Displaying items by tag: Amber Mak

I thoroughly enjoyed this colorful, sumptuous, and romantic production of Rogers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella at The Drury Lane Theatre from beginning to end.

Directed and choreographed with lively and complex numbers by Amber Mak, with musical direction by Carolyn Brady, I felt that the spirit and female empowering themes of the original Cinderella were kept intact. Cinderella is the unlikely and supernatural story of a girl who is treated like a house servant once her stepmother takes charge after her well-to-do father passes away. No longer protected by her father, Cinderella is at the mercy of her resentful stepmother and her two stepsisters. But much to the chagrin of the stepmother, Cinderella’s inner beauty and strong character does not go unnoticed by the kingdom’s prince, who is seeking a bride.

Lissa deGuzman as Cinderella is a genuine delight as the sensitive and "unique" Cinderella. deGuzman has a beautiful voice and really captures the innocence and ingenuity that Cinderella is supposed to exude. The chemistry between her and Prince Topher, played by Jeffrey Kringer, was palpable and they have several romantic embraces and kisses that might have fallen flat if not for their genuine chemistry onstage. Jeffrey Kringer is a multifaceted Prince with a strong masculine yet sensitive presence as the handsome but confused Prince who is forced by his Viceroy to choose a Queen to marry. Viceroy Sebastian is played with good humor by Jeff Parker.

What I liked about this version of the classic tale is that it included the extended storyline wherein Cinderella is not just a victim of her greedy stepmother and a discovery of the Prince, she actually helps the entire village and the prince resolve a longstanding situation regarding the growing starvation and taxation of his subjects and the Royal families reluctance to address these issues fairly until Cinderella asserts herself and is able to open the prince’s eyes. The prince then deems the kingdom as a village of the people and uses their voice to make decisions regarding its management. 

Cinderella's stepsisters, Gabrielle (Christine Mayland Perkins) and Charlotte (Alanna Lovely) were at first ugly on the inside though some people can change as seen by Gabrielle’s lovely extended storyline where she and her secret boyfriend, Jean-Michel (Christopher Llewyn Ramirez) a villager who cries for fairness among the people, end up helping Cinderella to escape the grasp of the abusive gold digger, Madame/Stepmother, masterfully played by Gisela Adisa. Gabrielle, spoiled and bratty at first, turns out to be very sweet and her evolving character is played with glowing depth by Christine Mayland Perkins, who also lands several funny lines to perfection. 

I also have to acknowledge the superb performance by veteran actress McKinley Carter as the Fairy Godmother named Marie. It isn't until Carter's appearance as the wise and beautiful Fairy Godmother who leaves her beggar woman rags behind and sings the song "Impossible" that the young cast seemingly melts into cohesion and radiates collectively.  At the same time, we as an audience then get our first glimpse of the magical power of falling into true love thanks to Carter’s majestic voice and sparkling smile, conveyed as only a mature award-winning actress can pull off. 

I really enjoyed the flowing and heartfelt group dance numbers by the talented ensemble cast including Emily Ann Brooks, Leah Casey, Sophie Liu David, Margot Frank, Dani Johns, Kevin Kuska, Austin Nelson Jr., Justin Payton Nelson, Nolan Robinson, Elizabeth Romero, David Sajewich, Brian Selcik, Andew Tufano, Shelbi Voss, Amanda Walker.

My favorite songs next to "Impossible" include the adoring duets between Prince Topher and Cinderella "Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful”, “Now Is the Time” and (I Held You) "10 Minutes Ago," which had a great sense of youthful, loving urgency and graceful romance. I only wish they had included the Disney film song "So this Is Love,” as it is recognizable to audiences of any age and to me represents the ultimate love song between the Prince and new Princess that marks their first dance together as a newly smitten couple falling in love for the very first time. 

Riw Rakkulcon’s scenic design is a tiny bit dark but very large in its scope and complex changes. It is luxurious and grand when it needs to be so you really feel that the castle is a castle. I also enjoyed the way the carriage and horse men portrayed the journey to the castle as even Cinderella needs a ride to attend the ball. 

