tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34645456451047252922024-03-14T14:55:06.288-04:00South Shore CriticJack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.comBlogger569125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-35955330040356389232021-06-27T10:27:00.002-04:002021-06-27T10:28:12.785-04:00Watch This SpaceJack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-39471274700945715572021-02-24T10:50:00.003-05:002021-02-24T10:58:13.457-05:00South Shore Critic: Watch This Space <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNLQ56v7HLNuzf6RHkKvsepy02HDorDqP8e_pFJOmassRKiXzEvQFSfCJx9SAFlYDuW81rIp49gy7ddRsRFOg4zex-ceSbx-rdCE-n8NnuXJL6pQMTWSUSd9-G7ET6OWV48vOHuKqbWI/s954/CHILDREN4.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNLQ56v7HLNuzf6RHkKvsepy02HDorDqP8e_pFJOmassRKiXzEvQFSfCJx9SAFlYDuW81rIp49gy7ddRsRFOg4zex-ceSbx-rdCE-n8NnuXJL6pQMTWSUSd9-G7ET6OWV48vOHuKqbWI/s400/CHILDREN4.png"/></a></div> The Cast of SpeakEasy's "The Children", (Karen MacDonald, Tyrees Allen & Paula Plum) the last theater review published before the pandemic. Watch this space for the future return of South Shore Critic, after a year of drought.Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-1374090895993883592020-03-30T15:41:00.001-04:002020-03-30T15:46:24.633-04:00BLO "Norma": Bellini with Peaches & Champagne<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbK_LvBOvpwgfKdcrYnBJflzreUDIfj2mKcCxEqLkTMmR9Q0PxkIqixHXUcuUBSIZQdSDm39Q6RmBZf66IL4Q0EZpAEAYNq3Ux_fO8Lh8IV50CWhjdD61XECDQyO_XOiTeopK8QairGJE/s1600/ELENA+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbK_LvBOvpwgfKdcrYnBJflzreUDIfj2mKcCxEqLkTMmR9Q0PxkIqixHXUcuUBSIZQdSDm39Q6RmBZf66IL4Q0EZpAEAYNq3Ux_fO8Lh8IV50CWhjdD61XECDQyO_XOiTeopK8QairGJE/s640/ELENA+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Elena Stikhina as "Norma" </em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(Photo: Boston Lyric Opera)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">An
illustration in the Arts section of a recent newspaper said it all: a
picture of a ticket to a live event with its ominous printing: Admit
None. With what seemed to be warp speed, suddenly there were no
symphony concerts, no live theater, and no opera. And just when it
seemed a creative catastrophe had stricken, some artistic people
suddenly are appearing (and performing) at a computer near you. For
example, check out playbill.com's offerings on their twice-daily
emails, which can become a part of one's day via a (free)
subscription. And there was more good news on the home front: Boston
Lyric Opera was going to broadcast its eagerly-awaited production of
Bellini's </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Norma
</span></i></span></span><span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">in
conjunction with WCRB, by streaming at blo.org/norma with the Russian
soprano Elena Stikhina (a hit in the company's performances of </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Tosca
</span></i></span></span><span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
a few seasons ago) in the title role. Break out the peaches and
champagne!
</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Though
there are photos of the costumes and the sets on the company's
website (this performance is an audio stream of the dress rehearsal
for the production), and they appeared to be just fine, it would
obviously be the musical elements that would stand out in this case.
Expectations were actually exceeded. Something about the real
presence of the cast and orchestra imbued the event with an immediacy
one rarely experiences. Stikhina excelled with virtually perfect
precision, from her first (vocal) appearance to her final demanding
mad scene; forced to focus on the audible, one was quite blown away
by her pitch, tone and expression (especially in her <em>Casta Diva)</em>. The same could be said for the
Pollione of American tenorJonathan Burton and the Adalgisa of BLO
regular, mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques Eddy, not to mention the
orchestra (led by Conductor David Angus) and chorus (under Chorus
Master Brett Hodgdon) in what would ultimately prove to be a triumph
of artistry over angst.
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">For
an all-too-short spell, this </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Norma
</span></i></span></span><span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
showed us what opera at its most moving and memorable can be. And the
ability to support the company with a donation (via the same web
site) in this time of trial cannot be underestimated. We are all
grieving for our current loss of normalcy; one of the most effective
ways in which to reestablish our norms is to ensure that, after this
has all passed, there will be beauty, there will be music, there will
be joy. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br /></div>
Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-42802339067989718652020-03-02T10:32:00.000-05:002020-03-13T08:04:25.647-04:00SpeakEasy's "The Children": Come Hell or High Water<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJOm394L7EWjCsmblgHq8ZC87AakuKL9_cEhGwvKEoG_2KpiLCROP9cJt658_kMgAHfk9HFFVPR0d_dawyY_MoKYe-8-JCbFwrNmNMSHL1s8r_4VDTIYo8F99JkLWLrNaSPI0dbDn6qo/s1600/CHILDREN4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="954" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJOm394L7EWjCsmblgHq8ZC87AakuKL9_cEhGwvKEoG_2KpiLCROP9cJt658_kMgAHfk9HFFVPR0d_dawyY_MoKYe-8-JCbFwrNmNMSHL1s8r_4VDTIYo8F99JkLWLrNaSPI0dbDn6qo/s640/CHILDREN4.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Karen MacDonald, Tyrees Allen & Paula Plum in "The Children"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Maggie Hall Photography)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">As
the lights go up on SpeakEasy Stage Company's production of </span><i>The
Children, </i><span style="font-style: normal;">a chilling new play by
Lucy Kirkwood, the sound of the surf (not a calming sound but a
raging one) can be heard as two characters enter a somewhat
ramshackled and isolated cottage. The building is inhabited by Robin
(Tyrees Allen) and Hazel (Paula Plum), long-married retired
physicists living on the British coast. They are visited by a former
colleague, Rose (Karen MacDonald) who shows up rather unexpectedly
(after a 38 year absence) on a summer evening with a shocking
request. And that's about all one may share without disturbing the
flow of this play with its underlying existential dread. First
performed in London in 2016, it transferred to Broadway in 2017 where
it was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0_mrBLOMdvZt-o2kL-RQR5JgMijeeOitvWlQvh5E3l_4LLLHYpglp42UNAGeD5COoSjxsAqqPEHh7u-oQYxX2EI-kuXXFwcu7eL3DPSvVoGwJbKb9zBWj4yhmpnUM_uT8ea7MYNMLgg/s1600/CHILDREN2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0_mrBLOMdvZt-o2kL-RQR5JgMijeeOitvWlQvh5E3l_4LLLHYpglp42UNAGeD5COoSjxsAqqPEHh7u-oQYxX2EI-kuXXFwcu7eL3DPSvVoGwJbKb9zBWj4yhmpnUM_uT8ea7MYNMLgg/s400/CHILDREN2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Karen MacDonald & Tyrees Allen in "The Children"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Maggie Hall Photography)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In this
version, Directed by Bryn Boice, that dread is palpably real as it
drops successive clues about the dystopia and dyspepsia that are
afoot, and nary a word of dialog is extraneous. For that matter, even
the deviously clever set (with such simple objects as a water glass,
a Coleman camping refrigerator and an apple that resists staying put
and insists on rolling off a table) exists almost as a fourth
character in portraying what is askew. There are many red herrings
along the way, not the least of which is the title. Rose's line, the
first in the play, is to ask “how are the children?”; to comment
further would be to spoil one of many such hints.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">How to
describe this ninety-minute intermission-less work is thus
challenging if one wishes not to share its fundamental “reveal”.
It's also next to impossible to discuss the import of the play
without referencing the obvious parallels to the ignorance and
arrogance of this country's current administration with its antipathy
toward science and lack of time sensitive response to the current
virus outbreak. But there are also more mundane issues here,
primarily the reason for Rose's return. It's clear that all has been
disrupted due to a nuclear disaster at the nearby power plant, where
they all previously worked, which led to an epic tsunami. The play's
subtext refers to Hazel's views about who would consciously want to
move towards their own death and her statement, “I don't know how
to want less”, perhaps the work's most crucial line, as is her
remark “I don't want to give up anything”. Underlying the idea
that you can do nothing because a disaster is already too large is,
as Kirkwood has been quoted, an "infantilizing" one (and one of the
many reasons for the title).</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCNiwaDhCHeDADbtOdJuEH6184lLI4GMTWlOJRGfVpPdKXWWXqH8xAel588_aT05Agx_NoJIroKb0Wl_njiQTZF4GwgxYmdY_iox6i84-Kbi9KpRQtDGS10E-7II_5BZBwWYA9hUwzMC8/s1600/CHILDREN3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCNiwaDhCHeDADbtOdJuEH6184lLI4GMTWlOJRGfVpPdKXWWXqH8xAel588_aT05Agx_NoJIroKb0Wl_njiQTZF4GwgxYmdY_iox6i84-Kbi9KpRQtDGS10E-7II_5BZBwWYA9hUwzMC8/s400/CHILDREN3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Paula Plum in "The Children"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Maggie Hall Photography)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There's
a lot of passive aggression on stage, exquisitely performed by this
fine cast, right down to the accents (Hazel's Yorkshire vs. Rose's
having lived for years in America). Plum is spot on as the rigid type
A who no doubt crosses her “t's” with a ruler, and MacDonald is a
mesmerizing mix of multi-leveled contradictions, while Tyrees
effortlessly exudes both his character's complexity and simplicity.
In the end, this play, as the playwright has insisted, has nothing to
do with nuclear power whatsoever, but is a larger metaphor for human
intervention into the environment (inspired by the 2011 Japanese
nuclear disaster and tsunami). For her, climate change is a global
issue, driven here by emotion rather than intellect, heading toward
resistance that is built on consensus and sharing power; in short,
don't despair; protest. Kirkwood sees a piece of theater as a
political act in itself, running on the promotion of energy in which
one tells an audience a story that nourishes them in some way. As she
simply puts it, it's communion.
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It
falls to this wondrous cast, with expert timing and toxic delivery,
under Boice's intricate direction, to fulfill the author's ends.
Kirkwood's writing has been described as Caryl Churchillian or Harold
Pinteresque but is more in keeping with the work of Edward Albee, as
in his<i> A Delicate Balance </i>with its own atmosphere of
existential dread. That ingenious Scenic Design is by Cristina
Todesco, with apt Costume Design by Rachel Padula-Shufelt, effective
Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg and creepy Sound Design by David
Remedios.</span></span></div>
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-4AW_t4VlK5IWqjt-IEANbk1qODxlxJhbdJbLJYdpvt9VkS-2moEdB5ae52P6UWG7ozTcKbxEgPEGamoGVN23mMweirIDgTr6Dm5m1ui8a7xRABMNtzboZGnEeSPmhxLL0Ut18ZBuYE/s1600/CHILDREN1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-4AW_t4VlK5IWqjt-IEANbk1qODxlxJhbdJbLJYdpvt9VkS-2moEdB5ae52P6UWG7ozTcKbxEgPEGamoGVN23mMweirIDgTr6Dm5m1ui8a7xRABMNtzboZGnEeSPmhxLL0Ut18ZBuYE/s640/CHILDREN1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: small;">Paula Plum, Karen Mac Donald & Tyrees Allen in "The Children"</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Maggie Hall Photography)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As
Hazel puts it more than once, “we've got to grow to live”; the
playwright says: “we have a finite planet...so the play was always
about the battle between wanting more and looking at what you can
actually have”. Even in the midst of some of Rose's wry lines (some
of which you may find will threaten to split your atoms), this play
is a stunner. Described by some, somewhat inaccurately, as a mystery
or an eco-thriller, it's perhaps better seen as a puzzle surrounding
a riddle and daring you to solve it.
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What
thinkest thou of the apocalypse now?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Note: remaining performances have been cancelled due to the virus pandemic.</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-81287642551893817182020-02-19T20:19:00.000-05:002020-02-20T10:45:19.927-05:00BMOP's "Felder: Four Cardinal Times"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjES3YHJQHwbsV0xN9-2fTVhExf_2SJb-FzUcUOLHvEm7uKIrL78hvOFiNXJ3YT5E6BarQmBJ08G6P0lgyzswsYNqfaO_g3ShflxWU-SNwt8RZZagcojiHSWDX99HN70MP5y_LQQI5SMGw/s1600/FELDER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="170" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjES3YHJQHwbsV0xN9-2fTVhExf_2SJb-FzUcUOLHvEm7uKIrL78hvOFiNXJ3YT5E6BarQmBJ08G6P0lgyzswsYNqfaO_g3ShflxWU-SNwt8RZZagcojiHSWDX99HN70MP5y_LQQI5SMGw/s320/FELDER.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">The
latest release by Gil Rose's Boston Modern Orchestra Project is a
work they had performed a few seasons back in Boston, David Felder's
</span><i>Les Quatres Temps Cardinaux, </i><span style="font-style: normal;">which
featured soprano Laura Aikin and bass Ethan Hershchenfeld with forty
musicians from BMOP and a dozen channels of surround-sound
electronics. It was the featured work on a triple bill in 2014, here
recreated in its own unique form under Rose as the company's Artistic
Director and Conductor. <span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As Rose
describes it, it's an unusual work in that it balances soloists,
ensemble and electronics that is rare in orchestral pieces these
days.
</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With an
interweaving of texts by several poets, Felder has come up with an
undeniably original context that would seem to profit from additional
hearings. <span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Felder
has stated that he first came across the life and poetic works of
poet Rene Daumal thanks to the biographical tome by Kathleen Ferrick
Rosenblatt, and was especially drawn to the last of his poems,
notably <i>Les Quatres Temps Cardinaux, </i>which he considered the
poet's simplest and clearest expression of his own experiences<i>.
</i>Felder spoke of his understanding of Daumal's concentration on a
relationship and immersion in these poems and the poet himself, and
how the sonic meaning and context of the poetic composition was
presented in the mythic space of Daumal's ultimate works as well as
those of other poets he references, namely Pablo Neruda, Robert
Creeley, and Dana Gioia.</span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
title of this complex piece says it all, a celebration of the four
“cardinal times of dawn, noon, sunset and midnight”. The work
exemplifies the composer's well-known reputation for technological
enhancement alongside musically lyrical expressions. In a brief
(approximately forty-nine minutes in length) but broadly memorable
compilation of a dozen stanzas and fragments, some recited but most
sung or played, this should prove illuminating for anyone who
appreciates the state of new music today.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
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Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-38763536009175274502020-02-06T10:33:00.000-05:002020-02-06T10:33:32.287-05:00Huntington's "Sweat": Inspired Perspiration<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_fJqEUqylBTri-vCGW1NQ_D83cEQbjAlgUjsr3lCzYUOmeNv9EcTLAhfEJVBvNrryeJTxgHGEAa5NffZoQIz9048VuAScTgcDDW3yUC7sb1J0gWpX9rxPvfSEaSj8lI8j06DF_yJ1tI/s1600/SWEAT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_fJqEUqylBTri-vCGW1NQ_D83cEQbjAlgUjsr3lCzYUOmeNv9EcTLAhfEJVBvNrryeJTxgHGEAa5NffZoQIz9048VuAScTgcDDW3yUC7sb1J0gWpX9rxPvfSEaSj8lI8j06DF_yJ1tI/s640/SWEAT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Sweat"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: T. Charles Erickson)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
Deindustrialization Revolution was quietly, slowly, inexorably on its
way when playwright Lynn Nottage began her research for her drama
<i>Sweat, </i>the current production mounted by Huntington Theatre
Company in its Boston premiere. The play was first presented by
Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015, then produced at Arena Stage in
D.C. the same year, then Off-Broadway at New York's Public Theater,
before moving to Broadway in 2017 where it was nominated for the Tony
Award for Best Play and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Intentionally, it's the backstory of a decade prior to the Trump
election, with blue-collar types who had been largely forgotten. The
playwright spent more than two years interviewing real people for her
play in Reading, Pennsylvania in the nation's Rust Belt, where the
poverty level was forty percent, making it one of the poorest areas
of the country. This makes it of necessity the story of the economy,
race relations, immigration, and inevitably, politics. But these form
the foundation for society's ills; the play centers on the concrete
fate of a group of workers and their way of life, those most affected
by an impending crisis. It will devolve into the stark reality of
community versus capitalism. As one character puts it, “that's the
way things are set up”.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzsVbs-tCoifx6Gay_40lTXyWeJHH74m20bGcgajA9v4nTcfBJvvjWdr_0aNJ2iO-j97SzbXJkPBgXOxN1ciwoGjsAWY_tbepB6BHEI526h9if90zGFUNaU47CyDllR-jUVUz-OR_Lr8/s1600/SWEAT1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzsVbs-tCoifx6Gay_40lTXyWeJHH74m20bGcgajA9v4nTcfBJvvjWdr_0aNJ2iO-j97SzbXJkPBgXOxN1ciwoGjsAWY_tbepB6BHEI526h9if90zGFUNaU47CyDllR-jUVUz-OR_Lr8/s400/SWEAT1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Marianna Bassham, Tyla Abercrumbie & Jennifer Regan in "Sweat"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: T. Charles Erickson)</span></em> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
story begins as parole officer Evan (Maurice Emmanuel Parent) speaks
with two men (separately) set free in 2008. It goes back in time to
2000 to a bar (or more appropriately, joint) in Reading run by former
steel plant worker Stan (Guy Van Swearingen) who lost his job when
injured at the plant. Tracey (Jennifer Regan), whose family has
worked at the Oldstead Steel Mill for generations, feels deserving of
a promotion to a newly available management job offering more than
just air conditioning and the metaphorical avoidance of sweat. Her
son Jason (Shane Kenyon) has just been paroled, as has Chris (Brandon
G. Green), son of her coworker and best friend Cynthia (Tyla
Abercrumbie), who are black. The bar's regulars include the
inebriated Jessie (Marianna Bassham) and Cynthia's deadbeat ex,
Brucie (Alvin Keith). It also features bus boy Oscar (Tommy
Rivera-Vega), a Colombian-American working for $8 an hour at the bar
scraping up chewing gum, but offered a job at the mill at $11 per
hour. One theme that's central to the story is how each of the three
women in the work get to celebrate their birthdays, and how they all
view people like Oscar to be entitled immigrants (though all of the
characters, including Oscar, were born in Berks County,
Pennsylvania); one of them even questions why there isn't a White
History Month.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRInnCb_md78JxMIv3VYj0o0iu9ifmowQjw-rXJkA6rSnbwJxabksNWLItSrU7UoD0-ORktvmKpkjdgHJ4uHbtK-wZ5mziLGuSXUPk5jQ6qW-AyPj7rFOdgtEsnVyip6lQ_uRmIKlnvuM/s1600/SWEAT2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRInnCb_md78JxMIv3VYj0o0iu9ifmowQjw-rXJkA6rSnbwJxabksNWLItSrU7UoD0-ORktvmKpkjdgHJ4uHbtK-wZ5mziLGuSXUPk5jQ6qW-AyPj7rFOdgtEsnVyip6lQ_uRmIKlnvuM/s400/SWEAT2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Sweat"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: T. Charles Erickson)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
“<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I
know from experience it's shame that eats away at us”, one of them
warns, and that “you could wake up tomorrow and all your jobs are
in Mexico”; as another denizen of the bar puts it, there are
buttons that could replace them. Most meet the dire predictions with
skepticism and inertia. Even when lay-offs and down-sizing are
announced, denial reigns; most can't see it coming. When the company
announces plans to move the plan to Mexico, there swiftly follow
trade union strikes and a lock-out. Divisions between management and
labor begin to divide friends and lead to the exposing of racial
tensions. Just the sort of explosion you're likely to see coming, but
with a few clever twists.</span></span><br />
<br />
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</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxzEDSnlm_HgHXuAo3mIitJy2xm5AoCxPjkS9bxedkeyrCYSsduU7vI8Nny1jvgiwRX0DFjwgTOuns0CBYCuQh_y4MGO8YhPPYl7CYuIp912VnnMP4iCcUrZHtbA35VEpcZBiZAORSqE/s1600/SWEAT3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="533" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxzEDSnlm_HgHXuAo3mIitJy2xm5AoCxPjkS9bxedkeyrCYSsduU7vI8Nny1jvgiwRX0DFjwgTOuns0CBYCuQh_y4MGO8YhPPYl7CYuIp912VnnMP4iCcUrZHtbA35VEpcZBiZAORSqE/s400/SWEAT3.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Jennifer Regan & Tyla Abercumbie in "Sweat"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: T. Charles Erickson)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It
would be hard to imagine a better cast. Regan (who shares in the
guilt to come by egging on her son) and Abercrumbie are superb foils,
as are their offspring Kenyon and Green. Bassham and Keith make very
natural bar flies, overseen by Van Swearingen in a fine turn. Even
the more supporting work by Parent and Rivera-Vega is superior
acting. Meticulously Directed by Kimberly Senior, at two and a half
hours with an intermission, and a large cast, this is in many ways an
old-fashioned play, in the good sense. The creative team includes
detailed Scenic Design by Cameron Anderson, apt Costume Design by
Junghyun Georgia Lee, excellent Lighting Design by D. M. Wood, and
Sound Design and foreboding Original Music by Pornchanok
Kanchanabanca, as well as the extraordinarily complex Fight Direction
(really Choreography) by Ted Hewlett.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnT-NwLh9ix992nbrB_uSvzHsYQShzTUJWnAZn5Em1GrbVyyAtLckez-2ezCygAI6TOkNggpFvoauRlZS-P6zET-ngZbnOQcgK6M0DLhddMqRGOA3Plf5xMLTPjOwpASrSDj8hipVYaas/s1600/SWEAT4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="799" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnT-NwLh9ix992nbrB_uSvzHsYQShzTUJWnAZn5Em1GrbVyyAtLckez-2ezCygAI6TOkNggpFvoauRlZS-P6zET-ngZbnOQcgK6M0DLhddMqRGOA3Plf5xMLTPjOwpASrSDj8hipVYaas/s400/SWEAT4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em></em></span><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Tyla Abercrumbie & Jennifer Regan in "Sweat"</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><em>(photo: T. Charles Erickson)</em></span><br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While
the time covered by the plot covers just up to a month before Obama's
election, it could easily be set in our own time with jobs sent over
the border or overseas. Reminiscent of the play <i>Skeleton Crew </i>by
Dominique Morisseau (set in a Detroit auto plant) produced two
seasons ago by Huntington, it may easily be read as an indictment of
our own current travails in the workplaces of America.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As is
portrayed by the epilogue of the play, only people take care of
people, and this playwright, as she did in <i>Ruined </i>and
<i>Intimate Apparel </i>(the latter now being made into an opera)
shows once again her uncanny knack for creating realistic dialog and
believable crises. She has done her homework and it shows in this
powerful piece of writing; though hard to sit through its
relentlessly challenging chronology between scenes, it solidifies
Nottage's reputation as a playwright at the top of her game.
