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The National Tour of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS

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*I wrote this right after I saw the show in February, but it is barely being published due to my poor commitment skills*    The first thing I said when the lights came up at the intermission of the national tour of An American in Paris was that the dancing was lovely. Because it really was. In fact, it was quite likely some of the best dancing I have ever seen take place in a musical. In fact, if I were to rank the best choreography I have seen in musicals, this show is easily in the top three, if not the top two. Not to mention, that the orchestrations were simply heavenly. If I were to rank orchestrations, this show would certainly be high on the list as well. However, if I were ranking this production on it's book, design, acting, and singing, then this production would easily be nearing the lower end of said rankings in each category. It's so fascinating to me, that despite An American in Paris having dancing and orchestrations that are utterly stunning, the show falls ...
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The National Tour of Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

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*I wrote this shortly after I saw the show in January, but I am only publishing it now because I am awful*    "The candy man. The candy man can." These are words that I imagine everyone in the English speaking langauge has heard sung at lease once or twice in their life. Even if you haven't seen the movie versions or read the book, you probably have still heard at least that one part of the song.  Just like the song, most people seem to have an idea or be aware of the story of Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka, the famous candy maker. There have been numerous adaptations of the story and the latest version of the story is the musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , which opened on Broadway in 2017, hit the road in 2018, and has been on tour across North America since. The aforementioned song, aptly titled, "The Candy Man" is the opening number of this musical adaptation, which I found to be absolutely charmless and devoid of anything that made the book or th...
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CATS (2019)

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    It is no secret that I do not care for Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical  Cats (based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats , by T.S. Elliot). In fact, when I was in middle school and high school, I despised it with a passion to the point that it became a joke among my friends. However, I have a secret. When I attempted to watch the filmed version of the show, I grew so bored and tired of the show that I turned it off during the song, "Gus: The Theatre Cat." Since that time, I have not revisited the show, other than the occasional listen to a song or two from the Original London Cast Recording (never the full thing) or when one of the songs would come on as a part of the Andrew Lloyd Webber compilation album that I own. When the trailer was released for the Tom Hooper-directed film adaptation of the musical, I was THRILLED. It looked so awful to the point where I thought I may enjoy it. I thought it would become my most guilty of guilty pleasures. I planned on attend...
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The National Tour of COME FROM AWAY

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   It is so fun to go see shows that you already know you are going to love before entering the theatre. It's even better when the show exceeds your expectations and winds up being one of the best shows that you have seen. That is the experience I had when I saw the national tour of the hit Broadway musical, Come From Away . I have loved the show's cast album ever since it came out in 2017 and have been a huge fan of the show ever since. When I heard that I was going to be in the same area as the touring production of the show, I knew that I could not miss the show while I was there. So, off I went with my aunts and one of my cousins to see the show at the Connor Palace Theatre, which is a part of Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio. The show went above and beyond what I thought it was going to be. I was so amazed by the heart of the story, the staging, the choreography, and the design of the entire show. It is absolutely one of the best shows that I have ever seen.  Wh...
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A Recap of the 73rd Annual Tony Awards

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  One of my favorite annual traditions is by far the American Theatre Wing's annual Tony Awards ceremony. I spend the entire year tracking the races and devoting my time to each of the new shows that opens on Broadway each season. I do not measure my year from January-December, but by Broadway season to Broadway season. This begins from the moment the first show of the season opens until the moment the annual Tony Awards ceremony ends. The 2018/2019 Broadway season ran through all of the types of shows. Some were good, some were bad, and some were even life affirming. I love the Tony Awards because not only do we get to honor all of our favorite shows and performers of the season, but we get to celebrate them through nominations, wins, and a wonderful show. This year, Hadestown led the pack, pulling in 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. They were followed by The Ferryman , who picked up 4 Tony Awards, including Best Play. Also winning big was the new revival of Rodgers and Hamm...
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