Tag Archives: keybank state theatre

Jul8

Moulin Rouge At Playhouse Square Review

Posted on by
Standard
Moulin Rouge At Playhouse Square Review

Hello!! This past weekend, Johnny and I had a wonderful date night seeing Moulin Rouge at Playhouse Square. We had an absolute blast and you can read more about the rest of our outing and peep a brand new OOTD later this week! Playhouse Square is my happy place and even though Moulin Rouge wasn’t my favorite, it was still phenomenal as per ushe with the shows put on there. Let’s get to the review:

image_50456833(8)image_50739969(3)image_16831745image_50428673(6)image_50451457(5)

Johnny and I went to Moulin Rouge knowing nothing about it. We have never seen the movie and the only songs that I was familiar with going in was Lady Marmalade and Because We Can. Long story short… The Moulin Rouge is a nightclub that is falling on desperate times. If a financial windfall doesn’t happen, it is sure to close. Luckily for the crew at the Moulin Rouge, a wealthy man called The Duke takes an interest in Satine, the “sparkling diamond” of the club. Satine knows what she needs to do to get The Duke’s money and as she awaits him in her boudoir, a mix up happens. *gasp*

Instead of The Duke coming into Satine’s room, Christian who is an aspiring songwriter and hoping to audition for Satine arrives first. It is instant love and a love triangle is born between Satine, The Duke, and Christian. The Duke agrees to fund a new play and as rehearsals are underway, Satine and Christian are sneaking around like teenagers. That’s not the only secret Satine is harboring, as she is in poor health. As opening night at the Moulin Rouge draws nearer, The Duke becomes more controlling, Christian and Satine’s love amplifies, and her condition continues to decline. Will the Moulin Rouge have to shut its doors? Will true love win? Go see the musical to find out! 😉

Before we discuss the good of the show, let’s get a few bugaboos out of the way. My main qualm actually had nothing to do with the performance itself, but the theater it was in. Moulin Rouge was showing at the Keybank State Theatre and the sound quality isn’t the best there. Johnny and I had great seats in the middle of the first row of the balcony and while we could hear the songs perfectly, all of the spoken lines were near impossible to hear. This was frustrating, to say the least, but unsurprising. Every show that I have seen at the Keybank is like that! *face palm*

My next gripe was both a good and a bad thing. More good than bad, it’s just a matter of preference for me. The songs in Moulin Rouge were all popular hits and each number would end in a mashup. You could basically turn on the radio and there is a 95% chance you would hear one of the songs from the show. I much prefer a musical with songs written specifically for it. But, on the other hand, it was fun to hear songs that you know instantly throughout the show. It was hard not to sing along!

Despite my personal preference for songs from musicals, the set list was full of bangers. Banger after banger lol. We’re talking Britney, we’re talking Beyonce, we’re talking Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Adele, Elton, and so much more. My favorite number was to Sia’s Chandelier when Christian goes on an absinthe bender. I also loved the tango set to Roxanne and the adorable love song mashup with songs that included I Will Always Love You, Heroes, and Pride (In the Name of Love) just to name a few.

And, finally, let’s discuss the wonderful performers who graced the stage. Courtney Reed as Satine was phenomenal. That girl could SANG and I was so impressed with her range and ability to capture the essence of each song perfectly. John Cardoza as Christian was a formidable leading man and I liked his sensitivity in contrast to Satine’s strength. Both Reed and Cardoza worked so well together and carried the show beautifully.

Another character that Johnny and I loved was Harold Zidler, the owner of Moulin Rouge, played by Austin Durant. He was hysterical and a really fun addition to every scene. While all of the performers held their own well, I wasn’t overly impressed with Denzel Tsopnang as The Duke. His character is not a good person. The Duke is controlling, menacing, and aggressive and I just didn’t feel that in his portrayal. He definitely fell flat in comparison to the rest of the cast, which was disappointing as it is such a major part.

Moulin Rouge was, overall, an awesome show. It wasn’t the best thing that I have seen, but I’m really happy that I got to see it. In fact, Johnny and I enjoyed it so much that we are going to watch the movie! If Moulin Rouge comes to your neck of the woods, I highly recommend getting tickets!

What is your favorite song from Moulin Rouge? Have you seen a musical recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Oct20

Les Miserables At Playhouse Square (Partial) Review

Posted on by
Standard
Les Miserables At Playhouse Square (Partial) Review

Hello! This past Saturday, Johnny and I went on a date night to The Haunted House Restaurant and Playhouse Square. Les Miserables was being performed at the KeyBank State Theater and Johnny and I decided to go since my parents couldn’t. Were we both chomping at the bit to see Les Mis? Not really. I love the theater more than the average bear and I have never had any desire to see it, despite its popularity. And, of course, Johnny didn’t care either way lol.

Because we were feeling wishy washy about attending in general, I told Johnny that we would make it to the intermission and leave. We were both tired after a long week and were also not trying to get stuck in traffic on the way home because the Cleveland Guardians was playing that night. Satisfied with this plan, we headed to Playhouse Square after a great meal. However, we ended up leaving after hearing “Castle On A Cloud” performed because it is my fave. Check out some pics and let’s discuss:

image_50409729image_50422529(3)image_50437889(4)image_50428673(3)image_50432257(6)

EUGENE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

image_50383361(1)

Let me preface our chit chat with the following: I freaking LOVE going to Playhouse Square and there is nothing better to me than a night at the theater. I have been to many a show there and have always had a blast, even with productions I wasn’t overly excited about because I can still admire the production value. For the life of me, though, I just could not get into Les Mis!

