Off Broadway

Last night I made an hour-and-a-half journey to the campus of Central Michigan University to see the theater and music department's fall musical: The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Since I had never seen the show, AND a friend of mine was conducting the pit orchestra, I thought I'd check it out.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a play set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The story is the basis for many modern-day "masked superheros" stories such as Zorro and Batman.

How did I, in all my life, miss seeing this show in the past?  I simply loved it.

Many of the actors were exceptional with the leads having amazing voices. The sets were far minimal, but far beyond your standard school theater offering.  Of course the music was moving under the direction of my friend. (Congrats Evan!)

Last weekend I saw another college theater performance on the Ferris State University campus.

I love the theater and realized that I don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on touring Broadway productions. There are plenty of shows to see much more locally.

Pit and Balcony Theater in Saginaw will be presenting "Nuncrackers" in a few weeks. The show is a cross between Nunsense and Nutcracker.  It looks to be a hilarious holiday treat.

So in the coming weeks and months, I will be scanning websites from colleges and amateur theaters for shows to see.

The Scarlet Pimpernel was a surprise treat that I'm happy to have seen.

Legally Blonde - The Musical

Attending a live theater performance is always fun.  Even bad theater is good in my book.  Performers on a stage deserve applause. Standing on a stage reciting lines of dialog -- or singing -- is not something I've done yet in my life.

I don't know that I ever will.

Last night I join a friend at the G. Mennen Williams Auditorium on the Ferris State University Campus to see the student production of Legally Blonde - the Musical.

The movie version -- which was not a musical -- is the love story of a ditzy blonde who is in love with a man headed to Harvard for a law degree and she decides to chase him all the way to becoming the valedictorian of her graduating class.

This stage version was rough at best, with many of performers giving it their best college try. Like I said, even bad theater is good.

It was a fun evening with a good friend which makes bad theater even better.

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