Part two:
The cast is rounded out by a talented and hard-working quartet, performed by Meredith Inglesby, Andy Karl, Tyler Maynard, and Keewa Nurullah. It’s fun to see in the performer’s bios a genuine excitement about the show. Andy Karl’s bio proudly states that he began his Disney career working at two different Disney Stores, while understudy Koh Mochizuki was “imported directly from Broadway’s Aida” and is “pleased as punch to reunite with the mouse for this magical venture to perform these beloved classics as a human and not a utensil.”
There are many other highlights in the show. Emily Skinner and Ashley Brown duet on One Song and I’m Wishing in a beautiful arrangement that also has some new intro lyrics. Brown begins by echoing Skinner on One Song before moving into I’m Wishing, both women ending with a beautiful interpolation of the lyrics. The two leading ladies also have a ton of fun with He’s a Tramp (which is begun in reference to one of the male characters). The two Tarzan songs in the show, Strangers Like Me and You’ll Be in My Heart, are arranged to include all eight voices in the show, resulting in a lush vocal sound. With the harmonizing of voices, the performance hearkens back to Phil Collins’ versions and takes it to another emotional level. Also high on the list of pleasures are Emily Skinner’s heart-tugging Baby Mine, Brian Sutherland’s Belle Note, and the four leads on The Bells of Notre Dame. Most fun is the Act I finale in which several of the studio’s nonsense word songs are mixed and switched around as the cast creates chaos with the sheet music. There is also a multi-language presentation of Be Our Guest that is tons of fun.
What helps to make the show interesting is that for some songs, new lyrics are added, as in the performances of I Wanna Be Like You (a really fun number), The Work Song, I’m Wishing/One Song, and Look Out For Mister Stork. Longbottom also switches gender around in other songs. Sutherland, for examples, sings Jessie’s song When She Loved Me while Emily Skinner sings the Genie’s part in Prince Ali. Arrangements of the music also vary. Some songs are performed in the style they were performed in the movie, while others are arranged for the quartet or for multiple voices, while others maintain the older style harmonies found in the films, such as with The Second Star to the Right. Other songs take on new sounds that are distinct to the era from which the song was written, such as the 40s take on When I Seen an Elephant Fly (complete with fun 40s choreography).
The choreography varies in style throughout the show. There are theme park moments (such as with the finale with The Bare Necessities and A Spoonful of Sugar), even a touch of boy band moves in one moment, but there is also plenty of quality Broadway-worthy movement. Minnie’s Yoo-Hoo gets a fun dance as does Les Poissons and Pink Elephants on Parade (which takes on a great Busby Berkeley moment).
That is not to say that everything works in the show. There are a number of songs that seem performed accurately but disconnected from the subtext of the original intentions, which takes away the emotional pull. Also, there are times when the On the Record rendition of the songs simply cannot live up to the film versions. In addition to this, there is a fair amount of inane stage business early on in the show as cast members are given the unexciting duty of twirling and rotating dummy microphones. Because the focus is really on the vocal performances, there are no strong visual images to remember from the show, only some stunning vocal performances.
On the Record is essentially a great Disney concert traveling under the guise of a touring Broadway show. While there are moments where the song arrangements or performances just don’t reach the originals, there are plenty of other moments when the performers open themselves up and give us their heart in song. When that happens, On the Record is pure musical magic for Disney fans and for those who like great music. If either describes you, you won’t want to miss On the Record, even if the show is overpriced at $65 for top tickets (in comparison to what you get in a touring Broadway show for just $20 more).
For the Disney fan, it provides a charming evening of stage time lead by the monumentally talented Emily Skinner, with many of Disney’s greatest songs presented in new ways. Once the show kicks into high gear with Skinner’s Someday My Prince Will Come, Disney fans will rejoice for the fresh presentation of classic Disney songs. Because these songs are so well known, there is plenty to offer for those who are not Disney fanatics, as, once again, these are very talented people who kick it into high Broadway gear with some of the best-known songs of the previous century.
If On the Record won’t be stopping in your town, then every Disney fan will want the 2-disc recording of the score, which will be recorded in January. There are too many stunning presentations of many of these songs to pass up.
A Note to Parents: On the Record is essentially a show conceived to appeal to older children, teens, and adults. Children of ages three, four, five, and sometimes six are not prepared for a Broadway show, and On the Record was not written for them. Should you choose to take your young ones to see a show at a Broadway theatre or a touring Broadway venue, please take the time to explain to them common theatre etiquette. For example, it is never okay to talk during the show as there are real people around them who have paid lots of money to enjoy a show, and the people on stage are real people who can hear what happens in the audience. If the child coos or gets cranky and cries, then they are probably too young for a theatrical experience because they will only distract everyone around them. Kicking the back of the chair of the person in front of you for a good portion of the first act is also never okay. As one Broadway Belle noted in the book Making It on Broadway, a Broadway show-even if produced by Disney-is not a theme park attraction, and children should remain quiet and in their seats to be respectful of those in the expensive seats around them and the extremely talented people on stage performing their craft.
-- Jim Miles
A graduate of Northwestern College in St. Paul, Jim Miles is an educator, play director, and writer. Recently, he produced a workshop reading for Fire in Berlin, an original musical work for which he is writing the book and lyrics (
www.fireinberlin.com). In addition to his column for LaughingPlace.com, he is currently revising an untitled literary mystery/suspense novel; is working on a second musical work, a comedy entitled City of Dreams; and has developed a third musical work which he has yet to announce. After having created theatre curriculum and directed at the high school level, he also writes and directs plays and skits for his church.
Jim On Film is published every other Thursday.
The opinions expressed by our guest columnists, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