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unlike
the steel mill, this production has been extended through March 1<sup>st</sup>.
</span></span>
</div>
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Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-14697524491591409312020-02-02T11:19:00.003-05:002020-02-02T11:19:59.646-05:00New Rep's "Hair": Splitting<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSQBamO8F4qArWaIu872Wv3azaP3PYcL1PaPWyaXtNItt4sqMvZAOlfO-u5qK_WDY6AyE0aoZcGk04u_um8nothpNQa2QzlFdhOvq028E0sp9Hba-ChvUfW8lRJlKQRXtPTFAGwSyW0A/s1600/HAIR1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSQBamO8F4qArWaIu872Wv3azaP3PYcL1PaPWyaXtNItt4sqMvZAOlfO-u5qK_WDY6AyE0aoZcGk04u_um8nothpNQa2QzlFdhOvq028E0sp9Hba-ChvUfW8lRJlKQRXtPTFAGwSyW0A/s640/HAIR1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Hair"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">It
hardly seems possible that it was half a century ago, in 1968, that a
musical by the name of </span><i>Hair</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
burst onto the Broadway stage, while banned in Boston. One had to
travel to New York to be able to see its brief and darkly lit nude
scene, as well as what was criticized as desecration of the flag. It
also consisted of a cast that included such future famous folk as
Diane Keaton (before she was Diane Keaton), as well as Melba Moore
and Shelley Plimpton. But its claim to fame is that it was recognized
even then as a watershed creation that ultimately led to a
proliferation of rock musicals, the precursor of works from </span><i>Jesus
Christ Superstar </i><span style="font-style: normal;"> to </span><i>Rent
</i><span style="font-style: normal;">and even to </span><i>Hamilton,</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
remembered for its anti-establishment themes (especially its
opposition to the Vietnam War), the draft and its hippie subculture.
It certainly wasn't (then or now) revered for its thin Book and
Lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, (both of whom were also in the
original cast) and its uneven Score by Galt Mac Dermot. The original
production lasted four years; the war it protested lasted ten. Thus
it was a surprise to see this once-famous (or infamous) show on the
calendar of the current season of productions from New Rep Theatre in
Watertown. One could only guess what this revival would be, either an
exercise in theatrical nostalgia or an updated take that would speak
to the audiences of today. Would it still evince the power to move
us, or would it be more of a trip (the other kind) down memory lane?
The answer is, both.</span></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YCuIjYvcSllccfamuM9-tl4DzBfqFP9LTt06E_-sZmd6BnI2dCTenASsRnq7Draapo37gk2C4MKgGF5qllRyR4qL4u8pTck455k2uETovvVnDP_uL6xaFfxN7PHg1YRS-3G3n8crBYY/s1600/HAIR2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YCuIjYvcSllccfamuM9-tl4DzBfqFP9LTt06E_-sZmd6BnI2dCTenASsRnq7Draapo37gk2C4MKgGF5qllRyR4qL4u8pTck455k2uETovvVnDP_uL6xaFfxN7PHg1YRS-3G3n8crBYY/s400/HAIR2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Hair"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As this
production was Directed and Choreographed by Rachel Bertone, one of
the most admired of local magicians, hopes were higher than they
might have been if this mounting had been assigned to less capable
hands. The name and reputation of Bertone for casting her shows is
also promising, with a dozen triple threat actors needed to sing and
dance as well as they portray their characters. Happily this Tribe
includes Sheila (Marge Dunn), Claude (Edward L. Simon), Berger (Eddie
Shields), Crissy (Kris Ivy Hayes, whose character in the program is
misidentified as “Ivy”), Dionne (Yewande Odetoyinbo), Jeanie
(Katrina Z. Pavao), Woof (Brian-Barry Pereira), Hud (Anthony Pires,
Jr.) and other unnamed members of the Tribe (Lovely Hoffman, Zoe
Maloney and the charismatic Aaron Patterson); oh, and Margaret Meade
(Peter Mill). Each is a gem, some more polished than others, such as
the terrific Odetoyinbo, whose numerous roles in local shows have
been a pleasure to encounter. The able creative team includes Scenic
Design by Janie E Howland, Costume Design by Marian Bertone, Lighting
Design by Franklin Meissner, Jr. and especially Sound Design by Kevin
L. Alexander, all help to keep the sometimes languid pace of the plot
moving.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqwooWxbt3yRXRtS4TNgwiyo5f-Kpz6HN_8PKFAeHLb2HouinxUEWVzxhWv5zwOq24WvPOSULiohms-FxgQacSKABnlWVfwhMg6a4zgyvcTLlVCZM71lp18kfNuZbTHJbhrxffREe3nSA/s1600/HAIR3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqwooWxbt3yRXRtS4TNgwiyo5f-Kpz6HN_8PKFAeHLb2HouinxUEWVzxhWv5zwOq24WvPOSULiohms-FxgQacSKABnlWVfwhMg6a4zgyvcTLlVCZM71lp18kfNuZbTHJbhrxffREe3nSA/s400/HAIR3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Hair"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures )</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What
they don't do is re-envision the piece, which may be asking too much
after all this time. It comes across as a version that, even in its
most moving scenes of draft card burning, refuses to be relevant,
which is surprising given our corrupt current political
establishment. There are memorable moments among the forty or so
songs, such as “Frank Mills” sung by Hayes (but lacking the
poignancy as written) about not wanting her two dollars back from her
lover, just him. And there are many fine numbers (“Aquarius”,
“Air” “Good Morning Starshine” and “Easy to Be Hard”) as
well as many superfluous ones. (Some have been altered, thus more
politically correct, like the lyrics for “Three-Five-Zero-Zero”).
Who could deny the power of the lyrics about those who care about the
needing crowd, but not a needy friend?</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsX1LCSnl2YYR4etSkciV3fQdrYAmE8hwGNjGAf8aDg6C9k30zQlnLnH_7oVsVXnhr3Ht0ql-YVrl6y0s8UTMCBL8F-P2nNEsGSok0ORNLqLDQKjTDV6FwCG-zhAuOD0D-wrhlE4LqQc/s1600/HAIR4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsX1LCSnl2YYR4etSkciV3fQdrYAmE8hwGNjGAf8aDg6C9k30zQlnLnH_7oVsVXnhr3Ht0ql-YVrl6y0s8UTMCBL8F-P2nNEsGSok0ORNLqLDQKjTDV6FwCG-zhAuOD0D-wrhlE4LqQc/s640/HAIR4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Hair"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On the
whole this production is very well directed and performed, an altogether too
safe and sanitized (were there ever such immaculate hippies, and
visuals more appropriate for <i>Godspell</i>?) attempt at recovering
that critical era in political and theatrical history that maybe can
never be fully replicated. Perhaps it's best to remember the original
fondly (even with its inherent flaws) as this critic does, (having
seen and loved both the original Broadway and Paris versions) and
enjoy the current version's performances, lest we be accused of
splitting <i>Hairs.</i></span></span><br />
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Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-58563267136861101042020-01-29T12:02:00.000-05:002020-01-29T12:02:01.631-05:00BMOP/Odyssey Opera's Grammy Winning "Mr. Fox"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhj9ksgONmeQ4Rq_xsiQc_iL7ieuhOvKz-jOZL3yauyEySf9-Kn5CsTLOqkxhSQnCcmWPIw6ytLKpvY0hwyI6tjEmBggHtCW0iKr0_i24sUwLMaElnQBVxFcUPWyaEbSjVoo2D1lUZGt4/s1600/MR+FOX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="600" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhj9ksgONmeQ4Rq_xsiQc_iL7ieuhOvKz-jOZL3yauyEySf9-Kn5CsTLOqkxhSQnCcmWPIw6ytLKpvY0hwyI6tjEmBggHtCW0iKr0_i24sUwLMaElnQBVxFcUPWyaEbSjVoo2D1lUZGt4/s640/MR+FOX.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Fantastic Mr. Fox"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: BMOP)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Tobias
Picker: Fantastic Mr. Fox </i><span style="font-style: normal;">is the
official title of the Grammy Award winning operatic compact disc
release of the work by Picker, the current Artistic Director
of Tulsa Opera, who pulls off the almost impossible feat of composing
an opera that is aimed directly at families, not just children; that
is, children of all ages. With his welcome use of melodic tonal
lyricism, even though a modern piece, and the caustically witty
Libretto by Donald Sturrock, this work is sure to charm listeners of
any vintage. Performed by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP)
under the direction of Gil Rose, the recording features members of
Odyssey Opera, the Boston Children's Chorus, and a host of well-known
vocalists. Commissioned and premiered in 1998 by Los Angeles Opera,
this recording was made during its performance period in Boston in
2014.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Based
on the revered children's novel by Roald Dahl, the fable centers on
the efforts of the eponymous fox (baritone John Brancy), the antihero
who's on a food-finding mission on behalf of his family,
contemporaneously thwarting the aim of three mean farmers, Boggis
(bass- baritone Andrew Craig Brown), Bunce (tenor Edwin Vega) and
Bean (baritone Gabriel Preisser) to kill the varmint that's been
eating their chickens and geese and drinking their cider. Mr. Fox
enlists his forest friends, including Mr. Porcupine (tenor Theo
Lebow), Miss Hedgehog (soprano Elizabeth Futral), Rita the Rat
(mezzo-soprano Tynan Davis) and others. The remaining characters
include Mrs. Fox (mezzo-soprano Krista River), Agnes the Digger
(countertenor Andrey Nemzer), Mavis the Tractor (soprano Gail Novak
Mosites), Badger the Miner (baritone John Dooley) and Burrowing Mole
(tenor Jonathan Blalock). There are also four fox cubs: Abigail Long,
Abi Tenenbaum, Zoe Tekeian, and Madeleine Kline. The story is
accessible as is the music (this despite the fact that Picker was
trained by a trio of Modernist composers, Elliott Carter, Milton
Babbitt, and Charles Wuorinen). </span></span>
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Picker
has stated that there can be found in this work a “green message”,
if one wishes to find one (with its portrayal of the barren land
above ground and the warmer natural world below). There are instances
of slapstick, European styles, and neoclassical Stravinsky-like
sound. In several passages, including those utilizing the Children's
Chorus, there is sublime music for adult and child listeners. In
short, it's both relatively brief and compellingly approachable in
its score with an ample supply of cleverness and wit in its libretto,
with no evidence of being “dumbed down” for its target audience.
What more could anyone want in an opera for the whole family? </span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif;">And speaking of families, there's that other frequently-composed royal one, namely the Tudors, whom Odyssey Opera (and BMOP) will again revisit, this time for one performance on next Saturday February 1st at 7:30pm at Jordan Hall; it's the third of a sextet of operas they're producing this season, this one being Arnold Rosner's "The Chronicle of Nine" about Lady Jane Grey. So go on and lose your head again.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-74715417194193076722020-01-26T10:18:00.002-05:002020-01-26T10:18:44.379-05:00Huntington's "We All Fall Down": Why is this Play Different.... <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUf8B89QA5DCnHaDNcrrJ2ndbpDmNPS1eYiqmC7g19Z_VUtsEtfxA4hbLdeq5Vrqe1EbNnKGB5_3ctQ8xligZqJQI50s7TUdr62u23FUwxxgqzfMzMIWOustPkdPu6pveR6_DpQGebWc/s1600/FALL1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUf8B89QA5DCnHaDNcrrJ2ndbpDmNPS1eYiqmC7g19Z_VUtsEtfxA4hbLdeq5Vrqe1EbNnKGB5_3ctQ8xligZqJQI50s7TUdr62u23FUwxxgqzfMzMIWOustPkdPu6pveR6_DpQGebWc/s640/FALL1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "We All Fall Down"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Nile Hawver)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>We
All Fall Down </i><span style="font-style: normal;">is Huntington
Theatre Company's current production, the world premiere of a comedy
by Somerville resident Lila Rose Kaplan, in her Huntington debut.
It's the story of Linda (Eleanor Reissa), the matriarch of a
non-observant Jewish family who suddenly decides to plan a Seder in
her home in Westchester at “Passover in early April”. This comes
as a surprise to the family, especially her husband Saul (Stephen
Schnetzer), and the other characters, which include their two grown
daughters Sammi (Liba Vaynberg) and Ariel (Dana Stern), Saul's sister
Nan (Phyllis Kay), their former neighbor Beverly (Sarah Newhouse)
and Linda's assistant Ester (Elle Borders). As Kaplan notes in the
program, it started as a play about a daughter, evolving into a play
about a whole family, in keeping with the playwright's body of
theatrical works that emphasize women's stories and family <span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">intergenerational
relationships. As she puts it, “we are so many ages inside. To put
more than one age on stage and the page is really a more true
portrait of what it is to be a human.” Director Melia Bensussen
adds that the Haggadah, a text that tells you all the steps in a
Seder, tells the story of Moses from birth to exodus, in the process
becoming a theatrical experience that Kaplan describes as the
original dinner theater. At a spare ninety minutes or so, it's fast
if not furious, and soon answers the query as to why this play is
different from other plays. Because it is.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqslzMHsV8qrcdkqqszvMk5IneYc0K2JHzTfb5VxBylb2SKOw7kQEUQ6-19IOcxA9PySv_rXC8KBzV8Um1tfoxYkE6gWBsikARGlSlqjYC3bKbXz2vCxHET-PR_rJEPEAFm9w9BtWGX70/s1600/FALL3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqslzMHsV8qrcdkqqszvMk5IneYc0K2JHzTfb5VxBylb2SKOw7kQEUQ6-19IOcxA9PySv_rXC8KBzV8Um1tfoxYkE6gWBsikARGlSlqjYC3bKbXz2vCxHET-PR_rJEPEAFm9w9BtWGX70/s400/FALL3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "We All Fall Down"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Nile Hawver)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's a
curious amalgam of Borscht belt comedy (for example, having Beverly,
who is not Jewish, refer to Passover as the “Jewish Easter”) and
underlying family tragedy. There is a longing for the beliefs that
once brought people together. First-timers to a Seder are advised to
bring with them a measure of patience, and no bread (or anything with
leavening, no yeast or beer). It comes to pass that we realize that
there's a place for everyone here, as we celebrate liberation: while
we were once slaves, we are now free. Playwright Kaplan admits that
the fact that her first name, Lila, means “night” in Hebrew, led
her to explore why this night is different from all other nights, and
to reflect on the reason people from Jewish culture are drawn to
Seder, namely the same reason we are all drawn to theater: we come
together for storytelling, which helps us to become better at being
human. This concept comes vividly true toward the end of the play
when it somewhat suddenly shifts to seriousness even as the family
re-enacts the old familiar nursery rhyme from childhood:
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <i> Ring
around the rosy, a pocket full of posies, ash, ash, we all fall down.
