tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57762823944855544632024-02-20T05:06:59.392-08:00The Arts WhispererOffering a fresh way of helping you keep up with art and entertainment happenings around the Capital District.The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-87272292508851705742013-10-17T15:31:00.001-07:002013-10-17T15:31:55.369-07:00Kill Me Now produced by Kaliyuga ArtsOver the weekend I attended a production of "Kill Me Now" by Kaliyuga Arts at Cross Street Theater Center in Hudson, NY. The company is relatively new to area and was unfamiliar to me. They invited me and the lure offered was their commitment to challenging and unconventional work.<br />
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They told the truth. "Kill Me Now," written by the edgy Canadian playwright Brad Fraser, is one of the most compelling plays I've seen this summer and this has been a season for challenging work. <br />
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Because I saw the play at its final performance, I was frustrated because I couldn't write about it for my newspapers (The Troy Record and The Saratogian. I wanted to send the company the audience it deserved. However, I quickly realized not having to write about the play was a mixed blessing. <br />
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I told everyone I knew about the experience but it seemed impossible to describe the work so it would seem an enjoyable experience - even to my devoted theatre-going friends. They looked at me in horror when I described the pathetic lives of the characters. They were wrong but I lacked the eloquence to state the beauty of the show.<br />
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This is one of the reasons I am so in awe of the company. To do a work like this is to respect there is an audience for tough material. This production was in Hudson, NY, which is not the largest population market in the area and though the community has a strong arts culture it is not really noted for its edgy life-style. Happily the Sunday afternoon show had a sizeable and appreciative audience.<br />
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"Kill Me Now" is a story about people we avoid knowing in real life because their lives are too painful. <br />
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It concerns a man who is raising his 19 year old disabled son, Joey, alone because his wife and daughter were killed in a car crash. His only personal time is one night a week when his 29 year old sister watches Joey. Twyla has her own personal issues with relationships. On Tuesdays Jake meets his girlfriend Robyn, who is a married woman.<br />
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Joey's best friend is Rowdy, a young man who lives in a group home because of slight brain damage. Rowdy cannot self-censor and has a strong sex drive. Eventually he and the sister Twyla form a friends-with-benefits relationship.<br />
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It sounds complicated and maybe even a little naughty - but essentially "Kill Me Now" is a tender, affecting love story about people who form unconventional relationships that give them the strength to endure. <br />
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As things get worse with the extended family, some very tough decisions have to be made and it is the love they have for each other that makes what could be intolerable to watch, become a moving and beautiful experience.<br />
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The performances were perfect. Seven Paterson finds the vulnerability of the father who suddenly finds himself helpless to take care of his son. JD Scalzo was both flip and loyal and even charming as Rowdy. Molly Parker-Myers as the girlfriend Robyn was pragmatic but loving, while Kay Capasso as the sister was strong to all while hiding her own emotional frailties. <br />
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However, the performance of Samuel Hoeksema as the disabled Joey was no less than brilliant. Though Joey is speech impaired the actor delivered his slurred lines with a certain clarity. More important Hoeksema brought Joey on a emotional journey that was heartbreaking, wise and wonderful to watch.<br />
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Work this good does not happen in a vacuum and director John Sowle's invisible hand had to shape this memorable theatrical experience.<br />
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A week ago I did not know anything about Kaliyuga Arts. Now I wouldn't miss one of their productions. <br />
The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-80182653338990570902013-09-10T08:56:00.000-07:002013-09-10T08:56:24.130-07:00Greek Festival/ all Ethnic Festivals When you speak to someone about any ethic festival usually the first topic of discussion is the food. However, the events are usually about more than the ethnic food specialties.<br />
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That said, over the past weekend I attended the Greek Festival at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Schenectady and yes the food was fantastic. The Moussaka was perfection, the Stuffed Pepper fantastic and the spinach pie (Spanakapita) was delicious. And that last comment is coming from a person who avoids his veggies. Another point is most of the above was eaten warmed up the next day. At the festival I went for the Pork Souvlaki. Mostly because it looked so good and wouldn't travel well. That and despite a yogurt type dressing it appeared the most decadent of the offerings.<br />
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As I sat a the long tables eating and listening to live musicians play music that was probably thousands of years old and watched costumed dancers offering traditional dances I realized these ethnic festivals are truly a way to express communal pride. <br />
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The food servers were pleasant and patient as they served long lines of people. Indeed, behind the counters I recognized several prominent community leaders toiling cooking over hot stoves. I'm sure they did so, willingly and graciously, because they and their families were connected to the Greek community and to the capital district community at large.<br />
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But the take-away experience for me was after the costumed dancers left the floor the dance area became filled by local people who wanted to dance. <br />
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Of course the most heartwarming was to watch the young children teaching themselves dance steps to the music. But too, watching a father with a teenage son begin a dance and see them joined by various others - men, women, grandmothers, and mothers with infants - all celebrating their culture was the most satisfying aspect of the evening. It was a sight filled with joy. <br />
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A day or so later, a warm feeling came over me as I wondered in how many countries throughout the world would a celebration of ethnic traditions be so embraced by those outside the specific culture. It made me proud to live in my community.<br />
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I'm sure I'm going to feel much the same way after leaving the Irish Festival this weekend which is at the Saratoga County Fairgrounds in Ballston Spa.The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-43658376697620241542013-09-04T10:05:00.002-07:002013-09-04T10:05:54.975-07:00bravery on stage
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Albany Civic
Theatre is offering a wonderful production of “Big Maggie” at 235 Second Avenue
in Albany weekends through September 15.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s a harsh play about a woman who is hard on her four adult children. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hard is an understatement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is downright cruel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At ACT Big
Maggie is played by Kathleen Carey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
my review of the play (the previous blog) I called her performance “brave.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is brilliant work by an exceptional
actress.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anytime an
actor has to go to the darkest part of their psyche it is always an emotionally
dangerous choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because few actors
are able to do it, it is one of the factors I use in evaluating the talent of
an actor. If you cannot visit .your dark side, you will always be limited as an
actor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But this
performance took even more bravery by Carey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In local theater the final week of opening a show is torture and
pressure filled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The nights are long,
tense and filled with fear, doubt and last minute adjustments. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Few people
outside the acting company know that week brought added tensions to the
actress, a Troy native who teaches second grade at Sacred Heart School in Troy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Monday before
opening, Kathleen’s 85 year old mother fell and broke her hip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They operated on Tuesday. On Wednesday
complications set in she was placed in ICU.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On Friday – the day the show opened – it was uncertain if Kathleen’s
mother would survive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">She did and
will be discharged to rehab within days.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Friday
night, Kathleen Carey temporarily put aside her mother’s problems and gave the
performance of her life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ironically,
the role was a mother who in trying to make her children stronger made them
suffer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The character was the opposite
of Kathleen’s mother but finding a mother’s love within this harsh, cruel woman
demanded the actress understand the deepest love a mother can offer – it had to
be an exhausting and emotionally disturbing experience. This is what I think
defines a “brave performance.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By the way,
it is an excellent performance by Carey and everyone else in the cast and “Big
Maggie”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>should be seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Big Maggie”
is at Albany Civic Theatre through September 15.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at
7:30 p.m., Sundays at 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>462-1297,
albanycivictheatre.org <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-56701347940731974972013-09-03T08:37:00.001-07:002013-09-03T08:37:44.291-07:00review Big Maggie at Albany Civic Theatre <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Review<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Big Maggie” at Albany Civic Theatre<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">ALBANY -For some reason you are supposed to warn people about plays that do not have loveable central characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same is true for plays that make you feel and think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too, people feel they should be cautioned about plays that force them to understand life is complicated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Big Maggie” playing at Albany Civic Theatre is all of the above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nonetheless it is a brilliantly executed piece of theater that proves depreciating the taste level of audiences is humbug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a production that deserves an audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Big Maggie” is about a woman who has been in a loveless, brutal marriage for 25 years. When her rotter of a husband (who was 20 years older than she) dies, Maggie takes firm control over the family store, the farm and, most importantly, the lives of her 4 young adult children.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">She is hard to the point of being cruel as she dominates their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has no sympathy for weakness, no compassion for those with emotions and most of all, no tolerance for anyone who disagrees with her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">She not only pushes her family away, she rejects any act of friendship from the people of the town and she even rebukes one gentle man who would have her for a wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually she chases each child away and lives in isolation in her small rural community in Ireland.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Though it is impossible to like or to even have compassion for Maggie, the magic of the play is, no matter how begrudgingly it happens, you tend to understand the woman because she believes her actions are best for her children. However, the tragedy is even when she is right, her emotionally cruel behavior negates any long term good she might do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As Maggie, Kathleen Carey offers a smart, brave and emotionally true performance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She creates a Maggie who cares nothing about consequences or loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She only cares that her will be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beauty of the performance is without showing any softness, Carey creates a woman who is strangely vulnerable. Carey makes it clear no matter how much Maggie bends people to her will the woman will never be able to be happy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Through this stoic, mean woman Carey show the John B. Keane play is not simply a play about a harsh woman. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also a play about raising children in a cruel unforgiving environment. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though, its themes are not epic, in many respects Keane has written the Irish version of “Mother Courage and her Children.” And too, it becomes a play about life in a specific place, time and culture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Though Carey’s marvelous performance is essential to the success of the play, Chris Foster’s direction is equally as important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By setting a gentle mood for the people who live in the village, he creates and almost claustrophobic atmosphere that illustrates the oppressiveness of living life in a small world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Foster also nurtures strong performances from his large cast. Patrick White brings a needed sense of humor to Byrne, the simple man who would have Maggie for a wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isaac Newberry, though perhaps seeming a little more American than Irish, brings a believable charm to Teddy a man who has a taste for women. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Annie Bunce finds the trusting naiveté of the fragile Gert, Maggie’s youngest daughter, Amanda Martini-Hughes, could be more saucy as the oldest daughter Katie, but she excels in going head to head in a losing battle with her mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Patrick Rooney and Paul Dedrick are strong as the sons who are humiliated by the controlling nature of Maggie.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">David Caso’s lights are an important element in establishing the mood of the play while enhancing Foster’s dramatic stage pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beth Ruman’s costumes are equally as good in establishing character and setting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Big Maggie” is a triumph for Albany Civic Theatre. It is a beautiful production of a play that few local companies would have the courage to produce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a work that deserves an audience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Big Maggie” Albany Civic Theatre, 235 Second Ave., Albany<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through September 15.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Performances 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tickets $15<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>462-1297, albanycivic.org <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-3373969222811922462013-08-22T09:21:00.001-07:002013-08-22T09:21:01.330-07:00review Beauty Queen of Leenane <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Review Beauty Queen of Leenane at Shakespeare & Company<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>by Bob Goepfert<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">LENOX, Mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– Martin McDonagh is a contemporary Irish playwright who is the heir to other great Irish playwrights like John Synge, Sean O’Casey and Brendan Behan who made tragic figures out of flawed common people. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">His play, “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” which is playing at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Mass., through September 15 is dark, comic, and insightful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But McDonagh takes it one step further by adding brutal consequences to the situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Beauty Queen…” is a play that is painfully honest and disturbingly violent in its portrait of people held together through of fear of being alone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Beauty Queen” centers on the dysfunctional relationship between 40 year old Maureen and her mother Mag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maureen is almost an indentured servant to her slovenly 70-year old mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s made clear Maureen has given up her life to care for her bullying mother to the point she is still a virgin.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mag knows she is dependent on Maureen and will go any length to keep her from having a life outside their small, impoverished home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Pato Dooley shows romantic interest in Maureen, Mag’s behavior becomes extreme and tensions between mother and daughter become dangerously high.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The production is excellent, especially during the dark second act when Maureen comes to realize how her mother has betrayed her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When her resentment boils over the relationship becomes searing and the unleashed emotions become powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though the play’s fierce climax is almost painful in its fury, the true pain comes when at play’s end Aspenlieder makes clear the price she must play for her freedom.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tina Packer offers a carefully crafted portrayal of a controlling woman which helps the audience to understand Maureen’s frustrations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Packer’s passive-aggressive manipulations demonstrate her cunning control of Maureen and soon the audience comes to understand Maureen needs Mag as much as Mag needs Maureen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Director Matthew Penn stages the first act as a simple story of a daughter unwillingly trapped by a needy mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are sweet moments and enough humor to make the turns in act two as surprising as they are gruesome.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In supporting roles David Sedgwick plays Pato as a decent, awkward man who might rescue Maureen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it is Edmund Donovan who brings the necessary lightness to the production that the plays with a funny and charming portray of Ray Dooley, Pato’s dimwitted brother.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My quarrel with the production is technical as Maureen’s costumes are too sophisticated and seem contrary to the woman who is described as dressing “strangely.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And because the home is open and neat it fails to set the claustrophobic mood of the play to reflect the mind set of the characters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Beauty Queen of Leenane” is not a play for the faint of heart, but it is excellent theater for people who want to understand the humanity of love, even when it goes amuck.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Beauty Queen of Leenane” in the Bernstein Theatre at Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, Mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Performances Tuesday through Sunday until September 15.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tickets $15-$50.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>413- 637-3353,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>shakespeare.org <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-35214991885197244322013-08-08T13:35:00.003-07:002013-08-08T13:35:31.630-07:00review Musical of Bridges of Madison County at WTF
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Review
Bridges of Madison County by Bob Goepfert<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">WILLIAMSTOWN,
Mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The Bridges of Madison County,”
which is being given its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival through
August 18, is a musical that is often beautifully romantic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At other times the production boarders on the
tedious and cloyingly sentimental.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The work,
which is scheduled to open on Broadway in February of 2014, is based on the
novel by Robert James Waller, which was also the source of the Clint Eastwood
and Meryl Streep film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both were so
popular there is probably a core audience that will automatically adore this musical
adaptation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even those
(like me) who find the material predictable and sometimes overwrought, will
find it difficult not to be moved by the gorgeous score of Jason Robert Brown
which defines characters and captures the emotional turmoil of two decent
individuals who unintentionally fall in love knowing their love is doomed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Too, there
is no denying the emotional pull of the story about a four day love affair that
touches lives forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone who has
ever been in a loving relationship that is destined to fail will understand the
heartbreak of the characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
because the love between Robert and Francesca is so sincere and honest, many
who have not had such an experience might feel they’ve been denied a
life-altering experience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Without
denying the inherent charm of the material, it is not a story that should take
three hours to tell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While there is
hardly a song that is not a pleasure to hear, the long expositional aspects of
the story tend to make Brown’s remarkable score seem repetitive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is true mostly for the first act and a drawn
out ending. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However,
when the work focuses on the passion of the couple the music soars and the
story is tender and touching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second
act duet “One Second More and a Million Miles” is breathtaking in its passion
and Francesca’s solo “Almost Real” is as character defining as it is beautiful
to hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same can be said for
Robert’s first act “The World Inside a Frame.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brown is not
only a great composer, he is a brilliant orchestrator and his lyrics create
lovely stories within a story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the
way, the 9-piece pit orchestra, conducted by Tom Murray, is phenomenal as they
bring an added lushness to a rich score. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Steve Pasquale
is gentle, smart and sexy as Robert the National Geographic photographer who
in1965 spends a couple of days in Madison County, Iowa to photograph their
covered bridges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is an exceptional
actor with a dynamic singing voice who creates a finely etched portrayal of a
loner who surprises himself at the depth of his love for Francesca.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In this
Marsha Norman version of the story, Francesca is the focus of the work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is an Italian World War II war bride, who
lives a content life with a caring but dull husband (Daniel Jenkins) and two
constantly quarreling kids (Caitlin Kinnunen and Nick Bailey). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elena Shaddow <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is lovely as the woman who discovers the
dissatisfaction with her life and is courageous enough to grasp happiness and
noble enough to sacrifice it up out of love for her family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the
strongest aspects of Norman’s book is the creation of Marge (Cass Morgan)and
Charlie (Michael X. Martin) the long-married, neighbors who are happy with
their simple existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having Morgan sing
“Get Closer” as Robert and Francesca physically draw closer is a genius idea
that defines the universality of longing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The entire
cast is ideal but special mention should be given to Whitney Bashor who gives a
breakout<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>performance singing the marvelous
“Another Life” as Robert’s former wife and the touching “He Forgave Me’ as
Francisca’s sister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s all
played on an awesome set designed by Michael Yeargan and period perfect
costumes by Catherine Zuber.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most
important technical success is the mood defining lighting by Donald Holder.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“The Bridges
of Madison County” is an erratic and sometimes slow moving show but it is never
the fault of director Bartlett Sher who ingenuously keeps the movement fluid
and the focus of the show on the love between Francisca and Robert.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is a superior
production that sometimes falls victim to the flaws of the source material.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“The Bridges
of Madison County” through August 18 at the mainstage of Williamstown Theatre
Festival, Williamstown, Mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tickets
$65-$70. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>413-597-3400, wtfestival.org<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-5796740466242655532013-08-06T07:49:00.000-07:002013-08-06T07:49:07.031-07:00Mother Courage - Brecht without Brecht
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Review
Mother Courage by Bob Goepfert<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">LENOX, Mass.
– “Mother Courage and Her Children,” a play written by Bertolt Brecht in 1939,
is considered to be one of the great plays of the 20<sup>th</sup> century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, it is rarely produced. at least in the
United States.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This
production which runs at Shakespeare & Company through August 25 both displays
the greatness of the material and helps one understand why the theater
companies avoid the material.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Overall this
is a tame version of a play that should be almost harsh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of offering the material in what is
known as “Brechtian-epic” fashion, which means stripping away all theatrical
elements for a bare bones in-your-face style, director Tony Simotes offers the
play in a more traditional and conventional style with moody lighting, and genuine
characters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This choice
makes the play more emotionally accessible but it mutes the confrontational and
didactic aspects of Brecht’s approach to Parable Theater and makes the work
seem tame and even vague.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However the
brilliance and passion of Brecht’s material remains. Written as a response to
Hitler and the start of World War II, “Mother Courage” is an honest, harsh look
at the insanity of war and the human cost of living in a perpetual state of
terror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It forces the audience to look
into their own conscience and wonder to what degree we all sustain and support <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>wars because they good for business.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Academy-Award
winning Olympia Dukakis plays “Mother Courage” as a street-smart single-minded
woman whose only interest is the survival of her children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second most-important thing in her life
is her wagon filled with supplies from which she sells goods to the soldiers
during the years 1624-1636 in the midst of the European Thirty Year War.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The tragedy
of the play is that her business eventually costs the lives of her two sons and
daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each dies because of an excess
of a single virtue – kindness, bravery and honesty which Brecht makes clear in times
of war those traits are weaknesses rather than a virtues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even if you
disagree with Dukakis’ single-note stoic performance you will respect her
choice which succeeds more often than not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For sure you will leave the Tina Packer Playhouse with respect for her
courageous performance and admiration for this 82 year old actress willingness to
tackle this monstrously demanding role.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brooke
Parks, is wonderful as the mute daughter Kattrin, Apollo Dukakis grows into the
role of The Chaplin and the charismatic John Douglas Thompson,( though too
young for The Cook) finds moments of brilliance with the character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paula Langton is delightful as the whore
Yvette Pottier and, arguably, comes closest to capturing the performance style
associated with Brecht. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the large
cast is uneven, often because they permitted to utilize a confusing variety of performance
styles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This
Shakespeare & Company production of “Mother Courage” is not the epic
theater one associates or craves from a Brecht play – but it is a decent
production of an important play.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Mother
Courage and Her Children,” at Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, Mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through August 25, in rolling repertory at
Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, Mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>413-637-3353,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>www.shakespeare.org<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-9882578608132285962013-07-30T06:07:00.001-07:002013-07-30T06:07:04.874-07:00review Avenue Q <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Review Avenue Q at Adirondack Theatre Festival<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>by Bob Goepfert<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">GLENS FALLS – Last week I attended three plays about living life as a member of a minority group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“The Chosen” at Barrington Stage Company’s main stage is about the issues of being Jewish in Brooklyn during the 1940s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At BSC’s smaller stage “Southern Comfort” tells about the outcast lives of a transgendered community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Johnny Baseball” at the Nikos Stage of Williamstown Theatre Festival is about segregation and race relations in baseball from 1918-1948.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Friday night I attended the musical “Avenue Q” at Adirondack Theatre Festival in Glens Falls and experienced (to a much lesser degree) what it is to feel like a member of a minority.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was in a full house of people laughing, hooting and clapping at material I felt was shallow and crude and lacking in humor and sophistication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a Tony-Award winning musical that ran on Broadway for 2,534 performances from 2003-2009 and is still running Off-Broadway. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Matters were made worse because having seen the show on Broadway, as well as the national tour, I recognized that in terms of talent and execution the excellent ATF production is their equal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yet, because I disliked and was annoyed with the material I felt an outsider - alone and alienated. That said, for a critic it is not an unusual feeling.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Avenue Q” is a play that is generally described as a naughty version of “Sesame Street.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is about recent college graduates who discover their education has not prepared them for the work force or for life itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the course of the play they come to terms with racism, homosexuality, envy and even the reality of pornography. Most of all they discover a purpose in life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The themes sound genuine but the language is crude and the situations are boarder line risqué (puppets having sex). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The expletives and naked puppets are not offensive in themselves; it’s the low college-frat level of the shallow humor that is disappointing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least it is to me, though the audience roared with every f-bomb.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As you might have gathered, the central characters are puppets operated by performers who are in plain sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a tendency to pay attention to the puppeteers more than to the puppets, but don’t worry, as the actors are signaling the same emotions as their characters and are never distracting. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The lead puppeteers at ATF are great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are always engaging and in the moment to the point they often provide voices for two characters at the same time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s special fun to see Noah Zachary who plays Princeton and Rod show such a fantastic comic delivery as he was the deeply troubled Henry in last year’s ATF production of “Next to Normal.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stacia Newcomb is a delight as Kate Monster and a bitch as Lucy the Slut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Newcomb is both vulnerable and witty and has a great singing voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rob Morrison’s superior comic delivery brings a nice edge to both Nicky and Trekkie Monster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and Heather Brorsen work very well together as the evil bears who tempt the central characters. Shinnerrie Jackson does well playing Gary Coleman in a tiring continuing joke.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The only weaknesses in the cast are Stephen DiBlasi and Joanne Javien as they fail to make the dislikeable slacker couple likeable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Avenue Q” is directed by Jennifer Barnhart an original cast member of “Avenue Q.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She knows the show and understands what works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day I hope she explains to me why it works.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">“Avenue Q” at </span><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Adirondack</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> Theatre Festival, 207 Glen Street, Glens Falls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>8 p.m. nightly through Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>874-0800, </span></span><a href="http://www.atfestival.org/"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.ATFestival.org</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-43383781270116155552013-07-23T10:55:00.000-07:002013-07-23T10:55:43.192-07:00review of Pygmallion at Williamstown Theatre Festival<div class="yiv2188584605MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2050" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2049" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2048" style="font-family: Calibri;">WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2090"> </span>If you only know of the George Bernard Shaw play “Pygmallion” as the source material for the musical “My Fair Lady,” you really don’t know the work. <span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2067"> </span>“Pygmailion” is a biting, funny social satire about women’s rights and class distinctions.</span></span></div>
