"Britney Spears: Piece of Me" - 01.30.15

Show/Venue: Piece of Me at the Axis Theatre, Planet Hollywood

Date: Friday, January 31st, 2015

Starring: Britney Spears

Website: http://www.caesars.com/planet-hollywood/shows/britney-spears-las-vegas.html

After much begging to my NYC friends to come with me, I finally convinced some of my college buddies to fly to Las Vegas and meet me to see Ms. Britney Spears in the first year of her Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood. Naturally, I chose to go in January, so I could escape the cold of NYC and sweat it out in the desert for a bit.

I arrived at my hotel the afternoon of the show and met up with my friends, who were coming in from San Francisco. We dropped our things at our hotel room and immediately went in search of drinks and slot machines.

Then we picked up all our Britney merchandise before the show (plus, the items are cheaper in the hotel shop than in the show venue). I got a program, magnet and a tank top that says “It’s Vegas, Bitch” next to a profile photo of Britney. I was busy working on my Social Media (Twitter, Instagram) and even got a response from Hannah Spears, Britney’s dog. I was encouraged to take some photos and videos of the show to share with the world and to help build buzz about the show.

After getting ready in our hotel room at MGM, we made the trek over to Planet Hollywood. Other fans had already arrived early and the line ran around the bar just outside of the Axis Theatre. One we were through the security and ticketing lines, we saw several of Britney’s iconic costumes on display in large Plexiglas cases; the Ringmaster from “Circus,” the stewardess from “Toxic,” her black fringed number from “Work Bitch,” the red, leather jumpsuit from “Oops!...I Did It Again,” and my favorite, her childhood outfit from her audition on Star Search.           

We got some drinks and found our seats. A large video screen was acting as a countdown clock until the show was going to start. I was just as excited to see Brandon Bryant, who I watched excel on So You Think You Can Dance and Sohey Sugihara, who I loved as part of the Fanny Pak Crew on America’s Best Dance Crew, clearly Britney got some great talent to support her in all of the shows.

The show opened with lots of pyro and Britney descended from the rafters in a big globe-shaped cage. After all that Britney’s been through over the past few years, she looked in good shape and ready to perform. Her dancers lead her down the staircase, as they break out of some of the choreography from the video to “Work Bitch.”

Britney then rolled right into “Womanizer” and interacted with her dancers throughout the number. Her production team then turns on her mic, so she can talk to the crowd, before clearly going back to singing with backing tracks for the rest of the show. For “3,” the dancers bring out various metal pyramids on casters, so they can dance in them and roll Britney around the stage. The dancers jump and flip from one pyramid to another and then bring out a bar, so Britney can do some more of the choreography from the “3” video.

Then came Britney’s first of many costume changes and the “slow” song portion of the evening. In previous shows, Britney has always sang the slower songs live, but didn’t take that chance her. At the beginning of “Everytime,” she comes down from the rafters, attached to white angel wings, as fake snow comes out into the crowd. Britney follows this up with a slightly changed, “…Baby, One More Time,” as she changes into an all-black number and the set becomes dark, with the dancers clearly influenced by the movement in a traditional Paso Doble.

During her next costume change, the dancers roll out wooden panels with sections that have been broken in. I knew this could only mean that one of my favorite songs, “Me Against The Music,” was up next. I was hoping Britney would wear her fedora and tie ensemble from the video, but she came out in a black baseball cap and bodysuit. She & her dancers hit some of the familiar moves from this video, before Britney walks upstage to the fans in the pit and starts “Gimme More.”

The next section of the show was probably my least favorite part as Britney performs “Break The Ice,” “Piece Of Me” and “Scream & Shout.” I’m not really a fan of her song with Will.I.Am and the other songs were a bit of a throwaway. Next up was “Boys,” which is one of my favorite songs from the Britney album, and this further proved that Pharrell’s beats stand the test of time. However, at this show, they changed up the arrangement and doused everyone in black-light responsible clothing, which took away from the greatness of the original song.

