Next to Mediocre

As a former volunteer usher for the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center (home to the Civic Light Opera), I was excited to hear that it would be the location of the world premiere of the new musical Twice Upon a Time, slated to open at some point in the West End and possibly Broadway. Although after seeing the show, I'm not sure I should get my hopes up about being able to brag that I saw a show in my little corner of California before it went to London.

Previews began on Feb. 13 and opening night was Feb. 16 (the night I saw it). The show is set to close on March 2. The show is written and directed by Ray Cooney with music by Chris Walker and lyrics by Mary Stewart-David. I know workshops are a work in progress, but I was expecting something that I could at least picture eventually making its way to London, especially since Cooney is already a well-established British playwright.

The flimsy plot is centered around Steven (Brandon Michael Perkins), who lives in London and is a successful lawyer with a smoking problem. At his boss's insistence, he goes to a psychiatrist who uses hypnosis to get Steven to quit. His methods send Steven back to a former life as a Chicago gangster named Johnny. From then on, any wave of an object can send Steven back to Chicago and each time we have to deal with nauseating light flashes and echoes of the last dialogue he hears. This is where it gets confusing. Is he watching his old life? Is he a part of it? Can he actually change the course of Johnny's history? I still don't know the answer to these questions. In any case, Johnny falls in love with his mob boss' girlfriend Ruby (Misty Cotton), but in the present Steven is in engaged to Barbara (Jennifer Malenke), his boss's daughter. It is hard to get attached to any of the characters because we are never with them for long enough to really grasp what's going on or why they feel the they do for each other.

The show has an old-fashioned feel, which pays homage to Guys and Dolls with its gangsters singing and dancing routines. One could argue that a great storyline is not necessary. In how many shows does the love story show any real development? But usually those musicals, like say Anything Goes, have scores written by brilliant songwriters, like say Cole Porter. The score here, while enjoyable, especially the lovely ballad "The Truth About Ruby," is not enough to sustain the show.

Neither are the individual great scenes, which don't really tie together as a whole. These include an especially hilarious trip to the wedding caterers and an adorable dance number with Millicent Martin (whose character is pretty extraneous, but fun to watch).

Overall, the cast is strong. Perkins is charming in his double duty, but I still do not understand the appeal of Cotton, who stars in almost every Civic Light Opera production. Her voice is nothing special and her acting is cold. (Full disclosure: There are a few critically acclaimed actors that I've never understood the appeal of, like Bernadette Peters, so I might be missing something here.) The ensemble numbers are very well done, and a few supporting characters were particularly talented--Danny Bolero as Dr. Patel for his vocal work and Matt Bezmarevich as the catering manager for his comedic work.

This show may never be a smash hit, but with some plot changes and tightening and a new leading lady, it could be decent. On second thought, it might make it to London. After all, Starlight Express did well over there.

On the opposite coast, Next to Normal is another show with rumors of an eventual Broadway transfer. The off-Broadway show already has a cult following and got decent reviews, even after various workshops under the title Feeling Electric, it's still a mess.

This latest incarnation, directed by Michael Greif, who has a good track record with RENT and Grey Gardens, officially opened at the Second Stage Theatre on Feb. 13 and is set to close on March 16.

Dan (Brian d'Arcy James) and Diana (Alice Ripley) are parents to Natalie (Jennifer Damiano) and Gabe (Aaron Tveit). Natalie is dating Henry (Adam Chandler-Berat) and their relationship often mirrors that of her parents. Although Henry is the most endearing character, his presence takes away from getting too deep into other relationships, which are the heart of the story. I can't talk much about the plot without giving too much away, which is exactly the problem--it's too gimmicky. If you want to tell a story about manic-depression and how it affects a family, just do it without relying on cliche plot surprises and ridiculous musical numbers.

