musicalsoup – [art]seen

REVIEW: Sense and Sensibility: The Musical

March 28, 2025March 28, 2025 musicalsoup Leave a comment

March 13 | 7:30pm | The Encore Musical Theater Company

Wondering if Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility would be a good musical was not a burning question on my mind. Yet it was answered at the Encore Theater last week to the sound of a four-piece orchestra and a starry cast from Broadway’s favorite shows.

The 1811 novel was adapted by Jefferey Haddow (Book & Lyrics) and Neal Hampton (Music) for the stage, and it’s been in production since 2009, almost 16 years—which is subsequently how long it felt to sit through the show.

(As it goes) In the 19th century, the two daughters of Mr. Henry Dashwood are left with no permanent income after his death. So, marriage to a wealthy man of status will cure all ailments. The girls desire stability, but more pressing is love. The pragmatic Elinor Dashwood (Chelsea Packard) struggles with unrequited feelings for Edward Ferrars (Adam Woolsey), while her passionate sister Marianne (Jessica Grové) falls deeply for the winsome but unreliable John Willoughby (Chad Marge).

With nineteen songs in Act I and a whopping twenty-one in Act II, the show lingered, with few musical ideas to latch onto. The piece felt dense, and not every moment that segued into songs felt convincing dramatically. Some numbers functioned akin to opera, honing in on a character’s feelings in place of advancing the plot. Which makes for a host of details but leaves much exposition to the scenes.

Ms. Packard’s voice is as silky and sophisticated as the five or six pastel dresses she wears, finding herself distant from Elphaba’s belting in Wicked. Her 11 o’clock number, “Not Even You,” explored her wildly flexible voice but fell flat from lackluster lyrics. Ms. Grové was a spunky Marianne on stage, and aside from nearly dying from falling in the rain, was convincing and vocally stunning.

In Act I, the Colonel becomes infatuated with Marianne after only one encounter (reminding him of a past love named Lydia), but Marianne runs off with the charming Willoughby for most of the show. The climax of the story felt grazed over: when we find out that Willoughby has been the abuser of countless women, including our beloved Marianne. The reveal lasted a mere moment on stage, so quick that I almost didn’t catch it. This prompted a swiftly smitten marriage between the Colonel and Marianne, which felt like a tardy continuation of their love story. I’m glad Marianne found a sensible husband, but I craved a depth to their romance throughout the musical for a cleaner payoff in the end.

I wonder about the impetus of telling this story now. The characters have troubles far away from modern strife, but at least they remind us to trust our hearts. Perhaps the true issues of these noble girls could be better solved in a rewrite.

Images thanks to The Encore Musical Theater Company.

REVIEW: Jazzmeia Horn at the Blue Llama

March 28, 2025March 28, 2025 musicalsoup Leave a comment

March 16 | 8:30 pm | Blue Llama Jazz Club

Creative, conscious, commanding—Jazzmeia Horn packs it all into every note. The vocalist, composer, and educator brought a fierce trio to The Blue Llama last Sunday, featuring a set of (almost entirely) original compositions.

Ms. Horn is a decorated jazz vocalist based in New York City (originally from Dallas, TX). She won the Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition in 2015 and the International Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition in 2013, as well as accumulated three Grammy nominations for her records “Love and Liberation” and “A Social Call”. She lives with her two daughters in the Bronx, which prompted intimate and animated stories about motherhood.

Her music is focused and refreshingly genuine. She finds deep harmonic exploration in her songs amidst lots of unique vocal qualities throughout her (multiple-octave) range. She mentioned church being a large part of life growing up, with clear inspiration from gospel music, accompanied by healthy doses of pop and R&B.

Most of the set included tunes from her 2024 album “Messages“, including “Tip” and “You’re Getting To Be A Habit With Me,” the only jazz standard of the evening. Each tune was dense and impressive, with numbers “Destiny” and “Free Your Mind” being my favorites for their contemporary feel and expansive vocals (in range and rhythm).

The room seemed to stop when Ms. Horn took a solo. There’s an air of fearlessness behind Ms. Horn’s improvisations. When she started an idea, she took the time to finish it, creating beautifully satisfying lines. Some of her improvisational tendencies give a nod to the great Betty Carter, one of the most rhythmically inventive jazz singers.

