Blue Monkey Theater Co.August 1 - 31, 2008
Review by peanutduck
These kids deserve voice work; mics don’t suffice, especially given the poor sound system. And this is a major detraction from an effortful production of Disney’s cheeseball musical. Acting is so-so, but during well-choreographed group numbers the primarily teenage ensemble works together excellently, and their enthusiasm and energy are infectious.
10 comments:
I wonder if Ryan has taken any vocal lessons since last summer.
The show is good, I've always been interested in directing it for a different group of kids.
Are you implying that "this group of kids" is not talented enough to pull it off? Because I disagree.
I saw the show last year and was blown away by the energy, enthusiasm and talent of the entire (relatively young) cast. I thought Ryan was one of the strongest characters. I can only hope that this run will be as much - if not more - fun than the last.
Ryan was by far the best actor!!! Plus, the entire show was incredible and very well executed, especially for such a young cast and new company. I cant wait for this year's show...
Ryan was great! He was definitely one of the better parts of the show last year. People on this blog need to stop criticizing everybody and everything, especially before the show even opens! Just my two cents.
From what I saw last year, it seemed to be less a case of the actor playing Ryan needing voice lessons and more that he was having to sing songs at the very top of his range. Not his fault that the director is handing him a role he's not vocally right for.
While voice lessons could certainly help him find easier ways to negotiate the high notes, the only way it would really sound better would be if they transposed all the songs OR cast someone with the voice part the role calls for.
I saw the show this weekend. I don't know if they were ready to open. The singing and dancing was spot on, but the acting seemed unrehearsed and the lighting was horribly done. There was no pre-show announcement which left people lost when the lights came up mid show, wondering if it was intermission or what was going on.
Also, they are not doing meet and great this time, which I think is a BIG mistake for a show that is supposed to be aimed at children. That's the part that my kids look forward to the most. I am hoping they pull it together. Last years show was amazing!!
There was a meet and greet the night I saw the show. Not all of the actors but most of them, and certainly all the leads. I've been attending shows with my kids at Oregon Children's Theater for years though and they don't do meet and greets. I think that's up to individual companies.
Personally I hate curtain speeches. That's what programs are for. When the house lights came up about an hour into the show and after what was pretty obviously the act one finale, it was clear to me that it was intermission. You really need a pre-show speech to tell you that?
Very good cast this year. The show was very entertaining. Well done Blue Monkey!
WOW! What an amazing, high energy show! Perfectly cast and very well done. Bravo!
The kids at Blue Monkey "deserve" a decent facility to perform in. The Hinson Annex is not a step up from the West End Theater (their former home) but I'm sure it's all they could get. Both spaces suffer from bad acoustics and no backstage space.
These "kids" have plenty of vocal training. According to their bios, many of them perform professionally and have studied voice privately (and in college) for years. No amount of vocal training is going to help you be heard and understood in a big echo-y barn. Suzanna Mars would need a body mic at the Hinson.
Musicals in Portland need to be mic'd because they are being performed in spaces with poor acoustics. This particular show is a rock musical so body mics make even more sense.
I wish peanutduck (whoever the hell that is) would get off it about the body mics already. This same critique went on and on last season about the shows at Stumptown. If this reviewer doesn't like body mics they should stop attending local musicals because it's not going to change until Portland has some affordable performance spaces that are more congenial to singers. Hopefully this new space that is opening up for Broadway Rose will be the first of many.
But until then, get used to the feedback.
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