There is a lot about this show to like, which is what makes it so frustrating to watch. I so wanted it to be better. Kevin Adams lighting combined with Mark Wendland's three-tiered set is visually stunning. Tom Kitt's adrenaline-pumping rock score is strong, if only it wasn't undercut by Brian Yorkey's often insufferable lyrics. James does stupendous vocal work as always and he gives his character as much depth as he can in the scenes he is in. Having never seen Ripley, but having heard of her talent, I was disappointed with her voice, which was often nasally, but her acting made up for it. The young actors are also talented in the vocal department, but the acting is sometimes too over-the-top. Tveit is probably going to be a Broadway teen heartthrob a la the Spring Awakening kids, but his moves sometimes make Zac Efron's "Bet on It" look subtle. Damiano is also prone to this kind of arm flailing. Chandler-Berat was the most real on stage, however unnecessary his role.

A Broadway-transfer wouldn't be the worst thing, but before then, this show needs to decide what it wants to be. A few friends of mine were commenting on the sincerity of the musical Spring Awakening. I actually found the sincerity of that show refreshing, but in Next to Normal, some of the scenes are so earnest and then it will turn to satire with a Costco musical number. I'm all for a musical that deals with manic depression, but all those involved need to have more confidence in the story they are telling. And please, don't ever think that shock therapy should be put to music.

Some West Coast Competition for Magnolia

Too often, quality and/or popular food means giving up the customer experience. At Sprinkles Cupcakes in Los Angeles, customers wait outside, only to be herded in and out with no time to make a decision. BabyCakes Baking Company in Torrance, CA rivals every cupcake bakery on both coasts, plus the husband/wife team who own it make every customer feel welcome.

The bakery opened about two months ago. The pink and white decor gives the place an old-fashioned feel. The couple used to cater out of their house where she had time to perfect dozens of cupcake recipes. Every day, five signature cupcakes are offered and the rest vary from day to day.

We arrived about an hour before closing on a Saturday. They were running low on cupcakes, and they were out of her specialty, the vanilla with vanilla bean frosting. We said that was ok as you can get vanilla cupcakes anywhere, but the husband insisted that these were different, and she whipped us up one. While we were waiting, he gave us free samples (mini cupcakes which are sold for a dollar) of the chocolate mousse and the red velvet.

We purchased four cupcakes to split. I didn't try the lemon, but the strawberry cupcake with fresh strawberry buttercream was made with fresh strawberries which meant it was not too sweet. The banana with caramel frosting was good, although it tasted more like a muffin. But he was certainly right about the vanilla cupcake. The whipped cream center is a unique and delicious touch.

The bakery also sells cookies, muffins, and other pastries. The cupcakes cost $2.50 and the fresh ingredients and customer service definitely make it worth the price. I'm already looking forward to my next trip home when I can return for the sparkling pear cupcake made with champagne. And if they don't have it, I'll guess I'll just have to keep going back until they do.

Spinal Tap Fans Unite!

On Friday, I attended a Q&A with the cast of The Homecoming at Borders. Afterwards, I had the cast sign a copy of the play (no matter how hard I try, I can't shake the fan girl out of me). I spoke to Michael McKean about a few things, including This Is Spinal Tap, and he encouraged me to write a letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame asking them to admit Spinal Tap, as the band is approaching its 25 year anniversary. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website, "Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll." Nowhere does it say that fictitious bands are ineligible. I decided to take it upon myself to fight for this worthy cause and encourage others to do the same. Spinal Tap in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

Things That Make Me Confused

If I were to write my own version of "My Favorite Things," two items that would probably be on the list are musical theatre and dessert, or maybe I'd break up dessert into two sub-categories, cupcakes and ice cream. But that doesn't mean that I'm excited about this. Or this.

I guess the Catered Affair wedding cupcake makes sense because the show is about a wedding, but what about Spring Awakening suggests an oversized ice cream sundae? I guess they left that part out of the play about teenagers in Germany in the 1890s hanging out at the local malt shop. And is the Broadway industry so desperate that shows now have to pimp themselves out to dessert companies?

The Best Cure for the WGA Strike Blues

The rumor is that the WGA strike will end soon, but it will probably be a while before new episodes of non-reality shows air. In the meantime, you might want to check out The Battery's Down, a new web show about an actor trying to make it in New York City.