Johnny and I both had absolutely no idea of what Les Mis was about and we still don’t have the foggiest. BUT, when the show began we were both really feeling it. The beginning was set on a boat and it felt like you were rocking away on the stormy seas with the cast. Then… everyone started singing lol.

At first, I thought it was just a fluke but I couldn’t understand a word of what anyone was saying. In fact, I found myself wishing that the show had subtitles! I recalled to myself when I saw Frozen at the KeyBank State Theater in August and while I had some problems hearing/understanding the actors, it was nowhere near as bad as Les Mis. It almost made things worse that I have a bit of familiarity with the music of the show and still couldn’t understand NOTHIN.

As we sat through song after song (Because, let’s be real, the whole play is just one long song!), things were not getting any better. Yes, the set was spectacular and it always is at a Playhouse Square show but was it good enough to sit through the whole show in confusion? No, lol. Johnny and I had a loose understanding of what was going on from the phrases that we could make out but that was about it.

After close to an hour of attempting to give the show a chance to get better, we decided to call it a loss and head home – especially since we had an hour drive back. Honestly, on any other occasion, I would never consider leaving a play early. I was enjoying myself a little but Johnny most definitely wasn’t and we were exhausted – so much so that we were both yawning in our seats. The intermission was also a ways away and I was worried one of us was going to fall asleep! Sometimes, it’s best to just leave and this was one of those times.

I am a bit sad that Les Mis wasn’t this groundbreaking theatrical experience for myself and Johnny. But, we gave it a shot and no one can say that we didn’t try. Had we been able to understand even a little more of what was being sang, this post probably would have been totally different!

What are your thoughts on Les Mis? Have you ever left a movie or production early? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug25

Frozen At Playhouse Square Review

Posted on by
Standard
Frozen At Playhouse Square Review

Hello! This past weekend, I went to Playhouse Square with my dad, brother, and Val Gal to see a matinee showing of Frozen at the KeyBank State Theatre. I have never seen the movie the whole way through but it’s my niece’s favorite and Playhouse Square always puts on amazing shows so I was excited! There were things about Frozen that blew me away and other parts that were… not so much.

Regardless, it was SO special to accompany Val to her first ever live theater performance, which she loved. In fact, she asked if we could go again tomorrow! She was also dressed up in her Elsa costume and it was adorable seeing all of the little Anna and Elsas walking around. 🙂 Now, let’s get to this review starting with the good:

image_50456065(1)image_50392833(2)

Although a majority of the acting and singing in Frozen was great, the best thing about the show was, easily, all of the wonderful special effects. The lighting, set design, and flying pieces was true theater magic. This production used techniques that I had never seen before and, honestly, didn’t even think were possible. I had no idea how they were going to create the eternal winter landscape that Elsa created but it really did look like the entire stage was encompassed in snow and ice.

A huge credit should be given to the production team because this show would not have been nearly as good without everything that was accomplished by them. The set was so elaborate and visually beautiful and the lighting and soundscape enhanced everything tenfold. Now that I think of it, the only things that “wowed” me were all production related.

While some of the actors kind of missed the mark for me, there were a few performances that really stood out. F. Michael Haynie who played Olaf was spectacular and a formidable puppeteer too. I didn’t know how they were going to create the talking snowman and a to scale version puppet was cleverly used. It worked perfectly and Haynie played the part so well.

Evan Strand played Sven, Kristoff’s reindeer, and this was also another head scratcher for me. It’s not like they could have used a real reindeer for the show and most animal portrayals by actors can be kind of lame. However, the costume that was used for Sven was one of the best that I have ever seen and I almost thought that it was an actual reindeer at first! His physicality was spot on and I was very impressed – I think he outshined Kristoff completely.

Caroline Bowman as Elsa was pretty good, although I felt like she was a bit boring. Her time on stage was kind of lackluster and what shined during “Let It Go” wasn’t her but the incredible production behind it. Lauren Nicole Chapman as Anna also left A LOT to be desired. She was SO. Freaking. Annoying. Her voice was also very shrill. Granted, I haven’t seen bits and pieces of the movie in a while but I definitely don’t remember Anna being like that – maybe I’m wrong!

Because there aren’t too many original songs in the movie Frozen, a majority of the numbers had to be created for the stage. I liked a fair amount of them and enjoyed “Let It Go”, “In Summer”, “Fixer Upper”, and “Monster” the most. I will say that there were times when it was difficult to hear/understand the actors so that took away from some numbers that I could have potentially enjoyed.

Some of the songs really dragged the show on for longer than I thought was necessary, though. For example “Hygge” sung by Oaken and company was kind of a hot mess. I get that productions more geared towards children have to throw some things in for the adults BUT it felt inappropriate for the kids in the audience. It was, hands down, the cringiest part of the performance.

There were times when Frozen was hit or miss and that’s fine because the biggest success of the show was how much fun Val had. I am thrilled to have been able to share in my love of live theater with her and can’t wait to do something like this again!

What is your favorite musical? Have you seen any good shows lately? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah