Glenn as Jesus seemed to be saving his voice (throat) after Wed. matinee. I wasn't impressed by his singing at all until Gethemane. He couldn't hit and hold the high notes very well at time. Juda, in my opinion, should stay in soap opera. Ensembles were not particularly good either. I did not feel the overwhelming emotion or anger from these ensembles. Pilate was an understudy and I thought he was pretty good, both singing and interpretation of the role. I like the direction of the "leashing" scene though, it was pretty insightful interpretation. But the stage setting was interesting to see so if you can get the half price ticket (which you can normally get except Sat. evening show), then you may check it out.

A Little Night Music
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
March 22, 1998 (California State University Sacramento, Dept. of Theatre Arts)

It was a theatre review in Sacramento Bee that brought me to the theatre at CSUS. I have never seen a show in CSUS, and I don't usually attend a community theatre. But two words pushed my back: Stephen Sondheim. I saw Into the Woods by Sacramento Civic Light Opera last April, which was the first time I was introduced to Sondheim. While the performance did not really knock me out, I was mesmerized by the sophisticated lyrics and rich tune. But the theatre was too big, and personally, I don't think the Community Center at Sacramento is suitable for a musical or play, for that matter. So when I found out that I could see Sonheim in an intimate small theatre, I could not pass up the opportunity. Plus, a good review by Bee was an added incentive.

Still I was a bit concerned before the show began. I have never seen this musical before nor listened to a CD, in other words, A Little Night Music was totally new to me. Although I read the review and was familiar with the story, knowing Sondheim is a magician of words, to me, being able to hear clearly and understand the lyrics was crucial for a successful Sondheim musical. (On the contrary, you don't really have to understand what exactly the performers are singing in ALW's POTO. For example, who can distinguish what each character is singing in Prima Donna? Most people can't but still follow what's going on) There is a musical that you can just go and see "cold" and still have a great time (like Chicago) and a musical that you would prefer not to go in "cold". Shows like Sondheim's need some preparation such as listening to a CD or making yourself familiar with lyrics before you see.

Indeed, it took me a while to follow what's going on the stage. I couldn't get into the show until the triplet "Now/Later/Soon." Holly Bowling, playing Anne Egerman, was a very believable as an eighteen years old virgin wife, innocent and giggly, but her voice was a bit weak. She has a pretty soprano, so I wish her projection of the voice had been much stronger. Bradley Moates as Fredrik Egerman has a wonderful baritone and very suitable for the role. He portrayed a confused and baffled middle aged husband well but I wanted to see a little clearer transformation in his feeling when Fredrik was meeting with Desiree at the back stage. I saw little spark between them, so I was not convinced why Desiree wanted Fredrik back when she invited the Egermans to her house in the country.

Debra Hammond was just perfect as Desiree, a warm, attractive, mischievous, and glamorous woman. I liked her rendition of touching "Send In the Clowns," but as I said, if I could have seen more chemistry between Fredrik and Desiree, the song had much more impact on me.

Most notably, Michael Maples gave a superb performance as one dimensional Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm. I enjoyed his "In Praise of Women" immensely. This song is another good example of very simple yet sophisticated lyric by Sondheim. You don't have to spell out everything but just say a few words with fine acting, then the audience will pick up the rest and burst into laugher. Maples delivered this simple yet difficult task very well. With more subtle variations in his snobbishness and arrogance as Count Malcolm, his acting would be perfect (his growling was funny at the beginning but it wore out soon without some variations). His wife on the stage, Jennifer L. Newman, was a wonderful match. I loved the line "You are a tiger, and I'm a hawk. We are our own zoo" when she said deadpan. And when she was describing how awful human being her husband is, and said "and I love him!" I truly could believe her that she was in agony.

Speaking of agony, "It Would Have Been Wonderful" sung by Fredrik and Count Malcolm, reminded me of "Agony" from Into the Woods. I really wish Maples would play Wolf/Prince Charming in ITW someday. He would be a wicked Wolf and a great arrogant, "no-clue-whatsoever" Prince Charming. Darn, I love his voice, I tell ya!

