay. Second, you’re all wrong for him. “
I was offended “Excuse me? How am I wrong for him? We have a ton in common, and maybe I’m not as perfect as he is, but isn’t that was being together is about?...Completion?”
“So it’s because you’re better than him? Your intellect completes him?”
“I never said that! Completion isn’t necessarily mutual.”
“Now we’re back to that you’re using him.”
“No! I honestly think in some odd way he wants to be with me. And if he decided-or realized-he wants to be with someone else. Then I’d help him make that happen.”
I didn’t want to cry in front of him “I have to go. To my car. To get something.”
I ran to my car and got the hell out of there.
