{"id":4116,"date":"2008-04-24T11:58:08","date_gmt":"2008-04-24T17:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cherscholar.com\/cherblog\/mask-the-pasade\/"},"modified":"2023-02-20T08:43:11","modified_gmt":"2023-02-20T15:43:11","slug":"mask-the-pasade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cherscholar.com\/cherblog\/2008\/04\/mask-the-pasade\/","title":{"rendered":"Mask, The Pasadena Playhouse Musical"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mask\"<\/a> Unfortunately I did not get to go to the Pasadena Playhouse<\/a> and see the musical resurrection of the movie Mask<\/em>. I only had one friend who was willing to go with me and then only with half-price tickets which were available but I was in France for most of the show’s run and then my friend had to go to New York during the last week of the run. So no cookies for me. Or "I Ride With Rocky" buttons which were allegedly available in the lobby.<\/p>\n

I was curious to hear the new songs written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil (who have done Barry Manilow songs I have loved before). The musical also promised to flesh out the story a bit more with a longer running time. Unfortunately, the reviews weren\u2019t all that great. <\/p>\n

Sean Mitchell of the LA Times made these points:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhen a play or musical derives from a popular movie, even one more than 20 years old, it is hard — if not impossible — to put the film out of your mind, certainly when staged within commuting distance of Hollywood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAllen E. Read, a young actor with a wonderful, emotive tenor, makes Rocky every bit as vivid and touching as Stoltz did. In the other two roles, however, the actresses tend to remind us of how good Cher and Dern were on-screen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main set, by Robert Brill, provides a painterly evocation of the Southern California suburbs, with a hazy sky dominated by power lines, dark palms and the crests of the San Gabriels. It is humble Azusa, to be precise…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA biker clan revealed as an unexpected cradle of homespun values is a hard sell, but it’s the sort of transaction made possible through the wiles of Hollywood and musical theater.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Mitchell actually liked the Mann and Weil music, but didn\u2019t feel the cast pulled off the energy needed to perform them successfully. I was surprised to hear that the character Dozer had some lead vocals. Wasn’t he was mute in the film? He sings "Close to Heaven," <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cdescribing to Rocky the transcendent experience of cruising the Black Hills of South Dakota on the way to an annual bikers’ convention.\u201d (Mitchell) <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We can picture Cher there at that convention, no? Other songs include:<\/p>\n