My day just went haywire so I’m going to just have the chance to post the links related to what I planned to talk about, instead of actually talking about them. Feel free to talk among yourselves.
My profile of Matthew Mitchell is in this week’s Style.
Two not-so-positive reviews of “Scorched Earth” have come out recently, Mr. Griset’s in Style and Ms. Jewett’s on Richmond.com. I found Ms. Jewett’s “Critical Thinking” post interesting and, for me at least, very relatable.
The Broadway production of “Streetcar” starring near-local star Blair Underwood didn’t get any love from the NYTimes.
Any local actors/dancers looking for far-flung opportunities, Royal Carribean is holding auditions in Williamsburg. FYI.
Finally, an interesting piece in the NYTimes this past weekend about the Tonys and why there are so many Broadway openings happening this month.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
An 8? Seriously?
There was only one flaw in Henley Street’s “The Liar” that I scampered downtown to see in the midst of Sunday’s drippy afternoon. And that was when David Clark’s Cliton, as part of his not being able to tell a lie, classified the more overtly sensual of the maidservant twins, Isabelle, as an 8. Mr. Ricks made a major casting mistake in selecting Stacie Reardon Hall for this part. Even when trying to button up her loveliness in the guise of the more persnickety Sabine, Mrs. Hall easily surpasses an 8 on any objective scale.
Except for that one misstep, ‘The Liar’ was everything the rave reviews of the production had promised, and more. A show recited almost entirely in rhyming couplets was never tiresome and used the very artifice of that construct to great comic ends. Given the penchant for mistaken identity plotlines to stretch the bounds of common sense, this one was actually relatively believable (in the scope of such things), hinging as it did on one simple assumption and goosed into madness by the title character’s well-established compulsion to never settle for a simple fib when an outrageous lie was possible.
The performances were uniformly excellent. I pretty much expected great things from the leads: I became a devoted Matthew Mitchell fan with “Kimberly Akimbo,” I thought David Clark was phenomenal in last season’s “Judas Iscariot,” and I was introduced to rising star Irene Kuykendall with Sycamore Rouge’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile.” But what a treat when later in the play an otherwise low-key Tyler Weaver steps a bit more forward as Philliste and matches the skills of the topliners. The show was also my introduction to Olivia Luna who played Lucrece with attractive wit and grace early and with mounting outrage later on.
The wordplay and quippiness of the script were consistently delightful, enhanced by performers like Mitchell who used body language – some subtle, lots not so subtle – to punch up the jokes. The humor ran the gamut from salacious double entendres to insidery theater jokes to scatological barbs to crazy circular ramblings to groan-worthy stretching of rhymes (“my-valve”?) to some gags that almost bordered on sophistication.
Henley Street did a great service to the script with its staging at CenterStage. Margarette Joyner’s costumes were sumptuous, Seamus Bourne’s set was appropriately stately, and Andrew Bonniwell’s lights were nicely done, particularly as they subtly shifted in intensity during certain key scenes. Mr. Ricks’ attention to detail is impressive; as John Porter also mentioned, I loved hearing songs like Bowie’s “Changes” interpreted by string quartet during intermission.
Given all of that, the one moment that stretched my suspension of disbelief was easily forgotten. There are only 2 more chances to see this great production so I’d strongly suggest making room for it in the coming weekend. In fact, a double-header of “Always...Patsy Cline” and “The Liar” would be a great way to celebrate the closing weekend for both productions.
Except for that one misstep, ‘The Liar’ was everything the rave reviews of the production had promised, and more. A show recited almost entirely in rhyming couplets was never tiresome and used the very artifice of that construct to great comic ends. Given the penchant for mistaken identity plotlines to stretch the bounds of common sense, this one was actually relatively believable (in the scope of such things), hinging as it did on one simple assumption and goosed into madness by the title character’s well-established compulsion to never settle for a simple fib when an outrageous lie was possible.
The performances were uniformly excellent. I pretty much expected great things from the leads: I became a devoted Matthew Mitchell fan with “Kimberly Akimbo,” I thought David Clark was phenomenal in last season’s “Judas Iscariot,” and I was introduced to rising star Irene Kuykendall with Sycamore Rouge’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile.” But what a treat when later in the play an otherwise low-key Tyler Weaver steps a bit more forward as Philliste and matches the skills of the topliners. The show was also my introduction to Olivia Luna who played Lucrece with attractive wit and grace early and with mounting outrage later on.
The wordplay and quippiness of the script were consistently delightful, enhanced by performers like Mitchell who used body language – some subtle, lots not so subtle – to punch up the jokes. The humor ran the gamut from salacious double entendres to insidery theater jokes to scatological barbs to crazy circular ramblings to groan-worthy stretching of rhymes (“my-valve”?) to some gags that almost bordered on sophistication.
Henley Street did a great service to the script with its staging at CenterStage. Margarette Joyner’s costumes were sumptuous, Seamus Bourne’s set was appropriately stately, and Andrew Bonniwell’s lights were nicely done, particularly as they subtly shifted in intensity during certain key scenes. Mr. Ricks’ attention to detail is impressive; as John Porter also mentioned, I loved hearing songs like Bowie’s “Changes” interpreted by string quartet during intermission.
Given all of that, the one moment that stretched my suspension of disbelief was easily forgotten. There are only 2 more chances to see this great production so I’d strongly suggest making room for it in the coming weekend. In fact, a double-header of “Always...Patsy Cline” and “The Liar” would be a great way to celebrate the closing weekend for both productions.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Music
This week is Style’s Music issue, which I urge you to check out. Just like non-theater people are always surprised when I talk about how much theater is happening in Richmond, I am always kind of amazed when I get a glimpse of how much music there is to enjoy here in our little burg.
There are, of course, a lot of cross-currents between the theatrical and musical worlds here in town. Three artists who I know mostly as stage actresses will be again bringing their “Three Divas” act to the stage at the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen next week. If you got a taste of their fabulousness at the RTCC awards last October, imagine how great a whole evening of them will be. (Also, if you haven’t seen it, don’t miss your last opportunities to see Debra in “Always...Patsy Cline,” closing this weekend.)
These aren’t the only local actors who regularly make waves as singers. One of Richmond’s favorite sons, Jason Mraz, has been popping up in national media lately promoting his new album and tour. Facebook was abuzz a few days ago when word got out that Zak Resnick, who last year got a smidge of airtime on American Idol, was cast in Mama Mia on Broadway (read this amusing story from Christine Walters related to Mr. Resnick). I’ve also enjoyed seeing Richmond stage vet, Angie Atkinson (formerly Shipley), start to gain some recognition as a singer while plying the club scene in NYC (see some of her videos here).
My current personal obsession is The Civil Wars, and not just because they have a song on the Hunger Games soundtrack. I only saw them for the first time last night on Jimmy Kimmel and am kind of staggered by how powerful just two voices and a guitar can be.
And speaking of music, we’re coming into a bit of a local musical season, with Seussical opening next weekend, followed in quick succession by Dessa Rose and The Musical of Musicals. Seems like it’s going to be a tuneful spring.
There are, of course, a lot of cross-currents between the theatrical and musical worlds here in town. Three artists who I know mostly as stage actresses will be again bringing their “Three Divas” act to the stage at the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen next week. If you got a taste of their fabulousness at the RTCC awards last October, imagine how great a whole evening of them will be. (Also, if you haven’t seen it, don’t miss your last opportunities to see Debra in “Always...Patsy Cline,” closing this weekend.)
These aren’t the only local actors who regularly make waves as singers. One of Richmond’s favorite sons, Jason Mraz, has been popping up in national media lately promoting his new album and tour. Facebook was abuzz a few days ago when word got out that Zak Resnick, who last year got a smidge of airtime on American Idol, was cast in Mama Mia on Broadway (read this amusing story from Christine Walters related to Mr. Resnick). I’ve also enjoyed seeing Richmond stage vet, Angie Atkinson (formerly Shipley), start to gain some recognition as a singer while plying the club scene in NYC (see some of her videos here).
My current personal obsession is The Civil Wars, and not just because they have a song on the Hunger Games soundtrack. I only saw them for the first time last night on Jimmy Kimmel and am kind of staggered by how powerful just two voices and a guitar can be.
And speaking of music, we’re coming into a bit of a local musical season, with Seussical opening next weekend, followed in quick succession by Dessa Rose and The Musical of Musicals. Seems like it’s going to be a tuneful spring.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Coincidence?
I just put this together: both Firehouse's next production, "Dessa Rose," and the blockbuster superhero movie, "The Avengers," open on May 4th. Coincidental timing or canny counter-programming? You be the judge...
Monday, April 16, 2012
Spring Cleaning
It’s spring cleaning time at my house. While I haven’t been scorching the earth exactly, it has been a pretty intense process. (This turn of phrase used solely to sneak in a link to the review of “Scorched Earth” from the T-D this weekend. With this much talent in the cast, how can you NOT see this production? And speaking of you-gotta-see-it productions, I keep hearing fabulous things about “The Liar,” the GayRVA review echoing sentiments repeated by patrons and critics alike since the show’s opening.)
One of the most entertaining moments of the seasonal purging process for me was to come across an old box of materials from when I started out as a reviewer. It was from back in the day when everything was actually printed and not done via internet and email. I ended up dumping a lot of stuff into the recycling but there were several items I couldn’t bear to get rid of. Among these are:
One of the most entertaining moments of the seasonal purging process for me was to come across an old box of materials from when I started out as a reviewer. It was from back in the day when everything was actually printed and not done via internet and email. I ended up dumping a lot of stuff into the recycling but there were several items I couldn’t bear to get rid of. Among these are:
- A program from the Theatre Gym production of “How I Learned to Drive” in 1998. It was the production where Jill Bari Steinberg first blew me away and where I first saw Gordon Bass do something besides act in a kid’s show. Cool artifacts from the program: Steven Koehler was the lighting designer before heading off to greener pastures and the stage manager was Wendy Gentile, back in her pre-Vandergrift days.
- A program from “Jails, Hospitals and Hip-Hop,” the Scott Wichmann tour de force, with the cool skewed-perspective cover picture of a hoodie-wearing Scott. Marcel Marceau gets a shout out as part of the credits.
- The simple one-page program from The Experiential Company’s production of “The Sea Gull,” the production that, in tandem with Experiential’s “The Importance of Being Earnest,” introduced an amazing Erin Thomas to the local scene. The production was staged at the Windy River Winery at in Beaverdam. I loved going out to those shows.
- A program from “Cry Out!” a one-man show developed by my old friend Jesse Rabinowitz for the Shard Live Performance Collective. I couldn’t help but think back to Shard when Stage B emerged recently. Two scrappy young companies, idealistic and innovative. Shard moved on and it’s seeming like Stage B has as well.
These are artifacts from what I still consider a golden age in local theater, mostly because I was being introduced to actors whose work I would continue to love for years. It’s impossible to forget first glimpses of stupendous talent like Steinberg’s, Wichmann’s and Thomas’s. Luckily, fresh and exciting new actors are always popping up, like the blossoming of Matthew Mitchell from an ensemble player to a certifiable star in shows like “The Liar.”
And seasoned actors can still deliver surprises; Steinberg’s was different kinds of stunning in “Judas Iscariot” last season and then in “Kimberly Akimbo” last winter. I also hear she’s making quite an impression in “Scorched Earth.” Spring cleaning has opened up space in my closets and my attic but hasn’t put a dent in the delightful bits of clutter in my memory.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Paradox
At least one person caught on to my ruse yesterday, that I was posting a version of The Liar’s Paradox. The first line of the post was a lie – “One of the lines in the following posts is a lie” – but simultaneously not a lie. Seemed like a fitting tribute to Henley Street’s latest production, which by the way received a rave from Style’s Rich Griset this week to match the one in the T-D.
There is also another preview of “Scorched Earth” in this week’s Style. You can’t hardly look anywhere (in Richmond print media, at least) without seeing something about this show. Which is a good thing since Barksdale is clearly rolling the dice with this one, it being a world premiere and all, not to mention a big, meaty drama with a big cast. I was always told in marketing that you had to get someone to see a mention of something new or unfamiliar at least 5 times for it to register in their memory. This piece in Style (or the one in the T-D or the one in Richmond magazine…) may be the mention that pushes the show out of the subconscious into their conscious, ticket-buying mind. I guess we’ll see.
There is also another preview of “Scorched Earth” in this week’s Style. You can’t hardly look anywhere (in Richmond print media, at least) without seeing something about this show. Which is a good thing since Barksdale is clearly rolling the dice with this one, it being a world premiere and all, not to mention a big, meaty drama with a big cast. I was always told in marketing that you had to get someone to see a mention of something new or unfamiliar at least 5 times for it to register in their memory. This piece in Style (or the one in the T-D or the one in Richmond magazine…) may be the mention that pushes the show out of the subconscious into their conscious, ticket-buying mind. I guess we’ll see.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Lies
One of the statements in this blog post is a lie. Can you figure out which one?
* Henley Street’s latest production, “The Liar,” has received rave reviews so far.
* The RTCC website, which has been down recently, is back up and has a load of pictures from the 2011 awards event that you probably have not seen.
* As “Titanic 3D” was opening in theaters, a national tour of “Titanic: The Musical” was finalizing its cast.
* New York theater is being overrun by sports-related shows.
* A new Richmond-area theater-related blog has emerged.
* Numerous famous people are planning unlikely new stage productions: David Byrne, formerly of Talking Heads; Kevin Smith, director of “Clerks,” etc.; and Oscar winning actor Robert De Niro.
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
More on Kids
I went to a really small high school; my graduating class was only 27 people. With such a small school, a lot of the dynamics that get talked about in all of the classic high school movies didn’t play out in the same way, or maybe without the same intensity, as they seem to in other schools. Of course, I also loved my high school for the most part after a pretty wretched middle school experience so maybe someone who went there and didn’t love it so much would have a different perspective.
Anyway, perhaps this background is one of the reasons I’m fascinated by high school stories. I’ve been a “Glee” fan since the beginning; I was still curious about the “High School Musical” series long after most adults had tired of it (if it registered for most adults at all...); and my remembered affection for “Breakfast Club” made me show the movie to my children a couple of years ago, before it was appropriate for any of them to see.
So I went into RTP’s “Stupid Kids” (my review's in Style this week) with a backlog of affection for the genre and, when the first vivid scene pulsed to life, I was pretty much hooked. Music was essential to setting the context and Jason Campbell picked out some exceptional songs to instantly transport me back to those weird and wonderful mid-80s. (I know that the script suggests certain songs for the “Music Video” interludes but I don’t know whether Mr. Campbell took all of the suggestions.)
The main thing that distinguishes this show from all of the other stories that mine the high school experience for its often easily-obtained pathos is the inclusion of two gay characters. As someone points out in the “Out and About” interview with the cast, when you list the high school cliche characters, the “gay kid” isn’t always included. And the two in this show are well-drawn and then vividly realized by Kerry McGee and Joe Winters. Among my few quibbles with the production are that both of these actors are too good-looking for me to really believe they are outcasts, regardless of sexual orientation. But that’s only a slight suspension of disbelief and one that is quickly forgotten as these two actors expertly portray their particular flavor of tortured relationship. Perhaps my only other quibble is that I think a character calling himself “Nietzche” and then worrying about the spelling is just kind of ridiculous (and why not “Neechuh” for the alternate pronunciation?)
Alexander Gerber didn’t initially impress me as Jim but, as he provides glimpses beyond Jim’s tough exterior to show his desire to fit in and the humiliation he allows to befall him, Gerber’s portrayal really soars. And Courtney McCotter’s Judy is fantastic. As someone who has more exposure to teenage girls than is probably healthy thanks to my two daughters, I think McCotter does a great job of capturing the maelstrom of emotions that someone who lives and breathes a particular social scene weathers.
Among the things I really appreciate about the show is the revelation that Kimberly makes in the second act that the objects of their affection are not really worth the depth of their feelings. While that’s particularly true regarding the characters in the show, isn’t that kind of the truth about just about every high school relationship? The stakes always seemed so high and only in retrospect do you realize that your behavior was pretty ridiculous. The use of “tribal” language also brilliantly brings shape to something that is usually a vague high school dynamic. There usually is a tribal energy at play, even if no one’s running through the woods in grass skirts or skewering each other with spears.
The wanton use of “bad language” was also refreshing but, if you come out of the show feeling a little barraged by all of the swearing, drug use and sex, the Mill is offering a counterpoint in “Church Basement Ladies” (reviewed in this week’s Style). I’d recommend using one as a salve for the other; see them both in a weekend and you’ll come out perfectly balanced!
Anyway, perhaps this background is one of the reasons I’m fascinated by high school stories. I’ve been a “Glee” fan since the beginning; I was still curious about the “High School Musical” series long after most adults had tired of it (if it registered for most adults at all...); and my remembered affection for “Breakfast Club” made me show the movie to my children a couple of years ago, before it was appropriate for any of them to see.
So I went into RTP’s “Stupid Kids” (my review's in Style this week) with a backlog of affection for the genre and, when the first vivid scene pulsed to life, I was pretty much hooked. Music was essential to setting the context and Jason Campbell picked out some exceptional songs to instantly transport me back to those weird and wonderful mid-80s. (I know that the script suggests certain songs for the “Music Video” interludes but I don’t know whether Mr. Campbell took all of the suggestions.)
The main thing that distinguishes this show from all of the other stories that mine the high school experience for its often easily-obtained pathos is the inclusion of two gay characters. As someone points out in the “Out and About” interview with the cast, when you list the high school cliche characters, the “gay kid” isn’t always included. And the two in this show are well-drawn and then vividly realized by Kerry McGee and Joe Winters. Among my few quibbles with the production are that both of these actors are too good-looking for me to really believe they are outcasts, regardless of sexual orientation. But that’s only a slight suspension of disbelief and one that is quickly forgotten as these two actors expertly portray their particular flavor of tortured relationship. Perhaps my only other quibble is that I think a character calling himself “Nietzche” and then worrying about the spelling is just kind of ridiculous (and why not “Neechuh” for the alternate pronunciation?)
Alexander Gerber didn’t initially impress me as Jim but, as he provides glimpses beyond Jim’s tough exterior to show his desire to fit in and the humiliation he allows to befall him, Gerber’s portrayal really soars. And Courtney McCotter’s Judy is fantastic. As someone who has more exposure to teenage girls than is probably healthy thanks to my two daughters, I think McCotter does a great job of capturing the maelstrom of emotions that someone who lives and breathes a particular social scene weathers.
Among the things I really appreciate about the show is the revelation that Kimberly makes in the second act that the objects of their affection are not really worth the depth of their feelings. While that’s particularly true regarding the characters in the show, isn’t that kind of the truth about just about every high school relationship? The stakes always seemed so high and only in retrospect do you realize that your behavior was pretty ridiculous. The use of “tribal” language also brilliantly brings shape to something that is usually a vague high school dynamic. There usually is a tribal energy at play, even if no one’s running through the woods in grass skirts or skewering each other with spears.
The wanton use of “bad language” was also refreshing but, if you come out of the show feeling a little barraged by all of the swearing, drug use and sex, the Mill is offering a counterpoint in “Church Basement Ladies” (reviewed in this week’s Style). I’d recommend using one as a salve for the other; see them both in a weekend and you’ll come out perfectly balanced!
Monday, April 02, 2012
Out and About
I only find out about anything long after others know about it. After I’d finished writing my review of “Stupid Kids,” I went out into the Interwebs to find out more about the show and quickly came across the “Out and About” video interview with the cast. I quickly found myself scrolling back through many of the interview host Eric Russell has done with previous show casts, including the recent productions “Next Fall” and “Lord of the Flies.” (You can subscribe to the series on YouTube here.)
Since my dream of a local theater podcast isn’t making itself come true, I found both solace and inspiration in these interviews, each of which was an enlightening introduction to the show. I particularly enjoyed the dynamics between the “Stupid Kids” cast, each member being very clearly a pretty darn smart kid.
As for my review of the show, it should be in this week’s Style (short preview: the 80s and high school are two of my favorite subjects so I think it was highly improbable I would dislike this show. But the RTP production exceeded my expectations). Until that comes out, you can read all of the recent T-D theater coverage, including Ms. Haubenstock’s review of “Kids,” her review of the Mill’s “Church Basement Ladies,” and a preview with some background on the upcoming “Scorched Earth” at Barksdale.
Since my dream of a local theater podcast isn’t making itself come true, I found both solace and inspiration in these interviews, each of which was an enlightening introduction to the show. I particularly enjoyed the dynamics between the “Stupid Kids” cast, each member being very clearly a pretty darn smart kid.
As for my review of the show, it should be in this week’s Style (short preview: the 80s and high school are two of my favorite subjects so I think it was highly improbable I would dislike this show. But the RTP production exceeded my expectations). Until that comes out, you can read all of the recent T-D theater coverage, including Ms. Haubenstock’s review of “Kids,” her review of the Mill’s “Church Basement Ladies,” and a preview with some background on the upcoming “Scorched Earth” at Barksdale.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Seeing Red
It seems like there is always something interesting going on down at Sycamore Rouge. Even right now when they don’t have a main stage production open, they have a burlesque thing happening this Sunday, they had one of their 24-hour theater experiences a couple of weekends ago, and on April 7th they’re sending 2 busloads of people up to New York to support hometown success story, Blair Underwood, who is appearing on Broadway in “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if that last excursion gains some national media coverage. It really is a fabulous idea and, given that kb saine and her cohorts were able to keep the cost of the whole deal below $160, a great bargain for a really good time.
One of the things happening down there in Petersburg is not so great, though. Because of one of the company’s major funders “changing their priorities” (i.e., cutting them loose), Sycamore Rouge is now trying to raise a big chunk of change so they can buy their building and provide a buffer from future funding swings. $300,000 is not small potatoes, even in an improving economy, and it’s going to take a groundswell of support to make up that sum.
I know a big percentage of the people reading this blog (1 out of 2?) work for some organization that is struggling to get funding. I know this because all of the theater companies in town struggle to get funding, from the largest to the smallest. But even though the search for money is an ongoing predicament, there are special cases. It was a special case when Firehouse Theatre Project was in danger of losing their building. It was a special case when Triangle Players was moving into their new location and building a theater space from scratch. And this situation with Sycamore Rouge is a special case as well.
So I hope any and everybody who is able will chip in something for Sycamore Rouge. And probably even more important, please let other people know about what’s happening down there. Like I said, it’s going to take a lot of people working together to keep them afloat. And, based on the creative and exciting things they are doing, it would be a shame if this ship sinks.
I wouldn’t be surprised if that last excursion gains some national media coverage. It really is a fabulous idea and, given that kb saine and her cohorts were able to keep the cost of the whole deal below $160, a great bargain for a really good time.
One of the things happening down there in Petersburg is not so great, though. Because of one of the company’s major funders “changing their priorities” (i.e., cutting them loose), Sycamore Rouge is now trying to raise a big chunk of change so they can buy their building and provide a buffer from future funding swings. $300,000 is not small potatoes, even in an improving economy, and it’s going to take a groundswell of support to make up that sum.
I know a big percentage of the people reading this blog (1 out of 2?) work for some organization that is struggling to get funding. I know this because all of the theater companies in town struggle to get funding, from the largest to the smallest. But even though the search for money is an ongoing predicament, there are special cases. It was a special case when Firehouse Theatre Project was in danger of losing their building. It was a special case when Triangle Players was moving into their new location and building a theater space from scratch. And this situation with Sycamore Rouge is a special case as well.
So I hope any and everybody who is able will chip in something for Sycamore Rouge. And probably even more important, please let other people know about what’s happening down there. Like I said, it’s going to take a lot of people working together to keep them afloat. And, based on the creative and exciting things they are doing, it would be a shame if this ship sinks.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Now that’s more like it
To be honest, I’ve not always been a big fan of CenterStage’s “Broadway in Richmond” series. This past year, in particular, seemed uninspired to me. “The Lion King” and the return of “Wicked” were the biggies and they didn’t really do much to raise my blood pressure. And I say that having seen “The Lion King” and thinking it was pretty magnificent. But still, “South Pacific” was the most recently produced Broadway show and that’s from 2008. Also, it was “South Pacific” which I enjoyed when I saw it on Broadway but that would not have inspired me to pay big bucks for the muddy acoustics of the Landmark Theater.
In contrast, I’m nearly giddy about the announcement of the 2012-13 series. It’s a line-up with four shows I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing and one that I could easily be talked into seeing. Of course, “Les Mis” I’d go to almost anywhere and almost anytime. “Billy Elliott” is phenomenal. “Mary Poppins” takes the strong foundation of the movie and the old musical and melds them into a vibrant new concoction bolstered by “dazzling stagecraft” (as the news release puts it). The revamped “West Side Story” was glorious on Broadway. And I saw the stage version of “The Grinch” in NYC several years back and, even though my expectations were low, it proved a thoroughly entertaining production (I had the benefit of sitting in the front row with my two boys who were tiny at the time, meaning that some of the action nearly landed in our laps, an extra bonus!)
So, for perhaps the first time in my life, I’m considering investing in a season subscription. That either means that Broadway in Richmond has finally put together a truly inspired slate of shows or that I’ve finally landed firmly in middle age. Or perhaps both.
In contrast, I’m nearly giddy about the announcement of the 2012-13 series. It’s a line-up with four shows I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing and one that I could easily be talked into seeing. Of course, “Les Mis” I’d go to almost anywhere and almost anytime. “Billy Elliott” is phenomenal. “Mary Poppins” takes the strong foundation of the movie and the old musical and melds them into a vibrant new concoction bolstered by “dazzling stagecraft” (as the news release puts it). The revamped “West Side Story” was glorious on Broadway. And I saw the stage version of “The Grinch” in NYC several years back and, even though my expectations were low, it proved a thoroughly entertaining production (I had the benefit of sitting in the front row with my two boys who were tiny at the time, meaning that some of the action nearly landed in our laps, an extra bonus!)
So, for perhaps the first time in my life, I’m considering investing in a season subscription. That either means that Broadway in Richmond has finally put together a truly inspired slate of shows or that I’ve finally landed firmly in middle age. Or perhaps both.
Movies
My anticipation for “The Hunger Games” has abated somewhat since the movie has opened (though I still haven’t had a chance to see it...). So that allows me to get more focused on what will be my next movie obsession, the big-screen adaptation of “Les Miserables.”
Last thing I had heard was that Taylor Swift was going to be Eponine, which threw my feelings about the whole enterprise into a tizzy. Swift is a fine singer / songwriter but she didn’t seem to me to have the dramatic heft to pull off Eponine. But somewhat along the way, Swift fell out of the running and a much less well-known actress, Samantha Barks, was announced as having the role. Based on the video embedded in this story, Ms. Barks certainly has the vocal chops to pull it off and she looks adorable, but some of her phrasing or her accent or something in this particular performance just doesn’t quite sit right with me. Still, she’s not Taylor Swift.
I like this picture of Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean and Russell Crowe as Javert looks fine. What I’d really like though is a sense of how they are going to sound. Anyone got some YouTube of Crowe singing “Stars?”
Last thing I had heard was that Taylor Swift was going to be Eponine, which threw my feelings about the whole enterprise into a tizzy. Swift is a fine singer / songwriter but she didn’t seem to me to have the dramatic heft to pull off Eponine. But somewhat along the way, Swift fell out of the running and a much less well-known actress, Samantha Barks, was announced as having the role. Based on the video embedded in this story, Ms. Barks certainly has the vocal chops to pull it off and she looks adorable, but some of her phrasing or her accent or something in this particular performance just doesn’t quite sit right with me. Still, she’s not Taylor Swift.
I like this picture of Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean and Russell Crowe as Javert looks fine. What I’d really like though is a sense of how they are going to sound. Anyone got some YouTube of Crowe singing “Stars?”
Monday, March 26, 2012
Next
With CAT’s “Children’s Hour” opening this past weekend, the spring slew of new shows begins. This seasonal onslaught is more gradual than the Jan/Feb deluge, maybe because some local companies aren't opening a new show until the end of April (Sycamore Rouge) or May (Firehouse) or even June (Richmond Shakespeare).
Though it is now old news, here are a few thoughts on “Next Fall,” which closed two weekends ago at Triangle Players. I’m glad I was able to sneak out to see this show before it closed if, for no other reason, to see Dawn Westbrook again, an accomplished actress who graces local stages way too infrequently. She inhabited the role of flawed matriarch Arlene perfectly, capturing that sort of blunt inappropriateness that can be charming when done well. Her portrayal set the tone for all the performances in the show, all of the actors getting all the character traits right and not pushing anything too far toward caricature. Barry Pruitt’s homophobic dad could just be loud and a bully, but he’s simply set in his ways. Denis Riva’s Luke could be overtly self-deluding or even self-loathing, but Riva made him a generally sunny individual dealing with a difficult core conflict.
The real discovery here is Chris O’Neill in his role of Adam. He is given the richest material to navigate and a character who weathers many ups and downs, and he really embraces the challenge with winning gusto. In smaller but pivotal roles, Georgia Rogers Farmer and Matt Mitchell both made their characters real people, not just “the Christian friend” or “the fag hag.”
Overall, I really liked this production because of those performances. The show also does a good job of introducing subjects of faith and sexual orientation; as Susan Haubenstock put it, it’s a “real conversation starter.” However, I do share the opinion of my colleague, Rich Griset, that there is a lot, perhaps too much, left unclear. Among the questions Griset mentioned were “How does devout Luke reconcile his evangelical Christian views with his homosexuality?” and “How does Luke’s father, Butch, deal with the realization that his son is gay?” As an audience member, I don’t necessarily need answers to these questions, but more insight into how the characters wrestled with them would have been appreciated.
Also, at this point, homosexuality-denying parents are a little boring to me as characters, even as expertly portrayed by Westbrook and Pruitt. I’m not saying that they aren’t still out there in force in the real world or that the issue of gay people telling their parents about their orientation isn’t still a very real issue. But I guess I’m hopeful that the tide has truly turned on some issues and when you have a loud and proud gay couple at the center of the country’s top rated sitcom (Modern Family), more interesting dramatic constructs now can be explored involving kids who come out at earlier and earlier ages, or ones that come out as gay and then ending up having heterosexual relationships later on.
What was interesting to me were the two devoutly Christian gay characters and the contrasts in the ways they maneuvered through their lives. One was seemingly sunny and well-adjusted, the other seemed a bit tightly wound and obviously conflicted. But both clearly struggled with reconciling their faith and their sexuality. I would have loved to see a little more of those struggles brought to the fore but, to the extent that “Next Fall” explores this otherwise under-represented realm, I think it is an admirable work.
