"In The Heights"....In The Theater

It was a big day today as we mark our progress in post(?)-pandemic life: we went to the movies.  No, not to the television set to stream something, but an honest-to-God movie theater.  The movie we saw was Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In The Heights", but more on that in a bit.

First off, what was it like being back inside a theater?  First off, I felt rather safe in there.  The seating was spaced, all employees were masked (not so all the patrons; that was a mixed bag).  concession workers wore gloves.  Frankly, I felt safer there than I did last night when I did something else for the first time in a year - I went to Mass inside a Church.   Spacing and masks in there was not so well enforced, but that is another topic for another time.

The last time we were in a theater was in February, 2020, when we saw the Julia Louis-Dreyfus/Will Farrell movie "Downhill."  Not a bad movie, but not one you would necessarily want as the answer to the "what-was-the-last-movie-you-saw-in-a-theater-before-the-shutdown?'" trivia question.    We knew that we would be venturing back to the theater soon, so the question became, what movie  will get the nod as The First One?  That it would be "In The Heights" was a pretty easy decision.  It is a feel good musical with big, splashy, and colorful production numbers.  Yes, we could have streamed it at home via HBO Max, but this was the kind of movie that really should be seen, initially at least, on a big screen in a darkened movie theater.

Anthony Ramos (John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton from "Hamilton") plays Usnavi, who runs a small bodega in the Washington Heights section of New York City and longs to return to his native Dominican Republic, where he lived until he was eight years old.  Story lines revolve around Nina, a young girl who "made it out" and attends Stanford University, Vanessa, who works in a nail salon and upon whom Usnavi has a major crush, Benny, who works for Nina's dad as a cab dispatcher, Sonny, Usnavi's cousin who works in the bodega, and Abuela Claudia, the older lady who is everyone in the neighborhood's surrogate grandmother.

Ramos and Barrera 

as

Usnavi and Vanessa

The big musical numbers are what the movie (and the Broadway show that preceded it) is all about. The opening title number, the great "$96,000" number that takes place largely at a public swimming pool, great dancing sequences in a beauty parlor, a night club, and another in the neighborhood near the end as the residents are in the throes of a three day period with no electricity due to a heat related power outage in the City.  There is also a really cool number near the end of Benny and Nina singing and dancing on their building.  Yes, I said "on" their building.  You need to see it.

Leslie Grace as Nina

Vanessa and Nina in the beauty salon

"Tell Me Something I Don't Know"

Ramos was terrific in the lead, and we were impressed with the two talented and beautiful female leads, Melissa Barrera as Vanessa and Leslie Grace as Nina.  We were not familiar with either actress, and bothe were terrific.  Other notable cast members are Jimmy Smits as Nina's father, Corey Hawkins as Benny, and Gregory Diaz IV as Sonny.

As most people know, "In The Heights" was Lin-Manuel Miranda's first Tony Award winning musical.  He starred as Usnavi on Broadway in this, and he serves as the Producer of the film version.  He also has a small role and a musical number in the movie version.  Oh, and if you watch and listen closely, you will find two additional - that I caught - "Hamilton" easter eggs embedded in the movie.

I found "In the Heights" to be a perfect summer movie and great way to return to the movies:  upbeat, positive, energetic, beautiful to look at, and fun.  Go see it in a movie theater!

Three Stars from The Grandstander.

 

"Spamilton" at the CLO Caberet

Marilyn and I took ourselves on down to the Greer Cabaret Theater this afternoon to see "Spamilton, An American Parody", and I have this to say about it.

If you have seen and enjoyed  "Hamilton", go see this.  

It you haven't seen "Hamilton", but are familiar with the music and the score, go see this.

If you haven't seen "Hamilton", but are a follower and fan of the Broadway musical theater, go see this.

It is a parody of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical, and it takes some pointed, but loving, shots at the phenomenal success of his show, but it also parodies lots of other things currently going on on Broadway.  It was smart, cleverly done, and wonderfully performed by a cast of five actors and a musical accompanist on the piano (who also does a terrific bit with his version of King George III's "You'll Be Back").

"Spamilton" was "created, written, and originally directed by" Gerard Allessandrini, who has similar parodies on his theatrical resume.  All the actors were great, but special kudos to Erin Ramirez, the only female in the cast.  Among other bits, she performed as all three Schuyler Sisters with the assistance of two hand puppets, as well as portraying other notable Broadway divas that you would recognize.  Brilliant.

It is my understanding that Lin-Manuel Miranda himself saw this show performed in one of its earlier incarnations and gave it his enthusiastic endorsement.

Those "Hamilton" fans in the Pittsburgh area should make it a point to catch this show before its run ends in mid-August.  And if you've never seen a show in the CLO's Cabaret Theater, you're in for a treat.  Small and intimate, you're right on top of the stage, and you can grab a nice light pre-show meal and adult beverage before curtain time.  A great venue.

"Hamilton" Comes to Pittsburgh

Fifteen months after seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda's extraordinary musical "Hamilton" in Chicago, Marilyn and I saw it once again last night as the "Angelica Tour" spends a month long engagement in Pittsburgh.  

In the less than twenty-four hours since the show ended last night, we have already been asked "How does it compare to what you saw in Chicago?"  I am not going to do a  full-scale review of last night's performance.  Much of what I said about the Chicago performance, which you can see here....

http://grandstander.blogspot.com/2017/10/we-see-hamilton.html

....can also be said about the touring company we saw last night.  I can also say that it was every bit as good, and maybe even better, the second time around.  We saw things in this performance that we didn't remember seeing the first  time.  The show is so visually beautiful and the choreography so compelling, yet you might miss much of by concentrating on the main characters in a given scene.  Two such numbers illustrate this point.

One is for the song "Satisfied", where Angelica Schuyler essentially creates a flashback of the previous number, "Helpless", that describes the courtship and wedding  of Alexander and Eliza from her, Angelica's, point of view.  The second is "The Room Where It Happens" where Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison can be seen in the background as Aaron Burr sings of his desire to be a part of what is taking place amid the chorus dancing to the music.  We saw things we didn't see the first time, and I am sure that we will see others that we missed last night when we see it for a third time at some point in the future.  

I want to recognize the amazing cast that we saw last night:

Alexander Ferguson......Alexander Hamilton

Charnette Batey.............Eliza Schuyler Hamilton

Josh Tower.....................Aaron Burr

Stephanie Umoh............Angelica Schuyler

Paul Oakley Stovall.......George Washington

Bryson Bruce.................Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson

Chaundre Hall-Broomfield.......Hercules Mulligan/James Madison

Jon Viktor Corpuz..........John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton

Isa Briones.....................Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds

Peter Matthew Smith......King George III

Of course, none of these are familiar names, but all of them were remarkable and wonderful performers.  In fact, both Ferguson and Batey were understudies who were, for whatever reason, thrust into playing the lead roles of Alexander and Eliza.  The lady sitting next to us was grumbling to her husband about having to "watch understudies", but you know what, they were just terrific in these roles, and we had no problem at all watching them.  In fact, Alexander Ferguson, who on a regular night, plays in the ensemble and also a couple of minor roles in the show, also serves as understudy, not only for the Hamilton role, but also for the roles of Aaron Burr, John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton, and King George III.  The fact that one guy might be called upon to play any of these four major roles on a given night in the show makes him all the more amazing to me.  Miss Batey, too, is normally in the ensemble, but she also understudies the roles of both Angelica and Peggy/Maria.

We love the show, and we loved seeing it once again here in our home town.  This show will tour and be performed forever, and we will never miss the opportunity to see it again someday.  It will always "blow us all away."

"Mary Poppins Returns"

It took until the 364th day of the year, but I believe that I saw today what was, for me, the best movie of 2018, "Mary Poppins Returns".  As I indicated in my most recent Grandstander post, I had just seen the 1964 original a few days ago for the very first time, and I loved it, and it was great to have it fresh in my mind when seeing this one today.

As some might think, this is not a remake of the 1964 original that starred Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke.  It is rather a sequel to that one.  It takes place a few decades after the original one.  Michael and Jane Banks are now adults, and the recently widowed Michael is still living at 17 Cherrytree Lane with his three young children, and he is faced with a multitude of problems, the foremost being that the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank is about to foreclose on a loan and repossess his house.

As his sister Jane tries to help him in his efforts to keep their family home, who comes into their lives once again but the mystical and marvelous nanny of their youth, Mary Poppins.

I won't say anymore about the storyline or the plot, so you need - I mean you really need - to go see this one yourself.

The movie was directed and choreographed by Oscar winner Rob Marshall and it gives you great music and dance numbers, beautiful and colorful costumes, amazing animation and special effects, and a simply wonderful performance by Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins.  It would be unfair to compare her to Julie Andrews, so I won't, but if you judge her on her own merits, she is just terrific.  She can speak volumes with the look on her face and the raising of her eyebrows, and man oh man, can she sing.

Blunt and Miranda

"Mary Poppins and Jack"

Instead of Bert the chimney sweep, this one gives us Jack, the lamplighter, or "leery", as played by Lin-Manuel Miranda.  This is Miranda's first big show biz splash post-Hamilton, and perhaps the expectations were too high for him, thus some critics have been lukewarm to his performance, but I thought he delivered very well in the role.  One of the musical numbers did feature him doing a rapidly rhyming semi-hip-hop number, so that was kind of cool, but this certainly was NOT "Hamilton meets Mary Poppins" if that's what you were expecting.

