Review: 'SOMETHING MAGICAL…DISNEY IN CONCERT' at JCC Centerstage Theatre

If COVID has got you down, if you're itching to see live theatre again, or you're just looking for a fun activity that kids and adults alike will enjoy, look no further than JCC Centerstage Theatre's current production of "Something Magical: Disney in Concert." It's not exactly a holiday outing, but it's the perfect way to bring the family together around everyone's shared love of America's most treasured storyteller.

Written and directed by Tom Vazzana, a Rochester native who currently serves as the Creative Director for Walt Disney World Live Entertainment (and, per his bio, someone who has seemingly lived-and-breathed Disney for the past three decades), "Something Magical" is a revue-style concert of well-known Disney songs from the past 70+ years, from as far back as "Pinocchio" and "Cinderella" in the 1940's and 50's to as recently as "Moana" and "Frozen." "Something Magical" features a cast of amazingly talented local performers-several of whom are new faces to the JCC audience-and, most impressively, was pulled-together from initial rehearsals to technical direction to the opening curtain call in just a couple short weeks.

The cast-Jordan Bachmann, Maureen Boorum, Alvis Green, Jr., Lani Toyama Hoskins, Jenna Lucas, Abby Rice, Scott Shutts, and Madeleine Snow-are all superb, bringing their own flair and energy to the various Disney characters they inhabit throughout the performance, from the princesses like Cinderella, Pocahontas, and Jasmine, to the strapping Hercules and Aladdin, to the frightful villains like Ursula and Cruella de Vil. While I enjoyed the whole concert top-to-bottom (even the songs I was unfamiliar with), standouts for me were Jenna Lucas' "Poor Unfortunate Soul", Alvin Green Jr.'s "Friend Like Me", Jordan Bachmann's "Go the Distance", and Maureen Boorum's "Reflection." Judging from the shouts of joy and the number of kids dancing in the aisle during intermission, I'd say the audience was just as taken as I was.

"Something Magical" is a ton of fun for the whole family, and will have you sprinting home to rewatch all your favorite Disney movies. It's playing at JCC's Centerstage Theatre until December 19th, for tickets and more information click here.

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