Profile for Jeffrey Karasarides

I caught the tour of Water for Elephants in Durham last night. I’ve never read the original novel. Although fun fact, the author, Sara Gruen, happens to be currently living in western North Carolina. Meanwhile, I have seen the 2011 nonmusical film adaptation starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, and Hal Holbrook. That one was pretty good I thought. So what do I think of this musical?

The story begins with an older Jacob Jankowski visiting the circus before it heads out of town. Seeing all this leads to him reminiscing to employees about his very first circus job. This particular framing device does offer the audience an interesting way into the story as Older Jacob looks back throughout the show. The book by Rick Elice does deal with a pretty tricky tone. There are times where it’s funny when it needs to be. There are also times where it’s serious when it needs to be, especially late in the second act. Thankfully, Elice manages to keep things well balanced. The score by indie folk band PigPen Theatre Co. may not be the most accomplished in the world, but it does have some fun, rowdy production numbers as well as some solid ballads.

Under the direction of Ryan Emmons, who was an associate to Jessica Stone on the Broadway production, he pulls off such imaginative staging. The circus work designed by Shana Carroll comes off as stunning as does her choreography with Jesse Robb. Bradley King’s lighting is incredible. There’s very colorful costumes designed by David I. Reynoso. Although the puppets for all the animals are so impressive to behold. Designers Camille Labarre, Rat Wetmore, & JR Goodman truly deserve all the credit for that. Several members of the cast happen to have background working in the circus or in some cases, Cirque du Soleil. It really shows as their experience is put to good use in all the circus sequences.

As for the main characters, Zachary Keller makes for quite a charismatic Jacob, making the audience feel for him throughout the night. Robert Tully, who plays Older Jacob, does such a compelling job narrating the story. Not only that, but he also truly feels like an older version of the main protagonist we’re watching as he even has the same mannerisms. Helen Krushinski gives a very lively and heartfelt performance as Marlena Rackinger, the star performer of the circus who Jacob eventually falls in love with. She also shares very believable chemistry with Keller. Yet the standout of the cast is Connor Sullivan as Marlena’s husband, August Rackinger, the ringmaster. He gives such excellent work as a man who can be charming and generous, but also brutal as he abuses the animals in his care and the people around him.

Water for Elephants isn’t necessarily, as any circus would be advertised as, “The Greatest Show on Earth.” With that being said, it still proves to be a good time at the theatre. Sure, there is a scene in Act II where certain audience members may want to look away. However, there is still so much more to appreciate from the stagecraft to the performances to the story.

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fashionguru_23 said: "I believe this was the first ceremony where critics were not a part of the voting block, which is why some people felt Memphis won Best Musical over Fela."

What happened was that all the theater critics and reporters lost their Tony voting privileges as a "conflict of interest". Which meant that most of the remaining Tony voters were producers, theater owners, and presenters of touring productions. So there was the sense that they were going to champion shows in which they have financial stakes. Although the following season, members of the New York Drama Critics Circle were welcomed back into the voting body.

Universal Studios U.K. Theme Park Approved in Bedford Opening Door to Potential WICKED-Themed Experiences

I'm not sure if the Terry Johnson-helmed revival of La Cage aux Folles recouped, but it at least ran longer than the prior one from Jerry Zaks.

SisterGeorge said: "Just how many endings can 1 movie have?"

In Musical Hell's review of the first Mamma Mia! film, she that "When you're wrapping up a 10-hour trilogy (like Lord of the Rings), you can justify spending time 15 minutes on the conclusion. For something that doesn't even break two hours, it's a bit excessive."

Kiss of the Spider Woman has just received a Critics' Choice Movie Award nomination for Best Costume Design.
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/WICKED-FOR-GOOD-Receives-7-Critics-Choice-Award-Nominations--Check-Out-the-Full-List-20251205

The GMA performance will be airing tomorrow morning.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DR0vM7LDuBv/

I caught the tour in Durham last night. I’ve never read the original novel, but I remember hearing about it when I was in middle school. Especially the fun fact that it was written by a teenage girl. I have seen the movie, which I thought was pretty good. So what do I think of the musical?

Director Danya Taymor’s staging is not only cinematic, but also very creatively done on an inventively used set designed by AMP & Tatiana Kahvegian. Not to mention that she also crafts such striking images throughout the show. Brian MacDevitt’s effective lighting and Hana S. Kim’s stunning projections also play a large part in that. A good majority of the cast each gives strong performances.

Standouts to me were Nolan White as Ponyboy Curtis, Corbin Drew Ross as his brother, Sodapop, and Travis Roy Rogers as his other brother, Darrel (pun intended). I also did quite like Bonale Fambrini as Ponyboy’s best friend, Johnny Cade, Tyler Jordan Wesley as fellow greaser Dallas Winston, and Mark Doyle as Bob, the leader of the Socs. The choreography by Rick & Jeff Kuperman is very precised, stylized, and athletic. It’s especially impressive in the big rumble in Act II, where it literally rains on stage.

Among the Tonys The Outsiders did not win was for the score by Jamestown Revival & Justin Levine. If you ask me, it’s easy to see why. I actually have listened to the original Broadway cast recording a few times prior to attending. Even after seeing the show itself, I still feel the same about the songs. They’re enjoyable in the moment, but fail to leave a lasting impression. Although the ‘Great Expectations’ number in Act I is definitely an emotional highlight. The orchestrations by Justin Levine & Matt Hinkley are certainly authentic to the overall setting.

Now to be fair, it’s much more forgiving for a musical to have a strong book, but weak score as opposed to the other way around. Yet the book for this one by Adam Rapp & Justin Levine still isn’t great. For one, a key ingredient for any great musical is to have an active protagonist the audience is supposed to root for. Even in Sweeney Todd, we root for the titular murderous barber on his journey as he plots his revenge on the man who took his whole life away from him. However, I’m not sure if this story lends itself to the medium of musical theater as it doesn’t appear to have an active protagonist.

We basically follow Ponyboy as he writes in his notebook the events of what’s happened to him and his friends. There’s also several times where he narrates directly to the audience. That tactic can be a very effective tool in theatre. Even musicals like Ragtime and Jersey Boys use it very well. However, what those two shows have is a distinct narrative style, which this one lacks. During intermission, I was talking to a friend who wasn’t enjoying it as they personally find the story to be dated. I can easily see that as the creative team appeared to have focused more on staying true to the novel that they forgot to find ways of approaching it with more modern sensibilities.

The Outsiders may have won Best Musical, but it was in a season with a bunch of contenders that didn’t spark a ton of enthusiasm. I don’t flat out dislike the show itself. There’s certainly several aspects to admire about it. I was emotionally moved at certain points. There’s a few nice moments of comic relief. Yet I was also pretty bored throughout. On the whole, the show is largely just OK. I have no regrets seeing it as I at least get to chime in with my two cents on it.

Click Here for My Full Review

Sutton Ross said: "Wendell Pierce was brilliant in the role only 3 years ago so it's interesting it's coming back so quickly."

Rudin probably doesn't care. After all, he did bring The Glass Menagerie back to Broadway with Sally Field three years after the previous revival with Cherry Jones.

This past weekend, Wicked: For Good saw a 57% drop at the box office.
https://x.com/GiteshPandya/status/1995158957225075109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1995158957225075109%7Ctwgr%5Ee8e6eea92940791c7519b2c2c962f0551d80b6c3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.goldderby.com%2Ftopic%2Fwicked-for-good-2025%2Fpage%2F4%2F

Last year, the first Wicked movie over $114,000,000 at the U.S. box office opening weekend as well as $164,200,000 worldwide. Not only that, but it also set records as the biggest global and domestic opening for a stage-to-screen musical adaptation, beating the worldwide opening of 2012's Les Misérables and domestic opening of 2014's Into the Woods.

This past weekend, both records were surpassed by the recently released Wicked: For Good. It made over $150,000,000 domestically as well as over $226,000,000 worldwide.
https://variety.com/2025/film/box-office/wicked-for-good-box-office-opening-weekend-record-1236590025/

TBone said: "“The Courtship” and the Entr’Acte are also missing from the track list."

Those, I do find to be a little more understandable. Not the case with 'Atlantic City.'

Interestingly enough, no 'Atlantic City.'

ljay889 said: "

Earlier today, I caught Wicked: For Good in theaters. Now that I’ve seen both parts, I’d say splitting this into two movies was the best decision the creative team made. If you’re familiar with the source material, you should know that Acts I & II both have very different tones. Gone is the more bright and vibrant tone of the first film, and it’s been traded for something much more serious. Similar to other musicals with darker second acts such as Oliver!, Fiddler on the Roof, and Ragtime. One of the complaints people had with Rob Marshall’s 2014 film adaptation of Into the Woods was how it adapted both acts into one movie (especially with its change of tone midway through). With Wicked split into two parts, it at least gives the story more breathing room.

Under Jon M. Chu’s direction, he successfully carries on a lot of the strengths of the first film into this one. The musical numbers are still mesmerizing to behold. Both Nathan Crowley’s production design and Paul Tazewell’s costumes continue to dazzle, Although Frances Hannon’s hair and makeup is even more impressive this time. A chief complaint people had last time was Alice Brooks’ cinematography. Does it still contain some plain white lighting? Yes, but the actual camera work is still easily the better part of it. As this installment follows parallel storylines for Elphaba and Glinda, Myron Kerstein’s editing impressively manages to balance out both of them.

Once again, screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox successfully dived deeper into the story, characters, and world of Oz. Although Stephen Schwartz also managed to beef up some of his score from Act II of the stage version (especially in the beginning), which was a nice touch. He also wrote two brand new songs, ‘No Place Like Home’ for Elphaba and ‘The Girl in the Bubble’ for Glinda. Having as of now only heard both of them once, they have good intentions, but neither are particularly memorable. Yet Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande do at least perform both of them very well. Speaking of which, both ladies once again kill it in their respective roles.

Erivo’s Elphaba in particular has grown a lot since the last time we saw her. She may still be an outsider, but not just because of her green skin, but because of the enemy she’s been painted as by the public. Her big standout moment was easily her powerhouse rendition of ‘No Good Deed.’ With Grande’s Glinda, she may still be funny, but also works well with meatier material this time around. Together, they both share such a heartwrenching rendition of the second act’s most popular (no pun intended) number, ‘For Good.’ I must say that it’s hard not to tear up during it. Jeff Goldblum may still be more of a talk-singer, but he at least does fare better this time with his rendition of ‘Wonderful.’ Not to mention that Michelle Yeoh really comes into her own here as the true villain of the story, Madame Morrible.

How does Wicked: For Good compare to the first movie? Many will understandably prefer the latter for its bright tone and arguably more memorable songs. Plus, the story beats in the second half with the more recognizable characters from The Wizard of Oz are kind of oddly put together. The end results are probably not as accomplished as its predecessor. With that being said, it’s still a satisfying conclusion to this epic two-part adaptation of one of the biggest musicals of all time.

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