Saturday, October 2, 2010

'Closer To Heaven': Photos And Video From U.S. Opening Night Of The Pet Shop Boys Musical

I attended the U.S. premiere of the Pet Shop Boys musical Closer To Heaven last night in Dallas. I've had both the cast recording and the PSB demos since 2001, so it was satisfying, as an American fan of the duo (who wasn't lucky enough to catch the London production), to finally have some context for the songs!

I'm no critic (ha!)—well, at least not a theater critic. So below are just some photos and a tiny bit of video I took during the evening.

Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe sent roses to the Uptown Players, the company that put the show on at the Kalita Humphreys Theatre in Uptown. They were on display in the lobby.

I don't want to sound biased or gush—because I literally did lose the D'luv cool and tapped my foot while grinning from ear to ear the entire night—so I'll just say that, for having absolutely no idea what to expect, the cast was really great.

And from the Boyzone and Westlife posters on the bedroom walls to the Smash Hits and Top Of The Pops references, there really was no attempt to Americanize the show—which was perfect.

Have to admit, I was a bit naughty and recorded the last minute of final number "Positive Role Model"...



...and snapped a few pics.

And hit the reception afterwards.

Last thing: couldn't resist getting a photo of the girl in the lobby with the most sensible shoes...

There are press shots from the show at the Uptown Players site.