Phantom of the Opera 2017

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Popular musical theatre has never been out of style, but in the mid 1980’s, it reached new heights when the original Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber opened in London in 1986, moved to Broadway in 1988, and won multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Actor for Michael Crawford. The show was brought to the West Coast in 1989, where I saw it in Los Angeles in 1991—the first large-scale musical I ever attended. Phantom struck a chord with audiences worldwide, and endless praise for Andrew Lloyd Webber, Michael Crawford, and Sarah Brightman, the original Christine Daaé. In 2012, it became the longest running Broadway show in history, and one of the most financially successful productions as well. Crawford, previously known mostly as a genial comic actor, became a romantic superstar for his amazing performance as the Phantom.

The show, with music by Lloyd Webber and lyrics and book by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, was based on a French novel by Gaston Leroux about a man born horribly disfigured, and living in a subterranean lair beneath the Paris opera house. He is also a musical genius, and has been secretly tutoring a young woman, Christine Daaé, to become a great singer. Though never seeing him, she thinks of him as the “Angel of Music” her late father promised would guide her. The man, who calls himself the “Opera Ghost” (or O.G. in his letters,) demands the owners of the opera follow his directions, or face the consequences, which sometimes include murder. He places all his hopes in Christine being a star, and learning to love him—something no one else has ever done, including his own mother.

The new production of Phantom of the Opera opened as the finale of the Broadway Sacramento 2017–18 season last week, and runs through Sunday, May 28. The title role is played by Derrick Davis, who brings a rich baritone and powerful stage presence to the role. Since his face is always covered by the famous phantom mask, or in make-up, he must deliver the character using his voice and body alone. Davis’ singing ranges from a subtle tortured, pleading quietness to a powerful roar, bringing both terror and pity to the character. He is seductive in the song “The Music of the Night” and intimidating in “The Point of No Return.”

Katie Travis plays Christine Daaé, the young woman who finds herself the center of everything, as the Phantom pins all of his hopes and dreams on her, Raoul has fallen in love with her, the opera owners hope she will bring in crowds, and the reigning diva, Carlotta, despises the young ingénue who is replacing her. Travis has the lovely soprano voice needed to handle to role, as she shows in her first songs, “Think of Me” and “Angel of Music.” And the end of the first act brings the iconic song “All I Ask of You”, a favorite for weddings, (my own included,) which she sings with Jordan Craig as Raoul, the young man who remembers Christine as childhood friend, and is now in love with her. The two form a lovely duet, which becomes darker as the Phantom joins in at the climax of the first act.

Despite the dark subject, there is humor in Phantom as well, notably with the two opera owners Firmin and André, played by David Benoit and Edward Staudenmayer, who carry the catchy tune “Notes,” when they and others read instructions from “O.G.” about how to run the theatre and cast the shows. Much like Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeny Todd, another macabre musical that preceded Phantom by a few years, the humorous elements keep the story from becoming too dark and depressing, especially when delivered with great songs. Trista Moldovan, who plays Carlotta, is the center of “Prima Donna,” as Firmin and André praise her to keep her in the show. Carlotta is a tricky part, as she has to be both a great singer, but not so great that she can’t be replaced by young Christine.

Besides the excellent cast, a standout of the show are the amazing sets by Paul Brown. The tower with a retracting stairway is something to behold. Each scene unfolds with clever set changes, including the opera house with box seats, and the famous chandelier hanging above the audience. The costumes are also perfect, and the scenes with the ballerinas are reminiscent of an Edgar Degas painting. The live 14-member orchestra, under the direction of Jamie Johns, delivers the great music, featuring, of course, the powerful organ of the title song.

Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose body of work includes Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, and many more, reached a peak with Phantom of the Opera, both creatively and commercially. Even though it has over thirty years of performances with a variety of casts, (Robert Guillaume, better known as TV’s Benson, once played the Phantom and was a huge success,) it is always great to get a fresh look at this landmark work. And the Sacramento audience was thrilled, giving an enthusiastic standing ovation.