<div id="yiv2188584605yui_3_7_2_35_1374541106681_35">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span></div>
<div class="yiv2188584605MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2081" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2080" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2079" style="font-family: Calibri;">The production of the Shaw play, which is at Williamstown Theatre Festival through Sunday, is a revelation.<span> </span>Yes, there are a couple of times – like when Henry Higgins says of Eliza,“I’ve grown accustomed to her face” - you expect him to burst into song. However the play is not a romantic vehicle as is the musical and film.<span> </span></span></span></div>
<div id="yiv2188584605yui_3_7_2_35_1374541106681_35">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span></div>
<div class="yiv2188584605MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2084" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2083" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2082" style="font-family: Calibri;">The plot is familiar.<span> </span>Henry Higgins is a linguist expert who takes in Eliza Doolittle, a poor flower girl, and on a bet converts her into a lady. By removing her Cockney accent and teaching her to speak in an upper-class fashion, she is accepted in high society as a lady. </span></span></div>
<div id="yiv2188584605yui_3_7_2_35_1374541106681_35">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span></div>
<div class="yiv2188584605MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The problem is once Eliza becomes refined, she realizes she cannot return to her lower class roots and because her conversion to sophistication is only superficial, she is aware she will not fit into a world of wealth and privilege. </span></span></div>
<div id="yiv2188584605yui_3_7_2_35_1374541106681_35">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span></div>
<div class="yiv2188584605MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One solution is to marry into the upper class, which Shaw eagerly points out is merely another form of prostitution.</span></span></div>
<div id="yiv2188584605yui_3_7_2_35_1374541106681_35">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span></div>
<div class="yiv2188584605MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As Eliza, Heather Lind makes a wonderful journey from street smart young girl to a strong woman.<span> </span>Lind has a wonderful scene in which she speaks like a lady while thinking like a flower girl.<span> </span>It’s funny but also signals her self-confidence and sense of self that she later displays in the final scene as she finds her power over Higgins.</span></span></div>
<div id="yiv2188584605yui_3_7_2_35_1374541106681_35">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lind is a joy as Eliza, however, this production belongs to Robert Sean Leonard who plays Higgins as an emotionally-stunted man-boy. <span> </span>Leonard is wonderful as he shows his bewilderment with the demands others make on him in name of good behavior.<span> </span>He is perfectly honest when he wonders why Eliza would be hurt by his bad behavior since he behaves badly with everyone else. <span> </span>It’s a smartly drawn portrait of an individual who represents those who are granted power and privilege simply as a birthright.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As if to emphasize the women’s secret power in a society dominated by men, director Nicholas Martin casts strong women in every role.<span> </span>Maureen Alderman is no-nonsense tough as Higgin’s mother and Caitlin O’Connell is the most caring person in the household as the disapproving Mrs. Pierce.</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2097" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2096" style="font-family: Calibri;">The men are also strong in support. Paxton Whitehead is a droll but sensitive Colonel Pickering and Don Lee Sparks dominates in his two comic scenes as Eliza’s father - a man who loves his poverty and is offended by his eventual respectability.</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2094" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2093" style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s all played on a beautiful set designed by Alexander Dodge and made lovely with costumes by Gabriel Berry.</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2092" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2091" style="font-family: Calibri;">You might not leave the main stage of Williamstown Theatre Festival singing any songs, but you will leave singing the praises of a superior production of a 100 year old play.<span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2072" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374601937135_2071" style="font-family: Calibri;">“Pygmalion” at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, Mass.<span> </span>Through Sunday.<span> </span>413-597-3400, wtfestival.org<span> </span></span></span></div>
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The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-24906286056615915382013-07-23T10:39:00.003-07:002013-07-23T10:39:27.768-07:00review of The Chosen at Barrington Stage
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Chosen
at Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, Mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>by Bob Goepfert<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">PITTSFIELD,
Mass. - “The Chosen,” playing at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, Mass.
through Aug. 3, is a play about the Jewish culture but its primary themes are
universal and timeless. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Those themes
have to do with father and son relationships, friendships between opposites,
modern ideas versus traditional dogma, and the idea of discovering one’s identity
in order to live a fruitful life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most of all,
“The Chosen” insists that even within opposites there are common truths which
should permit men of good will to work together for a common cause. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a character quotes from the Talmud, “Both
those and those are the words of God.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
goes on to explain that even those things that appear to contradict – can each
be true.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In “The
Chosen” those contradictions are illustrated by two religious Jewish father and
son families who live in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn in the
1940s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Malters are
modern orthodox Jews; the Saunders Hasidic Jews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both men are leaders who want a better world
for their followers, but disagree on the best way to obtain that goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sons, who become close friends, are
devoted to their fathers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They struggle
to be obedient while finding a life that satisfies their own ambitions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The conflict
in approach acerbates when World War II ends and the extent of the Holocaust is
revealed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is heightened when each man
takes a different stance on establishing the state of Israel. The Zionist
Malter believes men must be active or their faith and culture will
disappear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reb Saunders believes man
interfering with God’s will is heresy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Though the
play is dense with provocative themes director Aaron Posner (who with Potok adapted
the material for the stage) keeps the human element of the story the focus of
the presentation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
struggles of Reuven Malter (Jeff Cuttler) and David Saunders (Adam Heller) are
touching as each young man is in conflict as they are torn between adhering to
a dogma that is in conflict with the secular world in which they exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The fathers
(Ben Rosenbach as Malter and Richard Schiff as Saunders) are each committed to
their own truths wise and child raising. However, is loiving enough to realize
that a successful child is not a clone, rather one who honors and lives the
values they were taught.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Making the
work theatrical is the character representing Reuven Malter as an mature man
(Richard Topol).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This device not only
gives us a narrator and a person to play several other characters, but the use
of this invested but distanced observer brings the play out of its time to make
it a memory play.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“The Chosen”
is a marvelously acted play performed on a suggestive set designed by Meghan
Raham that unites the character’s search for knowledge while expressing the
isolation of their existence. It is memorable theater.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“The Chosen”
plays at Barrington Stage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield, Mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>through August 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For schedule and ticket information
413-236-8888, </span></span><a href="http://www.barringtonstage.org/"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.barringtonstage.org</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-84476600264661888262013-06-10T12:01:00.002-07:002013-06-10T12:01:15.648-07:00On Sunday evening the world of theater had its biggest night - The Tony Award ceremony. The good news is it was a night of high standards. <br />
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If this show didn't tempt you to see a Broadway play it probably isn't going to happen. Just about every musical segment was great. This despite, what I think, is a very weak year for musical theater. Indeed, it's hard to imagine "Kinky Boots" winning over any previous winner. In fact, the smart money was on "Matilda" this year.<br />
<br />
So much for the smart money. I never dreamt Broadway favorite Nathan Lane would not get best actor and lose to Tracy Letts. I'm not saying Lane should have won, just saying I'm surprised the voters remembered Letts' marvelous work in "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?" Letts has won before but as a playwright for "August Osage County."<br />
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The real winner of the night Neal Patrick Harris who once again displayed great talent and charm. His opening number was brilliant the close clever and the bit with three Broadway talents who went on to failed TV series was funny.<br />
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In between there were the speeches - the majority to the point, many articulate and some from the heart. Of course there were a few that thought we cared about the relationships with their managers, publicists and dressers. <br />
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All in all, a good show.The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-6810140001044354212013-06-04T06:10:00.000-07:002013-06-04T06:10:06.796-07:00anticipation of summerMy wife was an avid gardener and I always recall the delight she showed when in late-winter the seed catalogs arrived. This was matched only by the days in spring when she went to her garden supply stores to add to her overwhelming cache of flowers and plants.<br />
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Sometimes anticipation is equal to the joy of achievement.<br />
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This is the time of year I most identify with that point of view. I look at the theater listings and cannot see a loser in the batch. There are so many great classical music offerings I get heady in deciding which to see. And as for the free music offered in almost every community what a great opportunity to see a favorite band outside the clubs and bars at which they usually perform.<br />
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I go so far as to anticipate a rainy day by having lists of the magnificent art which will be exhibited at museums and galleries throughout the summer.<br />
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Of course, what I fail to realize is there is not enough time to do everything. You can't be at that great symphony concert and go to a theater performance and see dance or opera the same day. Yes, a couple of matinee days offer that opportunity but then there is a the thing about energy - and even the consideration of living a normal life of BBQ's, family celebrations, golf and time on the lake.<br />
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Nonetheless, it is a wonderful time of the year when there are no flop plays on the horizon, no clinker notes coming off the stage, or not even crowded parking lots for the popular performances.<br />
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I used to joke with my wife at how in September there were often potted plants lining the driveway that never got planted in ground. I know that come labor Day, I will have those unseen plays, unheard concert and not experienced art shows.<br />
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Nonetheless, the best thing about early June is that everything is possible, The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-9051010530579236742012-10-03T11:24:00.003-07:002012-10-03T11:24:51.764-07:00a Mary Poppins life lessonAfter so many years of reviewing and seeing theater it is a constant battle to keep from becoming jaded. The musical "Mary Poppins" would make one very susceptible for such cynicism. <br />
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So for the Tuesday opening of the production that runs at Proctors 'till Sunday, I decided to go armed with protection. I brought Zack, the 10 year old son of my daughter's best friend, who is like another daughter to me. I thought if I could see the show through the innocent eyes of Zack maybe all the sentimentality that I expected would be viewed from a new perspective.<br />
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I didn't need to bother. The musical won me over on its own terms. It is exciting and at times even touching. Of course it is somewhat manipulative - come on - it's "Mary Poppins" - but at the same time the universal family values of love, respect and taking responsibility for those you love are stated without too much sentimentality. <br />
<br />
However, I am glad I brought Zack. It was his first exposure to Broadway calibre musical theater and it blew his mind. The sets and scenery in the show are spectacular and on the ride home he was asking questions about how they did certain things - often answering the questions himself.<br />
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What he didn't need to ask were questions about the emotional issues in the work. A ten year old is very much aware of the family dynamics and when he is at a work that emotionally satisfies the audience it is a comforting experience - one that needs no elaboration.<br />
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Actually our conversation on the ride home was more about the difference between movies and stage. Zack decided theater was "better" because it permitted you to use your imagination more. In the show Mary Poppins flys, statues come to life and Bert dances up the wall of the stage and across the top and a banker has compassion for the individual. Not much of these things do you encounter in real life. But we accepted and enjoyed. We were united by our imagination which permitted us to accept the impossible.<br />
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Mary Poppins has taught another life lesson..The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-49604593428021846242012-09-23T08:23:00.000-07:002012-09-23T08:25:08.926-07:00folk music as entertainment and historyThere's nothing more pleasing than a happy accident. On Saturday afternoon my evening plans went awry. Terribly awry and I was left with nothing to do that evening. Anyone who knows me understands the only thing worse than staying home alone on a Saturday evening is staying home on Friday and Saturday night on the same weekend. Since I was home the night before, there was no way I would not go out on this Saturday.<br />
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I decided to attend "Four Seasons, Four Years - the Civil War: A Musical Journey." It was being presented by Caffe Lena at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs and the material was produced by Old Songs. <br />
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I am neither a "folkie" nor a Civil War buff, but there is no denying the credentials of those involved with this project. An added bonus was the 11 performers who are the cream of local folk artists. It was a brilliant experience that validated my personal axiom that you never can go wrong attending something presented by people who understand and practice quality in their lives and their art.<br />
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The premise of the piece created by Andy Spence (the artistic director of Old Songs) is to tell the story of the Civil War using authentic folk songs of the era. There is a bit of narration to set the background for the song and at other times a letter or other correspondence is read to give a personal voice to the proceedings. For the most part the narration is short and to the point.<br />
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The result is (depending on your point of view) an entertaining night that is an insightful educational experience or an educational experience that is enormously entertaining. Either works.<br />
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The genius of "Four Season, Four Years" is that because of the authentic music of the era it makes a powerful emotional statement. We've all read or heard letters written by those involved in the Civil War but the songs in the show represent a more general view of what was going on. It is not the thought of an individual about a personal experience - the songs (though written by one person) represent the feelings of the population at large. If it didn't they wouldn't have been performed or survived.<br />
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In my mind, this defines the value of any folk art. It is created specifically for a moment in time and like the music in this piece, clearly expresses to us - 150 years later - the sense of what people were going through - their hopes, dreams. fears and concerns. It is extremely honest, personal and very revealing.<br />
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Enhancing the experience was the interpretive skills of the performers. There was never the sense that the songs were performed to satisfy the taste of a modern audience. Because everyone of the eleven performers on stage are gifted individual artists they attempted to become a person performing the material during the Civil War. In many ways this song cycle was incredible theater.<br />
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Though most of the tunes are obscure songs there are a number of familiar songs in the presentation and often it was as if you were hearing them for the first time. "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" has a rueful tone as it signals the end of a war in which everyone lost something. In much the same way when the show closes with "Home Sweet Home" the irony is sad and touching. The rendition of"John Brown's Body" begins almost as if a community chant and evolves into a powerful anthem. <br />
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And speaking of anthems, when the performers build the emotions of the first act ending with "Battle Hymn of the Republic," it is easy to visualize eager young men signing oaths to die for a cause.<br />
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The second act tells of those who died for a cause they didn't understand. While the first segment sets up the political conditions that led to the war, the second half of the show focuses on the pain, suffering and misery the conflict caused for both side. If the show could be improved it would be during the second act to offer less detail on every major battle by exploring the the thoughts of the participants. It might sound callous, but the truth is history has made us almost immune to the suffering of that horrible war. For example a touching rendition of "Tenting on the Old Campground" - about soldiers retiring for the night after a horrific battle doesn't need a set up. We get the pain of loss through the music and the lyrics. It is beautiful and painful at the same time. And when those emotions come from the music it is powerful.<br />
