Written by orange• February 15, 2025• 11:00 pm• Garden Grove, Musical, Review, Theater, Uncategorized

One More Production: End of the Rainbow @ Gem Theatre – Review

photo credit: Ron Lyon

Written by Patrick Chavis

End of The Rainbow is playing now at the Gem Theatre in Garden Grove, Feb 7 – 23, 2025.

One More Production’s End of the Rainbow boasts an explosive musical bender from lead actress Nicole Cassesso that does not let go until the curtain closes. This is why we go to the theater, ladies and gentlemen and everyone in between.

End of the Rainbow is a 2 act musical set in London in 1968, mainly in a lavish hotel room and on a stage. According to Concord Theatricals, the show is approximately 2 hours long. The show chronicles Judy Garland, whom you may know as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. The title, End of the Rainbow, references one of the most famous songs from The Wizard of the OZ, “Over the Rainbow,” a hopeful and vibrant tune Judy sang when she was young.

Story:

In End of the Rainbow, we don’t see Dorothy or any of Garland’s characters. We see Garland, a firecracker of an actress, trying to restart her career afresh, but her old habits and history seem too strong. Can Judy make it over the rainbow and down that yellow brick road, or is this the end? This and more in End of the Rainbow.

Without pretension, Director Damien Lorton has orchestrated a performance from the four actors comprising the cast that intensifies raw dramatic tension from when the curtain rises to when it falls. Wow, it is as if Nicole Cassesso doesn’t take a breath for almost the entire production and is singing while doing it. While this show is incredibly tragic, there are many sparks emitting from this vibrant and talented woman who couldn’t break free from the many horrible things imposed upon her early in life. The way the musical numbers are performed in this seems so natural, as if we are actually watching Judy Garland in an actual performance instead of a musical about her, and Cassesso delivers exquisitely, and in heels nonetheless.

A show not for the faint of heart, this is an adult show with very mature language, drugs, and sexual references, so it’s probably a good idea to keep the kids home for this one.

Set Design:

Set design by Victor Crisafulli consists of an inviting, vintage-looking hotel room. A chandelier is in the middle of the stage. There are two moveable walls: one stage left with two doors and props, and one on the right of the stage, a similar wall with a door, a window, and a mirror. The window is used for both dramatic and comedic moments. In several of the singing portions of the play, the walls open up, revealing a band set up for the performances. It’s a small three-piece, but it’s a mighty ensemble under Nick Bravo’s leadership.

Acting:

The cast brought their A-game to the stage.

Jon Michell plays three different characters, but with the proper costume changes and acting, he made each one memorable in their own right. However, the incredibly awkward radio interview between Michell and Cassesso stands out the most, with Cassesso’s unrelenting pace also displaying constant fatigue. While Michell is doing his best but failing to make the interview seem somewhat coherent, in one of the funnier moments of the play. It’s a powerful scene that leaves you wondering if you should laugh because you’re watching someone break down.

The two supporting actors in this, Peter Crisafulli (Mickey Deans), the boyfriend, and Trevin Stephenson (Anthony), do an exceptional job, providing drama and different perspectives on Judy Garland but even more just giving the audience a break. Because the Judy character is so intense, it’s crucial these two supporting characters bring down the temperature occasionally.

Watching Crisafulli and Stephenson’s performances will take you on a roller coaster of emotions, and by the end, you’ll clearly see the difference between real unconditional Love and infatuation. At the end of the day, a quote from another great story, Beloved, by Toni Morrison, says it all, “Love is or it ain’t. Thin Love ain’t love at all.”

A heart-pounding biopic with passion, probably somewhere over the rainbow, this might be your ticket. It’s most definitely mine.