The two-part first episode premiered on February first and a new episode will be available on the website and on YouTube the first of every month.

The show was created by Jake Wilson, who also stars in it. He has a pretty impressive resume and some friends in the business, judging from the guest appearances on the show, but I wouldn't be surprised if this show gets him better offers.

Sometimes the show is a little too over-the-top, but it's meant to be. The catchy Avenue Q-like theme song and the Ferris Bueller musical are highlights (except for the fact that I fear some producer will see that and get an idea), but the selling point is the big musical number, "This Is Your Life," which squeezes as many theatre references as it can into a few minutes.

The show is obviously aimed at a very specific audience, so I'm guessing non-musical theatre junkies won't be too amused. But you might want to check it out anyway. It sure beats Celebrity Apprentice.*

* I've never actually seen that show.

Everybody's Gonna Love Today... Except Me

A fun little post for 52shows.com about my inability to get into a sold out show.

More Reasons to Love the Roundabout

As I said in the previous entry, I've been seeing tons of theatre lately. Some excellent ("Happy Days"), some good ("The Farnsworth Invention"), and some disappointing ("The Little Mermaid"), but I feel compelled to write about "Speech and Debate" because you are less likely to have heard about it.

I've loved the Roundabout Theatre Company since I saw Assassins at Studio 54 in 2004, which had one of the best ensemble casts I've seen in live theatre. Since then, I've never been disappointed in any of their productions. In the fall, the company introduced Access Roundabout, an initiative to encourage young adults to attend live theatre with discounted tickets to every performance, and Roundabout Underground at its new Black Box Theatre in the basement of the Laura Pels Theatre. The first of the productions is Speech and Debate by Stephen Karam. The play officially opened on October 29 and since then has been extended several times.


It is refreshing to see such an intimate theatre space just a block from Times Square. There is a cozy waiting area with couches and a bar for early arrivers. The theatre itself, which is general admission, seats about 60.

Three high school students with varying agendas who have secrets about themselves and their drama teacher form an alliance in, as you may have guessed, a speech and debate team. Solomon (Jason Fuchs) is an aspiring journalist, Howie (Gideon Glick) is a recent transfer who wants to start a gay-straight alliance, and Diwata (Sarah Steele) wants to star in the school musical and is also working on her own musical version of The Crucible. For a non-musical, this has some of the best musical numbers I've seen this season. From the sample of Crucible, one can only hope for a Speech and Debate sequel with the full scale version.

Susan Blackwell is the only "adult" in the show, and while she masters who two scenes, she lets her three young co-stars steal the show. Fuchs captures the anxieties and innocence of his character with little details like biting his thumb nail. Glick, is playing a teenager who came out at the age of ten, a far cry from the confused Ernst he played in Spring Awakening, but it would be a shame if he always gets typecast as the gay one. Still, he out of everyone feels most like a teenager in the way he can portray ultra-confidence and complete insecurity at the same time. Steele was Adam Sandler's sweet, chubby, smiling daughter in Spanglish, and one of the best parts of the movie, but who knew she could sing, dance, and bring so much humor and depth to a character? She's definitely one to watch.

The show is now set to close on Feb. 24. It would be nice if it would extend again so even more audiences could see it, but one can always look forward to the next Roundabout Underground show, if this is going to be the standard.

I'm back.

To the few people who read my blog regularly (hi mom), I apologize for being so bad about updating. I recently started a new job and to be honest, I've been wondering whether it'd be worth it to keep this blog up. But lately I've been thinking, even though I do a lot of writing at my job, I should have an outlet for review writing, just for fun, whether or not people read it. So I will try and write more regularly. I've been seeing tons of theatre lately (more than I should probably admit to), so more on that to come.

I'm Down With OSP

You must check out Old Springs Pike. Here's the review I wrote on one of their shows for 52shows.com.

