The Marvelous Wonderettes keep getting more marvelous!
Went to the matinee of The Marvelous Wonderettes yesterday and it's been a while since I've seen it - the last time was back in February... and I'd forgotten how much I loved the show! It's just such a CUTE show and it had me laughing and smiling from ear to ear from the moment it began to when it ended. If you live in the LA area and have NOT seen this show, you really should!!
The entire cast was wonderful, as always, but Julie was particularly hysterical today. In the show, the characters interact with the audience and with someone they choose as a "Mrs. McPherson" - who they talk to throughout the show. When they were collecting the prom queen ballots from the audience, Julie spotted me sitting directly behind their chosen "Mrs. McPherson" and said "Hi Miss Fujimoto! I miss your math class!" Then throughout the show she kept talking with "Miss Fujimoto" - it was hysterical! :)
Bets was just incredible today! Seeing her again as Suzy SO soon after seeing her as Comfort O'Connell in No Strings is truly amazing and really shows her versatility. I swear, it constantly amazes me how talented she is - even more so is the fact that she's such an amazing person as well.
After the show...
Saw the cast after the show and spoke with Julie for a while. I've really missed seeing her since I really haven't seen her at all since February. She was running off to spend time with her family, but said VERY nonchalantly, "Oh did I tell you I'm doing SOUTH PACIFIC at the Hollywood Bowl?" With Brian Stokes Mitchell? Ummm.... NO, you didn't! "Oh," she said, "I kinda forgot." Forgot that you were doing a show with Brian Stokes Mitchell? :) How amazing your life must be to forget something like that! ;) I kid of course, I love Julie and I love seeing her. :)
Got to spend some time speaking with Bets - which was wonderful. She has become such a wonderful, supportive friend - she's incredibly amazing. It was a combination of the things I was talking with her about at "No Strings" and all the recent awful-ness at work (not that hating what I do for a living is new in any respect) that inspired me to take that step and take my classes at KCC. I just wonder what it would be like to actually go to work and love what I do... She's been SUCH an amazing friend (and inspiration) to me and I don't even think she realizes how much.
Kimberly Akimbo
Saw the show for a second time at the Victory Theatre and it was incredible!! I've loved David Lindsay-Abaire since I saw "Fuddy Meers" over 5 years ago - his work is SOOO incredibly humorous, warm, touching, with an off-beat edge that I love so much! Seeing the show once during the early stages of the run and once during the end was a wonderful way to see how the show has grown and how the actors have grown into their roles.
The show is about Kimberly, a teenager who suffers from progeria - a disease that causes rapid aging - so at 16, she resembles a 60 year old. The story centers around her life and the ironic twist that, out of her entire dysfunctional family, she is probably the most mature of the bunch - although she is the youngest. The five person cast was incredible last night (as they were back in February) - especially good were Sharon Johnston - who plays Kimberly's convict aunt and Patrick Rogers who plays her "boyfriend" Jeff. I could really see a difference in their performances from when I saw the show back in February - they seem to all be letting loose a bit more.
There was one cast change since I saw the show in February. Marc Silver took over the role of Kimberly's father, Buddy from Joe O'Connor - who I'd originally seen. VERY different in acting styles, the two men brought VERY different interpretations to the role of Buddy.
Joe O'Connor was a much more serious Buddy - I liked the irony in that his strong and bold characterization in the beginning masks how scared and heartfelt the character really is... Marc Silver gave the role a bit more humor from the onset... His approach to the character seemed a bit more warm, giving the character a sympathetic edge from the very beginning. My favorite scene was at the end, when Marc's Buddy allows Kimberly to leave and blows her a kiss goodbye - it was so touching and heartfelt that I was close to tears... VERY different from when I'd seen the show the first time. Both men were fabulous in the role, but brought out very different sides of the character and I liked both for completely different reasons.
After the show I was finally able to meet Patrick. He was incredibly nice and sweet - very much the same warm person he appears to be online. It's really his endearing performance that's the highlight of the production for me. There's a particularly hysterical scene in which Jeff is given a ride to school by Buddy and he witnesses a fight between Kimberly and her father. Minutes pass where Jeff is thinking about saying something to ease the tension after the fight, but can't seem to get anything out of his mouth - it's one of the most hysterical moments in the show and Patrick is SOOO funny in it!
I'm SO glad that the show extended and I was able to see it one last time before it closed! It's such an amazing production!
Today I head out to the Ahmanson to see Jersey Boys and then to the Wadsworth to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee so it should be a great day of theatre. Hope you're all doing well! Big HUGS to everyone!!