DENVER (CBS4) – Show lovers are getting one week to grab a great deal on tickets for a big Broadway musical.
“9 to 5” was a hit movie in 1980 starring Dolly Parton. In 2009 it was a hit Broadway musical featuring music by Parton. This April the Tony Award nominated musical will be arriving at the Buell Theatre. And you can see it, while saving money, this week only.
Watch CBS4 Critic at Large Greg Moody’s video report below.
Link: Get Tickets For 9 To 5
DENVER (CBS4)– The popular Broadway musical Wicked is getting ready to unleash its magic and flying monkeys at the Buell Theatre for the fourth time.
The performance remains incredibly popular not just with audiences across the country, but also with those in the Denver metro area.
Part of the draw and continuing popularity can be found in the sets, props and costumes. Wicked is a big, bright and well-produced show full of bright lights and outrageous costumes, big tunes and stage music.
CBS4 Critic at Large Greg Moody believes it’s the perfect blend that keeps audiences coming back or those who haven’t seen it, want to see it for the first time. Watch his report below.
Wicked is playing at the Buell Theatre through May 20.
RELATED LINK: denvercenter.org
– Greg Moody is CBS4’s Critic At Large. His reports on CBS4 News are featured on the CBSDenver.com Entertainment section.
– Also, don’t miss Moody’s entertaining bio, his Top Spots in Denver lists, and his frequently updated Moody’s Picks page.
DENVER (CBS4) – Can a 50-year-old traditional Broadway musical be revised and reborn to fit the sensibilities of a new century?
If that show is the “Unsinkable Molly Brown” with its current cast and production team, the answer is a resounding yes, Critic at Large Greg Moody reports.
The Denver Center Theater Company musical is playing at the Stage Theatre through Oct. 26, and it has new songs, direction and choreography by Kathleen Marshall and Castle Rock native and Broadway star Beth Malone playing the lead role of the legendary Coloradan.
If there was a problem with this show before, it was simply that the musical never really delved into who Brown really was.
But now, in Dick Scanlan’s revised version, we are reintroduced to the Molly who made Colorado and Denver her home.
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“The new version with the some music and a lot of new book restores my faith in the show,” Moody said. “Especially through the high energy, gotta-love-it performance by Malone.”
“Her Molly is brash yet kind, simple and complex, loving and hilariously obnoxious.”
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Malone is matched onstage by the booming presence of Burke Moses as J.J. Brown as well as an excellent ensemble cast.
According to Moody, there is still a lot of work to be done on this show.
“There are at least two scenes and one song I’d really like to see gone,” Moody said. “The show remains a work in progress, but the cast and creative team are clearly on the right track, and it’s great to be able to say ‘Hey, I saw this when …’ ”
LINK: denvercenter.org
About Molly Brown
(credit: CBS)
The “unsinkable” Molly Brown got her name after she became one of the survivors of the The Titanic, but she was also a crusader for women’s rights, even running for a Colorado senate seat.
She moved to Leadville in early 1886 to keep house for her brother and met James Joseph Brown later that year. After a whirlwind courtship they married on Sept. 1, 1886. The Browns struck it rich when J.J.’s persistence at the Little Johnny mine led to the discovery of vast quantities of gold and copper in 1893.
The Brown family moved to Denver in 1894 and Molly founded the Dumb Friend’s League, designed the juvenile court system and ran for US Senate in 1914. The Molly Brown House, located on Pennsylvania Street, is one of Denver’s popular tourist attractions. A popular musical based on her life and experiences called “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” still pleases audiences after 50 years of various runs, including one on Broadway in the 1960s. It was also a feature film at the time starring Debbie Reynolds.
DENVER (CBS4)– The Tony Award winning musical “Kinky Boots” is giving audiences in Denver something to remember that’s deeper than flashy costumes or catchy songs.
Kinky Boots won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Now the Broadway show is getting ready to hit the stage in Denver.
The plot follows an English man trying to save his shoe factory by any means possible. He begins to make fashion footwear for drag queens. That’s when the show gets interesting.
Kinky Boots (credit: CBS)
“I think what they end up leaving with is song, dance, entertainment and a whole lot of joy,” said Kyle Taylor Parker who plays Lola. “The show is so moving and it’s about real people, it has a palpable heartbeat. I think that’s what everyone is responding to.”
Writer Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper have created a show that’s hugely entertaining and touches your heart.
