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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

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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

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ oncemusical.com

Asian Cinema: Vietnam

As you know, I love movies. I own over 3,000 DVDs (working on Bluray nowadays), and I'm terribly fond of Asian Cinema. The thing you should know about Asian films is that they try and please everyone. That's why often time you're watching an Asian movie, it doesn't exactly fit in a particular genre.

Take for instance, Kim Ji-woon's The Good, The Bad, and The Weird, which blatantly pays homage to Sergio Leone's Italian western film The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. This movie has a lot of action, a lot of comedy, a chase movie, and a bit of a mystery. What gets me about this movie is that clearly this is a "western", complete with a Mexican stand-off, but with an Eastern spin to it (the same can be said about Thailand's Tears of the Black Tiger).

Anyway, lately I've had the pleasure of enjoying not one, but two, Vietnamese films. Not to say that all Vietnamese movies are bad, but either they're too artsy (Vertical Ray of the Sun) or too traditional (Cải Lương). So it's a bit of relief when I see these modern films, set in contemporary Vietnam.

CHUYỆN TÌNH XA XỨ (PASSPORT TO LOVE)
Released last year, this is a romantic comedy about two best friends Khang and Hieu. Their characters are completely different at the beginning of the movie, one is a poor, but hard-working, smart kid, while the other a player/playboy, party rich brat. I can tell you more about what happens, but in doing so, I'll spoil the plot, so I'll just leave it at that.

This is my first movie that I've seen by director Victor Vũ, but apparently he's done a few shorts horror/supernatural movies (Spirits and Mysterious World), so I'll be sure to try and track down those titles. As for his next film, it's apparently already released in Vietnam on September 15^th, with the American title Inferno (Giao Lộ Định Mệnh).

Currently, Passport to Love can only be currently viewed via streaming on Netflix and digitally (Amazon, iTunes). The problem with these digital films is that the subtitles are hardcoded on the print, it's particularly distracting when you already understand the language. There are no words on a Bluray or DVD release, but it's only inevitable.

NHỮNG NỤ HÔN RỰC RỠ
No official US title, but it translate to "Bright Kisses" (despite what I've read from other translators that it's "Striking Kisses"). "Rực Rỡ" means "clear" or "bright".

Storywise, not really anything to write home about, but that's not the point. The point is that this is a light-hearted teenage musical movie with an emphasis on "fun". The film seems inspired by Bollywood with lots of random unnecessary singing and dancing. Numbers includes epic dance numbers to slow ballads to K-Pop music videos.

Setwise, it's pretty low budget with maybe three locations: the beautiful beach area, the office set, and a house at the beginning of the picture. While this is not a top ten film for me, the singing and dancing was fun enough to make it worth watching to the grand finale.

I'm not even sure if the film is out officially on DVD, but the copy I got was a bootleg from an Asian video shop.

Below is one of the music number from the movie called "Em Là Ai?" which means "Who Are You?".

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