Another actress who was shining was Michelle Wilhelmsen who played a maid, Petra. She portrayed a worry-free, full of sprit young maid very well. Come to think of it, Petra is the only character in the show, who truly knows how to enjoy her life and living in it. In the "Miller's Son", she should have let herself go a little more though, and there are a couple of time that I couldn't hear the lyric well.

Without a doubt, "A Weekend in the County" was the best number of the musical. The audience was humming the song during the intermission and was anticipating what's going to happen in the Second Act, which was a real good sign.

Even though I was pleasantly surprised by the performance, there were a couple of points that I wasn't satisfied. I know the budget is limited in a community theatre, but someone, Pu-leeease do something with the WIGS! It was dreadful and distracted my attention greatly. I'm sure there must be an explanation for having the chorus wearing the wigs but WHAT?? While I like the all off-white costumes at the end of Act One in A Weekend in the County (sounds very Into the Wood-ish) but there were some costumes that were unflattering in the show.

Also, at the dinner scene, I'm sure there was some intention but why everybody is sitting at the table with their back toward the audience? Because the table was set rather in the back of the stage, I had heard time hearing what each character was saying. It was one of the most important scenes and you don't want to lose the audience there (though I could tell what's going on).

One more complaint: I know this may not the responsibility for the company, rather, the housekeeping problem. Throughout the show, some people whose attention span cannot be longer than one segment of a sitcom kept going in and out from the theatre during the performance. Since the theatre was not equipped with double doors, every time the door opens, it led the light in the theatre. It is not only distracting but very rude for the performers too. I felt sorry for Fritzi Youngstedt, Mme. Armfeldt, because it happened repeatedly during her "Liaisons." In the future, they should at least put a black curtain in front of the doors so that they can prevent the outside light distracting the performance.

The orchestration was pretty good for a community theatre. I just love to hear a live music, knowing some professional theatre companies in Japan use a taped music and still charge nearly $90 for an orchestra seat.

Lastly, it was a Sunday matinee, so I noticed that there were many school kids at the theatre. They are fortunate to see a musical by this great composer when they are young at a minimum cost. Theatres are getting VERY EXPENSIVE (national tour of Miss Saigon in SF will be $72 orchestra!!!) and I worry that it prohibits many people from going to a theatre. A good regional/community theatre is a great alternative to Phantom, Saigon, Chicago etc. until they can fork out big bucks by themselves. I commend this company to put together such a fine work. I wish they will pick up more Sondheim in the future!

Chicago: The Musical
April 21, 1998 (Broadway Series Sacramento, CA Orchestra Row M #46)

The Drop Dead Musical finally came to Sacramento!

Well, until last week, I thought I was going to see the Velma Company or whichever Jasmine Guy ISN'T in. Then I read an interview article with Jasmine on Sunday paper, which threw me into puzzlement. The rumors were flying on the internet that Jasmine already left the company, Jasmine is performing in Toronto, Roxie Company is in Toronto, etc. It didn't matter too much which cast I'd see but I read somewhere that Jasmine's Velma was not as good as expected, so I was hoping I'd see another Velma.

While I'm very appreciated that Broadway musicals come to Sacramento regularly, I'm not fond of the theatre, the Community Center, at all. It is certainly a hall for a concert, not a theatre. The sound system is awful and even the front mezzanine is way back. When I got the ticket, my husband was not interested in coming with me, so I just got one ticket at front mezzanine. Later, he changed his mind so I told him that we would not be able to sit together since it's hard enough to get one more ticket for him (the engagement is mere one week run).

I knew some subscribers will return or exchange the tickets closer to the performance dates, so I kept calling the box office. Then one day a heavenly voiced operator told me that she had two orchestra seats, row M, on the opening night. I immediately grabbed them -- well almost. I wanted both tickets, but I needed to exchange what I had first since it's the same date, and wouldn't you know it that I did not have the ticket with me. Of course, the box office wouldn't keep the tickets for you, so I did not know what to do. The operator said that just buy one ticket right now and usually a single ticket doesn't get sold easily, so take a chance and bring my ticket to the box office for exchange. Well, I guess it was my lucky day since the next day I returned the box office with my ticket and the other row M ticket was still there! The seats were a left orchestra but it was much better than the original seat I had and the view was excellent.

