THROWBACK 2021-2022 Toms River Theatre Extravaganza Rankings

Introduction: 

    Hello everyone! Since there is a gap for when I will watch plays and musicals again as fall productions are over, I thought I would write about the shows I saw LAST YEAR and rank them to have them all in one area! The shows that I watched include from the following schools:

Toms River High School North: Matilda (Musical)
Toms River High School South: Tarzan (Musical), The Outsiders (Spring Play)
Toms River High School East: Legally Blonde (Musical)
Donovan Catholic High School: Oklahoma! (Musical)

    Overall, there were some stellar performances and some not-so-stellar performances. Either way, watching them was interesting because I used to do theater myself. (A fun fact about me, to be honest.) Now, let's get into my rankings!


*** DISCLAIMER: These rankings will not be as comprehensive as the ones I will write as these shows happened in the previous school year, and I frankly do not remember the minute details, just my feelings about the shows.

Rankings:

4/5: Tarzan (Toms River High School South) and Oklahoma! (Donovan Catholic High School)

    These two shows' ranks are interchangeable for me because they, quite frankly, were doomed even before I watched them. I was never a fan of Disney's Tarzan, and I already knew I would never grow to like Oklahoma! because I was not into the plot. As a result, I was not a big fan of both schools doing these shows because I knew I would never like the story they were performing. And to be honest, objectively speaking, my disdain for both of them is pretty equal, which is another reason they have interchangeable rankings. Onto some more specifics for each school:

Tarzan:

    I remember the set design being great. It felt like I was in the jungle, and that is precisely where Tarzan is set. However, the costumes themselves were tacky, especially for the gorillas. But hey, I would rather have wonky costumes for the gorillas than potential cultural insensitivity (ahem, black face), so snaps for that. Nothing stood out in terms of acting, and I remember not liking most of the songs. I could never get fully invested, probably because I never particularly enjoyed watching Tarzan. If I am being honest, what salvaged my night was the company I was with when I went to see this show. Overall, pretty much not my favorite show.

Oklahoma!:

    Oklahoma! is an interesting case because this was the only production where I watched a live stream of the show. This proved to be a mistake. I could never get invested, not only because I did not like the plot but because I was watching it through a screen. I was also distracted by what was happening inside my home, so it is almost unfair to include this show. However, I remember enough to know I did NOT love watching the show. From the acting I did witness, it was alright. The singing by some characters, though, was downright atrocious. I do not recall who it was, but I remember his voice not fitting the songs. There were parts where I did laugh, more a chuckle, but most of the time, I was like this emoji: 🧍‍♀️. The set design was definitely something, though, from what I remember. Then again, this is not surprising given that Oklahoma! was performed by a private catholic high school. This show would have probably ranked higher than Tarzan had I watched it in person. But I did not, so here we are.

3: Matilda (Toms River High School North)

    The first show I watched in the 2021-2022 school year, and it honestly set the bar. The acting was stellar. There was never a moment where I was not laughing due to how the lines were delivered. The songs were pretty hit or miss, but they were usually hits. I also adored Matilda as a kid, which is probably why I was able to be more invested in the show. One thing that was definitely weak was the set design. There was not much, so it was disappointing. Costumes, though, were fun and very camp. This show was a solid production, and I was pleased to watch it.

2: The Outsiders (Toms River High School South)

    Even though Tarzan was disappointing, The Outsiders was NOT. Wow, this show was so fun to watch. Maybe it was because I had a new appreciation for the story after re-reading it. Or it was because of the execution of the show. To be honest, it was probably a mix of both. The acting was compelling, and the special effects were incredible. I still remember the scene where Dally kills himself. It was a blackout of two shadows on the projector screen, one a police officer and the other presumably Dally. A shadow stands there as the other shadow pulls the trigger, effectively killing himself. Watching that was incredibly haunting but so well done. It was a well-thought-out show, and the costumes were great for the setting. I absolutely adored this show and hope the South thespians put on a performance like this again.