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Indeed, because of the music, I left Universal Preservation Hall thinking about the Civil War in a way I had never done before. I really didn't learn too much I didn't know already but I felt touched by the people who lived in that period in a way I never felt before.<br />
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The future of "Four Seasons, Four Years - the Civil War: a Musical Journey" is uncertain. It is a work that should not be neglected or discarded. At the least it should be presented on every area college campus. It's an important piece - musically and historically. <br />
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For information on the show contact Andy Spence at Old Songs, Voorheesville, NY 765-2815, <a href="http://www.oldsongs.org/">www.oldsongs.org</a><br />
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<br />The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-37908060977427766402012-09-20T12:47:00.000-07:002012-09-20T12:47:31.769-07:00Jazz on the LakeLike everyone else in the area I love July and August in this area but this year I'm beginning the think September might be the best month of all. So far this year I've enjoyed the wine and food festival at SPAC, the Greek fest in Schenectady and the Irish fest in Ballston Spa.<br />
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Now I think I might have a new favorite. On Sunday I went to Lake George and spent a couple of hours at Jazz on the Lake at Shepard Park and had one of the most mellow and enjoyable days of the summer.<br />
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Jazz on the Lake is a two-day event that brings great music to the area. Admission is free and it is as low-key as the music it presents. I arrived a little after one and sampled a bit of John Tank and the Palace Reunion Band. It was traditional jazz that went off into its own world in a nice way. He closed with "Canadian Sunset" and you might recognize about half of it as the traditional number. The other half was a pleasant journey to places on jazz can take you.<br />
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I came up for Steven Bernstein and the Millennial Territory Orchestra. The draw was this great trumpeter (and slide trumpeter) was leading featuring the songs of Sly. It was a superior set that went everywhere in one of the fastest 90-minutes on record. It was jazz at its best as it used coentemporary tunes to engage the audience while making each song its own<br />
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Not every number was a Sly standard. In fact the final number was a new improvisation. Bernstein explained to the audience it was a number new to the orchestra as he felt without risk it wasn't jazz. It was pure jazz in the best possible sense of the term.<br />
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My only regret about the day was I didn't allow myself time to stay longer I would have liked to hear<br />
at least some of the John Benitez set with Donald Harrison Jr. but I had to leave. <br />
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I did so promising to come back for two days next year.The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-88413719413309502932012-09-16T07:22:00.000-07:002012-09-16T07:22:13.567-07:00Irish 2000 Music Fest - 2012September is Festival Month. Although many are themed by musical genre - jazz, blues or bluegrass - often the music has a cultural affiliation. <br />
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Yesterday I attended Irish 2000 Music Festival at the Saratoga Fairgrounds in Ballston Spa. There were three stages of continuous music that covered every aspect of what one associates with Irish music. There were enough traditional groups to satisfy anyone who has cried to the lyrics of "Danny Boy" and there was cutting-edge Celtic alternatives. Best of all there was everything in between that help connect the two different styles of music.<br />
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The crowd was equally as diverse. They ranged from grandma and grandpa to the newest arrival in the family. The connecting device was that everyone was dressed in a shade of green. If you have an allergy to the color green avoid the Irish Music Fest.<br />
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The walkways were filled with vendors of merchandise and food. Most of the merchandise was Irish in some form - even the jewelry seemed dominated by green stones. All the merchandise was Irish-oriented and yes, mostly in hues of green.<br />
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About the only thing not dominated by green was the food. There was an endless line of food vendors featuring corned beef sandwiches, sausage and peppers, fried dough and any deep fried concoction that guarantees to induce a heart attack. And what would an Irish Fest be without a number of pizza stands?<br />
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I was impressed with the fairness of pricing overall. I had one of the best corned beef sandwiches ever, served with cabbage on a hard roll. It was only $8, a price few pubs or restaurants match. The beer prices were also fair. $4 for domestic, $5 for Guinness, etc. Considering the festival draws a thirsty captive audience the vendors could gouge. They didn't.<br />
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This is the type of principle that makes the Irish Fest such a great event. The mood is welcoming. The music is eclectic and of high quality and the vendors try to serve. All in all its a successful model of how to offer your customers a good time.The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-84287370063495645662012-09-13T12:02:00.001-07:002012-09-13T12:02:20.559-07:00Saratoga Wine & Food Festival at SPACFor most people the end of summer is Labor Day. Which means the start of fall is the day after Labor Day. For me, the start of fall is the weekend after Labor Day because it is when SPAC holds its annual Wine and Food Festival.<br />
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Normally I avoid such things. I find them crowded and impersonal. I've always thought of such events as a place where people go just to be seen. Those impression tend not to hold true at the SPAC Wine Festival. The vendors are friendly and willing to spend time answering questions and almost everyone I spoke with seemed genuinely proud of the product. They were all extremely knowledgeable. I learned a lot.<br />
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The people who attend are also very friendly and considering there are appears to be more than a thousand people in attendance that's a surprise. People are dressed for comfort. You'll find guys in cutoffs and ladies in elegant sundresses. Mostly the attire is summer daytime cocktail party.<br />
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Don't go to the Wine Festival for the booze. It is a wine tasting event and the pours are just enough to let you test the product. You'd have to sip at a lot of booths to be greatly affected by the wine.<br />
But isn't that really the purpose of such an event? To taste as many new varieties of wine as possible? To accomplish that the taste buds should not be numb.<br />
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Bottom line is the wine fest is almost like a giant cocktail party with the wines being the topic of conversation. Indeed standing at a table with strangers it is easy to strike up a conversation by offering an observation on something you just tasted or by asking a question of the stranger who just tasted something in which you might have interest. Don't expect to make a new life-long friend but you can have some friendly conversations.<br />
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There is a lot of food to be sampled as well. Because the Italian Trade Commission there was a strong Italian influence. More important there was a great number of cheeses which complimented the wines, Most tables had pieces of Italian bread to absorb the wine and water to cleanse the pallet. Best of all several area restaurants had booths there and offered unique samples of their food. For us common guys several booths were pumping out a lot a pizza bits.<br />
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The weather held up most of the day but about 4 pm, when many people were getting ready to leave anyway, a storm swept through the grounds. It never seemed dangerous but most people who were still at the Fest took shelter in one of the many brick buildings on the SPAC grounds. It was no trouble and even a little exciting. <br />
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All in all - a very nice start to the fall season.The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-7625865342117522052012-03-25T07:39:00.002-07:002012-03-25T08:34:21.184-07:00Shirley MacLaineAs much as I love entertainment, I've never been able to figure out why the public bestows on actors, singers and dancers the gift of wisdom. I feel the same way about athletes. Because someone can cry on cue, carry a melody or throw a ball doesn't make them smart. Certainly some smart people do these things, but not all who do these things are smart.<br /><br />Shirley MacLaine is one of those smart people who can act, sing and dance. Her appearance at Proctors on Friday was remarkable to observe. The first section was a photo show of all the people she's met and interacted with over her career. We are talking almost every world leader during the last quarter of the 20th century. On the show biz side her connections with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack was also on display. <br /><br />The thoughts of why these world leaders would want to discuss anything of import with an actress ran through my mind during that part of the event. I wrote it off to the probability that even the powerful are media-whores.<br /><br />When MacLaine started interacting with the audience. many of those "why" thoughts came into play. Why were all these people lining up to tell her how much she's influenced their lives and why do they think she has the secret to the mysteries of life. I wanted to shout - she's an actress, who in her youth could sing and dance. She's not a guru.