“People aren’t expecting the show to have as much heart as it does. The show, it has such a sweet spot in it. Obviously it’s a spectacular, fabulous show that has people up on their feet but I think that’s what surprises people. How moving the show is,” said Steven Booth who plays Charlie.
Kinky Boots opens Oct. 29 at the Buell Theatre and continues through Nov. 9.
LINK: denvercenter.org
DENVER (CBS4) – In every new city they go to, the cast of the Broadway musical “Waitress” goes in search of a special young talent. They’re looking for a 4-year-old girl to play a special part at the end of the show, and recently they held auditions at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. CBS4 Critic-At-Large Greg Moody called it, “an avalanche of cute.”
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“We’re looking for girls who are going to be really confident and calm, and be able to hold their own amidst moving scenery, dancing and singing. There is a lot going on at this moment in the show. People who aren’t going to be freaked out by having a 2,000 person audience watching them,” said Susanna Wolk, the assistant director of “Waitress.”
LINK: For Tickets & Information for “Waitress”
Finding that certain something took patience, a big smile, and a huge hug at the end of the run. It’s only seconds in the play, but this small part leaves a lasting impression.
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“More importantly, we’re looking for girls who are energetic and spunky…joyful, and someone who can really help us tell this joyful story,” Wolk added.
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With music by Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles, “Waitress” tells the story of a young woman working in her small town pie shop who knows she’s destined for greater things. And the all-female creative team brought it to life.
Right now the focus is on the kids and finding the right few to finish the finale with a flourish.
“Something Rotten!” is the hilarious Broadway hit about two brothers who set out to write the first musical during the time of Shakespeare. It plays at the DCPA from October 17th to October 29th. For tickets and information go to the “Something Rotten!” page at denvercenter.org.
DENVER (CBS4) – “Something Rotten!” was nominated for 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Set in the time of Shakespeare, it depicts the hilarity that ensues when two brothers try to make a name for themselves by write the very first musical.
“Something Rotten!” (credit DCPA)
One show stopping number sets the stage for the whole premise, and one actor steals the show during that number. Blake Hammond transforms into Nostradamus, soothsayer and cousin to the famous one, through the magic of makeup, crepe hair, and a simple love of the character.
“I’m the character guy who is a little bit crazy, is a little kooky. And so not everyone gets to be as free as I do with their choices. I love being able to just sort of have it land how it lands that afternoon or evening, and just enjoy living in that moment,” Hammond told CBS4.
Actor Blake Hammond does his stage makeup. (credit CBS)
Hammond allowed CBS4 to see how he transforms into his character. Every step seemed so sublte, a line here, a highlight there, but slowly the character came out in all his loud, flamboyant, soothsaying glory.
“Do you feel transformed?” CBS4’s Greg Moody asked.
“I really…I do. I feel like I look so different that when we started 12 minutes ago, that it does feel like it brings me to another place for the show,” Hammond explained.
Hammond in his stage makeup. (credit CBS)
It’s that character that he carries to the stage for a show stopping number that sets up all the action and half the jokes for the rest of the show. It’s a tremendous display of the beauty of stage craft, and an actor’s skill.
Just how does an actor decide on how to play Shakespeare? Is the Bard funny, sad, or pretentiously serious? Those are the questions that Adam Pascal tangles with as he plays Shakespeare in “Something Rotten!”
Adam Pascal plays “Shakespeare” in “Something Rotten!” (credit CBS)
In the hit musical, the Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel, are trying to outdo another playwright, a guy known as Shakespeare. And he really is a rock star here, which is great because you really can play Shakespeare any which way you want.
“You kind of have poetic license to assume he was anyway you want him to because we kind of don’t know,” Pascal told CBS4.
Outside of the works themselves, that famous first folio, plus a few scraps of memory from contemporaries, we really don’t know all that much about Shakespeare. So really you can pull out all the stops.
“He’s the quintessential rock star of our day. What a rock star in 2017 might look like. Someone who draws on all the classic rock stars from the 60’s and the 70’s, you know, Freddie Mercury, and Mick Jagger, and David Bowie. He’s definitely a peacock and a strutter,” Pascal explained.
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So really you can pull out all the stops, and have a great time doing it, which in the end, is really what “Something Rotten!” is all about. Taking a bit of the wind out of the Bard and giving the audience a sense of raucous fun that only live theater can give you.
When you put together the costumes for a Shakespearean play or a big Broadway Shakespearean spoof, like “Something Rotten!”, you can go traditional and you can wind up lugging a lot of cloth around the stage.
