W♥M

Hadestown (musical) at The Music Hall, Kansas City Jan 17-22, 2023 (review)

Hadestown Playbill   HADESTOWN Tour Dates Jan 24 - Jan 29 MADISON, WI Overture Center for the Arts Jan 31 - Feb 19 CLEVELAND, OH Playhouse Square Feb 21 - Feb 26 BUFFALO, NY Shea’s Buffalo Theatre Feb 28 - Mar 5 SCHENECTADY, NY Proctors Mar 7 - Mar 12 HARTFORD, CT Bushnell Mar 14 - Mar 19 ROCHESTER, NY RBTL’s Aud. Theatre Mar 21 - Mar 26 PROVIDENCE, RI PPAC Mar 28 - Apr 2 WORCESTER, MA Hanover Theatre Apr 4 - Apr 9 HERSHEY, PA Hershey Theatre Apr 11 - Apr 16 BALTIMORE, MD The Hippodrome Theatre Apr 18 - Apr 30 CINCINNATI, OH Aronoff Center May 2 - May 7 MILWAUKEE, WI Uihlein Hall May 9 - May 14 GRAND RAPIDS, MI DeVos Perf. Hall May 16 - May 21 LOUISVILLE, KY The Kentucky Center May 23 - May 28 FAYETTEVILLE, AR Walton Arts Center May 31 - Jun 4 RICHMOND, VA Altria Theater Jun 6 - Jun 11 WASHINGTON, DC The National Theatre Jun 27 - Jul 2 FORT WORTH, TX Bass Performance Hall Jul - Aug?? TORONTO, ON Royal Alexandra Theatre Sep 12 - Sep 17 SAN FRANCISCO, CA Orpheum Theatre Read More Anaïs Mitchell Anaïs Mitchell was put together to encourage voter engagement drive in conjunction with the League of Women Voters. The “Use Your Voice Tour 2016,” produced by Columbia Artists ....

A journey we were happy to go down--

Hadestown, the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards® including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album is currently playing at The Music Hall, a historic Art Deco-era downtown Kansas City venue (which opened in 1936), and we were fortunate enough to attend the touring production’s opening night.

This fated folk opera musical was originally conceived over fifteen years ago by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell (a member of Bonny Light Horseman, and who we caught playing live solo, last May in St. Paul, MN), who brought the initial vision first to a small Vermont stage in 2006, and later turned it into a 2010 concept album with musical friends (including Ani DiFranco and Justin [Bon Iver] Vernon).

The musical would eventually graduate to larger stages and director Rachel (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) Chavkin was brought in to collaborate and help realize its finished form.

The core story dates back over 2500 years- the two mythic ancient Greek tales of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and also King Hades of the Underworld and his wife Persephone, both updated with modern flair and expert melodic songwriting.

At its heart, it is a love story and additionally highlights the dichotomy of doubt against faith, industry versus nature, and fear against love.

Set here in a depressed dust bowl town, the underworld becomes an underground mine and foundry, ruled by Mr. Hades who attracts workers with thin promises of warmth, food, and work, and who is married to the conflicted Persephone, allowed to spend six carefree months without abandon, and then has to go back underground for the remaining six months of the year.

Orpheus is a poor guitar-playing (instead of a classic lyre) musician, who relies on the goodness of others as he works on his ideal song soon falling in love with Eurydice, a drifter who ends up wooed into the underworld under false pretense.

Orpheus pledges to follow her and he eventually sings the song he’s long been writing– the essence of which helps convince Hades to..., all of which is narrated by the inimitable Hermes.

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The touring production faithfully recreates the immersive stage design from the Broadway production, featuring a seven-piece band tucked in high corners (including strings and trombone, but with the drummer backstage for this version), and a base floor that rotates in several scenes to help drive the narrative.

Lighting was dramatic and well-planned, and each of the cast was in good voice and form. Male lead Chibueze Ihuoma was exceptional, showing a wide dexterity of pathos, good guitar skills, and a supremely honed falsetto (maybe the best we’ve heard since seeing Prince), that’s worth the ticket price alone.

Nathan Lee Graham as Hermes takes the audience jubilantly along for the ride, young female lead Hannah Whitley already shows some seasoned chops on this, her first national tour, and the workers/fates supporting cast even includes an Overland Park, KS native Lindsey Hailes.

Finally arriving on tour after the hype and Tony Award® wins, Hadestown mostly delivers with a fresh, contemporary telling of a classic tale "of the world we dream about, and the one we live in now.”

(Hadestown is playing at the Music Hall through Sunday, January 22)

(all photos courtesy of the official website, click on any image to enlarge and see in full)

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John C ♥ johnc@weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥KC - March 8-16 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence KS)

03/08 Joywave at The Truman Read More Joywave Joywave has sold out their 7th Street Entry appearance as part of their “Thanks for Coming” tour. Joywave live....

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Warmer weather (to stay!) and St. Pat’s is coming up- signs of winter’s end!

Despite some health mandates loosening up, several artists are still requiring for entry, so check with the venue and/or better to assume masks and/or vaccination proof are required. 

Here’s what’s happening in the Kansas City/Lawrence area for the 2nd WEEK of MARCH:

 

Tuesday March 8

Joywave w/ Almost Monday, The Truman. $25-$50

Rochester, NY indie rock band has a new album out just last week, Cleanse, and we caught them live as openers back in 2016.  We also like that they collaborated to advertise their last album in recent Marvel Comics, something clever you don’t really see bands doing at all. 

Coheed and Cambria, Uptown, $32.50

The Royale (play, Mar 8-Mar 27) KC Rep Theatre-Copaken Stage at Power & Light, $35-$65

An award-winning new play inspired by the life of legendary boxer Jack Johnson. 

Happy Fits, recordBar, $15

 

03/11 The Sword at Granada- Lawrence Read More The Sword But the crowd didn't really start going nuts until The Sword went on. The Sword is a much younger band, formed in Austin, Texas in 2003. …

Wednesday / Thursday March 9, 10

Thursday w/Cursive, The Appleseed Cast, Nate Bergman, Truman, $29-$55

Chase Rice w/Corey Kent, The Truman. CANCELLED

Eric Johnson, Madrid POSTPONED to March 8, 2023

Friday March 11

The Sword w/ Zombi, Granada- Lawrence, $19-22.

The longtime so-called stoner rock/doom metal band from Austin, TX has come back to rock new audiences after a hiatus and their 2020 tour with Primus was derailed by the pandemic.  We caught the band live way back in 2014 and aren’t surprised they remain as popular as ever after two decades. 

Flogging Molly with Russkaja and Vandoliers, The Truman. $39.50-$65

Tall Heights w The Collection, Bottleneck- Lawrence, $15-$18

The Cold Stares, Knuckleheads. $17.50

Los Temerarios, Midland POSTPONED to April 23, 2023

War, Ameristar POSTPONED to 2023

Elderbrook, recordBar CANCELED

 

 

 

Saturday March 12

03/12 KC Jazz Orchestra feat Kirk Whalum at Kauffman Center Read More Whitney Houston Whitney Houston was an icon and a once-in-a-lifetime talent who inspired a generation of singers and brought joy to millions of fans around the world. She had a voice of unmatched beauty and …

KC Jazz Orchestra feat Kirk Whalum, Just the Two of Us, Kauffman Center, $33.50-$68

Smooth jazz plus big band equals from laid-back to funky and everywhere in between, with Grammy® Award-winning Kirk Whalum, the saxophonist heard on Whitney Houston's hit, “I Will Always Love You". Free jazz workshops with Whalum further highlights his appearance.

Between the Buried and Me w/Car Bomb, Truman, $25-$50

Tom Segura (comedian, 2 shows), Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $45-$99

BABii, Bottleneck- Lawrence, $13-$15, $5 w student ID

Crystal Gayle, Ameristar. $35-$50

Paquito D’Rivera Quintet, Folly CANCELED

 

03/13 Dirty Honey at Uptown Read More Dirty Honey Up and coming bands Dirty Honey and The Amazons played a very crowded and long sold-out show at the Riot Room in Kansas City, proving in the process that it would be the last time that either band plays …

Sunday March 13

Dirty Honey and Mammoth WVH, Uptown. $29.50

The year is still early, but this may be the best co-headlining rock theater show of the year -

We caught Los Angeles band Dirty Honey live at the now defunct Riot Room, right before the 2020 lockdown and they’ve returned with their first (and self-titled) full length in stores and even recently releasing a raucous cover of Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” which they debuted live at a frigid Target Field in Minneapolis for the NHL Winter Classic outdoor game. 

