Marielle Kraft’s mother never approved of her ex. She never asked about him, for 2 years. She put this into the song “Everyone But Me”. “My mom stopped asking how we are. My friends don’t want you at the party.” Her lyrics perfectly explain the feeling of dating someone who your friends and family don’t like.

When things finally end with this ex, he asks if they can stay friends. She says no, because as her next song title clearly says, “We Were Never Friends”. It’s a great breakup song that lays it out so clearly.

Next, she sings “Toothbrush” about the next guy she dates. “I hid your toothbrush this morning… I think it’s too much too soon to be falling in love again.” She nails it again about getting into a new relationship too soon after a long one just ended.

On the day she is moving to Nashville, she runs into her ex at the coffee shop. They don’t talk, but she notices he leaves with two coffees. It’s a gut punch that she perfectly captures in “Second Coffee”.  “Who’s that second coffee for? Will you leave it at her door?”

These four songs paint such a clear picture of this time in her life. It’s such a great narrative that she could easily turn it into a musical. She is truly a great singer-songwriter.

Catch Marielle Kraft next at Schubas on February 21^st!

Cost of a ticket: $30

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney

Here are the top five acts of the Cirque Musica Holiday Spectacular:

#5) Two women being spun around by their hair is very impressive. The audience is all wondering, does this hurt?

#4) The duel trapeze act is excellent. A look of terror was on the performer’s face as she prepared to drop off the trapeze. A wave of relief passed over her face after her partner caught her while hanging upside down. 

#3) Two men holding a jump board fling a third man at least 20ft in the air. He then lands perfectly back onto the board. Wow, this is quite a stunt!

#2) The end of the first act is insane. One man lays on a custom chair so that his feet are pointed to the sky. The other man runs and jumps onto the other’s feet. He is then flipped around like a ragdoll. He is spun and flipped around so quickly. It’s an amazing sight.

#1) The finale of the show is amazing. A giant contraption is set up on the stage that features two giant cylinders connected together that spin around. Two men are running inside their own cylinder, going airborne each time they go across the top. Then, one by one, they move to the outside of the cylinder which causes them to gain even more air on the top. It’s a truly jaw dropping performance.

Cost of a ticket: $90 (For the closest seats)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney

Early on in his set, John Cruz sings a sweet love song. One feels the depth of his writing with a beautiful analogy between the power of love and the forces of nature in the lyrics, “if it’s gray and cloudy outside, it’s still sunny inside with your love”. It’s a great start to the show!

After a few songs, John invites Max Ribner and his band to join him. The band features Ribner on flugelhorn, Sam Frampton on ukulele, and Stef on bass. They play a jazzy soulful type of instrumental music. The songs are from Ribner’s latest album, 1^st Language, which features over 50 artists. John Cruz jams with them, adding in an island music flavor. They feed off each other really well and it makes for a great musical experience.

Catch Max Ribner and his band this weekend at their 4-day campout and celebration: https://www.maxribner.com/experiences

Later on, Cruz plays “Island Style”. He hears a great voice in the audience and invite him on stage. It’s a local who knows the song well. “On the Island, we do it Island style. From the mountain to the ocean, from the windward to the leeward side.” It’s another great moment in the show. The spotify version above features Cruz with Jackson Browne and Jack Johnson.

Catch John Cruz every Wednesday this month and next at ProArts Maui.

Cost of a ticket: $50

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney

Should “Pretty Woman: The Musical” exist? Does the plot of the 1990 movie hold up in 2021? Should Broadway continue its trend of churning out movie-to-musical adaptations?

Chances are if you’re seeing the musical, your response is “who cares?” And that attitude will serve you well during the performance. If you’ve decided these questions don’t matter and are happy to turn your brain off for a fully unoriginal production that requires no thought on your part, then you are in for a treat.

While the musical itself and dated source material are nothing special, it makes for a fun evening. The plot moves at a brisk pace, the songs are fun (if instantly forgettable) and the cast is doing their best with the cards they have been dealt. Adam Pascal, who originated the role of Roger in “Rent,” is worth the night out alone. His rock-inflected voice is given plenty of moments to shine as the businessman Edward Lewis. Olivia Valli (in the role of the pretty woman herself, Vivian Ward) carries the role’s demands easily, belting high notes with precision and pivoting from flirtatious to vulnerable to in command. Jessica Crouch (as the best friend character, Kit De Luca) could pass for the sister of Orfeh (the actress that originated the role) in terms of vocal style and range, if not intensity. And as a special treat, Amma Osei delights the audience with her operatic soprano, singing a song from Verdi’s “La Traviata.”

Get tickets now for Pretty Woman through December 19th!

Edward Boyle

Walter Trout was walking on Beale street in Memphis when he ran into a friend, the blues singer Teeny Tucker. She told him that she had just lost her son. She said her heart was crying, but she was all out of tears. Trout suggested they put that line into a song. So, they went ahead and wrote “All Out Of Tears” in 15 minutes. The song would go on to win the 2020 Blues Music Award for Song of the Year. On this evening, Trout is really feeling this song and the audience can really feel the full emotion of this track. This is what the blues is known for, expressing great sorrow.

Trout had been playing regularly at a bar and knew this one guy who kept coming in to see his crush, a bartendress. Eventually, they went out a few times. But then, she dumped him. He came balling his eyes out to Walter who wrote “Gotta Broken Heart” for him. It’s a rocker that surely helped him heal his woes.

