Review: La Bohème at the Detroit Opera House

La Vie Bohème!
Oops, wrong version.
Mark Stryker of the Detroit Free Press said of La Bohème that “there is no better starter opera for newcomers,” referencing the “across-the-board” appeal of Puccini’s emotionally nuanced compositions and the overall timelessness and universal accessibility of the opera’s core love story.  Both of these things are true, but I think [...]

CATS at the Fisher Theatre

CATS—it’s a musical about cats. Singing, dancing, pouncing, prancing cats. The idea in itself sounds ludicrous (and, truth be told, it kind of is ludicrous), but for 28 years Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony-award-winning CATS has delighted audiences, parents and children alike, with its whimsical look at the lives of Jellicle cats and their annual Jellicle [...]

Ohmigod, Legally Blonde the Musical

Never underestimate the power of blonde ambition. The charming Elle Woods from the 2001 cinematic confection Legally Blonde is back in her own imperturbably perky musical, fresh from a successful Tony Award-winning Broadway run and an unprecedented partnership with MTV (which aired the musical uncut last October to 12.5 million viewers as well as a [...]

It’s Not Over Yet, the Music of the Night: The Phantom of the Opera at the Detroit Opera House

The Phantom of the Opera is the most popular and successful musical of all time. It has played in 125 cities in 25 countries to over 100 million people and has grossed over $5 billion in its lifetime. It has firmly situated itself as an emblem of Western popular culture, with songs and melodies more [...]

Theatre Review: Rent at the Ringwald

The Spirit of Rent: Christine Chemello as Mimi

I hate Rent. Since seeing it performed at the Fox Theatre almost a decade ago, I’ve been pretty outspoken about how over-the-top, hyper-sentimentalized, and over-hyped I thought it was. After all the buzz, I was simply disappointed. I was further perturbed by the fact that this rock opera [...]