Justin's Theatre Reviews

   To start off this review, I must say that I have never seen "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" or "The Rocky Horror Show".....ever. So, I was very interested in finally seeing what a big deal this cult classic was. I did enjoy the show and I can totally see why it is so popular. The music is fun and the script is (mostly) well written and easy to follow. Although I did enjoy the show very much, I cannot see myself getting in on the "Rocky Horror" trend, just because it's not exactly my cup of tea.    The show got off to a nice, calm start with the song "Science Fiction, Double Feature" (sung by the character of the Usherette played by Christina Marquez) and we were introduced to the characters of Brad and Janet (played by Erick Canales and Jordyn Catnach) and then their car breaks down and they go into a house seeking help, but it turn out that the house turns out to be a crazy transsexual scientist's house, and wacky hijinks ensue!...

     Last night (October 8, 2015) I had the pleasure of enjoying the final dress rehearsal of "West Side Story" at the UTEP Dinner Theatre.      It was wonderful. The entire thing was nothing but wonderful. The cast was just so amazing and the production quality was so great. What else can I say? It was a production that was beautifully put together.      Hugo Arreola and Nabil Gonzalez played the leading roles of Tony and Maria. I thought both of them were so well cast in their roles. The best thing that I remember about their performances from last night were their duets. Both Arreola and Gonzalez sounded so gorgeous, especially during "Tonight" and "One Hand, One Heart". Their acting was just so....perfect, both Arreola and Gonzalez brought a lot to their roles and I would love to see what they would bring to other roles in other shows.  Both of them are true highlights of this production.   Lizbeth Sanchez Pineda was a very believable Anita. Ther

  The Kids n Co. production of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was interesting. Yeah, not the good type of interesting.    I would like to start of by saying that I know many members of the cast and crew of this production, and they are all great talents. The God awful adaptation by Michele L. Vacca did not do them any favors.                  If you don't know what "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is about, then I'm sorry.   The role of Dorothy was played by Markie Condra. She had the potential to be a really amazing Dorothy, but the weak adaptation prevented Condra from being the best she can be. The material did not give Condra much to work with and the Dorothy in this adaptation came off as bland and weak, and I feel bad for anyone who is stuck playing a bland character. I also felt bad for Karly Spencer who played Toto. I feel bad for anyone who is stuck in a dog costume. I don't know if it was because they thought it would be "cute", but

   Well here we are, the 7th day of my "7 Days of Les Miserables". Do you know what that means? IT MEANS I HAVE WATCHED/LISTENED TO "LES MIS" FOR THE PAST 7 DAYS. I AM GOING TO HAVE THE SONGS IN MY HEAD FOR WEEKS. With that semi positive thought in mind, it has been really cool to listen to how the musical "LES MISERABLES" has grown over the past 30 years since it opened on the West End on October 8, 2015 (today). And now....perhaps the most anticipated (for me) "Les Miserables" review.....the 2012 movie.    This is one of those movies where it's strengths are really it's strengths....and its weakness are really it's weaknesses. By that, I mean the weaknesses really bring the movie down. I feel like the hugest weaknesses come from the movie itself, not just the cast. The biggest thing I noticed that a lot of the scene changes are really abrupt. There are many scenes where it feels like there is still a lot of time left in the scene,

   I haven't listened to much of this cast recording prior to today (October 6, 2015), so naturally I was very excited to finally listen to it all the way through. This cast recording is definitely up there with the Complete Symphonic Recording. It was thrilling.....the cast was top notch and just everything about it was just so perfect   John Owen Jones has a remarkable voice in the role of Jean Valjean....I think that it really suits the role and he sings the score beautifully. Same goes for Earl Carpenter who played the role of Javert in this cast recording.   Madelena Alberto played Fantine and she was....wow. I was very impressed.....she sounded amazing. Just so much emotion and power in her voice. I felt just about the same for Rosalind James (Eponine) as well. Both of their voices were just so gorgeous.    I really enjoyed the Thenardiers (Ashley Artus and Lynne Wilmot) in this recording. I would like to see a video of their performance because I am sure they are very