A sweet anecdote was tacked onto her second tune, “Happy Living”; she recalled memories of her grandfather’s story about the “man with two bags.” One of which has a hole, where he puts negative comments and thoughts. The other is held close to his heart with words special to him. She sings: “I don’t feel bad when others make me mad, I keep a hole in my bag on my shoulders, and I sing my own songs and just keep along on my journey.” Her performance, even more so than “Messages” through my headphones, felt beautifully intimate and personal.

Image thanks to BIMHUIS.

REVIEW: ‘Rinaldo’ at the Detroit Opera

March 11, 2025March 11, 2025 musicalsoup Leave a comment

February 28 | 7:30 pm | Detroit Opera House

Handel’s “baroque blockbuster” Rinaldo made a stylish return to the Detroit stage last week. This production was transplanted from the 2023 Glimmerglass festival, and unlike the Hero’s Journey that opera admirers will recall. We replace the depths of the First Crusade with a modern hospital ward nestled into the imagination of a young Rinaldo (Anthony Roth Costanzo) recovering from an unspecified brain operation. Director Louisa Proske entertains the idea of inception: Rinaldo playfully distracts himself with stories of knights and magic, distancing him from the bruting hero some remember. Decked out in sandals, a teal hospital gown, and a cape made from his basketball bedding, he’s the hero of his own story.

The curtain rises to a bleached, hopeless hospital facility. An unconscious child lays across the room from Rinaldo, who we learn to be Almirena (Elena Villalón), another recovering child and the woman of his affections. King Goffredo (Kyle Sanchez Tingzon, a silvery-smooth countertenor) doubles as the king laying siege to Jerusalem and a real-life father to the hospital-bound princess. Within Rinaldo’s dreams and Almirena’s recovery, the malevolent sorceress Armida (Nicole Heaston) captures the young maiden, and the call to save her beckons Rinaldo.

Mr. Costanzo is one of the most engaging operatic performers you’ll see today: dramatic, genuine, and ethereal. His countertenor voice glitters above the sweeping Detroit Opera Orchestra (under the baton of Roberto Kalb). Ms. Heaston similarly carries a luminescent voice and powerful presence, which warranted plenty of “Bravas” from passionate audience members. 26-year-old Villalón effortlessly delivered the heart-wrenching “Lascia ch’io pianga”, under the angelic harpsichord player John Etsell. Her youth radiated in her Almirena with apt grace and humility.

Originally, Armida carries romantic feelings for Rinaldo in Act II—it didn’t quite land in this adaptation. A frisky sorceress suddenly fawning over a young boy felt a bit awkward, though it seemed Proske hoped audiences to realize the character as a manifestation of the children’s illnesses.

Though Rinaldo’s disposition is whimsical, the undertones can feel more bleak. Ms. Proske’s adaptation presents a philosophical question about suffering children, especially in relation to the opera’s theological underbelly. Why would a loving God hurt children? With healthcare at the forefront of many Americans’ minds, a certain empathy arises naturally for our heroes, and their fanciful reality now carries more sympathy.

This adaptation was avoidant of the tacky feel some modern productions can have. Its dramatic roots remained intact while experimenting heavily, and that feat is to be celebrated within an art form over 400 years old. If the power of love resonates (much like all these fantastic voices), I think this opera can work in many new ways.

Images thanks to the Glimmerglass Festival and The Detroit Opera.

REVIEW: Winter Blues Cabaret by Olivia Van Goor

February 26, 2025March 1, 2025 musicalsoup Leave a comment

January 16 | 9pm | North Star Lounge

Got the winter blues? I sure do. But Olivia Van Goor has a remedy—sing about it.

The North Star Lounge welcomes the fourth installment of Olivia Van Goor’s vocal jazz cabaret, where she hosts an evening of vocalists based in Southeast Michigan backed by a jazz trio. I caught the second show at 9 pm, (first set sold out) where the neon green walls of North Star were crowded with full tables and assorted cocktails. Four singers each performed three tunes, with hostess Olivia Van Goor bringing the set home.