</i></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
meaning of the song has long been lost to the ages, but the use of it
in this pivotal scene exposes what one already has surmised if she or
he has been paying attention to the clues the playwright has dropped
along the way.</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifj1HyNHXPfm9nsCoxQjdy7H7oO1rAIPEjYiDYhVh6BfFDckUOZLuOLf14E9qiL4VMS5o5wZSajoevLfHyvEdehluQdL6THrxWNjOShhrQV55FPEv2KSI4AS9dugIb63yNUKBEyNin6a4/s640/FALL2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "We All Fall Down"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Neil Hawver)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifj1HyNHXPfm9nsCoxQjdy7H7oO1rAIPEjYiDYhVh6BfFDckUOZLuOLf14E9qiL4VMS5o5wZSajoevLfHyvEdehluQdL6THrxWNjOShhrQV55FPEv2KSI4AS9dugIb63yNUKBEyNin6a4/s1600/FALL2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em></em><em></em></a><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This
play, already extended through February 15<sup>th</sup>, features the
sadly funny Reissa in the matriarchal role, a difficult character to
play given her obtuseness about some every day factoids, and the
secretive Schnetzer, a Catholic Memorial High School graduate (as is
this critic), holding his own surrounded by a half dozen actresses:
Borders, Newhouse, Vaynberg, Stern and especially Kay (long
associated with Trinity Rep in Providence). Under the direction of
Bensussen, they manage to elevate the more sitcom moments in the work
(which even has black-outs, and features a trio of urination scenes).
The creative team boasts clever Scenic Design by Judy Gailen,
Costume Design by Karen Perry (one really over the top), Lighting
Design by Russell H. Champa and Sound Design by David Remedios.
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lurking
beneath the sporadic hilarity of the play, as in most comedies, is a
serious look at the ever-expanding reality that many folks of
previous faith have lost the spiritual aspects of their daily
existence, exhibited in the wry expression “I don't believe in God,
but I miss Him”; or, as Pogo long ago put it in his comic strip
philosophical musings, “God isn't dead, He's just unemployed”.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<br />Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-86590266903828469182020-01-20T11:48:00.001-05:002020-01-20T11:57:31.454-05:00speakeasy's "pass over": but also.....<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0ZEpsjz11JolKgRvVMvEHlcogt1ZiRsHrvi9Mzw9gqNZKrOkiaJXAFTwvOtOUTGhXUBS55mVOFejJ_hjR6H943gvCIpuzDPQ1V2bvfFM155x4k_KJjUvv6AFhyUx_i120c5DIWSfyrM/s1600/DAPPING+UP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0ZEpsjz11JolKgRvVMvEHlcogt1ZiRsHrvi9Mzw9gqNZKrOkiaJXAFTwvOtOUTGhXUBS55mVOFejJ_hjR6H943gvCIpuzDPQ1V2bvfFM155x4k_KJjUvv6AFhyUx_i120c5DIWSfyrM/s640/DAPPING+UP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>dapping up: hubens "bobby" cius & kadahj bennett in "pass over"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: nile scott studio)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>pass
over, </i><span style="font-style: normal;">a new play by antoinette
nwandu, is the current co-production by speakeasy stage company and
the front porch arts collective. after first being performed by
chicago's steppenwolf, it was then produced in new york at lincoln
center, where it won the lortel award for best play (and was filmed
for amazon by none other than spike lee).
</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">described
as a “mash-up” of </span><i>waiting for godot </i><span style="font-style: normal;">(considered
by some as a theatrical masterpiece and by others as like watching
paint dry) and the exodus story. at a spare ninety minutes, directed
by monica white ndounou, it's written all in lower case, reminiscent
of the poetry of e.e.cummings, performed as though it were blank
verse or rap without music. the setting is “now, right now, but
also 1855, but also the thirteenth century b.c.e”. the time is “a
ghetto street, a lamppost, night, but also a plantation, but also
egypt, a city built by slaves”.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGP5g4P2nFnQ15UaE4aQBsfYugp8z8fbLaocVjIF-7PdWnRFVIVa74L58KZoXt47i6_bVDX02WqjSxgbvmIeuCgREfOWpBRPK6KsaO_zNDRQLAbbofLI0maof7zMtNl-_BOeFkjoLIaQ/s1600/OSSIFER+ENTERS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGP5g4P2nFnQ15UaE4aQBsfYugp8z8fbLaocVjIF-7PdWnRFVIVa74L58KZoXt47i6_bVDX02WqjSxgbvmIeuCgREfOWpBRPK6KsaO_zNDRQLAbbofLI0maof7zMtNl-_BOeFkjoLIaQ/s400/OSSIFER+ENTERS.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>ossifer enters: lewis d. wheeler, hubens "bobby" cius & kadahj bennett in "pass over"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: nile scott studios)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">its
cast is spare as well. one is a young black man named moses (kadahj
bennett) “but also a slave driver, but also the prophesied leader
of god's chosen people”; a second young black man is named kitch
(hubens “bobby” cius) “but also a slave but also one of god's
chosen”; the remaining two roles, both played by lewis d. wheeler,
are mister, a seemingly wholesome chap given to expressions like
“gosh golly gee”, “but also a plantation owner but also the
pharoah's son” and ossifer, an officer of the law (or “po-op”),
“but also a patroller but also a soldier in the pharoah's army”.
as in the becket play, the two lead characters are unable to leave
their street corner. there is no intermission; if moses and kitch
cannot leave neither can we.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPkJ6xOjIAgX-i9IzVxbUrmpFImVFXM7DAQx5P7CNgKnRsbIoprVvyzkhLyBK1MkLdfNLFeawToMJXl8Db2N5vmVMzPEbZGzL5BNcZGQI8ss4ZUBafaz4QFLZzPxH0r83i2awJeALoSM/s1600/Misters-Picnic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPkJ6xOjIAgX-i9IzVxbUrmpFImVFXM7DAQx5P7CNgKnRsbIoprVvyzkhLyBK1MkLdfNLFeawToMJXl8Db2N5vmVMzPEbZGzL5BNcZGQI8ss4ZUBafaz4QFLZzPxH0r83i2awJeALoSM/s320/Misters-Picnic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>mister's picnic: lewis d. wheeler, kadahj bennett & hubens "bobby" cius in "pass over"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: nile scott studios)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">there
are some obvious parallels to becket even in a brief synopsis of the
work, but it stands on its own as an absorbing and alarming expose of
contemporary black experience. kitch declares that the name “moses”
portends that he will lead “deez boys right off deez streets on to
dat promised land”. moses himself alludes to a land of milk and
honey despite lactose intolerance and glycemic indexes, as these are
the least of their troubles, truly nothing compared to the
obliviousness of “mister” who cannot grasp why they get to use
the “n-word” but he does not; he is clueless about his not having
the right to use the word. (yet, interestingly, the playwright feels
free to portray moses' use of the charged term “faggot”). moses
disses those who are fixated on passing over to the promised land of
heaven, where he proclaims he wants that good life now. it's telling
that both young men can recall every name of those who have been
killed in their hood, giving the lie to the presumption that these
victims (including one of the most oppressed societal groupings, that
of trans people of color) are ordinary, even forgettable. in ancient
pyramidal times, in the not-so-ancient plantation era, and on the
inescapable street corner, once again history repeats itself, or at
least rhymes.</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8EoDTcmPK-7haVPJ5P5jX4L74iY_167uakXvgSv2aXxXQYxEdiEoVSTeQbBfaPMc7F17VtPzFO84axOpMN9eNLveSudQDpuO5GGNQkuGesBvxrL_ahUkmYe2afb9jy43gly3vwv7Yc4/s1600/PROMISED+LAND.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8EoDTcmPK-7haVPJ5P5jX4L74iY_167uakXvgSv2aXxXQYxEdiEoVSTeQbBfaPMc7F17VtPzFO84axOpMN9eNLveSudQDpuO5GGNQkuGesBvxrL_ahUkmYe2afb9jy43gly3vwv7Yc4/s400/PROMISED+LAND.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>promised land: hubens "bobby" cius & kadahj bennett in "pass over"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: nile scott studios)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">attention
must be paid not just to the triumph of the playwright's words on the
page but also in its execution by director ndounou and her three
stellar actors, each of whom seems to be thoroughly immersed in his
character. the simple but effective contributions of the creative
team include scenic design by baron e. pugh, costume design by
chelsea kerl, lighting design by kathy a. perkins, and sound design
by anna drummond. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqpd8u92lb1746jl-jSuDiKlw1ibkVO6s4zjh0vJujzmtvveIfSh9vrqSSFxmLZuNM9T2jFi6mAq2TDDX6jMy-Zn4czpBxeZmk4UBG5rQJJ7K8Va5_oQQO_BxRzKhCZwwd0LNq7e40W0/s1600/PROMISED+LAND2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqpd8u92lb1746jl-jSuDiKlw1ibkVO6s4zjh0vJujzmtvveIfSh9vrqSSFxmLZuNM9T2jFi6mAq2TDDX6jMy-Zn4czpBxeZmk4UBG5rQJJ7K8Va5_oQQO_BxRzKhCZwwd0LNq7e40W0/s640/PROMISED+LAND2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: small;">promised land 2: hubens "bobby" cius & kadahj bennett in "pass over"</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: nile scott studios)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">as the
playwright herself puts it, an audience won't be immediately
transformed or relieved of her or his baggage, but find such baggage
“a little bit shifted”. the most memorable aspect of her play, as
opposed to becket's, is that her characters aren't left alone, to
age. just as the frequent use of the “n-word” can never be
completely erased, and in fact has become for the community of color
an expression of brotherhood (and sisterhood), so audience members
may find this sometimes enigmatic work either an affirmation or a
revelation.
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">what
they won't feel is that it is forgettable, (extended through
february 2nd), but also.....</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-40457935177599465392020-01-12T22:10:00.001-05:002020-01-13T10:14:54.847-05:00Lyric's "Cake": More than a Mere Trifle?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1600" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdVBRkBuSRX_HIx_z5xGSu9VxlJJP2mY9bAPzTy2cLEGlsXcvw9VZPNXnwmxrPu74hyoJUaTWVVffiIKDSAg7ZYbqqw5F9wjvBJtER8AYgB0TnfF2R3udiqZ2h08QkdRGj9zzIwsDjyE/s640/CAKE.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Karen MacDonald, Chelsea Diehl & Kris Sidberry in "Cake"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Mark S. Howard)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdVBRkBuSRX_HIx_z5xGSu9VxlJJP2mY9bAPzTy2cLEGlsXcvw9VZPNXnwmxrPu74hyoJUaTWVVffiIKDSAg7ZYbqqw5F9wjvBJtER8AYgB0TnfF2R3udiqZ2h08QkdRGj9zzIwsDjyE/s1600/CAKE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anytime
local theatrical treasure Karen MacDonald takes to the stage, there
is cause for celebration, perhaps calling for an appropriate
response, which might well result, given the right vehicle, in the
creation of a cake. Such is the case in the current Lyric Stage
offering, the new comedy <i>The Cake, </i>by Bekah Brunstetter, <span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">wherein
MacDonald and her three co-stars react in various ways to the gradual
revelation that there is to be a wedding for which she is asked to
provide the central culinary element. By the time it becomes clear
what the decision to bake or not to bake will be, the audience will
have been exposed to the existential crisis that this seemingly
simple request will entail, and how religious and political
contrasting viewpoints will be exposed as a recipe for conflict.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwB_iv70eZHiBipPA3RTBowrfo70VDQT6M2rqCTx5JwYqE8HI9hdXBdi01kc3dF760-S_SyRw-wNhX3-5N6epguwxKoNrw8BUC8tJGWU6rVAGWMqtlAYRwumLhqn0nOd-3WU92ZCjGujA/s1600/CAKE4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="822" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwB_iv70eZHiBipPA3RTBowrfo70VDQT6M2rqCTx5JwYqE8HI9hdXBdi01kc3dF760-S_SyRw-wNhX3-5N6epguwxKoNrw8BUC8tJGWU6rVAGWMqtlAYRwumLhqn0nOd-3WU92ZCjGujA/s400/CAKE4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Karen MacDonald in "Cake"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Mark S. Howard)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You
see, the ceremony is to join in matrimony Jen (Chelsea Diehl) the
daughter of the late best friend of Della (MacDonald) to her
bride-to-be Macy (Kris Sidberry), which causes a dilemma, since Della
is the proprietress of North Carolina's Della's Sweets and is not
coincidentally a far-right bigot married to another far-right bigot,
Tim (Fred Sullivan, Jr.). There are other layers in the story
(notably an upcoming appearance on a televised baking show contest),
which seem to exist primarily to assure us that Della is still
“agreeable” despite her deep-seated ideas regarding same-gender
marriages. But it's somewhat equivalent to the concept of a
mother-in-law recipe with something intentionally omitted.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNy8AJk0ByX3rcErtNftGOSzycb3J3ie6Sd-GHlDSJ7pRmhrvEd3b3xbcRX6fKe0_jG2iEU7LQ3qrIKaRHGWfYaq0XREx-wO6Ujdwkku1S5lyajEMqQqj3IH1kNP90ZbyUA_Ho2xCGlX8/s1600/CAKE2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1261" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNy8AJk0ByX3rcErtNftGOSzycb3J3ie6Sd-GHlDSJ7pRmhrvEd3b3xbcRX6fKe0_jG2iEU7LQ3qrIKaRHGWfYaq0XREx-wO6Ujdwkku1S5lyajEMqQqj3IH1kNP90ZbyUA_Ho2xCGlX8/s320/CAKE2.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Fred Sullivan, Jr. & Karen MacDonald in "Cake"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Mark S. Howard)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That
omission is the very real issue of discrimination, which is treated
comically, glossing over the ugly underbelly of this ninety-minute
one act treatment. It's a tribute to MacDonald's prowess as an actor
that she manages to present her character in a believable way; the
same could be said for the remainder of the cast, with Diehl's
earnest portrayal alongside Sidberry's overt LGBTQ militancy and
Sullivan's hilarious spouse with his heterosexual intimacy hangups.
It's of some interest that the creative team includes an Intimacy
Director (Ted Hewlett) in addition to the expert Direction by
Courtney O'Connor (currently the Acting Artistic Director of the
company). Despite the histrionic talent on display, the play has some
half-baked elements, but this production is fortunate to have several
estimable creative contributions, from the Scenic Design by Matt
Whiton, to the Costume Design by Charles Schoonmaker, Lighting Design
by Aja Jackson and Original Music and Sound Design by Arshan Gailus.
They're all supportive of the play's heart, with MacDonald as the
frosting.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUB85zqYvn22tYbkRT5H6RpPcMx-Cjj0nDbhKkmzCQ8qORcdpHURnt3-yGTTJ-j84kl3n9voZaQa3Nyz8ybyIu07dRiJ5Eu1sL2tBpdS6bWuZyql_zNMWJreNaBnLdDJ7bKkiNij84nY/s1600/CAKE3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1402" data-original-width="1600" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUB85zqYvn22tYbkRT5H6RpPcMx-Cjj0nDbhKkmzCQ8qORcdpHURnt3-yGTTJ-j84kl3n9voZaQa3Nyz8ybyIu07dRiJ5Eu1sL2tBpdS6bWuZyql_zNMWJreNaBnLdDJ7bKkiNij84nY/s400/CAKE3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Kris Sidberry & Karen MacDonald in "Cake"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Mark S. Howard)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There
are some clever elements to the story (references to Noah's Ark and
the dinosaurs, Chick Fil-A and the like) and a few hysterically
memorable moments. This being a comedy, the end is rather baked in,
so to speak, and its intentions, though often predictable, are
admirable. On the whole, this production is well done.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As
Della ultimately proclaims, “you need cake”, until February 9<sup>th</sup>.
</span></span><br />
<br />
</div>
<br />Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-33823229900271560212020-01-04T10:18:00.001-05:002020-01-04T10:21:52.185-05:00BSO's "Beethoven/Tchaikovsky": Two Fifths<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-VMKfswqFQKflZZ72riEqToTYGAZCHJrC3d1BoEeJ4xlqRLoj6rtyurJkLhniSmcO87cMXcN0t6fF4z1jLs8hoZHZ127wl71kKFatOcDOiyKz_Zd8-ke3jNN57o2s6MkuukTy91evII/s1600/BSO+Marcelo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1600" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-VMKfswqFQKflZZ72riEqToTYGAZCHJrC3d1BoEeJ4xlqRLoj6rtyurJkLhniSmcO87cMXcN0t6fF4z1jLs8hoZHZ127wl71kKFatOcDOiyKz_Zd8-ke3jNN57o2s6MkuukTy91evII/s640/BSO+Marcelo1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Marcelo Lehninger conducting the BSO</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Hilary Scott)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beethoven's
<i>Overture to the Creatures of Prometheus, Opus 43 </i>made for a
fine if relatively slight curtain raiser (only five minutes in
length) for the Boston Symphony's latest program. First performed in
Vienna in 1801, it was introduced to Tanglewood audiences in 1958
(and again, most recently, in 2014). It was for the youthful composer
his first mature score for theatrical use, namely to support a
ballet. The brevity of the piece about the fable of Prometheus and
two statues brought to life makes for an uncharacteristic
comparatively light composition for Beethoven, but served to set the
mood for this BSO concert, under the baton of Marcelo Lehninger,
former BSO Assistant Conductor, who last led the BSO in 2014.
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There
followed a performance of Beethoven's <i>Piano Concerto No.5 in
E-Flat, Opus 73, </i>a substantially more impressive work (clocking
in at forty-two minutes), featuring Pianist Javier Perianes, who last
played with the BSO in 2016. Aptly described in the program notes as
“heaven-storming”, it was Beethoven's final concerto, first heard
in 1811, as part of what is generally acknowledged as the “heroic
period”. Its initial BSO performance was in 1911 and at Tanglewood
in 1947. It was seen by the composer himself as a real affirmation while in
the midst of “terrible times” (Austria being engaged in one of
several consecutive wars with France). Known in English-speaking
countries as the “Emperor” (for reasons that are totally unclear)
it is a deservedly beloved work that includes amongst its movements
the longest he ever wrote. The audience at the matinee performance
was nothing short of ecstatic for Lehninger, Perianes (who earned his
encore) and the orchestra itself.</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ41hqbzprsIqgY2qBvPjQPVfA3iibB_D9YpYI7loRbYUs_6fsa-2jRpOEH-Gc3jPipMqsSxc1O8jHWCPbH8dN4aaFVBlq901hEheSuZq3ORhC0DAXOJPCJP37KuN_gpd5dqPTdbckJ3I/s1600/BSO+Marcelo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ41hqbzprsIqgY2qBvPjQPVfA3iibB_D9YpYI7loRbYUs_6fsa-2jRpOEH-Gc3jPipMqsSxc1O8jHWCPbH8dN4aaFVBlq901hEheSuZq3ORhC0DAXOJPCJP37KuN_gpd5dqPTdbckJ3I/s640/BSO+Marcelo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Maestro Marcelo Lehninger & Pianist Javier Perianes with the BSO</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Hilary Scott)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
second half of the program consisted of Tchaikovsky's </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Symphony
No.5 in E Minor Opus 64, </span></i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">another
rousing piece at forty-seven minutes with its powerful lyrical theme
of the Fates that unites all four of its movements. </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;">His
Fourth had been his symphony of triumph over fate, an imitation of
Beethoven’s Fifth. As noted in this concert's program, for
Tchaikovsky’s own Fifth Symphony, we have an outlining for the
scenario for the first movement: “Introduction. Complete
resignation before Fate, or, which is the same, before the
inscrutable predestination of Providence. Allegro. Murmurs of doubt,
complaints, reproaches against XXX. Shall I throw myself in the
embraces of faith? A wonderful program, if only it can be carried
out.” The composer's reference to “XXX” is generally
considered most likely an allusion to his homosexuality, which
terrified him as a possible cause of scandal; others attribute this
to his gambling addiction. Though he detested it when writers
interpreted his musical processes too literally, the theme with which
the clarinets (beautifully played and justly singled out for
applause), in their lowest register, begin the symphony has a function
other than its musical one: it reappears as a catastrophic
interruption of the second movement’s love song, with the languid
dance of the waltz, and in its majestic E major triumph.
