A Lovely Musical and A Wonderful Wedding Ceremony

People start to give their attention to Mamma Mia, a world popular musical with songs by Abba, opening in Winter Garden Theater until September. This newly invented musical uses a popular rock group’s songs.

Mamma Mia Commercial

Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, in Korean. The lyric is the same.

The story goes like this. Three possible dads who dated one mom twenty years ago, one twenty year old daughter who does not know who her father is until the wedding day, one lovely fiancé, two aunties and friends, lodgers, and a father make up the characters in the production. It is a strange coincidence for a daughter to find her real dad, who disappeared for twenty years, and now has to walk the down the aisle with her on the wedding day. Think for a moment that a person who you love left you for another love and came back after twenty years. It is an unbelievable story.

And so, all of the main characters except friends, lodgers, and a father find out new facts and face struggles. Among them, six kinds of love stories come out. Three in the past and the rest of them in the present; the love between Sophie and Sky, Donna and Sophie, Donna and Harry, Donna and Sam, Donna and Bill, Pepper and Tanya, and Rosie and Bill compose the storyline of the musical. The struggles between Donna and Sophie, Donna and Sam, Sophie, and Sky, and just Sophie herself compose the conflicts in the story.

To our great surprise, the performers repeat the songs of ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Dancing Queen’ twice; once during the run and once for the encore. The other songs are just less familiar than those two. How much fun are these to listen to? In an S.O.S situation, they sing ‘S.O.S’ song and in a grateful situation, they sing the song ‘Thank You for the Music’. If they need love, they beg for love with songs.

Powerful and enjoyable lighting with rainbow colors and mostly sky blue, white, and blue create a good setting of a Greek island. Strong, active dance of ensembles make the cool points of the dancing, much like a disco. With the disco mood, the tempo of fast dance movements and foot of performers is hard to be followed.

With the reasons above, you will not regret watching this production in the Winter Garden Theater!

How long will this misery last? How can this be for Koreans?

If world people take a look at the history of the Chosun Period, Japan very cruelly went fox hunting in Korea. The fox was the last queen of the Chosun Period. But why was the world so inattentive at this moment? It was because they wanted to share benefits with Japan. I want to tell my feelings about the story of the Korean musical named The Last Empress.

The commercial will be added soon…

Rise People of Chosun, The Last Empress

It starts in 1866 when Japan progressed to take benefits from Korea and China during what is now known as Japanese Imperialism. Koreans experienced horror; weak and powerless rulers had to fight against strong empirical powers. In spite of a smart royal family, they could not help the country. And so, Japan takes power and resources only for the Japanese. After a ninja assassinated the smart queen, Emperor Kojong despairs but had to be attentive about reparations. He sent out letters but was ignored completely.

Lee Mon Yeol, Kim Hee Gap, and Yang In Ja, and the actors described the situation well. Passion, patriotism, terror, misery, desire, and unawareness about the future are the top conceptual themes of all the songs. Overture about the misery of the last queen sounds destitute and warlike and it makes you sad. Also, power fights, rulers who married at the wrong age at the wrong time and grownup rulers happy at the imports of new western inventions constitute the themes of the other songs. After the Koreans lost the fight, the last long that desperately called to the Korean people to rise up and hungrily open a new age really relieved and inspired me.

Those who feel sympathetic about this story, I am sure that they will come and watch this if this production visits the city. Most of the songs are not familiar but the story is. I hope all of the world people enjoy this and appreciate it. We still can spread the story around through international tours. This production opens in Broadway, London, LA, many regions in South Korea, and Toronto.

A Great Impact in Vietnam War; A Love or Misery?

Although it makes you unhappy to hear a story of war, you must know about how your ancestors were murdered. Foreign powers committed murders unjustly and just did not care about the deaths they caused. But a certain couple had a different attitude about this. Who are they? The musical Miss Saigon will tell about their story.

Miss Saigon Commercial

  Sun and Moon, Miss Saigon

If I tell the production history briefly, Claude Michel Schonberg, Sir Cameron Mackintosh, Alain Boubil composed, produced, and lyricized this musical and it became one of the Great Four Musicals of all time. Also, the famous Lea Salong took the leading role of Kim in the first 1990 production.

The story runs this way. A main character wanders in a crossroad in her life whether to stay in communist Vietnam with her evil fiancé or move to a liberal democracy where she can live happily ever after with her other love; it is between the Vietcong or the American. Both men fight for her and one dies. After that, the City of Saigon began to split so the remaining GIs had to go back home and they cannot take all of Vietnamese with them including Kim, the main character. Kim waits for her love with her son, Tam. But shockingly, Chris married Ellen when he returned to the US without Kim. Kim had no choice but to commit suicide for Tam.