The band included Rowan Tucker-Meyer on piano, Trevor Lamb on the bass, and Phillip Buchman on drums. This tight trio was swingin’. Sensitive, but not too careful. Tucker-Meyer’s solos were particularly impressive—he’s playful and concise with sprinkles of Oscar Peterson licks.

First to the bandstand was seasoned vocalist Ellie Martin—a jazz scholar who teaches at The University of Toledo. She has a deep and thorough jazz education, which shines through in performance. Her set included “Blossom’s Blues”, “Snowbound” and LHR’s “Blue (I think it’s called..?)”. She was an engaging and hip improviser; full of ideas and vocal freedom.

Hadley Rasnick mentioned she is firstly a pianist, and has been picking up singing in recent months. Second to the bandstand was a young vocalist with a humble, but charming presence. She offered a bit of a variety: Gershwin’s “Not For Me”, The Queen of Soul’s “Ain’t No Way” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers. I could sense an ethereal attachment to the piano, but her performance was nonetheless endearing. She shined on the Franklin—perhaps most comfortable in R&B.

The multi-faceted Pia Broden Williams was third on the bandstand, a classically trained coloratura, educator, pianist, and tonight, a star jazz vocalist. You can hear the breadth of her vocals the moment she began singing. She brought out the classic “Blue Bossa”, “Afro Blue” and “I Was Born To Be Blue”—tunes with contrasting energy and spunk. Three of my favorite tunes were performed by the penultimate vocalist Anna George: “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm”, “Mood Indigo” and “I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart”. Ms. Van Goor even popped up to hit a few “Mood Indigo” harmonies.

Ms. Van Goor closed the gig with the Antônio Carlos Jobim tune “No More Blues”, a killer latin staple. Right when we thought the gig was done, she passed out papers to the bar with lyrics on them…the words to “Centerpiece”. Perhaps the first time 25 people at North Star chant a blues together. Ms. Van Goor, she’s a stellar vocalist—lively, dedicated, and committed to tradition. So PSA: a doctors prescription for vocal jazz in the dead of January works swimmingly.

Images thanks to The North Star Lounge.

REVIEW: Laura-Simone Martin at The Blue Llama

February 25, 2025February 25, 2025 musicalsoup Leave a comment

Jan 25 | 10:30pm | Blue Llama Jazz Club

It’s clear Laura-Simone Martin brings the swing. Her debut show at The Blue Llama was filled to the brim with vitality, love, and a whole hour of masterful music-making.

At just 19 years old, Ms. Martin already has a host of accolades as a young bassist. She’s performed at acclaimed venues throughout the world like the BBC Proms, Carnegie Hall, Blue Note at Sea, the Kennedy Center, and the Monterey Jazz Festival. She was a member of Marcus Miller’s five-person bass ensemble, alongside Meshell Ndegeocello (a 12-time Grammy nominee), Aston Barrett Jr., and Mamadou Kouyaté, for Steve McQueen’s art exhibit Bass—the director of 12 Years a Slave. She’s currently studying bass at Michigan State University with renowned bassist Rodney Whitaker.

She took the stage under soft pink and blue lighting with her trio: drummer Caleb Robinson (a quirky and dynamic player) and pianist Redwood (a deftly captivating performer). Alto saxophonist Kevin Brewster joined for a few tunes as well, another fearlessly creative player on the bandstand. The trio’s feel remained immaculate the whole set through many different grooves.

Seven songs filled the set, many of them beginning with Ms. Martin’s radiant bass solos. Starting out was Horace Silver’s “Sister Sadie” and the beautiful “Mona Lisa”, a Jay Livingston and Ray Evans tune made popular by Nat King Cole. Ms. Martin revealed her charming and sensitive voice singing “Mona Lisa” while simultaneously playing bass. To start this tune with solo bass and voice was absolutely thrilling. Though quiet (perhaps from the distant microphone), you can hear the sincerity behind every lyric she sings. She finds conviction in intimate tunes contrasting with the bright verve in Silver’s.