Tchaikovsky’s terrific gift of melody is shown in his delight in
what he calls “strong effects” and his skill at bringing them
off, with quite remarkable effect yet with great economy. After his
return from a journey to Prague (where the experience of conducting
the Fifth produced the most depression in him) he quickly began work
on </span><i>The Sleeping</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span><i>
Beauty</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, and not long after that,
his finest operatic score, </span><i>The Queen of Spades.</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
But once again Lehninger (conducting this time from memory) proved
the Fifth Symphony itself worthy of the almost hysterical climaxes it
provides. Both central movements were delights in quite different
ways, and the audience for both gave enthusiastic approval. It was
the Boston Symphony Orchestra at its finest. </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-66835620503546499352019-12-13T11:03:00.000-05:002019-12-13T11:49:20.484-05:00Moonbox's "Parade": Uncivil Wars<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2kf_g4nyw4ievHY78MH5QrBROThs_o67dV9TpJGp7RFlu5v1Apt3atXQpdcWA5lG25RNATcPC8mfUf1noJKCYUoDzI9gm2uooiOjsPbnHaJvtC8P3P1FsU2xqNHaZnN3nv6dY7BZWhc/s1600/PARADEa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2kf_g4nyw4ievHY78MH5QrBROThs_o67dV9TpJGp7RFlu5v1Apt3atXQpdcWA5lG25RNATcPC8mfUf1noJKCYUoDzI9gm2uooiOjsPbnHaJvtC8P3P1FsU2xqNHaZnN3nv6dY7BZWhc/s640/PARADEa.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Phil Tayler & Anna Bortnick in "Parade"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Sharman Altshuler)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With
the holidays looming, leave it to Moonbox Productions to provide the
near perfect gift for your family, friends and yourselves, in the
form of the musical play <span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Parade,
</i><span style="font-style: normal;">with Music and Lyrics by Jason
Robert Brown (for his first Broadway production) and Book by Alfred
Uhry. Winner of the 1998 Tony Awards for Best Book and Score (out of
nine nominations) and six Drama Desk Awards, it had a limited run of
84 performances at Lincoln Center, with an astonishingly large cast
of thirty-seven, and is now playing at the Calderwood Pavilion's
Boston Center for the Arts, with an equally astonishingly large (for
regional theater at least) local cast of sixteen, covering two dozen
roles. It's a somewhat daunting challenge, but if any company can
manage it, doubtlessly Moonbox can, and does. In fact, this is
arguably the best piece of musical theater ever performed by this
company (and that's saying a lot) and easily the best show of this
season. It's that good; it's that great. Storytelling and craft don't
get much better than this.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnoRKDPzx4Ans_0Yd_xXOVs-kE7q9gQm7ZRl3vHpSYKeQ7HZEx1J7N6HIrV-ykxFoV9884yYeZlhiUY57o0FXafZOL7HQJZYx2RUBAtq68lpP1V07WNj3J3-v91IFqzLfFyOoaAeLHweI/s1600/PARADEb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="800" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnoRKDPzx4Ans_0Yd_xXOVs-kE7q9gQm7ZRl3vHpSYKeQ7HZEx1J7N6HIrV-ykxFoV9884yYeZlhiUY57o0FXafZOL7HQJZYx2RUBAtq68lpP1V07WNj3J3-v91IFqzLfFyOoaAeLHweI/s640/PARADEb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Parade"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Sharman Altshuler)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
musical's story begins as a Confederate soldier goes off to fight the
Civil War, and segues to 1913 when the disabled veteran readies
himself to march in the annual Confederate Memorial Day parade held
dear by Southerners who refused to commemorate their loss in the war.
The (true) story takes place at the trial of a Brooklyn-born Jewish
factory manager in Atlanta, Leo Frank (Phil Tayler, reason enough to
see any show), accused of raping and murdering his thirteen-year-old
employee Mary (Anna Bortnick), daughter of Mrs. Phagan (Anne
Sablich). She had previously flirted with Frankie Epps (Gable
Kinsman), who falsely testified that she complained to him about the
looks Frank would give her. Thanks to this lie (corroborated by a
trio of young girls who knew her, played by Lilli Jacobs, Katie
Elinoff and Angela Syrett) and a rabid press, including right-wing
journalist Tom Watson (Todd Yard) and ambitious novice newsman Britt
Craig (Dan Prior), as well as politician Hugh Dorsey (Jerry Bisantz)
who resolves to solve the case, and an equally rabid crowd.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOkotOlLtAqfrejwxRNQjo4GHpHFNBX-zkt_GqHsaypVrBfBppM_-d6PPcW1aW4TDB0XJUK3EcOF8yFvRQLECKVQHCqefM-3YxynoJiSrWPH1pxUojUS1512-DTOUNL2mAo7yNoG-b4tY/s1600/PARADE2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOkotOlLtAqfrejwxRNQjo4GHpHFNBX-zkt_GqHsaypVrBfBppM_-d6PPcW1aW4TDB0XJUK3EcOF8yFvRQLECKVQHCqefM-3YxynoJiSrWPH1pxUojUS1512-DTOUNL2mAo7yNoG-b4tY/s640/PARADE2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em> Aaron Patterson & The Cast of "Parade"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Sharman Altshuler)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With
testimony from worker Jim Conley (Aaron Patterson), Frank was
convicted and sentenced to death by Judge Roan (Brad Peloquin). When
this death sentence was commuted, a mob emerged to attempt to take
justice into their own hands. One eerie note: librettist Uhry's
great-uncle in real life owned the factory managed by Frank. Also
featured in the cast of characters as witnesses are Minnie McKnight
(Yewande Odetoyinbo) and Newt Lee (Elbert Joseph), as well as Luther
Rossner (Andrew Child). Everyone in this production, beginning with
Tayler and his wife Lucille's (Haley K. Clay) slowly percolating
roles and extending to some show-stealing turns by Prior and
Patterson, was stellar.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9M4OQd4z6xn5biHb5vWFdaZ3g4koOiPxwUH14xnqokkinGGluJxsq64JHvpqUlnc-85qEoIn9SfQGmMUQS9bK0y24wGrrsIGfxc_wn_PL0Z2Q9Xrim2aCRjXq6r-nzSxrv9Se1G8G7qI/s1600/PARADE1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9M4OQd4z6xn5biHb5vWFdaZ3g4koOiPxwUH14xnqokkinGGluJxsq64JHvpqUlnc-85qEoIn9SfQGmMUQS9bK0y24wGrrsIGfxc_wn_PL0Z2Q9Xrim2aCRjXq6r-nzSxrv9Se1G8G7qI/s640/PARADE1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Dan Prior & Gable Kinsman in "Parade"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Sharman Altshuler)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
later 1915 parade passes by as the ensemble reprises “The Old Red
Hills of Home” and the score ends with this as well. There are more
than two dozen songs in all, making this work virtually operatic,
with standouts such as “Pretty
Music”, “Do It Alone”, Leo's poignant “It's Hard to Speak My
Heart”, Conley's jaunty “That's What He Said”, the jury's
chilling cakewalk “Closing Statement and Verdict” and “All the
Wasted Time”, Frank and Lucille's near-finale duet; this song
expressly deals with how both have grown through their impending
tragedy and their captivating relationship, after Lucille castigated
him for his intention to work on a holiday. Their feelings morph from
cold to warm as Lucille begins to fight for her husband's freedom and
his life. Throughout the play, Brown displays obvious homages to the
Great American Songbook, from Sousa to Sondheim, a mesmerizing score
sung by a meticulously elegant cast. </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqPFkSHSCd2G6LYc7UD3fIp3Bo8IOWsSdI64FFboLVMSoXQjXRnEuN1aL4eyOY71gksLtivKw8yZ8DSbJMJ8wd21ZOHjr__6nCN_loErFnmkk_vQRycqyYaKU9l5_3S9m-L4lqWWMocU/s1600/PARADEd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="1024" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqPFkSHSCd2G6LYc7UD3fIp3Bo8IOWsSdI64FFboLVMSoXQjXRnEuN1aL4eyOY71gksLtivKw8yZ8DSbJMJ8wd21ZOHjr__6nCN_loErFnmkk_vQRycqyYaKU9l5_3S9m-L4lqWWMocU/s640/PARADEd.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: small;">Phil Tayler & Haley K. Clay in "Parade"</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Sharman Altshuler)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wonderfully
Directed by Jason Modica, the production boasts almost non-stop,
exquisite Choreography by Kira Troilo, impeccable Music Direction by
Catherine Stornetta, fabulously imagined Set Design by Lindsay
Genevieve Fuori, terrific Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl, essential
Lighting Design by Steve Shack and ominous Sound Design by Elizabeth
Cahill. On the performance and creative levels, there's not a nit to
pick. This is as close to perfection as regional theater (or any
theater) gets, fundamentally due to Modica and Tayler, whose
dedication to the work goes back a decade to their Boston
Conservatory efforts. It may be a less hopeful entity these days, but
remains a haunting work, and an obvious labor of love.
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It
should be noted that both the revival of the KKK (Klu Klux Klan) and
the rise of the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) resulted from this
historical event. 'Nuff said.
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before
this <i>Parade </i>passes by, be sure to take it in, through December
28<sup>th</sup>.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-29397666077393177292019-12-12T10:43:00.002-05:002019-12-12T11:47:44.374-05:00ART's "Moby-Dick": Call Me a Schlemiel<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJa1bmLf8QKh9MAO7Z_uAdQweD-_EbffD4FAQ1oREF3DwnYQZA0osaxRxY1fg8T8ggajjMSxPeBbBi05BfdL6wRSJSG3KjSGqzzkNAGA7veYKaA85b3MMpBrXGXtQP5ugPPbhjjT2bHRw/s1600/MOBY1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJa1bmLf8QKh9MAO7Z_uAdQweD-_EbffD4FAQ1oREF3DwnYQZA0osaxRxY1fg8T8ggajjMSxPeBbBi05BfdL6wRSJSG3KjSGqzzkNAGA7veYKaA85b3MMpBrXGXtQP5ugPPbhjjT2bHRw/s640/MOBY1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Manik Choksi & The Cast of "Moby Dick"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Evgenia Eliseeva)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Call
one whatever, but who knew? </span><i>Moby-Dick? </i><span style="font-style: normal;">Harpooned,
yes, but hyphenated too? As it turns out, yes and no; it depends on
which edition one's referring to, back when Herman Melville first
published his iconic 1851 novel of rage, revenge and reverence, with
hyphen in one published version, without it in another. Neither was a
success, for the balance of his lifetime, but it would eventually be
held up as an integral addition to American literature (in fact
declared the greatest American novel ever written by none other than
Nathaniel Philbrick). In more recent times, the work has been the
source for countless film and operatic versions, and now, at American
Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, it's in the creative hands of the
folks who brought you </span><i>Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet
of 1812. </i><span style="font-style: normal;">With that provenance
one would expect this, with Music, Lyrics, Book and Orchestrations by
Dave Malloy, Developed with and Directed by Rachel Chavkin, to be a
revelation.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALo2uOEEP5ALZ8FGqilxtc0dBIHao-bW5iS1Z4HjWkKOZBJzFbkAahvZR_SKDKcVMEIEPxQqUaApnLt0-fd49MklMjQU-OF__kpqr0ZUYIviri1avRpXXzWZRYojMSRIXO-33DcaUpHg/s1600/DICK9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALo2uOEEP5ALZ8FGqilxtc0dBIHao-bW5iS1Z4HjWkKOZBJzFbkAahvZR_SKDKcVMEIEPxQqUaApnLt0-fd49MklMjQU-OF__kpqr0ZUYIviri1avRpXXzWZRYojMSRIXO-33DcaUpHg/s640/DICK9.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Moby Dick"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Evgenia Eliseeva)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As it
turns out, again, yes and no. If broadly written, acted and directed
slapstick is your thing, then half of this show would be right up
your alley. If not, then it must be said that the good (or bad) ship
Pequod is barely afloat, in fact adrift, revealing neither focus nor
purpose. Given the source material in the novel, with its vast
cornucopia of symbols, themes and metaphors, subtlety surely would be
called for, but is sorely lacking in this production. The
complexities are there beneath the surface, from the pure whiteness
of the titular animal with its forces (nature, God, fate) beyond
man's control vs. free will, to the
inevitability of evil amid moral ambiguity. You'll find the original
author's themes of duty, defiance, doubt and death, along with
obsession, the limits of knowledge and the pervasive underbelly of
race. It also preserves the narrator's quest, his spiritual journey
to discover his own sense of self. A few decades ago, this critic
enrolled in a Harvard course on Religion and Literature given by Amos
Wilder (brother of Thornton), whose emphasis on this very novel was
revelatory. This mashup of theatrically bizarre elements reveals only
how even the most renowned creative folks can go so horribly off
course. After three and a half hours of sophomoric mayhem one almost
ends up cheering on the whale. Not that there isn't a lot of talent
on display; it's just diluted by overlong segments involving an
anachronistic stand-up comic routine that's well done but overdone, a
seemingly endless boat ride that involves audience participation
straight out of a ride at Disneyland, and an extended showstopper (in
a bad sense) of a deviation dealing with Pip that also seems to go on
forever (because it does).</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLqWDZ0oKa5DSvr2bXG764fmkEjNGhQyTzSGtC0qmK8g4LK09nEKo1fi8FHPuHxnXcPh8SRblL9phHEaIJ-z6Jy6vU5q9poGiaO_7NDnTXkp1A494s1T66aj27-rZGJIApzKrjz9nJto/s1600/DICK8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLqWDZ0oKa5DSvr2bXG764fmkEjNGhQyTzSGtC0qmK8g4LK09nEKo1fi8FHPuHxnXcPh8SRblL9phHEaIJ-z6Jy6vU5q9poGiaO_7NDnTXkp1A494s1T66aj27-rZGJIApzKrjz9nJto/s640/DICK8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Moby Dick"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Evgenia Eliseeva)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On the
plus side, there's a good deal of memorable music in varying styles
from jazz to gospel to folk/country to Broadway (and even echoes of
whales clicking), all performed by an inexhaustibly energetic cast
consisting of Ishmael (Manik Choksi), Queequeg (Andrew Cristi),
Starbuck (Starr Busby), Blacksmith/Sailor 1 (Ashkon Davaran), Flask
(Anna Ishida), Tashtego (Matt Kizer), Daggoo (J. D. Mollison), Ahab
(Tom Nelis), Pip (Morgan Siobhan Green), Stubb (Kalyn West), Fedallah
(Eric Berryman), Carpenter/Sailor 2 (Kim Blanck) and Father Mapple/<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Captains
of the Albatross, the Bachelor & the Rachel (Dawn L. Troupe).
Standouts include Troupe, Nelis and Choksi, but there's not a clinker
in the bunch. As for the rest of the creative team, the complex
Musical Direction and Supervision was by Or Matias, with lively
Choreography by Chanel Da Silva, overwhelmingly enveloping Scenic
Design by Mimi Lien (with reflections of Quaker meeting houses, and a
life of violent and broken obsession), eclectic but apt Costume
Design by Brenda Abbandandolo, extraordinary Lighting Design by
Bradley King, equally important Sound Design by Hidenori Nakajo and
clever Puppet Direction by Eric F. Avery. One is tempted to repeat
one's own recent reference in another review: <i>Squid pro quo;</i>
fortunately, one resisted this temptation.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccH5MQJSym_wTPRXwtRoe7E5F7JhKGhG95Gd9g8Qrx_-Nf1j8ymwMXtD8FjWITEPYsCrkKo0VogPW0pAgAx7bh6aQtnHx0-Cd_Vm4VAy97CJqzQN9i63ElcgL8-3zzBElFHKj3WHSOjw/s1600/dick3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccH5MQJSym_wTPRXwtRoe7E5F7JhKGhG95Gd9g8Qrx_-Nf1j8ymwMXtD8FjWITEPYsCrkKo0VogPW0pAgAx7bh6aQtnHx0-Cd_Vm4VAy97CJqzQN9i63ElcgL8-3zzBElFHKj3WHSOjw/s640/dick3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Andrew Cristi & The Cast of "Moby Dick"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Evgenia Eliseeva)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Would
that the powers behind this theatrical quest had resisted the obvious
lure of including material from 40 of the 135 chapters in the book
(by comparison, their <i>Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
</i>was based on 70 pages from <i>War and Peace). </i>There are some
captivating choices (clarifying the homoerotic feelings of the
narrator toward his “cannibalistic” bedmate, for example; or the
songs about etymology, cetology and squeezing sperm; or frequent
pulverizing of the fourth wall), and about half of the show would
make a very promising piece of theater. As it now stands, it's
correctly described by Chavkin as “epic messiness”. What this
work cries out for is not a harpoon but scissors; it's such a mash-up
of three and a half hours of random set pieces and performance art
that it threatens to destroy all the good aspects of blubberhood.
Succinctly, the show's playbill cover subtitle says it all: “a
musical reckoning”; if you have the patience and stamina to await
its best moments, there is a lot of wheat amongst the chaff.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meanwhile,
we are all in the belly of the whale, at least until January 12<sup>th</sup>.