Vietnamese folk melodies make up the overture, finale, “Sun and Moon”, and “Dju Vay Vai” and western styles make up the rest of songs because the orchestra has both Western and Vietnamese folk instruments. How amazing it is that both can be synthesized and create great music with various themes very magically? As for with that reason, various themes and expressions are based on the moods of curiosity, gloom, joy, love, evil, shock, desperation, and obsession through the music.

Is this making you want to watch this production one day? It will be good to know the history of the Vietnam War and feel the pain of a nation.

Kids Under Eighteen, Don’t Come to Nederland Theater

Recently, an inappropriate musical named Rent opened in Nederland Theater. It was produced by Jonathan Larson who died from a rare disease. Why don’t you come and find out why this production needs parental control?

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www .youtube.com/v/A7Upsb6DBBc" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]Rent Commercial

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/yPayGjwzh8Q" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /] Seasons of Love, the reality of performance

This production overflows with social issues: homosexuality, HIV and AIDS, body exposure, drugs, and many other problems. Actions and props show the story of everything just mentioned, but the lyrics of ‘Another Day’ describe the drug situation.  Adults have to prevent children under eighteen from watching the production. Parents can mention about the problems just mentioned verbally instead of visually.

Melodious music expresses all of the social issues and emotions they cause. ‘Rent’, ‘Another Day’ and ‘Seasons of Love’ are the best-known songs. How lovely to hear about it through these songs! Opening song ‘Rent’ tells how sufferer of HIV and AIDs live so poorly, miserably, and hopelessly. In the beginning, they show high and slow resistance against diseases, but it eventually vanishes and they die. The songs of ‘Another Day’ and ‘Seasons of Love’ show this through their lyrics. HIV and AIDs patients always live that way and lose people and become weaker.

Famous Adam Pascal, Daphne Vega, Anthony Rapp, and Idina Menzel all played in first period of leading role. Adam Pascal from Aida, Anthony Rapp from the production, Idina Menzel from the Musical Wicked, and Daphne Vega from Les Miserables came together to make this Pulitzer Prize winning production. Now, don’t you think that you have to come to watch this great production?

I believe that people need to know about the various miseries suffered by other people. Patients with HIV and AIDs did not mean to be like this. It is nature’s fault. Help them get through their problems by donating money after the show. I think that it is good and lovely to come and watch this show and learn about a painful social issue through music. Let’s enjoy this impression, too, for one minute in Nederland Theater.

Five Years Old for Three Hours

You will become a five year old child despite the fact that you are a grown up. You want this fun, I know. Then, come over to New Amsterdam Theater. You will be able to see real live animals on stage. Can you imagine them coming from audience area at beginning of the play? It will be up to you to bring some children you know and see the difference between a mere film and a live production. Come to watch The Lion King:

Commercial of The Lion King

The Circle of Life

Composed by Elton John of Aida, lyrics by Tim Rice of Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar, and directed by Julie Taymor, based loosely on Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, this production was created and named after Walt Disney Animation, The Lion King. How much more fun and realistic is this musical than the animation? Breathtaking views with various colorful backgrounds and grand of music and vocals come together in this production.

What is different about The Lion King from other musicals? It has animal characters. Moreover, it isn’t just focused on action, story, music, and actors and actresses, but gives a strong emphasis on making the amazing background setting of Africa with paper and wood material. The differences are that animated version is entirely differentiated by Julie Taymor and characters’ outfits are based on human looks; faces of lions and hyenas are mask. Body outfits of lions are based on attractive looks and personality. Those of hyenas are based on their monstrous looks and personality as well.

This production is so attractive. Do you want to feel the difference of the production from the video? Come over here to the New Amsterdam Theater and see the difference yourself!

A Chill Will Invade New York City

Imagine that you are stuck in a dark and mysterious labyrinth and a ghost will never let you go until he really has to. You want to feel that desperate chill? Then, come over here to Majestic Theater on Monday and you will be able to feel the chill and face your deadly danger. I know that people love to feel scared through stories and this is one of those stories. Be ready to see two corpses and be ready to scream.

Commercial of The Phantom of the Opera

Angel of Music Second Part and The Phantom of the Opera

A team of visionaries created The Phantom of the Opera’s $40 million production; Maria Bjornson’s gothic set design, Harold Prince’s nicely and fantastically directed works, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s thorough and chilling musical masterpieces, Gillian Lynne’s powerful and energetic dance, Charles Hart’s sweetly written lyrics, and a team of actors and actresses made this production into a world famous musical.

