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A Prince. But Not Quite a King

8 May

On my list of all-time favorite movies, The Lion King ranks up there somewhere around number 5 (right after Rushmore, Singin’ in the Rain, North by Northwest, Good Will Hunting, and sometimes What’s Eating Gilbert Grape). So it’s always puzzled me why I never got around to seeing the theatrical adaptation of The Lion King, even though it’s been on Broadway for 10 years. Well, seeing the show is no longer on my to-do list because I saw it Tuesday night at the Broward Center in South Florida.

Unfortunately, Lion King will not be on my top-5 list of musicals (like, say, Company). I liked the show overall, thought it was a very creative adaptation of the movie, but I found some of it corny like a show at Disney World, didn’t like a lot of the individual performances, found the transition between some scenes choppy because they were trying to replicate every scene of the film, and thought the way the story was padded (especially in the second act) just slowed the whole thing down. In fact, the first act is much better than the second, but maybe that’s because that’s when all the good stuff in the movie is. On the other hand, the “He Lives in You” reprise is a really nice addition. I also loved how colorful some scenes were (though not “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King”). But I think the movie is really ingrained in my head, because scenes that always get me when I watch the movie totally got me here too. It’s almost a Pavlovian reaction that I get chills when I see “Circle of Life,” for example, and here, with the animals coming from everywhere in the theater, it had a similar effect on me. The wildebeast stampede scene, too, was an emotional experience seeing it in the theater. It’s hard to watch those scenes play out on stage without thinking of how they look in the movie. I have to say, though, that if there was something I really sorta didn’t like, it’s how Timon and Pumba were portrayed. It’s totally pandering in an attempt to mimic Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella’s performances. I also thought “Hakuna Matata” didn’t end the first act effectively.

So am I happy I finally saw the show? Of course. But when I think of The Lion King, I’ll think more fondly of the movie. To me, that’s a perfect animated movie, and it just can’t be replicated in live action.

Totally Legal

30 Apr

Thought I’d put up a link to my story in the new issue of Continental magazine. As you can see, it’s the cover story and it’s about Laura Bell Bundy, who plays Elle Woods in the new Broadway adaptation of Legally Blonde.

Reviews of the show (which opened Sunday night) have been mixed, but some critics (like the ones at Variety and The New York Times) say it’s a lot of fun and that Bundy gives a very good performance. Continue reading →

What About Bobby?

26 Nov

The show Company begins with Bobby’s friends all calling his name. “Bobby,” the various couples say, “come on over for dinner.”

And here’s how they sweeten the offer: it’ll “just be the three of us.”

Bobby is 35 years old and single. All his friends are married, and seem capable of only discussing the state of being married, their wedding, their kids, or worse, why Bobby isn’t married yet.

He is a perpetual third wheel or odd man out, and it’s not so much fun anymore for him.

Not surprisingly, his friends just don’t get it. They think that if Bobby isn’t married yet, and doesn’t seem to want to get married, there must be something wrong with him.

God forbid he just hasn’t met the right person yet, or maybe he’s just not ready. Continue reading →

At Medium Volume

5 Oct

Three days after seeing High Fidelity and I’m still not sure what to make of the show.

My toes were tapping during many of the songs, and I had some good laughs, but overall, I just felt something was missing.

A spark.

A certain je ne sais quoi.

I don’t know exactly what.

Maybe it’s my chronic problem that I never seem to like seeing shows in Boston; they just don’t feel right if they’re not on Broadway. Or maybe I just had too high expectations.

Either way, High Fidelity felt like it was a bit lacking. Continue reading →

One Man Party

21 Jun

I thought this was too funny not to mention here. In the new Broadway show, Fame Becomes Me, Martin Short and cast sing a song called “Party with Marty.” Ha ha …

That’s all. I don’t have much more to say about that. Just that I think this show has now become a must-see for me, if only for that one song.

A Real Show Man

12 Jun

The Tony Awards were handed out last night, and for the fourth year in a row, Continental has proven to be a positive jinx. What I mean is, whatever we’ve had on the cover of our May issue has won. In 2003, it was Marissa Jaret Winokur, who won best actress for Hairspray. In 2004, it was Idina Menzel, who won best actress for Wicked. Last year, it was Spamalot, which won best musical. And this year, it was LaChanze, who won best actress for The Color Purple. The cooler part, at least for me, is that I interviewed Idina Menzel and LaChanze thinking both would be a front-runner for the award. I also interviewed Sutton Foster, who was nominated last year and this year (though she didn’t win either year), and suggested profiling Winokur back in 2003. So, because my Tony prognostication skills are apparently quite good, I just thought I’d gloat for a minute on here. Congrats, LaChanze!

Purple Read

1 May

Another story of mine has gone live online, so I thought I’d post a link.

I interviewed LaChanze, the star of Broadway’s The Color Purple, for the May issue of Continental. Just click on the link to check it out. Continue reading →

City on Fire

27 Nov

I attended the tale of Sweeney Todd Saturday night.

Regular readers of this site may recall that I interviewed Michael Cerveris a few months back, but that was before the show had opened. (Actually, I spoke with him before he had even begun rehearsals.)

So now that the show is a month into its run on Broadway, I figured it was a good time to get some tickets. Continue reading →

There’s Always Tomorrow

16 Nov

I wanted to like Rent.

I really did.

I’ve seen the show three times (twice with the original cast — once in New York and once in London) and I really like the music.

And yet the movie was such a disappointment for me.

I mean, aside from the fact that it would have had more emotional impact if it was simply a concert film of the cast singing the songs. Rent the movie was a letdown and it really bummed me out. Continue reading →

Now It’s My Turn

2 Oct


Alright, enough of this plugging of other people’s work.

I wrote the cover story (or, some would say, cover stories) for the October issue of Continental magazine. It’s our twice-annual Broadway special, and I interviewed Tony winners Nathan Lane (regarding his role in the new revival of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple) and Michael Cerveris (regarding his role in the new revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd). Continue reading →

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