Extra! Extra! Read all about it: Disney's Newsies is busting a move in Vancouver!

I never knew this but Newsies' story is based the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City! It's about a ragtag bunch of orphan and runaway "newsies" who stand up to powerful newspaper publishers when they raise distribution prices at the newsboys' expense.

When the boys first came out, I found myself thinking if kids will know what paperboys are nowaways! When the Joseph Pulitzer, played by Steve Blanchard, said paper sales declining since the war, all I could think about was it kept declining and is almost dead now. Thanks to the Internet those boys would be working in tech instead today! But I digress. The overall story itself is still relevant today because it's a classic David versus Goliath story!

The cast are awesome dancers and acrobats! I am amazed that they can both sing and dance through that strenuous choreography! Keep an eye out for the newsboy named Specs, played by Jordan Samuels; he does a lot of impressive flips! It's no surprise that Newsies was the winner of the 2012 Tony Awards Best Choreography,

Being up seated up close to the stage was great because we got to see the cast's expressions more clearly but we had to look up a lot. The set utilized a lot of vertical space. Though it wasn't an elaborate set it had depth and brought the streets and rooftops of 1966 New York alive.

My favourite song is "Seize the Day". It's the most recognizable song in the set. Though all the songs are really high energy and I loved them all! The lead newsie, Jack Kelly, played by Joey Barreiro, has a strong set of pipes! All his songs were spot on. The little boy, Les, played by Turner Birthisel at the opening performance, was very cute and always stole the scene. He had very funny bits and always stole a laugh from the audience.

Newsies was very enjoyable to watch. The dancing was very impressive and the singing and script always manages to keep a smile on my face. It's a great family musical!

Don't forget to take a picture in the lobby before leaving the theatre! You can be the picture in the headliner and be famous!

Disney's NEWSIES is here in Vancouver for one week only! Performances run from now through Sunday, July 10, 2016 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tickets are available through ticketmaster.ca or by calling 1-855-985-5000. Reservations for groups of ten or more are now being accepted by calling 1-800-889-8457.

For more information, visit NewsiesTheMusical.com, Facebook.com/Newsies and Twitter.com/Newsies.

The Vancouver engagement of NEWSIES is presented by arrangement with Broadway Across Canada and is a subscription offering of the 2016/2017 Series.




Disclosure: Tickets to the show were received from Broadway Across Canada free of charge for review. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any other way.

MAMMA MIA! is a feel-good story set to ABBA’s greatest hits, including “Dancing Queen,” “S.O.S.,” “Take A Chance on Me” and “The Winner Takes It All”. These are instantly recognizable songs even people who have never seen the musical or movie is guaranteed to know.

I took my friend who has never seen MAMMA MIA! before to opening night, and I had a funny conversation with her before the show started. She was trying to guess what the musical was about:

A: I didn't read the synopsis. All I know is the Mamma Mia song. Everyone knows that...It might be about eating. An Italian family eating pizza.
Me: Are you sure??? (I showed her the program cover)
A: Maybe she gets married and has to decide between a family and being a career woman.
Me: That's not even close.

Even though my guest was way off, she really enjoyed the show. It is hard not to! There was many a head nodding and toe tapping to the beat of the music. These are catchy songs that can be listened to over and over again; it's probably the reason why MAMMA MIA! is one of the most successful musicals of all time and the eighth longest running show in Broadway history.

Other aspects of the show we loved were the costumes. They were very vibrant and some very ABBA-inspired. The cast seemed very fun and Sophie's mom is definitely the star of the show! We also enjoyed all the little dirty jokes in the script. It made the show very fun and spunky.

And my favourite was the end when the entire cast reprised the "Mamma Mia," “Dancing Queen,” and "Waterloo," and invited the audience to clap, sing, and dance along.

So whether you're seeing MAMMA MIA! for the first time or a repeat customer, you're in for a good time with great music.

MAMMA MIA! is here in Vancouver for one week only! Performances run from now through Sunday, April 3, 2016 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Tickets for MAMMA MIA! start at $35 (plus applicable service charges).Tickets are available through ticketmaster.ca or by calling 1-855-985-5000. Reservations for groups of ten (10) or more are now being accepted by calling 1-800-889-8457.