Firstly, it is led by world famous soprano and popera singer Sarah Brightman as Christine Daae, followed by the famous baritone singer Michael Crawford as Phantom and Eric, and a tenor singer Steve Barton as Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny. The beginning is important to each new production and they succeeded in becoming well-known more than twenty years ago.

Musicals do not let the music step aside. Chills always wonder inside some of the music, especially in ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, ‘The Point of No Return’, and in some moments, the music that is played when the Phantom takes Christine to his deep and mysterious shelter is very creepy. However, it is nicely chilling to hear this song, particularly at the part where Christine’s voice rises to high C.

Not just chilling effect, but romance, entertainment, and gloom are important and emphasized and mentioned. ‘Think of Me’, ‘Angel of Music’, ‘The Music of the Night’, ‘Prima Donna’, ‘All I Ask of You’, and ‘Masquerade’ are the songs that make this musical special. Christine loves Raoul instead of mysterious, scary, and murderous Phantom as songs ‘Think of Me’, ‘All I Ask of You’, and ‘Masquerade’ will tell you. Christine prefers him over Phantom because she doesn’t know much about him except he’s a great teacher as ‘Angel of Music’ shows you.

This musical is a number one among the Great Four; The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Les Miserables, and Miss Saigon and many people all over the world want to see. Ninety percent of the world population is thirsty to watch this and they want their waiting to be over right now. This production has a power to be greatly more popular than other productions.

So, please, come over here to Majestic Theater on Monday, at opening night.

Feline People on Stage? Who Are They? (Completed)

In a wicked night, thirty kinds of cats come out and give you a creepy feeling as they crawl or walk around. But it’s mysterious and magical, isn’t it? Talking, singing, acting, thinking, and walking cats?

Commercial of Musical Cats

 Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats

But what makes the production of the musical Cats so interesting? Is it the music, dance, lyrics, voices, cool setting, and background? The songs of the Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats, Memory, The Journey to the Heavyside Layer, The Addressing of Cats, Jellicle Balls, and some segments of music play along as some cats crawl, lick, and idle about. Various characteristics of each cat are presented each time they have to come out. There is even a playboy cat named Rum Tum Tugger who attracts all the female cats.

Musical Cats is a production of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber of The Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Tell Me On A Sunday, and A Beautiful Game, and of choreographer Gillian Lynne of The Phantom of the Opera and My Fair Lady. First, the role of Grizabella was played by the famous Elaine Page and that of Old Deuteronomy by Ken Page. They both had taken the main role.

Can you imagine a herd of cats doing this? This is what humans have to do on stage for two and a half hours very energetically. It is very nice to hear the last word of the lyric, ‘The Cat!’ in the last exciting song at the end of the production. It was quite funny and joyful when the actors and actresses dance at the finale with the Jellicle Song because they are cats and they love to play with each other.

A Wicked Witch Conquered New York City! (Completed)

Feel Bewitched? Feel Enchanted? Feel Transfigured? Feel Tricked? Wicked.

Elphaba the Green Witch of The Wizard of Oz, which is currently playing in George Gershwin Theater, can bewitch the audience in a beautiful way instead of in an evil way in the first act. But she will become evil in the second act. That wicked witch had tricked and put a spell on them to buy only the Wicked tickets that made them watch her successfully making potions.

Wicked Commercial

Defying Gravity

It became very popular among teenagers. My friend, Laura, told her friends that the musical Wicked is a lot like a magical magnet that draws the audience’s attention very strongly. It swept their enemy in a fast rate of attraction and amazement through the spell. But what makes it so popular? It is a sequel of famous The Wizard of Oz, and it looked renewed. They still defy gravity, but now it is just the continued story.

Double, toil, and trouble. Their strong charm, love, saved friendship, and hate are the points of the production. Charm of the two witches and their lovely friendship is touching, but the real point is that they cannot yield their real love. But Glinda is a nice girl, but she lets herself despair slowly. In the meantime, Elphaba’s sister, who will be an offending governor, cannot let the love between Elphaba and Fiyero and herself happen because she was ignored as a green witch and she becomes evil.

There are some ironies, various sentimental expressions and silly frivolities that impress the audience. This is a really and perfectly intimate teenage drama and a super blockbuster. The series of costume and stage setting and picture themselves are well created and very attractive, especially the big head talking machine, dragons, farm, castle, party hall, schools. The changed characteristics and added characteristic from the original text and betrayal of love and friendship are the highlights of the musical.

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