A Death Over 100 Years in the Making

It's probably a good thing that Is He Dead?, written by Mark Twain in 1898, hasn't been performed until now because it's hard to imagine any actor in those 109 years could be as captivating as Norbert Leo Butz. The play, directed by Michael Blakemore, officially opens today (although the Playbill still lists the pre-strike opening night, November 29) at the Lyceum Theatre. In 2002, Stanford University English Professor Shelley Fisher Fishkin rediscovered the Twain play and brought it to producer Bob Boyett, who recruited David Ives for the adaptation (Jesse Green wrote a fascinating article on the process from the discovery to the production for the New York Times).

In the play, French painter Jean-Francois Millet (Norbert Leo Butz) can't sell a painting. When a snooty English man (played to comic perfection by David Pittu) wants to buy one of his paintings and then changes his mind upon realizing that the painter is still alive, Millet realizes that the only way for an artist to be successful is to die. His friends help him fake death, forcing Millet to pose as his widowed sister handling his affairs.

There is nothing particularly original or groundbreaking here, but then again most of it was written over a hundred years ago. Still, it's rare to find a show this funny that never loses its momentum. This is in large part due to the Butz, who bounces around the stage in drag with the same energy he displayed in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The supporting cast is just as engaging, especially Byron Jennings as the villainous Bastien Andre, complete with wicked laugh, and Pittu as four minor characters with a variety of accents. Even Jenn Gambatese was able to redeem herself from memories of the disappointing Tarzan with her performance as Millet's simple lover.

Aside from the problem of the multiple doors not staying shut, Peter J. Davison makes fantastic use of the vast stage with his set design. The cluttered effect of paintings everywhere makes the stage look much smaller in the first act, in contrast to the grandiose white room of the second act, when the characters have money.

Time will tell how successful the play is with critics and audiences, but with the all-star treatment Is He Dead? is getting, it's hard not to see parallels between Millet and Twain, who was just coming out of bankruptcy when he wrote this. I guess the answer to the question is that no, an artist is never really dead as long as his work lives on.

Northernly Exposed, Again

In the early '90s, my television habits mostly consisted of educational programs and cartoons. There were shows that my parents watched that were forbidden to me and my younger brother, such as Beverly Hills 90210, but the one "adult" show that they never had a problem letting me join them for was Northern Exposure. I was not even 8 years old when the show first aired, so I'm sure some of it went over my head (Chris in the Morning quoting Jung, for example), but I loved it. Now that the show is reairing on a local PBS station (which means no commercials), I can experience the show from an older and supposedly wiser perspective.

Northern Exposure aired from 1990 to 1995. The show was about Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow), a Jewish Columbia med school grad, who was forced to practice four years in the fictitious town of Cicily, Alaska to pay off his medical school debt. The characters are what appealed to me so much the first time--Joel's love interest and sparring partner Maggie O'Connell (Janine Turner), the sweetly innocent film buff Ed Chigliak (Darren Burrows), the Rolling Stone-ordained minister and DJ Chris Stevens (John Corbett), Joel's often silent secretary Marilyn Whirlwind (Elaine Miles), the young and silly Shelly Tambo (Cynthia Geary) dating the much older Holling Vinceour (John Cullum), and the rich astronaut Maurice Minnifield (Barry Corbin).

What I didn't remember about the show is how brilliantly the wide range of music tied in with the plots. One particular example that stands out is "Pretty Lady" from Sondheim's Pacific Overtures during a flashback of Maurice seeing Shelly for the first time. It sounds like pretty background music for a love at first sight scene, but the lyrics about sailors mistaking a Japanese girl for a prostitute reveal that the situation is more about love than lust.

It's pretty rare to find a show with intelligent dialogue that balances funny and tender moments. It's even more rare to find a show that everybody in my family enjoys. I'm so happy to have rediscovered it, I just may be tempted to save up for the complete series on DVD.

Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd...

I tend to view Entertainment Weekly as a guilty pleasure magazine, but I am often pleasantly surprised at how well-written and informative it can be, especially in the Holiday Movie Preview issue. I usually don't like to read too much about a movie that I'm anticipating because I like to be surprised, but I really enjoyed this article by Steve Daly about the making of Sweeney Todd. It gives an interesting look at how the film was made, without giving too much away. I especially loved that Stephen Sondheim approved Depp for the role without hearing him sing.

