Elf The Musical at Hershey Theatre is a Recipe for Holiday Fun

I love to bake cookies at Christmastime. I don't know if it's the way it makes the house smell, the joy on my kids faces when they dump a year's supply of sprinkles on a sugar cookie, or the way the cookies look when they're all done and assembled on a platter on Christmas day. Probably it's all of those reasons.

Another thing I love about this time of year is the abundance of holiday plays and musicals that are playing at local theatres. Come to think of it, holiday shows are actually pretty similar to Christmas cookies. For example, take the chocolate chip cookie. A Christmas Story is kind of like the chocolate chip cookie of holiday shows. It's reliable, good, and you can be sure someone you know will make it every year. Then you have the sugar cookies, which are shows like It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol. They're nice, sweet, and go back years and years. And finally there are the special cookies. They're the cookies that not everyone makes, but when you find someone that makes a good special cookie you want to make sure you get your hands on one before they're gone. Elf the Musical at Hershey Theatre is just this kind of cookie...I mean show.

Elf tells the story of Buddy the Elf, who's not really an elf but thinks he's an elf. You see, Buddy was orphaned as a child and accidentally crawled into Santa's sack, ending up at the North Pole where he was raised with all the other elves. Upon learning he's actually human, Buddy sets off on an adventure to New York City to find his true dad.

I make a special cookie at Christmas that I like to think is pretty darn good. It's a chocolate mint cookie, and as with most cookies, it starts with flour. The flour in Elf is Santa. You pretty much can't make a cookie without flour, and well, it just wouldn't be Christmas without Santa. Santa is played by Mark Fishback, and other than the fake beard, Fishback is a pretty convincing Saint Nick.

After the flour comes the sugar. The sugar is the sweetest part of the cookie and what makes the cookie taste so delicious. Of course this is Buddy, who is basically a kid in an adults body. He's almost always happy, and he has such a youthful innocence about him. What's not to love about a guy who thinks nothing of dressing in striped green tights and eats spaghetti covered in maple syrup for breakfast? At the performance I attended, Buddy, typically played by Daniel Patrick Smith, was played by understudy David J. Wiens. Wiens stepped up to the plate and didn't miss a beat. While I wouldn't say he had an outstanding voice, when combined with natural acting talent it was good enough to pull off the role.

Next it's time to mix in some butter, the indulgent part of the cookie that you cringe when you add. This is Buddy's real dad, Walter Hobbs. Walter, played by D. Scott Withers, is a workaholic that puts his job before everything, including family. Withers does a fantastic job playing the guy you love to hate (though by the end of the show you might not hate him so much).

Then come the eggs, not the key ingredient but very important nonetheless. Emily (Walter's wife and Buddy's stepmother) and Jovie (a Macy's North Pole employee and quickly Buddy's love interest) are the eggs in Elf. Emily is played by Allison Mickelson, and Jovie is played by Daryn Harrell. Both Mickelson and Harrell have pleasant voices and shine in their respective roles.

Then it's time for the surprise in the cookie... the mint chips. They're just little, but they add so much to the cookie. This ingredient in Elf is Michael, Buddy's younger stepbrother. At the performance I saw, Michael was played by Benjamin Elias Harding, and boy was he a treat. He's one of the best child performers I've seen, and honestly I feel that he is one of the most talented cast members. This 7th grader can act, dance, and sing, and he looks so natural doing all of it. Harding's voice blends perfectly with Mickelson's, making for an absolutely beautiful duet in "I'll Believe in You." Not to mention his pitch-perfect voice singing the phrase "It's the story of...Buddy the Elf," which is guaranteed to get stuck in your head (don't say I didn't warn you).

After the mint chips come the chocolate chips. These chips are the other minor roles and ensemble members, each adding a nice touch to the show. From tap dancing elves in the North Pole to singing fake Santas in a Chinese restaurant, the talented ensemble members make sure that everyone leaves the theatre in full-blown holiday spirit.