One final word on the Daisey controversy I’ve been dwelling on: the storyteller posted the kind of comprehensive and unequivocal apology that people have been waiting for on his blog last night. While I’ll never quite understand why he didn’t do this weeks ago, it’s heartening to me to see him respond to the vehement and legitimate criticisms launched his way. Time to turn the page on that story…
Though it is now old news, here are a few thoughts on “Next Fall,” which closed two weekends ago at Triangle Players. I’m glad I was able to sneak out to see this show before it closed if, for no other reason, to see Dawn Westbrook again, an accomplished actress who graces local stages way too infrequently. She inhabited the role of flawed matriarch Arlene perfectly, capturing that sort of blunt inappropriateness that can be charming when done well. Her portrayal set the tone for all the performances in the show, all of the actors getting all the character traits right and not pushing anything too far toward caricature. Barry Pruitt’s homophobic dad could just be loud and a bully, but he’s simply set in his ways. Denis Riva’s Luke could be overtly self-deluding or even self-loathing, but Riva made him a generally sunny individual dealing with a difficult core conflict.
The real discovery here is Chris O’Neill in his role of Adam. He is given the richest material to navigate and a character who weathers many ups and downs, and he really embraces the challenge with winning gusto. In smaller but pivotal roles, Georgia Rogers Farmer and Matt Mitchell both made their characters real people, not just “the Christian friend” or “the fag hag.”
Overall, I really liked this production because of those performances. The show also does a good job of introducing subjects of faith and sexual orientation; as Susan Haubenstock put it, it’s a “real conversation starter.” However, I do share the opinion of my colleague, Rich Griset, that there is a lot, perhaps too much, left unclear. Among the questions Griset mentioned were “How does devout Luke reconcile his evangelical Christian views with his homosexuality?” and “How does Luke’s father, Butch, deal with the realization that his son is gay?” As an audience member, I don’t necessarily need answers to these questions, but more insight into how the characters wrestled with them would have been appreciated.
Also, at this point, homosexuality-denying parents are a little boring to me as characters, even as expertly portrayed by Westbrook and Pruitt. I’m not saying that they aren’t still out there in force in the real world or that the issue of gay people telling their parents about their orientation isn’t still a very real issue. But I guess I’m hopeful that the tide has truly turned on some issues and when you have a loud and proud gay couple at the center of the country’s top rated sitcom (Modern Family), more interesting dramatic constructs now can be explored involving kids who come out at earlier and earlier ages, or ones that come out as gay and then ending up having heterosexual relationships later on.
What was interesting to me were the two devoutly Christian gay characters and the contrasts in the ways they maneuvered through their lives. One was seemingly sunny and well-adjusted, the other seemed a bit tightly wound and obviously conflicted. But both clearly struggled with reconciling their faith and their sexuality. I would have loved to see a little more of those struggles brought to the fore but, to the extent that “Next Fall” explores this otherwise under-represented realm, I think it is an admirable work.
One final word on the Daisey controversy I’ve been dwelling on: the storyteller posted the kind of comprehensive and unequivocal apology that people have been waiting for on his blog last night. While I’ll never quite understand why he didn’t do this weeks ago, it’s heartening to me to see him respond to the vehement and legitimate criticisms launched his way. Time to turn the page on that story…
Friday, March 23, 2012
Stinky Daisey
I usually enjoy “meta” devices in movies, books and plays and while “The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales” doesn’t approach “Adaptation” or “[title of show]” level cleverness, it was certainly a fun introduction to the “meta” construct for kids. The danger with any work of this kind, of course, is that it struggles to be about anything except itself. Even with that limitation, “Stinky” was an entertaining romp and an hour of ridiculous was welcome after the run of shows I’ve been to lately (“August,” “Next Fall,” “Sweeney Todd.”)
The production featured two actresses who I always enjoy on stage, Maggie Roop and Alison Gilman; an actor who is quickly becoming a favorite, Todd Patterson; and a gang of people I’d never seen before but hope to see again. Deejay Gray and Mauricio Marces engaged the audience with many comic pratfalls, their running about before the show started delighting the kids. Though making her Theatre IV debut, Betzi Hekman fit in to the antics well, making quite a fetching Frog Princess. Statuesque and versatile in her protrayals, Sarah Roquemore seems like someone out of TV sitcom to me: I just expected her to be funny as soon as she walked on stage and she didn’t disappoint. I’m hoping she’ll be gracing more Richmond stages in the future.
The costumes by Elizabeth Weiss Hopper were particularly spectacular for this production; so good that I was hoping (probably in vain) the wee ones in the audience were appreciating the level of artistry they were being exposed to. The only somewhat odd thing was that the show was a musical but I didn’t notice any specific musical credits given. I guess all the music was canned and/or public domain? Anyway, though I expect some kids – and even a few adults – were a little befuddled by the “meta” material, I thought it was a peppy little diversion and a great way to spend an hour at the theater.
I keep trying to get around to writing down my thoughts about “Next Fall” but time and work keep conspiring against me. I also continue to be distracted by the whole Michael Daisey thing. Both CNN and EW have done well-considered and literate commentary on the whole thing. I’ve read these eagerly, hoping someone will encapsolate eloquently the reason the whole thing ticks me off so much. The CNN piece gets close in talking about how blasé many students are about this kind of thing. I guess I’m old fashioned but I still believe in something at least close to objective truth. And I can’t help but see this kind of distortion of the truth as just another flavor of the distortion political ranters and ravers spew, the kind of people who call Obama a “socialist” or who deny the Holocaust. Sure, Daisey was trying to do good, but he was also trying to forward his career. And there is something slimily political about his continual inability to take responsibility for out-and-out lying.
Perhaps the most concise summary of what I think of Daisey is reflected in this, from the EW piece: “He's like a cop who plants evidence on someone he believes in his heart to be guilty. Maybe the suspect is guilty, but now it's harder to know. And Daisey's arrogance in the glare of getting caught makes it increasingly difficult to empathize with him.”
The production featured two actresses who I always enjoy on stage, Maggie Roop and Alison Gilman; an actor who is quickly becoming a favorite, Todd Patterson; and a gang of people I’d never seen before but hope to see again. Deejay Gray and Mauricio Marces engaged the audience with many comic pratfalls, their running about before the show started delighting the kids. Though making her Theatre IV debut, Betzi Hekman fit in to the antics well, making quite a fetching Frog Princess. Statuesque and versatile in her protrayals, Sarah Roquemore seems like someone out of TV sitcom to me: I just expected her to be funny as soon as she walked on stage and she didn’t disappoint. I’m hoping she’ll be gracing more Richmond stages in the future.
The costumes by Elizabeth Weiss Hopper were particularly spectacular for this production; so good that I was hoping (probably in vain) the wee ones in the audience were appreciating the level of artistry they were being exposed to. The only somewhat odd thing was that the show was a musical but I didn’t notice any specific musical credits given. I guess all the music was canned and/or public domain? Anyway, though I expect some kids – and even a few adults – were a little befuddled by the “meta” material, I thought it was a peppy little diversion and a great way to spend an hour at the theater.
I keep trying to get around to writing down my thoughts about “Next Fall” but time and work keep conspiring against me. I also continue to be distracted by the whole Michael Daisey thing. Both CNN and EW have done well-considered and literate commentary on the whole thing. I’ve read these eagerly, hoping someone will encapsolate eloquently the reason the whole thing ticks me off so much. The CNN piece gets close in talking about how blasé many students are about this kind of thing. I guess I’m old fashioned but I still believe in something at least close to objective truth. And I can’t help but see this kind of distortion of the truth as just another flavor of the distortion political ranters and ravers spew, the kind of people who call Obama a “socialist” or who deny the Holocaust. Sure, Daisey was trying to do good, but he was also trying to forward his career. And there is something slimily political about his continual inability to take responsibility for out-and-out lying.