The Phantom of the Opera is playing through Sunday, May 28 at the Community Center Theater in downtown Sacramento. The show is suitable for adults and teens, but fairly intense for younger kids. For more information and tickets, see www.BroadwaySacramento.com. The new season of Music Circus opens with Beauty and the Beast on June 20.

Ken Kiunke  5/21/2017

Originally published in GoldCountryMarketing.com. Reprintable with attribution to Gold Country Marketing and Ken Kiunke

In 1992, Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston starred in the romantic thriller movie The Bodyguard, about a former secret service agent hired to protect a superstar singer who has been stalked and threatened while preparing to appear at the Academy Awards show. The movie did moderately well with mixed critical reception. But it also launched The Song. The Dolly Parton-written “I Will Always Love You” was a successful single for her, reaching the top of the country charts when released in 1974. But it was Whitney Houston’s version for The Bodyguard soundtrack that made it the quintessential pop diva anthem. It launched the album to be the best-selling soundtrack of all time, and the single the best-selling female vocal ever. It was not only Houston’s signature song, but has become ubiquitous, performed everywhere from karaoke bars to reality TV shows. It dominated music awards in 1993 and 1994. These days, when people think of The Bodyguard movie, they mostly remember that song and the iconic poster of Costner carrying Houston to safety in the rain.

In 2012, Alexander Dinelaris created a stage version of the story, adding several more Whitney Houston hit songs to the original soundtrack, new characters to the story, and bringing Rachel Marron, Houston’s role, to the forefront of the story. It opened in London, and reached the U.S. for the first time in 2016 in a national tour, which opened in Sacramento on Tuesday, April 18.

The show opens with a “bang” as we see Frank Farmer, played by Judson Mills, in a shootout with a bad guy, and then quickly shifts to Rachel Marron, played by popular R&B singer Deborah Cox, performing “Queen of the Night” in a concert with her talented team of dancers. We learn that Marron is, like Whitney Houston herself, a hugely popular, award-winning pop star, but that threatening notes have been left for her, and her security is inadequate. Her manager convinces Farmer that she, and her young son Fletcher, need his protection. While Rachel initially chafes under Farmer’s interference in her life, her sister Nicki, played by Jasmin Richardson, appreciates him, especially after he shows up to hear her sing “Saving All My Love” at a local bar.

The relationship between Rachel and Nicki is shown as loving, but with jealousies, Nicki being overshadowed first as a singer, and then as a love interest for Frank, the bodyguard. But it allows her to show off her talents as well, especially with the song “All At Once” in the second act as Rachel and Frank develop their relationship. Meanwhile, this is the only musical I can remember in which the male lead neither sings nor dances, other than his comical rendition of “I Will Always Love You” in a karaoke bar. He also proves to be one of the worst bodyguards ever, as Rachel and her family are in more and more danger as the story progresses, often as a direct result of Frank’s actions. But of course if he were as good as he was supposed to be, there wouldn’t be much of a story.

But of course the main attraction of the production is the great Whitney Houston songbook. The show could be seen as a memorial tribute to Houston, who died in February 2012, just a few months before the musical’s debut. But it was in planning for several years prior, so what may have begun as an homage became a tribute, and a fitting appreciation of her music, especially when performed by singers like Deborah Cox and Jasmin Richardson. And Cox brought the house to its feet with her great rendition of the song everyone was waiting for, as she came out in a stunning gown to sing “I Will Always Love You” at the conclusion.

One of the great new trends in musical theater is the addition of a grand number at the end, after the curtain call. Once the Sacramento crowd gave the cast a very enthusiastic standing ovation, the entire company performed “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, a true highlight of the show. The company of dancers, who were great throughout, got an extra chance to show off their talents. And even 12-year-old Douglas Baldeo, who played Fletcher, belted out a few great solos. Rachel’s more traditional “big guy” bodyguard Tony, played by Alex Corrado, joined the dance, and the bad guy, played by Jorge Paniagua, got a shot at redemption.

