Thursday night Kitty and I saw The King and I downtown at the Center for Performing Arts. Rodgers & Hammerstein is always fun, don't you think? I never can remember a specific R &H song, but suddenly I'll hear one and think "Oh, that's right, they wrote I Whistle A Happy Tune tune, too." Some of the songs seems so formula now, but I suppose that if you're the one who invented the formula they have a right too.
Costumes? Great.
Sets? You'd never think this was a little regional theatre production.
American Musical Theatre San Jose has really taken off, quality-wise. Taken off a bit too much, perhaps - on the same day Kitty and I went to see the show the San Jose City Council approved a $1,000,000 loan to AMTSJ. A few weeks ago they gave the SJ Rep $2,000,000. Granted, I think this spending is much better than the ridiculous $4,000,000 Grand Prix subsidy, but still - why are so many of our art organizations unable to stick to a budget? The San Jose Opera manages, somehow, so it certainly isn't impossible. But lately in the newspaper it's been one bailout after another for San Jose's art scene.
But I wander from my point. The show was a lot of fun, and I'd totally recommend seeing it if you haven't. It's so much more fun live than watching the 1950's movie (although Francis Jue is no Yul Brynner) with each cast member taking the character and really throwing themselves into the role. Go see it! You support the shows with your taxes anyway; you might as well pay a little more and see the singers, too!
Francis Jue & Debby Boone
Costumes? Great.
Sets? You'd never think this was a little regional theatre production.
American Musical Theatre San Jose has really taken off, quality-wise. Taken off a bit too much, perhaps - on the same day Kitty and I went to see the show the San Jose City Council approved a $1,000,000 loan to AMTSJ. A few weeks ago they gave the SJ Rep $2,000,000. Granted, I think this spending is much better than the ridiculous $4,000,000 Grand Prix subsidy, but still - why are so many of our art organizations unable to stick to a budget? The San Jose Opera manages, somehow, so it certainly isn't impossible. But lately in the newspaper it's been one bailout after another for San Jose's art scene.
But I wander from my point. The show was a lot of fun, and I'd totally recommend seeing it if you haven't. It's so much more fun live than watching the 1950's movie (although Francis Jue is no Yul Brynner) with each cast member taking the character and really throwing themselves into the role. Go see it! You support the shows with your taxes anyway; you might as well pay a little more and see the singers, too!
Francis Jue & Debby Boone
be a laughing jackass!