For information about MAMMA MIA! visit www.Mamma-Mia.com



Disclosure: Tickets to the show were received from Broadway Across Canada free of charge. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any other way.

Disney’s beloved classic Beauty and the Beast returns to Vancouver's musical stage for this week! This is the second time I've seen this musical and it was just as entertaining as the first time. All the songs from the Disney movie are in the musical as well as additional original songs. One of my favourites is Beast's solo - "If I Can't Love Her". I love the deep power that Ryan Everett Wood brings to the voice of Beast. However, I think he needs to portray Beast more seriously, though his quirky voices did injected some light hearted comedy, perfect for the young kids in the audience.

Many of the cast are not novices to musical performance but are making their debut in the Beauty and the Beast musical. Jillian Butterfield, the actress playing Belle, did performances as Cinderella on Disney cruise ships!

Gaston was the perfect villian. You can't help but love and laugh at him since his actions are so ridiculous and over the top. Le fou was the silly sidekick, always ready for physical slapstick humour. At times I felt like I was watching the Disney movie since the songs and set was so spot on and you can't help but start singing along. There were also lots of humorous puns from the household objects that had the audience laughing out loud. It is hard to pick a favourite character from the musical but it would have to be Madame de la Grande Bouche - she was funny and had big stage presence; She looked like she came straight out of the Disney movie!

Photo © Broadway.com

Disney's Beauty and the Beast received a standing ovation AGAIN!


Performances run from now through Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, Saturday matinee at 2pm, Sunday matinee at 1pm and Sunday evening 6:30pm at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tickets for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast vary in range depending on performance, seat location, and date of purchase and start at $35.00 plus applicable service fees. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in Vancouver, presented by Broadway Across Canada, is part of three city Canadian tour including stops in Edmonton (February 10 - 15) and Calgary (February 17-22).

Find more information and buy tickets, please visit the Broadway Across Canada website.


Disclosure: Tickets to the show were received from Broadway Across Canada free of charge. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any other way.

“THE BEST MUSICAL OF THIS CENTURY. Heaven on Broadway!  A celebration of the privilege of living inside that improbable paradise called a musical comedy.”
Ben Brantley, THE NEW YORK TIMES

Last week Wednesday, I attended the Katy Perry concert with my sis! I didn't have a chance to post since I've been pretty busy but better late than never! I like Katy Perry's music but what sealed the deal for me was that Tegan & Sara opening for her! I could go see them all at once! Yay! Sorry for the low quality photos in advance. I just took them with my phone; didn't want a big camera to get in the way of the dancing! Woot woot!



Farras started the concert off. He had really funky hair.  His music wasn't bad as well.

I was really excited when Tegan and Sara took the stage afterwards. They sang all the songs I liked including I'm Not Your Hero, I was a Fool for Love, Closer, and all their other popular songs from their HeartThrob album. They even sang Everything is Awesome from the LEGO movie! They are so awesome. I love their bantering on stage. 

Katy Perry came on stage, starting strong with Roar. Her concert was one big conglomerate of fun, random themes, full of set and costume changes, sparkles and lights - just the way I like it! Haha. At one point Katy Perry and her dancers were dressed as cats. Kitty Purry her name was and she sang a different updated version of Hot N Cold, which was pretty cool! She ended with a bang, performing Fireworks with real fireworks and light going off in the background. She also had the audience put on paper glasses that gave us "Prismvision" hahah! I really enjoyed the concert Dancing to Katy Perry's songs are always so much fun!


















 

Wicked is a Broadway smash hit based on the novel of how the characters from Wizard of Oz came to be before Dorothy arrived. What I love most about this story is the different perspective it gives on Gah-linda (the gah is silent) the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. It begins with the death of the Wicked Witch, Elphaba, and the reign of Glinda. She gets asked by the citizens of Oz if she was friends with the Witch. Then she retells the story of what happened; from the conception of Elphaba to the beginning of their school year to their journey to Oz together, then finally to her death. Along the way of this we see how the Lion became cowardly, how the Tin Man lost his heart, and how the Scarecrow lost his brain. There are even glimpses of Dorothy and her little dog, Dodo- I mean, Toto.