</span></span>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-5104356007096536002019-12-08T10:03:00.000-05:002019-12-08T10:33:38.603-05:00New Rep's "Oliver!": Feud, Glorious Feud<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aC7upq4dZojsv2URnORYy2_8UQ8I-RT2vO-FS3H9Z34pSsJjt49j1W-77YUML26zqLc-B-tJKJkBiXMpJTRNnkjxz1ji_hpNrCHXA8BlrbOlxvlJcN0-NISMT_96VxD29-WPcNUJg6U/s1600/OLIVER1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1258" data-original-width="1600" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aC7upq4dZojsv2URnORYy2_8UQ8I-RT2vO-FS3H9Z34pSsJjt49j1W-77YUML26zqLc-B-tJKJkBiXMpJTRNnkjxz1ji_hpNrCHXA8BlrbOlxvlJcN0-NISMT_96VxD29-WPcNUJg6U/s640/OLIVER1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Ben Choi-Harris & Andy Papas in "Oliver!"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As
bemoaned by this critic in the past, the stage musical version of
Charles Dickens' <i>Oliver Twist </i>is infrequently produced these
days, in large part because of the challenge of casting very young
lead actors. After all, the well-known story from Dickens' 1850
original novel features two different British social worlds engaged
in feuding against one another for the life and soul of the titular
orphan and involves a good number of workhouse young boys with those
two lead roles that are essential to the tale. When the London stage
production debuted in 1960 and two years later on Broadway (winning
three Tony Awards including Best Musical), then in a filmed version
(winning an Academy Award for Best Picture), the success of all these
versions depended heavily on the charisma of the actors portraying
the characters of Oliver and the Artful Dodger. New Rep in Watertown
has managed to rediscover a gem named Ben Choi-Harris (Oliver); but
not with some questionable nontraditional casting of a female, Sydney
Johnston (The Artful Dodger), who looked and acted as feminine as
they come. But Choi-Harris and his impeccable Director/Choreographer
Michael J. Bobbitt provided the foundation for a production that can
only be described as perfect holiday fare, surely deserving of the
exclamatory title, <i>Oliver!</i>. Bobbitt knows how to stage a
crowd, as well as inventing a lot of visual movement. He's a true
find for future musicals to come from New Rep.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHX7aSAp_O4YntSHnkn6YziCuhQV9dDiILooXNqYVrmZEu3WB7enMDwX5FKpN-hP0tWh4WCoqq8sFmn00UkQ8vkv9_OOHOKgQhwsdlE77VLwfNqRD1vrub1DCw-7zNjDzDMxEdF9pcyI8/s1600/OLIVER4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHX7aSAp_O4YntSHnkn6YziCuhQV9dDiILooXNqYVrmZEu3WB7enMDwX5FKpN-hP0tWh4WCoqq8sFmn00UkQ8vkv9_OOHOKgQhwsdlE77VLwfNqRD1vrub1DCw-7zNjDzDMxEdF9pcyI8/s400/OLIVER4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Cast of "Oliver!"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Any
version of this show (which notoriously has a very slow start)
requires versatile singing, dancing and acting performers, such as
the role of the conniving yet captivating “receiver” Fagin
(Austin Pendleton), who seemed miscast, though he's been a favorite of this critic since 1964's Broadway <em>Fiddler on the Roof </em>and 1970's off-Broadway <em>Last Sweet Days of Isaac</em>; but it needs even more a
heartbreaking Nancy (Daisy Layman), which it has, as she belts out the show's best
rousing songs as well as a thrilling torch song or two, as well as
the inherently and unredeemably evil Bill Sikes (Rashed Alnuaimi),
the hilariously hypocritical workhouse owners, Mr. Bumble (Andy
Papas) and Widow Corney (Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda), and the equally
hypocritical and aptly-named funeral director's wife Mrs. Sowerberry
(Shannon Lee Jones). They are, individually as well as collectively,
about as professionally perfect as one could hope for, and that
includes the entire ensemble, such as Noah Claypool (Jackson Jirard),
Bet (Daniela Delahuerta) and the housekeeper Mrs. Bedwin (Jones
again). Rarely has one encountered such a capable Oliver as
Choi-Harris (often played by actors outside their range). But wait,
there's more.</span></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ymFsRJ9zCBr5rzqPvuoi04oB7UFQ84de2RytE1kSpmJUaiyquRQQOAFsj1QZ7Gox6mEYoa1PyF-ki2effMCGzi9Ku-GlnHGSVP-eiRtjq_x8IUqTzsaYB5KKyMdBkXCivFSnPyZ5410/s1600/OLIVER2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ymFsRJ9zCBr5rzqPvuoi04oB7UFQ84de2RytE1kSpmJUaiyquRQQOAFsj1QZ7Gox6mEYoa1PyF-ki2effMCGzi9Ku-GlnHGSVP-eiRtjq_x8IUqTzsaYB5KKyMdBkXCivFSnPyZ5410/s400/OLIVER2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Ian Freedson Falck. Austin Pendleton, Jane Jakubowski & Mark Johnson in "Oliver!"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That
professional level goes for the creative team as well, especially
with regard to the work of Director-Choreographer Michael J. Bobbitt
(the company's new Artistic Director). Along with the stupendous
Scenic Design by Luciana Stecconi and wondrous Costume Design (except
for Nancy's bizarre outfit and Cruella de Ville hairstyle) by Rachel
Padula-Shufelt, terrific Lighting Design by Frank Meissner and
effective Sound Design by Kevin L. Alexander, there is the marvelous
Musical Direction by Sariva Goetz, and, at the core of the work, the
triple threat contribution by the musical's creator Lionel Bart, who
wrote the Book, Music and Lyrics (a feat perhaps only Frank Loessor
or Meredith Wilson could so perfectly match), even though he couldn't
write or read a single musical note. Not only was Bart true to
Dickensian themes, his work was respected here by Bobbitt with this
tight rendition, with great attention to the score and some witty
references to the works of Tim Burton, Lemony Snicket and Edward
Gorey. In Bobbitt's hands, these kids are wonderful, with a real standout performance by Jane Jakubowski.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznV-K8p1worV8_pOIaok2hGq8pcCd0hrThzCKNrXCM5S0LP_ui1iFVXzo5Na9Tgwo2la3mMGtcTHKVCkFw7DHYubSkmRuAW4DrpBwkKCZ_nVcGmYgNztipuWJuk94Fv3_Y4_rn0KKghs/s1600/OLIVER6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznV-K8p1worV8_pOIaok2hGq8pcCd0hrThzCKNrXCM5S0LP_ui1iFVXzo5Na9Tgwo2la3mMGtcTHKVCkFw7DHYubSkmRuAW4DrpBwkKCZ_nVcGmYgNztipuWJuk94Fv3_Y4_rn0KKghs/s400/OLIVER6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Daisy Layman & The Cast of "Oliver!"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">And
oh, that score! From the show's opener, “</span><span style="font-style: normal;">Food,
Glorious Food”</span><i> </i><span style="font-style: normal;">to
Oliver's poignant plea “</span><span style="font-style: normal;">Where
Is Love?”</span><i> </i><span style="font-style: normal;">to
Dodger's show-stopping “</span><span style="font-style: normal;">Consider
Yourself”,</span><i> </i><span style="font-style: normal;">to
Nancy's “</span><span style="font-style: normal;">As Long As He
Needs Me”</span><i> </i><i>
</i><span style="font-style: normal;">and Fagin's eleven o'clock
number, “</span><span style="font-style: normal;">Reviewing the
Situation”,</span><i> </i><span style="font-style: normal;">it's
chock full of unforgettable musical pieces. The score's sources range
from the traditional British music hall to complex counterpoint sung
</span><i>a cappella,</i> <span style="font-style: normal;">every song
character-driven. Even Nancy's fate (with its abusive aspects) is
here tempered by her strength and redeeming choices in the end. The
only pity is that the second act includes no fewer than five
reprises out of its ten numbers. For the most part the musical
numbers are a treat, from the title song to “</span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It's
a Fine Life”, “I'd Do Anything”, “Be Back Soon”, and “Who
Will Buy?”,</span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;">apart from some that are
needed just to advance the story, such as “</span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I
Shall Scream”, “Boy for Sale”, “That's Your Funeral”, and
“My Name”. Just consider, yourself, Nancy's pub number, "Oom-Pah-Pah" (this
critic's favorite) with its typical (and innocently highly
suggestive) lyrics.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihy2mYle-4hXUK0kG6g0gYKlUHzcWVQeh4y4v5AvVgRfpwkoUq7TNcj63uGNmLCb9VuAzvhx1aincO7aRhyphenhyphenSLAAqN0_zUG8lsSdvPZpZ15IBtVQ0iZ56qBMPQn7ra-HhkZOIHoUlQPhRo/s1600/OlIVER10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1258" data-original-width="1600" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihy2mYle-4hXUK0kG6g0gYKlUHzcWVQeh4y4v5AvVgRfpwkoUq7TNcj63uGNmLCb9VuAzvhx1aincO7aRhyphenhyphenSLAAqN0_zUG8lsSdvPZpZ15IBtVQ0iZ56qBMPQn7ra-HhkZOIHoUlQPhRo/s640/OlIVER10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Oliver!"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">As
is equally true in Dickens' seminal source, everything about a
successful </span><i>Oliver! </i><span style="font-style: normal;">demonstrates
precisely how character-driven this work is at every level. It is
wisely presented as a dark musical “comedy” meant to entertain.
Storytelling in theater simply doesn't get any better than this.
Period. Full stop. And do by all means make a full stop at New Rep
for this quintessential example of musical theater at its best, and,
in the tradition of past exclamation-pointed shows (think </span><i>Oklahoma!,
Hello, Dolly! </i><span style="font-style: normal;">and the like) it's
nearly Broadway caliber. So review your situation and find time for
this perfect choice for holiday theater.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">See
it even if you've got to pick a pocket or two to do so, through
December 29</span><sup><span style="font-style: normal;">th</span></sup><span style="font-style: normal;">.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-16105019292788445482019-12-06T10:26:00.002-05:002019-12-06T10:32:23.951-05:00"Smokey Mtn. Christmas Carol": Dolly's Holly Folly<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyqUGFEjgdfRTrXnDMsNscARfrGsBxjsemo01oUKyKR1EfIT12bccu0KehXQMZAq7TWKaMYsFxtR0AGiExbn8eQxUVc8mRc6rUcDDQiPAuBXV5JBIoqBbsdutCYJVscNDOljYOoFZ060/s1600/DOLLY1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyqUGFEjgdfRTrXnDMsNscARfrGsBxjsemo01oUKyKR1EfIT12bccu0KehXQMZAq7TWKaMYsFxtR0AGiExbn8eQxUVc8mRc6rUcDDQiPAuBXV5JBIoqBbsdutCYJVscNDOljYOoFZ060/s640/DOLLY1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Jesse Faatz)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi497zofmNo3IMCAD9l9Dn3GelMrSk2eLJeO7-TgrOW6dmn9Y1x0c4FwTl_yVbtZNUhSgmixe7XtyVClkxPMgE1lBPJNld7MsZla6DiSfnEz6gxYoI_5o2rAUvaaun6BkfeCVJ92I6WE24/s1600/DOLLY1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em></em><em></em></a><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Now
appearing on Boston's Colonial Theatre stage: the latest
entertainment reinvention by the superstar who's arguably the
savviest creative force in the world of show biz, a world premiere no
less, with the mouthful of a title, </span><i>Dolly Parton's Smoky
Mountain Christmas Carol. </i><span style="font-style: normal;">What
the Dickens, you might ask, is there yet another permutation or
combination of the oft-told tale of greed and consumption? After a
very brief run in concert reading format this past month in St. Paul,
Minnesota, this latest retelling of the familiar holiday tale has
been transported to Tennessee's Smoky Mountains, as a musical, with
Music and Lyrics by eight-time Grammy Award winner Dolly Parton, with
Book by David H. Bell, under the command of Director Curt Wollan. As
such, it lives up to all the hopes and fears of all the years we've
been exposed to the timeless storytelling you might expect, with more
than a dollop of local squalor as we encounter a mining town owned by
one Ebenezer Scrooge (Peter Colburn) who just so happens to own the
company store and most of the cast, during the 1930's Depression.
Just how much you feel the need for another version of the well-worn
helping of both <span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">redemption
and grace in country western song will effect how you respond to this
hillbilly take.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfsrlhFetLQ5lkEW8pFdCIjXB440AoQ_Epiazp0SnzMTxuzr2jzK0vJ2wsEVsz8G_tvKJtQRSP4hiBDKJoX2DusCtbNQfLhDoUoj5Jl2y_Q71g7DmeLO_wwe3rmwGeDQ1p_iMhiYf7TI/s1600/DOLLY3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfsrlhFetLQ5lkEW8pFdCIjXB440AoQ_Epiazp0SnzMTxuzr2jzK0vJ2wsEVsz8G_tvKJtQRSP4hiBDKJoX2DusCtbNQfLhDoUoj5Jl2y_Q71g7DmeLO_wwe3rmwGeDQ1p_iMhiYf7TI/s640/DOLLY3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Peter Colburn & Mary Tanner in "Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol"</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><em>(photo: Jesse Faatz)</em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Will
this offering, with more frequent sung allusions to Jesus Christ than
at a typical revivalist tent meeting, fly in Boston (or, shudder, New
York) as it surely will in Pigeon Forge? That remains its biggest
challenge. Dickens himself kept the dogma pretty much understated,
while this is about putting the Christ back into Christmas with a
vengeance. It's not helped much by a somewhat plodding plot, (and if
you need a synopsis, go back to that rock you've been living under),
even with topical references to homemade liquor, revenuers, and the
Sears & Roebuck catalog. Fortunately Ms. Parton proves yet again
that she can provide a knee-slappin' score to enhance the proceedings
(though a whole bunch of 'em sound alike), with a couple of lovely
ballads (especially “Appalachian Snow Fall”), albeit with a bit
too much sugar (the sentimental “Three Candles”). If you're a
Parton and/or country western fan, it won't disappoint.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BWxg57axvsG__y-Fyq99msg6uYp_Ji-dw27vgEBN7Fj7NAgRayTBykHyEyB58XI6qdKVoDqUN1tYw0dVrCcDeYJ3OpZjEYlU7lWNBk0Qd9UgRSieTYveBTZunEpgQNCuwJGjEVTehqA/s1600/DOLLY2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BWxg57axvsG__y-Fyq99msg6uYp_Ji-dw27vgEBN7Fj7NAgRayTBykHyEyB58XI6qdKVoDqUN1tYw0dVrCcDeYJ3OpZjEYlU7lWNBk0Qd9UgRSieTYveBTZunEpgQNCuwJGjEVTehqA/s640/DOLLY2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Jesse Faatz)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The
talented and energetic cast of a baker's dozen includes Bob
Cratchit/Jacob Marley (Billy Butler), Eben/Fred (local actor Jonathan
Acorn, an Emerson grad), Fanny/Sadie (Brittney Santoro), Fustbunch/Ghost of Christmas
Present (Brian Hull), Mrs. Fustbunch/Mrs. Cratchit (Julia Getz),
Ghost of Christmas Past/Mrs. Dilber (Mary Tanner), Mudge/Wyatt (Ray
O'Hare), Dick (Josh Bryan), and of course Tiny Tim (alternating
Malachi Smith and Sachie Capitani, another example of today's
non-traditional casting). The six supporting musicians are led by Tim
Hayden (also on keyboard), with Mark Barnett on banjo, mandalin, and
dobro, Luke Easterling on bass, Lindsey Miller on guitar, Caitlin
Nicole-Thomas on fiddle, and Teddy Thomas on percussion, all to the
unusual and lively Choreography by John Dietrich. The fine Scenic
Design (a funky general store) by Scott Davis, Costume Design by Linda Roethke, Lighting
Design by Lee Fiskness, and Sound Design by James McCartney were
quality work.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When
all is said and done, this “revival” will thrive as a staple of
Christian holiday fare produced in community theaters. It is what it
is, an unabashedly low-tech effort with heart and soul, and obviously
a labor of love for the inexhaustible Parton. As Scrooge puts it near
the end of the show, “I can see where this is all going”. And so
will you.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If this
be your cup of moonshine, it's potable now until December 29<sup>th</sup>.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
</span></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif;">
</span>Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-46501079101693311262019-11-25T09:12:00.001-05:002019-11-25T09:12:18.709-05:00Lyric's "Murder": Twelve Suspects Walk into a Car<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWb6wnhteMeG0rPImfrtqqmIqYQAv2HOvDA1n3O2PR6avCWNOjnzpq7BHrouQXDUX4Wqkl9AtZ_ghYw9sHwfhlbyZZ7Cukr2AILqakTMU6jpQCIZoScYvTxsUnWKlnr9dwIi2a6GWsqPU/s1600/MURDER1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1211" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWb6wnhteMeG0rPImfrtqqmIqYQAv2HOvDA1n3O2PR6avCWNOjnzpq7BHrouQXDUX4Wqkl9AtZ_ghYw9sHwfhlbyZZ7Cukr2AILqakTMU6jpQCIZoScYvTxsUnWKlnr9dwIi2a6GWsqPU/s640/MURDER1.jpg" width="484" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Remo Airaldi & Will McGarrahan in "Murder on the Orient Express"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Mark S. Howard)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well,
make that eight suspects walk into a pullman car. The self-appointed
jury of twelve first seen in the iconic novel by Agatha Christie and
seen subsequently on several movie and TV screens over the years has
been reduced to eight (thus canceling out Christie's clever allusion
to a jury of one's peers); hence the current stage adaptation by Ken
Ludwig (“at the request of the Christie estate”) of <i>Murder on
the Orient Express , </i>now being produced by Lyric Stage Company,
has already lowered expectations somewhat. This is not necessarily a
bad thing, since anyone who has seen any of the more successful
iterations of this concept might not want to revisit an exact
reenactment of the popular story with a full dozen backstories. Yet
it's actually hard to envision a potential audience member out there
who hasn't already experienced the absurdly coincidental tales of the
interrelated passengers who all happen to find themselves on the same
track at the same time, or the clever twist at the end, which was,
and continues to be, literally unforgettable . That said, this
offering, Directed by Spiro Veloudos, makes up for its possible
element of real mystery with a chance to see some local actors
theatrically strut their shtick. </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhQp54gcmvzyOAs98Dv6Mj0AfNtSFuDjl8x_XqvNpojL9WPKpu5MZIUyEJozeWPhC8bgkOq6qF2dgeKLIZydF8sdFBea6OqG3YBzkhHaXXP5Zu0dadosXizQO7Y9rKBOW9kpemj2J-e4/s1600/MURDER2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="1600" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhQp54gcmvzyOAs98Dv6Mj0AfNtSFuDjl8x_XqvNpojL9WPKpu5MZIUyEJozeWPhC8bgkOq6qF2dgeKLIZydF8sdFBea6OqG3YBzkhHaXXP5Zu0dadosXizQO7Y9rKBOW9kpemj2J-e4/s640/MURDER2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Murder on the Orient Express"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Mark S. Howard)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And
strut they do, as the famed Orient Express train is trapped by an
avalanche in a snowstorm shortly after midnight. As the script puts
it, “And so it begins”. In no time at all, an American tycoon is
suddenly found murdered in a compartment which is locked from inside.