Perhaps the most concise summary of what I think of Daisey is reflected in this, from the EW piece: “He's like a cop who plants evidence on someone he believes in his heart to be guilty. Maybe the suspect is guilty, but now it's harder to know. And Daisey's arrogance in the glare of getting caught makes it increasingly difficult to empathize with him.”
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
The Demon Barber of Maggie Walker
Watching a high school production always provides something interesting. I don’t go to a school production expecting Broadway-caliber stagecraft so I’m often surprised by a) talent that exceeds my expectations and b) missteps or deficiencies that happen in ways that provide insight into the theatrical process.
I saw Maggie Walker’s production of “Sweeney Todd” on Thursday and it delivered everything an audience member could have expected and more. The show only ran last weekend so unfortunately it’s too late to see it if you missed it. (But I hear from very reliable sources that there is another quality high school show around: a collection of one-acts called “An Evening of the Absurd” at the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School in Petersburg that runs through this coming weekend – check it out!)
You really have to start at the top when considering these shows. “Sweeney” was directed by Matt Polson so you know a talented and experienced hand was at the helm. (ARGS’s “Evening” is directed by Morrie Piersol, also no slouch.) Polson clearly had a vision of a dank and spooky London underbelly that he wanted to realize on stage and he succeeded. One of the highlights for me (and something not uncommon in a high school production) was the commitment of the chorus. To a member, they imbued every mention of “the demon barber of fleet street” with as much sinister vigor as they could.
I was impressed with the level of male talent in the production. “Glee” notwithstanding, talented, singing boys willing to commit time to the stage are still not that common in high school. I thought Andrew Morton did a fine job as the title characer, Jacob Wilson was a stand-out as Toby (how can you not melt at the song “Not While I’m Around”?), and Daniel Burruss had a creepy old man vibe about him unusual in one so young. The star of the show for me was Annie Hulcher as Mrs. Lovett, who has a great strong voice and was appropriately creepy but also relatable as the ethics-free Mrs. Lovett.
The set designed by Rebekah Barnett was remarkable for a high school production – particularly the mechanism Sweeney uses to send his “customers” on their way – as was the lighting design by Lucie Hanes. The only place where the production kind of let me down was in the “beggar woman” reveal. To me, this is the lynchpin of the tragedy (and what a devastating tragedy it is) and it didn’t quite come across as big as I’d have liked it. I mentioned this moment in the show to the suave and talented Stephen Ryan who I saw on Sunday and he suggested that maybe in high school, actors don’t quite have the life experience to embody such a massive moment of inadvertent self-destruction. I think that’s probably a wise insight.
However, that one moment did not significantly detract from a production that was affecting in most other ways. Sondheim is a pretty high hurdle to leap and the Maggie Walker crew cleared it nicely, particularly for a still aspiring young troupe.
I had the occasion to talk to Mr. Ryan because I ran into him at the final performance of “The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales” at Theatre IV. I’m glad I got to see this wacky little show before it closed and I’ll tell you why tomorrow.
I saw Maggie Walker’s production of “Sweeney Todd” on Thursday and it delivered everything an audience member could have expected and more. The show only ran last weekend so unfortunately it’s too late to see it if you missed it. (But I hear from very reliable sources that there is another quality high school show around: a collection of one-acts called “An Evening of the Absurd” at the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School in Petersburg that runs through this coming weekend – check it out!)
You really have to start at the top when considering these shows. “Sweeney” was directed by Matt Polson so you know a talented and experienced hand was at the helm. (ARGS’s “Evening” is directed by Morrie Piersol, also no slouch.) Polson clearly had a vision of a dank and spooky London underbelly that he wanted to realize on stage and he succeeded. One of the highlights for me (and something not uncommon in a high school production) was the commitment of the chorus. To a member, they imbued every mention of “the demon barber of fleet street” with as much sinister vigor as they could.
I was impressed with the level of male talent in the production. “Glee” notwithstanding, talented, singing boys willing to commit time to the stage are still not that common in high school. I thought Andrew Morton did a fine job as the title characer, Jacob Wilson was a stand-out as Toby (how can you not melt at the song “Not While I’m Around”?), and Daniel Burruss had a creepy old man vibe about him unusual in one so young. The star of the show for me was Annie Hulcher as Mrs. Lovett, who has a great strong voice and was appropriately creepy but also relatable as the ethics-free Mrs. Lovett.
The set designed by Rebekah Barnett was remarkable for a high school production – particularly the mechanism Sweeney uses to send his “customers” on their way – as was the lighting design by Lucie Hanes. The only place where the production kind of let me down was in the “beggar woman” reveal. To me, this is the lynchpin of the tragedy (and what a devastating tragedy it is) and it didn’t quite come across as big as I’d have liked it. I mentioned this moment in the show to the suave and talented Stephen Ryan who I saw on Sunday and he suggested that maybe in high school, actors don’t quite have the life experience to embody such a massive moment of inadvertent self-destruction. I think that’s probably a wise insight.
However, that one moment did not significantly detract from a production that was affecting in most other ways. Sondheim is a pretty high hurdle to leap and the Maggie Walker crew cleared it nicely, particularly for a still aspiring young troupe.
I had the occasion to talk to Mr. Ryan because I ran into him at the final performance of “The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales” at Theatre IV. I’m glad I got to see this wacky little show before it closed and I’ll tell you why tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
"It’s not journalism, it’s theater"
Sorry y’all: I’ve been trying to keep up at least a weekly presence on this here blog but I missed yesterday due to a Mac-to-PC conversion fail and my thoughts on Maggie Walker’s “Sweeney Todd,” Theatre IV’s “Stinky Cheese Man,” and Triangle Players’ “Next Fall” are now being reconstructed by a diligent but slow-moving team of squirrels working in the bowels of my laptop. I’ll get them posted tomorrow.
In the meantime, I’ve been following the dust-up over the Mike Daisey monologue show with much interest and was finally able to listen to the “This American Life” retraction last night.
I don’t know if anyone else out there in Richmond theater land is as interested but there are intriguing definitional issues being discussed here, all with the backdrop of our tortured relationship with China as the context. I’m a long-time fan of This American Life and I heard the original broadcast of Daisey’s monologue. It is a very powerful story and taps into some of the main reasons I have been so interested in China for the past 6-7 years.
When questions were raised about the truthfulness of Daisey’s account, it took the whole subject to another level for me. The irony is that, while Daisey’s monologue explores the way an American company exploits Chinese workers, the resulting fabrications show that Daisey himself was exploiting the situation in China for his own gain, that is, to develop a powerful – and lucrative – performance piece. So while we could be spending time looking at this messed up economic and cultural relationship we have with China, instead the focus turns to more esoteric questions about what is truth and what responsibility an artist has to label what he or she does.
These are certainly interesting questions. But, in the end, I think Daisey blew his credibility by not coming clean when asked directly about whether something was truthful or not. Sure, an artist has license and, in the context of a stage show, may wander freely from the strict bounds of journalistic integrity. But still, I think when someone is fact-checking your piece and you outright lie, it no longer becomes about the freedom of expression of an artist. It comes down to a person simply not having integrity.
Those are my thoughts on the Daisey question. If anyone cares to hear my thoughts on broader questions about China, buy me a beer sometime and we can talk (don’t everyone rush to get in line at once!) And whether anyone buys me a beer or not, I’m posting some thoughts on the shows I’ve seen lately tomorrow. Because, instead of having to choose between journalism and theater, I’m still playing at being a theater journalist. I'm hoping that'll work out for me in the long run.
In the meantime, I’ve been following the dust-up over the Mike Daisey monologue show with much interest and was finally able to listen to the “This American Life” retraction last night.
I don’t know if anyone else out there in Richmond theater land is as interested but there are intriguing definitional issues being discussed here, all with the backdrop of our tortured relationship with China as the context. I’m a long-time fan of This American Life and I heard the original broadcast of Daisey’s monologue. It is a very powerful story and taps into some of the main reasons I have been so interested in China for the past 6-7 years.
