Category Archives: Broadway

“Come From Away” Touring Production

Here we are masked up, socially distant and my best smile ever in a photo.

Saturday afternoon, Heather and I masked up and headed downtown to the Performing Arts Center to see the touring production of “Come From Away.” It’s a musical based on the real life events immediately after the 9/11 attack on America when thirty eight passenger aircraft were told to land at Gander Newfoundland. The nine thousand local residents found themselves with seven thousand visitors for several days. The story is about how the residents took care of the people who “Come From Away” and the bonds that formed that last to this day.

This is a really good production. It lasts about an hour and forty four minutes with no intermission and the time flies. A very talented cast who all play multiple roles and the action is continuous. I highly recommend seeing this show. More info here.

Escape to Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett

Saturday afternoon, Heather and I ventured downtown to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center and watched “Escape to Margaritaville” a touring Broadway production featuring the music of Jimmy Buffett in a musical with a romantic comedy production. It was a lot of fun listening the tunes. It turns out that other people can sing Buffett tunes besides Jimmy.

It was a lot of fun. Here is the schedule. They are going all over the country. Sioux Falls, South Dakota is next.

The Performing Arts Center in Tulsa required all attendees to wear masks and it looked to me like everybody was complying.

Oklahoma! at Tulsa’s Clark Theater

Clarkies singing Oklahoma

We have been very busy lately, really busy. We weren’t too busy though to attend Clark Youth Theater’s performance of “Oklahoma!” the Rogers and Hammerstein Musical. It was fun and it was good. If you live in Oklahoma you should know the title song by heart because it is not only one of the great tunes of musical theater, it is also Oklahoma’s state song.

The musical is about optimism and hope, love, and good versus evil. it has it’s fun parts and it has it’s dark parts. The kids did a great job putting it on.  Logan wasn’t in it but he auditioned for and got a part in Clark’s Best Christmas Pageant Ever which is going to play several times in December.

In the meantime, if you live in the Tulsa area go see Clark’s Oklahoma! If you miss it, goodness forbid, go see Augustine Christine Academy’s production which I think is going to be in November. Or you know, you could go see both productions.

Or what the heck watch the movie version above?

I have seen Oklahoma! on stage only three times I think. The first time in Jackson, Wyoming back in the late 60’s. The last time maybe fifteen years ago here in Tulsa in an outdoor theater where they brought real horses on stage. It was cool,

Have you ever seen Oklahoma! live?

Jersey Boys – the Musical

Last night Sweetie and I ventured downtown to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center to see the touring production of “Jersey Boys.” It is the story of Franki Valli and the Four Seasons starting from way back when a few kids from New Jersey gathered under a street light and came up with their new sound.

They get into the business and go on tour playing clubs all over the USA looking for their big break under names “The Lovers,” “The Royal Teens,”  and “The Romans” looking for the big hit.

A little past halfway in the first act the band finally finds their hit “Sherry.” When that song starts it almost explodes off the stage and has a visceral effect on the audience. These guys nail the song and they follow it up with “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man.” It might be the best three consecutive songs I have ever heard in a musical.

From then on the production is about band dealing with their success and the pressures and problems of trying to keep a family together while touring. It is also about the complicated business dealings in the musical business and the effect that has on the band. It is also how the band held their own against the British Invasion of the 1960’s.

It also shows the musical evolution of the group from upbeat teen pop songs to more grown up and introspective fare such as “Stay”, “Bye Bye Baby”, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”, and “Rag Doll.”

I loved this show, Five Stars out of Five for Musicals as far as I am concerned. It’s here in Tulsa until June 24 and then it goes to Denver. Go see it, you’ll love it.

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Fiddler on the Roof with John Preece as Tevye

Last night Sweetie and I dropped the kid off at Nana’s and drove downtown to Tulsa’s Performing Arts Center to see the touring Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof.

John Preece played the lead character, Tevye. He certainly has the beard for the role. He has played Tevye just over 1900 times and is on his tenth touring production. He lives the role, he certainly didn’t call his performance in last night.

This production is wonderful. Preece did a great job as Tevye, the rest of the cast was wonderful and even though the musical is kind of long at almost three hours including intermission it never dragged. It is the complete musical package of story, singing, and dancing.  If this production comes to your town check it out. I give it four stars out of five.

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The Addams Family – The Broadway Musical

All of the Yogi’s went downtown last week to see the Addams Family touring production at the Performing Arts Center. If you are a Baby Boomer of a certain age surely you remember the Addams Family on television.

(I loved this show.)

All the characters are in the musical: Morticia (with lots more cleavage than on television), Gomez, the dad, the lovable siblings Pugsley and Wednesday (who is not the little girl she was on television),  Lurch, and Grandma.

This musical is not about the songs which are not that great, it is about the comedy. It really is funny and much of it is PG13 as is the language. SuperPizzaBoy kept leaning over alternating between, “I don’t get.” to “Did he say what I thought he said.”

Overall it was a well done show. It’s not like I’ll not be following it from town to town though. It is a three star out of five production to me.

I didn’t know it until recently but the Addams Family television show was loosely based on the New Yorker cartoonist Charles Addams’ work. The show had a display of some of his cartoons. So that was interesting.

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Burn the Floor

Sweetie and I ventured to downtown Tulsa on Saturday to see “Burn the Floor” at the Performing Arts Center. It was a wonderful show. It is just dancing, ballroom dancing and the dancers are wonderful. They alternate the fast paced dances with the waltzes. It is a great show.

I give it five stars out of five. Go see it.

The Wizard of Oz

Saturday night Sweetie and I loaded up SuperPizzaBoy and drove to Tulsa’s Performing Arts Center to see the touring production of The Wizard of Oz.

We, including SPB, loved it. The show moves along quickly and the singing and dancing is very good.

This is a good show to take the kids. Totally G rated.


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I give the show 3 stars out of 4. Go see it, take the kids. Have a good time.

Cirque Dreams Illumination

Saturday afternon we left SuperPizzaBoy in the hands of a capable sitter and Sweetie and I ventured downtown to the Performing Arts Center to see Cirque Dreams Illumination.

It was amazing. The things I saw I didn’t know people are capable of doing. If I hadn’t seen it live I would think it was done on a computer.

(Photo from their website)

Their own website best describes the production:

“CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION blends world renowned imagination, critically acclaimed theatrical innovation and breathtaking presentation into a story that illuminates a city of everyday people, workers and pedestrians into feats of disbelief. Marvel as 27 world-class artists illuminate objects, balance on wires, leap structures and redefine flight with entertaining variety, comedy and extraordinary occurrences that reinvent everyday life. Urban acrobatics, dazzling choreography and brilliant illusions are ignited by special effects performed to a stylish original score of jazz, salsa, ballroom, pop and trendy beats from the streets.”

I hate to be such a shill but they are telling the truth. We saw some unbelievable things yesterday done in a very stylish and entertaining manner. Today is its last day in Tulsa.

I give it four stars out of four.