<br /><br />However, as the Q & A went on I began to rethink my stance. Yes, if MacLaine were not a famous movies star she probably wouldn't have met the Kennedy's, the Dali Lama, President Reagan and others. But what I ended up admiring about MacLaine was the way she used her access as an educational tool. It became very clear that she is extremely intelligent, committed to life and is a searcher of truth. She was fortunate enough to meet the smartest and most powerful people in the world. She was wise enough to learn the from them the shortcomings of power and intellignece. Because of this learning, she never fawns and as a result her self-confidence and composure are both calming and reassuring.<br /><br />Most important, at Proctors, MacLaine never acted as if she had all the answers. What she understands is her devotion to exploring the unknown has put her on a path. She believes that path is right for her and might be right for others. She doesn't lecture and simply talks about what she's learned and what she believes. She leaves it up to you to accept, modify or dismiss he notions.<br /><br />She doesn't care if you travel with her. For her its the journey that is important and she knows that journey must be made alone. How refreshing it was to hear someone who is convinced about the validity of their own beliefs not insisting that they are the only truths that have to be accepted by all. <br /><br />If only our politicians would take that same approach.<br />The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-23177037177315093632012-02-28T10:26:00.003-08:002012-02-28T11:24:16.518-08:00Great Expectations at University at AlbanyI've long believed that the community, in general, tends to overlook the cultural advantages of having a college in our midst. The current production of "Great Expectations" at the University of Albany is but one example. <br /><br />It continues at the Performing Arts Center at the Washington Avenue campus until Saturday. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are only $12 and $8 for seniors. A better deal you will not find. Take advantage.<br /><br />"Great Expectations" is an adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel by Chad Larabee, who also directs the work. He sets the time between 1953-1968 and moves the location to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and in Washington, DC. He eliminates, combines and renames characters but essentially focuses on the story of Pip - here named Hub - and his journey to find his identity and accept himself for who he is rather than what he thinks he should be.<br /><br />This concentration on Hub/Pip's search for self makes a college campus an ideal location for the world premiere of the work. Not only does it have a special resonance to most of its audience, it has a talent pool appropriate to the age of the characters. Wisely, to fill the roles of two older characters the production goes off campus to enlist the talents of Carol Charniga as the eccentric spinster Victoria Piedmont and Patrick White as the criminal Thomas Summerset.<br /><br />The students are not only age appropriate they are talent appropriate. The leads, Justin Mancuso as Hub, Kristyn Youngblood as Stella and Cecelia Gray as Sissy/Kim, offer honest performances that display talent and training. The rest of the cast is also very good as they create an array of characters that are fully realized. <br /><br />The sets appear impressive, but they do not always serve the play. There is a two-tiered set that is rolled back and forth - but since more than 90% of the action is played on one level - why have two? It's a case of because you can doesn't mean you should. The Washington apartment set is also overdone. But being fair, tech students in a theater program need to learn their craft as well, which makes overdone forgivable on a college campus. And truth is - no harm, no foul.<br /><br />Larabee's adaptation is smart and functional. Because so much has to be condensed even to bring the performance time to the current 2 1/2 hours, the play appears to be as much a work "suggested by" as it is an adaptation. I mostly missed the shadings of character and motive in the supporting cast - especially with the criminal Sommerset who's reasons for helping Hub and his actions at play's end are rushed and lack the important depth of meaning they deserve. Too, Hub's transformations from good to vain and back again seem abrupt and would be helped by some transitional scenes. However, I doubt that anyone would sit through a four hour production.<br /><br />The thing I most appreciate about "Great Expectations" is that the minor flaws add to the experience. How satisfying to see talented young actors working to bring alive and make contemporary great literature. Sorry to say, you don't get much of that at local community theaters.<br /><br />Sadder to say, we won't be getting any more of this at the University at Albany as the theater program is being eliminated. If you thought the idea of dropping theater was crazy - go see "Great Expectations" and realize it is a truly insane and destructive plan.The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-51825761402801647882011-12-29T07:40:00.001-08:002011-12-29T08:21:09.052-08:00My two best theatrical memories of 2011Next to making a New Year's resolution for the upcoming year, there is not a more futile list than deciding what was best in the year just past. Most of my problem with best lists is that being in the business of reviewing theater and arts for a daily newspaper I find comfort in thinking the offering of my opinion has a purpose - to give direction to someone to either see or avoid an event.<br /><br />Looking back over the year by making a list is more like saying look what I did and you didn't do.<br /><br />OK, with that in mind let me share my two best theater experiences of 2011, which because they are out of the region can't be placed on any local best list. (which will appear in this space shortly).<br /><br />One you might have done, the other - no way.<br /><br />My absolute best theatrical experience of 2011 was attending the production of "Jerusalem" on Broadway. It featured what might be the most awesome stage performance I've ever seen. Mark Rylance was enormously powerful, touching and flamboyant in the lead role. There is hardly a week that goes by that his portrayal doesn't find its way into my head. <br /><br />If there is a negative with such a strong performance, it is that we tend to remember the performance rather than the material. Too bad because the material is as large in scope as was Rylance's performance, which totally served the work. It's a trite phrase, but this was a "once in a lifetime" portrayal that I treasure.<br /><br />The other great experience was attending the opera "Tosca" at Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. sitting in the Presidential Box. Oh yeah! Though an excellent production, this wasn't the best "Tosca" I''d ever seen but the surroundings made it one of the best experiences I've had in 2011.<br /><br />I tend to be jaded. I've attended so many great art events and met and interviewed so many talented, famous artists I am not easily impressed. This experience impressed me. Sitting in the Presidential Box, sipping champagne and eating chocolates all packaged with the presidential seal made me feel like a giddy kid. It gives you the slightest taste of what life in the really fast lane can be like.<br /><br />In the interest of full disclosure President Obama was not there. However, the president's social secretary and one of his guests did share the box (it seats eight). We engaged in good discussion about the state of the arts and I was impressed with their ability to speak knowingly of the upstate NY region. At one point we were all trying to remember the name of the former artistic director of Glimmerglass Opera and one of them went to his contact list on his smart phone and pulled it out. As I said - impressive.<br /><br />There are a number of wonderful times provided by the arts. Some are simple - like sitting on the lawn at SPAC listening to Emmanuel Ax or attending the world premiere of a play in the Berkshires believing it will be a future hit on Broadway. And perhaps, just being part of a crowd listening to a great band in downtown Troy at Rockin' on the River.<br /><br />Another reason I hate best lists is because there are far too many diverse experiences to list. <br /><br />Indeed, 2011 was a year of great experiences - but two do stand out. I hope they are matched in 2012.The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-66866461329869866122011-12-15T14:03:00.000-08:002011-12-15T14:36:36.398-08:00tolerable holiday entertainments<div>For some reason I turn into a music fan during the holidays. Not all music, mind you. I quickly have my fill with the familiar pop Christmas songs that seem inescapable between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. I don't even like it when carolers come around the neighborhood trying to force good cheer upon me. I care about neither Rudolph or Frosty, though I do agree the best nights are silent.<br /><br />That said, when attending an event during which the performer encourages the audience to join in a holiday sing-a-long I have to admit I don't hate it as much as I do the rest of the year.<br /><br />Maybe it has to do with the communal aspect of the singing that makes it acceptable to me. There is something uniting about hundreds of people joining together to sing a familiar and (maybe) even an inspirational song.<br /><br />Sing-alongs are at the bottom rung of my tolerance for holiday cheer. I prefer things that encourage me to look inward at the holidays.<br /><br />For me that is mostly accomplished by listening to classical music. I think it is because much of the classical music repertoire has been around for a long time - in many cases hundreds and hundreds of years. I was raised in the Roman Catholic faith in the era of Latin masses and when the Gregorian chants were still in fashion. Obviously that upbringing didn't make me a better, kinder person but it did instill in me a love of ritual.<br /><br /> I love to be involved with any art form that has endured - whether is be a play first performed by the Greeks or Roman or music that originated in the Dark Ages. There is something about the fact that art survives that offers me hope during this holiday season.