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George Walker's
Opera and Theater Reviews
2006 Reviews
Reel at the IUT
From 12/02/06, for 12/04 and 12/06
George Walker, WFIU
Paul Shoulberg's new play "Reel "at the IU Theatre is
an often funny, slightly raunchy, comedy with love as its loosely
conceived center. It darkly dissects the desperation of the cast
and crew of a failing film. At the heart of the trouble is a key
love scene that needs to catch fire, but so far has nery a spark.
The set is full of guilt, neediness and ambition, but short on love.
Gordon, the former marquee commanding director, Ross Matsuda, is
at his wits end about his failure to come up with an approach or
gimmick for love. Nothing seems to work. The studio is threatening
to replace him with a whiz kid whose only production credit is a
commercial for Sprite.
The Oscar winning lead actor, Alex, is equally stymied about love.
He emptily philosophizes in speech after speech. He asks everyone
in sight about what it is and how it feels. He's even tried to start
a love affair with his co star, but she wisely has resisted. Mathew
Buffalo as Alex manages to present a really nasty, self serving,
master of piling phony sincerities upon a foundation of affectations
who's still often likeable.
His co-star Kendra, Malia Tilden, is an innocent to film acting
and to her own sexuality. Initially she seems equally clueless about
love, but at least she's in there pitching in scene after scene.
Off stage she's actually finding out a bit about what love means
for her with the crusty crack cinematographer Maura, Allison Moody.
Michael Aguirre plays the technician Eli. At first he seems relatively
natural and normal, but Eli just out of film school, has high ambitions
as a writer and director.
Melanie Derleth is the script-girl Wynne. Wynne really is normal
at least as far as a lack of dominating cinema ambitions goes. She's
just working on the set so that she can be nearer to her boyfriend.
Eli.
Now the play, "Reel," began to feel more and more like
all those movies about putting on plays that we've all seen. And
the formula from the simplicity of the "Our Gang" comedies
to sophistication of "Forty-Second Street" all ends with
a happy ending as the solution. "Reel" seemed inexorably
headed in that direction. I even found myself making up a couple
of likely endings.
Playwright Paul Shoulberg does deliver this sort of conclusion,
but with a heavy dose of irony. Eli the aspiring technician rewrites
the script. With no new insights, but new words to say, Alex and
Kendra are able to act a scene that will at least pass as love.
The actors are relieved if not totally jubilant. The director and
the cinematographer are happy. Smiles are on all the faces except
Wynne's. She's the normal one, the only civilian on the set. Wynne
sees Eli sucked into an empty world and won't follow him. She leaves.
Technically, the IU production of "Reel" directed by Jonathan
Michaelsen has a high polish.
Hannah Moss's costumes nicely fit the actors and their roles. The
neatest was the sharp look of Alex and the least successful an unaccountable
miss with the fitting of Kendra's dress.
Sean Michael Smallman's lighting nicely handled the needs of both
Chris Wych's movie set and technical area with Andrew Hopson's sound
design helping to dramatically set the scenes for the film takes.
Paul Shoulberg's comedy "Reel" is always interesting,
frequently funny, and even a bit thought provoking. It plays each
evening through Saturday in IU's Wells-Metz Theatre.
You can find an interview with playwright Paul Shoulberg and actors
Melanie Derleth and Mathew Buffalo on our Arts
Interviews page.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker.
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The Crucible, IUT
From 11/13/06, for 11/14 and 11/16
George Walker, WFIU
Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" is at the IU Theatre
in a dramatically staged production directed by Fontaine Syer. I.
Chrisopher Berg's set offers a bare raked stage in the Ruth N. Halls
Theatre. It is surrounded by ominously dark, black framed, two story
stalls with a black clad choir of witnesses.
Miller's drama is of a community gone wild with notions that witchcraft
is about and the devil on the move. The discovery of a young woman
leading a group of girls in conjuring, along with the almost evenly
suspect dancing, sparks a witch hunt. It's investigation through
the theocracy of Salem, quickly moves from larger questions and
becomes an arena for local revenges and the settling up of even
petty grievances.
At the murky center of "The Crucible" is the triangle
of the servant girl Abigail Williams, John Proctor and his wife
Elizabeth. Abigail played by Jessica Rothert has had an affair with
the rigidly upright John Proctor, John Armstrong, and upon the discovery
been dismissed by his even more rigidly upright wife, Elizabeth,
Lilia Vassileva. It's Abigail who led the wild girls as she sought
to conjure the death of Elizabeth that she might take her place
with John. As the investigation into what is mostly minor silliness
balloons, paranoia begins to take hold, first of the local community
leaders and then the general populace.
Conducting the investigations are the initially eager expert in
demonology, Reverend John Hale and the judge, Deputy-Governor Danforth.
As Hale investigates he comes to believe in the innocence of the
Proctors and the duplicity of Abigail. Danforth with the stiffness
of dictum that one must be "…either with this court or
he must be against it…" remains adamant. In the IU production
of "The Crucible" guest Dan Kramer played Danforth as
indeed plenty rigid, but with variety in his responses. Nick Arapoglou
as Hale was a welcome island of calm in many otherwise confused
scenes, but his Hale was not a fair match for Kramer's Danforth.
The final scene as John Proctor decides to hang rather than confess
to a lie is complicated. First he's just stubborn, then he wants
his life more than his pride, then the meaning of his own life is
wrapped up his honesty. Finally Proctor's concern extends to the
community as he realizes that if he confesses it will be damning
for others. Even on the page it's twistingly hard to follow and
there's little that an actor can do physically. The surprising reconciliation
with his wife doesn't help. It's a credit to actor John Armstrong
that he kept this largely internal drama moving.
Among the Salem townspeople Lauren Steffan radiated goodness and
solidity as the innocent Rebecca Nurse. Tom Conner was solid as
the righteous farmer Giles Corey. Justine Salata as Mary Warren,
the one of the girls who seeks to tell the truth of Abigail's duplicitous
leadership was fascinating.
The IU production began slowly. It took a while for the opening
scene to settle down and hearing dialog was difficult. However,
it built and it was only when the first act ended that I realized
how involved I had become. The second act is more a series of vignettes.
I think that Miller has made it hard for a company to keep a flow
and rhythmn in the action. It's to the credit of the direction and
the actors that most of the time they succeeded.
The IU Theatre's production of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible"
continues with 7:30 performances each night through Saturday.
You can find an interview with John Armstrong and Dan Kramer on
our Arts
Interviews page.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker.
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Arrangement for Two Violas
From 11/05/06, for 11/15 and 11/16
George Walker, WFIU
Susan Lieberman's award winning "Arrangement for Two Violas"
at the Bloomington Playwrights Project is a love story between two
male doctors in 1938. Peter played by Drew Bratton is a naïve
country doctor. His youthful marriage to a hometown sweet heart
went down to failure, unconsummated. Peter knows that he's attracted
to men, but he's a forty year old virgin, relatively happily closeted,
safely practicing in a small Wisconsin town. Henry, Lee Parker,
is an older, highly esteemed big city specialist in Milwaukee. Unlike
Peter, he's an experienced sexually assertive homosexual, though
he too hides his orientation. Despite the freer atmosphere of a
big city, Henry has more than a few scars to prove how dangerous
his life style can be.
Though the love affair between two men faces unique obstacles in
society, "Arrangement for Two Violas" focuses on love's
familiar ups and downs. Peter is younger than Henry both in age
and experience. There's the issue of distance. Henry can't understand
why Peter won't give up his country practice to move to the city.
Each would like more of the other's limited time. There are spats,
misunderstandings. At first Peter is simply overwhelmed by Henry,
but as their relationship deepens he begins to need some of his
own space. Henry predictably becomes jealous. Love between men seems
to have many of the hallmarks of love between men and women.
One of the reasons that Peter wants to keep up his small town practice
and existence is his friends, Karl and Nan Schuler, Gerard Pauwels
and Gail Bray. The Schulers are an older couple, they run a small
newspaper. Karl is proud that over the years they've taken some
chances with their advertisers in championing liberal causes. Peter
thinks they might accept his relationship with Henry. Henry is sure
that they won't.
The test in "Arrangement for Two Violas" accidentally
happens at a reception after a big city concert that Nan eagerly,
and Karl reluctantly, have come to as guests of Peter and Henry.
It begins quite innocently and almost seems a joke. As Karl is getting
coffee, Peter asks him to get a cup for Henry with two and a half
sugars. Karl is shocked and says that no man knows how another man
takes his coffee, only a wife,. The realization is more than he
can handle. Despite Nan's more generous response that she's happy
to see Peter happy, nothing will do but for Karl to leave, and Nan
reluctantly follows him.
Sue Lieberman's play does emphasize the common elements of love's
passions, but despite its setting back in 1938 the unique obstacles
to love between men seem to find plenty of echos in our own time.
The production of this neat little play is directed by Richard Perez.
Lee Burckes' lighting nicely focuses the audience's attention. The
interweaving of viola duets by Bach and Telemann by board operator
Caitlin Moroney through the production helps both tone and pace.
The play is very well acted by all. Audiences I suspect will find
Drew Bratton's Peter the more attractive of the doctors and will
want to take Gail Bray's Nan Schuler home with them.
You can find an interview with director Richard Perez on our Arts
Interviews page.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker
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Urinetown the Musical
From 10/23/06, for 10/24 and 10/26
George Walker, WFIU
"Urinetown the Musical" is at the IU Theatre in potent
production with a cast that sings, dances and acts well. The cast
shows conviction and energy that simply bubbles over.
The simple plot revolves around an ecological disaster, a twenty
year drought. Logically, evil capitalists would be hoarding and
selling scarce water, but it's "Urinetown…'s premise that
instead they've taken control of all the public toilets where the
citizens must do their private business. "Urinetown…"
is a musical that mocks other musicals, shows like "Les Mis…",
"Hair", "Rent" and even "West Side Story."
It's even handed in its mockery and even mocks itself.
Danielle Howard's direction is sure. George Pinney's choreography
is full of creative parody including a fine take off on Jerome Robbins'
work in "West Side Story." Angie Burkhardt's costumes
range nicely from the rags of the poor through the nice party dress
of the heroine, the ripped t-shirt of the hero and the gleaming
white suits of the villains of big business. Music director John
Berst has the chorus singing with power and variety and his own
four piece ensemble filling the musical chores nicely. The sound
design by Wayne Jackson lets the audience hear every syllable.
There are stars in "Urinetown…"in a large cast that
all shows strength. Kevin Anderson was the dryly imposing Officer
Lockstock. Joanne Dubach was outstanding as the childish Little
Sally. Toilet attendant Rachel Sickmeir had a hit in her mock "Les
Mis'" aria. Jonathan Davidson was smoothly oily and stunningly
suited as the tycoon Caldwell B. Cladwell. Anna Malone was his starry
eyed daughter Hope. The hero, Bobby Strong, --a sort of "McGiver"
figure-- was potently presented by Eric Van Tielen.
In a nicely Brechtian spirit "Urinetown the Musical" revels
in the luxurious excess of its one joke simplicity and delights
in the irony of its irony. Considering the subject matter, I hesitate
to use the term "frothy," but "frothy" it is.
Frankly, though there was still plenty to enjoy, about halfway through
the second act, I'd had enough. However the audience in the nearly
packed theatre seemed to have an unabated appetite and even seemed
to enjoy the cast's extended curtain call.
"Urinetown, the Musical" plays each evening this week
in IU's Wells Metz Theatre. You can find an interview with director
Danielle Howard and actor Eric Van Tielen on our Arts
Interviews page.
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The Birthday Party,
IUT
From 10/09/06, for 10/10 and 10/12
George Walker, WFIU
Harold Pinter's "The Birthday Party" is playing in IU's
Ruth N. Hall's Theatre. The production, directed by Dale McFadden,
brings out the comic elements of the play and does more than justice
to the menace and dread in a potent and well acted drama.
Allison Moody and Harper Jones were very funny as Meg and Petey,
the bland couple who preside over a rundown lodging house in an
English seaside resort. It's a place where corn flakes are presented
as quite a treat, the milk is off and the French toast is as appetizing
as a fried sponge. About half their early conversations consist
of rote questions from Meg about whether things are "nice"
and equally mechanical confirmations from Petey, that indeed they
are "very nice."
Their sole boarder is a mysterious character named Stanley played
by Josh Hambrock. Stanley is mostly passive, but occasionally bursts
out violently under Meg's mindless care. According to him, he was
a person of considerable consequence, though his reminiscence of
a failed piano concert career is laughably pathetic.
Into this weird little bubble of surface normalcy, come two mysteriously
menacing strangers, Goldberg played by Jeff Grafton, and his "muscle,"
McCann, Matt Gripe. Their smart suits and the fact that Goldberg
is a Jew and McCann an Irishman further separate them from this
threadbare, fragilely cozy, English scene. Playwright Pinter has
given Goldberg wonderful, sort of motivational speeches They're
full of clichés that are either mangled or just enough off
the mark to be both very funny and a bit frightening. Grafton made
good use of them and Gripe was a fine foil.
There are darkly comic scenes that must have been read by "The
Birthday Party"'s original audiences in the late 1950s as harking
back to the Moscow "show trials" of the late 1930s and
the brain washing scenes in Orwell's 1984. Goldberg and McCann take
turns in well rehearsed counterpoint, accusing Stanley of crimes
from the Albigensian Heresy of the 13th century right up to hints
that he informed on the Irish Rebellion in the early 20th. In a
deeply ironical act, the two insist on assisting Meg and the neighborly
tart Lulu, played nicely by Dawn Thomas, in giving Stanley a birthday
party. The daft Meg and the friendly Lulu are totally unaware of
the dark underpinnings and threat of what's going on.
In the morning after the party, Stanley, unable to see with his
smashed glasses and unable to speak more than gasps of sounds, is
led away by Goldberg and McCann despite token resistance from Petey.
Life resumes its pattern. Meg oblivious to it all returns from shopping
with more corn flakes and the usual repartee of queries about whether
or not things are "nice," and Petey resignedly says "very
nice."
Harold Pinter's dark comedy, "The Birthday Party" plays
through Saturday at the IU Theatre. You can find an interview with
cast members Harper Jones and Allison Moody on our Arts
Interviews page.
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The Woman in Black,
BCP
From 9/30/06, for 10/2 and 10/4
George Walker, WFIU
Menacing thunder from Andrew Hopson's sound design
along with Marie Shakespeare's lightning are very much a part of
the drama in "The Woman in Black' at the Brown County Playhouse.
The show begins innocently enough with actor Jack O'Hara on a mostly
bare stage simply reading an account of a family story telling at
a Christmas celebration, but things move to the dark complexly dramatic
well before the play is over. O'Hara's reading is purposefully dull
and he's sharply corrected by a director, Dylan Marks, whom he's
hired to help him prepare a more dramatic presentation.
In a neat reversal Dylan Marks is drawn into the playing out of
O'Hara's character's story with O'Hara in charge. Through the show,
O'Hara makes minor costume and accent changes to play more than
half a dozen characters in the tale. It's a strange story, very
much in the Edgar Allen Poe or H.P. Lovecraft mode as the confidently
naïve director becomes more and more enmeshed. in a story with
a dark house in the midst of a salt marsh, things that go bump,
screams, dramatic visions of tragedy, an antique child's playroom
behind a keyless locked door and a mysterious dark lady that wanders
in and out.
Actor Jack O'Hara was very successful and always interesting in
taking on his many roles even if from time to time just who he was,
wasn't quite clear. IU Faculty member Bruce Burgun who was to play
the director had to have his appendix removed on the past Thursday.
Filling in very credibly was the show's Assistant Stage Manager
Dylan Marks.
"The Woman in Black" is quite thrilling with the drama
heightened by Marie Shakespeare's lighting. Andrew Hopson's sound
design was integral with everything from gentle street sounds to
fearsome screams and thunder. Most of it was very successful, though
in a couple of scenes the background should have been established
and then faded before it became irritatingly distracting. The play
was adapted by Stephen Mallatratt from the book by Susan Hill. Hill
credited Mallatratt with a "genius in seeing what could be
done with a book that otherwise would have sunk quietly out of sight…"
"The Woman in Black" continues at the Brown County Playhouse
with Friday and Saturday evening performances and Sunday matinees
through October 21st.
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Don Giovanni 09-23-06
From 09-23, for 09-25 and 09-27
The IU Opera Theater's production of Mozart's Don Giovanni
is played well and sung well. The staging satisfyingly offers
both dramatic action and space for the lovely extended vocal pieces.
There is a new cleverly designed and beautifully executed set and
costumes by C. David Higgins.
Mozart's Don Giovanni is described as a tragic-comedy. The
tragic frames the comedy, as the opera opens with the Don killing
an intended's father and ends with the Don's being dragged down
to hell. In between there are plenty of comic complications as the
Don and his servant Leporello pursue one woman after another, while
more or less nimbly avoiding jilted women and jealous men.
The IU Opera Theater's production emphasizes the comedy. Even the
opening scene of murder has an underlay of comic irony. We're not
sure whether the cry from Donna Anna that brings her father to his
doom is a call for help to frustrate the Don's advances or an effort
to hang onto him. However, when it comes time for the tragic end
of the unrepentant Don the production really comes up with an impressive
finale. There's smoke, thunder, lightning and a massive horse which
magically disappears with the Don in the saddle.
In Saturday night's cast of Don Giovanni Justin Moore was
a dashing Don with Gregory Brookes appropriately lumpish as his
servant Leporello. Naomi Ruiz was chaming as the peasant girl Zerlina
and Jong-Hun Cha dutiful as her fiancee Masetto. Carolina Castella
was both noble and a bit silly as the abandoned, but still smitten
Donna Elvira. Joanna Ruszala took the vocal palm of the evening
for her final aria as Donna Anna. Florin Olimpio filled the often
thankless role of her fiancee, Don Octaviao. John Paul Huckle was
comanding with the low notes of the Commandatore.
David Effron conducted . Stage direction is by Tito Capobianco.
The IU Opera Theater's production of Don Giovanni plays this Friday
and Saturday at eight in the Musical Arts Center.
You can find this review along with a special feature, "Who's
Who in Don Giovanni" on our web site and an interview
with designer C. David Higgins on our Arts
Interviews page.
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Border Lines at
the BPP
From 09/21/06, for 09/22 and 09/26
George Walker, WFIU
The current offering at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, "Border
Lines," offers "Trio," a set of three plays by Latino
and Latina writers directed by Noe Montez alternating with "S-E-X
- OH!" presented by the Chicago based group Teatro Luna.
Thursday night I caught up with "Trio." One of the pleasures
of the Playwrights Project is the opportunity to see plays that
are new to the audience, new to the performers and often still new
to their creators. If plays are indeed the children of playwrights,
these are three very different kids at quite different stages in
their development.
"Farewell to Hollywood" by Guillermo Reyes is a real little
show off. At the center of a theatre company which is putting on
"Anna Karenina" with a cast of three, is the always charming
Emilio Robles. He's surrounded by Lauren Steffen as a formidable
male drag queen playing Anna and a lovely smiling Michael Borgmann,
playing the train. In the midst of what has to be a fiasco of a
performance, they're visited by the former company member now soap
star, the stylish Jessica Ciucci. Victor Ortiz, shows up as a fan,
a local critic, Miguel Bonaparte and a waitress. Like some small
children the farcical "Farewell to Hollywood" is a bit
too unfocused, and sticks around too long, but is darned cute.
If "Farewell to Hollywood" is an attractive toddler, Elaine
Romero's "Undercurrents" is a fascinatingly bitter teen
ager. Amada Cotti-Lowell is an attractive young woman, a loner living
in a little home full of family memories. She's in the process of
settling for Emilio Robles, a man who loves and will take care of
her when an old boyfriend, Tony Sancho, appears and tries to rekindle
their romance. At the end of extended scenes full of repetitive
angst with each of the men, Cotti-Lowell's character decides to
deny both men and stay with her houseful of remembered familiar
faces. The play almost has the feel of a soap opera but "Undercurrents"
undercurrent has that teen aged bitterness.
The brief middle play of "Trio" is Raul Castillo's "Death
on My Mind." It's the most grown up of the trio of playwrights'
children. Sebastian Tejeda, Marco, and Tony Sancho, Joaquin, are
a couple of men who drive truckloads of job-seeking illegals from
Mexico into the States. These coyotes are on the run from a horrible
fiery crash that killed the men, women and even children they were
hauling. Both men are badly shaken and know that they are in danger,
but in the emotionally complex drama Marco understands that Joaquin
can't live with the play's "Death on My Mind."
The "Trio" of plays in "Border Lines" at the
Bloomington Playwrights Project plays Sunday at two, Thursday the
28th at eight and Sunday the 30th at three. They alternate with
the Teatro Luna's "S-E-X - OH!"
You can an interview with director Noe Montez and actor Emilio Robles
on our Arts
Interviews page.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker.
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The Compleat Works
of William Shakespeare, abridged
From 08/03/06, for 08/04 and 08 /08
"The Compleat Works of William Shakespeare,
abridged" is the funniest show that I've ever seen at the Brown
County Playhouse.
From the opening as three actor presented "Romeo and Juliet"
to the closing "Hamlet" in a minute and forty-five seconds
the energy was unflagging. The bloody "Titus Andronicus"
appeared as a cooking show. "Othello" was a nicely stylized
"rap" trio. Conflating all of the comedies into a single
play did neatly show, Shakepeare's reliance on formulas, but robbed
of any of the language or the fascinating characters got a little
tedious. Treating all of the history plays as a football game with
the crown being carried, passed and even punted from John to Richard,
to Henry, to Henry, to Henry, to another Richard and finally to
still another Henry is a great idea. It works very neatly, but needs
to breathe a bit more. "Macbeth," "Julius Ceasar,"
"Anthony and Cleopatra," and "Troilius and Cresida"
were quickly dispatched.
The entire second act of "The Compleat Works of William Shakespeare,
abridged" was given over to "Hamlet." The ghost of
Hamlet's father appeared with a mask of Edvard Munch's "The
Scream" for dramatic effect and with a shirt neatly stenciled
with the word "Dad" for dramatic clarity. The play within
a play was economically handled with hand puppets. In a major detour,
the cast decided to go into psychological depth in seeking insights
into Ophelia. They got the entire audience involved with sections
playing Ophelia's id, ego and superego with catch phrases and matching
hand gestures. As an encore they did indeed recap "Hamlet"
in a minute and forty-five seconds. But that wasn't enough, and
they then did it in thirty-eight seconds, backwards.
The actors that director Dale McFadden affectionately calls the
"three knuckleheads" simply romp through the evening.
As you might guess, costume changes are many, wigs fly off and on,
and scenes come and go with great rapidity. For the audience's convenience
costume designer Katherine Garlick has Nick Arapoglou, Chris Hatch
and Derek Dion in color coordinated high top sneakers. Nick is in
flaming red, Chris in pacific Green, and Derek in dignified black.
Mood lighting was done appropriately enough by Maria Shakespeare
and the set appropriately enough, in mock-Tudor, was by Dathan Powell.
The Brown County Playhouse's production of "The Compleat Works
of William Shakespeare, abridged," plays Wednesdays through
Sundays through August twenty-seventh.
You can find this an interview with cast members Chris Hatch and
Nick Arapoglou on our Arts
Interviews page.
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Mikado
From 7/29/06, for 07/31/06 and 08/02/06
The IU Opera Theater's summer offering is Gilbert
and Sullivan's "The Mikado or the Town of Titipu." It's
a delightful comedy set in a fictitious Japan which somehow seems
to have lots of the foibles and peculiarities of Victorian England
.
Titipu has a remarkably compact administration. Pooh-Bah, Robert
Brandt, holds the offices of First Lord of the Treasury, Lord Chief
Justice, Commander in Chief, Lord High Admiral, Master of the Buckhounds,
Groom of the Back Stairs, Archbishop of Titipu, and Lord Mayor,
both acting and elect, all rolled into one. Though from time to
time the Pooh-Bah's various roles do indeed check up on one another,
it's definitely the "unitary executive." The only other
official of Titipu is Ko-Ko the rather hesitant Lord High Executioner,
Jacob Sentgeorge.
Into this little town comes a wandering minstrel, Nanki-Poo, in
search for Yum-Yum, one of the "three little maids from school"
with whom he has fallen in love. To Nanki-Poo's chagrin, he learns
that Yum-Yum is engaged to Ko-Ko. Ko-Ko, it seems is being sorely
pressed by the Mikado to actually carry out an execution. He needs
a victim to keep his job and strikes a bargain with Nanki-Poo to
trade a month of blissful marriage to Yum-Yum in exchange for his
head on the block.
This simple plan appears to be a compromise worthy of comparison
with other examples of world class statesmanship. But, things, as
they will, do get a bit complicated. Nanki-Poo is actually the heir
to the throne of Japan, the son of the Mikado and on the run from
engagement with the Mikado's daughter-in-law elect, Katisha.
Guest conductor Ramond Harvey led a well paced performance with
the orchestral rhythms, colors and harmonies very much in support
of the singing. Supertitles were missing and were missed. The large
chorus's diction in the opening couple of numbers was exemplary,
but words became harder and harder to come by as the evening went
on. The principals did a fine job of getting both sung and spoken
dialog across, but I missed about a quarter of the cleverly updated
Ko-KO's "little list of society offenders" and a bit more
of the Mikado's calendar of those for whom he would "let the
punishment fit the crime."
Saturday night's audience at the IU Musical Arts Center gave the
cast a standing ovation with surges of applause for the comedy of
Jacob Sentgoeorge as the ambivalent Lord-High Executioner, Ko-Ko,
the ardent young lovers Joshua Whitener and Megan Radder as Nanki-Poo
and Yum-Yum, Erin Houghton as Yum-Yum's sympathetic girl friend
Pitti-Sing , Jennifer Feinstein as the formidable and ye t sympathetic
Mikado's daughter-in-law elect Katisha and Gregory Brooks as the
Mikado himself.
The complex of sets came from the Orlando Opera and the kaleidoscopically
colorful costumes were from Malabar Limited. Stage direction with
plenty of choreographed percussive fans and graceful umbrellas was
by Vincent Liotta.
The IU Opera Theater's production of "The Mikado" continues
with performances Friday and Saturday at eight.
You can find an interview with "The Mikado"'s Nanki-Poo
and Yum-Yum on our Arts
Interviews page.
At the theater for you, I'm George Walker.
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Arms and the Man
From 07/19/06, for 07/20 and 07/25
George Walker, WFIU
George Bernard Shaw's "Arms and the Man" at the Brown
County Playhouse is a witty character driven comedy that puts a
pin into the balloons of romantic notions about, idealized love,
war and heroism in a nicely acted production directed by Jonathan
Michaelsen.
Shaw is the cleverest of playwrights and he's given us what looks
at first sight to be a typical cast for a domestic comedy. Anchoring
the show was Michael Farina as the genial henpecked husband, Major
Petkoff. Carmen Rae Meyers was a bit strident in the second act,
but overall a balanced figure as the wife, who's the real power
in the home. Erik Friedman was the exemplarily self effacing clever
servant.
However, from here on the charactes become substantially less typical.
They take on a certain independence. Rosalind Rubin at first seems
the standard saucy maid, Louka, but shortly her own sense of self
and real confidence takes her well beyond the stock character. The
charmingly, flightily romantic daughter Raina, P. J. Maske, is unmasked
by the fleeing Swiss soldier, Bluntschli, Jeff Grafton. Raina's
financee, the attitudinizingly heroic Major Sergius played with
only occasionally baseless gusto by Zachery Spicer actually acquires
some understanding of irony. And fnally, that proletarian fleeing
Swiss soldier discovers that despite his practicality, he's the
most romantic of the lot.
The Brown County production is rich with three separate settings
by I. Christopher Berg, imaginative costumes by Amanda Bailey, varied
lighting byt Robert J. Bovard and some very evocative music arranged
by David Krueger.
The Brown County Playhouse's production of "Arms and the Man"
plays Wednesday through Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons through
July 30th. You can find an interview with actor Michael Farina on
our Arts
Interviews page.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker.
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Moon Over Buffalo
From 06-25-06, for 06-27 and 06-29
Crossroads Repertory Theatre is the new name of the professional
regional theatre company based at Indiana State University in Terre
Haute. They opened their 42nd season with Ken Ludwig's comedy "Moon
Over Buffalo." As in past summers they're offering a comedy,
a classic, a musical and a new play. The classic will be Henrik
Ibsen's "A Doll House" in a new translation by Rolf Fjelde.
"You're a Good Man Charley Brown" will fill the musical
slot and Crossroads Repertory will partner with Indianapolis's Phoenix
Theatre for the new play Kathleen Tolan's "Memory House."
Playwright Ken Ludwig is familiar to regional theatre goers for
his "Lend Me a Tenor" and "Crazy for You." "Moon
Over Buffalo" is a nicely managed wild backstage farce directed
by Kristin Kundert-Gibbs. In the cast of "usual suspects"
there's the incredibly flexible Mark Douglas-Jones and the redoubtable
Susan Monts-Bologna as a sort of bargain basement husband and wife,
Lunt-Fontaine pair, George and Charlotte Hay. It's 1953 and theatre
has been hit hard first by movies and now by the rise of television.
The Hay's company is down to doing "Cyrano de Bergerac"
with a company of five. Julie Dixon was the family grandmother and
seamstress equally funny with and without her hearing aid. It's
Dixon who says "It's like living in an asylum on the guards'
day off. Ashley Dillard was the company's ingenue. Samuel Mikeworth
was the dutiful company manager and second lead. Frequently he had
the role of closest to being a sane insider.
Into the turmoil of "Moon Over Buffalo" comes the family
daughter played by Amy Attaway. She's decided to leave the crazy
business and to marry a staid TV weatherman played by Brandon Wentz.
The company manager is still carrying a torch for the daughter.
We have one more character to add and that is Andy Rabensteine as
the company attorney. He's carrying a more restrained but still
smoldering torch for Susan Monts-Bologna's character
Things come to a head, and quite a head it is with plenty of humorous
comings and goings in moments of both high and low farce. Will the
daughter be sucked back into the theatre and her love with the company
manager? Will the father run off with the ingenue? Will the mother
yield to the yearnings of the attorney. What will happen to the
weatherman? Well, the predictable does quite satisfyingly become
the inevitable, but there are plenty of nicely done surprises along
the way in this production
Ken Ludwig's "Moon Over Buffalo," at the Crossroads Repertory
Theatre, in the New Theatre on the ISU campus, plays this Wednesday.
Ibsen's "A Doll House" opens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
"Moon Over Buffalo" returns for two more performances
on Thursday July 20th and Friday July 28th.
You can find an interview with director Kristin Kundert-Gibbs and
actor Susan Monts-Bologna on our Arts
Interviews page.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker.
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Smoke on the Mountain
From 06/08/06, for 06/09 and 06/13
The Brown County Playhouse's summer season opened with Connie
Ray and Alan Bailey's "Smoke on the Mountain." This pair
was also associated with an earlier Brown County production, "Pump
Boys and Dinettes." They're back in the country, but this time
they've got religion. Set in the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church near
the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1938, the loosely scripted show features
nearly thirty gospel tunes ranging from "The Little Brown Church
in the Vale" of the 1860s to "Christian Cowboy" from
the 1950s.
John Olson as a nervous but enthusiastic Pastor Mervin Oglethorpe
welcomed the audience as if they were all members of various conservative
Christian sects come together for a Saturday night sing led by the
guests, the Sanders Family. It seemed that the family was slightly
delayed due to their bus turning over as the entire family moved
to one side for a local scenic view.
The Sanders family was quite a group. The slightly taciturn guitar
and accordion playing father, Burl was Paul Blankenship. Pianist
and violinist Jennifer Drew was mother Vera. Rachael Sickmeier played
the least musical daughter June. June was relegated to playing percussion
and signing for the family. Rebecca Faulkenberry and John Armstrong
were the family twins, Denise and Dennis. David Cole played banjo
and some lead guitar as the family's blacksheep uncle, Stanley.
During "Smoke on the Mountain" the singing was interspersed
with family stories in a testifying mode. Father Burl told of how
he was almost persuaded to sell beer at his family store and filling
station. Sister Denise confessed to giving in to the temptation
to auditioning for the role of Scarlet O'Hara. Uncle Stanley told
of an incident from his prison past. Sister June told of a visit
to a huge hydroelectric dam and its inspiration. It's a varied and
not unattractive family with a lot of tales.
For me "Smoke on the Mountain" is a puzzling play. If
I were supposed to be in my assigned role as a conservative Christian
member of the audience, then the music and the testimony were serious.
By the high standards of gospel music, the Sanders Family is a pretty
good amateur group. There's a lot in their presentation that's not
1938, but it's well within the tradition. The metaphor of a Christian
Cowboy rounding up strays, a medley of songs about the cleansing
power of Christ's blood, mother Vera's children's story of the June
bug on a string representing God's lov, it all fit. But, that wasn't
the way in which "Smoke on the Mountain" presents them.
They were played as comedy, as if they were inherently funny, as
if the Sanders Family were at least in part unconscious buffoons.
Frankly, I was uncomfortable.
There wasn't a lot of laughter on opening night, but the Brown County
audience seemed unruffled by the production. The show ended with
a sing along on "Bringing in the Sheaves" and the audience
good naturedly joined in. Applause for the cast was generous.
Direction and choreography was by George Pinney with musical direction
by John Berst.
"Smoke on the Mountain" plays Wednesday through Saturday
nights at eight and Sundays at three through July second. You can
find an interview with the cast's Paul Blankenship on our Arts
Interviews page.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker.
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The Age of Cynicism
or, Karaoke Night at the Hog
From 06/03/06, for 06/05 and 06/07
That's one the fifty or so songs on the Karaoke Song List that
Heather Lynn as the Karaoke Jockey, Mama Hog, hands out at the Bloomington
Playwrights Project's production of "The Age of Cynicism or,
Karaoke Night at the Hog." Karaoke comes first in Keith Huff's
new play. The singing by responsive, though nervous audience members
and a couple of plants alternates with almost sketch style scenes
of "The Age of Cynicism…"
Frankly, I don't usually care much for interactive theatre. I prefer
to sit in the comfort of my audience invisibility, but I do love
a sing-along and in the production directed by John Kinzer, Heather
Lynn was such a personable host as the Karakoke Jockey, Mama Hog,
that I happily waved my usual reservations Cynicism."
The first scene introduces a very comical, wildly mismatched unmarried
couple, Ellen, Danielle Bruce, and Gary, Nate Walden. We meet Ellen
and Gary in a Chinese restaurant in a very funny scene that each
describes as the blind date from hell. Gary is trying to handle
chop sticks with two hands; she thinks he's pathetically inept.
Ellen is eating with her fingers; he thinks she's aggressively gross.
It's quite a dual.
A blackout followed and then we were back at the Hog with Mama Hog
and her Karaoke list. A nervous audience member acquitted herself
well on "Proud Mary" and the audience proudly sang with
her on those "rollin'" response choruses.
Our first couple, Ellen and Gary are paired with the more settled
married pair of Gary's work mate Debbie, who set up the date with
Ellen, Lorie Garraghty, and her husband Don, Derek Reckley. The
play scenes continue with Gary and Debbie at the office a few mornings
after Gary and Ellen's sparring apparently turned to passion, quite
passionate passion, which seems to have leveled differences. There's
more Karaoke and scenes at a weekend in the country with the foursome.
There's a good deal of rather wild and witty humor with Ellen and
Gary very much the focus.
Throughout the hijinks there's Gary holding up the cynical side
of discussions. Remember the first part of the name of the play
is "The Age of Cynicism… Sometimes its funny but it does
lead to and expose some real doubts that all four of the people
share. Things almost get black, but then…then, it's on to the
second half of the play's title the transformative and revelatory
"…Karaoke Night at the Hog."
The two couples are at the club and Mama Hog is pulling their song
request slips out of the jar. Debbie and Don seem to patch over
any of their own doubts with a passionate "Aint No Mountain
High Enough." Danielle Bruce as Ellen simply raised the hairs
on the back of my neck with an electrifying "Total Eclipse
of the Heart" that seemed to overcome her as well. The nerdy
Gary does a nicely out of character "I've Got Friends in Low
Places."
The play works well in many places and the idea of the alternation
is a clever one. Somehow it seems to be a thin endeavor perhaps
because of the switches. It's light entertainment, but in some ways
that seems quite right for an early summer offering.
"The Age of Cynicism or, Karakoke Night at the Hog" at
the Bloomington Playwrights Project plays through June 17th with
shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at eight and a Sunday
two o'clock matinee on the 11th.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker.
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Christmas Eve at
the Flannigans
From 05/25/06, for 05/26 and 05/30
The final play of the Bloomington Area Arts Council's Performance
Series is a premiere production of veteran playwright Mike Smith's
"Christmas Eve at the Flannigans." It's a dramatically
thought provoking play with strong direction by Jeremy Wilson and
a cast of stars. The set of a Wisconsin farm house kitchen, dining
area and living room by JimBob is realistic enough that I conscientiously
wiped my feet on the rug at the door on my way back in to the Rose
Firebay after intermission.
It is indeed "Christmas Eve at the Flannigans." The stockings
are hung, the tree is trimmed. Plans are in place for mass in the
evening, Santa Claus in the morning and dinner afterward. Oldest
son Pat, Mark McIntyre, lives there and is looking after his slightly
demented mother, Diane Kondrat. Youngest daughter Sharon a medical
student, Jessica Rothert, is home for the holiday. Middle sister
Angela, Amanda Scherle, drops by with presents and news of her children.
There's a bit of a mystery about a bearded stranger, Jeff Stone,
who's been walking about. There's some tension about care for the
mother and the usual newness and familiarity of family get togethers,
but generally it's a scene of comfort and support.
As "Christmas Eve at the Flannigans" develops we learn
that twenty years ago the abusive father was shot to death by a
son. The son Mike and a daughter Mollie disappeared. The mother
went insane and had to be institutionalized for many years. She's
home now, but regularly sees the threatening figure of her husband
and the sad figure of daughter Mollie. Son Pat took over the family,
working at a mill and running the farm. Daughter Angela, an eighth
grader with all of a young teen's insecurities, had to handle losing
her mother as well as her father along with public shame and humiliation.
Youngest daughter Sharon was only three and seems relatively unscathed.
The mysterious stranger had a key role in the past and in the present,
but I need to leave him with his mystery.
This is a short review and I seem to have spent too much time on
detail, but it's playwright Mike Smith, director Jeremy Wilson and
the actors fault. The situation, the evolving story, and the richness
of each character are all worth dwelling upon. Diane Kondrat is
a wonder as the graceful, thoughtful, demented mother. Mark McIntyre
fills out the older brother's core of real pride in his role as
the family patriarch. Amanda Scherle is quite perfect as the young
woman who's tautly holding the parts of her life together with both
affirmation and denial. Jessica Rothert had both ease and concern
of the more innocent daughter. Jeff Stone as the stranger, well
Jeff was both a warm and a passionate mystery.
Just time for a quick note about themes in "Christmas Eve at
the Flannigans." It's about coping and caring and salvation.
It's about the egotistical luxury of the assumption of guilt and
its about "a drop of water remembering that it is the ocean."
Mike Smith's "Christmas Eve at the Flannigans" at the
John Waldron Arts Center plays this evening and Saturday night at
eight. There's a two o'clock matinee on Sunday and the final three
performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 1st 2nd and
3rd.
You can find an interview with director Jeremy Wilson and actors
Jeff Stone and Jessica Rothert on our Arts
Interviews page.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker.
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Il re pastore
From 05/19/06, for 05/22 and 05/24
This year's opera centerpiece of the Bloomington Early Music Festival
is "Il re pastore," a delightfully charming early Mozart
work. The simple story was originally a court entertainment performed
by children. Tim Nelson's direction captures a childlike ambience
without childishness.
Stanley Ritchie conducted with the classical orchestra at the back
of the Auer Hall stage and the singer/actors in front. Tim Nelson's
story setting for "Il re pastore" has the group dressed
in summer whites in a day of play that begins with the morning and
ends in the evening. Along with some marvelous singing of the challenging
music there were plenty of gentle hijinks that helped to round out
the characterizations.
Sherezade Panthaki was masterful as the shepherd king with Kathryn
Aaron a perky pleaure as her love. Angelique Zuluaga played the
daughter of the deposed tyrant. David Wood was the man who becomes
her love and Brian Arreola was Alexander the Great.
These days with an international story like this, it's hard not
to look for parallels. Let's see, in "Il re pastore" Alexander,
the leader of world-conquering-power, invades a country. However
his purpose is not conquest but an effort to find and install a
legitimate leader. Alexander succeeds and even arranges for the
heir of the deposed tyrant to be integratred back into society,
to marry and assume leadership of a separate area. In his final
speech, Alexander declares that his goal is to make everybody happy
and to depart leaving no enemies.
That this is celebrated with a lovely quintet sung by all the principals
lying in happy abandon on their backs, if anything adds a certain
joie to the vivre.
The final performance of "Il re pastore" takes place this
Friday at seven-thirty in Auer Hall. You can find an interview with
conductor Stanley Ritchie and soprano Kathryn Aaron on our Arts
Interviews page.
At the opera for you, I'm George Walker.
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First Stages
From 05/11/06, for 05/12
The Bloomington Playwrights Project and the Cardinal Stage Company
are joining for "First Stages." It's a new play workshop
series. Five successful playwrights have each brought an unproduced
script to be work shopped and then presented in a semi-staged reading
with veteran directors and actors from the companies and IU.
The series opened with IU faculty member Dennis Reardon's "The
Misadventures of Cynthia M" directed by Cardinal Stage's Randy
White. It's a play that's involving, touching and often very funny.
Cynthia, read by Stephanie Harrison, is quite a character. She's
an angry working girl who first seems a viper, then a bit more sympathetic
and finally almost surrealistically transcendent. She's always struggling
to shed her skin. One character, charitably says "She was born
short of patience." Whether Cynthia's making some extra money
modeling lingerie for Busy Beaver or putting off her husband with
her "not tonight honey nightgown," she's always fascinatingly
and surprisingly inventing herself .
The reading of Reardon's "The Misadventures of Cynthia M."
surrounds her with a varied troupe of accomplished actors.Tom Conner
plays Cynthia's beleaguered husband. John Kinzer was his avuncular
uncle with Mary Carol Reardon as his sympathetic aunt. It's part
of Reardon's outrageous sense of fun that all the other characters
are "Johns." Bruce Burgun was Detective Johns. Mike Price
played Percival St. John, the poetry professor who's brutal honesty
about her work evokes her love. S.G. Stratigos as an authoritarian
evaluator, was Johnny B. Good. Jeff Grafton was Dr. John the astronomer,
Megan Olive was Tiffany Johnson the bank teller that Cynthia holds
up.
Although the "First Stages" production of "The Misadventures
of Cynthia M." was a staged reading there was still plenty
of drama. Somehow the stripping away of sets, costumes, and action
focused my attention on the play itself. In the talk afterwards,
playwright Dennis Reardon listened carefully and responsively. He
agreed with one comment that a certain scene didn't fit and said
that it was a scene no one else will see. He defended some other
parts and explained his strategy of framing the piece as a screen
play to attract younger movie trained audiences.
Director Randy White said that while the script of Reardon's play
had not changed during the workshop some of the playwrights have
used the process for substantial rewrites with new pages every day.
"First Stages" continues in the Bloomington Playwrights
Projects theatre today with a five pm reading of "Fair Use"
by Sara Gubbins and an eight o'clock reading of Mike Smith's "Symphony
in Three." On Saturday there's a matinee of Kirsten Greenidge's
"Bossa Nova" at three and then "Onwards" by
Glen Berger at eight.
You can find an interview with the BPP's Richard Perez and Cardinal
Stage Company's Randy White on our Arts
Interviews page.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker.
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A Chorus Line
From 04/17/2006, for 04/18 and 04/20
George Walker, WFIU
The musical about the brutal life of the Broadway gypsies, the
singers and dancers in the chorus "A Chorus Line" is at
IU's Ruth N. Halls Theatre in a classy, accomplished and often totally
involving production directed and choreographed by George Pinney.
J. Adam Burnette and Courtney Crouse share the musical direction
responsibilities.
As the lights went down Monday night, I found myself wondering.
Can it be that "A Chorus Line" opened as long ago as 1975,
that it's thirty-one years old, and that George Pinney directed
it in one of his early assignments at IU back in 1989? In 1989 the
show was still in its teens. Today it's old enough to have voted
in four Presidential Elections. What about this mature citizen among
musicals?
I'm happy to say that it still has resonance, that the stories of
the aspirations, the hopes the fears of the twenty or so singer
dancer auditionees are still capable of involving and even moving
us. Jesse Bernath as the director Zach at the auditions that are
at the center of "A Chorus Line" seems a bit harsher than
seems useful, but it's a well rounded part. Peter Stoffan drew good
applause as the tap dancing Mike in "I Can Do That." Erin
Daugherty was an eye catcher in every scene as the tough talking
Sheila and sympathetic as a woman still captivated by dance in "At
the Ballet." Betina Pereira was captivating as the Puerto Rican
Diana in her critique of empty acting classes, "Nothing"
and in the key song to "A Chorus Line," "What I Did
for Love." Gerold Schroeder's touching account of growing up
homosexual was mesmerizing. Mallorie Fletcher was appropriately
torchey in her wry tribute to plastic surgery, "Dance Ten;
Looks: Three." Rebecca Faulkenberry was sympathetic as the
failed star-track-performer, back for one more try in the chorus.
Overall the cast showed just what a powerhouse IU has become for
developing students through the Theatre Department, the Dance Program,
the Music School and the individualized major in musical theatre
performance. Dancing was precise and nicely handled. Vocals both
individually and as a group were well done.
"A Chorus Line" at IU is a good solid show. It does still
have some of the grit and brutality that moved audiences in the
70s, and somehow today there's also a touch of not unwelcome innocence
in the patina
"A Chorus Line" plays each evening through Saturday in
the Ruth N. Halls Theatre of the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama
Complex. Showtime is at seven-thirty.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker.
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Holy Spirit on Grand
Avenue
From 04/15/06, for 04/17 and 04/19
The Bloomington Playwrights Project is presenting the premiere
of Tucson based playwright Toni Press-Coffman's "Holy Spirit
on Grand Avenue"
Holy Spirit was a Catholic School in the Bronx. The play opens as
three women who were third graders there twenty years ago in 1958
reminisce a bit. They're at Stephanie's fancy home in Westchester
County. Stephanie, Lindsey Charles, is the administrator of the
Jewish Community Center. She was the only African-American at Holy
Spirit. Now she's the only African-American at her temple. In Charles
hands, Stephanie is a relaxed woman, comfortable with who she is
and where she's gotten to. She's drinking wine. Barbara, Ruth Hartke,
was the class no-it-all and she's continued to be that all the way
through college, medical school and into professional life on the
West Coast.. Barbara's drinking cranberry spritzers because she
hopes she's finally pregnant. Celeste, Annie Kerkian, was the popular
girl in school. She's a successful artist, but now she's withdrawn
and depressed over her shakey marriage and ambivalent feelings about
the daughters that her husband has spirited away. Celeste is on
her third or fourth martini and asking for her fifth.
Somehow the women get to talking about one of their eight year old
classmates, Diana Penella. Both Stephanie and Barbara remember her
well especially because she was brutally murdered by a sixteen year
old neighbor boy. It's an indicator of Celeste's ego centric life
that she doesn't remember her classmate at all.
I'd heard that "Holy Spirit on Grand Avenue" was a memory
play, but still it was a surprise when Erdin Schultz-Bever, looking
every bit the bright scrubbed Catholic School 3rd grader, Diana,
appeared and began to talk directly to the audience. She had a lovely
innocent seeming charm complete with a bit of the silliness and
the whine that you'd expect from a bright eight-year old. Her main
gripe is that everyone else in the play is twenty years older. They
got to grow up, while she didn't. Diana even complains about it
through her scenes with her sixteen year old friend and murderer,
Bobby, played by Nick Palmer with all the grace of an attractive
though nerdy teen.
As "Holy Spirit on Grand Avenue" unfolds characters come
to life and an interesting plot works itself out. The first act
is the stronger of the two and some of the second act seems a bit
flatter and even a little repetitious. However there are still some
intriguing developments. Actor Mike Price appears as Nathan, the
oddly nervous President of the Executive Board of the Jewish Community
Center where Stephanie works. And in a final moment, the bitterly
self-involved Celeste gets a very wise and very eight-year-old message
from Diana.
BPP Artistic Director Richard Perez was instrumental in the commissioning
of "Holy Spirit on Grand Avenue" and directed this tidy,
smooth working piece. The appropriately tasteful and tacky set design
was by Danielle Bruce. Lighting, that drew on modern ambience and
old fashioned hit them in the face spot lights was by Jeremy Wilson.
"Holy Spirit on Grand Avenue" plays this Thursday through
Saturday at eight and then, the 27th through the 29th at the Bloomington
Playwrights Project.
You can find an interview with director Richard Perez, actress Lindsey
Charles and stage manager Chase Potter on our Arts
Interviews page.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker.
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Mamma Mia!
From 04/11/06, for 04/12 and 04/14
"Mamma Mia!" is the title of one of the rock group Abba's
many hits and it's also the title of the musical at the IU Auditorium
this week.
The quartet's string of dance fueled singles dominated the pop charts
from 1974 to their breakup in 1982. One critic noted that for at
least of a few of those year's they were second only to Volvo as
Sweden's biggest export earners.
The story in "Mamma Mia!" is a loose one of Sophie, a
young girl, trying to find her father. She searches by inviting
three men mentioned in her mother's twenty-year-old diary to her
wedding, hoping that one of them will be the right man to give her
away. "Mamma Mia!" is built around twenty-two of Abba's
hits and as the evening went on part of the fun for fans was guessing
which of them would fit in next and who might be singing it. Abba
was always strongest in their dance fueled numbers and less so in
their reflective ones. This did play out in the show.
The production at the IU Auditorium is bright, brash and brassy.
It's not for the faint of ear. The surprise chords of the opening
to the second act are loud enough to practically take your breath
away. There's plenty of action and athletic dancing. I think that
"Mamma Mia!" is probably your only chance to see a ballet
with a group wearing frog flippers and snorkels.
Laurie Wells played the resolute single mother, Donna. Her voice
seemed the fullest and most expressive of the cast though there
were strong offerings from the exquisitely leggy Lisa Mandel and
the comic Julia Cook as girl friends, pathos and pluck from Carrie
Manolakos as her fatherless daughter, and a variety of work from
Ian Simpson, Milo Shandel and Sean Allan Krill as her three possible
dads. It was good to see recent IU graduate Colin Donnell in the
cast.
At the beginning of the evening, Auditorium manager Doug Booher
told the audience that "Mamma Mia!" is the musical that
more people come back to see a second time than any the tours. There
was a family of four enjoying the evening next to me. They happily
said that this was their second chance to see the show.
"Mamma Mia!" at the IU Auditorium plays at eight o'clock
each evening this week and there are additional performances at
two and eight on Saturday and Sunday.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker.
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Carmen, 06
From 04/ 08/06, for 04/10 and 04/12
The IU Opera Theater's "Carmen" is musically strong,
dramatic, violent and sexy. For balance, it also has a fair amount
of humor and a couple of scenes of high silliness.
Lisa LaFleur was vocally secure and dynamically dramatic as the
wild gypsy Carmen, a girl who's both driving and driven by her passions.
John Sumners had some lovely moments as the young corporal Don Jose,
torn by his passionate love for Carmen from both his dutiful military
life of service and domestic life of intended marriage.
Don Jose's intended, Micaela, was sung by Jing Zhang. Despite being
dressed as though she'd come from a Swiss chalet instead of a Spanish
village and having the least dramatically active part, she showed
that in the right vocal hands, Micaela can wield some powerful attractive
forces of her own in the women's battle for Don Jose.
Austin Kness was the flashy, cape swirlingly balletic bull fighter
Escamillo.
Stage director Jonathon Field has plenty for each of the leads to
do with a good deal of intricate choreography. Scenes ranged from
the high drama of Carmen's arias in the tavern and the bull fighter's
dramatic singing of an episode in the arena to some amusingly staged
silliness as Carmen, her girl friends and the two smugglers discussed
their plans. Even in the large crowd scenes it seemed that many
of the cast had their own worked out stories to tell.
Conductor Mark Gibson presided with visible enthusiasm. In acknowledging
the audience's welcoming applause for one of the acts, it looked
as if he might vault from the the pit out into the house.
Saturday night's audience seemed at first a bit hesitant about applause,
but by the final curtain it had warmed up considerably. As each
group of the cast came out for bows more and more of the audience
rose for a final near general standing ovation.
The IU Opera Theater's production of "Carmen" has its
final two performances this Friday and Saturday at eight.
You can an interview with the Carmen from this Saturday's cast mezzo-soprano
Sophie Roland on our Arts
Interviews page.
At the opera for you, I'm George Walker..
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Our Country's
Good
From 03/27/06, for 03/28 and 03/30
Timberlake Wertenbaker's "Our Country's Good" directed
by Burce Burgun at the IU Theatre comes from Australia, but it's
a long ways from "Waltzing Mathilda."
