And now for something completely different

I’m going to go out on a limb here and reviewing a musical. I don’t go to many musicals. There was the obligatory Cats from the 80s, and the Las Vegas version of Mamma Mia! a few years ago. Last Sunday, I attended Dirty Dancing at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. It was an interesting experience.

I’ll start at the end. As we ambled out of the theater after the show, my wife ask me what I thought, “Predictable” was my one word reply. The show was a lot like that movie I catch her watching every few weeks on Sunday mornings. What is it again… oh yes, Dirty Dancing. Only, I’ve never seen the first 40 minutes of the movie, so the live version filled me in a few things I had missed over the years, nothing important though.

The musical is a song for song, scene for scene recreation of the movie. The fans know it, they can (and do) speak the lines for the actors at key points in the play. Hot tip, plug your ears right before, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”

I had my first sense of trouble waiting for the doors to open. I was standing in a sea of blue hair. Suddenly, old ladies started to lean on me as if I were part of the furniture. When I looked at them, because I thought it odd, they smiled and explained that their feet hurt. What could I do? I turned into a stoic male pillar. They abused me so.

As we walked in the theater, I commented to my wife that I had left my testosterone injection in the car. She gave that look, I surrendered and came along quietly.

The audience was at least 80% women, with the majority geriatric. A saw few men. Those that traveled together were nicely dressed and immaculately groomed. They seemed really into the show. A few men were attending with their wives. I saw 4 couples in my section. I felt outnumbered.

The show itself was fun. But I’m more of a stage crew kind of guy. I often like the mechanics for a show more than the show itself. I was impressed. The stage complex was hi-tech. I kept wondering who was the genius behind its design. It is truly amazing and worth the ticket price alone. They even use a holographic projection at one point.

The actors are another story. They are amazingly good dancers and mediocre actors. My favorite was Penny, played by the tall lanky ballerina Britta Lazenga, who kicks to the stars. The crowd favorite was Johnny (Josef Brown), who has the perfect male body. I was sitting in the fourth row and kept telling myself that his musculature could not possibly be real. But it is. He floats when he jumps too. It’s breathtaking. Unfortunately, one must get past his voice. He’s an Australian trying to sound like he’s from the Bronx, and it sounds wrong, very wrong in fact.

In the end, what can I really say? My wife had a rapt smile on her face during the whole show. I turned to look at the two gay men sitting in the row behind me, they were crying. Women young and old were sitting up in their chairs with tremulous fingers pressed to their lips. I could see them move with the dances as they followed the action. I don't’ know what good is when it comes to musicals. If I take the love shown by the audience, then this was indeed a good show. For me, I liked the pretty lights, the amazing stage, and the extremely talented Britta Lazenga. I’d do it again, but this time I’d made sure to take my testosterone shot before entering the theater.

And one last thing… I’m writing this post while listing to Soundgarden. I’ve still got my male thing happening.

Technorati tags: Review, Dirty Dancing