Oklahoma!
The musical, that is.
WHERE: Smithtown Center of Performing Arts (2 E Main St.)
WHEN: 8PM Saturday (7/28) and 2PM Sunday (7/29)
COST: $15
So is it worth it?
A bunch of kids (in fact, it's comprised of only kids) prancing around on stage and singing in their high-pitched, undeveloped voices?
You'd be surprised. Who would have known there were kids so young who can sing so well?
Of course, they're not near Broadway level, but they're clearly on their way. The acting was pretty good, but there are obviously going to be difficulties with coordinating the voices of a group of kids ranging from ages 7 to 17. The older kids clearly have more control over their voices, which are pleasant enough to make your ears smile. As an ensemble though I thought they could use a bit more work, but their performance seemed to improve dramatically by the end sequence, as if they finally decided to concentrate on their intonation as a group.
Choreography was lacking however (though many of them are surprisingly quite agile and acrobatic). I suppose the sequences were supposed to imitate wild, spontaneous, Midwest hoedowns, but lack of timing and style hardly gets you moving like a well choreographed act. Nobody seemed to be following anyone, and it was that lack of synchronization that really dropped it down a level and turned the stage into a mere hodgepodge of color. Again though, since you're dealing with a group of people where the number of years of experience in dancing and other arts really does make a difference, it's difficult to judge.
The cast seemed well placed though. Everyone did an excellent job assuming their roles, and were well paired off. There was also this adorable little boy in blue that kicked really high and pranced around a lot, one of the perks to watching something featuring a bunch of younger kids. If you're looking for someone to watch for though, I'd go with Ali Hakim, not that you have a chance in hell of missing him. He doesn't have his own little song though, so if you want a really nice voice to listen to, I'd go with Curly (plus there's Dream Curly for the dance scene). There's also Jud, who was the only character with a complex enough persona to actually instill emotion within you, which he does rather well. If you're looking for a girl, there's Aunt Eller and Laurey. However, Aunt Eller doesn't have too many singing parts, and Laurey's voice isn't as pleasant when she reaches for the much higher pitches.
So overall, this comical love story was quite enjoyable and it's sure to make you laugh. If you haven't heard of it or don't know what it's about, you'd probably think it would be stupid, but quite honestly, I think this is something worth giving a try.
If you can't appreciate incompletely developed child talent though, then I wouldn't bother, for as a standard show I'd give it a 3/5. But given the situation, and the wide age range of all the young thespians, I think they all did a fabulous job of brushing the dust off this old Midwestern musical.
CONS: Young, partially inexperienced cast in both singing and dancing; slow first act
PROS: A few notable singers; somewhat catchy songs; you learn how to spell "Oklahoma"
Rating: 4/5
WHERE: Smithtown Center of Performing Arts (2 E Main St.)
WHEN: 8PM Saturday (7/28) and 2PM Sunday (7/29)
COST: $15
So is it worth it?
A bunch of kids (in fact, it's comprised of only kids) prancing around on stage and singing in their high-pitched, undeveloped voices?
You'd be surprised. Who would have known there were kids so young who can sing so well?
Of course, they're not near Broadway level, but they're clearly on their way. The acting was pretty good, but there are obviously going to be difficulties with coordinating the voices of a group of kids ranging from ages 7 to 17. The older kids clearly have more control over their voices, which are pleasant enough to make your ears smile. As an ensemble though I thought they could use a bit more work, but their performance seemed to improve dramatically by the end sequence, as if they finally decided to concentrate on their intonation as a group.
Choreography was lacking however (though many of them are surprisingly quite agile and acrobatic). I suppose the sequences were supposed to imitate wild, spontaneous, Midwest hoedowns, but lack of timing and style hardly gets you moving like a well choreographed act. Nobody seemed to be following anyone, and it was that lack of synchronization that really dropped it down a level and turned the stage into a mere hodgepodge of color. Again though, since you're dealing with a group of people where the number of years of experience in dancing and other arts really does make a difference, it's difficult to judge.
The cast seemed well placed though. Everyone did an excellent job assuming their roles, and were well paired off. There was also this adorable little boy in blue that kicked really high and pranced around a lot, one of the perks to watching something featuring a bunch of younger kids. If you're looking for someone to watch for though, I'd go with Ali Hakim, not that you have a chance in hell of missing him. He doesn't have his own little song though, so if you want a really nice voice to listen to, I'd go with Curly (plus there's Dream Curly for the dance scene). There's also Jud, who was the only character with a complex enough persona to actually instill emotion within you, which he does rather well. If you're looking for a girl, there's Aunt Eller and Laurey. However, Aunt Eller doesn't have too many singing parts, and Laurey's voice isn't as pleasant when she reaches for the much higher pitches.
So overall, this comical love story was quite enjoyable and it's sure to make you laugh. If you haven't heard of it or don't know what it's about, you'd probably think it would be stupid, but quite honestly, I think this is something worth giving a try.
If you can't appreciate incompletely developed child talent though, then I wouldn't bother, for as a standard show I'd give it a 3/5. But given the situation, and the wide age range of all the young thespians, I think they all did a fabulous job of brushing the dust off this old Midwestern musical.
CONS: Young, partially inexperienced cast in both singing and dancing; slow first act
PROS: A few notable singers; somewhat catchy songs; you learn how to spell "Oklahoma"
Rating: 4/5
prism:
lightning (movies)
1 comment:
-.-
Post a Comment