Christi's Blog

May 10, 2010 - The Last Five Years

I first saw this show produced by The Eleventh Hour Theatre Company a few years back. The one-act musical was written by Jason Robert Brown and premiered in Chicago in 2001. It moved on to Off-Broadway in March 2002.

The story explores a five-year relationship between Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist, and Cathy Hyatt, a struggling actress. The show uses a form of storytelling in which Cathy travels backwards in time (beginning the show at the end of the marriage) and Jamie travels forwards (starting just after the couple first met).

As fate would have it, Cathy is from Ohio. If you watch television and movies, it seems like someone is always from Ohio or going to Ohio.

Jason Robert Brown has been referred to as "a leading member of a new generation of composers who embody high hopes for the American Musical." He won the 1999 Tony award for the score of Parade and received a Tony nomination for his contributions to the score of Urban Cowboy the musical. He teaches musical theater performance and composition at the University of Southern California. 

Such Tony winners as Audra McDonald and Betty Buckley have performed and recorded Brown's songs.

May 17, 2010 - Back to the 80's

I first learned of this show from my theater friends in Lima who had performed it to wide audience approval. The play written by Neil Gooding was originally staged in Sydney, Australia in 2004. And you know those foreigners, they love that American music. The musical play went on to be staged in England, Scotland, Wales, and Canada before it finally made it's way to the United States.

From the era that brought the world The Rubik's Cube, Max Headroom, and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this brings us songs such as Footloose, Girs Just Want To Have Fun, Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, Love Shack, Total Eclipse of the Heart, Let's Hear It for the Boy, and more!

The show tells the story of the senior class of William Ocean High School in the 1980's as remembered and seen through the eyes of Corey Palmer, who is now 30-something.

May 24, 2010 - Aladdin

"Welcome to Agrabah, City of Enchantment, where every beggar has a story and every camel has a tail." Thus the narrators begin the story of Aladdin.

Aladdin, the bread thief, is thrown in a cave for stealing because all the dungeons are full. However, in his cave, he finds a magic lamp--complete with a Genie.

This junior version of the Disney fairy tale will have everyone enchanted with all the magic, mayhem, and even flying carpet rides...with such songs as A Whole New World and Friend Like Me!