Openers Mammoth WVH have quickly made a name for themselves with a sound all their own and leader Wolf Van Halen inspired by his father’s genius, while artfully blazing his own musical path.  Named in part after his father’s first band, parts of their next album are already in the can and their first-ever full and proper live performance was a hush-hush, last-minute show at The Bottleneck in Lawrence, so a return to the area will be welcome. 

Quartet San Francisco- Beatles and beyond, JCCC- Polsky Theater, $17-$35

Excision, Cable Dahmer Arena $39.50-$49.50

Stephanie Mills w/ Freddie Jackson, Lo Key, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $25-$155

 

03/15 Tool at T-Mobile Center Read More Tool Progressive metal band Tool will be headlining the Xcel Energy Center in St Paul this Friday. Once & Future Band to open. 6:30pm, $75. 06/09/17 New Orleans-based …

Monday March 15

Tool w / The Acid Helps, T-Mobile Center. $56.50-$147

The musical enigma with a progressive Panzer tank sound and accompanying has-to-be-seen to be believed audio-visual live show in out in support of massive album, Fear Inoculum.

If things go as usual, expect singer Maynard Keenan to be near the back in mostly darkness, but the visuals are unbelievable and just maybe, drummer Danny Carey, who is a Lawrence, KS native and regularly attends KU basketball games, gives a local shout-out.   

Opener The Acid Helps is a LA-based alt stoner rock duo that has a new single, “Sink Pisser” (and it probably also helps that member Tim Dawson is Adam Jones from Tool’s guitar tech).

Bob Weir and Wolf Bros feat The Wolfpack, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $39.50-$99.50

Mean Girls (musical, May 15-20) Music Hall, $36-$121

Inspired by the hit 2004 comedy film, this Broadway touring musical is from an award-winning creative team, including co-creator and book writer Tina (30 Rock, SNL) Fey, composer Jeff Richmond, lyricist Nell Benjamin and director Casey Nicholaw. Nominated for 12 Tony® Awards when it debuted in 2018. 

03/16 Journey at T-Mobile Center Read More Journey 07/01/2017 Journey and Asia will be at Treasure Island Casino on Saturday. If the $55 is too much for you, no worries, there is a free outdoor annual Island Block Party... which features Walker McGuire and Parmalee. 8pm, $55. … 03/16 Elle King at Truman Read More Elle King Often compared to Janis Joplin, singer/songwriter/banjoist Elle King will be releasing her debut album Love Stuff next week, February 17th... just missing out on Valentine's Day. The Love Stuff album featured her …

Tuesday March 16

Journey with Toto, T-Mobile Center. $45-$125

No such luck for Billy Idol fans, as he was originally scheduled to open the tour, but had to cancel due to an ongoing sinus issue. Veterans Toto (who also had a more intimate Uptown Theater show scheduled) have stepped in, and headliners Journey have announced more details on their upcoming studio album, Freedom, so expect a new song or two amongst all those radio classics.

Deafheaven w Holy Fawn, Midwife, Granada. $22-$25.

Bay Area blackgaze / post-rock band is currently touring in support of fifth studio album, last August’s Infinite Granite. Opening will be Holy Fawn and Midwife (aka Madeline Johnston).

Elle King, The Truman. $30-$60

The outspoken country, rock, soul and blues artist had a baby boy in September, so maybe has curbed her use of profanity at her live shows (we doubt it, it’s part of her honest appeal).

We caught her live early on in 2015 and she’s out on her Drunk and I Don’t Wanna Go Home Tour before joining Chris Stapleton this summer/fall including Oct 7 in St. Paul.  In Isolation is her newest, a quarantine-recorded three-track EP.

Tones and I, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland CANCELED

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥KC - January 1-15 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence / Topeka KS)

01/05 Wicked The Musical at Music Hall 01/08 Geneviève Racette at Wenske House 01/15 Jeff Lorber Fusion Trio at Folly 01/15 Little River Band at Ameristar 01/15 Lucinda Williams at Knuckleheads Read More Lucinda Williams Crutchfield recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of Saint Cloud with an online performance and three covers: “Fruits of My Labor” by Lucinda Williams ...

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

2022 has begun, not with a bang, but with a bit of a whimper and an unfortunate continuation of the continued pandemic we all find ourselves in (which also caused numerous NYE celebration cancellations around the country). 

Add to that, some frigid temps and the first snowfall of the season, and we’re off to a slow start, but as the month progresses, there’s plenty of exciting shows on the horizon in the Kansas City and NE Kansas region. 

Given the current atmosphere, assume masks and/or vaccination proof are required for entry. 

Here’s what’s happening in the area for the First half of January:

Wednesday Jan 5

Wicked The Musical - January 5-23, Music Hall

The now-classic story of Oz through different eyes, remains a crowd favorite after winning a Grammy and three Tony Awards. Described as “long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin—smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.”

Saturday January 8

Geneviève Racette,The Wenske House, Overland Park

The Montreal-raised singer-songwriter developed a healthy love for music at home and then decided to hone those skills as an adult, and the personal and critical results have been resounding. On March 18^th, Racette releases her third full-length album, Satellite. Adding to an ever-developing bilingual catalog, the 9-song collection delivers honest stories of self-discovery and reflection through the cycle of love. In addition to this intimate house concert,  she also plays the spanningFolk Alliance Internationalin late May (recently bumped from Feb.)

Saturday January 15

Jeff Lorber Fusion Trio, Folly. $20-$55

Part of the Folly Jazz series, the Grammy Award-winning keyboardist, composer, and producer has, over the course of 42 years and 24 albums, pioneered the post-fusion sound of contemporary jazz with his radio-friendly, groove-oriented instrumental music and recently collaborated with guitar great Mike Stern on the album Eleven. 

Little River Band, Ameristar. $45-$145

The classic rock band from Melbourne is best known for their top hits “Reminiscing,” “The Night Owls” and “Lonesome Loser,” since forming in 1975. Other radio-familiar hits include “Take it Easy on Me,” “Help Is on Its Way,” “Happy Anniversary” and “The Other Guy.”

UPDATE: POSTPONED Lucinda Williams, Knuckleheads

After more than forty years of music, the pioneering Louisiana-born artist has returned to the gritty blues foundation on newest album Good Souls Better Angels. Joining on the album as co-producer is her manager Tom Overby, to whom she’s been married for a decade (fun fact- they married onstage at First Avenue) and who also contributed lyrics.

The current Robert Plant/Alison Krauss single, “Can’t Let Go” is based on her 1998 version and Willliams will hit the road and play much bigger venues later this year with Bonnie Raitt.

Randy Rainbow, Uptown. $39.50-$175 (postponed from Sept. 18)

The New York comedian (yes, Rainbow is his real last name) found his calling when he released a series of original Broadway-tinged-show-tune and pop spoof videos in response to the theatrics of the 2016 presidential election, soon going viral with his political satire and LGBTQ observations.

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Rogers: The Musical

Read more Television.

Read More Hawkeye Admittedly, the latest Disney Plus’ show, Hawkeye started off extremely slow… even with a double episode release for the pilot. What they should have done was released the first three episodes at once …

HAWKEYE
marvel.com

The Disney Plus’ show, Hawkeye just aired their finale last night. I have previously mentioned that Marvel just have a problem with sticking the landing, as seeing in their previous shows, WandaVision, Loki, and Falcon and t he Winter Soldier. How did Hawkeye do? It’s 50/50, I felt that they wrapped things up nicely… however I did have some problems with the show overall.

Spoilers ahead. If you haven’t seen the finale, please go watch it now.

Despite only being six episodes, it felt like it could be told in three or four episodes, as the season seemed so slow to get going. You’re not quite sure what the threat is… and when they finally introduce the major villain, The Kingpin, as the cliffhanger to Episode 5. So there’s virtually no backstory for the big boss on the last episode (I suppose they just assume you followed his story from the Netflix’s Daredevil show).