Among the other passengers and crew are eight potential suspects, all
of whom have ironclad alibis (and motives). By chance or by choice
(Agatha Christie's, that is), it just so happens that one of the
passengers aboard the train is none other than the justly famed
Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot (Remo Airaldi). It is his
role to interrogate and investigate the Conductor Michel (Scot
Colford, who also plays the Head Waiter), Princess Dragomiroff (Sarah
deLima), Helen Hubbard (Kerry A. Dowling), Greta Ohlsson (Marge
Dunn), Monsieur Bouc (Will McGarrahan), Colonel Arbuthnot (Davron S.
Monroe, who also plays Rachett), Hector MacQueen (Michael John
Ciszewski), Countess Andrenyi (Celeste Oliva), and Mary Debenham
(Rosa Procaccino). One semi-spoiler: the Butler didn't do it (seeing
as there isn't one). But the heavily expository nature of most of the
entire first act doesn't help; it was disorienting. Some jokes fit,
some do not, and some arrive overdone (three times we're told Poirot
is Belgian, not French). Fortunately, the overly familiar plot
becomes less involving than the appreciation of the acting chops on
display as well as the creative contributions.
</span></span></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VYFMyskYR93eeNFB8eB0rGfQ5QsILp407rUTGC_GUlXlwZrdmwLxNqjWrLUT0A0yWQYVh8PCow6ZOKwjnXSYZraFtEJZV4hVbp1tYCBwqmzV0S_WIQ0gml78KKFfMVCt9loZUPbPc_Y/s1600/MURDER3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="1600" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VYFMyskYR93eeNFB8eB0rGfQ5QsILp407rUTGC_GUlXlwZrdmwLxNqjWrLUT0A0yWQYVh8PCow6ZOKwjnXSYZraFtEJZV4hVbp1tYCBwqmzV0S_WIQ0gml78KKFfMVCt9loZUPbPc_Y/s640/MURDER3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Murder on the Orient Express"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Mark S. Howard)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On that
creative side, the Scenic Design is by Brynna Bloomfield (serviceable
and clever but not nearly as posh as the real Orient Express, which
the script extols as a “legend”), with Costume Design by Gail
Astrid Buckley (becoming threads from the period, which is 1934),
effective film noir-ish Lighting Design by Scott Clyve, Sound Design
and Original Music by Dewey Dellay (with some snippets from <i>Anything
Goes, </i>and <i>Flight of the Bumblebee </i>as well as <i>Chattanooga
Choo-Choo) </i>and fluid (in fact, constant) Projection Design by
Seaghan McKay. They're the true suspects in this melding of art deco
and film noir. The Direction by Veloudos is solid, especially in the
second act, and the acting turns are universally tantalizing, with
standouts from Airaldi, Dowling and McGarrahan in the meatier roles.
It's also the screen debut (no, that's not a typo) in a brief role by
young actress Josie Chapuran as Daisy Armstrong.</span></span><br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnJkPbuuxGjj9QRmNHz0RJO-E1B1LVCFDu_O33_UAhNo9ZXquEnf5iZjzrVRPLyzW9_Az-HtiPCtkNFk1LlnuchgulTNyRJEqQsgx3V6N1GOoTO3S9bTVeK8e2H0aiRNvFYLEvAa4T8k/s1600/MURDER4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="1600" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnJkPbuuxGjj9QRmNHz0RJO-E1B1LVCFDu_O33_UAhNo9ZXquEnf5iZjzrVRPLyzW9_Az-HtiPCtkNFk1LlnuchgulTNyRJEqQsgx3V6N1GOoTO3S9bTVeK8e2H0aiRNvFYLEvAa4T8k/s640/MURDER4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "Murder on the Orient Express"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Mark S. Howard)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Whodunnit?
Or who didn't? Did he/she deserve it, and does it really matter?
Find out who, what, where and most of all why. In the beginning, the
script proclaims that “If you break the rules, you pay the price”;
in the end, it was “all about justice”, and “doing the right
thing”.
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: MS Reference Sans Serif, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's
now deducible at Lyric Stage Company through December 22<sup>nd</sup>.
And oh, what a cast of characters to suspect!<br />
</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-17424876579929667862019-11-21T11:27:00.000-05:002019-11-21T11:41:27.366-05:00"Quixote Nuevo": Hombre de la Plancha, Early Stages <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LQ58aduSx3gAh4HTLTLEFMCVYUmxvUaJQsA9epY79hWZ3o5qh7elclP0iaRrxIg38DcWPdROfkH2zJ2U3-FPZcFBijY9IzN_tp2C2wW7uPqNwSXcLQemuw0j_eqH8nlGk2iLkDamuqk/s1600/QUIXOTE+A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="799" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LQ58aduSx3gAh4HTLTLEFMCVYUmxvUaJQsA9epY79hWZ3o5qh7elclP0iaRrxIg38DcWPdROfkH2zJ2U3-FPZcFBijY9IzN_tp2C2wW7uPqNwSXcLQemuw0j_eqH8nlGk2iLkDamuqk/s640/QUIXOTE+A.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Emilio Delgado in "Quixote Nuevo"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: T. Charles Erickson)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">The
new play with music, </span><i>Quixote Nuevo, </i><span style="font-style: normal;">being
performed as part of the Huntington Theatre Company's current season,</span><i>
</i><span style="font-style: normal;">may seem familiar, at least with
respect to its main characters and general themes. After all, this
tale of a somewhat loony (dare one say quixotic?) cavalier in 17</span><sup><span style="font-style: normal;">th</span></sup><span style="font-style: normal;">
century Spain has morphed over the centuries from an iconic novel by
Miguel Cervantes, to several films, an opera, a symphony, and perhaps
its most successful adaptation as a piece of musical theater in </span><i>Man
of la Mancha. </i></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPc6indnLm2V1YC9jl85qzXfBkvlbATMIppi7MvUubALdvM6s3DJTNBhYKxjomZbk5eX3DuslKO37ClHZrqithwQuF0MuXLs6MOWgLs_HYIc-V2f3nNKnCndyDivoKfXnyz9rXWAg0FY/s1600/QUIXOTE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="799" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPc6indnLm2V1YC9jl85qzXfBkvlbATMIppi7MvUubALdvM6s3DJTNBhYKxjomZbk5eX3DuslKO37ClHZrqithwQuF0MuXLs6MOWgLs_HYIc-V2f3nNKnCndyDivoKfXnyz9rXWAg0FY/s640/QUIXOTE.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Emilio Delgado & Cast of "Quixote Nuevo"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: T. Charles Erickson)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Updated
to the present and relocated to La Plancha (literally “grilled on a
metal plate”), a fictional town on the Texas/Mexico border, this
version centers around a former literature professor and Cervantes
scholar with early stages of dementia, Jose Quijano (Emilio Delgadi,
who has portrayed Luis the lovable repairman on “Sesame Street”
for four decades), who sets out not against windmills but the border
patrol in search of Dulcinea (Gisela Chipe), a migrant worker on his
father's ranch who has returned to Mexico. As in all previous
iterations of the basic story, he is accompanied by his second
banana, ice cream vendor Sancho Panza/Manny Diaz (Juan Manuel Amador)
who helps him evade ICE. Our intrepid duo also has to evade Death
Himself (Hugo E. Carbajal), as portrayed as one of group of guitar
players or </span><i>Calacas</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.
Meanwhile the hero's sister plans to put him in an assisted living
facility. Full disclosure: this critic has worked as a nurse for
three different companies that provide such environments, and is
quite familiar with the quandary of whether and when to remind a
resident of their names or join her or him in a self-created world of
one's own imagination. Can one blame this Quixote for persevering in
his quest? And here's the rub: should one view Alzheimer's as funny?</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CBFHFn4fGsLFXqeFLmS-3rcMp38NwAm-OSedOqYOOJLJdzmDbe3Zrqy0kmNt-PA3-DnKWtHWeDcmO3SPP8qaAX-MVdUN7y5hli_cLXTDZ8PNKw_uMN7mU6BSPD061BZD9oZT-MSzyFs/s1600/QUIXOTE1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="533" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CBFHFn4fGsLFXqeFLmS-3rcMp38NwAm-OSedOqYOOJLJdzmDbe3Zrqy0kmNt-PA3-DnKWtHWeDcmO3SPP8qaAX-MVdUN7y5hli_cLXTDZ8PNKw_uMN7mU6BSPD061BZD9oZT-MSzyFs/s400/QUIXOTE1.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Hugo E. Carbajal in "Quixote Nuevo"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: T. Charles Erickson)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
first act (beginning with this new Quixote's challenge: “I know who
you are, I know what you want”) is laced with sophomoric humor akin
to the sort of dialogue one might encounter in a typical Hasty
Pudding Club review, with silly allusions to <i>Iron Man</i>, Hoover
vacuums, <i>Game of Thrones,</i> and scatalogically puerile bits of
business. The second act gets a bit more serious, spotlighting
Orlando Arriaga as Padre Perez (and other roles, a bit confusing). It
is during several scenes with more sober content that the story at
last comes alive. Written by Octavio Solis, one of the storytellers
of the Oscar-winning Disney film “Coco”, it's meant as a funny
take on this perennial fantasy, and to some extent it succeeds. It
ends with our knight errant exclaiming as he dies: “How it trembles
like the wall of Jericho (see, there's this wall along the border and
all). . Fall, you horror! Fall and make room for Quixote!” to which
Sancho declares: “I'm here, say the word”. But it's all for
naught, a quest doomed to failure from the onset. Along the way,
there are numerous opportunities for the talented cast of nine to excel, and
they do, especially with respect to Delgadi's forlorn hero, whose
performance is charming. The expert creative team includes Scenic
Design by Takeshi Kata, Costume Design by Rachel Anne Healy, Lighting
by Brian J. Lilienthal, Sound Design by David R. Molina and Musical
Composition by Molina and Eduardo Robledo.</span></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hP8JabHJwCBZBR95jgJeFjB6n82w2Jaja8A_PJ6iGq5bteYKccKNhvBOOmNLg-wpmDQ9fEvPOjaw3EiaUr7UG63CSIRBGKyKK18OZ5B9hW6tP8_VwZD7QwAEVc2WdexuO0ZVlvd1264/s1600/QUIXOTE3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="799" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hP8JabHJwCBZBR95jgJeFjB6n82w2Jaja8A_PJ6iGq5bteYKccKNhvBOOmNLg-wpmDQ9fEvPOjaw3EiaUr7UG63CSIRBGKyKK18OZ5B9hW6tP8_VwZD7QwAEVc2WdexuO0ZVlvd1264/s640/QUIXOTE3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Emilio Delgado & Cast in "Quixote Nuevo"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: T. Charles Erickson) </span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">First
seen at California Shakespeare, this completely revised work is now a
Co-Production of Hartford Stage, Houston's Alley Theatre and our own
Huntington Theatre Company. Directed by KJ Sanchez, who had urged
Solis (who grew up in El Paso on the border and was a consultant on
the terrific Oscar-winning “Coco” animated film) to attempt this
task. Solis wisely chose to expose cultural identity and memory, even
on a personal level, and how much this can change as it both
“sweetens our soul and torments it at the same time”. He asks if
we can mend the past and go backwards in the same manner that we go
forward, and can see the past in an entirely different light, with
that knowledge changing us. Though it's a difficult process, putting
ourselves under a microscope of sorts, he maintains that it's well
worth the healing that may ensue. The same could be said for an
audience member's enjoyment, if this sort of unsubtlety is her or his
bag.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Share
this impossible dream at Huntington Avenue Theater till December 8<sup>th</sup>.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-45804621949781385462019-11-17T14:22:00.000-05:002019-11-17T14:22:52.976-05:00BSO's Greig (& Mahler): Leif Peepers<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsRD8XYWP4gdavluHJ7ikihvhjuyE83SQqnoixhSIWbNcuH9gS3hX77AfcW5rteIRWLRgY8fruXzbLEufV4AyxKKWm6A1NuS3uxs9hXEwu99pIPDSvq_ityAJ37xmJyTD0jE6GdgFyFc/s1600/BS02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="345" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsRD8XYWP4gdavluHJ7ikihvhjuyE83SQqnoixhSIWbNcuH9gS3hX77AfcW5rteIRWLRgY8fruXzbLEufV4AyxKKWm6A1NuS3uxs9hXEwu99pIPDSvq_ityAJ37xmJyTD0jE6GdgFyFc/s400/BS02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes with the BSO</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: BSO)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For the
first half of the unabashedly popular program presented this past
week by the Boston Symphony, the orchestra, reunited with Conductor
Andris Nelsons and the Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, played the
popular work of Edvard Grieg, arguably his most renowned longer
piece, the <i>Piano concerto in A Minor, Opus 16 </i>(utilizing the
Schumann <i>Piano concerto </i>as a template). Though he composed it
in 1869, at the age of twenty-four, he continued to tweak the piece
for the rest of his career. One Norwegian analyst has pointed out
that the opening piano, built of a sequence consisting of a
descending second followed by a descending third, is a very
characteristic Norwegian musical gesture, typifying as it does the
pervasiveness of folk imagery and sound. This first movement is
loaded with accessible themes, some obviously derived from one
another, others strongly contrasting. It creates richness that has
played a significant role in maintaining the concerto’s appeal. The
<i>animato</i> section of the first movement includes tunes similar to
those used by fiddlers in the folk genre; the lyric song of the
second movement is harmonized in the style of some of Grieg’s later
folksong influences; and the finale contains dance rhythms
reminiscent of the <i>halling </i>and<i> springdans </i>so typical
of Norwegian lore. It brought back fond memories of a visit in Bergen
Norway by this critic to the composer's simple but charming home in
his fatherland, now a museum dedicated to its famed inhabitant.
Sometimes referred to as musical comfort food, it was praised by none
other than Tchaikovsky for its perfect simplicity. As performed at
Symphony Hall by Andris and Andsnes, it showed how deserving a
concerto can be, as judged by the audience's repeated standing
ovations.</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsmFo2n_vnIQQaDyGUwKjj2n9H8PJR7tsXqPgF8XrnhvvAzJunV7WRvZ8HSUYCIRzWT5h4cYNtI6uKFihreAAaHHcswW7Nld9veaVgXC6RNAjQcStAGTSq4LKM37nreG6LmdddwqxYts/s1600/BSO3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="345" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsmFo2n_vnIQQaDyGUwKjj2n9H8PJR7tsXqPgF8XrnhvvAzJunV7WRvZ8HSUYCIRzWT5h4cYNtI6uKFihreAAaHHcswW7Nld9veaVgXC6RNAjQcStAGTSq4LKM37nreG6LmdddwqxYts/s400/BSO3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Soprano Genia Kuhmeier with the BSO</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: BSO)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mahler's
<i>Fourth Symphony in G</i> , the subject of the second half of the
program, is the last of his trio of <i>Wunderhorn </i>symphonies,
with text from the German folk poems <i>Das Knaben Wunderhorn.
</i>Completed in 1901, it was first heard in Munich, then several
other German cities, but poorly received in virtually all of them.
Many felt it was too “sunlit”, transparent, and brief, thus
un-Mahler-like. He dismissed critics' “banal misunderstandings”.
(All ye critics take note). The composer himself felt his <i>adagio</i>
was his best slow movement. The final movement is an expansion of an 1892 song <i>Das himmlische leben </i>(“Heavenly Life”) here
featuring Austrian soloist soprano Genia Kuhmeier in her BSO debut.
It's a work that features quirks such as no trombones or tubas, both
beginning and ending with sleigh bells, demonstrating how
transporting music can be. It was first performed in this country by
the New York Symphony Society in 1904, while its first appearance on
the schedule of the BSO was not until 1942. Suffice it to say that
while it argues that no music on earth can rival that of heaven, and
may lack the universal acceptance of his <i>Second (“Resurrection”),
</i>this pointedly ends with the proclamation (amidst some strange
images of heaven) “so that all may awake for joy”. And so it
was, reflecting the ideal weather outside the confines of Symphony
Hall.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-75674910174969315092019-11-14T09:55:00.000-05:002019-11-17T14:24:32.236-05:00BLO's "Fellow Travelers": Climax Change<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5f9qH9tl9mhMXiRVg9fDe-MP-0s52VWkXXzVCiHfJ5cKDRjptcEdpT52LDz0CdM-SuWLKwZzdQ8HspCp3pcF-Y10wUPrfo2W0wbvg4hX9S8gceDZrou27GSattGR9b1Mxlkf4isJpq68/s1600/FELLOW1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5f9qH9tl9mhMXiRVg9fDe-MP-0s52VWkXXzVCiHfJ5cKDRjptcEdpT52LDz0CdM-SuWLKwZzdQ8HspCp3pcF-Y10wUPrfo2W0wbvg4hX9S8gceDZrou27GSattGR9b1Mxlkf4isJpq68/s640/FELLOW1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Jesse Blumberg & Jesse Darden in "Fellow Travelers"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Liza Voll)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">It's
always a pleasure to discover and share a sensational new opera such
as </span><i>Fellow Travelers. </i><span style="font-style: normal;">It's
one of those rare anomalies these days, a contemporary work that
manages to be challenging in some of its modern music while at the
same time surprisingly filled with lovely tonal composition. As one
opera buff noted many years ago in reference to Wagnerian operas,
just focus on the orchestral parts and the singing will come through,
as in the end it always must. That's certainly true of this opera,
with Score by Composer Gregory Spears and Libretto by Greg Pierce.
