I have a few reviews I’ve been meaning to write.
The first was the latest concert by the Denver Women’s Chorus, “Girls Rock IV”. I felt this show had more energy and enthusiasm than some of their more recent outings. “Girlfriend” was particularly memorable, as was Take Note! with “Don’t Forget the Mexican Spices” and “Flashdance”. It wasn’t all rock and roll, either; “Lullaby” was appropriately somber. My only negative comment was the sound. The acoustic guitar amp and drums drowned out the ladies, at least on my side of the room. Fortunately, the band was only employed in a few songs.
Sound also marred an otherwise excellent presentation of “Jekyll and Hyde” by Performance Now at the Lakewood Civic Center. The choreography, stagecraft, and acting communicated the story quite well, which compensated for the distressing sound issues. They used wireless mics, and the feedback, popping, and other technical challenges made me and my compatriots wonder why they bothered. The acoustics in that theater are wonderful, as my wife pointed out. As a result, the dialogue was nigh unintelligible. At times, the poor chorus drown out the leads, most notably Hyde during “Alive”. Thus, despite the wonderful visuals, I can’t recommend it.
I also saw “God’s Favorite” at the Gaslight Theater. Gaslight is always such a treat; they make so little go so far. Britt Lafield was inspired as Sidney Lipton, and Ed Schoendradt brought Joe Benjamin to life. Kudos on a job well done! I volunteered to work concessions one night, and found that helping people get brownies and drinks during intermission added a wonderful new dimension to the theater-going experience. I’m really looking forward to “Blithe Spirit” this fall.