Monday, August 02, 2004
Heather Reid has come a long way since her days in The Murmurs. She started Gush with Leisha Hailey in the late 90's after MCA did nothing with The Murmurs pop opus "Blender." After the eventual fallout of Gush, Reid changed her name (from Heather Grody) and moved on with the band Redcar, which made its debut at the Silverlake Lounge last fall. I've always thought she's had an amazing gift for writing great pop songs while being bitingly ironic at the same time. And her voice is one of the most underrated in the biz. She's also quite legendary for her "risque" live performances (if you remember The Murmurs notorious show at the Garage you know what I'm talking about). Anyway, for the last half decade she's been delving into theatre taking part in numerous stage productions and with Dear Bernard she's finally put both her love for theatre and music into her own production.
While it's hardly perfect, there are great moments of Reid's sense of humor and melody. The first act features "Au Pair-tunity," the musical number of the entire production. Even if you're uptight about musicals, you can't help but smile at this performance. While the second act falls a little too easily into place with a predictable turn of events, it benefits with good pacing and two genuinely heartfelt and mesmerizing solos by Reid ("It Matters To Me," "Ordinary Life"). Kelly Mantle is also really good.
I highly recommend checking out this show, if not for the talent who's involved but even just for the pure enjoyment of trying to find parking on La Cienega. It's in its final week and is sure to sell out so get your tickets early.
Edit: The final shows are now sold out. Waiting list is still available.
While it's hardly perfect, there are great moments of Reid's sense of humor and melody. The first act features "Au Pair-tunity," the musical number of the entire production. Even if you're uptight about musicals, you can't help but smile at this performance. While the second act falls a little too easily into place with a predictable turn of events, it benefits with good pacing and two genuinely heartfelt and mesmerizing solos by Reid ("It Matters To Me," "Ordinary Life"). Kelly Mantle is also really good.
I highly recommend checking out this show, if not for the talent who's involved but even just for the pure enjoyment of trying to find parking on La Cienega. It's in its final week and is sure to sell out so get your tickets early.
Edit: The final shows are now sold out. Waiting list is still available.
