Tonight we headed back out to the Signature Theatre to see their new production of "Ace", a new musical about, well, its hard to summarize, but there's a kid who is put in foster care while his mother is in the hospital and he slowly starts learning about who his dead father was. (A fighter pilot, natch.)
The show was good, with some clever lyrics and a good smattering of funny lines. But the best part was the casting. It was a solid cast across the board, with lots of Broadway performers. (George Dvorsky! Florence Lacey! Christiane Noll!) But can I just say how much I love Emily Skinner? She played the foster mom, and while everyone knows she can sing, boy is she just a terrific actress. So lovely. Also terrifically amazing was eleven year old Angelina Kelly. Unlike in movies where you can edit together a child performance, in the theatre lets just say not too many child performances are all that moving. But this girl was hysterical, and quickly won the audience favorite award, even earning several shouted bravos after her solo. Sweet.
As we walked out of the show, I had to sit David down on a couch in the lobby, because I had to give him the bad news. "David", I said, "I'm sorry to have to tell you like this, but I am dumping you for Jill Paice." "And I'm sorry too," he replied, "because I've already dumped you for her."
Jill Paice is crazy awesome! She just got back from playing Scarlett O'Hara in the London musical version of "Gone With The Wind", and watching her here you can totally see why she would get picked for a part like that. I couldn't take my eyes off her when she was on stage, whether she was speaking or not. She is gorgeous, with an amazing voice, and eyes that open up her soul. Sorry, I'm running out of adjectives, but she was so compelling and exciting to watch. That is why I love going to the theatre, to see magic like that. She reminded me a lot of Audra MacDonald in "110 In The Shade", even if this role wasn't nearly as joyous as Audra's was. But she had that same special spark that deserves a Tony.
The story of the show moves along pretty well, though I think there have been some pretty major rewrites from the demo version of the show that I've heard, with just a few last holes that probably need to be cleaned up before they reach their goal of going to Broadway. But thanks to some really great performances, this is probably the best show we've seen since we've been in DC. Yes, "The Visit" had Chita Rivera, but the show itself was a mess. "Ace" might not be the next mega-hit, but it is solid enough, keeps you interested and I left the theatre humming the main theme, always a good sign. But what I will remember most is Jill Paice. Wow.
Next spring they are doing a new musical based on the movie "Giant". I can't wait!
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That's awesome! There is nothing like a night of theater!! While you were watching Jill Paice I was watching as Barack Obama inspired a nation. I watched this man lay out a plan for our country that I can get behind. I watched this man explain, plainly that if we want to get this country back on track we need to move past the Bush legacy. He didn't attack McCain personally. He didn't tare him down. He explained the inherend differences between their policies. He explained why we need the change. He made that case that he is the right man to lead this country out of mess of the last eight years. I hope you watch.
ReplyDeleteMiss you guys!!
based on the the BOOK "Giant"
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