Finally there are the ingredients like salt and baking powder, which are the necessary ingredients that ensure that a cookie turns out perfectly. These ingredients are the orchestra, choreography, sets, and costumes. The orchestra provides a solid and powerful presence, and the choreography is high energy and top notch. Much of the set and scenery is comprised of a stacking of intricately decorated curtains, which works well for easily transitioning between the North Pole and NYC. And the costumes are about as colorful, Christmas-y, and elf-y as they can get.

Oh, and I can't forget about the secret ingredient... (You didn't think I would give away my entire recipe, did you?) We'll just call the secret ingredient "Santa's magic."

And of course, what Christmas cookie would be complete without the help of children. I'm lucky to have two young boys who like to help me make my cookies, and they came along with me to see Elf as well. My 4-year-old told me that he liked the part when Buddy took the paper and put it in the "machine thing" (his words - not mine) and turned it into snow and yelled "Snooow!" He also liked when Buddy fixed Michael's toy. And my almost-7-year-old was quick to point out that his favorite parts were the ones in the North Pole. Despite his two trips to NYC, he still said that "I like the parts in the North Pole better than the parts in New York." I guess in a kid's world, the Big Apple just can't compete with the the Big Guy in the Red Suit! He also said he liked the part when Santa had Candy Crush on his iPad.

My boys (ages 6 and 4) loved Elf the Muiscal and sat with complete interest the whole time.

I'm not even going to delve into the realm of the musical versus the movie. First of all, I haven't seen the movie in years so I wouldn't consider myself qualified to make accurate comparisons. Secondly, I've found that you should never go into a musical expecting it to be the same as the movie. I mean, you would never expect my chocolate mint cookies to taste exactly like someone else's, right?

When you mix all the ingredients together, Elf the Musical is a special holiday treat that the whole family can enjoy. Filled with plenty of laugh-out-loud humor, a little bit of love, and a good holiday message, this is one show you should catch before it flies back to the North Pole. In other words, make sure to get your hands on this cookie before it's all gone!

Overall I give this production 6 out of 10 standing ovations.

Elf the Musical is playing at Hershey Theatre December 9-14. More details and ticket information can be found at www.HersheyTheatre.com. (A quick note for parents... Minor language is occasionally used, and a recurring theme in the show is the idea of some people not believing in Santa, although most of this will likely go right over the heads of younger children.)

Review: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (National Tour) at Hershey Theatre

Hershey Theatre opened their 2014-2015 Broadway season with the North American tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This new version of the fun, family-friendly Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is one that will entertain people who have never seen it before while at the same time throwing in some surprises for those already familiar with it.

If you think you know this musical, think again. This production of Joseph has been given a modern makeover, using pop-sounding voices, video projection, hip clothing, and subtle twists on the familiar songs to give the show a very current look and sound. The creators gave this show just enough of an update to keep it fresh without taking away from the original production.

The cast is led by former American Idol contestants (and real-life husband and wife) Ace Young as Joseph and Diana DeGarmo as the Narrator. Their voices have more of a pop music sound to them, so fans of the original production and voices may take a while to warm up to this more modern sound. While they both delivered satisfactory performances, the highlight of their performing for me was their take on the prologue that they performed as a duet at the end of the show. The piece sounded like it could be a current hit on the radio right now, and my only complaint is that I can't find it anywhere to buy!

Brian Golub (Reuben) delivers a vocally impressive performance as he leads the cast in the comic song "One More Angel in Heaven." Ryan Williams also provides an entertaining performance in his role as Pharaoh. The remaining supporting cast members give adequate performances that aren't outstanding but are still good enough to pull off a solid production, and the ensemble blends well to provide a strong foundation.

DeGarmo and Young's rendition of the prologue isn't the only musical change. While all of the songs stay true to Lloyd Webber's orchestrations, several of them add very slight changes that make even a die-hard musical fan like myself wonder Was that part of the original song?. And some of the songs sound even more pop-rock than the originals, which fits in with the overall feel of the show.

