![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/thumbnail_IMG_2042-e1731464235562.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n
I honestly cannot remember the last time I reviewed a show at one of the many worthwhile smaller theatres around town, but when I received the colorful and interesting invitation for Adventures in the Great Beyond<\/em>, I figured it was time to get back to them.\u00a0 And the producers of this one were generous enough to throw the lovely Opening Night fete, which made the evening even more special.<\/p>\n Adventures in the Great Beyond<\/em>\u00a0is a new semi-comedic pop-rock musical that tells the story of a twenty-year-old girl who drops out of college, (the location of which is never mentioned, but we know it has a bus stop,) to travel to an ashram in Arizona to \u201cfind herself.\u201d\u00a0 (We don\u2019t see the traveling; just her arrival and her time in the desert.)<\/p>\n The premise resonated with me because I, too, dropped out of (my first) college, (at nineteen<\/em> instead of her more worldly twenty<\/em>!) But I dropped-out after\u00a0<\/em>I had traveled from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, (just to go cross-country for the summer, not to \u201cfind myself,\u201d as this character planned,) and wound-up finding Mr. X rather than myself! (I saw him on stage on my third night in town and thought, as he rightly claims, \u201cHow quickly can I get that head on my wall?\u201d)\u00a0 So, as fictional as the script is, it rang a bit true for me.\u00a0(And to follow-up for you, I joined a circus within the year! Don\u2019t ask. My poor mother.)<\/p>\n Getting back to Adventures in the Great Beyond<\/em>, it\u2019s not exactly Broadway<\/em> material, however, especially at just under ninety minutes, it\u2019s pleasant enough entertainment. The story is similar to some of the crazy tales I\u2019ve read on Reddit and the like.\u00a0At least this musical has a happy ending! And there\u2019s even a bit of rope-jumping towards the end, which I loved!<\/p>\n The cast of Adventures in the Great Beyond: (L-R) Connie Jackson, Ryan Foreman, Kim Taleas, Kathleen Heflin, Queenie Navarro Michael Deni, Connie Monroe, and Steven Wishnoff. Photo by Joshua Shelton, as is the one at the top of this review.<\/p><\/div>\n It’s often hard to judge a show during the opening night performance, especially in a small theatre, because the audience is usually the friends and family crowd, meaning that their cheers drown-out my own<\/em> thoughts, both yay and nay. So the whole thing had sort-of a high school \u201cSing\u201d vibe to it, (which is not a bad thing\u2014I loved doing those shows!)<\/p>\n But I did really enjoy the music<\/em>. (Perhaps, though, not as much as a foursome who were rocking-out so hard the whole time that they were actually making their row of seats move!) It’s mostly wall-to-wall songs, which often sound alike, but the majority of the tunes are upbeat\u00a0rock-style ditties, so it makes for a lively evening. \u00a0And there\u2019s always something special about hearing live music so up-close.<\/p>\n Michael Deni and Queenie Navaro. Photo by Joshua Shelton.<\/p><\/div>\n Michael Deni, who plays the girl\u2019s young love interest, is the best singer in the show. His duets with Queenie Navarro, (what a great name!) were\u00a0my favorites of the show.<\/p>\n But Connie Jackson, who plays a postwoman in the desert, is by far the most accomplished person there, probably even more than the rest of the cast put together! Being a back-up singer for Phil Collins is just one sliver of her prolific career, so she\u2019s definitely an attraction for people to see this show!\u00a0 (She\u2019s also the funniest<\/em> one. The mostly young cast should be grateful for this opportunity to learn from her!)<\/p>\n But my shallow self was the most envious of the two girls who were rocking my<\/em> former great bod! You go, belly-button-baring girls!<\/p>\n The backdrop that the stage opens up to. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n There are two aspects of the show that gave me pause, though. The first is that Krishnamurti was a real person, so that choice of moniker for their guru is odd. (It\u2019s spelled Kir<\/em>shama<\/em>rti in the program, but all the actors pronounce it like the famous<\/em> man, so that\u2019s a tad weird.) The other is that I saw the late plot twist coming from Santa Monica Boulevard! (It\u2019s still kind-of cute, though.)<\/p>\n A word about the Hudson: It\u2019s a wonderful complex, with a trio of actual theatres and a happening coffee shop in the middle of it all.\u00a0 Adventures in the Great Beyond<\/em> is in the Main Stage Theatre, which features stadium seating. Someone took the seat in the last row on the aisle that I reserved for myself when I got there, so I wound-up trying-out several<\/em> seats because, even with the grading, as soon as someone sat in front of me, I could not see the stage! I\u2019m telling you this so you don\u2019t worry when it happens to you\u2014after the first two minutes of the show, the stage opens up and you can then see most of it pretty well.\u00a0They expand the set cleverly, and then it features a good desert backdrop. So no worries.<\/p>\n The non-passed party snacks. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n When the show was over, the assemblage moved over to the restaurant Melrose Umbrella Co. for the generous\u00a0Opening Night party. The drinks were flowing, the mainly-passed appetizers were beautiful and delish, and best of all were the lovely and cheery servers. They were actually perfect\u2014polite, accommodating, and jovial, without trying to be our best friends! Other eateries should take lessons from them!<\/p>\n Adventures in the Great Beyond<\/em>\u00a0running through December 8, 2024<\/strong> ADVENTURES IN THE GREAT BEYOND My friend Nina2 and I had a fun Hollywood night last week-end, seeing a new musical and attending their fabulous soiree afterwards. I honestly cannot remember the last time I reviewed a show at one of the many worthwhile smaller theatres around town, but when I received the colorful and<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
\n Hudson MainStage Theatre<\/strong>
\n 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood.<\/strong>
\n 323-856-4249 www.hudsontheatre.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"