It's a Bird, It's a Plane... It's Superman!

May 14th, 2007
Reprise, UCLA
Musical in Concert

written by Charles Strouse (music) & Lee Adams (lyrics)

Starring: Cheyenne Jackson as Superman, Jean Louisa Kelly as Lois Lane, Richard Kind as Dr. Sedgewick, Shoshana Bean as Sydney, Patrick Cassidy as Max Menchen, and Stan Chandler as Jim Morgan.

"Superman is in trouble. A reporter is out to uncover his identity, while another girl is trying to steal him away from Lois, and meanwhile, an evil mad scientist is trying to take over the world. What is Superman to do? With a little help from the Citizens of Metropolis, save the WORLD...of course! The hilarious book and wonderfully, witty score make for a SUPER night of fun!"

This musical has surprisingly fun songs. And for starters, Cheyenne has an A+ voice: powerful, clear and resonant (he was wonderful on Bway as Trevor Grayden in "Thoroughly Modern Millie"). He's just the right combination of boyish charm and leading man... the perfect Superman! He didn't need costumes or flight to convince us. Jean Louisa Kelly we've seen at Reprise 3 other times, and I have to say, this role showed off her voice better than any other production. She was a well-cast spunky Lois Lane, and her voice was in lovely form. Richard Kind was HILARIOUS as the bitterly evil scientist! He milked every line for a full-bodied performance that kept people laughing. The real treat for us... getting to hear Shoshana Bean live (in the role originated by Linda Lavin). Damn she can sing. We've wanted to see her in something since we first got a glimmer of her voice in "Hairspray" on Broadway. We weren't disappointed. It was also interesting to note that Patrick Cassidy was paying homage to his father Jack Cassidy who originated the role of Max Menchen, the slick & on-the-make opportunistic reporter. And a fun treat... Charles Strouse himself was there to do the narration.

This production is surprisingly timely, considering it was written in 1966, and the humor hasn't aged. One of our favorite lines was when Richard Kind as the evil Dr. is foiled in is first attempt to off Superman, and says, "Plan A may have failed, but it's a BIG alphabet!" The lines & lyrics were smartly written and quippy, and maintained the tongue-in-cheek snap you expect with this genre. It felt surprisingly fresh. Although none of the production is meant to take itself seriously, I was surprised to see them approach the psyche of Superman with a rather telling Dr. Phil-like analysis of what makes him tick.

We were thoroughly entertained by both the musical and the solid performances. Once again, Reprise delivers a wonderful evening of theatre (and some yummy snacks afterwards).

Celebs in attendance (that we spotted): Shirley Jones (of course), Bryan Batt, and Bruce Vilanch.

~S

Baby

February 5th, 2007
Reprise Productions, Freud Theatre UCLA
Concert, Marvelous Musical Mondays

Starring: Kerry Butler as Lizzie, Daniel Tatar as Danny, Alice Ripley as Pam, Graham Rowat as Nick, Faith Prince as Arlene and Christopher McDonald as Alan. Directed by Kevin Chamberlin.

Another wonderful evening. With this calibre of talent, we didn't miss sets for this concert performance of the Maltby & Shire favorite. I had low expectations, but left with a new appreciation for the songs. The cast sung the hell out of them.

Faith Prince was funny and as always, expressive and touching. Alice was funny and spirited and her vocals (which I'd compare to a young Betty Buckley) were exciting and lovely. We expected all of that. Thrilling. The surprise was Kerry Butler's silvery clear soprano ~ surprising in its strength and fluidity. We'd seen her on Broadway in Hairspray (twice) and also in "Little Shop of Horrors." Her voice was in wonderful form last night. As was Daniel Tatar (whom we'd seen in "Elegies"). Can't wait to see him in more things. A solid, strong and expressive pop-tenor, in complete command.

Another wonderful evening at Reprise!
(in the audience: actors Richard Kind, Jason Alexander and Marsha Wallace)