Laura Marling recently played a sold-out show – as well as a rare seated one for the audience – at Showbox at the Market. Backed by a three-member band plus two backup singers, the English singer-songwriter was in the middle of the tour in support of her latest album, Semper Femina. Valley Queen, fronted by Natalie Carol, opened.
Laura Marling
Valley Queen
Show Review: An American in Paris @ the Paramount, Opening Night – 5/9/17
~Dagmar
McGee Maddox and Sara Esty in An American in Paris – photo by Matthew Murphy
Musical An American in Paris opened at the Paramount on Tuesday night, May 9th. Gathering inspiration from the Oscar-winning musical movie of the same name, the 2015 live musical by Craig Lucas was entirely charming.
This production, directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon OBE, got everything right. From the gorgeous, colorful and scene-appropriate set and costume designed by Bob Crowley, to the beautiful lighting by Natasha Katz, every element left a wonderful impression. The store where Lise Dassin works and the production of the song “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise” alone would make this a show I’d recommend. And the great casting? That came from Kelsey + Company and Rachel Hoffman, C.S.A., who cast the principal roles with scene-stealing actors. Although this could have been a problem, the actors were great enough to work as an attractive ensemble. I actually forgot I was watching a play at times, really feeling I was inside it. I loved the entire production, and at the end, I had that strange feeling of being sad that something is over, but happy because this was so good.
Nick Spangler and the An American in Paris Touring Company – photo by Matthew Murphy
Sara Esty and McGee Maddox in An American in Paris – photo by Matthew Murphy
As this musical is an updated version of the original, there were opportunities to explore characters’ in some modern ways, which made a whole lot of sense. Showing respect to Jazz artists features in this aspect, while artist Mondrian’s work (who chose Paris as his home for many years) pops up in the design. Everything fit together perfectly. But don’t think that those strong themes make the experience a tutorial. I would say, not at all. While the time frame is the end of World War II, the emphasis is on embracing the positive in life.
The lead actors McGee Maddox (Jerry Mulligan) and Sara Esty (Lise Dassin) make a beautiful team. For Tuesday night’s energy, I would especially say Emily Ferranti’s Milo Davenport and Nick Spangler’s Henri Baurel sneaked in wonderful supporting performances. And for the songs: Thank you, George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. While Lucas removed some Gerswhin songs from his version, he added others; the final song, “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” is just one of the perfect additions.
An American in Paris Touring Company – photo by Matthew Murphy
An American in Paris runs through Sunday, May 14th. Follow this link for tickets.
Gringo Star @ the Vera Project, 9/16/16
Photos by Jonathan Leung
Memory Lane Series, Part 6
Details: Georgia’s Gringo Star, an indie rock band featuring brothers Nicholas Furgiuele and Peter Furgiuele, headlined Vera Project in September 2016. They’ve got a DJ set in their hometown this Friday, and go on the road with Shantih Shantih this month. Gringo Strar describes their songs as “echo-slathered, doo-wop-indebted indie gems.” That’s right on! Animal Camera opened the Seattle date.
Gringo Star
Animal Camera
Preview: An American in Paris @ the Paramount, Tues. 5/9 – Sun. 5/14
~Dagmar
Winner of four 2015 Tony Awards®, An American in Paris starts a six-day run in Seattle on Tuesday, May 9th. Based on the Academy Awards’ 1951 Best Picture of the same name, which starred the fantastic Gene Kelly, (the film beat A Streetcar Named Desire, by the way) writer Craig Lucas has adapted the story for modern Broadway. Lucas’ other work includes screenwriting the film Longtime Companion and bookwriting the musical Amélie.
The touring production stars ballet dancers Garen Scribner (cool note: Scribner cofound the benefit DanceFAR) and Sara Esty (cool note: Esty was a recipient of a Princess Grace Fellowship!!), who reprise their roles as Jerry Mulligan and Lise Dassin.* In keeping with these original stars of the Broadway production, we’re also lucky to have English director Christopher Wheeldon, who won the 2015 Tony for Best Choreography, at the helm. And the music is gorgeous: “But Not For Me” and “I Got Rhythm” are just a couple of the awesome tunes you’ll hear.
*Update: Apologies to the wonderful McGee Maddox, who plays Jerry Mulligan! My mistake. Garen Scribner is not in this production.
For tickets & more information, head right over here.
On April 26th, Aussie pop star Betty Who played a sold-out show at the newly remodeled Neumos on Capitol Hill. Backed by a three-member band plus two dancers, the Party In The Valley Tour stopped in Seattle in support of her new album, The Valley. Who frequently interacted with the crowd, took selfies with an audience member’s cell phone, and even had a costume change. Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter VÉRITÉ opened.
Betty Who
VÉRITÉ