The Bodyguard is playing through Sunday, April 23 at the Community Center Theater in downtown Sacramento. The show is suitable for adults and older teens, but not for younger kids. For more information and tickets, see www.BroadwaySacramento.com. The season continues with the much anticipated Phantom of the Opera from May 17 to 28.

Ken Kiunke  4/19/2017

Originally published in GoldCountryMarketing.com. Reprintable with attribution to Gold Country Marketing and Ken Kiunke

Imagine Downton Abbey if a stranger had shown up at the Crawley’s estate and announced that he was a long-lost cousin who is another heir to the title Earl of Grantham. After being dismissed, he sets out to eliminate Lady Mary, Matthew Crawley, Lady Edith, Cora, and Robert Crawley, the current Earl of Grantham—perhaps even Violet, the Dowager Countess. As they all begin to die off one-by-one, the story is set to a Gilbert and Sullivan-style musical; you have the basic idea of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, the production that opened Tuesday night and runs through Sunday, March 12 at the Sacramento Community Center Theater as part of Broadway Sacramento’s 2016–17 season. The show’s music and book were written by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak. It originally opened in 2012, and won several Tony Awards in 2014, including best musical.

Despite the dark subject matter, the show is bright and cheerful, and played for big laughs. Kevin Massey plays Monty Navarro, a young man of London in 1909 who, after his mother’s death, learns that she was once a D’Ysquith, a wealthy family led by the Earl of Highhurst, who rejected her when she eloped with a Spanish musician. Before we meet Monty, however, the show opens with the clever song, “A Warning to the Audience,” which cautions that this is a disturbing tale that may not be suitable for those with “a weaker constitution.” (The great Netflix show A Series of Unfortunate Events uses the same device, musically warning the audience before each show that they really shouldn’t be watching.)

We soon learn that Monty is in love with the beautiful Sibella, played by Kristen Beth Williams; who may be fond of Monty, but could never abide being with a poor man, as she shares in the song “I Don’t Know What I’d Do.” Spurred on to win Sibella’s devotion, he sets out to claim his rightful inheritance in the D’Ysquith estate. Learning that, not only has the family rejected him, but there are eight people ahead of him in the claim to the Earldom, he begins to seek his revenge by eliminating them all. Perhaps to show the audience that this might not be so bad, the current Earl, Lord Adalbert D’Ysquith, sings “I Don’t Understand the Poor,” berating those below his station in life.

The rest of the first act involves Monty encountering various D’Ysquiths, all played by the versatile and talented John Rapson, who seamlessly switches roles between the various family members who encounter Monty (with usually fatal results.) Rapson provides most of the comedy of the show as he portrays both the men and women of the family, as they face everything from overly-heavy barbells to a swarm of bees, as they interact with the seemingly kind and benign Monty.

The one D’Ysquith not played by Rapson is Phoebe, who is not only beautiful, but young enough not to be one of the eight in Monty’s path to the title. Spurred on by Sibella’s decision to marry an already wealthy (but boring) man, Monty sets his romantic sights on Phoebe, played by Kristen Hahn. Though his heart may be with her, his desires are still with Sibella, and their love triangle is wonderfully shown in the song “I’ve Decided to Marry You” in Act II, which is the highlight of the show.

The show can be something of a challenge, as there are no characters in the whole thing who you can root for—most everyone is up to no good (excepting Phoebe, perhaps, who is oblivious to the whole thing…) The music is also something of a challenge, as the songs all sort of flow into each other operetta style, with very few standing out on their own. But the singing is great, and the laughs very big. The effects of some of the “accidents” are cleverly done, and the sets, designed by Alexander Dodge, make very artistic use of one basic apparatus, with animations and projections to alter the look of each scene.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder is playing through Sunday, March 12 at the Community Center Theater in downtown Sacramento. The show is suitable for teens and older, but probably not for younger kids. It runs about two and a half hours with intermission.

For more information and tickets, see www.BroadwaySacramento.com. The season continues with The Bodyguard, opening April 18, and finishes with the much anticipated Phantom of the Opera May 17–28.

