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Rent The Musical At The Dr. Phillips Center June 5-10th

I don’t know about you, but Rent brings out more emotions in me than any other Broadway musical. It is by far my favorite show of all time and when I found out that the 20th Anniversary tour would be coming to Orlando I knew I’d be in the audience. And when I say “in the audience” I mean lip-syncing, swaying, crying, hooting and hollering while sitting in a seat “in the audience”. At first, I thought I’d be an embarrassment or at least a distraction to my date, but I noticed so many others doing the exact same thing. There’s just something about Rent that moves us.

Rent is actually a new age version of La Boheme with adult themes. Many of the characters are homosexual, almost everyone has AIDS and all but one character is struggling to buy food much less, “pay the Rent”. The plot is heavy but as a Rock opera (all music, no dialogue), the music helps lighten the mood so your experience isn’t just a tragedy. Speaking as a fan who knows the entire show by heart I can tell you it is hard to find a better Broadway show tunes soundtrack out there.

The show touring into Dr. Phillips Center is celebrating the 20th Anniversary and is highly reminiscent of the original. I was blown away by Logan Farine playing Roger so keep an eye out for his strong voice and ability to fill the stage with his practiced emotional rationality. His scenes alone made me yearn for a Rocky Horror Picture Showesque night where we can shout phrases to the stage and toss up extra matches. “Tell her Roger!” You are rooting for him to break out of his shell the entire first half of the musical.

This is a show for date night or maybe mom’s night out! It might be a bit much for your smaller children, though if you have a conversation beforehand about subject matter go for it. But be warned it carries strong adult themes. I give the show 2 huge thumbs up. One more thing, if you think that you don’t need to see the play because you saw the movie, think again, they are different. Buy your Rent tickets now at Dr. Phillips Center. Viva La Vie Boheme!

*Thank you to the Dr Phillips Center for inviting tonight. It was honestly my favorite night in a long time. As always I’m grateful to you.

Something Rotten The Musical At The Dr. Phillips Center April 24-29th

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Last night I had the pleasure of attending the musical Something Rotten at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. I had never had the opportunity to see the show in person but I was familiar with the story line and the music. I was not disappointed in the high energy hilarity delivered to me over the next two hours.

Something Rotten In The City Of Orlando

The show opens with a minstrel setting the time, place, and back story of the musical with a rousing number of song and dance. One has to listen carefully because right from the start the music and words are fast paced and slip between the speech of Old England and that of today. It is also very helpful but not necessary if the audience has a knowledge of musical theater for there are a lot of snippets from musical theater that enhance the entire show and lend to the parody on William Shakespeare.

This show has it all, a love story, adversity, comedy and relevancy and the performers were able to engage the audience with their dialog, punchlines, song and dance. I especially loved the choreography and the use of very proficient tap. The scenery was well done and yet easily moved as it took your imagination back to what it might have looked like in Old England. The costuming was colorful and a bit risqué but appropriate for the show.

All in all it was a great show and I would highly recommend it. It plays well for the young adult and adult audience. You can purchase tickets to Something Rotten now at DrPhillipsCenter.org for shows playing April 24-29th.

*Thank you for the complimentary tickets to see the show 😉

Waitress The Musical At The Dr. Phillips Center March 20-25th

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Sugar. Butter. Flour. This is what it takes to create one of my favorite musicals to date in Waitress the musical! Waitress at the Dr. Phillips Center March 20-25th still has tickets available and as I said of Matilda last year, this show left me in awe of the entire production. I’d recommend this one to the ladies, though men may enjoy it as well. Waitress isn’t a smart choice for the children’s audience though as the main themes are abuse and infidelity.

The relatively new Broadway musical builds strength mainly from the cast. If it is set design or costuming that floats your boat you won’t find it on this stage. The music, with song lyrics written by Sara Bareilles, and the stars are the meat of the production which had me laughing and crying simultaneously.