I loved the costumes by multi–Jeff Award-Winning Theresa Ham for everyone in the cast except perhaps for Cinderella. The unique classic style and colorful well-fitting gowns and tuxedos etc. for the ensemble were very well done and varied. The only problem I had with Cinderella's costume changes was with the big reveal when the Fairy Godmother tells her it is not impossible for her to attend the ball and gifts her with a ticket and gown. The effect to do this this was impressive, Cinderella spinning her way from rags to ball dress, though the dress could have been more fairytale-esque. However, to Ham’s defense, in order to make this "magical" change onstage in full view of the audience, Cinderellas magnificent ball gown needed to be hidden under her day dress and as such lacked the largesse and sparkling, puffy wedding gown feeling that little girls have come to expect from that scene. 

With plenty of humor, impressive special effects, brilliant set and costume design and led by sensational performances from Gisela Adisa, Lissa deGuzman, Jeffrey Kringer, McKinley Carter, Alanna Lovely, Christine Maryland Perkins and Jeff Parker, I highly recommend this lush and well-acted and beautifully danced and sung production of Cinderella for audiences of all ages. Rogers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella at Drury Lane is a show that will lift your heart for the holidays and make you believe that finding true love and making it work is most definitely possible! 

Rogers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella is being performed at Drury Lane in Oakbrook through January 7^th. For tickets and/or more show information, please click here.

From the moment the sisters along with Mother Abbess sang “Maria” in one of the show’s earliest numbers, I knew I was in for a special performance. Their voices soared through the theater with a magnificence beyond what I had hoped. And when Mother Abbess (so richly performed by Susan Moniz) sang the final line in the song, “How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand”, it nearly brought tears to my eyes – just the beauty in her voice and the compassion within her words.

Paramount Theatre is currently taking on one of the most timeless musicals ever created in stage history in Rogers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music”. And though many excellent renderings of this musical have come through Chicago over the past several decades, I can only imagine that this production would join the others among the best produced, casted and performed. From its majestic sets that seamlessly change from scene to scene to its large catalog of masterpiece musical theater numbers, this production wows the audience one scene after another.

The Sound of Music is based on the 1949 memoir penned by Maria von Trapp The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. The story was first staged on November 16^th, 1959 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre before being released as a film in March of 1965 where it won just about every award imaginable, taking off internationally thanks in part to memorable performances by Julie Andrew and the late, great Christopher Plummer. Taking place in 1938 Salzburg, Austria, its story revolves around Maria, a wannabe nun that might not be quite ready for life in The Abbey. Wanting her explore life again on the outside before committing to sisterhood, the Mother Abbess sends free-spirited Maria to serve as a governess for the widowed Captain Georg von Trapp, a retired naval officer, where she would care for his seven children. Georg is strict and has distanced himself from his children since his wife’s passing. His children now answer to whistles and march as though they were in the military. Maria becomes intent on not only breaking through to the children (who are now on their seventh governess) but also connecting them once again with their father whom they once knew much more closely. While doing so, unexpected feelings emerge between Maria and Georg. At the same time, Nazi Germany is spreading throughout Europe, Austria being no exception. The beloved country was being annexed by Hitler’s dark empire. But Georg is a devout Austrian and refuses to serve under the Third Reich. So, then the story also becomes one of escape.

For a Sound of Music production to work well, Maria must be cast well. And in Paramount’s production, they have done just that. Alicia Kaori is extraordinary. She gives us a Maria who is playful, warm, understanding, loyal, devoted, brave and adventurous. She brims with confidence when needed yet occasionally wrestles with her doubts. Kaori’s vocals are also impressive - her range is remarkable.

The remainder of the cast is superb.  As mentioned prior, Susan Moziz excels as Mother Abbess though excellence is also found in Christopher Kale Jones’ portrayal of Captain Georg von Trapp. He does a great vocally but also in capturing the captain’s exacting behavior while showing his vulnerability and his need for love again. With a cast so large, the standouts are plentiful. Included in that group would be Julia Aragon as the eldest von Trapp sibling, Liesl – one of the show’s highlights being her and Rolf’s (Michael Harp) rendition of “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”. Stephen Schellhardt as Max Detweiler and Nellie Shuford as Baroness Elberfeld are both quality additions and take on their roles with much aplomb. The children are fun to watch as their talent should not be overlooked, as well as the production’s ensemble roles.

Every aspect seems to have been taken in consideration while creating this production. The sets, massive and detailed, take us inside the von Trapp home so much that we, the audience, almost feel we are invited guests during the party scene and concert goers during the Sazburg Music Festival. The costumes are rich and painstakingly precise, giving the production an element of authenticity at every turn.

