A Freakishly Good Show

I apologize for the blurry photo.

Last night, I went to the theater. You may be thinking, “so what.” But, this was my first time seeing a show in a long time. Since you are reading this blog post, you may already know that I had started to make a habit of writing my thoughts about theater but then got sidetracked by world events. Well, luckily my wonderful daughter gave me a reason to come back to the theater and attend a show. She has spent the past few months as the assistant director for Palmdale Repertory Theatre’s production of Freaky Friday. So, here is my attempt to get back into writing about theater.

Please be aware that there may be spoilers throughout the remainder of this blog.

By now, the story of Freaky Friday is probably well-ingrained in the memories of most people. It started out as a novel by Mary Rodgers. Since then, there have been a couple of movies spanning a couple of generations, not to mention knock-off movies that borrow the same basic plot, two people swapping bodies and the ensuing hijinks. it makes sense that the story was musicalized as so many popular movies eventually get a Broadway version. This one has music and lyrics by the famous and award winning team of Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, and the music is the highlight of this version.

In PRT’s production, Hailey Callison and Erica Brauer play the daughter and mother combo who trade bodies with the help of an enchanted hourglass. These two talented ladies carry the show on their backs with the help of their lovely and powerful voices. The show has 18 musical numbers, and both of the lead actresses are featured in most of them. Bravo to this duo for conquering these huge roles.

The cast is small and many of the talented players take on multiple roles. The cast is up to the challenges and brings out the humor and drama with ease. The best part of this production for me was the singing. The harmonies are strong. A highlight was the number Somebody Has Got To Take The Blame. Another stand out was Women and Sandwiches sung by the hilarious and talented Jason Wells and accompanied by the adorable, puppet-handed Grant Gonzalez.

The show was well-paced thanks to the creative direction by Brandon McCravey. The set is simple but effective and allowed for quick set changes. It is two hours and fifteen and I did not check my watch once. However, I do have to say that the energy seemed lacking, though I am going to blame this on Friday night syndrome where cast and audience are both tired from the long week that just ended. The feeling I got from the audience and from the group I was with was that everyone was having a great time.

After being away from theater for so long, Freaky Friday reminded me of the power of theater. This show was the perfect escape from our troublesome world, a chance to forget and to laugh. Thank you to PRT and to cast and creative team for an entertaining evening. If you are looking for something to do, please support community theater and this freakishly fun show.