...I have been waiting for a show like Bridges of Madison County to happen and I am genuinely happy that I got to see it on it's final Friday night because there are no plans for tours until Fall 2015. It was one of those shows that I got so emotionally invested in that I was literally exhausted by the end of the show. Jason Robert Brown outdid himself with an amazing score that fit PERFECTLY on Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale's voices. The chemistry between the two of them was so believable that there is no way a person could not be emotional by the time Robert has to leave for NYC and Francesca has to choose between her family and true love. The movie version is not my favorite love story at all, but the movie did not have these songs to really dig down into the emotions that come along with everything that happens in this story. While the show certainly does not have all the glitz and glamour and big production numbers of Aladdin (I'll get to that in a minute), it does have all of the pieces that intellectual theatre goers will understand and enjoy.
I did also see Aladdin while I was in the city and it was a solid production, although not one of my favorites. It just was not my style. I could not invest or really get into it. The character work by the actors was really great, but almost too much of a copy of the movie for my taste (although I know there is not too much room to breath with Disney breathing down your back). The production numbers were FANTASTIC. I've never seen an ensemble move so in sync with one another, and let's not even talk about the tap number in the first act! And there was a West Side Story reference that made me really excited, but that is about as into it as I could get. It just was not my cup of tea, although it was really well done.
I also had the pleasure of seeing my dear friend's production called Kingfishers. It was an original concept based on an ancient myth about Alcyone, the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She was betrothed to Ares, but was very unhappy and decided to visit Earth and fell in love with a mortal named Ceyx. This version of the story is a modern myth so when Alcyone came from Olympus, she ended up in modern day Coney Island. Long story short, the Gods get angry that she falls in love with a mortal and so they kill him when he's off at sea by summoning the Kraken and in the end she chooses to die and be with him in the afterlife than to live a privileged life as a Goddess. It is a very beautiful story, especially when it is told solely through movement and dance (that is correct, no dialogue). The beginning of the show moved kind of slowly, but it was necessary to introduce the characters and relationships. It picked up soon though and became a beautiful contemporary dance piece. Some of the performers were actors who dance, and the rest were dancers. They moved well as a company, but you can certainly tell the difference in who is an actor and who is a dancer. Without the actors the show might have seemed a little flat, but they brought life and passion into the dancing. Here are some of my favorite photos...
All in all, I had an amazing week and I got to catch up with some old friends and make some new ones. I am very excited at the prospect of moving there next Summer to start grad school (fingers crossed!) and I look forward to all the shows that I will be seeing and my new, exciting life that I can start.
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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland
