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. The song-based play follows Garland during her last performance tour in London with fiancé Mickey Deans (Erik Heger) and pianist Anthony (Michael Cumpsty). Garland is played by Tony Award nominee Tracie Bennett, who does a spectacular job of portraying the Hollywood icon, embodying everything from her unsurpassed charisma and likability to her physicality and stage presence. Bennett plays an honest and vulnerable Garland with whom the audience quickly empathizes, and couples tragedy with comedy when dealing with Garland's struggle with alcoholism and addiction to prescription pills.

The majority of the show takes place in Garland's London hotel room where she practices her songs with Anthony and often fights with lover and manager Mickey. As soon as the attention span of the audience grows thin, they are suddenly thrust into "The Talk of the Town," the London nightclub where Garland's five-week run is showing. Garland performs Broadway standards and both her talent as a performer and the ways her personal life is affecting her performances become clear.

While Bennett's performance makes it clear why she was nominated for a Tony for her work in the role, her costars were not as strong, which sometimes led to a lack of fluidity in the dialogue. Particularly in Garland's arguments with Mickey, which were overwhelmingly dominated by Bennett, making Heger's explosions of anger very unnatural and out of place. While Mickey is meant to come across as a negative and controlling influence over Garland, it did not translate well to the audience due to Heger's comparitive weakness as a performer.

Terry Johnson, the original Broadway director, who also took the helm in L.A., did an excellent job of incorporating music into the show without appearing like a typical musical comedy. The music was always diegetic, with two exceptions: "The Man That Got Away," sung at the end of the first act to illustrate Garland's fear of another man leaving her, and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," the show's closing number, sung after Garland's overdose and revealing her tragic struggle with depression. The music was always incorporated logically into the show, and there were never any sudden outbursts of unnatural song and dance, keeping the audience fully invested in the story.

All in all, the show is a must-see simply for Bennett's incredible performance. The witty dialogue, beautiful music, and captivating story are all driven by Bennett's total commitment to her role as the beloved Judy Garland.

Reach Staff Reporter Savannah here.

"End of the Rainbow" is playing at The Ahmanson Theatre (135 N. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90012) through April 21. Tickets are $30-$110. More information can be found here.