When we got to the theatre, I found out that Jasmine was indeed in the cast. No sweat, I believe only what I actually see with my own eyes and any prior review won't sway my judgement. However, I realized that I wasn't as excited I had been when I saw Chicago in London. Boy, I will never forget that night in London. I got the goosebumps all night long and each song gave me a chill in the spine and I applauded fanatically after each song. From the moment the musical started, I felt like I was mesmerized by the performance.

Yet last night, it was odd that I wasn't as enthusiastic. Was it because of "anti-climax" effect? I don't know but the very first thought came to my mind when Jasmine as Velma came up to the floor was, "she is so tiny!" Jasmine is so petite, and of course, nothing is wrong about that but other performers look like giants. Unfortunately, she did not have enough charisma or stage presence to overcome her tiny physique. Some actresses are also petite, like Elaine Paige and Ruthie Hanshell, but they have a very strong stage presence that makes you forget about their size. It wasn't so for Jasmine. Especially, in my mind, Ute Lumper (Velma in London production) has a great set of legs and really bitchy characteristic (which worked well in Velma role), I just could not see Jasmine as Velma. (More on Jasmine later)

But Charlotte d'Amboise as Roxie was a delicious treat! She was so charming and witty Roxie, and boy, can she dance!!! I agree with someone said that in this company, it's Roxie's show. As expected, the audience just loved "We Both Reached For the Gun," a very clever choreographed scene, and "Roxie" very Fosse-ish dance and movement. But I must say she had a really BAD HAIR day. First I thought "what a hair, she has a lousy hair cut" then "Maybe it's a part of the act or role" then "Naaaa, even it's a part of the role, it can't be this bad." Very distracting! Also, sometimes her giglish voice and dectation couldn't be heard very well, which was a bit disappointing. (like in Roxie, "You all love me and I love you all, and we all love each other, that's showbiz, kids!" unless you know that song, you couldn't hear very well what she was saying) Ruthie Hanshell is playing Roxie in London, and though she is another petite actress, her voice is very clear and her comic timing is superb.

Brent Barrett as Billy Flynn portrayed a very slick lawyer well. As I mentioned, the audience was cracking up during "We Both Reached For the Gun." Ron Orbach played Amo and I was amazed the range of the casting and interpretation of Amo in various companies. I saw Joel Grey on video clip (his Mr. Cellophane was superb), and Amo in London was totally different too. Ron reminded me of Newman in Seinfeld, and he was pretty good, though the second part of Mr. Cellophane was not as strong as Joel's.

I realized what I did not like Jasmine's portrayal of Velma was that because of her unique voice (not sexy or strong) and voice projection, she sounded REALLY whiny, and in my mind, Velma is not a whiny person. Yes, Velma whines a little bit after Roxie stole her fame, but she always has a chip on her shoulders and put her chin up high no matter what. And Jasmine's voice projection was sometimes weak and timing was off; therefore, she destroyed a great line (like when they found out that Roxie is pregnant and Velma says "SHIT!") I couldn't hear well what she was saying during "Cell Block Tango" (the ensemble rescued this wonderful song/dance though) either. Personally I don't think Jasmine dances that well either. I could tell that during "I Can't Do It Alone" and "When Velma Takes the Stand." Each movement was not smooth, especially when she swung her legs around the chair (after seeing Ute's legs, I guess nobody can dance like her with her legs swinging around the chair). Maybe the most disturbing thing I noticed was that I couldn't feel that Jasmine was enjoying herself.

Overall, I enjoyed the music, clever choreography, dances and the performance by certain actors but I have to admit it was NOT worth standing O during curtain call. Now compare it with London production in which I wanted to stand up and applause after each song!