1: Legally Blonde (Toms River High School East)

    This show was a stunner. The costumes were so fun and fit the early 2000s aesthetic of Legally Blonde. I also already loved the Legally Blonde movie, so I was going to have a fun time watching the production. The set design was great too. Tarzan and Oklahoma! had better sets, but the set design here was still great. The music was fun, and the acting was on par. I specifically remember the actress who played Elle Woods and the actor who played Emmett Richmond having great chemistry with each other. Similar to Matilda, the line delivery in this show was fantastic. I found myself laughing when Elle's friends were on stage and feeling sympathetic as Elle adjusted to being at Harvard. East's execution of the musical did the movie justice. It was a 10/10 show, and I wish I could go back and see this show once more because I absolutely loved watching it.

Conclusion:

    The shows I watched from the 2021-2022 school year were great overall. There were a couple downers, but the good shows more than made up for their downfalls. I also learned that I should never attempt to watch a theater production through a live stream again because I would not enjoy watching a show. The 2022-2023 shows are already showing much promise, so I cannot wait to see the rest of the shows.

Oliver

Introduction:

    Hello everyone! Once again, I am back with ANOTHER review to add to the Toms River Theater Extravaganza segment. I promise I will get to my other ones soon! This time it is the musical Oliver!, done by the Donovan Catholic High School theater family. Before diving right into my review of Oliver! I want to share my experience with everything that happened before the show because it was interesting.

    The initial reception was quite cold, especially on a chilly November night. From what I saw, many people were forced to wait in the freezing cold and could not get into the lobby until around 6:40 (at the earliest 6:35). As a result of not letting people into the show early, it became overcrowded quick. To make matters worse, many of the audience members who came early were elderly people. So not only did the school make people come in late, but they also made the ELDERLY wait in the freezing cold because they were not letting ANYONE in that door. I think the school should have allowed people to come to the performance area starting at 6:45 if they had bought tickets beforehand to let them get settled, especially the elderly, so they did not have to freeze in the November cold. It also would have helped the lobby be less crowded, considering it is small. Or, if the cast and crew needed all the time up until 6:50-ish, at least let the elderly into the lobby early; so they did not have to suffer in the cold.

    Not only that but there was one faculty member who was not quite understanding of my situation. I showed up extremely early to get this review out and surprise a friend so that I would not inconvenience my mother and so I could pick up my ticket. I was even told I could pick up my ticket after school by the person I corresponded with through email. I also brought things to do to not be a distraction for the staff, actors, and crew members preparing for the show. I genuinely did not want to cause issues. Once a faculty member realized I was a regular audience member, she started screaming at me. It even seemed like she was close to threatening to kick me out, even after I explained my predicament. The situation happened because a friend of mine (she found out about the surprise) wanted to take me backstage, and the faculty member got mad. Now she had every right to be angry about that, I will not lie. I get it. But to get mad at me for even being inside the school to wait to WATCH the show extremely early and get my ticket was unnecessary. I calmly addressed the fact that I understood I was not allowed backstage and even explained to her that although I was an ordinary audience member looking to get my ticket and wait inside because it was cold and for my mother to go to work, I had brought things to do to not be a distraction. I did my best to de-escalate the situation. However, she was shouting and screaming because of my very presence, which frightened me. She even refused to let anyone get me something to write with since I forgot to bring a pencil so I could jot down notes during the musical. Because I felt very threatened, I started bursting into tears. To put it into perspective, I sobbed at this school, where I was technically a GUEST, more than I have ever cried because of AP Chemistry, one of the more difficult AP courses. Not only that, but this event made me sob more than La La Land, and I sobbed my heart out because of that movie. So, it was not a great start to my experience with Oliver.

