Review: Follies is Fabulous

Follies is a song and dance with time.  Perhaps this is fitting in its wild success as a musical revival.  It has, after all, just received 25 Tony Award®  nominations.  But it is this layering of the past into the present, the heart of the show itself, that makes this show so wildly entertaining and relatable. 

"American Idiot" is simply...cool!

Photo courtesy of Center Theatre Group
Photo credit: Doug Hamilton

It's one of the hottest tickets in town. American Idiot. The Tony-Award winning rock-opera based on Green Day's GRAMMY-Award winning album by the same title, opened in Los Angeles last week to high remarks. And rightly so. I was lucky enough to have received an invitation from Center Theatre Group to attend the show's opening. Though I was familiar with the music, having listened to the entire album endlessly in my early 20s and at Green Day's supporting concert, I had no idea what to expect of the show. As the lights began to dim, I felt myself getting excited as if I were about to see Green Day take the stage.

A weekend of LA theatre including American Idiot!

Want to get your hands on a pair of tickets to not one, not two, but THREE of the hottest shows coming to town? ExperienceLA has teamed up with our partners at Center Theatre Group to give away a three-pack of tickets to: American Idiot, American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose, and Waiting for Godot! One lucky winner will receive one pair of tickets (that's two tickets per show) to each show on the following dates:

• American Idiot - Thursday, March 22 at 8PM
• American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose - Saturday, March 24 at 2PM
• Waiting for Godot - Sunday, March 25 at 6:30PM

Oooo, sparkly!

For a brief moment, I imagined myself at the Apollo Theatre watching musical acts perform as I would have had I lived in New York during the 60s. In this way, Dreamgirls was unlike any other musical performance I have ever attended. I didn't feel like I was watching a story being told through song and dance. For me, it was more like attending several live concerts.

You're never too old

There are some things in life for which we grow too old, though very few things in my opinion. "Mary Poppins" is certainly not one of those things. For Christmas, I decided to get my mother-in-law (who is nearing 80 and is a great lover of live theatre) tickets to see the musical at the Ahmanson Theatre with her son and daughter-in-law. It was a pleasant way, spending time with family, to end a very long day (I will spare you the details).

Our evening started with dinner at Noe at the Omni Hotel. Fortunately for us, DineLA's Restaurant Week was occurring the evening of the play, so we decided to take advantage of the reasonably priced fixed menu and treat dear mother-in-law to a nice meal. After dinner, we walked off the meal as we strolled over to the theatre. I know, she's nearly 80, how could we make her walk so far? But honestly, she wanted and appreciated the walk and the agreeable weather. Of course, my husband ran and got the car to pick us up afterward.

One of my favorite things about going to the theatre is the magical feeling I get of being whisked away to another time and place. This production of "Mary Poppins" did not disappoint. While I much prefer the movie version, the stage adaptation was mostly solid. There were a few spots in the story that could have been stronger, but overall, everything felt - magical. From the set design, to the costumes, to the performers, the timeless tale of a fantastic nanny and a family in need of connecting, was brought to life in such a way that the young, as well as the old all walked away with great big smiles on our faces. How could we not, with characters like Mrs. Corry (a memorable scene full of color and energy it makes your eyes burst and head spin all at once), moments where statues come to life, and people tap-dancing on the ceiling? Ashley Brown (Poppins) and Gavin Lee (Bert) are original cast members from the London production, and give impressive performances.

My husband, who'd never seen the movie but was familiar with the story, always hated Mary Poppins because he thought it was propaganda to trick kids into obeying. But I caught him chuckling and moving to the music throughout the play. And when Mary Poppins flew over our heads, I noticed both he and his mother waving to her. For us, the message of spending time with your family was definitely welcomed and received.

"Mary Poppins" completes its run at the Ahmanson Theatre this Sunday, February 7.


-Julie

Let's give a Los Angeles "Lakers Girl Cheer" for Monty Python's Spamalot

That's right, after a four-year run in New York on Broadway, three-year tour and over a year in Vegas, the 2005 Tony Award winner for best musical Monty Python's Spamalot and their "Laker girls" have finally found a summer home in the Los Angeles Ahmanson Theatre. But unlike the Vegas show, the Ahmanson is hosting the full length Broadway production with all the songs, laughs, and killer bunnies that only Monty Python can bring you.

Monty Python's Spamalot is a parody of the cult classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail that makes fun of Holy Grail as much as it does musicals themselves. Spamalot focuses on King Arthur, Pasty and the Knights of the Round Table's quest for the Holy Grail. As well as their encounters with The Lady of the Lake, who sings about not being in the show enough, the Laker Girls (who sadly do not sport gold and purple), and The Knights who say Ni that demand King Arthur and his group to give him their shrubbery as well as put on a Broadway show. But the Knights warn that "you won't succeed on Broadway if you don't have any Jews" which launches the musical into a whole set of other parodies.

Spamalot really is just a laugh out loud comedy enhanced by silly musical numbers and men doing the Can Can, meant to attract all audiences from musical lovers and Monty Paython fanatics to anyone looking for a good laugh. And no one knows this better than King Arthur himself, John O'Hurly, who is returning to the role after just concluding his run in Los Vegas. O'Hurly is best known for his role as J. Peterman in "Seinfeld" as well as being the winner of the first season of "Dancing with the Stars" - oh and, of course, as King Neptune on "Sponge Bob Square Pants." Other title characters include Merle Dandridge as The Lady of the Lake, James Beaman as Sir Robin and Jeff Dumas as Patsy. The fact is that Spamalot is "Not Dead Yet" and this is sure to be a knock out production. So come find your grail at the Los Angeles Ahmanson Theatre! The production runs from July 7th to September 6th. Come soon otherwise you might never have a stuffed cow launched at you.

Anyway, the most important thing to do right now is "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," which is why spoiling yourself with a dinner and show is good thing every once in a while. So do just that! With all the great restaurants downtown, many of which provide shuttles to the Music Center, there is no reason not to. Even better, avoid the hassle of parking and take the Metro to your downtown destinations! Just use the ExperienceLA Metro Trip Planner.

Oh, and just as a head's up, having seen the play in New York on Broadway and loved it enough to memorize all the songs (if you can't tell from all the lyrical references) I warn against sitting in the front row because if it is anything like the theater I saw it at, The Shubert Theatre (which I adore and has hosted two of my favorite shows and is right next to the best cheesecake place in New York Jrs), you might just get wet...but who knows? The LA Production might just have some new surprises in store!

-Aly

Artwork provided by the Ahmanson Theatre website.