Tale as Old as Time, Told in a Different Way

BYU Beauty and the Beast cast. Photo: Mark A. Philbrick

BYU performs Disney's Beauty and the Beast for the first time, giving the Broadway musical a different look from the animated movie. Rather than the dazzling costumes, props and sets, the actors performed in simple, modern attire on a minimal stage set.

Audience members expecting the same visual amazement as the traditional Broadway staging might have left a little disappointed. The director, George Nelson, explained in his director's notes included in the program that the story, above all, meant the most to him. Thus he wanted to strip away all the razzle-dazzle  and allow the audience to relish in the beautiful love story of two people who grow to love each other and themselves.

The simplicity of the costumes, sets and props pushed the director, cast and crew to be creative. The chorus was put to work, creating sound affects, operating as Maurice's invention, tossing books, acting as a fountain... Honestly, the chorus looked more fun than playing a lead role. Well, except for Gaston, with his Napoleon complex and long blond hair he always flipped. Throughout the show, he stood on a box, a table, a couple stair steps up or was carried on someone's shoulders. Even for his bow, he stood on a box. When he proposed to Belle, he walked on stilts.

Making Gaston different from the big, tall, manly man he thinks he is made his character more comical, especially when he sang about having sons all over six feet tall and Belle replies, "Unbelievable." The chorus, Gaston and Le Fou did impressive acrobatics.

The actors who played the lead roles -- Belle and Beast -- are, in fact, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. So they enjoyed playing opposite each other, as they have in other productions, but not on a BYU stage... until this show. Their chemistry was, of course, great. The romance they portrayed through their characters was heart felt and believable. It makes one think all directors should cast a husband and wife to play romantic couples on stage.

The supporting characters all did a great job. Maurice was a wonderful, loving father; the servants all played their roles perfectly. All the actors did a great job making the lines fresh, not performing the lines with the same way fluctuation as the animated film.

In the articular performance I saw, the mics could have been louder. There were moments where the singing was too quiet or someone's mic wasn't fully on when they were speaking.


Other than that, the show was spectacular! And the best part was it was not visually spectacular. It was creative, well directed and well acted. It delivered the story's message of love in a way that was entertaining and moving. This show was well worth the money. I hope BYU puts on more shows like this, giving musicals we all know and love a unique twist.

Vocal Point performed a pop/Christmas concert at The Shops at Riverwoods

This happened last weekend, but I have to give these men a shout out.

BYU Vocal Point performed at The Shops at Riverwoods outdoor mall in Provo on Friday, Nov. 20, 2015 as part of the mall's Christmas Lighting celebrations. Singing pop and Christmas songs, the A Cappella group gave a great show, inviting audience members onto the stage. They held a best-beard competition and sang to middle school girls. Vocal Point's vocal percussionist had the audience accompany his beat-boxing then performed a solo. Again, no A Cappella show is complete without a beat-boxing solo.

Despite the small space they had to work with, their choreography was eye-catching and well performed. The pop music ranged from The Four Seasons to the 90s boy band era, showing the group's versatility.

Vocal Point recently released a Christmas album and a new music video on YouTube for one of their Christmas songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UA5UfQXUWo

Concert at Noon -- a weekly free concert

Kessa Montez Frederic Chopin's Ballade No. 4 in F minor
in Concert at Noon Nov. 20, 2015.

This is not a stage production, but it's important for people to know that they can watch live musical entertainment for free.

A free 30-40-minute concert is held in the main lobby/gallery of the Harris Fine Arts Center every Friday of the semester. Students gather around the south stairwell or sit against the gallery walls to watch fellow-students perform their various instruments.

Nov. 20, 2015. Samuel Neff began the performance with "The Lake Isle of Innisfree." He smiled and acknowledged his audience as he performed. Beautifully sung, it started the concert off on a good foot.

After the opening number, a student comes forward, welcomes everyone and announces the next performer between acts.

A student named Lyman McBride played A La Maniere de Debussy on the trombone. He proved a brass instrument can create a tranquil, serene atmosphere versus a loud, obnoxious one.

Adrienne Williams played Sonata No. 1 Fuga by J.S. Bach. She held her bow a couple inches up from the bow's end. I had never seen that before. Perhaps her borrowed someone else's bow that was too large for her. Regardless, she went back and forth between the strings quickly but precisely, giving the musical piece lots of energy.

The last performer, Kessa Montez, played ballade no. 4 in F minor by Frederic Chopin. She went back and forth between being loud and quiet and back again. The transitions were good. Her energetic playing was great. She had good moments with playing softly but I think her forte lies in playing loudly.

Great concert. The good thing is Concert at Noon will happen Tuesday Nov. 24, 2015 in the Harris Fine Arts Center because BYU classes will be Friday schedule.  

BYU's all female A Cappella group is certainly "Noteworthy"

Still photo of BYU Noteworthy's YouTube music video 

cover of "Amazing Grace." (Photo: Mark Philbrick/BYU)

Forget about Pitch Perfect Bellas; BYU's female A Cappella group is so much more Noteworthy (Pun intended).

BYU Noteworthy put on a one-night-only show at de Jong Concert Hall last night, Nov. 12, 2015. One of the nine group members said it was the biggest concert Noteworthy had ever performed.They filled the house with family, friends, roommates and admirers.

The program displayed their versatility, covering a wide range of genres. They sang "Vivir Mi Vida" by Marc Anthony, "Twist and Shout" by The Beatles and "You Can't Stop the Beat," from Broadway musical Hairspray. They covered recent pop hits: One Direction's "Drag Me Down," Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" and Sheppard's "Geronimo." The program included an original tune, "I'm Listening," and Christmas songs.