     Apologies if that was long, but the reception for this play had to be mentioned. Those in line around me felt that getting into the show could have been better and less stressful, so I wanted to shed light on it. I also wanted to bring up my experience so that people do not try to go there incredibly early, or they will get yelled at sadly (no matter the circumstances). Even with this rough start, I did not let this affect my opinion of Oliver. With all that stated, let me give you a little summary of the musical!

Synopsis:

    Oliver!, based on Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist, follows a young boy named Oliver Twist, an orphan in a workhouse who becomes an apprentice of an undertaker due to being "troublesome" in the orphanage. But due to being neglected, Oliver makes a grand escape to London in search of a home, a family, and for love. This search, however, leads Oliver to meet Artful Dodger, a boy around his age who picks him up and welcomes him into a gang of child pickpockets and thieves led by the conniving but charming Fagin. As a result of going on a stealing expedition with his fellow pickpockets, Oliver gets accused of a theft he did not commit. But, wealthy and kind Mr. Brownlow, the victim of said theft, takes Oliver in. Afraid of his hideout being found out, Fagin recruits menacing Bill Sikes, and warm-hearted but trapped under Sikes's control, Nancy to kidnap him back. Thus, Oliver's chances of finding a home, a family, and love are at risk.

Review:

    Wow. Before watching the show, I thought I would be writing about how much of a scam the $15 ticket price was for the performance the Donovan theater family would put on for Oliver. I mean, Donovan is not a specialized performing art school in the area (like GPAA) or a school with a specific program that focuses on the arts and theater (like the Art Academy, specifically the Theater strand, at Toms River High School North) to justify a ticket price like that. However, after watching the show, this private catholic high school in my area has honestly baffled me.

    As always, let me start off with the positives. The acting in the show was stellar. A lot of the actors and actresses had great facials throughout their performances. They were also able to effectively convey the emotions they were portraying. In particular, I thought that the actresses playing Widow Corey (a worker at the orphanage Oliver lived in and in a relationship with Mr. Bumble) and Nancy were fantastic throughout. The actress playing Nancy even got me to shed a couple tears during her solo "As Long as He Needs Me" due to how well she embodied the character and song. The singing in this production was also solid. Most people sounded great, so it was clear whoever cast the show knew which voices fit the role. A note I want to make about the casting is that Fagin is actually an elderly woman in this show! I thought it was cool to see this since Fagin is usually an elderly male. The actress who portrayed the character did an excellent job keeping true to Fagin's character but with a breath of originality. Overall, stellar performances by the cast in general.

    Now with musical performances come songs, and the songs did indeed deliver. A lot of the music in Oliver! was entertaining. I laughed during a lot of them because, out of context, they were about the most random things ever. "Food, Glorious Food," especially, was a song that I thoroughly enjoyed but more so for what it meant out of context and not because of the performance put on by the cast. The song is the opening act for the entire musical and is about kids at the orphanage fantasizing about having good food when getting their gruel. Some of the lines sung include: 

    Food, glorious food!

    Hot sausage and mustard!
    While we're in the mood --
    Cold jelly and custard!
    Peas pudding and saveloys!
    What next is the question?

    Rich gentlemen have it, boys --
    In-di-gestion!


    Clearly out of context, these lyrics are just goofy to read and hear. So I had fun with some of the songs due to how comical the lyrics could get.

    With the acting and songs being fun, a topic to also address would be crew work. Such work includes how the costumes, lights, and set design were handled. If there is one word to describe the overall look of this production, it would be expensive. For costumes, they looked gorgeous. I do not have a background in Victorian fashion, so I do not know if the wardrobe was accurate to Victorian times. But I can say that they looked fantastic. Everyone in the cast looked great. I especially loved the dresses chosen for the actresses as they looked incredible.

    I also have to sing some praises to the lights. Whoever worked the lights deserves snaps and jazz hands because the lightwork was great. I loved how spotlights were used to center on the characters actually singing or on stage. As a result, the background faded, and I could stay focused on the actors or actresses the lights were centered on. The color switches were also a fun part of the show. Say something terrible was about to happen? Bam! All of a sudden, the lights were switched to red. It was a tiny detail that was great since it subtly helped with foreshadowing.