A few lesser known hits followed with “Perfume” and “Get Naked (I Got A Plan)”, before it was finally time for “I’m A Slave 4 U!” The arrangement was changed slightly and the set shifted to bondage influenced décor. I was anxiously waiting for the dance breakdown to see Britney hit the infamous Brian Friedman/Wade Robson choreography, but she only seemed to be half into it, at least the dancers were full out!

Sadly, we weren’t at a show where Britney pulled a celebrity on stage during “Freakshow” to be chained up and walked on a leash. (I saw on Instagram that the following night, Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s husband, Justin Mikita, was pulled up on stage.) After that came, “Do Somethin’,” which I was never really into when it first came out, and I can't remember much about this performance.

The next act featured “Circus” as the dancers changed into circus-themed costumes and Britney appeared amid a ring of fire. Some of the familiar moves that I remembered from her Circus Tour in Chicago, all came back as the ring of fire rotated around Britney on her own platform.

Then came “I Wanna Go,” where Britney & her female dancers performed in front of mirrors. However, any time I hear this song, I can’t help but think of the Bravo TV ad for “Summer by Bravo” that aired a few years ago. (I think Andy Cohen would be proud of this pop culture Pavlov’s Dog moment.)

Britney then closes up with show with a string of her greatest hits, “Lucky,” “Toxic,” “Stronger” and “(You Drive Me) Crazy.” The best part of this set is when the giant tree comes onto the stage during “Toxic”, and which if you watched her MTV special, you know all the tricks that had to happen so the tree could fit onto the stage and so Britney could fly off the branches and not get hit, as the tree rotates.

Britney executed the jump, but just in case they production team didn’t want you to watch her being unhooked from her harness, a few of her dancers are busy doing back handsprings all the way across the stage, as she gets setup. I particularly enjoyed the costumes for this portion of the show. The dancers were wearing various pieces of graphically printed neon; tiny tanks/shirts and pants for the boys and several variations of bodysuits for the girls.

The closing number was “Till The World Ends,” where most of the crowd was up on their feet and dancing. It was a great way to end the show with tons of neon lights and burst of confetti.

Overall, I had a great time at the show and Britney kept everything moving. The show was just over an hour and a half, so there was still plenty of time to head out onto The Strip to eat, drink and gamble. I just wish that Britney had hit the dance moves a little harder. I felt like she was going through the motions, but not quite there; a solid 80%. I would recommend going, because the show is great, but you should almost go for the dancers’ performances, as they are full out the whole show!

Musical Numbers:

1.       Work Bitch

2.       Womanizer

3.       3

4.       Everytime

5.       …Baby, One More Time

6.       Oops!...I Did It Again

7.       Me Against The Music

8.       Gimme More

9.       Break The Ice

10.   Piece Of Me

11.   Scream & Shout

12.   Boys

13.   Perfume

14.   Get Naked (I Got A Plan)

15.   I’m A Slave 4 U

16.   Freakshow

17.   Do Somethin’

18.   Circus

19.   I Wanna Go

20.   Lucky

21.   Toxic

22.   Stronger

23.   (You Drive Me) Crazy

24.   Till The World Ends

"Cabaret" - 02.03.15

Show/Venue: Cabaret at the Kit Kat Klub at Studio 54

Date: Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015 @ 7pm

Starring: Alan Cumming, Emma Stone

Website: http://www.cabaretmusical.com

I finally was able to get tickets to see Emma Stone as Sally Bowles in her Broadway debut, but it wasn’t easy. Almost every performance between when I got back to NYC post-Britney Spears to when Stone leaves was sold out. Finally, I was able to get tickets for the Tuesday night show. After I seeing Michelle Williams in the role earlier last year, I was anxious to see how Emma would compare. One thing I knew for sure, Alan Cumming would be brilliant, and he was.

For this production of Cabaret, Studio 54 has been turned into the Kit Kat Klub with tables, lights and a little bit of audience participation. Cumming is reprising his Tony-Award winning role as the Emcee and doesn’t disappoint. He’s the right amount of coy, playful and seductive as he draws the crowd into the club and introduces the girls through the opening number, “Willkommen.”