Ken Kiunke  3/10/2017

Originally published in GoldCountryMarketing.com. Reprintable with attribution to Gold Country Marketing and Ken Kiunke

 It’s that same old story: A man wants his son to follow in his footsteps and take on the family business, but the son wants to move to the big city and pursue his career. But the dad dies, and the son returns to rescue the business from failure, meets a flamboyant drag queen, and saves the business by making glamorous high-top women’s boots for transvestite men…okay, so it strays from the formula a bit.

The musical Kinky Boots opened Tuesday as part of the Broadway Sacramento 2016–17 season at the Sacramento Community Center Theater. With music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein, it is based on a 2005 British film, which was itself based on a documentary and true story. Fierstein and Lauper were brought in to make it a musical, which premiered in 2012, and won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and Best Score for Lauper.

The show opens with a boy, Charlie, and his dad at the shoe factory, as he learns the ropes, and gets to know all the folks who work there at “Price & Son”; while we see another young boy, who likes ladies’ shoes, scolded by his own dad. After we see a transition to the grown-up Charlie, played by Curt Hansen, the two boys will meet again. Charlie’s dad has died, he is stuck trying to shore up the failing shoe factory, and preparing to lay off the staff who have been like family to him. But after a night-time altercation at a pub, Charlie is knocked out and wakes up in the company of Lola, the person who will change his life.

Lola, played by J. Harrison Ghee, is a tall black man who dresses in spectacular gowns and performs at a local nightclub with the “Angels”. They bring the show spectacularly to life with the song “Land of Lola”. Meanwhile, Charlie sees that the problem they all face is that women’s shoes are not made to support a man’s body, which eventually leads to his plan to save the factory.

Besides his flamboyant personality and stage presence, Ghee has a stunning voice that carries the production in the big, bright stage numbers, but is equally up to the task in more sensitive moments. He and Hansen sing the emotional core of the show, “Not My Father’s Son”, and bond over the realization that they are not that different in being unable to live up to their fathers’ expectations.

 Lola has a lot to teach the factory workers as well in the song “What a Woman Wants”, and comes into conflict with the “man’s man” of the factory, Don. By the end of a boxing match with Don, Lola has earned the respect of them all, and is welcomed as part of their team producing the kinky boots Lola has designed. A nice feature of this production is that the company playing the workers really look the part—they are all regular looking folks who you would not be surprised to see working in a factory. Fortunately they can all sing and dance as well, as they show in the dynamic production number that concludes the first act, “Everybody Say Yeah”.

The second act features both leads taking a stunning solo number, as Charlie struggles with his failures in the song “Soul of a Man”, and Lola reaching out to his aging father in “Hold Me In Your Heart”. These touching scenes are followed by the colorful and comedic conclusion at a Milan fashion show, where their kinky boots are to get their debut, and Lola and the Angels save the day. The whole company joins in for the final songs “Raise You Up/Just Be”, combining the final numbers with the cast curtain call.

I have seen many wonderful Broadway Sacramento productions, but I have never heard such passionate and enthusiastic ovations the audience gave to this show, both at the end, and after several of the songs, especially for Ghee. He and Hansen are well supported by the rest of the cast, notably Rose Hemingway as Lauren, the factory girl who steals Charlie’s heart, Katerina Papacostas, as Charlie’s fiancé Nicola who wants to pull him away from the factory, and Aaron Walpole as the man’s man Don, who ends up saving the day. And the all-male ensemble of Angels were terrific both singing and dancing in the big colorful numbers with Lola.

Kinky Boots is playing through Sunday, February 5 at the Community Center Theater in downtown Sacramento. The show is suitable for teens and older, but probably not for younger kids. It runs about two and a half hours with intermission. For more information and tickets, see www.BroadwaySacramento.com. The season continues with A Gentleman’s Guide To Love & Murder, opening March 7.

Ken Kiunke  2/2/2017

Originally published in GoldCountryMarketing.com. Reprintable with attribution to Gold Country Marketing and Ken Kiunke