If you are already familiar with the story and are looking forward to hearing to hearing such classics as “Do-Re-Mi”, “Edelweiss”, “So Long Farewell”, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” or its exhilarating title track, “The Sound of Music”, you will not be disappointed. If you’ve never seen the film or staged production before, you will undoubtedly become a fan.

Adeptly directed and choreographed by Amber Mak, this incredible production of The Sound of Music is being performed at the Paramount Theatre through January 14^th. For tickets and/or more show information click here.

Highly Recommended!

Disney’s 1991 Award-winning musical Beauty and the Beast was an instant hit. Its songs were memorable, and its story considered one of Disney’s best. With music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice and Howard Ashman, a live musical took the Broadway stage in 1994 that successfully ran for thirteen years (Broadway’s tenth longest run) and has since been stage in theatres all around the world. Fairy tale lovers in the Chicago area now get their chance to see this highly acclaimed fantasy-musical once again, this time at Aurora’s Paramount Theatre, in what is truly a visually stunning, heart-warming and vocally charged adaptation of the modern classic. 

A spell is cast on a handsome prince that turns him into an unsightly beast after his horrible behavior and selfish ways have gone too far. He now lives in a dark mansion deep in the woods along with a once human staff that are slowly turning into household items - a candlestick, a clock, a dresser and a teapot. The more time that passes the closer each is to losing their human likeness altogether - forever. Only one thing can save them – should the beast fall in love before the last pedal of a magic rose falls, the spell would be reversed, and all would be come human again. But…the love must be returned to him. For a hot-tempered beast that lives hidden in the middle of a vast forest, this is much easier said than done.

 
Belle (Beth Stafford Laird) is a beautiful village girl who is courted by town hero Gaston (Emmett O’Hanlon) but she repeatedly fends off the egotistical hunter’s aggressive advances. But Gaston doesn’t give up so easily and he, along with his comical sidekick Lefou (Nick Druzbanski) are always scheming their next move. Belle’s kind-hearted father Maurice (Ron E. Rains) is an inventor whose keen ideas are often looked at as kooky by the fellow villagers. He loves his daughter more than anything but stumbles into trouble when he gets lost in the woods and Belle goes on the daunting task of searching for him on her own. After a series of happenings have the two crossing paths deep within the trees, Belle then Beast’s last chance for love before time runs out.

Paul-Jordan Jansen, who recently left a strong impression on theatre goers for his strong performance in Drury Lane’s ‘And Then There Were None’ is magnificent as Beast. His deep, strong speaking voice and precise annunciation of every syllable lends to his regal background, so we never forget who he was despite his beastly appearance. Jansen effectively delivers rage as well as he does tenderheartedness, making Beast a well-rounded counterpart to Belle. And Beth Stafford Laird is well cast as the musical’s leading lady, charming, warm and adventurous when need be, she so effortlessly captures the essence of our fairy tale Belle. Both Jansen and Laird complete the package also showing off their powerhouse vocals in many numbers throughout the show.

 
Though our leading characters are nearly flawless and are simply a pleasure to watch from scene to scene, the musical gets a lift from a very solid supporting cast. Emmett O’Hanlon’s rich baritone gives us a showstopping moment or two while he is also able to pull of the needed over the top cockiness that makes his role so humorous (Trevor Vanderzee will be playing the role of Gaston January 8th through 19th). Druzbanski as Lefou is just plain funny nearly every time he takes the stage while other notable performances would have to include Jackson Evans as Lumiere (the candlestick) whose comedic timing is just superb, Ron E. Rains as Maurice, the highly-imaginative inventor, and Becca McCoy who delivers big as Madame de la Grande Bouche, the former singing star who is slowly becoming a dresser thanks to the spell cast upon them. So many great performances grace the stage in this all-out production that includes an impressive ever-changing set, astonishing costumes and several memorable numbers including the instant classic “Be Our Guest”.

Directed and co-choreographed by Amber Mak, ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’ is a colorful, exciting and thoroughly engaging adventure filled with fun surprises and outstanding vocal performances.

Recommended for theatre goers of all ages.

‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’ is being performed at Paramount Theatre in Aurora through January 19th. For more information visit www.paramountaurora.com.