Good lord... I am FAILING at this... lol

Well, at least my intentions were good. Heck, I was even listening to the soundtrack for this blog while I was writing my last one. I just didn't make this blog a priority. I NEED to work on that. How will I ever get through my list of over 200 shows if I don't buckle down and write about them. Oh well. At least I have some really good things to say about this show. It is a musical that I hold VERY near and dear to my heart.

 Where do I start with this show... I know a lot of people who groan at the mere mention of this show. They immediately think of "Tomorrow" and how annoying that song can be. I am NOT one of those people. I had the extreme pleasure of playing Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks about 7 years ago (2005). It wasn't even on my radar of shows I was planning on doing at the time. I thought it was a little weird for a 26 year old guy to play SUCH an iconic part, which was WAY out of my age range. However, I got a phone call asking me to come to the last night of auditions. All I was told was that they had me in mind for a part, but they wouldn't tell me what it was. When I showed up, and they told me what I was reading for I was flabbergasted. I pretty much knew that I would EVENTUALLY play the part, but not this early in my acting career. Fast forward 8 weeks or so, and I was performing the part that would become one of my absolute favorite roles to play... And it still remains one of the VERY few parts I would play at a moments notice. I loved every second of this show.

Now, for my ACTUAL review... I'm pretty much going to do this in three parts... Original soundtrack, the movie (1982), and the TV movie (1999)...

Soundtrack - I LOVE this soundtrack, except for one HUGE thing... I am not a fan of Andrea McArdle (Annie) at such a young age. She was WAY too much of a belter for such a vulnerable part. It worked for her when she got older, but not for this part. I KNOW how much controversy this could cause, and I am ok with that. I stand by my opinion. Other than her belting, this soundtrack is great. I especially love "N.Y.C." (what can I say... I'm selfish... lol), and I will ALWAYS wish I could be an orphan just so I could sing "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile". I can't even listen to that song without getting a HUGE grin on my face.

The Movie (1982) - Now... even more controversy... First, the good.  Carol Burnett is a GENIUS in the role of Miss Hannigan.  She is perfect EVERY SECOND she is on the screen.  Now... for my problems with this one...  My biggest problem with this movie is that the producers/director made a HUGE mistake by deciding not to stick to the original show.  They wanted a bigger, more adventurous ending, so they changed it.  In doing that, they created two pretty major characters that aren't even in the musical... Punjab and Asp (yes, it was pretty racist... but I guess they figured nobody cared).  I didn't care for the new stuff AT ALL, which is why this is probably my least favorite version of the show... which leads me to...

The TV movie (1999) - This is probably the most unknown of all the versions out there (at least the ones I'm reviewing), however, it is probably my favorite of the three.  It pretty much sticks to the plot and songs of the stage show.  The girl who played Annie (Alicia Morton) did a really good job, and doesn't get the credit she deserves for this performance.  She doesn't belt it (when it doesn't need to be belted), and she just seems to "get" the character.  I loved Victor Garbor as Daddy Warbucks, and Alan Cumming and Kristen Chenoweth are pretty much spot on.  I wasn't as much of a fan of Kathy Bates as Miss Hannigan, but she does an ok job (nobody can beat Carol Burnett). 
 ***Fun Fact***  The youngest orphan (Molly) was played by Sarah Hyland... who grew up to play Haley Dunphy on "Modern Family"...

All in all, there are good things about all of these versions of the show, but no matter the flaws in the recordings/movies... this is a REALLY fantastic show.  I would give it a 9.5 out of 10... 

Next show I review will be...  Annie Get Your Gun!  Hopefully, it won't take as long this time... lol

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to comment and discuss!  

Another day, "Another Pyramid", another show... lol

Hey everyone... The latest show I am reviewing is one that I have listened to only a couple times over the last 12 years or so (basically since it first came out). In listening to it again this week for the blog, I remembered WHY I only listened to it a couple times... I'll get into the reasons later though... For now, here you go.

This is what MTI (Music Theatre International) says about the show. "Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA is a contemporary musical take on a grand classic tale of the timeless bond between an enslaved Nubian princess and an Egyptian soldier. As forbidden love blossoms between them, the young lovers are forced to face death or part forever. Together, they set a shining example of true devotion that ultimately transcends the vast cultural differences between their warring nations, heralding a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity." Here's what I say about it... MOST of the show is a snooze-fest. I'm just not a fan of this show. HOWEVER, there are a couple really good songs that are GREAT for auditions, or small performances... Most notable are "My Strongest Suit" and "Easy As Life". On the soundtrack, they are performed by the always brilliant Sheri Rene Scott, and TOTALLY under utilized Heather Headley. This show just has too many flaws for me to totally enjoy it. For a show that takes place in ancient Egypt, I don't like the rock opera style of the music. All in all, I would give this show a 6 out of 10... I didn't like the show as a whole, but with a couple standout performances, and a couple pretty good songs, they earned that 6... lol. Next show on my list is one I REALLY am excited to put in my two cents worth... because I have been IN the show, and it still stands as one of my favorite shows I have ever been a part of... ANNIE!!!