                                                 Day 5: The 25th Anniversary Concert   WOW....just WOW..... The concert is absolutely phenomenal. The cast is probably one of the best, if not the best cast of "Les Miserables" ever put together.    Alfie Boe is the best Jean Valjean that I have seen so far. His voice is like the improved version of Colm Wilkinson's voice. Boe's voice just has so much power and emotion, and it just sounds so beautiful. Same goes for Norm Lewis (Javert). Lewis' Javert is the best Javert out there, he is just so thrilling, and even a bit scary at times Boe and Lewis' "Confrontation" is absolutely thrilling. I had chills. Norm Lewis as Inspector Javert    Lea Salonga gave an emotional performance as Fantine. Her "I Dreamed a Dream" is really incredible. She had a very realistic take on Fantine, and I hope that one day (before she gets too told for the role) she reprises her portrayal of Fantine.   

                                                Day 4: The 10th Anniversary Concert!   Okay, I am not going to lie...but I thought I would have way more to say about this concert than I do. There were just so many cast members reprising their roles and I don't have anything else to say about those people. So, this review will just be touching on the cast members I have not already reviewed.    I have already reviewed, Colm Wilkinson (Jean Valjean), Phillip Quast (Javert), Alun Armstrong (Thenardier), Michael Ball (Marius), Michael Maguire (Enjorlas), and Judy Kuhn (Cosette).    The first cast member I have not already reviewed is Ruthie Henshall in the role of Fantine. As Fantine, Ruthie Henshall is my absolute favorite in the role. She has such a gorgeous voice and her face just has so much emotion to it. She doesn't need to cry or do anything to convey the emotion on her face. It is just so natural and believable. Ruthie Henshall as Fantine    Next on my list, is

                                         Day 3: The Complete Symphonic Recording!!!!!     Out of all of the cast recordings of "Les Miserables", the Complete Symphonic Recording is by far my favorite cast recording of this show. This is my favorite "Les Miserables" cast recording because it is the only cast recording (in English) that contains the entire score, which is basically the entire show (for the 8 people who haven't seen "Les Mis", the show is an operetta, it is sung through) and the cast is PHENOMENAL. There is not a weak link and it is in my opinion, the one of the best casts of this show, that I know of.   Gary Morris is an incredible Jean Valjean. His voice is very similar to that of Colm Wilkinson. Every single one of his numbers gave me chills. I would love to see him in this role. Vocally, he is by far one of the best Jean Valjeans out there. Gary Morris as Jean Valjean   Phillip Quast is AMAZING as Javert. He has such a stron

                For Day 2 of "7 Days of Les Mis", is The Original Broadway Cast Recording!   Honestly, while listening to this recording, I had a really hard time not comparing it to the Original London Cast. So, this review is going to contain a lot of comparison to the Original London Cast. If you do not like reviews that compare one thing to another, STOP READING HERE.    In her memoir, Patti LuPone stated that one reason she did not transfer to the Broadway company was because she knew it would just be a carbon copy of the London production. Patti LuPone was absolutely right. Although the only two cast members to transfer were Colm Wilkinson (Valjean) and Frances Ruffelle (Eponine), I feel like A LOT of the recording sounded extremely similar to the Original London Cast Recording.    I don't know if Colm Wilkinson wasn't totally comfortable as Jean Valjean in London or what, but in this recording, Wilkinson sounded way more powerful than he did on the London

I forgot to do this yesterday....I am not going to explain the story of "Les Miserables" in the reviews. If you are one of the 8 people who has never seen "Les Miserables", here is a link to the synopsis on Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mis%C3%A9rables_%28musical%29#Synopsis

    For the first day of my previously announced "7 Days of Les Mis", I will be starting at the very beginning: The Original London Cast Recording.    I think that the Original London Cast Recording of "Les Miserables" is so fun to listen too. Why shouldn't it be? The cast is phenomenal and it is really cool to listen to the original English version of this show. If you are a die hard fan like me, you will notice some different lyrics and orchestrations here and there.       Colm Wilkinson, as we all know is the original Jean Valjean in both the original London and Broadway casts. Wilkonson gives a great vocal performance as Jean Valjean. He has a very beautiful voice. But to me, he sounds a bit like a senior citizen, but that's just how Colm Wilkinson sounds in general. Overall, his best number as Jean Valjean was naturally "Bring Him Home". Colm Wilinson as Jean Valjean                                                         As the an