    What was also detailed was the set design. MONEY went into set design with just one glance at the stage. There were balconies. There were detailed rooms. There were even background drops and a HANDPAINTED background. If there was one thing that blew me away the most with Oliver!, it was the set design. The theater family at Donovan KNOWS how to make use of the gym they performed in, and perform they did because cast members were even walking down the aisles where audience members were sitting for some numbers. Overall, it was some of the best set design work I have seen in my area.

    However, I am also aware that Donovan has the funds to have an expensive set design since it is a private school. With this musical, I fully understood the differences in set designs a private school or at least a school primarily focused on the arts would have compared to a production done by public high schools. Private and specialized schools can have bigger productions since more funding can be given to the arts program. Public schools, even with a focused art program, do not have such a luxury due to a lack of funding. I go to a public school with a specific theater arts program students can apply and take, but due to a lack of funding public schools often receive, the program has been severely limited by what they can do for set design. Because of Oliver!, it was interesting to see how even school theater productions can really exacerbate the differences in increased budgeting could do and the inequalities between public and private schools due to public schools not often getting the funding they need from the government.

    Finally, with that tangent out of the way, let's focus on some of the messages portrayed in Oliver! Anyone could relate to Oliver's struggles of finding belonging and his wish for love, universal themes helping Oliver! be timeless. These struggles are further emphasized through how he is an orphan and has no money for most of the show. Abusive relationships were also explored, with the dynamic of Bill Sike and Nancy. Bill Sike is verbally abusive to Nancy and even threatens to hit her multiple times, doing so once. Meanwhile, Nancy is endlessly devoted to and in love with Bill but is torn on what to do because she does not want to kidnap Oliver. It was honestly heartbreaking seeing Nancy in this position since abusive relationships are very unhealthy. Nancy represents the millions of women today still stuck in abusive relationships out of "love," giving them representation in this show. Then there is also the distinct difference between the rich and poor, exemplifying the social structure in Victorian London. Oliver covers themes that are especially apparent today. I loved the theme revolving around Oliver and how that was portrayed since it was very fleshed out. But, the execution of the themes, which could have been with the writing, felt very one note. Throughout the show, I was confused about the show's goals. But, this also could have been due to my short attention span.

    Onto the negatives, and I promise this will be short. For a school that invests heavily in set design, I am shocked by how bad the mic system is. During the entire show, some mics were not working, even for the main characters. It was also noticeable as one mic issue got fixed midway through someone speaking. Now I am aware mic issues are normal, but for the amount of them that happened, I hope for some investing in something better. I do not recall Radium Girls having as many mic issues as here. I also thought the acting, although great, was overdone at times. Because of the overacting, sometimes Oliver! was cartoony, which was not the vibe the show was going for, I think. The lighting, although fantastic, confused me at some points. Specifically when there was this one green spotlight used. Now I got clarification on why it was done, but it still was out of place, considering the other spotlight was not green. If you are going to add some fun to the show, at least be cohesive and deliberate about it because I initially thought someone messed up on the job. Another gripe I have with the show is the ensemble. Now, they were not horrible. But it was certainly a mixed bag. Some could not sing, and others could not dance. It was quite the spectacle if someone was paying attention to the ensemble for some reason. I do not think the dancing is entirely on the ensemble, though. I thought the dancing throughout the show was horrendous if they were group dances. People were out of sync, like in "Food, Glorious Food, and "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two," but some choreographed moves also looked goofy. I should not have been laughing through some songs, but I could not help it because of the way some of the dance moves looked. Overall though, dancing was quite mediocre. There were some standout performances, but most of the time, the dancing, especially with the ensemble, was rough.