Tonight We're Going to Party Like it's 1999

As I mentioned in a previous entry, today both the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears released new albums, titled Unbreakable and Blackout, respectively. MSN.com offers a free listen, but it's not really worth wasting an hour and a half of your time (I learned that the hard way).

The Backstreet Boys, in addition to developing an inexplicable fondness for the prefix "un," delivered a boring album. Each power ballad seems to be a weaker version of the one before and even the few dance tracks seem to drag.

Britney Spears' Blackout is no more memorable. Most of the songs sound like the repetitive "Gimme More," all sung in that breathy whine of hers. I will give her one thing over BSB, she does know how to laugh at herself, such as in the autobiographical "Piece of Me" with lyrics like, "I'm Mrs. Most likely to go on TV for stripping on the streets." I can't give her too much credit, as she didn't write the lyrics.

Maybe Ms. Spears should have asked advice from her former beau and the Backstreet Boys should have enlisted Justin Timberlake's help instead of JC Chasez because so far, JT seems to be winning the battle of the '90s pop stars.

52shows

I started writing for a live music blog, 52shows.com. My review of the Pipettes at the Echoplex is up now.

I Want Candy

I love October--pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pies, the beautiful fall weather, and candy sales galore. I know I'm supposed to be buying candy for the kids who will come around trick-or-treating, but I can never resist the urge to try whatever new combinations of flavors the candy makers will come up with each Halloween (I'm a purist for many things, but candy isn't one of them). This year, three new variations on some classics caught my attention.


The limited edition Elvis Reese's are my favorite so far. It's pretty much the same peanut butter and chocolate goodness, but with banana creme. It's like a peanut butter and banana sandwich, but better because it has chocolate. It's also a better combination than the caramel Reese's that were introduced last year.


Candy Corn Hershey's Kisses, which are only available at Target, also combine two of my favorite flavors--candy corn and chocolate. They are certainly cute and while there is a hint of candy corn, the overpowering flavor is white chocolate. One of these Kisses is more substantial that one candy corn, but I think candy corn is one treat that tastes better in its "natural" form.


Three Musketeer Mint was the most disappointing. This dark chocolate bar with a mint filling tastes very similar to a York. Don't get me wrong, it's delicious, but the only thing inherently 3 Musketeers about it is the fluffy texture. I was thinking that it would have the traditional chocolate nougat in addition to the mint, but that was not the case.

Anyone else have any particularly good or bad candy experiences this Halloween?

Backstreet's Back, Alright?

I will forever associate the Backstreet Boys with the summer of 1996. I was vacationing in Europe with my family and "Get Down" was a huge hit in pretty much every country we visited. Despite its ridiculous lyrics (especially in AJ's rap attempt), I couldn't help but dance along every time it came on. I wondered who these five guys were and why I hadn't heard of them, but gave it little thought until two years later when their US debut album, Backstreet Boys, became a huge hit. I'll admit that I bought that album (using my little sister as an excuse). I bought it mostly for sentimental value, but I actually enjoyed it. I was pretty anti manufactured pop groups at the time, but something about this group appealed to me. Maybe it was the harmonies, maybe it was the dance parties it provided the soundtrack for, maybe it was the whispered spoken interludes between many songs (but probably not). As fond as I was of the group, don't count on me waiting in line on October 30 to buy its seventh album (minus Kevin), Unbreakable. Incidentally, this is the same release date as the album for another blast from the '90s past, Britney Spears.

Unbreakable's first single, "Inconsolable" is yet another ballad, which could be the cousin of "Shape of My Heart." The harmonies aren't as strong with one less voice, but it's a perfectly acceptable song for the Backstreet Boys. I probably wouldn't have had a problem with it had it been on Backstreet Boys, but I don't want to see these guys post-marriage, post-children, post-rehab, trying to relive their glory days. I want to remember the Backstreet Boys as they were when I first saw that video on MTV in Europe and they persuaded me to get down.

