BWW Reviews: Crown Uptown's SOME ENCHANTED EVENING

BWW Reviews: Crown Uptown's SOME ENCHANTED EVENING

Some Enchanted Evening, directed and choreographed by Maurice Sims, and opened last night at the Crown Uptown Professional Dinner Theatre. Some Enchanted Evening, based on a concept by Jeffrey B. Moss, is a revue of the songs by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Included are such tunes as "If I Loved You," "Lonely Room," "Shall We Dance," "People Will Say We're In Love," and "Out of My Dreams."

The dinner, provided by Executive Chef Kevin Gillenwater, had a several highlights. The salad, a simple tangy Caesar with parmesan cheese and lemon garlic croutons, was fresh and delicious. The desserts were almost impossible to choose from- strawberry cheesecake torte, caramel macchiato tiramisu or chocolate truffle cake with chocolate ganache. They were all scrumptious, but the cheesecake torte was particularly decadent. Also offered are "add-ons" including lobster, scallops, and antipasto for an additional fee. The antipasto (Genoa salami, soppressata, prosciutto, mozzarella, brie, pepperoncini, marinated artichokes and olives) comes highly recommended. Entrees available are lasagna, chicken or cod. The lasagna was dry and bland, but the cod was tasty.

Director/choreographer Maurice Sims consistently delivers elegant, fun choreography, and Some Enchanted Evening is no exception. The pace of the show was lively and interesting. However, some elements of the production weren't up to the high level the Crown Uptown usually delivers. The lighting left shadows and was often too dark. The costumes were see-through, ill-fitting and wrinkled.

The cast consisted of five actor/singers- Brittney Morton, Austin Stang, Luke Walker, Sophia Macias and Paula Maker. Walker was irresistibly charming. His "Lonely Room" was magic. Unfortunately, some of the cast were stronger than others, and there were several awkward vocal transitions. The very nature of a revue dictates the lack of a plot, which can be difficult to make exciting. I applaud the cast and creative team for taking on a difficult musical theatre sub-genre and making an enchanting Some Enchanted Evening.

Some Enchanted Evening runs through August 23rd. Crown Uptown Dinner Theatre is located at 3207 E Douglas. Tickets are $60-$40 for dinner and show, $45-$25 for show only. For tickets or more information, call 316-612-7696, or visit www.crownuptown.com

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