Ms. Martin included one of her originals in the set “Kamora’s Bounce”, offering some insight into her compositional tendencies. The tune was fun and featured some of Redwood’s killer improvisational skills—thorough and precise, but never careful. Redwood played both on the grand piano and the electric keyboard next to it, swiftly changing the sound’s texture a few times in the set. Later on in the night was Ann Ronell’s “Willow Weep For Me” (a beautifully bluesy standard). With another solo bass intro (and melody!), I loved the space in this tune, and the choice to feature the lowest voice.

I regrettably did not catch the name of her final tune—but what I do remember is the joy and gratitude that suddenly overwhelmed the room. Ms. Martin penultimately left the audience with some words referencing her gratitude for the art form, and an intention to bring love into the world through her music. Her artistry runs deep into her soul, and when you hear a player perform as such, you can’t forget it. The world always needs more love (and more jazz). Thanks for the reminder, Ms. Martin.

Images thanks to The Blue Llama Jazz Club.

REVIEW: 33 Variations

January 1, 2025January 13, 2025 musicalsoup Leave a comment

December 6 | 11:00 pm | Newman Studio

Humans are naturally doused in curiosity. We’ve discovered the depths of Earth’s oceans while making our way to parts of outer space we probably were not intended for. The desire for complete discovery exists on both the largest and smallest of scales. A riling little mystery from the composer Ludwig von Beethoven’s expansive musical life has enchanted playwright Moisés Kaufman, writing a play of the same name: 33 Variations, in which he sends leading lady Dr. Katherine Brandt on her own expedition to uncover the reason for his insist creation of the tune.

In 1819, music publisher Anton Diabelli commissioned Beethoven to write a short variation of his waltz for a larger publication. Beethoven found it pedestrian and blew it off, but at some point, something intrigued him about the tune. This detail left out of history led him to ambitiously compose thirty-three variations on the waltz over the last few years of his life.

What changed? Why did Beethoven spend the height of his compositional years on a piece considered elementary?

Modern-day musicologist Dr. Katherine Brandt (Ella Saliba) travels to Bonn, Germany, to study Beethoven’s manuscripts from the 1820s. Clara (Aliyah Douglas), her restless daughter, disapproves of the journey due to her mother’s declining health from ALS and eventually joins her in Europe. The two often exchange fiery discourse, “You don’t love anything that you can’t understand,” Clara jabs. Their rocky relationship is exacerbated by Clara’s lack of career commitment and her cumbersome relationship with her mother’s nurse from the U.S., Mike Clark (Landon Wouters, whose character is hilariously inappropriate & full of laughs).

The play shifts between 19th-century Vienna and the present, while Beethoven (Nick Aiello) struggles to pay rent and faces his own ailments. His secretary, Anton Schindler (a charming James Parascandola), converses back and forth with Mr. Anton Diabelli (Marcus Byers) over four years while Beethoven writes his variations.

Through a plot with cadences that come off more bleak than cheerful, there is an abundance of humor woven into Kaufman’s hefty script. Aiello, Byers, and Parascandola are responsible for that—the three’s hilarious riffs were plentiful and cheeky. Perhaps nudging to the fact many of Beethoven’s variations do undoubtedly poke fun at Diabelli.

A young Ella Saliba earnestly waltzes through the life of the much more mature Dr. Katherine Brant. As Ms. Saliba explored Katherine’s ever-consuming and impassioned journey onstage, what the audience found was a deeply impressive, humble, and moving performance—resulting in a very misty curtain call.

One of the most exceptional parts of the play is the live pianist performing the “33 Variations” in real time. I would be remiss not to point out pianist Eric Head’s sensitive performance. This notoriously challenging work was greeted with poise from Head, providing an irreplaceable vibrance to the atmosphere.

Kaufman’s play may occasionally feel oversaturated with detail, but I was transfixed by his sentimental characters. The parallels between these two human lives across more than a century are deeply clever. Life’s ever-ticking clock is often responsible for igniting humanity’s obsessive quest for meaning in our short engagements on Earth, a theme poignantly embodied by Mr. Aiello and Ms. Saliba. I do hope Dr. Brandt found the answers she wanted, for she at least discovered the beauty nestled within the ordinary.

Images thanks to Basement Arts.