In the beginning of Act One, we are introduced to Clifford Bradshaw (Bill Heck), an American writer, traveling to Berlin to work on his novel. On the train he meets German businessman, Ernst Ludwig (Aaron Krohn), and their relationship is formed. Ludwig passes an unmarked briefcase into Cliff’s luggage as the train is inspected and then as a favor in return gives Cliff the name of a motel, where he can stay at a discounted rate.

This motel is owned and operated by Fraulein Schneider (Linda Edmond), who sings about her life’s work in “So What” and her life of spinster-dom. Through her song, we meet some of her guests and their own storylines. Ludwig helps Bradshaw settle into a room at Fraulein Schneider’s residence and then Cliff gets swayed to go out to the nearby Kit Kat Klub on his first night in Berlin.

The first time Stone appears, she’s slinking around the top of the stage near the orchestra. Her big entrance is during her performance at the Kit Kat Klub, as she sings “Don’t Tell Mama.” In this role, Sally is telling the audience how her mama thinks that she’s at a convent, and while trying to be cute and bashful, I was a little bit turned off. Stone has a great voice (as some people might remember when she was Emily Stone on the reality show, The New Partridge Familiy), with a raspy, smoky quality similar to “Bossy”-era Lindsay Lohan. However, when compared with Williams’ voice, I was more convinced of Sally’s backstory with Williams.

Stone follows up this number with “Mein Herr,” a darker number with the Kit Kat Girls. After Sally’s performances at the Kit Kat Klub, she’s informed that she is being fired by the Klub’s owner, and her boyfriend, Max. Sally then retreats to Cliff’s room at his hotel, where their relationship is established in “Perfectly Marvelous.”

What follows is a playful number with Cumming and two of the ensemble members, “Two Ladies,” even though one is clearly a man. The audience then sees more of Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz’s relationship as he brings her fruit from his fruit store and a romance begins to blossom.

Through the next few numbers, Sally reveals that she is pregnant and Cliff vows to take care of her and the child, even if it is not his own. Stone’s voice brings character to “Maybe This Time,” but I found that Williams gave a more vulnerable and empathetic performance of this number. Cliff agrees to help Ludwig transport unmarked suitcases from Paris to Berlin and will in turn, receive quite a large amount of money in the trade.

We then move onto an engagement party for Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz, where it is revealed that Ludwig is a part of the Nazi party and he then encourages Fraulein Schneider to rethink her plans to marry Herr Schultz, as he is Jewish. Act One ends with Cumming revealing a bare ass cheek with a swastika painted on it.

Act Two begins with a Kit Kat Girls kick line and the Emcee is cleverly disguised as one of the girls. We learn early on that Fraulein Schneider has called of her wedding to Herr Schultz and begin to see the face of Berlin change, as the Nazis come to power.

The Emcee has a number, “If You Could See Her,” where he is dancing with a gorilla (Andrea Goss, who I loved in Once, and also plays Frenchie in this show) to point out how the culture has started to view Jews in Berlin at this time in history. Cliff and Sally’s relationship starts to break up, as she does not want to leave Berlin for the United States. Cliff understands the dangers of staying in Germany and wants to get Sally and their child out of the country as fast as possible. Sally then rebels by having the baby aborted and resuming her job at the Kit Kat Klub.

Overall, Cabaret is not a musical that will leave you feeling uplifted and optimistic at its end, but it did bring up some emotions and keeps the discourse of racism and intolerance going; which is very relevant into today’s society.

I’m glad that I got the chance to see Emma Stone as Sally, but I almost wish that she was more in character. Sometimes, it just seemed as if she were Olive, her character from Easy A, pretending to be British. But her name does draw in the crowds, so it was a smart move, overall by the Roundabout Theatre Company.

