I know, I have no life. But I really like writing, and I really like TV, so friends of mine and I decided to write a TV only blog and share our mutual fascination and disgust with all things television. I just finished watching Caprica, and here’s my take:
So there will probably be less TV talk on this blog, more film reviews and life rants and raves to come! But be sure to check out TV Overdose. Between the lot of us, we watch a lot! (I will justify by saying…well, i work in TV…it’s research!)
I love musicals. Most of them, anyway. And I’ve been lucky enough to have parents who exposed me to them at an early age (even if they were indulging in my sister’s pleas). I’ve seen a lot of the big ones, too. Les Mis, Phantom, Miss Saigon, Rent…I’m lucky, I know. But the last time I saw a national tour (a sad representation of Rent), I was hugely and utterly disappointed. And while I don’t like to judge a tour by its company, that one left a bad taste in my mouth.
So it comes to no surprise that I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to Broadway In Chicago’s touring company of Dreamgirls. But I can never pass up a free musical (especially if free food is also involved…I love my family:). I wouldn’t say that I was leery of the production, but I enjoyed the movie so much that I just thought it would be sub-par. Boy, was I wrong.
From the opening staging to the closing number, this production was thoroughly and utterly enjoyable, entertaining, and goose bump-inducing. Ok, so I didn’t really like the Deena actress (one of the leads), and I wasn’t really impressed with some of the pacing of the show (I blame my short attention span), there were some sound issues (mics forgetting to be turned on, too high on volume/not a good mix)… but when you combine the vocal Aretha Franklin-like ability of Effie (played here by Moya Angela) and the comedic wit and timing of Jimmy Early (Chester Gregory), with stunning visual effects courtesy of five rotating LED panels (see what Lightswitch did to improve the original stage production), and even Busby Berkeley-style choreography (co-choreographed by SYTYCD’s own Shane Sparks), you get a night of visual and audible entertainment.
Was there constant comparison to the movie? Of course. Was it as enjoyable as the movie? Yes, especially when you see Effie sing for what was literally 10 minutes, and then belt out “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going”…goose-bumping, heart wrenching live performances are rare nowadays, and this one’s worth seeing. Is it worth the money? Absolutely.
It’s like: A Like Lot Love meets High Fidelity with a sprinkling of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind mixed with a great soundtrack.
Stars you’d know: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel
Their tagline: Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn’t.
My tagline: Every love story has two stories.
Verdict: Loved Loved Loved it.
Adding it to my list of “thought-provoking romantic comedies” (i know, that’s such a cliche). This ranks with Eternal Sunshine…and High Fidelity. Basically it’s a tour of a relationship through the course of 500 days…sometimes not in order, but very cleverly written to outline an entire relationship from magical beginning (who doesn’t feel like day 35 in a new relationship?!) to bitter end…with a little bit of destiny and fate thrown in, for the romantic skeptics that life has turned us into. The writing was beautifully executed, easy to follow, and there was a bit of whimsy thrown in, just to be different. I loved that they followed the guy’s point of view, cause all too often, they follow the “damsel in distress” which just makes me want to yak. Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt made me fall in love with them…their sincerity and playfulness mixed with subtle complexity was spot-on. It had everything this helplessly skeptical romantic could ask for: a well-written romantic script acted with subtlety and grace, mixed with a whole lotta irony and fate, backed by a killer soundtrack. It made me, once again, believe that every love story should have a story…and that every love doesn’t necessarily end with “happily ever after”. This one’s a keeper.
