As a high school drama teacher, I have the opportunity to see a bunch of theatre- here are some memorable moments from 2008.Feelin' Good- This was my Music, Dance, Theatre class revue in January 2008. Jackie's parents flew out to see it. We did numbers from Movin' Out, Little Women, Wicked, A Chorus Line, Hairspray and Parade (just to name a few). Kelly DeHaan accompanied and sang Summer Highland Falls. Great show.
The Vertical Hour- This drama was at Pioneer Theatre Company (also in June). Interesting, but still not sure what it was trying to say.
The Robber Bridegroom- This was done by UVU for the Utah Theatre Conference. I have always been intrigued by the soundtrack, and it was great to see it live. Dave Tinney (the director) did an outstanding job. Very fun bluegrass musical.
Cyrano de Bergerac- Bradley Moss did an outstanding job with this romantic drama at our high school. The kids got to play with swords and Caleb Hansen was an outstanding lead.
Arabian Nights- This was a hard show to direct (and trim down to under 50 minutes)- but my cast of 13 was amazing and we took first in Region. I'm sad we didn't get straight superiors at State, but I'm proud of our work (and I think we created a true ensemble).
A Midsummer Night's Dream- At Pioneer Theatre Company- the set was amazing and the animal concept for the fairies was pretty cool. The actor's were great and made the story easy for students to understand (still not as good at the traveling Utah Shakespeare Company show we saw the previous year).
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee- Worth the price of admission to see two of my students plugging their ears during the song My Unfortunate Erection. This show is always great, but our seats were bad (Kingsbury Hall) and I got sick next week (I blame Amanda Cox). Still, the show will always be one of my favorite Broadway shows ever.
The Producers- Pioneer Theatre Company. Nothing will beat seeing this on Broadway when it was still a Broadway hit, but this version was pretty fun too.
When You Wish Upon a Star- This Music, Dance, Theatre revue almost killed me, but the kids were great and put on a great show of Disney hits. Millie still talks about it.
NYC June 2008
Jersey Boys- Worth it just to see the lone elderly man in the balcony below us try to lead a big sing along by standing up and waving his hands near the end of the show. Everyone just stared at him and he slowly sat back down.
Spring Awakening- Worth it for the music and the fact that Jackie and I smuggled in an entire pizza (no, we didn't eat it) because we had spent a lot of money on it for lunch and didn't want it to go to waste. We ended up giving it to 4 of my Stage crew kids for dinner.
Young Frankenstein- Worth it for the set, the Puttin' on the Ritz number and the talk back afterward with Megan Mullaly.
Mary Poppins- Worth it for the set, Step In Time, anything Bert was in, anything the drunk butler was in and the really cool New Amsterdam Theatre.
Wicked- Worth it for Stephanie J. Block as Elphaba.
In the Heights- Worth every penny. Great seats, choreography, story, songs and a cast that was fantastic. They deserved Best Musical 2 nights later.
The 39 Steps- Worth it for it's originality and those 4 actors that are brilliant.
Boeing-Boeing- Worth it for Mark Rylance (the lead) alone -(but all the actors were outstanding). Hilarious design and the German stewardess was hilarious too.
Back in Utah
The Drowsy Chaperone- Saw it with my Dad in Salt Lake on the tour. Still hilarious.
The Civil War- At Hale Center Theatre. Jackie made us go to see Merrill Osmond. She still weeps when she thinks about it (him).
Gaslight- Amazing production at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Top notch!
Julius Ceasar- Great before intermission.
Taming of the Shrew- Great job to my actors in our 10 minute western version! We took 2nd and got to perform for the entire festival.
My Fair Lady- At Pioneer Theatre Company. Outstanding.
Noises Off- Not as fun as when I saw it on Broadway, but great Freddie, Belinda, and Brooke.
NYC with Jackie
13- Worth it to watch with the composer (Jason Robert Brown) in the house- and a very winning cast.
August; Osage County- Worth it for the script and the mother from hell (and breaking dishes!)
A Tale of Two Cities- Worth it for the leading guy's voice and the little old ladies behind us and next to us.
Billy Elliott- Worth it for the dance, story and the leading 12 year old kid that carries the weight of a 20 million dollar show on his shoulders.
Back in Utah
Cats- It's Cats.
No No Nanette- Probably one of the only high schools in the country that did this show.
The Light in the Piazza- One of the best productions EVER done at Pioneer Theatre Company. Beautiful songs, sets, lighting and most of all, acting and singing. I loved every minute of it.
This montage says it very well:
2 comments:
I loved Light in the Piazza as well--I'm excited that we got to see it in NY as well as Pioneer.
Enjoyed your family moments as well--wouldn't life be boring without children's bodily functions to write about.
Oh I'm so jealous...so much goodness in one year. I saw a few of the same ones and I'm in agreement with all of your comments. Light in the Piazza was gorgeous. Loved it. The only show so far this season that deserved a standing O...and didn't get one.
Utah theater makes no sense.
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