For eight months, Walter Trout was dying of a liver disease.  He lay on a bed and lost 120 pounds and suffered some brain damage. In just the nick of time, they found an organ donor and he received a liver transplant. Afterwards, although he physically recovered, because of the brain damage he had to relearn how to speak, how to walk, and then how to play guitar. After a year of recovery, he was finally ready to play his first show back, at Royal Albert Hall! Tonight he sings the first track off his latest album about this experience, “Almost Gone”. Once again, Trout’s guitar playing expertly portrays the feeling of this experience.

The show ended pretty abruptly after just one hour. They had to stop in order to clear out before the next show starting at 9pm. For a show without an opener, only playing for one hour is very short. The audience is left feeling a bit unsatisfied. They really should play at least 90 minutes or include an opener.

Despite the shortness of the set, it was still a great show. Walter Trout is a master guitar player and an expert storyteller. Catch him on tour now!

Quinn Delaney

The Boom Crack! Dance Company can really move. Their sharp movements precisely match the beats in the music. Their facial expressions convey their intensity. They are true masters of hip-hop dancing.

The company won first place at the World of Dance Chicago 2017 and they continue to participate in this event today.

While they have mastered the short dance segments, a few improvements could be made to make it a better full evening show. Firstly, a host would really help with transitions between the dances. Secondly, they could make the dances longer. On this evening, the dancing only lasted 40 minutes. It could be as easy as repeating the choreography more. With these changes, they could surely sell out a week’s worth of shows.  

For more information about the company, check out their Facebook page here.

Quinn Delaney

While entering the theatre, “Dingle Berries” by Kevin Bloody Wilson is playing. “I’ve got dingle berries, dingle berries dangling from the ass. Tiny bits of shit stuck to the hairs around my anus.” This songs perfectly sets the scene for the adult Christmas themed show about to take place.

What ever happened to Cindy Lou Who? Well, she grew up and became quite a partier. She loves to drink and to swear. She reunites with the Grinch, and let’s just say, they start an adult relationship. Tonight she is throwing a holiday party. She has invited many of the Dr. Seuss characters including Lorax, Thing One, Thing Two, Yertle the Turtle, and many more.

Veronica Garza (Tonya and Nancy) is absolutely hilarious as Cindy Lou Who. She keeps the laughs going for the full 65 minutes. She is especially quick with improved quips such as, “that didn’t happen in previews!” Also, when an audience member asks is she has venmo, she gives out her real venmo and says, “What? Cindy Lou Who was taken!”

On this evening, she calls on a man in the front row. She flirts with him, but it seems he isn’t interested. She gets upset as she realized he is gay. So, she gives him a shot of Malört. Throughout the show, she calls back to Matt calling him dumb for not being into her.  

Cost of a ticket: $30

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Get tickets now for Who’s Holiday through December 26^th!

Quinn Delaney

Abigail and Shaun Bengson are a married couple that formed a family band. They are performing a show that tells their true life story. The show is more like an indie rock concert by Arcade Fire than a musical. They talk about their whirlwind meeting leading to them getting married after only three weeks of dating. After a car accident, they go on a journey of living as if they only had 100 days left to love.

The first performance of Hundred Days was on January 4, 2017 at the New York Theater Workshop. Shaun and Abigail played themselves in this original run.

The cast makes a great band together. They all sing very well in addition to playing multiple instruments. Emile Modaff is excellent as Abigail Bengson. They play Abigail so well that the audience isn’t sure if this story is actually about them. Royen Kent is charming as Shaun and he plays the mandolin beautifully. Alec Phan alternates playing Shaun with Royen. Mel Vitaterna’s solo as Max is superb. The rest of the ensemble includes Grace Bobber, David Gordon-Johnson, Lucas “Looch” Johnson, and Brennan Urbi.

Cost of a ticket: $42

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Get tickets now for Hundred Days through January 9^th!

Quinn Delaney

Brian McKnight starts the set off singing to just a backup track. It’s a bit like karaoke as he sings “Sexual Healing” by Marvin Gaye. He also sings a few of his own songs in this style.

Later on he sits down at the keyboard and plays what he calls a “sad song medley”. This includes “Get Over You” and “Lonely”.

He then returns to karaoke style with a tribute to a few artists who have passed away. This includes the great “Never Too Much” by Luther Vandross. “Oh, my love. A thousand kisses from you is never too much. I just don’t wanna stop.” It sounds great sung by McKnight and it’s a shame he stopped after just one verse and chorus. He stops short like this for most of the songs tonight, including his own songs.

In the middle of the set, he launches straight into his biggest hit (158 million plays on Spotify), his 1999 song “Back At One”. Instantly, many in the audience are transported back to their high school homecoming dance or prom. It’s a beautiful song that still sounds great today. Thankfully, he doesn’t cut this one short.

He then opens up the set for requests. Instead of having people shout out, he has them raise their hands. This is a great idea. I think Second City should use this as well for taking suggestions. Beforehand, he warns us that since he has 20 albums, he might not remember the words. However, for tonight’s show he nails all the requests.

Later on he describes how he recently wrote the best song of his career, “Nobody”. He wrote it for his wife of 10 years, his muse. “I’ll hold.. nobody’s hand but yours. You can believe for sure, I’ll be nobody’s man but yours.” It’s amazing how after 30 years of writing songs, he can still write a stunner like this one.

Cost of a ticket: $70

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney