Tag: The Smith Center

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Betty Buckley at The Smith Center: “Ah Men – the Boys of Broadway”

 Betty Buckley made her Smith Center debut Thursday in Las Vegas with her fabulous show Ah Men – the Boys of Broadway.

Singing songs originally sung by male characters in the Broadway canon, she proves that when it comes to singing men’s songs – as the “tom boy” Annie Oakley would say – “anything you can do, I can do better.”

Buckley doesn’t pretend to BE men while performing these songs. She merely takes the songs and claims them for her own. And in doing so, she brings to bear the essence of the songs.

I’ll preface this post by saying I’ve admired Betty Buckley’s work for a long, long time. From CATS, to DROOD, to TRIUMPH OF LOVE, to SUNSET BOULEVARD, to GYPSY, to Carnegie Hall – I was there, and I appreciate the talent that is Betty Buckley.

Here are a few of my thoughts seeing this legend again live:

• With Buckley, you never get the sense that the song is there to be sung. It’s there to be lived. A song is never a vocalise, it’s a moment in time.

• Her magnificent voice is untouched by age, demonstrating the range and power that’s been a hallmark of her career. At one point in performance, she pulls the microphone feet away from her mouth, filling the 300+ theater with her voice unaided by amplification. Few performers are equally famous for both the big and the intimate moments. Buckley is of that rare breed.

• Taking the stage with bright, almost athletic power, she launches into “I Can See It” from THE FANTASTICKS with enviable ease. By the middle of the song she’s singing “I can hear it; sirens singing.” And with that it’s clear she is our siren and we, the audience, are spellbound.

• One of the evening’s highlights (and this is a show with nothing but highlights), is her interpretation of “Hey There” from THE PAJAMA GAME. Set to a gorgeous, almost hypnotic rolling motif by music director Christian Jacob, Buckley at the same time questions & consoles her inner self in musical gorgeousness.

• If you have to pick THE showstopper of the night, it is the one piece of “specialty” material written for the evening: “A Hymn to Her,” a clever rewrite by Eric Stern and Eric Kornfeld of “A Hymn to Him,” Henry Higgins’s from “My Fair Lady.” Invoking the voices of great male roles throughout Broadway, Buckley makes clear, in hysterical fashion, that men are put on notice – I. Can. Do. This.  And she does.

• As she begins GUYS AND DOLLS’s “Luck Be A Lady Tonight” she notes that it is a perfect song for Las Vegas. And it is.

• Buckley shares one song from her newest show, The Other Woman: The Vixens of Broadway. “Another Suitcase In Another Hall” was gorgeous in it’s vulnerability and musicality.

• In a medley of three songs from “Sweeney Todd,” each written for a different male character, Buckley sang each in character. “Not While I’m Around” is delivered with earnest purity and truth; “Johanna” becomes an anthem of nearly unbridled desire; her chilling rendition of “My Friends,” in which Sweeney affectionately sings to his razors, makes it apparent that Buckley could easily be a most dangerous Sweeney Todd.

• While some artists retain the spotlight all evening, Buckley is generous to highlight her musical collaborators throughout the night. Ample credit is due to pianist, arranger & musical director Christian Jacob of the Tierney Sutton Band, drummer Matt Betton and bassist Peter Barshay, who provide superb support and sensitive musicianship throughout the evening.

• Many, many more great moments to speak of: “Come Back To Me” – love me some Burton Lane; WEST SIDE STORY’s “Maria” –  a master class in intimacy; “Corner of the Sky” from PIPPIN – brought the evening full circle with full voiced vocals and optimistic ideals.

If you don’t have the opportunity to see Betty Buckley live, you can enjoy this suite of songs on her CD of the same name. Check it out on Amazon.

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Review: WICKED at The Smith Center

Act One finale of WICKED – photo by Joan Marcus

The Smith Center has hit another home run with the 6 week run of the national touring company of WICKED, now through October 7.

This production offers first class talent and extraordinary production values that make for a roller coaster ride of an evening in the theater. From laughs to touching moments of unlikely friendship to the soaring anthem of newly discovered inner courage – WICKED delivers.

The musical is based on the 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire, a book that cleverly imagines the back story leading up to a tornado that sends Dorothy on a trip from Kansas to Oz. During this election year, it is timely in that it is filled with truths about the nature of political power and mass manipulation.

Nicole Parker hits a home run as “Elphaba” — the Wicked Witch of the West. Having played the role on Broadway, Parker’s experience shows in her soaring vocals which makes the Stephen Schwartz score sound almost easy to sing (it’s not.) Her first big song – “Wizard and I” – immediately lets the audience know that the difficult vocals will be no problem for Parker. And her Act One roof raiser – “Defying Gravity” – is top-notch. Plus she is very comfortable with playing not only the dark side of the role but the humorous moments, too.

Patti Murin’s “Glinda, the good witch” brings a lot of lightness and pop to the evening. She starts out the evening with an approach that is less showy than I’ve seen, but grows considerably by Act Two.

Also strong were Tom McGowan as the “Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, and Demaree Hill as the Wicked Witch’s sister “Nessarose,” whose big scene in the second act was one of the best performances of the role I’ve seen.

My one small reservation was that there were moments when the performances by the ensemble cast felt a bit phoned in, as if they’ve been doing this for a quite a while. Physical energy was dropped while exiting, and some choreography wasn’t as clean as it could have been.

With vividly imaginative scenic designs by Eugene Lee, Susan Hilferty’s quirky costumes that blend high style and fantasy and gorgeous lighting by Kenneth Posner, the show is fantastic to look at. Supporting all the terrific stage architecture on display is a powerful story of peer pressure, prejudice and even hints of racism in an immediately recognizable story. Joe Mantello’s resourceful and inventive direction brings the evening to life in a manner that still feels fresh. And Wayne Cilento adds creative and stylish musical staging to the production.

The audience at the performance I attended was clearly spellbound, and there was an instant standing ovation at the beginning of the bows. The magic had been made.

Overall, it’s a very strong production and Las Vegans should run see this show before it’s six week run ends.

Photo by Joan Marcus

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What: “Wicked”

Where: Reynolds Hall, the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave.

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through Oct. 7.

Tickets: $39-$150 (749-2000)

Grade: A-

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Review: La Cage Aux Folles at The Smith Center

The Smith Center’s offering of the national touring company of “La Cage Aux Folles” is definitely a must-see theater event for Las Vegas.

Starring George Hamilton and Christopher Sieber with a superb score by master Broadway composer/lyricist Jerry Herman, the opening night audience was treated to a terrific evening that ranged from touching to comic hysteria.

Georges, played by Hamilton, runs a slightly tattered St. Tropez nightclub that’s a showcase for female impersonators. The ‘star’ of the showcase is his husband, Albin, the local star ‘Zaza.’

Their domestic life is upset when Georges’ son, Jean-Michel, arranges a meet-the-family dinner with his new fiancee and her parents, who are conservative, politically powerful and disapproving.

Hoping to re-write history and avoid embarrassment, Jean-Michel invites his long-absent biological mother to take the place of Albin who raised him, and ask that Albin demote to the role of “Uncle Albert.” When Jean-Michel’s mother fails to show at the last minute, Albin appears in female garb in an attempt to save the day for all. From there, hilarity and chaos becomes the order of the day.

George Hamilton performs the role of “Georges” with dignity and quiet strength as he tries to maintain balance in his family – his love for his son and his husband. His rendition of “Look Over There” is especially effective as he points out to Jean-Michel the sacrifices Albin has made over the years for his adopted son.  While his primary skill may not be as a singer, he handles his songs with confidence and grace.

However, the evening belongs to Christopher Sieber, whose “Albin/Zaza” is a star-turn that keeps the entire evening spinning. His command of comedy is masterful, and his voice is powerhouse. He knows when to use all these strengths, and when to pull them back. During “The Best Of Times” he subtly but clearly communicates a message of living life “in the now.” But it’s his powerful and moving “I Am What I Am” that brings the house down at the end of Act One.   Vocally and emotionally, he triumphantly makes a statement for himself and a community.

Praise must also be given to the fantastic men of the ensemble – “The Cagelles” – who deliver at every turn.

Director Terry Johnson and choreographer Lynne Page do an excellent job of bringing Harvey Fierstein’s award-winning libretto to life.

It also bears mentioning that Jerry Herman’s score is still as winning as the day it won the Tony Award in 1984. “La Cage” remains one of his best. On top of the artful story-telling he brings to the score, his songs leave a message true to a continuous thread of Herman’s work: that life is meant to be lived. From “Before The Parade Passes By” from HELLO, DOLLY! to “It’s Today” from MAME to “The Best Of Times” from LA CAGE, you leave the theater with a smile and a sense of looking forward.

And the show’s message of love and “non-traditional family” resonates even moreso today, in this time of marriage equality acceptance, than it did in the early 1980s.

I give this show 4 stars (out of 4). Go see this show.

The production runs through Sunday night, August 19th at The Smith Center.  Click here for more info.

Christopher Sieber as “Zaza”

George Hamilton and Christopher Sieber – photo by Paul Kolnic

The Cagelles – photo by Paul Kolnik
backstage with Christopher Sieber (“Albin/Zaza”) and Christophe Caballero (production dance captain)

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Las Vegas: Fantastic concerts coming up at the Smith Center

Some great live concerts coming to the gorgeous Smith Center here in Las Vegas. Check out these two amazing artists – a great way to spend an evening in the gorgeous Smith Center’s Cabaret Jazz venue:

For Clint Holmes Sings the Modern American Songbook, audiences can look forward to hearing Holmes sing a variety of songs from those he considers the greatest contemporary songwriters—Paul Simon, Billy Joel and Stevie Wonder, among others.

A master entertainer, Clint never performs the same show twice. Instead, he features a constantly evolving kaleidoscope of music every single night, ranging from contemporary to jazz to Broadway. Showcasing the greatest songwriters from around the world, he creates a spellbinding evening of music that’s both Live and Alive.

Friday, August 3 – 8:30pm
Saturday, August 4 – 8:30pm
Sunday, August 5 – 2:00pm
Tickets: $35 – $45

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Barbara Cook in Concert – Barbara Cook’s silvery soprano, purity of tone, and warm presence have delighted audiences around the world for more than 50 years. Considered “Broadway’s favorite ingenue” during the heyday of the Broadway musical, Miss Cook has since then launched a successful second career as a concert and recording artist soaring from one professional peak to another.

Thursday, August 16 – 8:00pm
Friday, August 17 – 8:00pm
Saturday, August 18 – 8:00pm
Sunday, August 19 – 3:00pm
Tickets: $40 – $70

Click here to buy tickets

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The brilliant and fabulous Lily Tomlin

Larry Edwards, Lily Tomlin, me and Michael backstage after Lily’s show at The Smith Center

So, Sunday I had the chance to enjoy the brilliant comedy of Lily Tomlin at the beautiful new Smith Center in Las Vegas as a guest of my friend Kirk Weber, who has known Lily for years.

This was my first trip to the Smith Center since it opened. Not only is it beautiful but it was packed for the Mother’s Day performance by the ever insightful and hilarious Lily Tomlin.

How do you even begin to write about a talent this sharp, this astute, this observant of the human condition?  Ms. Tomlin gave us a few glimpses of her iconic characters like “Edith Ann” and “Ernestine” but also didn’t shy away from topical issues like President Obama’s support for gay marriage.

It was interesting to sit in an audience that was clearly split on the subject and not prepared when she brought up the subject of marriage equality: “I’m really ambivalent on the idea of gay marriage – I mean, once you start with gay marriage where do you do next?  Monster truck rallies?  It’s such a slippery slope…  And while I applaud the President’s courage to embrace gay marriage, it may cost him votes.  Although, on one hand you have the President – who’s a human being…”   And from there she just let the audience fill in the gap.

It was really fun watching a comedic genius at work.  Her pace, her body language, even the cut of her eyes told you volumes of where we were going next.

Many people are so comfortable with Ms. Tomlin’s expertise at her own comedy some may have forgotten that she was nominated for an Academy Award for her work in the film “Nashville” in addition to all the other awards (Grammy, Emmy, Tony, NY Film Critics) she has won.

Backstage I was able to catch up to her briefly before she had to catch a flight out.  She did mention that she mention that we will be seeing more of her this fall as she will be starring in a new ABC TV series that was just picked up – “Malibu Country” co-starring Reba McEntire.

Just Saturday night Reba tweeted “Okay, for those of you who do not know what “Malibu Country” is, it’s a new sit-com on ABC that I get to act in along with Lily Tomlin!!!”

On ‘Malibu Country,’ Tomlin will star as the mother of Reba’s character, who will be a Nashville mom who abandoned by her musician husband. He takes most of their money, which forces her to relocate to Malibu, Calif. to try and relaunch her career as a singer. Professional aspirations aside, she also has to deal with her responsibilities as a mother, keeping her three kids on the up and up in a new and foreign environment which is more materialistic than they are used to.

From the ABC website: “Her life reads like a country music tune: Her husband cheated on her and spent all of their money, and after she gets mad, she’s going to get even. From country music superstar/executive producer Reba McEntire and executive producer Kevin Abbott (Last Man Standing, My Name Is Earl, Reba) comes a hilarious new comedy about new beginnings that will make your heart sing.”

Look for it this fall.