Another criticism I have heard of this movie is that, well, it's okay, but the songs can't hold up to the songs of the original movie.  Maybe, maybe not.  Perhaps, those critics should allow for the test of time to see if some of these numbers will grab hold of the public and become the next "Spoonful of Sugar" or Chim Chim Cher-ee".

Let's face it, in 2018, there was a lot of stuff going on out in the world that was unpleasant and discomforting.  "Mary Poppins Returns" is a movie that gives you something that is fun to watch and to listen to, that is beautiful to look at, and, more importantly, sends a quite positive message, and ain't it nice to see and hear something positive?

To me, at least, "Mary Poppins Returns" is the best movie that I have seen in 2018, and it gets the full Four Star rating from The Grandstander.

We See "Hamilton"

At some point in 2016, I can't pinpoint the exact date, Marilyn and I fell under the spell of the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton", almost to the point of obsession.  Talking with some people who had the good fortune to see it on Broadway, seeing the show, and seeing it sooner rather than later, became an unspoken goal of ours, and when friends described seeing the production in Chicago this Spring, we went proactive and ordered tickets.  This past Wednesday, October 11, the date finally arrived.  We were at the CIBC Theater in Chicago, with tickets in hand to see "Hamilton".

When you anticipate something for so long and with the highest of expectations, there is always the risk that when the moment finally arrives, it will never live up to those expectations, and you will experience a letdown.  So, what happened?

No letdown, and those high expectations were actually exceeded.  Far exceeded.

Having listened to the cast recording of the show, with Miranda and all the original cast members doing the singing, I wasn't sure if I would be able to accept the voices of anyone but Miranda, Leslie Odom, Jr., Chris Jackson, Daveed Diggs, Philippa Soo, or any of the others of the original cast in those parts.  That notion ended shortly after the Chicago cast members first appeared and began singing.

We have listened to the music of "Hamilton" countless times over the last year and a half, but what struck us on Wednesday night was just how much more there is to "Hamilton" when seeing it in person.  The music from the orchestra, the acting of the cast, the choreography, the costumes, the interplay between actors, not only with each other, but with the audience, well, if you think that listening to "Hamilton" is an extraordinary experience, actually seeing it performed takes that experience to an entirely different level of "extraordinary".

There are some people, I suppose, who may close themselves off from this show and it's music because it's rap music , because it's hip-hop music.  I would plead with you, DO NOT DO THAT! Listen to this music, listen to the patterns and the rapidity of the intricate rhyming schemes that Miranda wrote and that the actors perform.  Hey, this show has made 66-year old me very much appreciative of the art form that is rap and hip-hop.  It is simply amazing. 

And it's not just rap and hip-hop.  "Hamilton" gives you traditional Broadway-style showstoppers with "My Shot", "The Room Where It Happens", and "What'd I Miss?".  You like Beatles-style music? Listen to "You'll Be Back".  Girl Group songs? Listen the "The Schuyler Sisters" and "Helpless".  Love songs?  Try "Dear Theodosia".  Heartfelt ballads? "Burn" and "It's Quiet Uptown" will bring tears to your eyes.

And I am only scratching the surface with the songs named above.

At this point, I need to list the names of the talented principal cast members that we saw in Chicago, each of whom was terrific:

Miguel Cervantes....Alexander Hamilton

Gregory Treco.....Aaron Burr

Ari Afsar....Eliza Schuyler Hamilton

Jonathan Kirkland....George Washington

Chris De'Sean Lee....Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson

Wallace Smith....Hercules Mulligan/James Madison

Jose Ramos....John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton

Montego Glover....Angelica Schuyler

Aubin Wise.....Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds

Alexander Gemignani....King George III

All backed by an incredible cast of supporting actors and chorus members.

Someone asked me, who was my favorite character in "Hamilton"?  Impossible to pick, but I do want to specifically cite young Chris De'Sean Lee in the dual role of Lafayette/Jefferson, and when I say "young", I mean it.  

Lee was a junior in college when he auditioned for and won this role for the Chicago production. He is now all of 22 years old.  I am sure that he is on the way to becoming a huge star in the years ahead. His performance in "Guns and Ships", "What'd I Miss?", and "Cabinet Battle #1" were just fabulous.

As for Miguel Cervantes in the title role, how hard must it be for an actor to play a part that has already become so closely associated with one actor?  The temptation is to say, well, he's okay, but he's no Miranda, and that is just so unfair.

However, as soon as Alexander asked "Pardon me, are you Aaron Burr, sir?", you knew that Cervantes was going to be a very good Alexander Hamilton, and he was.

In talking to friend yesterday, he asked if this was the kind of show that you'd want to see more than once, to which I answered, "If I could go see it again tonight, I would", and I do hope to see "Hamilton" again in the future.  The show will begin touring next year.  It is scheduled to be in Cleveland in 2018, and in Pittsburgh in 2019.  I am hopeful to be able to see it in one or both of those cities then.  Also, sometime after 2020, "Hamilton" will be licensed to local theatrical companies and schools for production.  It is not beyond possibility that within the next five years, we will all be able to see "Hamilton" as a high school musical.  In fact, Lin-Manuel Miranda wants to see "Hamilton" mounted by high schools and colleges, and he hopes that the diversity of the casting of the roles that has made this show unique and special, will be maintained as it is performed into the future.

"Hamilton" was not the first Tony Award winning hit show from Lin-Manuel Miranda (that one was "In The Heights"), and he has been called everything from a genius to a current day Shakespeare.  I admit that I am totally in the tank for him, and I can't wait to see what he does next.  With "Hamilton", Miranda has given us a cultural gift that will surely outlive us all.  I hope that everyone reading this will some how, some way, some day get a chance to see this extraordinary show.   It is a true work of art.

Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.

********

And to close, I found this forty-eight second promotional clip from the cast of the Chicago production.  It may give you an idea of the energy of this show:

In The Area of Critical Commentary - "The Big Sick" and "In The Heights"

Everywhere you look, "The Big Sick" is getting four star reviews from critics all over the country.  Actor/comedian Kumail Nanjiani, a Pakistani-American, plays Kumail Nanjiani, a Pakistani-American trying to make it as a stand-up comedian in Chicago.  While doing his set one night, he is gently heckled by audience member Emily Gordon.  The meet afterward, have a one night hook-up, but soon become romantically involved and fall in love.  Meanwhile, Kumail's traditional Pakistani family disapproves of his choice of profession (they want him to go to law school), and are constantly trying to get him into an arranged marriage with a Pakistani woman.

Kumail and Emily have a fight and break up, then Emily comes down with a mysterious illness that forces doctors to put her into an induced coma as they struggle to find a cure for her illness.  This brings Emily's parents into the picture and another set of complications for Kumail.

Doesn't sound like the stuff of your typical romantic comedy, but this movie is truly funny while it raises important questions about cultural values, prejudices, and just what this crazy thing called love is all about.

The movie was written by Nanjiani and his real life wife, Emily Gordon.  Yep, that is the name of the character in the movie, so this is somewhat autobiographical, although I do not believe that the real-life Emily experienced a "big sick" in her own life.  Nanjiani is quite good in the movie as is Zoe Kazan as Emily (Fun Fact: Ms. Kazan is the granddaughter of Oscar winning director Elia Kazan), and then there are Ray Romano and Holly Hunter, who play Emily's parents.  I won't say that they steal the show here, they don't, but they are terrific in their roles.  I was especially surprised by Romano, who I still see as a TV sitcom star.  He was wonderful in this.  

Lots of professional critics are calling "The Big Sick" the best movie of the year, and they may well be correct. You will laugh and you will cry, and if someone you love has ever been seriously ill, this will especially touch you.   Do not miss it.

Four Stars all the way from The Grandstander.

(CORRECTION: A few days after I wrote this entry, I learned that the real life Emily Gordon did, indeed, have a mysterious illness that caused her to be in a medically induced coma, very much like Emily in the movie.  Truth is stranger than fiction.)

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Last night we made what will probably be, sadly, our only visit to the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera this year to see Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In The Heights".  This was the first Broadway musical production for Miranda, and it was the winner of four Tony Awards, and it certainly presaged Miranda's epic that was to come, "Hamilton".

It was a wonderful show with high energy singing and dancing, music that included rap, hip-hop, and salsa, as well as traditional Broadway-type ballads and production numbers.  As always, the CLO's production was top notch.

This is the kind of show that will no doubt be touring forever, and it is already being performed by high schools across the land.  It is one that you should try to see at some point in your theater going life.

Four stars.

"Hamilton" - What Music!

No, I have not seen the transformative musical, "Hamilton", but I finally got around to downloading the Original Cast Album and have been listening to it for much of the last twenty-four hours, and it is what everyone says it is.  The music, the lyrics, and the way it is performed by author/composer Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast is unlike anything I have ever heard.  Just an amazing musical experience.  Everyone says that Miranda is a true genius, and after listening to this recording, I am inclined to agree.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

I doubt very much that I will ever have the opportunity (or the disposable income!) to see "Hamilton" on Broadway, where the neon lights are bright, but sooner or later, "Hamilton" will be sending out touring companies, and I will be among the first in line to see it when comes to a theater near me.