When questions were raised about the truthfulness of Daisey’s account, it took the whole subject to another level for me. The irony is that, while Daisey’s monologue explores the way an American company exploits Chinese workers, the resulting fabrications show that Daisey himself was exploiting the situation in China for his own gain, that is, to develop a powerful – and lucrative – performance piece. So while we could be spending time looking at this messed up economic and cultural relationship we have with China, instead the focus turns to more esoteric questions about what is truth and what responsibility an artist has to label what he or she does.
These are certainly interesting questions. But, in the end, I think Daisey blew his credibility by not coming clean when asked directly about whether something was truthful or not. Sure, an artist has license and, in the context of a stage show, may wander freely from the strict bounds of journalistic integrity. But still, I think when someone is fact-checking your piece and you outright lie, it no longer becomes about the freedom of expression of an artist. It comes down to a person simply not having integrity.
Those are my thoughts on the Daisey question. If anyone cares to hear my thoughts on broader questions about China, buy me a beer sometime and we can talk (don’t everyone rush to get in line at once!) And whether anyone buys me a beer or not, I’m posting some thoughts on the shows I’ve seen lately tomorrow. Because, instead of having to choose between journalism and theater, I’m still playing at being a theater journalist. I'm hoping that'll work out for me in the long run.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Adjectives
Adjectives are among the most potent tools a critic has. Particularly with the shrinkage of newspaper inches devoted to arts journalism, other tools like the elaborate metaphor or the perceptive historical parallel don’t get used nearly as often.
In his review of “August: Osage County” (link on the right), Mr. Griset at Style used the following four adjectives in one of his concluding sentences: Intense, angry, epic and devastating. This is the kind of show that prompts such an overflow of superlatives. After I saw it this past Saturday, the word that seemed most appropriate to me was ‘staggering.’ Thanks to the incredible writing by Tracy Letts, time spent with the Weston family is never boring but often brutal. Many of the revelations and interactions are pretty staggering but so are the biting intrusions of humor that, as an audience member, have you reeling back and forth between elation and despair. For people (like me) who like shows that are like roller coasters, it was exhilarating.
Of course, Keri Wormald needs to be singled out for putting this whole thing together and the set by Phil Hayes was particularly impressive. There are marquee roles here: Melissa Johnston Price is magnificent as Barb and Melanie Richards does fine work as Violet. The show is so stuffed with great performances, however, that pulling out favorites simply isn’t possible. One minute, Katie McCall is amazing, the next minute Gordon Bass impresses. Jodie Smith Strickler commands the stage, then Karen Stanley demands attention for completely different reasons.
But since plenty of praise had been handed out related to this production, I want to recognize two possibly less obvious components that really enhanced my enjoyment of the show. One was the quiet but still extraordinary performance by Carolyn Meade as Johnna. She is like the calm in the midst of the storm, a slice of relative normalcy that makes the madness around her all the more affecting. She also communicates as much in her sharp look in response to the word “costumes” as some actors do in a whole soliloquy.
And lastly, the original music by Steve Organ both sets the stage for the action and provides welcome respite during the intermissions. It helps establish a somewhat rural Gothic vibe and is just plain good stuff to listen to.
In addition to the obvious emotional and comic gifts the show provides thanks to its epic story and fantastic writing, it also leaves you with one last one: no matter how messed up your life seems, you can be thankful you are not one of the Westons.
One last note: since this is an online forum of sorts that you are reading right now, you might be interested in the opinions of one leading tech innovator on the role of comments. In the past there has been wrangling about comments left here or on the Style site. You can tell from this article that these kinds of issues are being debated all over the place, with no real clear ideas about what to do to improve the situation. If you have any ideas, please feel free to comment!
In his review of “August: Osage County” (link on the right), Mr. Griset at Style used the following four adjectives in one of his concluding sentences: Intense, angry, epic and devastating. This is the kind of show that prompts such an overflow of superlatives. After I saw it this past Saturday, the word that seemed most appropriate to me was ‘staggering.’ Thanks to the incredible writing by Tracy Letts, time spent with the Weston family is never boring but often brutal. Many of the revelations and interactions are pretty staggering but so are the biting intrusions of humor that, as an audience member, have you reeling back and forth between elation and despair. For people (like me) who like shows that are like roller coasters, it was exhilarating.
Of course, Keri Wormald needs to be singled out for putting this whole thing together and the set by Phil Hayes was particularly impressive. There are marquee roles here: Melissa Johnston Price is magnificent as Barb and Melanie Richards does fine work as Violet. The show is so stuffed with great performances, however, that pulling out favorites simply isn’t possible. One minute, Katie McCall is amazing, the next minute Gordon Bass impresses. Jodie Smith Strickler commands the stage, then Karen Stanley demands attention for completely different reasons.
But since plenty of praise had been handed out related to this production, I want to recognize two possibly less obvious components that really enhanced my enjoyment of the show. One was the quiet but still extraordinary performance by Carolyn Meade as Johnna. She is like the calm in the midst of the storm, a slice of relative normalcy that makes the madness around her all the more affecting. She also communicates as much in her sharp look in response to the word “costumes” as some actors do in a whole soliloquy.
And lastly, the original music by Steve Organ both sets the stage for the action and provides welcome respite during the intermissions. It helps establish a somewhat rural Gothic vibe and is just plain good stuff to listen to.
In addition to the obvious emotional and comic gifts the show provides thanks to its epic story and fantastic writing, it also leaves you with one last one: no matter how messed up your life seems, you can be thankful you are not one of the Westons.
One last note: since this is an online forum of sorts that you are reading right now, you might be interested in the opinions of one leading tech innovator on the role of comments. In the past there has been wrangling about comments left here or on the Style site. You can tell from this article that these kinds of issues are being debated all over the place, with no real clear ideas about what to do to improve the situation. If you have any ideas, please feel free to comment!
Monday, March 05, 2012
L.A.
When it comes to theater, Los Angeles has always suffered in comparison to NYC. A lot of virtual ink was spilled on that subject last summer thanks in part to a celebrity panel that was held at the time (my somewhat caustic response to the hubbub can be read here.)
But one very compelling theatrical event happened in L.A. this past weekend that doesn’t seem like it could have happened anywhere else. A reading of the play “8,” a dramatization of the Prop 8 gay marriage trial in California, featured some of the A-listiest of A-list movie stars. You can see the reading in its entirety on YouTube. I think this is an awesome use of old school theater, modern media, and convenient location to create a truly unique event…that’s also pretty entertaining. I haven’t watched the whole thing but there are some definitely funny bits near the beginning. I wish the event had received a little more coverage but hopefully friends will continue to tell friends about this as time goes on (and perhaps as so-called “lifestyle” issues come into play later on in the presidential campaign.)
I also had L.A. on my mind this weekend because of seeing “God of Carnage” at the Barksdale on Thursday. I saw this show with its original Broadway cast out in L.A. last summer. As much as I try to approach each production without baggage from previous stagings of the same show, this one was hard. I had a good time at the Barksdale and my lovely wife liked the production quite a lot. But while very entertaining, this production didn’t rock my world. As much as I have adored Bo Wilson’s direction of other shows, aspects of this one felt rushed to me with some of the swings in dynamics between the foursome of characters happening too quickly for my tastes. I wondered about other choices as well; e.g., Michael’s wearing of the wall-hanging was more awkward that revealing to me.
Still, the comedy is sharp in this show and all of the actors had their moments to shine. In general, I ended up liking the women better than the men but it probably isn’t fair because Dan Stearns and Jay Millman were competing with the echoes of Jeff Daniels and James Gandolfini in my memory. Susan Sanford rarely disappoints and she certainly doesn’t in this show, showing the most skill in navigating the wide range of emotions spanned in just over 70 minutes. Jan Guarino’s bitingly insightful commentary delivered as a genial drunken rant was one of the highlights.
