by Gail M. Burns She Loves Me is the very definition of the word “charming.” It premiered on Broadway in 1963, in the heyday of Big Book Musicals, and while it sort of fits in that category with a large cast, multiple sets, and a two and a half hour…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June 2005 In 1999, Time Magazine looked back over the entire 20th century, a century that saw the American musical take shape, and named Rodgers and Hammerstein’s second collaboration Carousel the Best Musical of the Century! High praise indeed. Rodgers and Hammerstein themselves liked Carousel the best of all…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, July 2004 Swing! is the kind of show that I am on record as disliking. It is all song and dance – no script, no plot. I just panned Honky Tonk Angels last week as being a bad example of this mindless genre. But I am happy to…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August, 2003 “Our state fair is a great state fairDon’t miss it, don’t even be lateBet you dollars to doughnuts that our state fairIs the best state fair in our state.”– Oscar Hammerstein II Even the staunchest of fans of Hammerstein would have to admit…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, July, 2003 WOW! Wowie-wow-wow! Whatta show! What a load of silly fun! Go! Buy tickets NOW, I tell you! There is no plot to Sugar Babies, no moral, no uplifting moments. Just songs and dance, laughs and fun, all for you. That’s what it says on…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June, 2003 Let’s get this out of the way right up front. This is a musical about a whorehouse. If you have overwhelming moral, legal, religious, or ethical concerns about the issue of prostitution, this is not the show for you. I am not saying…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June, 2003 This is one of those head-scratchers. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote tons of fabulous rock ‘n’ roll songs in the 1950’s and 1960’s – the kind of songs that make you want to get up and dance. And the Mac-Haydn has a…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, July, 2002 I am about to launch in to a scintillating dissertation of the creative history of Crazy For You, so if you want to cut to the chase and find out whether or not the production currently running at the Mac-Haydn is any good, let…