Waitress is based on the movie of the same name about a woman named Jenna who works at the local diner making delicious pies. However, she’s also in an abusive, loveless marriage and finds out she is pregnant. When Jenna falls for her Obstetrician her life finally seems to be looking up. Even more so when the owner of the diner tells her about a pie baking contest in a neighboring town where the winner will take home $20,000. Finally a way out of her life. But soon her so-called happy ending begins to unravel.

Not only did I love the movie but Waitress the musical is one of the most moving and entertaining productions I’ve seen in years. I was considering seeing this next time I flew to New York and I’m glad I was able to see Waitress during Broadway in Orlando.

*Big thanks to Dr. Phillips Center for the tickets received for review.

Pandora – The New World Inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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I’m sure you’ve heard about Pandora, the new world inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s a pretty big deal when Walt Disney World decides to open an entire land full of foreign treasures. The most beautiful of all being the plants. I fell in love with Pandora’s ecosystem and recommend you take half a day to explore for this reason alone (not to mention the delicious food and 2 breathtaking rides).

The flora and fauna of Pandora was the most magical aspect of the entire new attraction. I wish I could have spent time just learning about the different types but the children had other ideas. I offer you these pictures, which don’t even begin to tell the story of this fantastical planet inhabited by the Na’vi.

Of course, the Valley of Mo’ara is the focal point in Pandora. This gigantic floating rock, covered in glistening waterfalls is home to Avatar Flight of Passage, the new ride where you can actually take flight on a banshee. As many of you know I don’t ride much since I get so sick but decided to take my chance on Flight of Passage. I’m glad I did because the single rider Soarin’ style attraction was worth it. The sites were beautiful and you could even smell and feel things at times. Near the end I became a bit nauseous but it was over quickly. I recommend you take time to enjoy the queue!

Finally, for so long Spencer had been telling us about the “cheeseburger pods” he’d eaten when he visited Pandora with his Grandmother the previous year. They were his ultimate favorite food of all time. He could have eaten 1,000 and was eager to have them again. We were happy to oblige him and ordered more at Satu’li Canteen and also just fell into Disney counter service bliss. I posted about it all over social media and so many Disney fans told me that Satu’li Canteen is the best place in Animal Kingdom to eat. I had a few recommendations for their delicious bowls so try those as well. The food isn’t ridiculously expensive either which made me happy. 2 cheeseburger pods, Boba slaw and fancy sweet potato type chips were $10.99.

Walt Disney World delivers the beauty of the James Cameron movie Avatar in the land of Pandora and you should visit. Be sure to create your fast pass early for Flight of Passage and make room for the cheeseburger pods as they are the highlights in my opinion. Everything, however, is worth your time and it will take about half a day if you use fast pass on both rides to see it all. Without a fast pass you may have an entire day on your hands. 🙂

*Thank you to Disney for inviting my family out for a fun-filled day in return for review.

The Lion King At The Dr. Phillips Center February 14 – March 11

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Last night I had the opportunity to see The Lion King at The Dr. Phillips Center. As we entered the theater we were greeted with an extraordinary African print on the front curtain. Being a musician I immediately noticed the large complement of African drums elevated on the left and the right of the stage. The show opened with Rafiki’s articulate singing to the beating of the drums and comical antics. You were transported to Africa with sound as the animals came down the aisles through the audience. It did not take much imagination to envision the characters as animals. The costuming was good and the use of puppetry amazing.

The Lion King At The Dr. Phillips Center Orlando

As The Lion King progressed I was not disappointed in the singing and the storytelling of each of the characters. The costuming fit each character with a simple headdress mask for the lions to the elaborate puppetry of Zazu, the jackals, Timon and Pumba. The performers were masters at manipulating their puppets and making you believe they were the actual animals. From the tallest giraffe walking on stilts to the smallest shadow puppet of mice in Scar’s den, you were transported to a different world. The scenery was minimal but efficient in emulating the grassy plains to the scary elephant graveyard and the jungle beyond.

All in all The Lion King did not disappoint. It was colorful, the performers were masters and the music was magical. I recommend it highly for all ages. Buy your tickets now for The Lion King at The Dr. Phillips Center website but hurry, they’re almost completely sold out!

By Annette Allport

*Thank you to Dr. Phillips Center for the tickets in exchange for review.