Their most impressive number was the Star Wars medley. They set it up by stating their next song was a medley with no words, just sounds. A projection screen lowered. As soon as they started their first note, the Star Wars title flashed onto the screen and a slideshow resumed, including comical spoofs, as they sang every familiar Star Wars song (including Darth Vader's breathing). After they finished the medley, they announced the winner of two tickets to the new Star Wars movie coming out in December -- seat K28.    

After intermission, the vocal percussionist, Sarah Cunha, came on stage and swung a plastic lightsaber while making "vvvv... vvvvv... cushhhh..." noises. Since no A Cappella show seems complete without a beat box solo, Cunha taught the audience percussion basics then showed what happens when one practices beat boxing for two years. There's no question Cunha's practicing paid off.

During intermission, they did something wonderful. They changed their outfits. In the first act, they wore white suite jackets with white shoes and navy blue shirts. The stage light reflected off the white clothing with a blinding glare, distracting from the nine beautiful faces. Plus it too closely resembled Vocal Point's look with their blue suits. In the second act, the Noteworthy members wore stylish black leather jackets, brown shoes with small heels and green silk tops. It was a much more flattering wardrobe.

The overall performance balanced professionalism with personal audience interaction. The choreography was intriguing and diverse, using mic stands on and off. Some numbers were back to back. Other times they shared funny and personal stories, introducing their next song. They expressed appreciation to the audience and even had one audience member come on stage and take a photo of them with the audience.

This is Noteworthy's second year as a professional ensemble. May there be many more to come.

"Misalliance": A Delightful Classic Comedy

Soren Barker, Jasmine Fullmer, Jonathon Akio Low, Bradley Mackay,
Collette McCusker, Savanah Smith and Gabe Spencer star in BYU’s
production of Shaw’s comedy “Misalliance.”(Photo: Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)

The Department of Theatre and Media Arts' staging of George Bernard Shaw's "Misalliance" is a well-polished and delightful production that takes you back to British Edwardian era. Directed by Barta Lee Heiner, who became the head of BYU's BFA acting program in 1993, this show marks her third time directing this classic comedy at BYU, which accounts for how well the various theatrical elements came together to produce a well-rounded and enjoyable theatre experience.

"Misalliance" tells of one Saturday afternoon in the country home of a wealthy underwear business owner, John Tarleton. His daughter's engaged to aristocrat Bentley Summerhays and the sudden appearance of a handsome pilot, Joey Percival, and a Polish circus acrobat, Lina, spark discussions between the characters on subjects like marriage, sexuality, gender roles, social conduct and familial relationships.

While the plot line may not be the most exciting to 20th century theatre goers, Heiner's blocking creates consistent movement on stage, keeping the audience engaged as the actors play a game of musical chairs. The show takes place in the Margetts Theatre in the Harris Fine Arts Center, which puts the audience no further than six rows from the stage, giving the audience an intimate experience with the performers, and bringing them close to the intricately designed stage, giving one a sense of time travel.

The actors do a good job of keeping their lengthy lines interesting. It's evident in how they speak their lines with genuine meaning that they researched what their characters say. And their accents are top notch, especially Collette McCusker's Polish accent. (McCusker plays Lina.)

What was particularly impressive was the actors' consistent awareness of their characters' complexities. It is difficult to focus on multiple parts of a character's personality at one time and yet each actor seemed to do just that. People are naturally conscious or subconscious of their own complexity in real life but to replicate that on stage while adopting a fictitious personality takes practice. To see the diverse assortment of characters "Misalliance" is blessed with portrayed so thoroughly was quite theatrically gratifying.

To read about how the cast compares the play's themes with BYU culture, click http://universe.byu.edu/?s=misalliance&orderby=date&order=desc   

Frank Wildhorn concert "This is the Moment" was a moment to remember

Frank Wildhorn and Broadway sensations Norm Lewis (The Phantom of the Opera), Jackie Burns (Wicked) and Adrienne Warren (Bring It On) brought down the house Oct. 30, 2015 in the de Jong Concert Hall in BYU's Harris Fine Arts Center. Frank Wildhorn is a Broadway composer and pop songwriter, famous for musicals Jekyll and Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel and Civil War and hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" sung by Whitney Huston. Jam packed with Broadway tunes and pop songs, the three stars sang Wildhorn's melodies with the power and heart-felt emotion one would expect from Broadway. Warren, the youngest and newest professional actor/singer, delivered a dynamite performance equal, if not superior, to the two seasoned performers. 

Norm Lewis

What enhanced the stars' amazing singing was BYU's orchestra, which filled most of the stage. It's size challenged the singers to sing louder than it played. The musical duet of instrumental and vocal performances added to the concert's awe.

Jackie Burns

BYU Musical Theatre Ensemble accompanied the singers on several of the numbers. During the first act, the ensemble was barely audible, despite they were singing at full volume. They must have turned their microphones up during intermission because I could hear them during the second act.

Just as impressive as the singing was the friendship Wildhorn, Lewis,
Burns and Warren showed for each other. Lewis was such a gentleman; he escorted Burns or Warren off stage when they sang duets.

Adrienne Warren

This was the second  Frank Wildhorn concert at BYU. The first was in 2013, a concert titled "Frank Wildhorn and Friends," which Burns and Warren also performed in. In January 2015, BYU premiered Wildhorn's musical adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo in the U.S. It is safe to say BYU and Wildhorn will collaborate together in the future. Hopefully, Wildhorn will bring Lewis, Burns and Warren with him.