So the problem is that instead of getting the brutal, violent Kingpin, we get a Disney version… who comes off like a laughable buffoon. In fact, Hawkeye doesn’t even fight Kingpin, it’s up to Kate Bishop to hold her own (and she does). With already Taskmaster being a massive disappointment in the Black Widow film, and now with Kingpin, we can agree that Marvel just has a problem with their villains. How can they fix this? Just look at what Netflix did with Kingpin – that’s how Marvel should approach this deadly boss.

Sure, the hero has to triumph, but can we make it more a struggle to get there? All they did was have Kingpin lose fight after fight. Kingpin never had a chance! It’s ridiculous!

That is the biggest disappointment in the Hawkeye show, the final boss fight.

If you stick to the ending credit, you get to see the full Broadway Musical performance for “Save the City”. You saw snippets of this on the Hawkeye pilot, but now you can see and hear the full musical number. It’s simply great. That’s because it’s written by Broadway veteran Marc Shaiman, and I believe the singing cast are also musical players: Adam Pascal, Ty Taylor, Rory Donovan, Derek Klena, Bonnie Milligan, Christopher Sieber, Shayna Steele.

Save The City (From "Hawkeye"/Audio Only)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Playbill Program Book Musical Numbers Act I So Far Away Oh Carol 1650 Broadway Medley It Might as Well Rain Until September Be-Bop-A-Lula Some Kind of Wonderful Happy Days Are Here Again Take Good Care of My Baby Who Put the Bomp Will You Love Me Tomorrow Up on the Roof On Broadway The Locomotion You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling One Fine Day Act II Chains Walking in the Rain Pleasant Valley Sunday We Gotta Get Out Of This Place Will You Love Me Tomorrow (reprise) Uptown It's Too Late You've Got a Friend (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman Beautiful I Feel The Earth Move Read More Musical “Once” the Musical is so good, I’ll say it twice—See It! See It! The touring version of the stage musical adaptation of the 2006 indie film of the same name, is currently playing in Minneapolis .…

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is a musical on the life of songwriter Carole King, based on the biography written by Douglas McGrath. The musical has a residency at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis until the end of November.

The play starred Abby Mueller (her sister, Jessie Mueller, who also starred as Carole King in the Broadway Musical, won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role) as King, Liam Tobin as Gerry Goffin, Becky Gulsvig as Cynthia Weil, and Ben Fankhauser as Barry Mann. Since they had to also represent various bands and characters, this play had some of the largest cast I've seen in a production (over 24 actors)... plus the center piece piano that is always in a scene.

Carole King, she is one of the most successful songwriters in the world, having written, or co-written over 100 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.... although pre-1971, you'd never knew her name as her songs were recorded by other artists, such as Bobby Vee, The Shirelles, The Drifters, etc. Fans of late 50s and 60s bands will be delighted to see them brought to life on the stage, complete with wonderful choreographed dancing and matching outfits.

The musical only cover her story from her first sold song at 16 to the launch of her debut solo album Tapestry (which sold over 10 million copies, winning four Grammys, including Album of the Year).

In the first act, it focused on the two songwriting duos: King/Goffin and Weil/Mann. Although the two were rivals, they were also close friends. Not only did the play represent King/Goffin's songs, but also some of the Weil/Mann hit songs.

In the second act, the focus seemed to be on Gerry Goffin, who was disillusioned and unhappy that he married so young (he was 20 when he married King, after she became pregnant at 17). He was having affairs, and King eventually left him. Although it felt like it was all leading up to her solo Tapestry album, near the end, it felt rushed.

The show ended with King playing her concert at Carnegie Hall. It wrapped up nice, as Goffin returned to apologize for being such a jerk and called back to when they first met and he said if she wanted to play Carnegie Hall she had to learn Bach. They ended the play with King, at Carnegie, playing to "Beautiful".

The play is officially over, and the entire cast came on stage for introduction and a final bow. Although the song listing did not include "I Feel The Earth Move", that was actually the final song.

