Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Real talk: Critics say the “plot” of this jukebox musical, built around the iconic disco singer’s biggest hits, is at best thin (and at worst, disjointed and confused). But they also say there’s just something about it, like Donna Summer herself, that is compelling. The setup is similar to recent Broadway hit The Cher Show, in that three different singers portray Summer in different periods of her life — the teen church choir singer, the disco goddess and the older/wiser diva — often on stage at the same time. The singers are indisputably good and the songs are legendary. “I Feel Love,” “Love to Love You Baby,” “MacArthur Park,” “On the Radio,” “Dim All the Lights,” “Last Dance” — I mean, come on, is there a better New Year’s Eve soundtrack? For those of us who spent many youthful (OK, sure, and some adult) hours dancing around our bedrooms to these songs with a hairbrush as a microphone, it might just feel like a homecoming. –B.D.
If you go: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical at The Paramount Theatre, Dec. 31 - Jan. 5. ($30-$85)
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Real talk: Critics say the “plot” of this jukebox musical, built around the iconic disco singer’s biggest hits, is at best thin (and at worst, disjointed and confused). But they also say there’s just something about it, like Donna Summer herself, that is compelling. The setup is similar to recent Broadway hit The Cher Show, in that three different singers portray Summer in different periods of her life — the teen church choir singer, the disco goddess and the older/wiser diva — often on stage at the same time. The singers are indisputably good and the songs are legendary. “I Feel Love,” “Love to Love You Baby,” “MacArthur Park,” “On the Radio,” “Dim All the Lights,” “Last Dance” — I mean, come on, is there a better New Year’s Eve soundtrack? For those of us who spent many youthful (OK, sure, and some adult) hours dancing around our bedrooms to these songs with a hairbrush as a microphone, it might just feel like a homecoming. –B.D.
If you go: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical at The Paramount Theatre, Dec. 31 - Jan. 5. ($30-$85)