“You wouldn’t believe how much detail is in these costumes. And I think, something that people don’t realize is there’s a lot of dancing in this show, tap dancing, some of these costumes weigh a ton,” said Autumn Hurlbert, who plays “Portia”, the Puritan love interest.
Autumn Hurlbert plays “Portia” in “Something Rotten!” (credit CBS)
In fact, much of what you’ll see on stage in “Something Rotten!” is not even a fabric usually considered for clothing.
“It’s set in the renaissance so obviously silk would have been extremely expensive. It’s a lot of really hardy materials, and some of these costumes are actually upholstery fabric,” Hurlbert explained.
(credit DCPA)
Hurlbert, a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado Theater Department, loves the way they’ve costumed this big, funny Shakespearean musical.
“Bold, beautiful colors, and a lot of the boys actually…they actually wear a lot of leather in the show. Anyone associated with Shakespeare wears a lot of leather,” Hurlbert told CBS4.
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What they’ve done with “Something Rotten!” is place the production firmly in the days of the Bard, but twisted the story with rare delight, in order, to take it off in new directions that you never even thought existed. It’s fast, it’s fun, and it’s a musical.
There is being married on stage, and there is being married in real life, then there is the rare opportunity to do both.
“I tend to say that I think we’re a little closer to Nick and Bea than I care to admit,” said Rob McClure, who plays Nick Bottom in the Broadway musical “Something Rotten!”
Maggie Lakis and McClure are married in real life and on stage, and it gives them a little dose of reality on stage.
“Getting to perform together as a married couple is easier because we are married in real life and get that dynamic. And I hope that our real chemistry reads on stage,” McClure told CBS4.
On the other hand, that chemistry of knowing each other can also catch them a bit off guard.
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“Well, we know each other better than anyone else would know each other, so we can tell when something else is going on or something’s wrong, we can help each out. But there is a weird thing, the first time we start rehearsing he’ll start acting at me. And I’ll be like, ‘You’re just acting,'” Lakis said.
“When you know each other so well there is a moment when you’re like, ‘Don’t pretend at me. I can see through this,'” McClure added.
It’s just part of the fun that makes up “Something Rotten!”, a look at Shakespeare as you’ve never quite seen him before.
Critic At Large Greg Moody’s Review:
You sit down, the music starts, and you smile. And then you begin to laugh, and that laughter doesn’t stop for the next two hours.
“Something Rotten!” is a Shakespearean spoof that retells the earliest beginning of Broadway’s musical past. Two brothers, Nick and Nigal Bottom, are determined to out do Shakespeare, who is the rock star of his age. Out do him with the next big thing in shows.
And what a show it is. A great cast including, Blake Hammond, Adam Pascal, Rob McClure, Josh Grisetti, Maggie Lakis, and Autumn Hurlbert, rockets this show along, never giving you a chance to catch your breath.
It’s goofy, it’s funny, it’s musical, and it’s the kind of Broadway that everybody can love. It’s just too much fun.
The uplifting musical “Waitress” is playing December 19-31 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. With original music by Sara Bareilles, “Waitress” celebrates friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a good piece of pie. For tickets and information to to the “Waitress” page at denvercenter.org.
DENVER (CBS4) – On the surface of it, “Waitress,” the musical, is the story of Jenna, maker of marvelous pies, who seems trapped in her own life. On the other hand, two of her supporting characters, Becky and Dawn, help make the show what it is and help make Jenna’s life complete.
“Waitress” (credit DCPA)
“Everybody’s characters are just as important as Jenna’s. That’s what makes the show so special is that these particular two individuals, Jenna’s besties at the diner, have their own individual stories. So Jenna is constantly learning from Dawn, and constantly growing from Becky,” said Desi Oakley, who plays Jenna in the touring production.
For Becky, the diner is a place she can lift her mood.
“I think she uses humor, she uses her sass to get through…to you know, kind of nudge at her friends,” said Charity Angel Dawson, who plays Becky.
“Waitress” (credit DCPA)
For Dawn, it’s her search for both herself and more.
“I feel like her true north is always, like, the soft place to land scene. Coming back to these two who ground her and nourish that part of her heart and soul that is kind of finding who she is, and letting that part out,” said Lenne Klingaman, who plays Dawn.
In the end, they all emotionally support each other, in ways that become completely relatable to the audience.
“Waitress” (credit DCPA)
“It’s magic because we just pretty much say, ‘Hey, come on board, audience. Meet us where we are. We know each other, so it’s fun.’ It’s fun to see that and it’s fun to witness that and you recognize yourself in these characters,” Oakley explained.
It’s this emotional reality, as well as, the music by Sara Bareilles that makes “Waitress” come alive.
“I went in not knowing what to expect, but came out loving it and wanting pie,” said CBS4 Critic-at-Large Greg Moody.
“Waitress” is a musical about a diner, so the diner travels from city-to-city.
“You can’t have a diner without that iconic diner bell,” said Jovon Shuck, stage manager and pie wrangler, as he rang the bell.
Everything you need is there on stage, including real pie.
“We travel with our own kitchen, which I have right here next to me. All of the food in the show is real. There’s real eggs out there, there’s real pie, there’s real toast. So we have to travel a kitchen, complete with a convection oven for baking those pies,” Shuck showed CBS4 the traveling kitchen.
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“We have four kinds of real pie in the show. We’ve got this wild berry pie. We’ve also got apple pie, good old apple. pie. And there’s also pecan pie floating around out there on stage,” Shuck explained.
Not only are there real pies, but there are 60 specially designed prop pies that brighten the set throughout the show. Whole pies some of which used to be real.
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“Now a pie like this one starts out as a real pie, but gets a plastic coating and epoxy coating over it. So in the other pies, like this prize winning cream pie, is entirely a prop. It’s made out of all non-edible things,” Stuck said while showing some of the prop pies.
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They even have special strappy prop pies to handle the big Broadway choreography.
“So some of our pies have to be rigged for choreography, we call these the ‘strappy pies’ for obvious reasons,” Stuck said with a laugh has he holds a pie upside down by a strap.
When you have a musical about pies and pie making, naturally, you have to have a pie consultant on staff.
“I, basically, consult on anything and everything pie. The show is about a character named Jenna, a woman who is going through life changes, let’s say. And everything that goes on in her life, she really uses pie and her ingredients to tell her story, so the pie is, in essence, a separate character in this show,” said Stacy Donnelly, a baker and pie consultant with the touring production.
“Waitress” (credit DCPA)
Donnelly not only consults on pies, but she makes small jars of pie to tickle the taste buds of the audience.
“We sell these at concession, so that anybody and everybody can have pie when they come to the show,” Donnelly explained.
While she’s been transporting these pies from her bakery in New York to where ever the play is showing. While playing in Denver, she’ll supply and consult with a local bakery, so we won’t be left out in the pie-making cold. And some of the pies are quite unusual.
“Waitress” (credit DCPA)
“Actually, the one pie that we say all the time is ‘Betray by My Eggs’ pie. It has beets, and eggs, and sausage, and things that you would not normally think would come together, but actually tastes like a great frittata,” Donnelly said.
“What is your favorite pie in real life?” Moody asked Donnelly.
“It’s Oreo pie,” Donnelly replied with a laugh. “I’m a kid at heart.”
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The King & I” is a magical trip to 1860’s Bangkok, where an unconventional and tempestuous relationship develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher. Winner of the 2015 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, “The King and I” is playing at the Buell Theater until January 14th. For tickets & information go to “The King & I” page at denvercenter.org.
DENVER (CBS4) – For 66 years, “The King & I” has been a Broadway war horse. It’s a show to see and see again, never seeming to lose it’s dramatic punch. Part of that is in the soaring music by Rodgers & Hammerstein, the lush costumes, and the exotic staging. All of that comes wrapped in a story that reflects us, even 60 years later.
“The King & I” (credit DCPA)
“Even though the story was written in 1951, the issues that the story talks about, about extending the hand of friendship to someone who you maybe fear at first, but find out that you can actually find common ground with, is something that world leaders today and even normal people try everyday,” said Jose Llana, who plays “King of Siam.”
The story of Anna and the King is cloaked in classical music, expansive costuming, and compelling characters, which draws the audience in and hold them in their seats.
“The King & I” (credit DCPA)
“I think that’s the genius of Rodgers and Hammerstein and why they are the foundation of American Musical Theater, they’re able to tell really compelling stories matched with really catchy tunes,” Llana told CBS4.
In the midst of Anna and the King’s budding relationship, there is the story of star-crossed lovers “Tuptim” and “Lun Tha.” The audience sympathizes with them, roots for them, and wants them to be together. But even the actors playing this star-crossed couple question their fate.
“The King & I” (credit DCPA)
“I think everyone wants them to get away,” said Kavin Panmeechoa, who plays “Lun Tha”
“Well, they kind of do, in a way,” said Q Lim, who plays “Tuptim.”
