Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre at
Ahmanson Theatre
End of the Rainbow Reviews
End of the Rainbow
Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre at
Ahmanson Theatre
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Thru - Apr 21, 2013
Los Angeles Times- Recommended
"...No real-life tragic heroine has ever gone into that good night quite as ungently as Garland does in "End of the Rainbow," which manages to send you out wondering whether you've just seen a cautionary bummer or a high-on-life theatrical thrill-aganza. Better that we don't have to decide and can just agree to mark Bennett's performance down as one of the most exciting you will ever see on either end of the color crescent."
Variety- Not Recommended
"...Tracie Bennett in Peter Quilter's "End of the Rainbow" recalls Judy Garland when the voice is all but gone. And the play surrounding the many Garland standards is of even less interest. That's entertainment'"
LA Weekly- Not Recommended
"...Masterful director Terry Johnson keeps the cast tightly connected to the material while allowing his star to soar in her myriad musical numbers, both in messy rehearsals with Anthony and during her bright moments in front of packed houses."
Backstage- Somewhat Recommended
"...Bennett gives an exhilarating, exhausting performance, one I would praise wholeheartedly if Garland were a fictional character and not a real person. Under Terry Johnson's direction and fueled by Quilter's text, Bennett evokes the tabloid target, neglecting her sweetness, her caring for others, and especially her sharp wit, which comes off here as merely bitter and sarcastic."
Edge- Recommended
"...It's a dazzling evening to be sure, and despite the heightened portrayal by Bennett, it's still an entirely memorable and affecting evening. Fans of Garland will enjoy probably everything about the show, despite it not portraying Garland at her best."
LA Splash- Recommended
"...The supporting cast and production elements were in no small measure, equally as fanstaic as the show's leading lady."
StageHappenings.com- Somewhat Recommended
"...With a subject like that, End of the Rainbow should be one of the most dramatic and high-energy projects going. Unfortunately, there is a disconnect between the woman Judy Garland was and this production's ability to deliver that to its audiences."
Examiner- Not Recommended
"...Still, one watcher's tour de force is another's tour de train wreck. In the midst of any admiration over Bennett's muscular singing, craftsmanship and impersonation skills, a non-Garland worshiper (Guilty. Mea culpa!) may find himself inclined to musings: "Judgment at Nuremberg"… Been awhile since I've seen that. Wonder if it still holds up.", "Is she ever going to just do ‘Over the Rainbow' already'" "Will anyone ever do the Whitney Houston story'" etc. In other words, "Rainbow" makes it rather easy to check out while the story is still in progress."
ArtsBeatLA- Not Recommended
"...This musical drama is as fake as the faux crystal bowl and rubber fruit that Garland hurls rather anti-climactically at the hotel wall."
Campus Circle- Recommended
"...It is Bennett, however, that steals the show. She flits across the stage, over prop couches and onto pianos, never once stopping for breath except to breathe life into an icon we've thought dead for more than 40 years. Her timing and air are impeccable, and one can't help but feel overwhelmed by her onstage presence – as if Garland has risen from her grave and donned her scarf and microphone for one last run."
LA Stage Times- Recommended
"...My favorite is End of the Rainbow, Peter Quilter's look at the final descent of Judy Garland, at the Ahmanson. It's a real play, which seeks to do more than simply dote on a celebrity. Yet neither does its grim side leave us wondering what all the fuss was about surrounding Garland. Tracie Bennett's performance is star quality personified, flaws and all."
LA Progressive- Recommended
"...If music is first and foremost for you as a theatergoer, you might prefer the more music-centric "End of the Rainbow.""
OC Register- Somewhat Recommended
"...The script's shortcomings are made forgivable, if not insignificant, by the woman who has played Garland since the play's London debut in 2010. British performer Tracie Bennett takes a go-for-broke approach that is the only way to pay tribute to a talent as immense as Garland's and make her sins seem like the inevitable result of others' exploitation, not the excesses of a spoiled star."
Neon Tommy- Recommended
"...Powerful and charming, Peter Quilter's "End of the Rainbow" gives audiences an insight into the last few months of Judy Garland's troubled life."
Frontiers- Recommended
"...Terry Johnson directs with style, energy and sharp insight. Handsome and meticulously detailed design elements add to the triumph. Yet, in the end, this is Bennett's vehicle, and she carries it eloquently, in a blistering and deeply affecting performance that does a legend proud."
TheaterMania- Recommended
"...The Judy Garland we adore will live on as long as The Wizard of Oz and Meet Me in St. Louis can be screened, but the inexhaustible Tracie Bennett fearlessly shows Judy's other side with all the bravado and rage of a woman running on empty but still driving too fast."
Culture Vulture- Recommended
"...End of the Rainbow, appearing through April 21 at the Ahmanson Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles after runs in London's West End and on Broadway, proves that a script that rarely rises beyond the level of overwrought bio-play with music can be transfixing and deeply moving with the right actress."
The Stage Struck Review- Recommended
"...So, go. Go, if only to see a performance which has been acclaimed on a multitude of stages. Go to remember the end of the story which began for most Americans with a little girl in a mythical Kansas singing about a rainbow. Just don't go to be comfortable. An ethical nightmare of a studio system based right here, combined with a driven mother and a demanding public both created and destroyed Judy Garland. That is simply a fact. "End of the Rainbow" just provides the illustration."
Grigware Blogspot- Recommended
"...End of the Rainbow is a must see for all Judy Garland fans and also for those getting to know the superstar."
LifeInLA- Recommended
"...End of the Rainbow is truly a powerhouse of a production."
LA Downtown News- Recommended
"...End of the Rainbow, appearing through April 21 at the Ahmanson Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles after runs in London's West End and on Broadway, proves that a script that rarely rises beyond the level of overwrought bio-play with music can be transfixing and deeply moving with the right actress."