<br /><br />And after all, Christmas really is a birthday celebration that's been going on for slightly over tw0-thousand years.</div>The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-397842451324901992011-12-01T07:24:00.000-08:002011-12-01T07:39:03.906-08:00expectatons<div>One of the great experiences of being a reviewer is going to a show you are certain you will dislike and having a good time. That happened to me this week with the musical "The Addams Family" that continues at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady through Sunday Were I not reviewing the show there is no way I would have attended the production. Indeed, I've successfully avoided the show in NYC for over a year.</div><div> </div><div>I still don't think the show is great, but as I said in my review it has a great cast who makes average material seem better than it is. Thanks to great comic timing from the cast even lines you can see coming for miles were funny. And, to give credit where credit is due, some lines are extremely witty and unexpected.</div><div> </div><div>The point is that with theater reviewing - as in life - don't prejudge. Always have an open mind and experience things for what they are - not what you want them to be. "The Addams Family" is true to itself and doesn't strive to be great art. It was designed to entertain not to enlighten. </div><div> </div><div>And, it is very entertaining. </div><div> </div>The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-66872085624656464302011-11-10T14:24:00.000-08:002011-11-10T14:45:17.695-08:00Man of La Mancha tv commercial<div>Capital Repertory Theatre begins previews of "Man of La Mancha" Friday night and opens the run on Tuesday. It plays the Albany venue through Dec. 17.<br /><br />That's a long run for Capital Rep, but if any show can draw audiences for that period of time it is "Man of La Mancha." Indeed, in order to build advance ticket sales the company has even been able to invest in television commercials for the show.<br /><br />I hope it isn't a waste of time and money. Indeed, for my money, the commercial is a waste of time. I said to a theater friend recently, "When did they turn "La Mancha" into "Henry V?" It shows the lead - Kevin McGuire - in close ups speaking in very dramatic tone about the challenge he is about to face. It gives the impression that it is a very serious and drab show. If you listen closely you can hear the song "The Impossible Dream" in the background - but you have to listen very closely. The commercial makes it look more like a Shakespearean drama that a popular Broadway musical.<br /><br />If you've never seen "Man of La Mancha" you have to believe me, this is a true Broadway musical with great music, a lot of comedy and yes - a serious story. The magic of the show is that it blends all three elements. You should end the show fighting tears and leave remembering the joy that made you care so much about the title character.<br /><br />Of course, I haven't seen the show, which doesn't officially open until Tuesday. But I saw Kevin McGuire do the show in Hubbard Hall in Cambridge five years ago. He was, and should be again, a terrific Don Quixote. The supporting cast looks good so I'm going with heightened expectations (which is never a good thing for a critic).<br /><br />I can't guarantee the quality of the production but I can promise you it will be better than what you might expect from seeing the commercial.</div>The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-68281232474964598742011-10-27T14:12:00.000-07:002011-10-27T15:04:00.683-07:00last call for some theater<div>In this area most theater runs are about three weeks and that usually means three weekends. There is an exception. Lake George Dinner Theater opens in June and runs to Oct. 29 That's a bit over five months. That is longer than some shows run on Broadway.<br /><br />A problem can be with a long run there is no urgency to see the show because you think you have plenty of time. If you haven't noticed Oct. 29 is Saturday. It's kind of last call.<br /><br />"Skin Deep" is a show I can recommend to anyone. It's funny, touching, smart and well performed. It is about people who feel like outsiders who - in this case because of their weight, but it could be any imagined flaw - deny themselves love. The happy ending is well deserved.<br /><br />"Skin Deep" isn't the only play closing this weekend. "Hair" the 60s rock musical at Home Made Theater in Saratoga closes a three weekend run after the Sunday matinee. I found some problems with the authenticity of most of the performers but the score remains fantastic and the cast sings it well.<br /><br />This is also the final weekend for "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" playing at the Arts Center in Saratoga. If you are looking for mindless entertainment you have found the right show. It's everything the title suggests. It's silly campy fun. It has a good score that is well sung and at 90-minutes length it doesn't tax your brain in the slightest.<br /><br />If you prefer a timely show - what could be better on a Halloween weekend than a musical "Zombie Prom" - especially when the show is offered free of charge. Sunday is the final performance. It's at the Shenendahowa HS East in Clifton Park.<br /><br />Another Sunday losing is perhaps the biggest name of all. It's the national tour of "La Cage Aux Folles" at Proctors Theatre starring George Hamilton. It's a fun show that expresses some important values about love and family. It has a number of great songs and a lot of laughs.<br /><br />Not every show closes this weekend, nor is every show frivolous fun. At Curtain Call Theatre in Latham their production of"The Diary of Ann Frank" plays until Nov. 9. It's the definitive play about the Holocaust and when seen through the innocent eyes of a young girl the tale remains touching and meaningful<br /><br />This is the last weekend for a lot of good shows. But if you can't go to something, too bad. But one of the best things about this area for going to theater - you can be sure another good show will be opening soon. </div>The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776282394485554463.post-50764013854324405512011-10-22T10:51:00.000-07:002011-10-22T11:36:57.652-07:00dance at proctors<div><div>Next week Proctors theater will likely be filled for eight performances of "La Cage aux <font id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Folles</font>" starring George Hamilton. That's as it should be. The show is both fun and thoughtful.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>However, this week Proctors hosted two dance events that were fun and thoughtful - but they drew <font id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">sparse</font> audiences. That's too bad, but it is a start for Proctors to develop and audience as loyal for dance as it is for theater. A <font id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">positive</font> sign is there were more people in their thirties as the two dance events than will be at the eight performance of "La Cage." Hurray for that.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>The Thursday night piece was "Radio and Juliet." It was the contemporary dance company Ballet <font id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Maribor</font> interpreting Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" performed to the music of <font id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Radiohead</font>. It was an amazing performance that was fascinating to watch. The talent of the cast was both athletic and intellectual. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Granted if you didn't know the plot was taken from "Romeo and Juliet" you might not realize it. However, what you would get was the emotional core of a tragic love story. And if you didn't get that - you'd be <font id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">satisfied</font> and thrilled with the abilities of the dancers, especially the synchronized movements of the cast.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> It was a breathtaking and marvelous <font id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">performance</font>.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>On Friday night Proctors offered Angel Reapers, a fusion of dance and theater that was eloquent, moody and brilliantly executed. It looks at the Shakers and its founders Ann Lee and her brother William Lee with an open and mindful eye.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>The piece is as much theater as it is dance. The dance choreographed by director Martha Clarke is so integrated in the life of the piece it seems organic rather than conceived. Indeed rather than dance it is tempting to call it movement. But choreographed dance it is - with movements as simple as the Shaker faith itself and as complicated as the emotional conflicts caused by its belief in the value celibacy.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>The piece gains its tension from this conflict between body and spirit. As Brother William says - mentally I'm an angel, physically I'm a man. The dance builds on the tension of adults needing a release and it is made human by the words of Alfred <font id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Uhry</font> who has the characters eloquently express both their physical needs and their spiritual quest. One element of the production was the use of silence that was frequently profound as it drew you into the minds of the characters.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Angel Reapers is a work that keeps word and movement in perfect synch to such a degree that you hardly notice there is no music, The songs are almost chants and the dancing seems internally driven.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Angel Reapers is a beautiful and intelligent work that makes you think about both cults and the individual. It is one of the best events I've seen at Proctors this year.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Philip Morris deserves a lot of credit for scheduling the two shows. Neither production drew large crowds which is a disappointment, but it is an important step for Proctors in building an audience for the art form. His major problem will be topping these two shows. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>I'm sorry for you that you probably missed them. </div></div>The Arts Whispererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07650755906107342625noreply@blogger.com0