Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August, 2006 When you say the name Gigi people usually have rapturous responses linked directly to their memories of the 1958 musical film starring Leslie Caron, Hermione Gingold, and Maurice Chevalier. The music is so lovely, the Parisian scenery is so beautiful, Leslie Caron is so charming,…

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August, 2006 This production is all about the Shook sisters – Karla and Kelly – who play Miss Sarah Brown and Miss Adelaide respectively. They are in the prime of their lives and are a joy to watch, alone and together, on the stage. The…

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, July, 2006 My little brown cat Mary is the epitome of style over substance. I believe she is constituted thusly:5% Purrs and Meows5% Owl-y Eyes and Pointy Ears15% Structural Necessities (i.e. bones, blood, vital organs, etc.)75% Fluff Andrew Lloyd Webber has constructed his Cats along the same…

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June, 2006 I was once turned down for a desk job because I was “not ethnic enough.” Anyone with two brain cells can tell that that is a patently ridiculous statement. We are all “ethnic” and ethnicity is not something that can be quantified. In…

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June, 2006 When I go to see an oft-produced classic like South Pacific I ask myself two questions: Does it effectively tell the story? Does it bring anything new to the story? Some theatrical reimaginings bring so much that is new that the original intent is lost,…

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August 2005 I have a soft spot in my heart for Brigadoon for two reasons. First, I am married to Robert Burns and therefore required to enjoy all things Scottish, and secondly it was the first musical I ever saw on Broadway. I had just turned six…

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August 2005 Like every review I write, this is ONLY my opinion, but from where I sit Barry Manilow’s Copacabana is a terrible musical. It has a ludicrous book, cardboard characters for the hero and heroine, and a score with only one hummable tune – the title…

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…