“They do, yeah,” Panmeechoa agreed.
“It’s tragic, I mean it’s tragic, but I think we do do that,” Lim added.
“Yeah, but then, well then we get caught,” Panmeechoa said.
“Right, but we’re kind of free…” Lim said.
“We do, we have our moment of freedom,” Panmeechoa agreed.
“Because we’re dead,” Lim explained.
“Oh, in that regard, yes, then we are free,” Panmeechoa said.
One of the most elaborate aspects of the Lincoln Center Theater production of “The King & I” is the costumes.
“Hundreds and hundreds of pieces,” said Madeline Trumble, who plays “Anna.”
“They’re a bunch of pieces. They’re made out of a bunch of pieces. So one costume piece, like the colorful wives, they have four different pieces that go with one costume look, so there’s a lot of pieces in the show,” said Lyndsi Sage, wardrobe assistant.
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“Miss Anna” alone has six dresses, made up of several layers of heavy fabrics, making a quick change a huge challenge.
“I’ve got a couple of people that kind of follow me around and make sure I have everything I need. It takes like two or three people to get me into one of these dresses. You know, for balance, I’ve got to step into it, and then someone does up the back, and someone does up the front. It’s really a whole production. No one sees what happens behind the scenes, but that’s a whole other show,” Trumble explained.
“The King & I” (credit DCPA)
The huge, flowing dress for the big dance number actually has a handle built into it, so Trumble can grab it in a fluid motion and heft the weight of it gracefully. There are dog masks, children’s outfits, and clothing fit for a king, making “The King & I” a rich visual experience.
BOULDER, Colo (CBS4) – BDT Stage is performing the beloved Broadway musical “Annie.”
“Annie” (credit CBS)
Based on a comic strip, “Annie” tells the story of precocious orphan, Annie, who lives in 1930’s New York City. Annie is able to escape the orphanage, meet a President, and find a new home with “Daddy Warbucks.”
LINK: For Tickets & Information for “Annie”
Critic-At-Large Greg Moody’s review:
“Annie is one of the great war horse musicals of classic Broadway. It’s been performed big and small on Broadway, tour, regional and community stages.
“Annie” (credit CBS)
Everyone’s done it. Everyone’s seen it. But I’ve come to believe that the show only works if you have three key characters cast correctly: “Annie,” “Miss Hannigan,” and “Daddy Warbucks.” BDT Stage got the correct cast.
“Annie” (credit CBS)
Darcy Keating as “Annie” is a knock-out, raising the roof every time she breaks into song. It’s also a treat when you get to see Annie Dwyer or Wayne Kennedy on stage.
“Annie” is so well known you can recite most of the show in your sleep, but Boulder’s Dinner Theatre gives it a fresh spin that let me realize why I first enjoyed the show so many years ago.”
DENVER (CBS4) – Details of the lottery for the upcoming performances of “Hamilton: An American Musical” in Denver have been announced.
(credit: Joan Marcus/DenverCenter.org)
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts says 40 orchestra tickets will be sold for every performance for $10 each.
The first digital lottery opens two days before the first show (Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. for the Feb. 27 performance) and there will be a separate digital lottery for each subsequent performance that will also open two days prior. Each lottery closes at 9 a.m. the following morning.
The Denver Center says to enter the lottery, you’ll need to “use the official app for HAMILTON, now available for all iOS and Android devices in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store (hamiltonmusical.com/app).” Registration can also be done on at hamiltonmusical.com/lottery.
LINK: Further “Hamilton” Ticket Lottery Information
The national tour of “Hamilton” took Broadway by storm in 2015. Its run in Denver is from Feb. 27 through April 1. The show tells the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton, using original music that blends hip-hop, rhythm and blues, pop, soul, and traditional-style show tunes. The music, lyrics, and script were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Outside of the lottery, most tickets have sold for the Denver shows but additional seats may be available closer to the engagement.
DENVER (CBS4) – The English rock band, The Who, released “Tommy” in 1969, and critics hailed it as a breakthrough album. It tells the story of a boy, who doesn’t speak or talk. The musical version of “Tommy” opened in 1992, and it went to Broadway in 1993. Almost 50 years after it debuted on vinyl, “Tommy” is playing at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
LINK: For Tickets & Information About “The Who’s Tommy”
“It’s the text from the Broadway show, that’s the framework,” said Sam Buntrock, the director. “It talks about how we want people to be icons and not people. That’s the rollercoaster ride.”
