Category: Musical

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Diana

First public preview of Diana. ❤️❤️❤️

Wow!!! What a show! Amazing storytelling. Spectacular choreographies. Wonderful singing. Stunning costumes.

The show told not just the story of Diana but also that of Charles, Camilla, and the Queen. Diana’s personality shone through. As tragic as the story ended, nobody was made a villain, but we understood the circumstances and everyone’s perspectives a lot better.

The plot moved fast, and was super engaging from the first flash of the paparazzis’ cameras till the very end.

Choreographed by Kelly Devine, who also put on Came From Away, the dancing and movements were absolutely gorgeous. Of course, there were the big stunning dance numbers. I also loved how the cast filled the stage with continuous movements during the scene transitions, and small accents like everyone tilting their chairs in sync.

Finally, so many beautiful costumes and so many costume changes! 😍

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Falsettos

I missed the Broadway revival of Falsettos three years ago, and am super glad to see the show tonight in the West End, where much of the audience left the theater in tears.

At 39 songs, the narrative is long and complex covering various relationships from intimate partners to parent-child, from marriages to divorces, from religion to death, and finding one’s own sexual identity.

Some of my favorite moments: The comical start to the show and “Everyone Tells Jason to See a Psychiatrist”. Trina in “I’m Breaking Down”. The end of Act I was heartwarming, if not slightly unexpected. Overall, the show up to this point felt like a supercharged version of the movie, Love Actually.

Perhaps I should have anticipated what would happen in Act II given the show’s plot, setting, and timing. The end still caught me off guard, and brought back memories of Angels in America.

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Six

Catching this awesome show at the Arts Theatre, where it was first professionally staged.

Not your typical musical, but I really enjoyed the hip hop movements and the catchy pop music.

Most of all, I really liked the script and the messaging.

The six characters are based on the six wives of Henry VIII. While there’s only so much one can adapt them to the modern times (after all, two of them were beaded by their husband and one divorced because she didn’t look like her painting), the script and the messaging are surprisingly strong! Bravos to all the queens!!

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Tootsie

Good comedy, but the empty attempt to recast the story as advocating for gender equity failed miserably.

The plot is about an unemployed male actor, pretending to be a woman in order to land a job on Broadway. The mismatched and mistaken identities provided plenty of materials for laughs. The show was engaging and funny from the beginning to the end.

However, the show tried to superficially add a layer of pretense that it’s also promoting gender equality. The attempt failed miserably.

The analogy comparing “an actor lying his way to get a woman’s job” to “a man walking a mile in a woman’s shoes” did not fly. What lessons did the lead character learn from his mistakes? None, except he didn’t get laid. What did he suffer from telling outrageously lies? Nothing, except as a man he can walk away freely without consequences.

Women’s struggles, in the workplace and in the entertainment industry, were brushed over with a few clique expressions, and never explored in any serious manner. All the “blames” were placed on women, for not being able to balance their professional vs. personal life. The male character who fell for a strong woman was ridiculed in the plot.

Finally, if the show is seriously about gender equity… how about actually creating strong lead roles for women?

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Come From Away

Re-watching this amazing musical on the eve of the 18th anniversary of 9/11.

Still so touching. Still made me cry. Still made me laugh at the stupid Newfoundland jokes. Still one of my all-time favorite musical.

Yet I couldn’t shake a sense of sadness.

The unity we displayed and the bond we shared after 9/11 have been thoroughly destroyed since 2016 — by political actors who choose to divide us, sow distrust, and create divisions amongst us for their personal power grab.

Where do we as a nation stand today, compared to 18 years ago?

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Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Another favorite musical of mine. I’ll be so sad to see it close in October, and naturally have to watch it again.

I loved Carole King’s album, Tapestry, as I was growing up. The songs spoke to me, but what a surprise it was when I first saw Beautiful, to learn about Carole’s life story. Suddenly, her singing took on a whole different level of meaning. I also enjoyed her many other wonderful compositions in the musical.

Also Elena Ricardo was amazing as Carole King tonight!

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Moulin Rouge

Still absolutely in love with this musical!

It’s been a year since I last saw moulinrougebway in Boston. The show only got more amazing with the current cast, featuring incredible dancers like Paloma Garcia-Lee, Amber Ardolino, among others.

Kudos to the New York City crowd, who cheered on the cast forever and ever, after each big stunning fabulous dance numbers. (Sorry, Boston. New York City is just SO MUCH louder.)

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Be More Chill

Lucky to be in one of the few theaters east of Broadway, and unaffected by the blackout tonight.

Be More Chill stood out in its “messiness” and the strength of its cast to take on characters with big personalities.

The first act felt like a diary of a high school kid, but then the plot took a major twist in the second act.

(Spoiler alert below)

If anything, the story reminded me of the Little Shop of Horrors, with modern tech-y updates.