Musical Numbers:

Act One:

1.       Willkommen

2.       So What

3.       Don’t Tell Mama

4.       Mein Herr

5.       Perfectly Marvelous

6.       Two Ladies

7.       It Couldn’t Please Me More

8.       Tomorrow Belongs to Me

9.       Maybe This Time

10.   Money

11.   Married

12.   Tomorrow Belongs to Me (Reprise)

Act Two:

1.       Entr’Acte

2.       Kick Line

3.       Married (Reprise)

4.       If You Could See Her

5.       What Would You Do?

6.       I Don’t Care Much

7.       Cabaret

8.       Finale

"Here Lies Love" - 12.31.14

Show/Venue: Here Lies Love at the Public Theatre

Date: Wednesday, December 31st, 2014 @ 5pm

Starring: Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu

Website: http://herelieslove.com

Why did I wait so long to see Here Lies Love? There’s no simple answer to this question. In a desperate attempt to see so many shows that are closing the first weekend of January, I booked a ticket to the New Year’s Eve show. Like most Americans, I mostly knew of Imelda Marcos due to her vast collection of shoes and her stance in pop culture trivia. I knew Fatboy Slim, thanks to his hits in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, but sadly, did not know much about David Byrne or the concept album that started this musical. The combination of their talents provided an amazing soundtrack to the show and made some of the darker material seem like a dance party.

The staging and direction of this show by Alex Timbers, who brilliantly oversaw the staging of Rocky that I enjoyed earlier in the year, was familiar and still revolutionary. LuEsther Hall in the Public Theatre had been transformed into Club Millennium, surrounded in neon lights, rotating graphics of Imelda and the Marcos family. Throughout the club, crew members dressed in hot pink jumpsuits, which the audience would depend on during the show.

Attending this show alone made the beginning of the experience a bit intimidating, but as the house DJ informed us, we would be moving with the interchangeable stage pieces and most likely would lose friends in the club, I relaxed. The DJ helped get the party started by cueing up a dance beat, as we followed the hot pink jumpsuits and learned how the stage pieces would move throughout the show and we would become part of the action. Then the show began and cast members raced out onto the various stages. (Right away, I noticed a familiar face, as Aaron J. Albano (Newsies), was in the ensemble.)

The show opens with a video about the Philippines and the Filipino obsession with American culture, in the number “American Troglodyte.” Then Imelda (Jaycee Macapugay) appears and the close relationship of her maid, Estrella (Melody Butiu), is established. Growing up poor in Tacloban, she learns to love the beauty of her country and becomes somewhat of a local celebrity singer (“Here Lies Love”) and beauty pageant queen, being dubbed the “Rose of Tacloban.”

The audience is then introduced to Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr., who is Imelda’s first love, and the audience welcomed with lots of cheering. In an award-winning role, Conrad Ricamora (How To Get Away With Murder), brings out all of Ninoy’s charisma and political ambitions in the up-tempo, dance number “Child of the Philippines.” We see Imelda & Ninoy’s relationship blossom through song and dance (“Opposite Attraction” and “The Rose of Tacloban”), but they eventually break up because she was “too tall.”

Shortly after, Imelda meets Ferdinand Marcos (“A Perfect Hand”/”Sugartime Baby”), when he spots her working in a shop and woos her. Their fast courtship is depicted in the song “Eleven Days,” as the country begins to see their relationship as a source of National Pride and compares them to JFK and Jackie. Imelda quickly improves her status by marrying Marcos and learning how to be a woman in the public eye (“Walk Like a Woman”/”Don’t You Agree?/Pretty Face”). She begins to forget her roots and lose a bit of herself. Her former maid and close friend, Estrella, sings about seeing her in a parade and how Imelda hardly noticed her in “When She Passed By.”

Quickly, enticed by the riches that Marcos brings her, Imelda travels to the United States and is introduced into the riches of art collecting and quickly begins to amass material goods (“Dancing Together”). In the meantime, the Filipino population is struggling to make ends meet. Aquino becomes a political rival to Marcos, as he starts to expose the Nation to the Marcos’ extravagant spending and showing everyone that they do not care for the people of their own country (“The Fabulous One”). In fact, when Marcos’ political term is about to end and he cannot be re-elected, he declares Marital Law and Order 1081 is enacted (“Riots and Bombs”/”Order 1081”). Marcos is then caught cheating on Imelda (“Men Will Do Anything”) and is stricken with Lupus. Imelda decides to take things into her own hands and to appeal to her country (“Star and Slave”/”Poor Me”/”Please Don’t”).

Aquino works to unite the Filipinos against the Marcos’, which lands him in prison for seven years. Due to illness, Imelda helps him & his family seek exile in the United States (“Seven Years”). However, as conditions worsen in the Philippines, Aquino risks his life to return home (“Gate 37”). When his plane lands, he is assassinated while walking down the staircase with a bullet to the head. His assassination helps stir the creation and movement of the People Power Revolution to overturn the Marcos’ government. Aquino’s mother speaks about Ninoy’s childhood in an appeal to the crowds in a beautiful number, “Just Ask the Flowers,” as she speaks of how he wanted to be a drummer and lead people. She realizes that his wish has been fulfilled in the movement of the People Power Revolution.

As the country stats the revolution, Imelda cannot seem to understand why her country has abandoned her (“Why Don’t You Love Me?”), as she eventually leaves the Philippines. The show closes with a song, “God Draws Straight,” featuring the words from the People Power Revolution and their peaceful protests. Members of the ensemble play various instruments as the DJ now speaks the words of the movement.

The curtain call brings the cast back together with a refrain of “Here Lies Love” and the story comes back full circle with Imelda remembering her days back in her small town. I also have to mention the brilliant job of the costume designer, Clint Ramos, as all of the character’s costumes were eye-catching, but not distracting from the story. They were completely influenced by traditional Filipino dress of the time, but seemed modern in the same breath.

I left the show feeling uplifted, wanted to know more about the history behind the people in the story and immediately wanted to see the show again. If you can, the show is still playing in London and I would highly recommend going. If only I’d listened to those posters in the Subway sooner, I would have been able to see this more than once.

Musical Numbers:

1.       American Troglodyte

2.       Here Lies Love

3.       Child of the Philippines

4.       Opposite Attraction

5.       The Rose of Tacloban

6.       A Perfect Hand

7.       Eleven Days

8.       When She Passed By

9.       Sugartime Baby

10.   Walk Like a Woman

11.   Don’t You Agree?/Pretty Face

12.   Dancing Together

13.   The Fabulous One

14.   Men Will Do Anything

15.   Star and Slave

16.   Poor Me

17.   Please Don’t

18.   Solano Avenue

19.   Riots and Bombs

20.   Order 1081

21.   Seven Years

22.   Gate 37

23.   Just Ask the Flowers

24.   Why Don’t You Love Me?

25.   God Draws Straight

26.   Here Lies Love (Curtain Call)

"It's Only A Play" - 10.15.14

Show/Venue: It’s Only a Play at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

Date: Wednesday, October 15th, 2014 @ 2pm

Starring: F. Murray Abraham, Matthew Broderick, Stockard Channing, Rupert Grint, Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally and introducing Micah Stock.

Website: http://itsonlyaplay.com

When I first heard that “Ron Weasley” was coming to Broadway, I knew I had to go. When I first got into the Harry Potter series and movies, Rupert Grint’s portrayal of Ron, won me over and he quickly became my favorite character of the series. So, on Wednesday, October 15th, he was the main reason I wanted to take in a matinee showing of It’s Only a Play at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in the heart of Times Square and the Theatre District. Thankfully, I was able to score a first row seat in the Balcony, so I had a great view of the stage with very little obstruction.

Going into the show, I knew very little other than the show was a limited run and there were many other celebrity names in the show. The premise of the show is about the cast and production team of another play, waiting to hear the reviews after their Opening Night. All of the events take place in the producer, Julia Budder’s (Megan Mullally) swanky NYC home. The characters move in and out of her grand bedroom, with some scenes involving large French doors that swing open and closed to reveal the next cast member or a rowdy party scene going down in the apartment “downstairs.”

Gus P. Head (Micah Stock) is the first cast member on stage, as he plays a budding actor, freshly moved to the city. In his Broadway debut, Stock plays Gus as an over-eager young man waiting for his big break, by checking coats and waiting on all the various guests. His naivety brings many laughs to the theatre crowd, as he doesn’t recognize the stars as they enter and helps give the audience an introduction to each of them and their character’s backstory.

As the door opens each time, the audience waits to see who the next character will be. James Wicker (Nathan Lane) received the loudest applause during his entrance at my show, with various hoots and hollers as each cast members comes through the large white doors. Lane is on the stage the majority of the show and does his job as the play’s narrator. He explains how he was going to be in this play, written by his best friend Peter Austin (Matthew Broderick), but decided to opt out, due to his busy schedule with a CSI-like successful television show.

As other characters enter, Virginia Noyes (Stockard Channing) – a fresh out of rehab aging-star, Mullally, Frank Finger (Rupert Grint) – as the young, wunderkind director from England and Ira Drew (F. Murray Abraham) – as a theatre critic, with history with the other characters; the story starts to develop.

Channing does a wonderful job of playing the over-the-top diva with a drinking problem. Her character is aided by a cane and giant fur coat, which she throws over the ornate chaise lounge in center stage with ease. She educates Gus and James on her life in the business and waits for the reviews of her first performance, post-rehab. Showing shades of her beloved Grease character, Rizzo, Channing camps it up with perhaps a nod to Lindsay Lohan’s may trips to rehab and chances to rehabilitate her career.

Mullally is mostly a glorified version of Karen Walker, her beloved character from Will & Grace, but with a blonde wig and a fitted white dress with gold. High energy & almost giddy, Mullally is the only other character on the stage almost as much as Lane. She does her job to move the plot line along, as we learn how she became involved in the production and her relationship with Wicker. Stock carries a lot of the comedic relief with his one-liners as he enters and exits the room to bring in and take out the coats of the various party goers. (A continuing gag of various themed coats runs throughout the show, as Head must bring in the coats and jackets for various Broadway shoes, like The Lion King and Aladdin.)

Grint finally enters well into the First Act, as the beleaguered director of the play. He’s had so many hits, that all he wants is a flop, so the expectations for him can be lowered. He’s hardly recognizable as most fans would have known him, if not for his red hair and British accent. Dressed in a shiny, patterned teal suit and runny eye-makeup, he looks exhausted and spends part of the show, hidden underneath a large black blanket in the corner of the stage. His character, through the high expectations of his career, has also picked up a bit of kleptomania, and many jokes are thrown around with what he has picked up from Julia’s home and shoved into his pockets.

When Matthew Broderick finally enters, the audience begins to realize what Peter has at stake in this production. There is a sort of reunion on stage, as he becomes acquainted with each character, but it’s the anticipation of the play within a play’s review that drives the show. Broderick shows elements of humor that endeared him to many as Ferris Bueller many years ago. He plays nervous very well and carries the cast into the end of the First Act, as the New York Times review finally arrives via Mullally’s iPhone.

Most of the Second Act revolves around reading the New York Times review and how each character reacts to their negative or positive critique, including Abraham as another theatre critic. Each story line for the characters resolves throughout the Times review and we learn if each of them receives the news that they are hoping for. But sorry, no spoilers here!

As a larger fan of musicals, I found that my attention wained during parts of the play, but it was Lane that helped keep my attention. The play has been updated for the current year and several amusing pop culture references were thrown in for a laugh. (I guess I should note that I was probably the youngest crowd member by about 15-20 years during this show.) Partway into the First Act, the audience learns that the play is on the verge of being a flop, although no one wants to tell Peter, most certainly not his best friend, who actually turned down the play, because of how awful it is.

The cast does a lovely job of playing off one another, but I kept waiting for the big song and dance number! At one point, towards the end of Act One, the woman sitting next to me had dozed off to sleep. I enjoyed the show, getting the opportunity to see some of my favorite actors live on stage, but would I pay over $170 to see it again, no thanks. You’ll find me at another showing of Kinky Boots for that price.

Overall, my desire to see “Ron” was satisfied. I liked seeing Rupert in his Broadway debut, but I was almost hoping for him to have an American accent or take on something a bit more challenging, as I feel that Daniel Radcliffe did in How to Succeed… and The Cripple of Inishman. I wish that his role also allowed him to display some of the comedic side, which endeared him to so many Harry Potter fans. I’m anxious to see what other Broadway roles he might take on in the future.

Just after I wrote this article, it was announced that the show would be extended into 2015 with Martin Short taking over for Nathan Lane in the role of James Wicker. Prices for tickets have also continued to skyrocket.