First performed in 2016 by The Cincinnati Opera, based on the 2007
novel by Thomas Mallon, now being given its New England premiere by
the ever-adventurous Boston Lyric Opera (which exceeds even its
recent triumphant </span><i>Handmaid's Tale)</i><span style="font-style: normal;">,
it's yet another thoroughly engaging production by a company that
also travels, from concert halls to skating rinks. Quality is often
defined in part by the process of taking risks (and succeeding at
them), and this portrayal manages to do so while reflecting the
frightening parallels between the “Lavender Scare” of the Era of
McCarthyism and the false promises of the Error of Trump. While there
is no explicit connection between then and now in the opera, it
serves as yet another reminder (as quite recently noted by this
critic) that history may not repeat itself, but it rhymes.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7NGNIUPH_z0SJr1gdyURlKvXNNCCc94YO5x-QapxW7yPYrJcaakaV1DYlqwYewpuh_of9PbrmeQWJxYTUSRWeHEGgNmpNB74M06leOMYH60cu9OKXjw92ObNTspjmtKBiqJC_S0uTxI/s1600/FELLOW2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7NGNIUPH_z0SJr1gdyURlKvXNNCCc94YO5x-QapxW7yPYrJcaakaV1DYlqwYewpuh_of9PbrmeQWJxYTUSRWeHEGgNmpNB74M06leOMYH60cu9OKXjw92ObNTspjmtKBiqJC_S0uTxI/s640/FELLOW2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Jesse Darden & Jesse Blumberg in "Fellow Travelers"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Liza Voll)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Since
this is an unfamiliar opera, it necessitates a more comprehensive
synopsis than most. It begins in September 1953 in a park at Dupont
Circle in Washington D.C., where aspiring reporter, naive Timothy
Laughlin (Jesse Darden), eating his lunch (with milk), is approached
by the suave State Department employee Hawkins Fuller (Jesse
Blumberg). “Hawk” flirts with Tim, later arranging for Tim to be
hired as a speechwriter for Senator Charles Potter (James Maddalena),
a friend of Senator Joe McCarthy (David McFerrin) who claims that the
U.S. Government is full of “Communists, Soviet spies and
homosexuals”. (Oh, my!). Tim drops off a thank-you gift for Hawk at
his office, where he meets reporter Tommy McIntyre (Vincent
Torregano), as well as Hawk's assistant and best friend Mary (Chelsea
Basler), and his secretary Miss Lightfoot (Michelle Trainor). Tim is
at home cooking soup when Hawk drops by, ultimately staying the
night. The next day Tim enters St. Peter's Church, torn between his
profound Catholic faith and his passion for Hawk. Miss Lightfoot
overhears an intimate exchange between Tim and Hawk; Hawk is
subsequently ordered to Interrogation Room M304 where an Interrogator
(McFerrin again) tests his sexual orientation. Tim and Hawk discuss
the interrogation, and Hawk's sexual encounters while alone in New
York. The act ends rather abruptly (“what's in a name?”), leaving
the audience unsure that it has indeed ended. But it's a very minor
glitch among a scorefull of gems.</span></span></div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoQGzo1kkt7ayRMP6aG9WgRCXougog5D8-UEtokuROTpKWWz-D5OK_NxqlQeMwuzu-c7CkP0pXMYikxcsF0x8bn7VueaqkymzUa7Zfq9DAik1dN8dMZez42_EyT-nXJStYykLrAFPUfs/s1600/FELLOW3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1223" data-original-width="1600" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoQGzo1kkt7ayRMP6aG9WgRCXougog5D8-UEtokuROTpKWWz-D5OK_NxqlQeMwuzu-c7CkP0pXMYikxcsF0x8bn7VueaqkymzUa7Zfq9DAik1dN8dMZez42_EyT-nXJStYykLrAFPUfs/s640/FELLOW3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Jesse Darden in "Fellow Travelers"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Liza Voll)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In Act
II, Potter warns McCarthy he must give up helping Roy Cohn's friend
David Schine to get special treatment in the Army, and give up Cohn
himself. Mary is also in the warning mode as she describes (to Tim)
Hawk's fickle nature, and tells Tim she is pregnant after a one-night
stand. Hawk, rejoicing he's been cleared of homosexual allegations,
wants to celebrate, which shocks Tim, leading to his enlisting in the
Army. Mary quits her job with Hawk over the atmosphere of panic and
persecution. Two years later, Tim writes to Hawk and Mary from where
he's stationed in France. Hawk has married a woman named Lucy (Brianna
J. Robinson) but implies he'd like to rekindle his affair with Tim.
They rent a house in D.C. for their afternoon trysts, but Hawk warns
Tim he cannot be for him all that Tim wants, resolving to end the
affair. Hawk admits to Mary that he has secretly acted against Tim to
end their relationship. In the last scene, at the same park at Dupont
Circle where it all began, it is May 1957; the lovers face their
futures.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYYMrh9KyLOy9qoj9Dzsr9VosyosD7O0hya3A_6ExtKWw1G0cg35YZHqXA3USuGVNOv3jEQ_CqkV1FWswKSZ-iKdgthdbFSnTnWl09c5RQs1wbt4f3IVvCnv9IhCqT_q8AgrdMMc7kWY/s1600/FELLOW4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYYMrh9KyLOy9qoj9Dzsr9VosyosD7O0hya3A_6ExtKWw1G0cg35YZHqXA3USuGVNOv3jEQ_CqkV1FWswKSZ-iKdgthdbFSnTnWl09c5RQs1wbt4f3IVvCnv9IhCqT_q8AgrdMMc7kWY/s640/FELLOW4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Michelle Trainor & The Cast of "Fellow Travelers"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Liza Voll)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
critical roles are those of the inexperienced Darden (his Catholic
guilt in “Last night how many?”), the seductive Blumberg (“Our
very own home, Skippy”) along with long-suffering Basler (“I
worry, that's all”). All three are exemplary. McFerrin provides a
creepily menacing McCarthy with his historically accurate harangues
about “sexual subversives”. Several supporting roles, such as
Potter's Assistant, a Bookseller, a Priest and a Technician, are sung
by Simon Dyer. There are also two impressive operatic quartets in the
second act. The production was Conducted by Boston University alumna
Emily Senturia (the first time a woman has conducted this company's
orchestra in two decades), leading a 17-piece orchestra. As she has
described the score, it includes post-minimalist passages as well as
baroque music (and heavy use of trombones) as well as patter in the
style of Gilbert and Sullivan, making for unusually accessible music
for a contemporary work; in fact, it's been stated that the
predominant musical strategy used by Spears and Pierce is one of
indirection. The rest of the creative team, some duplicating work
they originated for the Minneapolis run, included Stage Director
Peter Rothstein, Set Designer Sara Brown, Costume Designer Trevor
Bowen, and Lighting Designer Mary Shabatura. </span></span><br />
<br />
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</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCY7UlSH1sfSfEHPRbvIW4bhxDKx6HYodVpNcmvHHKvrmEa5B-t6Fl10u7wHiIzNDp4n0RzDjMm89wlCIbOZITCaEPSQwFPKMLpXQ32cVVlxMdpwUTFhg51ufVMJncPGAr5zpXM7jGBO4/s1600/FELLOW5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCY7UlSH1sfSfEHPRbvIW4bhxDKx6HYodVpNcmvHHKvrmEa5B-t6Fl10u7wHiIzNDp4n0RzDjMm89wlCIbOZITCaEPSQwFPKMLpXQ32cVVlxMdpwUTFhg51ufVMJncPGAr5zpXM7jGBO4/s640/FELLOW5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Chelsea Basler & Jesse Blumberg in "Fellow Travelers"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Liza Voll)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Author
Mallon (who observed “the scene” as a student at Brown and
Harvard) calls his book a “political thriller”, with “outsized
emotions...everything in the book is so claustrophobic, behind closed
doors with drawn shades”. More to the point, he notes that
“virtually every gay man has, at one point in his life, dated a guy
who is mesmerizing but not good for them, ultimately”. It's been
described as “Mad Men” meets “House of Cards”. Timothy
doesn't see why he can't be a conservative and Catholic and still
love whom he wants to love, and thinks their relationship is a gift
from God, a view obviously at odds with the justly infamous Executive
Order #10450 (banning homosexuals from government service). This
represents a group described as almost entirely friendless,
politically, making the opera's final betrayal (no spoilers here) all
the more stunning. And stunning it is, to see such obviously
mismatched a couple inescapably headed for an all but inevitable
climax, so to speak.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOhq2AeAu1thLqmosEH7U5OVaIaor35zCWAmiQiRn9GyAPfLxbsv05VlUNTsUlhA7kX6xtzGk67VbGxqOjvxteIrYUx1iUKInAAt1jIcFLu31Rs9P-34t0826s7BMgg4DYxEK9DrVKmk/s1600/FELLOW6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOhq2AeAu1thLqmosEH7U5OVaIaor35zCWAmiQiRn9GyAPfLxbsv05VlUNTsUlhA7kX6xtzGk67VbGxqOjvxteIrYUx1iUKInAAt1jIcFLu31Rs9P-34t0826s7BMgg4DYxEK9DrVKmk/s640/FELLOW6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Jesse Darden & Jesse Blumberg in "Fellow Travelers"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Lisa Voll)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Given
the political climate at the time, it should not surprise that the
opera's climax is a change from what one might expect today. And what
more could one ask for in a contemporary opera? One needn't echo the
famed line from the play <i>Tea and Sympathy:</i> “when you talk
about this, and you will, be kind”, as, even apart from its
political importance, the work stands as an engrossing story
exceedingly well written and performed. BLO has outdone itself yet
again with this opera for our time and for times yet to come. What an
extraordinary feat.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the
close of the opera, the surtitles (appropriately written by
Librettist Pierce himself) add historical heft: five thousand queers
lost their jobs, only to receive an official retroactive apology
decades later by former Secretary of State John Kerry on the last day
President Obama was in office; that apology was quickly and quietly
excised on January 20, 2017. Does this date ring any bells?</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hopefully, you made
haste, fellow opera buffs, and traveled by November 17<sup>th</sup> to
the Emerson Paramount Theater; but best you didn't tell them Joe
(McCarthy, that is) sent you.</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-52867956239070239622019-11-07T08:43:00.002-05:002019-11-11T16:50:35.199-05:00ArtsEmerson's "Magic Flute": Survival of the Flautist<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwKmv5EqU2Es6D8r9vNTfqsjqi7iMiekIPSCbJDpnQ6_sfMkAFcBJ4Wc0DnsuemyG93qlyXBAKHoZ0KzcmjMzahQAs8ib15IehoLx2z-vW8j73dWCDQ_sx3EhTTIszfE8ucXfPhZ5uNg/s1600/MAGICFLUTE1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwKmv5EqU2Es6D8r9vNTfqsjqi7iMiekIPSCbJDpnQ6_sfMkAFcBJ4Wc0DnsuemyG93qlyXBAKHoZ0KzcmjMzahQAs8ib15IehoLx2z-vW8j73dWCDQ_sx3EhTTIszfE8ucXfPhZ5uNg/s640/MAGICFLUTE1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Cast of "The Magic Flute"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Keith Pattison)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">With
its familiar overture suddenly performed as though never heard
before, with drums and marimbas, this version of Mozart's “Magic
Flute” was not the typical form of this deservedly popular
allegorical opera, here adapted and directed by Mark Dornford-May for
the Isango Ensemble of Cape Town. While the basic libretto and music
are essentially the same, the sound is not, making for a unique
reintroduction to Mozart’s magic. A production by Eric Abraham and
the Young Vic (which won the 2008 Olivier Award in London as Best
Musical Revival), this was a revelation. Told as a South African
Tsonga folk tale (titled </span><span lang="en"><i>Impempe Yomlingo
</i></span><span lang="en">in the South African language of </span><span lang="en"><i>Xhosa),
</i></span><span lang="en">it resonates with tropes familiar to such
folklore, from bird catchers to trial by fire and water.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span lang="en"></span></span> </div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span lang="en"></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1423" data-original-width="1600" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOFQNhI3eAu9Rfo1OVf0T2rTcqKVeTMER0wJYdWQ2MuetReVun8OVHcMa_77uFqKLMTpnELjopOE4bwLNbvkknDdZuX0vuI2QfURfiQoUzQNvUfuSkMAlSKtrLgc2kIssiDokrzIpef4/s320/MAGICFLUTE2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Queen of the Night in "The Magic Flute"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Keith Pattison)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOFQNhI3eAu9Rfo1OVf0T2rTcqKVeTMER0wJYdWQ2MuetReVun8OVHcMa_77uFqKLMTpnELjopOE4bwLNbvkknDdZuX0vuI2QfURfiQoUzQNvUfuSkMAlSKtrLgc2kIssiDokrzIpef4/s1600/MAGICFLUTE2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span lang="en"><span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;">With
a cast of some two dozen dancing singers (actually quadruple threats,
as actors and instrumentalists as well), it’s a revival in several
senses, especially in the Musical Direction by Paulina Malefane and
Mandisi Dyantyis and Choreography by Lungelo Ngamlana, something to
hear and see. With a raked Set Design by Dornford-May and Dan
Watkins, Lighting Design by Mannie Manim and Costume Design by Leigh
Bishop, this morality tale was given a whole new lease on life. If
you think you’ve seen the definitive “Magic Flute” sometime in
the past, think again. This was the “Magic Flute” of the present
and the future. It’s not unlike rediscovering the pleasures of
being in the company of an old friend, with suddenly renewed vim and
vigor filling the Cutler Majestic Theater as perhaps never since the
company's first visit with this production five seasons ago. The
ensemble is even more energetic, though some soloists in this current
production seemed out of their vocal comfort zone.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en">The
survival of this flautist continued through November 10</span><sup><span lang="en">th</span></sup><span lang="en">.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-84327237027273126832019-11-04T08:57:00.001-05:002019-11-04T09:15:15.584-05:00Odyssey's "Maria Regina D'Inghilterra": Tudor Compact<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlmr2EN51wdc6NWupS0W92U04yGxhfXJYiM-8V62k7YOfSXdzSo71k-Gv8J7jACY0pz7ojiiy7lSb5W74nlUpyeEuOojE_X0OWM1IPcvOFqGRpDgbSN2gfVRF6BiCCLCDe00W_qvhPps/s1600/REGINA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="1600" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlmr2EN51wdc6NWupS0W92U04yGxhfXJYiM-8V62k7YOfSXdzSo71k-Gv8J7jACY0pz7ojiiy7lSb5W74nlUpyeEuOojE_X0OWM1IPcvOFqGRpDgbSN2gfVRF6BiCCLCDe00W_qvhPps/s640/REGINA.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Amy Shoremount-Obra & Alise Jordheim in "Maria, Regina D'Inghilterra"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Kathy Wittman)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Odyssey
Opera continued its streak of presenting seldom-heard operas recently
with what is believed to be the North American premiere of </span><i>Maria,
Regina D'Inghilterra, </i><span style="font-style: normal;">by</span><i>
</i><span style="font-style: normal;">composer Giovanni Pacini with
libretto by Leopold Tarantini, based on the 1833 play </span><i>Marie
Tudor</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> by Victor Hugo. It was an
unqualified success when first produced in Palermo in 1843, but would
soon be overlooked and forgotten, until revived by Opera Rara in
London in 1983, almost a century and a half later. Local audiences
had two recent opportunities to experience its attributes for
themselves, as local treasure Odyssey Opera presented the work on
November 1</span><sup><span style="font-style: normal;">st</span></sup><span style="font-style: normal;">
and 3</span><sup><span style="font-style: normal;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-style: normal;">
as part of its Season of Tudors, (the second of six works this
season) about an implied compact between Queen Mary and her Lord
Chancellor and its dire consequences.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvfrk_JBpw7PsJZw12sHQf2HIJBIct1-8QzBBKzpLM5v_TiWyp1psRgLysuNPEW4kI3YIQnAH_Zz-fSgwp6MIFGZ_ZgulrhKK4VVIsfVDpP5TdvFTH7XuFN4Q3tXbQGhfE1dJJtb-W4I/s1600/REGINA3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="1600" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvfrk_JBpw7PsJZw12sHQf2HIJBIct1-8QzBBKzpLM5v_TiWyp1psRgLysuNPEW4kI3YIQnAH_Zz-fSgwp6MIFGZ_ZgulrhKK4VVIsfVDpP5TdvFTH7XuFN4Q3tXbQGhfE1dJJtb-W4I/s640/REGINA3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Cast of "Maria Regina D'Inghilterra"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Kathy Wittman)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
story takes place in 1553 London, three centuries earlier than its
composition. Mary I, Queen of England (soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra),
is infatuated with Scottish adventurer Riccardo Fenimoore (tenor
Kameron Lopreore), whom she ennobled as Lord Talbot. He has been
unfaithful to her with the foundling Clotilde Talbot (soprano Alisa
Jordheim), the only surviving child of the late Earl of Talbot, now
betrothed to (and adored by) the commoner Ernesto Malcolm (baritone
Leroy Davis). Lord Chancellor Gualtiero Churchill (baritone James
Demler) wishes to protect the Queen by bringing down Riccardo so he
informs her of Fenimoore's duplicity, as well as Clotilde's being
heir to the Talbot name. The Queen first condemns Fenimoore to death,
then repents doing so, ordering Clotilde to help to get him released.
To her dismay, however, Churchill has already seen to it that her
earlier order to execute Fenimmore has been carried out. She
collapses into the arms of her ladies-in-waiting. Also featured were
<i>Un Paggio</i> (mezzo-soprano Katherine Maysek, very believable),
Raoul (Craig Juricka) and <i>Un Uffiziale</i> (Gray Leiper).</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbREhKxRdTWNClHKI7RjZfmTUzw78OuLs2GjBFAN1Rks-CJ_WBDRCEq0p_4YIO2s17Nzui99F63t38O0ID9gfMz6bty_ELM2wajJBapHmKRUSDiFV2lnMKCnITzdwh0ZIU1E9uLFNy00/s640/REGINA4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Cast of "Maria, Regina D'Inghilterra"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Kathy Wittman)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbREhKxRdTWNClHKI7RjZfmTUzw78OuLs2GjBFAN1Rks-CJ_WBDRCEq0p_4YIO2s17Nzui99F63t38O0ID9gfMz6bty_ELM2wajJBapHmKRUSDiFV2lnMKCnITzdwh0ZIU1E9uLFNy00/s1600/REGINA4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em></em><em></em></a><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
three act opera, presented at the Huntington Avenue Theater, with one
intermission after the second act, was performed in Italian with
English supertitles (often unintentionally laughable), Staged and
Directed by Steve Maler, with stark Scenic Design by Jeffrey Allen
Petersen, confusingly mismatched Costume Design by Brooke Stanton and
effective Lighting Design by Jorge Arroyo. <span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
production was Conducted by Gil Rose with the Odyssey Opera
Orchestra, with high points being an Act II duet between Jordheim and
Shoremount-Obra (whose regal acting, it must be said, seemed forced)
as well as a quartet by the four leads.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLDjKm2iFcEVFng5akLWZ2V6y5ehtnm-uEuwWJDZDVLZifqdgdZ5TQGizGqtNihns2MEmn65XmurOaYsXkMedBMgPVM7a_A995n0-DM_4_pY5dZ5w2LfMFr0poH4TUVqTUdI5I0mWgnc/s1600/REGINA2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="1600" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLDjKm2iFcEVFng5akLWZ2V6y5ehtnm-uEuwWJDZDVLZifqdgdZ5TQGizGqtNihns2MEmn65XmurOaYsXkMedBMgPVM7a_A995n0-DM_4_pY5dZ5w2LfMFr0poH4TUVqTUdI5I0mWgnc/s640/REGINA2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Cast of "Maria, Regina D'Inghilterra"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Kathy Wittman)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the
end, it was librettist Tarantini who did the composer no favors with
an incredible plot (even for an opera) and incomprehensible
historical inaccuracies. Never fear, however, dear opera buffs, there
are four more Tudor tributes in our future, with Odyssey performing
Rosner's <i>The Chronicle of Nine </i>in February, Rossini's take on
<i>Elisabetta, Regina D'Inghilterra </i>in March, Britten's <i>Gloriana
</i>in April and German's <i>Merrie England </i>in June. It's enough
to make a royal blush.<i> </i></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-26768686944453526052019-10-28T10:44:00.000-04:002019-10-28T11:03:38.198-04:00SpeakEasy's "Admissions": Affirmative Factions<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZ615gtpg_DltsDrfX2AQwd6_KCZ5ZtJ4oinJC-eE0eBWQ6MSbvCVhwZIGXMVBMitn-dFMiEIbBrgJ8ZzBVAh3Z6LGqd-MhmK64_K3HkyM6rolmU3EUpO-X2PRI_-iA4pcLRbK_WO9f4/s1600/ADMISSIONSa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="954" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZ615gtpg_DltsDrfX2AQwd6_KCZ5ZtJ4oinJC-eE0eBWQ6MSbvCVhwZIGXMVBMitn-dFMiEIbBrgJ8ZzBVAh3Z6LGqd-MhmK64_K3HkyM6rolmU3EUpO-X2PRI_-iA4pcLRbK_WO9f4/s640/ADMISSIONSa.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Nathan Malin, Maureen Keiller & Michael Kaye in "Admissions"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Maggie Hall Photography)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">One
can't help but offer an obvious tagline for the play </span><i>Admissions
</i><span style="font-style: normal;">by Joshua Harmon </span><i>(Significant
Other, Bad Jews): </i><span style="font-style: normal;">“ripped from
the headlines”. Tempting as that would be, one would have to
concede that Harmon goes beyond one's initial expectations, confirmed
in the current production by SpeakEasy Stage Company, of what is
arguably the playwright's most controversial (and best) work to date.
