Posts by David Dixon
Breathing New Life Into a Popular Show
Originally staged in London in 1986, The Phantom of the Opera is still full of music, effects and imagery that continues to wow audiences in the West End and on Broadway. For the last few years, however, the touring production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical has featured new direction from Laurence Connor and a different set from Paul Brown.
Read MorePromoting Tolerance With Musical Comedy
Director John Waters is no stranger to tasteless comedies for adults. Fans of movies such as “Female Trouble” and “Pink Flamingos” would probably never have guessed that one of his more popular films would be a feel-good PG 1988 movie, “Hairspray.”
Read MoreBeginning a New Chapter of Life
For its summer season, New Village Arts Theatre has produced two musical comedies with somewhat deeper stories than one might expect. Avenue Q used puppets to explore themes about adulthood, and Legally Blonde starting off as a modern romantic comedy, turns into a plot about self-improvement.
Read MoreSinging Ghosts Return to California
After an extended hiatus, the Welk Resort Theatre is once again open to the public. Welcoming audiences back to Escondido are the ghosts from the musical-comedy revue, Forever Plaid.
Read MoreBecoming an International Superstar
A difficult aspect about creating musicals based on the lives of popular musicians is the task of making both the music and the plot equally compelling. For the most part, On Your Feet! keeps audiences invested in the story of the Miami Sound Machine Cuban-American lead singer Gloria Estefan (Christie Prades), and her devoted husband Emilio (Ektor Rivera).
Read MoreRebelling Against Greed
Most shows from Disney Theatrical Productions are adaptations of highly successful movies such as “The Lion King,” “Frozen,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Mary Poppins.” Compared with those musicals, “Newsies”, a stage version of the 1992 family-friendly motion picture (and a box office bomb in theatres), sounds highly risky.
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