In 1789, England cleared out its prisons by instituting transportation.
Eight hundred male and female convicts of various descriptions with
a contingent of soldiers and marines were shipped to Australia to
establish a colony.
Conditions were brutal. It was a rough unforgiving and inhospitable
country. Food was short. The troops were bitter at becoming jailors
and still angry over the losing battle for the colonies in America.
Prisoners bartered scraps of food or clothing, an occasional smuggled
trinket and their bodies.
In the midst of this privation and squalor, a Rousseau spouting
Governor played by Lance Stacy, proposes that the convicts be elevated
by putting on a dramatic entertainment, a play. There are vigorous
objection from the troop's commander, the overwhelmingly Scots,
Major Ross. But the Governor appoints the most junior lieutenant,
Ralph Clark, to direct a production of George Farquhar's comedy
"The Recruiting Officer."
And my, what a daunting directing job he has. Imagine a cast of
various felons ranging from prostitutes through petty thieves and
on to strong armed robbers. Many of them have to have their parts
read to them. It's a group whose most accomplished member's theatrical
expeience comes from picking the pockets of theatre crowds.
"Our Country's Good" is a complicated theatrical experience.
There are twenty-two short scenes. They range from musing soliloquies,
through comic moments, a dramatized class lesson on the reality
and meaning of theatre, and on to some of the most intense and involving
scenes that you're likely to see.
With the exception of Jason Marr playing the alternately diffident
and assertive lieutenant director, almost everyone plays at least
one of the officers and one of the convicts. Especially outstanding
was Scot Purkeypile as a brutal laconic captain, and a maddened
lieutenant pursued by visions of the dead. John Armstrong was a
thoughtful captain and a most sympathetic cameleon as the pickpocket
thespian. Rachel Crouch was a sympathetic convict and play heroine.
Kevin Anderson was amazingly transformed in the dual roles of the
harsh Scots Major and the whimpering convict hangman.
Monday night the Wells-Metz Theatre seemed to swallow dialogue,
especially the women's voices. I'd suggest first or second row seats
because Wertenbaker's words are well worth hearing.
"Our Country's Good" plays each evening this week through
Saturday in the Wells-Metz Theatre of IU's Lee Norvelle Theatre
and Drama Center.
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King Lear from
IRT
From 03-05-06, for 03-06 and 03-08
"Blow winds and crack your cheeks! Rage, blow!" are
the words of Kenneth Albers as the maddened King Lear in a potent
production at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. It's an incredible
scene with Lap-Chi Chu's lightning from dozens of suspended lights
flashing on and off in lockstep with the violent storm sounds of
Fabian Obispo. The amazing effects are all built around the dialogue
and they never missed a cue or stepped on a line in a production
directed by Michael Donald Edwards.
"King Lear" is the tragedy of a person who never knew
himself, never understood the man inside the king and therefore
never knew the true value of those around him. When Lear gives up
his throne, it's to the daughters who speak the most flowery and
overblown protestations and he rejects the one who depends on simplicity.
When he's challenged by a long time friend and counselor he angrily
rejects and banishes him.
Kenneth Albers was a marvelous King Lear. In the first scene as
he went from avuncular to enraged, in his poor attempts to wield
his empty power and in the final tender scenes of madness Albers
was a wonder. Mercedes Herrero as Goneril and Susan Angelo as Regan
were almost serpentine in costumes by David Zinn as the wicked daughters.
Catherine Lynn Davis was Cordelia, the restrained plain spoken daughter.
She was considerably more outgoing and fun when she returned as
the fool.
Henry Woronicz, who recently appeared in Bloomington as the narrator
in "Our Town," as the loyal Kent was appropriately noble
in opposing the Lear's angry denial of Cordelia and delightful in
his guise as a rude fellow traveler with the deposed King.
In the second plot of "King Lear" another man is a fool
of his children, but with the Earl of Gloucester it's his sons.
Robert Elliott effectively played the Earl as a thoughtful business
man. But like Lear, in quickness to anger, he was totally taken
in by the schemes of the artfully evil Benn Bass as Edmund and put
against his true son Edgar, Christian Coin. While King Lear pays
with his sanity for doing unreasonable things, the Earl pays with
his eyes for not seeing the truth.
The IRT's "King Lear" is a quilt of actions and emotions.
It's a deep play with a production to match. In the storms it's
actually physically frightening, awe inspiring. In the wonderful
speeches we're lifted and carried along by words. In many scenes
there's plenty of tension and drama. Pity is strongly sought and,
for good measure, there's even a good deal of outright humor.
The Indiana Repertory Theatre's production of "King Lear"
continues through March 25th.
At the theatre for you, I'm George Walker
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IU Opera Theater: Our Town
From 02/25/06, for 02/27 and 02/29
"Our Town," Thornton Wilder's venerable theater classic,
is having its operatic world premiere at the IU Opera Theater with
music by Ned Rorem and libretto by J.D. McClatchy. Friday and Saturday
night's performances were especially celebratory with composer and
librettist participating in a preshow panel, sitting in the audience
and joining the cast for the curtain call.
Many composers had approached Thornton Wilder for permission to
make an opera of "Our Town," but he refused them all.
Wilder even turned down Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. In
part at the urging of librettist J.D. McClatchy, Wilder's nephew
Tappan Wilder, the Literary Executor of the Estate agreed to the
project and to Ned Rorem as its composer.
There have been some changes to make "Our Town" into an
opera. The narrator, Saturday night's Christopher Wilburn, is still
prominent, and the town of Grover's Corners does gets a good deal
of attention, but it is now the story of the young lovers, George
Gibbs, Cody Fosdick, and Emily Webb, Carolina Castells, that becomes
the focus. We do still have the Gibbs's, Dr. Gibbs, Robert Samels
and Mrs. Gibbs, Courtney Crouse. The Webbs, Editor Webb, Samuel
Spade, and Mrs. Webb, Elizabeth Baldwin is there as well. Simon
Stinson, Chester Pidduck, the drunken choir director is still an
example of an artistic type who perhaps shouldn't have lived in
such a small town. Mrs. Soames, Rachel Rose, picks up lines for
the rest of the town. Rorem and McClatchy cut two-thirds of the
original dialogue, and left out half the play's characters. But
with the addition of the projected video settings and music, it
may be the "Our Town" for the 21st century.
There are a few additions and changes in the order of events, but
the opera is in the original three acts, each a brief forty-five
minutes. Saturday night, the third act, in the cemetery, with Emily's
return to visit her childhood birthday seemed clumsy, and the act
felt overly drawn out. The aria with Emily's childish rhyming simply
sent me in a detour to the land of Dr. Seuss and the "Fox in
Socks." However, the first two acts went very well with the
added drama of the music more than making up for missing words and
people. Rorem's music is varied and attractive. There are chorus
parts, solos and ensembles. The sounds can smoothly move from antique
hymn settings with subtly modern variation to very modern sounding
harmonies and scales.
The IU Opera Theater production of "Our Town" was surely
conducted by David Effron. Everyone sang well and the IU Philharmonic
gave a lovely account of the score. Inventive and often invisible
stage direction was by Vincent Liotta. The set and costumes were
by David Higgins. Though the stage was traditionally bare, video
projections on the backdrop followed the action with scenes of the
town and even offered brief paragraphs of verbal commentary from
the original script.
The world premiere of Ned Rorem and J.D. McClatchy's opera "Our
Town" continues with performances this Friday and Saturday
at the IU Opera Theater. I think that you are going to hear about
a good number of other productions from colleges and professional
companies around the country.
You can find interviews of Ned Rorem, J.D. McClatchy and Wilder
nephew Tappan Wilder on our Arts
Interviews page< |