On the surface, it's pellucidly clear that affirmative factions are
at play, as are other tropes such as ultra-liberal guilt and white
privilege (once again, we know who we are).</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoOsllwP3DhuF660qsEbL2zB391D6HYGYx2Jur7Ct9EaFdfA4T9XVpOdDErcFsA9qWMnsP4LH95SjpAVTiPKY_A5yn3hI00F889GNzwodBzQ9vRt40oZpfdYpN7kO-2O9ajTlcqFjfnw/s1600/admissions-115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoOsllwP3DhuF660qsEbL2zB391D6HYGYx2Jur7Ct9EaFdfA4T9XVpOdDErcFsA9qWMnsP4LH95SjpAVTiPKY_A5yn3hI00F889GNzwodBzQ9vRt40oZpfdYpN7kO-2O9ajTlcqFjfnw/s400/admissions-115.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Cheryl McMahon in "Admissions"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Maggie Hall Photography)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
plot centers around two married staff members at a tony New Hampshire
prep school, Hillcrest. The school's self-righteous Head of
Admissions, Sherri Rosen-Mason (spot-on Maureen Keiller) is married
to its Headm<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">aster
Bill (tightly wound Michael Kaye), and both are concerned for the
future of their 17-year-old son Charlie Luther (Nathan Malin, in an
exquisite turn) and his lifelong dream of attending Yale. Perry, one
of Charlie's classmates, has been accepted into Yale in part based on
his biracial ethnicity, compelling Charlie, who status is “deferred”,
to vent about what he feels is fundamental unfairness, questioning
what makes someone a person of color, what constitutes diversity, and
who gets to decide. Also in the cast are Ginnie Peters (the superb
Marianna Bassham), Perry's white mother (oddly, we never meet either
Perry or his black father Don) and Roberta (the amusingly
scatterbrained Cheryl McMahon), from the school's development staff.
Eventually Charlie proposes a change he wants to see in his world,
which his parents warn could sabotage his future. As noted in the
program, virtually everyone in the play is a hypocrite at some point (or at least inconsistent). Moreover, no person on stage is a
person of color (not unlike the conspicuous lack of Native American
actors in <i>The Thanksgiving Play </i>now playing at Lyric Stage
Company)<i>. </i>Nonetheless, Harmon<i> </i>leaves one to form her or
his own opinions about the concepts of equality, diversity and
inclusion (or, acronymically speaking, EDI).</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqv6J4f9cyUpOrDGEUxsOKu32Fkt2doCWVJiTZ7ET0ou0dtaE1UldlPuzucxAcxvEjZmEwplPyKsYJHX4d_KPL9nuPFM0iu0m9MK-JTBMMVSPb2j9OedNQrGDef3W9vNosNpKZgg5Qmoo/s1600/ADMISSIONS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqv6J4f9cyUpOrDGEUxsOKu32Fkt2doCWVJiTZ7ET0ou0dtaE1UldlPuzucxAcxvEjZmEwplPyKsYJHX4d_KPL9nuPFM0iu0m9MK-JTBMMVSPb2j9OedNQrGDef3W9vNosNpKZgg5Qmoo/s400/ADMISSIONS1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: small;">Michael Kaye & Nathan Malin in "Admissions"</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Maggie Hall Photography)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As
astutely Directed by Paul Daigneault, the Producing Artistic Director
for SpeakEasy, this 2018 Off-Broadway Drama Desk and Outer Critics
Circle awards deserving winner as best play, (one of the top ten
plays produced this season throughout the country), this satire is
fast-paced, running at one hour and 45 intermission-less minutes
(only one of several shows now on view at local theaters that essentially
make one's commute longer than the plays themselves). The creative
elements include inventive Scenic Design by Eric Levenson, apt
Costume Design by Charles Schoonmaker, effective Lighting Design by
Karen Perlow, and fine Sound Design by Dewey Dellay.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvjsO35hyphenhyphen1h1elxMD0rOyaBIAe4Ik3A_X6kNv8dQN2p6lMRt6bJLFZQaz3AX6o7FZgNMTD2hRqfnX9U38I0zY8teX8jBRg6w6T-dHAc1jnePdmSVXVtfQufof8nZROjGkSN1uWXUo4lI/s1600/ADMISSIONS3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvjsO35hyphenhyphen1h1elxMD0rOyaBIAe4Ik3A_X6kNv8dQN2p6lMRt6bJLFZQaz3AX6o7FZgNMTD2hRqfnX9U38I0zY8teX8jBRg6w6T-dHAc1jnePdmSVXVtfQufof8nZROjGkSN1uWXUo4lI/s400/ADMISSIONS3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Marianna Bassham & Maureen Keiller in "Admissions"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Maggie Hall Photography)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
play is problematic at times, such as Charlie's terrific
seventeen-minute diatribe with the clincher: “If there are going to
be new voices at the table, someone has to stand up and offer someone
else his seat”. Asked if he is proud, he answers
in the affirmative though doesn't reveal about what or whom he is
proud. As Daigneault puts it in his program notes, Harmon <span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">doesn't
feel he has to answer the questions he raises: “the real question
of the play is: what happens when there is a deep rift between one's
public values and private actions”. While the writing is sharp and
witty, it's this wonderful cast and director who illustrate how
thought-provoking theater can be. Great theater doesn't get much
better than this; it's essential yet enjoyable homework.</span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLpDJJSwyGvs0jtPrf9jTGipikADtvEB_OtQOEOcpkwNriL1ZhjPIXQl3AUKZ82o_acMgXCgPUTt2_s9bZ993bjJdvT6Y-gYlVIjlrGqCzIS772gltd_qsacnp_wkQfR-vmWfGRP7WkLE/s1600/ADMISSIONS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLpDJJSwyGvs0jtPrf9jTGipikADtvEB_OtQOEOcpkwNriL1ZhjPIXQl3AUKZ82o_acMgXCgPUTt2_s9bZ993bjJdvT6Y-gYlVIjlrGqCzIS772gltd_qsacnp_wkQfR-vmWfGRP7WkLE/s400/ADMISSIONS.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Michael Kaye, Maureen Keiller & Nathan Malin in "Admissions"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Maggie Hall Photography)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One
doesn't need to be a nuclear physicist to see the <i>double entendre</i>
in the title or its resonance in tomorrow's headlines. Its theme of
repetitious maneuverings remind one of several theatrical offerings
now on local stages dealing with corrupt motives.<i> </i>In the end,
one is tempted to add yet another tagline appropriate for <i>Admissions
</i>from a quote variously attributed to Mary Queen of Scots (in
Margaret Atwood's sequel to <i>The Handmaid's Tale, </i>the new novel
<i>The Testaments)</i> as well as to Mark Twain:
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“History doesn't repeat itself....</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> ....but
it rhymes”.
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is
now matriculating at SpeakEasy through November 30<sup>th</sup>.</span></span></div>
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<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
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<br />Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-3390849124018145162019-10-26T10:21:00.001-04:002019-10-26T10:34:26.239-04:00BSO's "Faure/Ammann/Messiaen/Debussy": French Dip<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydQiUd0n0B7Xu8Fx_XtR5BzuGlgr36jJPlp_h_J_MosAA-4xKppmn1L5LOVnebcUNl5LQHHTMON9KxneUyKUrYKeuSx1DOkD1tHBfAtGX5217bEmGd3XboCD7RYgN-JDRZuq3mn6ZQ3M/s1600/DIETER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydQiUd0n0B7Xu8Fx_XtR5BzuGlgr36jJPlp_h_J_MosAA-4xKppmn1L5LOVnebcUNl5LQHHTMON9KxneUyKUrYKeuSx1DOkD1tHBfAtGX5217bEmGd3XboCD7RYgN-JDRZuq3mn6ZQ3M/s400/DIETER.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Composer Dieter Ammann</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: BSO)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
Boston Symphony Orchestra's current program, with three French pieces
on offer, is strong on Gallic elegance, from Gabriel Faure's <em>Pavane
</em>to<em> </em>Olivier Messiaen's <em>L'Ascension </em>to<em> </em>Claude
Debussey's <i>La Mer. </i>There was also an American premiere<i>
</i>under Finnish Conductor Susanna Malkki, and featuring German-born
Swiss Pianist Andreas Haefliger, Dieter Ammann's <i>The Piano
Concerto (Gran Toccata).
</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Faure's
<i>Pavane, Opus 50</i> has been described as stately, gorgeous, and
familiar, with its composer's calm, naturalness, restraint and
optimism (as noted by none other than Aaron Copland). It was first
written in the 1880's for solo piano, then recomposed in 1887 for a
full orchestra (with possible chorus and dancers). It is a <span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Renaissance
court dance, or processional, which is delicate and seductive, with a
mood like Debussy's <i>Claire de lune, </i>with visions of Arcadia.
It begins with the most famous music with a supple flute solo by
flautist Elizabeth Rowe, continues with the brass section featured,
and finally its opening theme returns. It was well and subtlety
performed under Malkki's caring baton.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGHQjYmJ9ob_Z5kJjesmPxry0GicuGsho6zQDvRNO-NO23qv0fx63sco6GguRspWiiIyz47npCVQ1MioBBbLZ8jSAXe893WIR2F9WFLetuhW82RhUu0K9Z8gwkm01-1rJLy5PZjE4RvA/s1600/PIANO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="345" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGHQjYmJ9ob_Z5kJjesmPxry0GicuGsho6zQDvRNO-NO23qv0fx63sco6GguRspWiiIyz47npCVQ1MioBBbLZ8jSAXe893WIR2F9WFLetuhW82RhUu0K9Z8gwkm01-1rJLy5PZjE4RvA/s320/PIANO.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Pianist Andreas Haefliger</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: BSO)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
first half of the concert ended with the American premiere of
Ammann's <i>The Piano Concerto (Gran Toccata), </i>actually
originally written for Haefliger, with both <span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">jazz
and modern elements. It was an impressive performance by all, with a
great deal of vitality and verve, which the audience seemed to
support, though time will tell whether the work earns any future with
orchestras around the world. It should be noted that Ammann titled it
<i>The </i>piano concerto since he doesn't intend to compose another;
in point of fact, he wrote as though he were composing for two
orchestras (one being the piano itself) rather than the more
traditional format with piano solos. Once again, Malkki was superbly
in charge of what could easily be, in less capable hands, an
uncontrolled train wreck. It makes all the more surprising the fact
that she hasn't conducted at Symphony Hall in about a decade. Glass
ceilings, anyone?
</span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
second half of the program began with Messiaen's 1932 <i>Alleluiah on
the Trumpet, Alleluiah on the Cymbal </i>from his <i>L'Ascension,
</i>(its third movement), a piece with definite Debussy influences,
which led naturally to the final work, which was, fittingly,
Debussy's <i>La Mer </i>(which was given its American premiere in
1907 by the BSO), with its three movements portraying changing states
of the sea over the course of a day, three “Symphonic Sketches”:
<i>From Dawn to Noon on the Sea</i>, <i>Play of the Waves</i> and
<i>Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea. </i>It was a <span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">fine
antidote to the almost frenzied Ammann work, a perfect segue out into
the lovely crisp autumn day.</span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
program is to be repeated tonight, Saturday October 26<sup>th</sup>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3464545645104725292.post-9599268413013721612019-10-21T09:21:00.000-04:002019-10-21T09:26:18.898-04:00Lyric's "Thanksgiving": Diatribe Skewering Turkeys<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0s5oFpnPs1YihQ7jjhP6kuX5zVJnoKflH_BLvivp8mzU4ww5EfOjn9ylNRrIyja3f2D1ABKkyFQtLOW6ZrEtKWdVEdrQqB5rH7fsBx18JO0Pfw9LaA-jXHIssOstY0tPd7D4DFE-wclU/s1600/THANKS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="1024" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0s5oFpnPs1YihQ7jjhP6kuX5zVJnoKflH_BLvivp8mzU4ww5EfOjn9ylNRrIyja3f2D1ABKkyFQtLOW6ZrEtKWdVEdrQqB5rH7fsBx18JO0Pfw9LaA-jXHIssOstY0tPd7D4DFE-wclU/s640/THANKS1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Jesse Hinson, Amanda Collins, Grace Experience & Barlow Adamson in "The Thanksgiving Play"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Glenn Perry)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Thanksgiving
Play, </i><span style="font-style: normal;">the current production by
Lyric Stage Company, is truly a play about nothing. This is not a
criticism, but a factual statement. Yet it's also about everything,
at least everything that matters. (You'll have to experience it in
person to understand this convoluted logic). This work, by Native
American Larissa FastHorse, first performed at New York's Playwrights
Horizons, is out to skewer a mostly-overlooked subspecies, the
American white liberal (and we know who we are) and its penchant for
condescension. This she does, with savvy and savage humor as she
figuratively (or is it literally?) characterizes her complacent and
compliant targets, primarily those well-meaning creatives out to be
politically woke. A truly “insider” play, this will be best
appreciated by theatre folks and season (and seasoned) subscriber
audiences in the know. It's already noteworthy that this is the first
time American Theatre Magazine has listed a work by a Native American
playwright as one of the year's most frequently produced plays by
regional companies.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BQiU5sAhMpIRCHm9O9s-9rsvvX3-PQxQ7dZYtQ5PkD1voRNgdjyWD2oYBdrvkTt-tAj6LqJKW62x-d5oxoHTiWSSStmzJsO1552A_KfvZ0U50UORynw1WuQ-PFz9Cimb6BI9mIVUvQU/s1600/THANKS2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1024" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BQiU5sAhMpIRCHm9O9s-9rsvvX3-PQxQ7dZYtQ5PkD1voRNgdjyWD2oYBdrvkTt-tAj6LqJKW62x-d5oxoHTiWSSStmzJsO1552A_KfvZ0U50UORynw1WuQ-PFz9Cimb6BI9mIVUvQU/s400/THANKS2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Jesse Hinson, Grace Experience, Amanda Collins & Barlow Adamson in "The Thanksgiving Play"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Glenn Perry)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It
begins with an announcement that a play will be presented about the
first Thanksgiving (between the “Separatists” and the Wampanoag
Nation), in part so that “the Indians can practice sharing”. Its
subsequent simple plot features elementary school drama teacher Logan
(Amanda Collins) who wants to honor our country's first peoples via
her proposed play, not so coincidentally subsidized by her recent
Native American Heritage Month Awareness Through Art grant. Her
spaced-out boyfriend Jaxton (Jesse Hinson) a street performer and
self-confessed yoga dude and “vegan ally”, shows where he's
coming from as he gifts Logan with a mason jar made of broken glass
from housing projects. The rest of the cast recruited for this school
play-to-be include Caden (Barlow Adamson), a third grade teacher and
frustrated playwright, and Alicia (Grace Experience), an actor
from L.A, whose credits include being an understudy for Jazmine in
Disneyland's “Alladin” show, giving rise to the question as to
whether there were “any non-Disney references in (her) life?”. In
any case, this team of teaching artists and reenactors plan to
produce what the author describes as some “performative wokeness”. This all
may leave you gasping for breath between funny lines, as FastHorse
has a quiver or two full of them and this cast's efforts are well
done.</span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqX3ZWzfTLDwc4Q8tkA6FEaDhCHJp_KGPZTW9PuBrhQxBqKNFTFRC1MLuD-bMYV1B1jMg1vfLSMJQOSqnNEWN86w2oWfgBv559RaDDnzKhHz1OqdzeKrlzjiPglviHnxTJQCiskNhYaTc/s1600/THANKS3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1024" height="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqX3ZWzfTLDwc4Q8tkA6FEaDhCHJp_KGPZTW9PuBrhQxBqKNFTFRC1MLuD-bMYV1B1jMg1vfLSMJQOSqnNEWN86w2oWfgBv559RaDDnzKhHz1OqdzeKrlzjiPglviHnxTJQCiskNhYaTc/s640/THANKS3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Jesse Hinson, Barlow Adamson, Grace Experience & Amanda Collins in "The Thanksgiving Play"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: small;">(photo: Glenn Perry)</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While
it remains too brief a diatribe (ninety minutes, shorter than one's commute to
the theater), it is decidedly on target. With fast-paced
Direction by Scott Edmiston, and a superbly assembled creative team
that includes Scenic Design by Janie E. Howland, Costume Design by
Rachel Padula-Shufelt, Lighting Design by Karen Perlow and Sound
Design by Dewey Dellay, it's a buffet for buffs who'll pick up on its
many “in” allusions, a plethora of witty asides that make for a
filling, if ultimately slight, verbal banquet.
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As one
character in the work warns: “sound waves travel”. Ouch, do they
ever. <span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">FastHorse
is a member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation in South Dakota, and as such
states she has much in common with the folks she met during an
extended spell in Ireland, viewing her tribe and theirs as colonized
peoples. She also notes that Native American actors keep their
ethnicity low profile, yet “we're still here”, and that too often
she receives a sort of all-or-nothing response from her “allies”. <span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
last act of her plays, she maintains, should take place “on the
drive home”, as they are intentionally open for interpretation;
they ask questions, such as what a “dramaturg” (“the Holy Grail
of American theatre”) is, the hilarious answer to which won't be
spoiled here.
</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "ms reference sans" serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If
you're in need of theater to chew on, it's on the menu through
November 10<sup>th</sup>, so circle your wagons.</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jack Craibhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384202113934286460noreply@blogger.com0