I had seen Wicked in London in 2010 and I remember loving it so much that when it came to Vancouver in 2011, I went to go see it again. However, I remember that show being not that… memorable. But this time around with a new cast it definitely brought back the magic. Kara Lindsay, who plays Glinda, is perfect for the part, keeping her adorable and easily lovable. Her squeals and funny antics are over the top always making sure the audience is engaged and laughing. The lady sitting behind me laughed so hard at one time she made me jump. I must also mention the gorgeous costumes of Glinda. Her princess blue gown, pink party dress, and yellow ‘out on the Emerald City’ dress certainly made me jealous of her wardrobe. Though Glinda keeps stealing the show, Laurel Harris who plays Elphaba proves to be multi-talented with her amazing voice and acting. She’s the awkward green-skinned brainy girl who couldn’t be any more opposite than the glowing bouncy Glinda but the two of them have a dynamic chemistry that works well together starting out as rivals, roommates then eventually a peculiar couple of BFFs.


Wicked is wickedly written, with clever lines here and there to delight the audience. The award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz, who also wrote for Pocahontas, Enchanted, and the Prince of Egypt, knows how to write songs that are catchy and will most likely get stuck in your head for weeks afterwards. Defying Gravity is a fan favorite and the image of Elphaba in the air majestically belting out the song with the lights shining down on her is hauntingly captivating. Another couple favorites is Glinda’s Popular and Fiyero played by Matt Shingledecker’s Dancing Through Life.

It is definitely worth it to catch this award-winning musical with this particular cast, orchestra, direction, and costumes. In a rare musical with two strong female leads, both Lindsay and Harris knock it out of the park together and separately.

Wicked is performing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from now until June 29. Please visit Broadway Across Canada or Ticketmaster.ca for more information and to purchase tickets.

Disclosure: This has been a guest post by Michelle Ngai. Tickets to the show were received from Broadway Across Canada free of charge. No other compensation was received. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely the author's and have not been influenced in any other way.

Pirates and Tom Hiddleton! Those were the two immediate thoughts that popped into my head when I first heard about this film. This was the first movie of the Tinklebell direct-to-DVD series that I have ever watched and it is the 6th one that Disney has made in the Fairy franchise. Haha this movie made me want to watch more of the Fairy series.

"The Pirate Fairy", like all the movies previous, is set in Neverland, before the events of "Peter Pan." Zarina (voice of Christina Hendricks), a dust keeper fairy is obsessed with figuring out how fairy dust works. When her experiments on the powerful Blue Pixie Dust land her in hot water with her supervisor, she flees Pixie Hollow. She ends up joining forces with the pirates of Skull Rock, led by a cabin boy named James (voice of Tom Hiddleston), who make her the captain of their ship. Zarina and the pirates come up a plan to steal the Blue Fairy Dust and subsequently switches the talents of Tinker Bell (voice of Mae Whitman) and her friends in the process. Tink and her friends must work together to retrieve the Blue Pixie Dust, which the fairies of Pixie Hollow is dependent upon to be able to fly.  


The movie was pretty entertaining. It delves more into the origins of the characters in "Peter Pan," centred around Captain Hook. Tom Hiddleton is delightful as always. He brings a little bit of Loki in his portrayal of James. The new fairy is pretty cool in her pirate get-up but she never consciously makes a choice to do the right thing; it is the circumstances force her to. It was great to see the origins of Captain Hook and the Crocodile. IT IS SO ADORABLE. The film is 78 min with several special features included:       

• Second Star to the Right: The Legacy of Never Land – Explore Never Land’s history and its endless ability to inspire     
• Croc-u-mentary – “Crocky” and his real-life relatives are the subject of this funny documentary     Deleted Scenes     
• Sing-Along Songs     
• The Making of “The Frigate That Flies” – Go Behind the Scenes with Tom Hiddleton for a close-up look at the recording of this song 

There are two songs in the movie: "Who I Am," sung by Natasha Bedingfield as the introduction song to Zarina, and "The Frigate That Flies, " sung by the pirates. If Tom Hiddleton singing is what you'd like to hear, "The Frigate That Flies" is the song to listen to. I personally like "Who I Am" song more. It's backed by nice strummy music and is about being yourself and showing the world who you are.