To make for an entertaining story, some of the facts were switched around or even omitted. For example, officially, King's first commissioned single was "The Right Girl", but for the musical, they used "It Might as Well Rain Until September", or her first album was Writer, but the play largely ignored the debut album. If the play's purpose is to lead up to Tapestry, obviously her most successful release, then it made a lot of sense to leave out some of the irrelevant events or characters.

If you're a fan of live musical, you definitely will want to attend a show. It is a lot of fun, and the musical numbers will bring back a lot of wonderful memories.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical will continue to the Oriental Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, from December 1st to February 21st.

11/29/15 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre
12/01/16-02/21/16 Chicago, IL Oriental Theatre
02/23/16-03/06/16 St. Louis, MO Fabulous Fox Theatre
03/08/16-03/13/16 Rochester, NY Auditorium Theatre
03/15/16-03/20/16 Buffalo, NY Shea's Perf Arts Ctr
03/22/16-04/03/16 Philadelphia, PA Kimmel Ctr
04/05/16-04/17/16 Cleveland, OH Connor Palace
04/19/16-04/24/16 Charlotte, NC Blumenthal Perf
04/26/16-05/01/16 Tampa, FL David A. Straz Jr.
05/03/16-05/08/16 Orlando, FL Dr. Phillips Center
05/10/16-05/22/16 Fort Lauderdale, FL Broward Ctr
05/24/16-05/29/16 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
05/31/16-06/05/16 Houston, TX Hobby Center
06/07/16-06/19/16 Dallas, TX AT&T Perf Arts Ctr
06/22/16-07/17/16 Los Angeles, CA Pantages Theatre
07/19/16-07/31/16 Denver, CO Temple Hoyne Buell
08/02/16-08/07/16 San Diego, CA San Diego Civic Theatre
08/09/16-09/18/16 San Francisco, CA Orpheum Theatre

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at Orpheum, Minneapolis (25 Nov 2015)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com

West Side Story

Read More Films For those interested in learning more about the video nasties, the banned 72 movie titles by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), there is a really terrific documentary …

It's not unusual for me to re-buy movies over and over again (I must own at least five different version of Reservoir Dogs). One of the film that I recently re-bought is the 50th Anniversary Edition of West Side Story on Blu-Ray/DVD. This is a terrific value for the packaging alone, considering that I only paid $15 for this old musical.

The first time I saw this 1961 film, it was in Spanish class in High School, well after its theatrical run. By the 70s, the musicals weren't being shot, so West Side Story is a product of its time.

If you've never seen this classic, it's basically a re-working of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet with two star-crossed lovers from rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks.

I found that the remastered DVD looked just as good as the Blu-Ray, so if you do not own an HD TV or Blu-Ray player, you may be just as happy with the SD version of the film... however, it's inexpensive, so throwing in a dollar or two for the HD version might be worth it in the long run.

Of the three editions that I own (DVD Collector's Set, Target Edition, and Gift Set), I have to say that the 50th Anniversary Gift Set is the best one to get. The Tribute CD's track listing is not printed anywhere on the gift set (except for the throwaway sheet that describes what you get in the box), so I suspect this was tack on at the last minute. The bonus features and transfers are the same as the Target Edition.

While I would actually not buy the movie as a bare-bones release, getting the extras at a reasonable price, I do highly recommend it. Sometime I would regret owning various editions (like Evil Dead), but not with these West Side Story editions because they all have unique offerings. If someone would just combine all these features into one "Ultimate Box Set"... I would buy it again.

50th Anniversary Gift Box Set Movie Blu-Ray Movie DVD Tribute CD Hardcover Book Theatrical Posters

Target Edition Movie Blu-Ray Movie DVD Special Features Blu-Ray 24-page Hardcover Book

Collector's Set Movie DVD Special Features DVD Scrapbook (with full film script) Softcover

West Side Story: Sharks vs Jets

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Once - the Musical at Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis (03 Apr 2014) stage review