Conclusion:

    Back to the "million dollars" question I implicitly proposed earlier: Is the $15 ticket price for a private catholic high school theater production worth it? Now that is a question I do not have a direct answer to. Maybe we will get back to this question if I watch their spring production. Kidding, keep reading, and maybe you will find out. Oliver! was a great show overall. I was invested throughout, hoping Oliver would have a happy ending. I mostly loved most aspects of the show, like the acting, lights, and set design. But I also thought some things could have been improved, like the dancing and the mic system. To finally answer the "million dollars" question, I do not regret the $15 I spent on the show. I still think the ticket price was steep,  but it was a good show, so I will excuse it. I just hope the Donovan Catholic theater family can invest in a better mic system or at least work out the kinks with whatever they are using since it is a shame that the show quality was impacted by some tech issues. 

Radium Girls

Radium Girls Poster

Introduction:

    Welcome to the first-ever review of the Toms River Theater Extravaganza. This review is dedicated to the production done on Radium Girls, performed by the Toms River High School South Thespians! I watched this fall play on November 4th, which happened to be their last performance. Before I get into my thoughts, let me give you a quick synopsis of Radium Girls.

Synopsis:

    Being set in the early 20th century, with most of the story in the mid-1920s New Jersey, Radium Girls follows Grace Fryer, Kathryn Schaub, and Irene Rudolph, dial painters for the U.S. Radium Plant. These girls have been told to point their brushes by molding the bristles with their mouths while they paint. They were told to dip their brushes into radium, a substance thought to do wonders at the time. However, they soon begin to notice health issues, with one of their co-workers dying. With her death brushed aside and the plant, led by Arthur Roder,  trying to keep the girls quiet as they get sicker, the girls try to fight back amid pushed-back court dates and attempts to keep them away from the press. Grace, in particular, battles the U.S. Radium Corporation head-on but also wounds up fighting with her family and friends to seek justice for her fellow workers.

Review:

    This show was something, to be honest—in both good and bad ways. 

    Let's start off with the positives! There were some STANDOUT performances by the cast members. Those who played Kathrine Wiley and Berry specifically really stood out. The actresses who played Grace Fryer and Kathryn Schaub put up compelling performances too. The acting was stellar for a cast where half the members were making their debut through this play. I also loved the lighting. I thought it was done well, making me focus on the characters that needed to be focused on. The green light used throughout to transition between scenes was also cool. The themes explored in the show itself were riveting. From what I got from the show, I thought about the role females were told to have in society versus what they wanted, especially in that period, and how the media loves to capitalize on tragedies for their benefit. I also thought it was interesting how the production effectively humanized Arthur Roder. At first glance, the businessman seems like a greedy corporate head who could care less for the livelihood of his workers. However, by touching on why Roder had to try to preserve the plant's reputation and through the actor's performance as Roder, this production of Radium Girls did a great job reminding me that Arthur Roder is also human. My favorite part of the show was seeing the wheelchair as a prop. I get it. Radium Girls is set in the 1920s, so wheelchairs, as we know them today, did not exist. But I still got a great kick out of seeing a dining chair with bike wheels attached to the sides of the chair be a wheelchair since I thought it was incredibly creative.

    Now onto the negatives, which I promise, are not many. One thing I was not a fan of was the play structure. This may have just been the way the play was written. But I felt it was really rigid in that the scenes did not flow with one another. I guess it makes sense in some ways because the show spanned multiple years. Either way, it felt stifling while watching the show because the lights would go dark and to a green light as the crew moved set pieces to change scenes. The constant shift from a scene to a blackout made it less possible for me to immerse myself in the show. I get it, a fade to black is normal in theater. But by using the same music over and over, it made it harder to feel a progression of time throughout the show. Other than the fabulous wheelchair, I thought the set design was boring. Nothing stood out, with most of the props being chairs and rolling tables. It felt very one note, but this could have been due to how the play was written. While I did praise the acting, it is imperative to note that it was not great throughout. At times, the acting was quite spotty due to actors and actresses forgetting lines or having stiff performances. A lot of the mistakes could be chalked up to nerves or inexperience on stage, which makes sense as half of the cast were performing for the first time on stage. 