In addition to Broadway-style songs like "Close Every Door," the music provides a variety of other styles, from the country hoedown-style "One More Angel in Heaven," to Calypso ("Benjamin Calypso"), and even a little Elvis ("Song of the King").

There is no dialog in the show, as the songs tell the story from beginning to end. The choreography is just as colorful as Joseph's coat, giving the actors a 90-minute dancing workout that flows from one song to the next.

While it lacks depth and overly impressive acting, the production as a whole is entertaining, colorful, and full of energy, with just the right amount of humor. If you're looking for a fun show that the whole family will enjoy, Joseph is a good bet.

Overall, I give this production 7 out of 10 standing ovations.

Joseph is playing at the Hershey Theatre now through September 28. For more information and to buy tickets, please visit the Hershey Theatre website. For more information on the production, plot, cast, and future tour locations, please visit the Joseph U.S. tour website.

REVIEW: Flashdance - The Musical (Tour)

Flashdance - The Musical is a show that bursts with energy the second it starts. It's a tactfully sexy production filled with fast-paced music and dancing that are sure not to bore the audience.

The story is set in Pittsburgh and follows Alex Owens, who works at Hurley's Steel Mill during the day and dances at a bar at night. She dreams of being a professional performer one day, and hopes to score an audition with the prestigious Shipley Dance Academy. Nick Hurley, her boss at the steel factory, has hopes of his own as he sets his sites on dating Alex.

I should admit here that I've never actually seen the movie (I know, I know...but I was only three when it came out!). But I like that I went in to the show without a predefined image of what the performance should be. Honestly, I didn't get much of an 80s feel from the show other than the few 80s songs (like "I Love Rock 'N' Roll") that were thrown in to the score of mostly original musical numbers. From research, I can say that there are some key differences between the movie and the stage version, so audience members should not expect to see the movie version of Flashdance hashed out word-for-word on stage. Don't fret though - the water scene is still included and successfully adds yet another sexy and unique element to the show.

Sydney Morton, who plays Alex Owens, gave a solid performance. She had everything needed to pull of this challenging role: a powerful voice that nailed every note with confidence; precise and energetic dancing; and stellar acting skills that made it seem she was born to play this role.

Corey Mach plays the role of Nick Hurley, and he scored a home run in this performance. In fact, he was the best male performer I've seen in a while, providing quality acting combined with a voice that I could have listened to all night.

While both Sydney and Corey have talented voices on their own, one of my favorite parts of the musical was listening to them sing together.

Most of the supporting cast also brings a good deal of talent to the production. Ginna Claire Mason (who plays Gloria) is a skilled actress with a voice to match. (I'd love to see her play the role of Glinda in Wicked some day - I think she'd be perfect for it!) Another talented addition to the cast is David R. Gordon, who plays the role of Jimmy. I was pleasantly surprised to hear yet another solid male vocal performance in his solo, "Where I Belong."

The impressive set (which takes seven trucks to transport!) seamlessly switches from a steel mill to a bar to a dance studio to a house. And the lighting effectively adds more energy to the already energetic show.

If you're looking for a deep, thought-provoking, emotional performance, this probably isn't what you're looking for. But if your goal is a fun night out at a show filled with high-energy music, dancing and talent, then you'll hit the jackpot with this production. Even with a running time of about two and a half hours (including a 20 minute intermission), I didn't want the show to end. I left at 10pm, ready to go out on the town instead of home to bed!

All-in-all this was another not-to-be missed tour, and I give it 9 out of 10 standing ovations!

Flashdance will be playing at The Hershey Theatre through Sunday, May 4. Tickets start at $28. Visit the Hershey Theatre website for more information.

If you're not in the Central PA area, make sure to check out the Flashdance - The Musical website to see where they're headed!

REVIEW: Sister Act (Tour)

Ok, I'm going to go a little uncharicteristic here and single out one person right from the beginning. Ashley Moniz. Ashley played the role of Sister Mary Robert, the sweet, innocent little "goodie-two-shoes" nun. And she. Was. Awesome. I haven't heard a voice that good in a very very long time. And trust me, I've heard a lot of voices. Ashley had such a pleasantly crisp voice, and she hit every...single...note. Every one, right on. No sliding into a note. No using vibrato to cover up a missed note. No completely missing the note. Just pure, amazing pitch. And it wasn't just her pitch that was amazing. Everything about her voice was just spectacular. I'll say it again... She has the best voice I've heard in a long long time. This girl should never stop singing.

