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| BROADWAY OUR WAY 2009 |
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Uptown's Broadway Our Way Showcases Dallas Talent, and It's Anything but a Drag by Elaine Liner, Dallas Observer 1/15/2009 ©2009 The latest version of BOW is its slickest yet, two and a half hours of fast-paced entertainment. First and foremost, it's a sequin-spangled showcase for some of Dallas musical theater's best and loudest lady-voices, including M. Denise Lee, Natalie King, Arianna Movassagh, Sara Shelby-Martin, Amy Stevenson and Linda Leonard. Any one of these women can stop a show, but Lee comes closest to it with "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space." Second to Lee for power vocals is Stevenson, awarded the plum penultimate spot in the second half of the evening for "Giants in the Sky" from Into the Woods. This installment of BOW also features some hot-dish young newcomers, notably Steven Guez, Melissa Farmer and Kayla Carlyle, Beth Albright and Darius-Anthony Robinson. Also new is Allison Tolman. Kevin Moore, allowed to act goofy and sing, donning a red hoodie to perform "I Know Things Now" from Into the Woods. Uptown's favorite dancer John de los Santos does "Call From the Vatican" from Nine. Chad Peterson flirts shamelessly and adorably in "Please Don't Touch Me" from Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. Movassagh and Carlyle each do songs from Spring Awakening. Guez and Farmer blend their voices sweetly for "Electricity" from Billy Elliot. Two songs from the off-Broadway musical [title of show] get pleasant treatment by Tolman, Martin and actor-director Coy Covington. Covington returns to the stage in glam-drag to team with John Garcia (in ham-drag) for a scathingly funny rendition of "Class" from Chicago. Director and writer Andi Allen had scads of talent to play with (and only seven days of rehearsal). Allen also performs, appearing as Sarah Palin to launch into the patter song "Tchaikovsky" from Lady in the Dark. Insider references are in great abundance. Because the huge cast includes so many actors who populate other Dallas stages, it's also an all-star party. Broadway Our Way by Mark Lowry, Theater Jones January 2009 ©2009 In Knowing Your Audience 101, Uptown gets a gold star. As does director Andi Allen, who every year cleverly turns Broadway songs — some well known, others not as much — upside down and inside out…This year's BOW edition, subtitled "Divas Awakening," is one hell of an entertaining time. Allen carves out some spotlight time for herself with "Tchaikovsky (and Other Russians)" as she impersonates the woman who has replaced George W. Bush as God's Gift to Comedians, Sarah Palin. ("I can see Russians from my house!") Lest you think BOW is nothing but zany, randy comedy, there are some beautiful, quiet moments, such as Arianna Movassagh's lovely performance of "All That's Known" (Spring Awakening) and Natalie King's stunning "Don't Walk Away" (Xanadu). Those, along with "Mein Herr" from Cabaret, were my favorites. But let's be honest — it's more fun to see Coy Covington and John Garcia in drag goofing in "Class" (Chicago). |