Conclusion:

    Overall, the production of Radium Girls gets 4/5 stars! Objectively, the thespians did a great job performing the show. The acting was good overall but can (and will) be improved with time. The lighting was cool and the themes explored were interesting. On the other hand, the set design was weak, and the lack of flow between scenes made it hard for me to immerse myself in the show. However, I think choosing Radium Girls as the show limited what the thespians could have done due to how it was written. Despite its weaknesses, it was still a great performance the thespians put up!

Introductions / About Me

Hello readers! I am your lovely blog writer, Brialis Phan!

With this blog, I aim to give my thoughts about anything that comes to mind to allow you to escape reality for a couple of minutes with humor and some interesting opinions. Most topics will involve music, medicine, or theater productions in my area (at least the ones I can attend). With that said, I hope you have a fun experience during your stay here!

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A little more about me since my entire personality cannot be said in 1200 characters or less as the "About Me" box. After all, if you take the time to read this silly blog, you might as well learn a little about the mastermind behind it. I shall give this information in a top 10 list, as these are the most essential tidbits about me.

1. I am curious about the world despite being horrible at asking questions. I honestly cannot wait to learn more about this world and how far we will come as a society. But, my mind will always blank whenever I am asked if I have any questions.

2. I love medicine. There is a lot to be said about it. While this is similar to many other topics, medicine stands out because of how many disciplines it can cover. It covers science, business, and even politics. Not only that, but medicine revolves around giving people attention and care to help with their basic needs. There are also no limits in the field. There is always something new to learn and new challenges to solve. That particularly interests me since I love learning and being able to challenge myself. Let me stop now before I go on a whole rant as to why medicine means so much to me.

3. I have two siblings. I am, much to my dismay (I am kidding), the middle child, as I have an older sister and a younger brother. My sister is significantly older than me, while my brother is around my age. I bring them up to say my family means a lot to me and is integral to the reason why I am successful in my own right today.

4. I am a first-generation Vietnamese American. This is stated just in case you were curious as to where my last name is from. After all, it would be a shame if you mixed up my ethnic identity. Then again, it would not be the first time haha.

5. I adore Costco. Costco is my favorite store since it has taught me many lessons. It has taught me bulk buying, what a good sale looks like, and the importance of spending time with family. Family trips to Costco remain as one of my favorite activities since it is one of the few places where I can spend time with my parents when they are not busy trying to keep food on the table.

6. Making music playlists and organizing my Spotify gives me joy. I know this seems quite minor. Once you know this fact, it makes sense why I am so particular about music at times. However, I am not just detail-oriented about music. I really like to look into the details of everything since I think there is beauty in finding what is in between that helps compose the bigger picture.

7. Sentimental is my middle name. Kidding, my middle name is not sentimental. (That will remain a mystery to everyone.) I mean to say that I cherish the memories I make day by day, no matter how big or small. Some or sad, and others are happy. Either way, I am happy they happened since I can learn from my past actions and reminisce about old times. No this does not mean I get stuck in the past. If anything, I live in the present day by day to make sure I live life fully present.

8. Food is the key to my soul. I love food. It is so good and can be so diverse. Honestly, there could never be something wrong with food.

9. I strive to be inclusive. No one ever deserves to feel left out. Yet day by day, I see people excluded by others for no reason. Therefore, I do my best to ensure that people are not excluded if I am in the area since I know I would want someone to include me if I was in that position.

10. I like to make jokes. A little bit of comedy never hurt anyone. If someone does make a distasteful joke rooted in hatred, they will get called out. And if I happen to make an insensitive joke (hopefully not), let me know because I am open to learning more and being less ignorant about the world.

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With that, my top 10 list of the ultimate facts about me is complete. If there is anything else you would like to know, let me know. :)

- From,

Brialis Phan :)