Friday, February 7, 2014

Review: (Vancouver) Out of a Dream

If you love Rodgers and Hammerstein
Or if you love beautiful ballads
by David C. Jones
Some musical revues celebrate a composer and give you facts and tidbits about some other beloved songs, for example Side-by-Side by Sondheim. Others take a songbook and try to construct a plot to string all the songs together, for example Mama Mia.
Out of a Dream is a passion project of Peter Jorgensen’s, he wanted to make a loving tribute to Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II. He has assembled 42 songs primarily from classic shows like; Carousel, The King and I, South Pacific Oklahoma!, Flower Drum Song as well as lesser-known songs like Me and Juliet and Pipe Dream.

He has assembled an amazing cast of five brilliant musical theatre performers: Kazumi Evans, Kaylee Harwood, Warren Kimmel, Caitriona Murphy and Sayer Roberts. 
The setting for the revue by Amir Ofek is a stationary park bench, a pinkish skyline with some theatrical lighting hanging down in front of it. The costumes by Amir and Jessica Bayntun are in the 1950s style honouring a black white and red colour palette.
The cast sings all of the songs beautifully and with some wonderful touches of humour. A lot of themes in the staging are love triangles or unrequited love. Oftentimes the cast is standing watching one of the others sing. 
The show is very sleek and very clean and they sing the songs beautifully. If you are Rodgers and Hammerstein fan then this is the show for youIf you are not a fan or if you want more dynamics in your staging you will find it repetitive, and 42 songs is a lot. 

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