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The character “Tommy” suffers a traumatic incident as a child, which causes him to withdraw. But as he discovers a talent for pinball playing, he has to learn to navigate the fame and fortune of success.
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“My own version of the piece is very human, and interested in exploring the relationship that ‘Tommy’ has to his past and his mythology,” Buntrock told CBS4.
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“Tommy” ultimately triumphs over his adversities, making this musical about hope, healing, and the human spirit. Themes that audiences of any era can relate to.
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“I think ‘Tommy’ will matter as long as people are still discovering that album, and discovering those tunes, and falling in love with it,” said Andy Mientis, who plays “Tommy.” “As long as rock music matters, I think, ‘Tommy’ matters.”
DENVER (CBS4) – The hit Broadway Show “The Book Of Mormon” is back in Denver by popular demand.
Book of Mormon (credit: CBS)
The musical was created by Colorado natives Matt Stone and Trey Parker — who also created the animated sitcom “South Park.”
Trey Parker and Matt Stone both grew up in Colorado, own a multi-million dollar mansion in Steamboat Springs. They met when they were attending the University of Colorado at Boulder. Comedy Central hired the pair in 1997. (credit: CBS)
“The Book Of Mormon” tells the story of a pair of Mormon missionaries sent halfway across the world to spread the good word.
Kevin Clay (credit: CBS)
Kevin Clay plays the lead role as Elder Price. He joined CBS4 to talk about the show’s humor and deeper message.
The nine-time Tony Award-winning musical opens Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. It runs through July 7.
LINK: Book Of Mormon Tickets
LOS ANGELES (CBS4) – The touring production of “On Your Feet” is making its way across the country. Recently, it had a star-studded premiere in Los Angeles, and CBS4’s Critic-at-Large Greg Moody was on the red carpet.
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Stars such as comedian Kathy Griffin, singer Michael Bolton, and actor Tom Arnold attended the opening. But the biggest buzz was for Emilio and Gloria Estefan.
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“Is it still exciting to see the show?” Moody asked the couple.
“Yes,” Emilio Estefan replied.
“Of course it is, and even more so because each tie we’re seeing it, it’s with people who haven’t seen it, most of them haven’t, so it’s always fresh and news. And we’ve got so many great people, celebrities and wonderful audience from L.A. here sharing with us tonight, and we’re happy,” Gloria Estefan said.
LINK: For Tickets & Information for “On Your Feet” in Denver
“On Your Feet” goes behind the music of Emilio and Gloria Estefan, inside the story of their rise to the top of the pop music world and the tragedy that almost took it all away. It’s a high energy combination of music and dance, which has become a keystone in the Latin community and a Broadway staple.
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“This show is very important because it’s a true story about two people that conquer the American dream, and did it with passion, with love, with faith, with family. And, I think, in the times we’re living, this message needs to be spread all over the country, all over the world,” said Mauricio Martinez, a singer and actor in “On Your Feet.”
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“On Your Feet”, the story and music of Gloria and Emilio Estefan runs August 8th through the 19th at the Buell Theatre in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
DENVER (CBS4) – The Broadway musical, “Beautiful”, opens for one week at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. It’s the story of singer/ songwriter Carole King and the prolific body of music she produced.
LINK: For Tickets & Information for “Beautiful”
“I’ve never identified so much with a role,” said Sarah Bockel, the actress who plays King in the touring production of “Beautiful”.
Bockel said she’s thrilled to play the music icon on stage.
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“She’s down to earth, she’s grounded, she’s goofy, and nerdy, and she kind of just sort of blurts out whatever she’s thinking. Yeah, she’s so fun to be. I identify with her a lot,” Bockel told CBS4.
Audiences may be surprised by just how many of Carole King’s songs they identify with, like “Natural Woman”, “You’ve Got A Friend”, and “I Feel the Earth Move.”
(credit: DCPA)
“My favorite song is ‘It’s Too Late’. I know it’s a sad one, but I think it’s the grooviest,” Bockel explained.
King has written 118 pop hits between 1955 and 1999. The musical focuses on her time writing with her then-husband, Gerry Goffin, and songwriting team, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, who were also married. The musical features many of King’s hits from that time.
“I feel like we’re creating a new generation of Carole King fans,” Bockel said.
(credit: CBS)
Bockel said that in addition to the music, there is a compelling story of what was going on behind-the-scenes between the two couples. And, that the whole experience comes with a strong message.
“There’s nothing that can get in the way of you achieving your goals but you,” Bockel said.
“Beautiful” plays at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts from Tuesday through Sunday.