“The Pirate Fairy” is currently available in store and the soundtrack available for download on iTunes.

They're doing a sequel! They're back by popular demand! The Muppets are back again in a silly, fun filled adventure. Starting right when the previous Muppet movie ended, the Muppet cast launch into song about how they are doing a sequel and what the plot should be. The entire Muppets gang ends up going on a world tour. Along the way, Kermit gets kidnapped and switched with Constantine, the World's Number One Criminal, and Kermit-look-alike. While Kermit has it figure out how to escape jail, the gang unwittingly wind up as part of Constantine's crime scheme.

The Muppets: Most Wanted wasn't as good as the previous film (they poked fun at this in their opening song), but was still very entertaining and worth going to see in theatre. It was laugh-out-loud funny, with tonnes of cameos from famous people, and the songs are just as good.  

• They've Ordered a Sequel performed by Walter, Statler & Waldorf
• We're Doing a Sequel performed by The Muppets
• My Name First . . . Your Name performed by Constantine & Ricky Gervais
• I'm Number One performed by Constantine & Ricky Gervais
• The Casa Grande performed by Kermit, Tina Fey, Jemaine Clement, Danny Trejo, Ray Liotta
• The Big House performed by Tina Fey
• Stick With Me performed by Constantine & Miss Piggy
• I'll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu) performed by Constantine
• The Muppet Show Theme performed by Los Muppets
• Answer Some Questions performed by Ty Burrell
• Interrogation Song performed by Ty Burrell, Sam Eagle & The Muppets
• Oh Foo Foo, It's Always Been a Fight performed by Piggy & Foo Foo
• Something So Right performed by Miss Piggy, Kermit, Celine Dion & The Muppets
• We’re Goin' Underground performed by Kermit
• Working In The Coal Mine performed by Jemaine Clement
• The Gulag Finale performed by Kermit
• Together Again performed by The Muppets
• Moves Like Jagger performed by Scooter & The Penguins
• Muppet Most Wanted Score Suite performed by Christophe Beck

Bonus:

• We're Doing A Sequel (demo) performed by Bret McKenzie
• The Big House (demo) performed by Bret McKenzie
• What You Want (outtake) performed by Bret McKenzie
• I'll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu) (demo) performed by Bret McKenzie
• Something So Right (demo) performed by Bret McKenzie

The Blue Man Group was a feast for the eyes and ears! Super funny and clever, the Blue Men uses paints, lighting, electronic screens, drums, movement and the infamous Drumbone featuring PVC plumbing pipes to create a show that is unlike any other. If you ever wanted to hear Beethoven's Fur Elise played on PVC pipes here's your chance! I've never seen the group perform before and I had a blast at this show! You'll be laughing one moment and in awe the next, but rest assured you'll be smiling through out the whole thing.   

For their big finale, the Blue Men got everyone off their seats and invited us to shake our butts off with the music. It was super fun party with the giant beach balls and streamers. I just wished that more of the people around me had treated it like a rock concert and not just stand there doing nothing unless a ball came nearby. I mean come on! DANCE! The music is so catchy! And the Blue Men even gave us rock concert move lessons! Shake those buttcakes! (After seeing the Blue Man Group, you'll leave an expert on concert moves and with a whole new vocabulary on butts as well. ;P)


People of all ages can enjoy this show! The performance last about 90 minutes and there are no intermissions. Make sure you are not late or you will get a big surprise!

If you are sensitive to strobe lights you may want to close your eyes in the beginning. There was a lot of audience interaction during the show! The Blue Men would make their way into the audience and a few times invited a lucky audience member to the stage! Make sure to sit in the front rows or aisle seats for a better chance to be picked. Wear clothes that you will not be afraid to get paint on. That includes shoes!

After the show is over, you'll be able take photos with members the band and see the artwork that created during the show!

The Blue Man Group is performing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from now until March 30th. Please visit Broadway Across Canada for more information and to purchase tickets. This is a show you won't want to miss!


Disclosure: I received tickets to the show from Broadway Across Canada. No other compensation was received. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any other way.