Playbill Once Program Book Once Schedule 04/01/2014 - 04/06/2014 Minneapolis, MN 04/08/2014 - 04/20/2014 St. Louis, MO 04/22/2014 - 04/27/2014 Des Moines, IA 04/29/2014 - 05/4/2014 Tempe, AZ 05/06/2014 - 05/18/2014 Denver, CO 05/20/2014 - 05/25/2014 Las Vegas, NV 05/27/2014 - 06/08/2014 Seattle, WA 06/10/2014 - 06/15/2014 Portland, OR 06/17/2014 - 07/13/2014 San Francisco, CA 07/15/2014 - 08/10/2014 Los Angeles, CA 08/12/2014 - 08/17/2014 San Diego, CA 08/19/2014 - 08/31/2014 Costa Mesa, CA 09/09/2014 - 09/14/2014 Baltimore, MD 09/30/2014 - 10/5/2014 Charlotte, NC 10/21/2014 - 10/26/2014 Ottawa, ON 10/28/2014 - 11/02/2014 Memphis, TN 11/11/2014 - 11/23/2014 Cincinnati, OH 12/17/2014 - 12/28/2014 Dallas, TX 01/06/2015 - 01/11/2015 Tulsa, OK 01/13/2015 - 01/18/2015 Oklahoma City, OK 01/20/2015 - 01/25/2015 Louisville, KY 01/27/2015 - 02/01/2015 Appleton, WI 02/03/2015 - 02/15/2015 Detroit, MI 02/24/2015 - 03/01/2015 Austin, TX 03/03/2015 - 03/08/2015 San Antonio, TX 03/10/2015 - 03/15/2015 Houston, TX 03/17/2015 - 03/22/2015 New Orleans, LA 04/07/2015 - 04/12/2015 Salt Lake City, UT 04/29/2015 - 05/3/2015 Fayetteville, AR 05/05/2015 - 05/10/2015 Toledo, OH 05/26/2015 - 05/31/2015 Hartford, CT 06/09/2015 - 06/14/2015 Columbus, OH 06/16/2015 - 06/21/2015 Kansas City, MO Read More Once I think I just saw the best music movie recently. It's called Once and it stars Glen Hansard, from The Frames, and Markéta Irglová. The movie has a documentary feel to it.…

“Once” the Musical is so good, I’ll say it twice—See It! See It!

The touring version of the stage musical adaptation of the 2006 indie film of the same name, is currently playing in Minneapolis through this Sunday, at the Orpheum Theatre.

The plot is simple: set in Dublin, guy meets girl and both make beautiful music together... but it’s much more than that. The centerpiece of the stage version (as well as the film) are the genius songs, done by Frames lead singer Glen Hansard and his Swell Season co-creator (and former girlfriend), Markéta Irglová.

The stage version uses twelve cast members/musicians, that are on stage at all times, serving as both supporting characters and backing band, and the main set is made to look like a classic Irish bar.

Three key reasons to arrive early for this show: 1) the bar stage is “open for business” and the public is able to go up on stage with the crew and order a drink (available at intermission as well); 2) the band warms up early, playing 4-5 songs loosely before the stated show time; and 3) there is a “seating hold” as long as 45 min., meaning if you arrive after the play actually starts, you may be in the lobby a while, before you can enter.

The main characters, as in the movie, remain nameless, but still are fleshed out enough we feel for their highs and lows: Guy- he, a struggling Dublin busking guitarist and vacuum repairman for his father, still reeling from a previous relationship, and is generally lost. Girl – she, a Czech immigrant, living with her family, is a piano player positive in her outlook, and able to see the talent in the Guy, that he himself cannot see.

The staging, transitions, and lighting are all well done throughout and the touring leads, Stuart Ward and Dani de Waal, are pitch perfect in voice and believable in imparting the story. Both give only a slight imitation of Hansard and Irglová as seen in the movie, with de Waal’s voice more projecting and confident in her solos, than Irglová ever was.

The central song of the musical is ‘Falling Slowly”, which is performed early in the first act, as well as reprised at the end. It won the Best Song Oscar for the film, and the musical has won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, as well as 8 Tony Awards. Thankfully, the songs are authentic in their versions and not “Broadway’d up” unnecessarily, as they easily stand on their own, in their original form.

Those that know the story from the film (and in part, from real life) will be enchanted all over again, and those coming to the tale for the first time, will be swept up in the rich songs, and heartfelt story. 'Once' is one to see while you can.

"Once" the Musical photo courtesy of YouTube

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