Innovative Theatrics

02/25/2023

Hercules ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5
This is probably the most anticipated Disney musical for anyone who grew up in the 90s. The iconic Greek chorus passionately riffing for the gods is elevated in this production! Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah’s script is both hilarious and problematic. Every scene in the show is packed full of Greek puns. However the climax seems to push the theme of community in the face of adversity, which needs to be established from the beginning, in order to earn the audience catharsis.

The cast was fantastic with the exception of Shuler Hensley who plays the villainous Hades in a very predictable stoic temperament that lacks nuance and levity.

Chase Brock and Tanisha Scott choreographed energetic movement that fills the playing space. Their collaboration lacked the storytelling and humor that the source material found in “One Last Hope” and “Zero to Hero”

Alan Menken is always hit or miss when revisiting some of his most iconic music. I’m happy to report that all of the additional songs were a hit for me. In particular, Act 2 dramatizes Hades release of the Titans in the song “Great Bolts of Thunder”. This song services the narrative while creating a tuneful song that epitomizes Menken’s mastery.

Considering that the performance I attended was a preview performance of an out of town tryout, I give them grace as the show navigates how to tell this story. Despite anyone’s opinion, the show was sold out on a Wednesday night. This might send the message to Disney that the story of Hercules is one that audiences are willing to pay to see.

10/19/2022

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

Bubble gum pop music that’s so sweet and cheerful takes a turn when the playwright’s scenes of betrayal, abandonment and dehumanizing treatment of the pop artists sours the feeling. K-pop the musical bends traditional story structure with short scenes spliced between musical numbers. The story briefly creates conflict between members of the boy band F8 (pronounced fate) and scratches the surface on the female group RTMIS (pronounced Artemis) who’s greatest contribution to the story are their songs. Our main plot unfolds following a solo artist and her struggle since age nine to become the greatest k-pop singer ever. The choreography served it’s purpose of energizing the music and a visual kolideskope to enthrall the audience. My only wish is that the dancers performed the routines with a bit more stealth and sharp percision as is expected with this genre. This show is recommended for fans of k-pop, non- English speaking tourists, and people who love a Broadway spectical. If you are looking for a deep or provocative story this might leave you disappointed. Having said all of that, I loved this show and would highly recommend this to anyone looking for an escape with a desire to leave the theater with joy.

09/20/2022

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

While the show ran long at three hours (and trust me, it felt like three hours) The show really hit it’s stride in act two. The two acts seemed to be directed by different people. The first act felt organic and free flowing for the actors. Act two was highly stylized in movement and infused with blocking that enhanced the unspoken moments of a scene. The lighting design needs some refining because there were moments of unintentional shadows on the actors that became distracting. There were brilliant performances at the Hudson theater. Most notably Wendell Pierce’s portrayal of a man crushing his son’s potential through ineffective subjugation. As well as Sharon D Clarke’s soulful interpretation of grasping at straws to support her husband Willie.

07/31/2022

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5 This musical is so frustrating because it has so much potential. The main character played by Arielle Jacobs is instantly endearing as she introduces us to the show with an opening number that is incredibly catchy, sporting a musical theater sound that is also authentically pop. One of the biggest disappointments was the choreography. The cast was underutilized in the opening song with the potential to truly establish the world and the conflict between our lead and the other students. Our book writer clearly set up our lead’s greatest value in reading fairy tale books and presents us with the conflict of her embarrassment of cherishing children’s fantasy books. What our book writer failed to do was challenge our hero’s values with every scene and character. For example, a bully is established who pokes fun at her wardrobe rather than her obsession with fairy tales. The hero’s single mother seems worn and exhausted from her work rather than her daughter’s fantasy world and the resistance to creating meaningful relationships. Early in our show, the writer introduces a potential friend and ally to our hero. They introduce themself with they/them pronouns. After this introduction we do not have another scene with them until act 2! Why is this a problem? This new writing trend has increased in musical theater where playwrights pander to the LGBTQ+ community with worthless representation. The character’s choice in pro nouns served no other purpose than to profess that the show is progressive and displays representation. If the character became an important plot device by challenging the hero’s perspective or offering a new perspective, then and only then have we earned the write to boast their pronouns. The way it currently stands feels demeaning. All in all this show has a ton of untapped potential and I truly hope this production has another chance at getting it right! With all of the constructive feedback I would still recommend this show as a lighthearted evening at the theater.

06/22/2022

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

The show first and foremost felt like a masters thesis. While the show was well written in its unconventional style, the soliloquies by our lead “usher” felt academic. The minimalistic set design serviced the play’s intention by focusing the audience on the script. The music was cleverly repetitive forcing the audience to leave the theater humming a tune as they would exiting “It’s a small world” the show was brilliantly cast with diversity in age, shape and voice type. This is not a musical for the Everyman and will create different response from every spectator. The biggest take away is that this sort of art is raw and no holds bar like nothing I have ever seen on stage before. The play is without doubt written for the q***r black experience where our lead navigates his personal journey of modern dating, s*x, parental relationship, societal pressure and the weight of black culture judging his every move.

05/13/2022

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5
🎭 All-Star cast! 🌲 minimal set (encores) but effective 🐄 incredible use of puppetry

05/12/2022

Would you choose the right thing to do or self preservation? on . ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5
-Incredible performances -Provocative direction by Anna D. Shapiro. -Superb sound mixing and editing -Mischaracterized as a comedy. Leans toward a drama

04/29/2022

GO SEE ON !!! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
-Brilliant script that had me cackling -Top notch performances

04/24/2022

We got to check out ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
-The story feels cringy displaying White privilege as a white man gets away with hoodwinking a town.
-Sutton was amazing, yet underutilized
-Hugh is charasmatic and a joy

04/18/2022

Did you know that is a musical adaptation of the film?

04/10/2022

03/18/2022