Normally I wouldn't open a review in this fashion, but I feel so strongly about Ashley's talent that I just had to put it first. I could go on and on (and on) about how great she was, but I think you get the idea. Plus, there's a whole lot more show to cover!

So the gist of the show is this: Diva sees boyfriend kill someone. Diva runs to police. Police officer is high school acquaintance who had crush on diva in high school. In order to keep diva safe, police officer decides to hide her where boyfriend would never think to look for her - in a convent. Diva is obviously is not used to convent life and causes some trouble. Diva ends up helping nun choir and turns them into a sensation, which brings in lots of money for the struggling church. Boyfriend finds out where diva is hiding and goes to find her. Police officer goes to try to save diva. If you haven't seen it yet, I'll let you guess which guy wins.

This was one of the better touring shows I've seen in a long time. Some of the tours I've seen in the past few years just seem to be lacking in overall quality and talent. But Sister Act had both.

What really impressed me was the talent of the entire cast, not just one or two leads. A lot of people needed to sing well in order for this show to work. And a lot of people did just that.

So here's something kind of amusing... At first, the nuns are supposed to be terrible singers. They're basically a bunch of nuns who couldn't carry a tune if their life depended on it. What I found amusing was this group of professional singers "trying" to sound bad. I'm guessing these "bad singing" scenes were some of the hardest scenes for them to perform. It goes against every grain in a performer's body to sing off key, and I could tell that these singers really had to work at this! But that just goes to show the quality of the vocals in this show.

Vocals aside, the acting was another strong point in the show. In many musicals I've seen recently, it seems like you either get good singing or good acting, but not both (and sometimes you don't even get one of them). Sister Act again had both. Each role was perfectly cast.

Ta'Rea Campbell, who played Deloris Van Cartier / Sister Mary Clarence, was another shining star in the show. (And she was literally shining in some of her outfits! I don't think I've ever seen a show with such a shiny and sparkly wardrobe. And I mean this in a good way... The costumes were simply dazzling.) I could tell right from the start that Ta'Rea was perfect for this role. Her acting was spot-on, as was her singing.

Chestor Gregory put on a great performance as (Sweaty) Eddie. When he started the song "I Could Be That Guy," I wasn't quite sure what to think. Was he being funny? Was he really not a good singer? To be honest, it was a little awkward. But as the song went on, I started to feel more comfortable with his performance. By the end of the song, when he was hitting those falsetto notes, I had completely forgotten about the awkwardness from the beginning of the song. The rest of his performance throughout the show proved to be more like the end of the song than the beginning.

Hollis Resnik, who played the role of Mother Superior, was a powerful actress and singer. She had a good voice, but her pitch was off more than once. Because her voice was so strong, and because she was on pitch most of the time, it was an unpleasant surprise when she slipped off pitch and was very noticeable. She also had a unique way of pronouncing some words, which was a bit distracting. Maybe she was just having an off night. I'm going to go with that because I think most people would describe her as extremely talented.

The rest of the cast, from Melvin Abston as Curtis (the boyfriend) to the rest of the nuns, and even TJ and Pablo (Curtis's comic sidekicks), did a great job pulling the show together for an amazing production.

Another aspect of the show that I enjoyed was the humor. While I expected the show to be amusing, I was pleasantly surprised with how often I found myself laughing. Hard. And out loud. And I'm not even Catholic. While the basic religion jokes were pretty funny, I could tell there were some Catholic jokes thrown in there that just went over my head. But judging by the laughter from the rest of the audience, those jokes were pretty funny as well.

Overall I give this show 9 out of 10 standing ovations! 

 (This review is based on the February 25, 2014 performance at Hershey Theatre.)