NOTE: this post appears out of sequence. I mistakenly put this in my "Poetry" blog (which you should check out at http://ronwritespoetry.blogspot.com/ if you haven't already ANYway, the post and pic are now where they should be. Hope you enjoy the review--even if it IS late -
To fully appreciate a “Catholic” experience one needs to “go to confession” And so, in that spirit, I make this public confession to you: Alter Boyz isn’t something I’d rush out to see. Still, when our friends Chris and Carol Lee Maddy offered us tickets to the Sunday Matinee of the show at the Carpenter Center in Long Beach Robyn and I decided it would be a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. After all, we’ve always enjoyed everything we’ve seen put on by Musical Theater West and the Carpenter Center is a wonderful venue with few (if any) bad seats.
-
Alter Boyz has been running Off-Broadways since 2004 where it was a huge hit. National and International Tours followed but this is the first “Regional” production allowed to be staged. The show chronicles the final stop on the Alter Boyz “Raise the Praise” Tour: local references have been seamlessly inserted into the text to help draw the audience further into the show’s reality. What follows is ninety-minutes of good-natured spoofing of Boy Bands, the Catholic Church and the evangelical movement.
Alter Boyz has been running Off-Broadways since 2004 where it was a huge hit. National and International Tours followed but this is the first “Regional” production allowed to be staged. The show chronicles the final stop on the Alter Boyz “Raise the Praise” Tour: local references have been seamlessly inserted into the text to help draw the audience further into the show’s reality. What follows is ninety-minutes of good-natured spoofing of Boy Bands, the Catholic Church and the evangelical movement.
-
There isn’t much plot to the show: we are introduced to each of the Alter Boyz, learn a little about how they came together and get to watch as they face the ultimate test that eventually comes to all Boy Bands that make it to stardom. But, then again, this show is a parody and in this case the parody is all about the characters and those characters are drawn to perfection.
There isn’t much plot to the show: we are introduced to each of the Alter Boyz, learn a little about how they came together and get to watch as they face the ultimate test that eventually comes to all Boy Bands that make it to stardom. But, then again, this show is a parody and in this case the parody is all about the characters and those characters are drawn to perfection.
-
Matthew (played by James Royce Edwards) channels Justin Timerlake as the lead singer for the Alter Boyz: he’s a handsome, kind, charming and dedicated leader. Mark (Danny Calvert) doesn’t obviously represent any character in a boy band (except maybe Lance Bass). He is outrageously flamboyant but eventually confesses near the end of the show that he’s “Catholic” and proud of it. Luke takes a page from A.J. MacLean’s book as the band member just back from treatment for “exhaustion.” Juan (Dan Domenech) riffs on Ricky Martin in his full “Latin Lover” phase. Abraham (Dan Pacheco) is the sensitive outsider (every boy band has one). And, considering he’s Jewish he’s REALLY an outsider here. Former DJ and commercial pitch-man Shadoe Stevens (in a pre-recorded cameo) was perfect as the Voice of G.O.D.
Matthew (played by James Royce Edwards) channels Justin Timerlake as the lead singer for the Alter Boyz: he’s a handsome, kind, charming and dedicated leader. Mark (Danny Calvert) doesn’t obviously represent any character in a boy band (except maybe Lance Bass). He is outrageously flamboyant but eventually confesses near the end of the show that he’s “Catholic” and proud of it. Luke takes a page from A.J. MacLean’s book as the band member just back from treatment for “exhaustion.” Juan (Dan Domenech) riffs on Ricky Martin in his full “Latin Lover” phase. Abraham (Dan Pacheco) is the sensitive outsider (every boy band has one). And, considering he’s Jewish he’s REALLY an outsider here. Former DJ and commercial pitch-man Shadoe Stevens (in a pre-recorded cameo) was perfect as the Voice of G.O.D.
-
They pull of their songs in perfect “boy band” style with soaring five-part harmonies and choreography that delightfully treads the thin line between homage and parody. The many songs are completely original (with the possible exception of La Vida Eternal which comes really closely to copying Living La Vida Loca a little too much.) The other tunes are bouncy and a lot of fun to listen to. Yes, they have a great beat and you can dance to them!!! The set is nothing more than a few platforms and ramps with some metal scaffolding--but that is only to be expected considering this is a “concert” after all. The video screens (staples at any rock show with its salt) could have been a bit larger but they offered some cute visual jokes during the show.
They pull of their songs in perfect “boy band” style with soaring five-part harmonies and choreography that delightfully treads the thin line between homage and parody. The many songs are completely original (with the possible exception of La Vida Eternal which comes really closely to copying Living La Vida Loca a little too much.) The other tunes are bouncy and a lot of fun to listen to. Yes, they have a great beat and you can dance to them!!! The set is nothing more than a few platforms and ramps with some metal scaffolding--but that is only to be expected considering this is a “concert” after all. The video screens (staples at any rock show with its salt) could have been a bit larger but they offered some cute visual jokes during the show.
-
Is the show great? No. There was no surprises in the show but it was a lot of fun and a pleasant way to spend some time. Do you have to appreciate boy bands to enjoy the show? Again, no: if it did you might have a deeper enjoyment of the show but the material is completely accusable to young people and senior citizens. (The whole audience was laughing at the Matinee we saw--and it was packed with oldsters.) Do you have to be a Catholic to enjoy the show? Again, no. This show is just a big, fun spoof. Yes, the music may be a bit loud but its no louder than a lot of things we’ve seen--and that’s no reason NOT to see the show.
Is the show great? No. There was no surprises in the show but it was a lot of fun and a pleasant way to spend some time. Do you have to appreciate boy bands to enjoy the show? Again, no: if it did you might have a deeper enjoyment of the show but the material is completely accusable to young people and senior citizens. (The whole audience was laughing at the Matinee we saw--and it was packed with oldsters.) Do you have to be a Catholic to enjoy the show? Again, no. This show is just a big, fun spoof. Yes, the music may be a bit loud but its no louder than a lot of things we’ve seen--and that’s no reason NOT to see the show.
-
FINAL GRADE A-
No comments:
Post a Comment