Show Boat
July 8, 1998 (Broadway Series Sacramento, CA Orchestra Row J #40)

Classic Musical: Show Boat

Show Boat sailed in Sacramento on June 14, 1998, and I went to see it during the final week. It was Wednesday night, and the theatre was full, not bad, Sacramento! Our seats were on row J in the Orchestra section, a little left from the center but we had an excellent view. Still, every time I go to see a show in this Community Center, I loathe the size of the theatre. It is too huge! (I might have to quickly add the fact I love the seating in Orchestra with ample leg room) I am thankful that Sacramento has the Broadway Series, offering some decent selections of national tours of Broadway musicals every year (but Chicago is coming again to Sacramento two years in a row. Do they know the word "variety"?). But certainly we could use a better theatre. Or, do they have to use 2,500 capacity theatre to make a profit in a week long run?

We had a great dinner at Rusty Duck (Shark with Chinese Pest, yummy), I was wearing a lovely summer dress with a new pair of 3.5 inch pomp (I love the shoes!), we had great seats, the evening couldn't have started better -- until my husband started having hiccups. Poor thing, his hiccup did not stop until the intermission! It did not bothered me but I worried if he could enjoy the show with these annoying hiccups.

On to the show. Can you believe I've never seen Show Boat on stage or film before? Sure, I've heard Ol' Man River and Make Believe before, but I did not know much about the story, let alone the characters. Still I was hoping we wouldn't get many understudies for principle roles. Well, when I opened the playbill, I found out that Gaylord Ravenal would be played by an alternate (I don't think he is an understudy since his credit said he played the same role on Broadway, and he was not listed as understudy in the playbill). Since I have not seen the principle (John Ruess) or anybody else in this role, I cannot compare but I felt that Alex's Gay lacked excitement or emotion. He came across very flat throughout the show. Especially during You Are Love, I saw very little spark between Magnolia and Gay. Incidentally, both actors have performed in the national tour of the Phantom of the Opera before, so this scene immediately reminded me of All I Ask of You,. By the way, nowadays, is it only me or it seems like every soprano actress and tenor/baritone actor performed Christine and Raoul one time or another. In the Wedding Celebration scene, the wedding dress looked like Christine's and Gay looked like Raoul in a gray morning coat.

I enjoyed the performance by Cap'n Andy (Tom Bosley) and Parthy (Karen Morrow) but according to the timeline in the playbill, there is 40-year time span from the beginning of the show to the end. And they did not seem to age that much. Maybe having a little younger make-up in the beginning would help the aging process. Frank and Ellie were played by understudies, Rick Spaans and Daria Lynn Scatton respectively, and they were pretty good, especially Spaans' unstoppable movement brought big cheers from the audience.

I was very impressed with Debbie de Coudreaux as Julie. Granted, Julie doesn't appear on the stage much but when she sang Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man and Bill she took the commanding presence on the stage. I thought she would be a great replacement for Linda Elder in Jekyll and Hyde.

The show as a whole, I enjoyed it but the book is obviously old and rather superficial for my taste. Don't get me wrong, I understand when it was written and presented for the first time in 1927, it was considered to be "great contemporary modern musical" including social issues and wonderful music, and I don't want to take away anything from it. Yet I still feel that there is very little storytelling aspect in the Act Two, consequently it seemed that each scene was rather choppy. I couldn't help but to compare with Ragtime (which was created in 90's, so I know it's unfair to compare) which deals with the similar era (but for short time period). Ragtime succeeded in the storytelling with many principle characters intertwining each other throughout the show.

Still, I was very impressed with the set and scenery, and the smoothness of the scene changes. The scene 3 in Act Two, Montage I, reminded me of Sam Mandes' Oliver! in West End. It's amazing to see the masterful scenery changes can create a beautiful town on the stage. I also loved the scene 9 in the Second Act, Montage II, where you can see the change of the fashion mode and trends. I wonder if this scene was in the original show, if so, it's so clever!

With the production, I've seen four Oscar Hammerstein II's shows: The Desert song, Oklahoma!, King and I, and Show Boat. I'm going to see South Pacific next month, and I'm looking forward to seeing all the Hammerstein musicals!

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