The Boy From OZ Reviews
Broadway World- Highly Recommended
"...Under Michael A. Shepperd's sterling direction, the ensemble are fantabulous. First of all, Shepperd's staging within the confines of the tiny space is phenomenal. With orchestra behind and stage left and three entrances and exits for actors, it's literally action center stage that includes some pretty wild and furious dance numbers choreographed with wondrous excitement by Janet Roston. Bongiorno is unbelievably charismatic, energetic and affable, matching Allen to a tee. Lester as his mom, Motta as Judy and Pennington as Liza are all equally sensational, offering up their songs with drive and intensity."
Edge- Recommended
"..."The Boy From Oz" is flashy and sometimes silly but it's also moving and heartfelt, and with musical material as strong as Allen's and a cast to bring his story to life, it's worth the trip to "Oz.""
Stage and Cinema- Highly Recommended
"...What makes this boisterous jukebox musical about the life of late music and stage legend Peter Allen (whose songs make up the show's core) so winning, is the combination of larger-than-life excess and the piquant whiff of melancholy - all of which are frankly irresistible to a wide swath of showtune-loving patrons. Director Michael Shepperd's production for the Celebration Theatre is frankly an example of L.A. 99-Seat Theater orchestrating at its most talented and versatile, taking a show that was meant to be performed in a large house - with dozens of showgirls backing up the stars - and then scaling it down almost to its essence while still keeping its scope vital and alive."
Stage Scene LA- Highly Recommended
"...The Celebration discovery is aided and abetted every step of the way by master director Shepperd and by ace choreographer Janet Roston, who outdoes herself in production number after production number, from the infectiously bouncy "Love Crazy" to the orgiastic "Continental American" to the Rockettes high kicks of "Everything Old Is New Again" to the get-up-and-boogie "Not The Boy Next Door" to the get-up-and-samba "I Go To Rio.""
Musicals In LA- Highly Recommended
"...Big and bold performances, bright retro choreography and a collection of fizzy pop songs by songwriter Peter Allen make up the latest good-time outing at Celebration Theatre where the west coast premiere of The Boy from Oz is sure to pack 'em in for the duration of the run. And it should. One of Celebration's strengths is taking large scale musicals, such as this, that typically fill a Broadway stage and reinterpreting them for a modest theater like their current home at the Lex. They did it with great success in their award-winning production of The Color Purple several years ago and they've done it again with The Boy from Oz."
The Los Angeles Post- Highly Recommended
"...In "Love Crazy," one of the early musical numbers in The Boy From Oz at Celebration Theatre, the lyric "energy is ev'rything!" is sung - energetically - a number of times. While energy isn't really everything - talent is kinda important too - I found myself thinking the phrase could be the mantra for this ebullient, exuberant, exhilarating, and enthralling production. The cast's energy and enthusiasm are so high it's a wonder the roof doesn't blow off the theatre, and that effervescence and electricity are exactly what the show needs - and produces - in abundance."
Gia on the Move- Recommended
"...Celebration Theatre's The Boy From Oz is a strong example of what can happen under L.A.'s 99-Seat Plan. Not only is it an outside-the-box choice considering its venue size, it's slick, polished and inventive (risk-taking being an encouraged component of the Plan.) Granted, I find its song selection mixed, and Act One - at least in this staging - had me feeling rather unsure, but by the end I was completely won over. This is, in large part, a wonderful production celebrating - as only Celebration can - the life of a man who learned not to keep it inside."
Stage Raw- Recommended
"...We expect lots of glitz and glamor In The Boy From Oz, a musical based on the life and works of Australian songwriter and performer extraordinaire, Peter Allen. After all, it was a big splashy Broadway show, with a book by Martin Sherman (based on an original script by Nick Enright) and a huge cornucopia of songs by Allen himself. And we get plenty of both, thanks in part to Michael Mullen's spectacular costumes. What one doesn't expect, if one has no previous knowledge of the show, is its insight and the depth of its emotional resonance."
Tin Pan LA- Highly Recommended
"...This West Coast premiere of The Boy From Oz at Celebration Theatre proves that there's so much magic in intimate theatre and how important preserving this kind of theatre is in our community. Director Michael Shepperd is the man behind the curtain, the wizard of this fantastic production. Shepperd has paired down a cast of forty to twelve fabulous players focusing on the essential storytelling elements of his big Broadway show and making it fit in their space. What you get in this production is a beautiful and poignant recounting of Peter Allen's life journey about how the ones he's loved and lost were so essential to everything he became."
Bucking Trends- Highly Recommended
"...More than just your standard 'Jukebox" musical, this is an incredible piece of stage virtuosity and "The Celebration Theatre's" new production more than does it (and the man at its center) justice!"