You can check out "Inconsolable" here

No es Perfecta, es Miranda! mi Amor

If you’ve never heard of Miranda!, think Argentine version of the Scissor Sisters meets Mika. Ale Sergi (vocals), Juliana Gattas (vocals), Lolo Fuentes (guitar), and Nicolas Monoto Grimaldi (bass) specialize in over-the-top theatrics and electro-pop fun. El Disco de tu Corazon, Miranda!’s third full-length studio album was released on August 28 in the United States. The bright and glittery packaging of the album is hard to resist (and why I picked up the album in the first place at a music store in Buenos Aires), but the music itself ends up falling slightly short of expectations.

Nothing on this album is as addictive as the band’s biggest hit “Don,” off of the album Sin Restricciones. With its constant changes, danceable beats, and falsetto vocals, it was different from anything being produced in Argentina at the time. The problem is that when a band perfects the art of the pop song, it’s hard not to hit a plateau. Still, there are plenty of enjoyable dance tracks like the eerie “Prisionero” and the silly “Hola.” “No Me Celes” is perhaps the best song on the album, and it doesn’t even have the aid of synthesizers and sound effects, just sweet vocals and a Latin-flavored melody courtesy of la guitarra de Lolo. None of the lyrics on this album are as clever as “Don” or as provocative as “El Profe,” (also off Sin Restricciones) a song about a professor seducing a student. On “Voces,” when Ale sings “Voces adentro de mi costantemente quieren convencerme de algo que hare sin querer (voices inside of me want to convince me of something I’ll do without thinking),” it comes off as cheesy, but not in the self-aware way of previous albums, such as when the band performs telenovela theme covers.

For all these petty complaints, it’s hard not to love Miranda! After all, the title of the album translates to the album of your heart, and how can a band who wears superhero outfits, top hats, and roller skates, not find its way to your heart?

Disney Channel's Newest Original Series is Anything But

For its newest series, Wizards of Waverly Place, Disney uses its tried-and-true recipe. Familar faces from other Disney Channel shows/movies. Check. A fashionable and spunky heroine with a secret. Check. Annoying brother. Check. Check. Mean girl. Check. Dorky best friend. Check. The formula worked well in the past, but this show could have used a bit more originality to give kids a reason to watch when they could be watching Hannah Montana or Harry Potter.

Wizards of Waverly Place premiered last night at 9:30 p.m., although from now on it will air Fridays at 8:30 p.m. Alex (Selena Gomez), her older brother Justin (David Henrie), and her younger brother Max (Jake T. Austin) are three wizards in training. Before you think Hogwarts, this show is more Sabrina the Teenage Witch than Harry Potter. By day, they keep their magic a secret and attend school in New York City and by night (well, more like afternoon), their father (David DeLuise) teaches them wizardry.

In the first episode, Alex duplicates herself so she can attend a crazy 10 minute sale and not have to miss wizard class. Disney Channel has been running promos featuring this episode's major plot points all month long, which only added to the "Haven't I seen this before?" feeling. The funniest moments took place in the form of pop culture references. The sale took place at Suburban Outfitters, Max got his first wand, an eWand which doubles as an MP3 player, and the duplication spell sounds like "Edge Bono U2 sus".

If anything, this episode just leaves the viewer with questions. Are there other wizards in New York City? Why does the dad ask Alex to duplicate him at the end? Isn't he a wizard too? Is the mom a wizard? The terms for the show are not really set, although a visit to the Disney Channel website does answer some of these questions. The children are training for their wizard test, which will determine which one will keep his/her powers. There can only be one wizard per family. Their father already lost his powers to his brother, which explains why he cannot do magic himself.

As far as acting goes, it's pretty par for the course for a Disney series. Henrie is likeable as the teacher's pet older brother, but Austin has definitely not improved in the acting department since "Johnny Kapahala Back on Board." Gomez seems to be trying too hard to be the next Disney Channel starlet. Of course, I'm not the show's target audience and tweens will no doubt enjoy the crazy antics without too much questioning.

There is still time for Wizards of Waverly Place to improve. This was only the first episode. Maybe the next few won't feel so much like an edgebonoutoosus spell gone wrong.

High School Musical: La Seleccion Es Lo Mas!

By now, everybody knows about the phenomenon that is High School Musical, which includes two movies, an ice tour, and a stage musical. Pre-pubescent Americans aren’t the only ones buying it up, the little made-for-tv musical that could is a worldwide phenomenon. In Argentina, High School Musical is so popular that Disney is creating an Argentine production of the film (until now, tweens watched a dubbed version with the songs played in their original English for their HSM fix). In order to cast the leads, Canal 13 is airing High School Musical: La Seleccion, a reality show in the tradition of You’re the One that I Want and its British predecessor How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria. A Mexican version of La Seleccion is simultaneously being aired in Mexico.

High School Musical: La Seleccion airs every Sunday night on Canal 13 in Argentina and replayed every Monday night on the Disney Channel, but episodes can be viewed worldwide on the channel’s website. Episodes are usually up by Tuesday and there is a backlog of episodes to catch up on the season. Twenty-six thousand young adults were narrowed down to 20. There are eight remaining and of those eight, four will be chosen to portray Troy, Gabriella, Ryan, and Sharpay.

Argentine reality shows (of which there are many) tend to be much more rigorous than American versions. The 20 finalists attend “escuela,” a sort of High School Musical training school. Each week culminates in a concert in front of a live studio audience. A panel of four judges the performances and the scores are then combined with a score for escuela. The two with the lowest scores go to the phone votes. Unlike You’re the One That I Want, only one person is eliminated each time, regardless of sex. Therefore, a boy can be up against a boy, a girl against a girl, or a boy against a girl (this last one is not really fair, because the boy almost always beats out the girl in the phone votes). Whoever wins the phone votes is still allowed to participate in the concerts. Unlike other reality show in which the losers go home, the kids who lose the phone vote still participate in school and are usually background dancers and singers during the concerts. Also, everybody had a chance to participate in the recording of the soundtrack (for the television show, not the movie), which is already gold in Argentina.

Last week was the final week for eliminations and the eight remaining finalists, four boys and four girls, will perform in the concerts until the end. So far, everybody who was eliminated deserved to go home. The theme of the show is “cantar, actuar, bailar” (sing, act, and dance), but of the original 20, only about six are a triple threat. This week, each contestant performed a song and the judges made comments, but did not give scores. At the end, the judges deliberated and decided which roles four of the contestants would be competing for. The other four will be decided next week. The whole episode was fairly pointless, but entertaining nonetheless.

Most of the contestants go by cutesy nicknames and the eight finalists are Fernando Dente (Fer), Walter Bruno (just Walter), Juan Macedonio (Juanchi), Gaston Vietto (he goes by Gaston, but they also call him “El Charango,” the name of an instrument which he plays), Agustina Vera (Agus), Delfina Peña (Delfi), Sofia Petros (Sofi), and Valeria Baroni (Vale).

Of the remaining male contestants, Fer has the best voice. He has a good range, consistently gives entertaining performances, and can actually dance and sing at the same time without losing his breath. He is a versatile actor who can do great comedic performances, but can also play the Romeo. The judges have not yet decided whether he will be competing for Troy or Ryan. He does have the Troy hair going on, but he is so good at being silly that I kind of hope he plays Ryan. He is the only one of the four that I think can do something with the role.

Walter is probably my favorite. I love his falsetto and his self deprecating humor (the poor kid has braces). The judges also haven’t decided which role he is going for, but if they have any sense, they will pick him for a Troy.

Juanchi is one of the fan favorites, but he is the most inconsistent of the males. He brings the house down with his rock performances, but he does not have the best vocal range. Altough he has given some weak vocal performances, he is, as the judges say, an excellent "showman". When he had to sing Mika’s “Grace Kelly,” a song that was clearly out of his range, he worked it with his energy and dance moves and the audience and judges ate it up. The judges picked him as a Ryan, which seems a little off. He is too rock ‘n’ roll and not enough musical theatre. He would make a good Chad, since he’s got that whole too cool for school thing going on, but unfortunately, they’re not auditioning for that role.

Gaston has no right still being in the competition. He has yet to sing an entire song without going out of tune. Gaston was saved twice by the fans and it’s fairly safe to say it was because of his looks. He was lucky last week because there were no more eliminations, otherwise he would have been in the bottom two again. The judges picked him as a finalist for Troy, much to everybody’s shock, but I think they did it because they know he won’t win and it will guarantee that either Walter or Fer will be Troy.

Delfi has the best voice of the girls. She looks a little too old to be Gabriella, but I was really hoping she’d get that role. The judges picked her as a finalist for Sharpay, probably because she is the only blonde and it's the role that she obviously wanted. However, this week she did some acting scenes as Sharpay and I have to say her acting abilities leave something to be desired, although she did channel her inner diva when performing her rendition of “Bop to the Top.” Sure beats Ashley Tisdale.

Agus has by far the best personality and acting skills of the girls. One of the best performances was Agus and Fer singing “Don” by Miranda! They have such great chemistry on and off stage that ideally she would play Sharpay to his Ryan. Agus does not have the most consistent voice, but at least she does not have a lot to live up to. The judges haven’t decided which role she is going for, but I kind of worry that she would lose to Delfi because everyone is convinced that she is Sharpay (probably because she is blonde). It wouldn’t be the worst thing if she played Gabriella; she gave a very sweet performance to Fer’s Troy.

The judges seem to love Sofia, but there is nothing special about her. She has a decent voice, but she does not show enough emotion when she sings and seems very stuck up. She might make a good Taylor, but she is going for the role of Gabriella.

Vale also has a decent voice, but she is boring. She always gives the most forgettable performances, plus she would have been in the bottom two last week, so she doesn’t seem to have a good shot. The judges haven’t decided who she is going against, but it hardly matters because she won't beat either Delfi or Sofi, the judges’ darlings.

The judges are one of the main reasons why the show works so well. They give constructive and detailed comments and hopefully the contestants are learning from them. The three female judges—-Soleded Pastorutti (singer), Laura Oliva (dancer/actress), and Andrea Del Boca (actress)—-are too nice. They tend to give everybody high scores, but somehow their comments are detailed enough to make up for it. Andrea is the worst, she pretty much always gives tens. She admitted in one episode that she wanted to be the nice one, but she’s not helping anyone by telling these kids that they are perfect and they don’t need to improve. The best and most under-appreciated judge is Peter “I’m sorry” Macfarlane (opera and musical theatre director), the Simon Cowell of the group. The contestants, judges, and audience members seem to hate him, but he obviously knows his stuff. He has never given anyone a ten because nobody has ever given a perfect performance. He constantly teaches musical terms to host Matias Martin, the family members of the contestants, and anybody else who cares to listen. His biggest pet peeve is singers who go out of tune (and rightly so). He also calls the “professors” out for the songs they choose, such as songs in English for students who clearly cannot pronounce a word of it or the “Grace Kelly” fiasco.

The coaches, Ricky Pashkus (theatrical director), Virginia Modica (vocal coach), Fernando Lopez Rossi (musical director), Veronica Garabello (dancing coach) are always ready to defend their choices, which often results in some pretty intense arguments. A frequent complaint by the judges is the English songs. Many Latin singers do sing in English, but these kids are just starting out. It’s hard enough for them to perform every week without the added difficulty of pronunciation. It would be one thing if every contestant had a song with the same level of difficulty every week, but the song selection seems totally random. Someone will perform a rock song, someone else a ballad, someone will sing in English, another in Spanish, some have to perform a duet, and others solo. The show would have benefited from theme nights to level the playing field, such as duet night, musical night, movie night, maybe even Queen night (they seem to really like picking Queen songs).

It's not perfect, but this is still a really well done television show that I can't get enough of.

You can watch episodes on the Canal 13 website.

Ben Kweller at the Echo

Check out my PopMatters review of Ben Kweller's three nights at the Echo.