There’s nothing like a pandemic to make you a little nostalgic. At least, that was definitely the case for performer Andrea Bell Wolff, who opens her show Adventures in Vegas with a scene at a pandemic-era birthday gathering. From there, Wolff dusts off from the pages of her diary memories of Las Vegas and suddenlyContinue reading “Show Girl Showstopper: Andrea Bell Wolff Dazzles as She Recalls her ‘Adventures in Vegas’”
Tag Archives: Musical Theatre
The Great Eleven O’Clock Number
As I previously wrote: “..none [of the songs] get us there quite like its eleven o’clock number, “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” does. It is La La Land’s most character-driven piece and undeniably its best song (despite being passed over by “City of Stars” for Best Song nominee at that year’s Oscars).” Featuring wonderfully-penned lyricsContinue reading “The Great Eleven O’Clock Number”
Music to Move the Stars: Damien Chazelle’s ‘La La Land’ is a Dizzying Confection of Dreamy Nostalgia
For nearly the past twenty years or so, movie-musicals have seen a resurgence in the public consciousness. One such film that has done so, and with as much fanfare (or perhaps even more so), is none other than Damien Chazelle’s own ambitious take, La La Land (2016). Chazelle’s second attempt at a musical (after hisContinue reading “Music to Move the Stars: Damien Chazelle’s ‘La La Land’ is a Dizzying Confection of Dreamy Nostalgia”
The Pulchritude of Fosse, Revisited: A Look at Those Famous Jazz Hands—Step-by-Step, Inch-by-Inch, Frame-by-Intoxicating-Frame
According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, the word pulchritude (one of my personal favorites) is defined simply as ‘physical comeliness’ — and if there is anything that fits that description, it’s director-choreographer-auteur Bob Fosse and his distinctive choreography. Known now for its emphasis on rounded shoulders and isolated movements, Fosse’s choreography was inspired by what heContinue reading “The Pulchritude of Fosse, Revisited: A Look at Those Famous Jazz Hands—Step-by-Step, Inch-by-Inch, Frame-by-Intoxicating-Frame”
Out of the Shadows: PigPen Theatre Company Takes us to a Land of Make-Believe
The cast of The Old Man and the Old Moon, from left: Arya Shahi, Ryan Melia, Curtis Gillen, Ben Ferguson, Dan Weschler, Matt Neurnberger and Alex Falberg. (Photo via Broadway.com) Over the years, New York has seen its fair share of fairy tale- and folklore-driven theatre; from The Lion King and Wicked to the more recent PeterContinue reading “Out of the Shadows: PigPen Theatre Company Takes us to a Land of Make-Believe”
Let’s Pick up the Pace and Go to Hell in a Fast Car: Kander & Ebb’s Chicago Serves Up Some ‘Razzle Dazzle’
Imagine this: a steamy jazz club. A saxophone whining and groaning into the smoky air. Dancers in their racy costumes, warming up. All of a sudden, the song segues into a rag-tag big band number, and under a single spotlight stands headliner Velma Kelly in a rendition of a familiar song. Well, stop dreaming, becauseContinue reading “Let’s Pick up the Pace and Go to Hell in a Fast Car: Kander & Ebb’s Chicago Serves Up Some ‘Razzle Dazzle’”
Jessica Taghap 