You have to applaud Barksdale for mounting this production and challenging Richmond audiences to come out for some adult humor with a distinct edge. I hope they’ve been getting good houses and the tepid response the screen adaptation of the show received hasn’t adversely affected public sentiment about checking it out.
But one very compelling theatrical event happened in L.A. this past weekend that doesn’t seem like it could have happened anywhere else. A reading of the play “8,” a dramatization of the Prop 8 gay marriage trial in California, featured some of the A-listiest of A-list movie stars. You can see the reading in its entirety on YouTube. I think this is an awesome use of old school theater, modern media, and convenient location to create a truly unique event…that’s also pretty entertaining. I haven’t watched the whole thing but there are some definitely funny bits near the beginning. I wish the event had received a little more coverage but hopefully friends will continue to tell friends about this as time goes on (and perhaps as so-called “lifestyle” issues come into play later on in the presidential campaign.)
I also had L.A. on my mind this weekend because of seeing “God of Carnage” at the Barksdale on Thursday. I saw this show with its original Broadway cast out in L.A. last summer. As much as I try to approach each production without baggage from previous stagings of the same show, this one was hard. I had a good time at the Barksdale and my lovely wife liked the production quite a lot. But while very entertaining, this production didn’t rock my world. As much as I have adored Bo Wilson’s direction of other shows, aspects of this one felt rushed to me with some of the swings in dynamics between the foursome of characters happening too quickly for my tastes. I wondered about other choices as well; e.g., Michael’s wearing of the wall-hanging was more awkward that revealing to me.
Still, the comedy is sharp in this show and all of the actors had their moments to shine. In general, I ended up liking the women better than the men but it probably isn’t fair because Dan Stearns and Jay Millman were competing with the echoes of Jeff Daniels and James Gandolfini in my memory. Susan Sanford rarely disappoints and she certainly doesn’t in this show, showing the most skill in navigating the wide range of emotions spanned in just over 70 minutes. Jan Guarino’s bitingly insightful commentary delivered as a genial drunken rant was one of the highlights.
You have to applaud Barksdale for mounting this production and challenging Richmond audiences to come out for some adult humor with a distinct edge. I hope they’ve been getting good houses and the tepid response the screen adaptation of the show received hasn’t adversely affected public sentiment about checking it out.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Brain Dump
I have been away from this space for awhile, not physically but mentally and emotionally. I’ve seen several shows but my mind has been preoccupied by work and home life. The little spare brain space that I’ve had has been busy with the struggle between a) exploring options for leaving Virginia for somewhere where leaders are more concerned with people walking around trying to make a living versus fetuses, and b) figuring out how best to work toward rationality and equality right here. Leaving looks more attractive every day.
The productions I’ve seen have mostly been very good, though I still feel like there are just scads of things I’m missing. “August: Osage County” seems to be the show on everybody’s lips these days, making me especially happy that it’s been extended a week as it may take another week for me to get out to see it. With “Next Fall” and “Shakespeare & Galileo” now up and running, the slew of openings seems to have abated so I can catch up.
Some quick thoughts on what I’ve seen lately:
I was very happy with “Macbeth.” The last time RichShakes staged it, I was distinctly underwhelmed, the only stand-outs I remember being Laine Satterfield as the leader of a particularly bewitching coterie of witches. This recent production moved quickly (perhaps a little too quickly in places) with scenes that were consistently impactful. Ryan Bechard was a perfect choice for the underhanded but conflicted Scot. I was captivated by two actors I don’t remember seeing on stage before, Andrew Mitakides and Zoe Speas. In different ways, each of them was formidable both physically and emotionally on stage. Judging from their bios, they may not be seen locally again for some time so I was glad to get a chance to see them in action.
“Topdog / Underdog” was/is exceptional. The script can be a little puzzling at times and there is a lot of time spent repeating the same basic ‘3 card monte’ patter. I remember thinking the dressing-up-as-Lincoln bit was just bizarre in a previous production I saw. But I felt Ms. Saine minimized the surreal and zeroed in on the characters for this production. And, as I said in my review, she really chose well when casting. Ronnie Brown is simply an electric presence on stage, as anybody who saw him as the devil in “Judas Iscariot” last season can verify (Correction: Mr. Brown of course portrayed Pontius Pilate and masterfully. Vinnie Gonzalez was a delightfully evil devil. Oops!). Here he is both eager and street smart and deeply angry in ways that don’t really become apparent until the second act. Most remarkable here though is Delvin Young’s transition during the play, from downtrodden to triumphant. None of it was overplayed, making the conclusion especially devastating.
I enjoyed “Lion King” much more than I expected to. I appreciate Liz Jewett’s review of the production because, based on a previous production I saw, I expected to have a similar reaction. In the end, however, I couldn’t deny that the technical wizardry – plus some very strong performances – had truly transported me. I don’t usually go in for spectacle for spectacle’s sake but obviously I was taken in by it at the Landmark. The acoustics were pretty darn bad though, which was a little surprising because I thought they were pretty good for “Wicked.”
I had some problems with “Lord of the Flies.” The kids were mostly good, with Eric Evans getting a lot of deserved praise and Sean Wyland simply heart-breaking as Simon. I thought Connor Wilkerson didn’t get the attention he deserved, his innocence coming across plainly and naturally. But, in an effort to streamline the show, I think Josh Chenard cut out too much of the story and the results did not have much modulation. The energy on stage was often manic versus enthusiastic. In the end, I felt like I was shouted at for an hour and a half. But if I didn’t categorically love the results, I appreciated the boldness of the effort. The staging was very clever (if a little cramped) and Joe Doran’s lights were fantastic as usual.
I’ll be seeing a couple more shows this weekend, I hope, and continuing to be thankful for the thriving art scene here in Richmond. To paraphrase Monty Python, I’ll be trying to look on the bright side of life (and if that’s kicked off a little earworm for anyone, you’re welcome!)
UPDATE: Though I had it scheduled as opening last week, it looks like "Shakespeare and Galileo" is NOT open at this time. Sorry for any confusion!
The productions I’ve seen have mostly been very good, though I still feel like there are just scads of things I’m missing. “August: Osage County” seems to be the show on everybody’s lips these days, making me especially happy that it’s been extended a week as it may take another week for me to get out to see it. With “Next Fall” and “Shakespeare & Galileo” now up and running, the slew of openings seems to have abated so I can catch up.
Some quick thoughts on what I’ve seen lately:
I was very happy with “Macbeth.” The last time RichShakes staged it, I was distinctly underwhelmed, the only stand-outs I remember being Laine Satterfield as the leader of a particularly bewitching coterie of witches. This recent production moved quickly (perhaps a little too quickly in places) with scenes that were consistently impactful. Ryan Bechard was a perfect choice for the underhanded but conflicted Scot. I was captivated by two actors I don’t remember seeing on stage before, Andrew Mitakides and Zoe Speas. In different ways, each of them was formidable both physically and emotionally on stage. Judging from their bios, they may not be seen locally again for some time so I was glad to get a chance to see them in action.
“Topdog / Underdog” was/is exceptional. The script can be a little puzzling at times and there is a lot of time spent repeating the same basic ‘3 card monte’ patter. I remember thinking the dressing-up-as-Lincoln bit was just bizarre in a previous production I saw. But I felt Ms. Saine minimized the surreal and zeroed in on the characters for this production. And, as I said in my review, she really chose well when casting. Ronnie Brown is simply an electric presence on stage, as anybody who saw him as the devil in “Judas Iscariot” last season can verify (Correction: Mr. Brown of course portrayed Pontius Pilate and masterfully. Vinnie Gonzalez was a delightfully evil devil. Oops!). Here he is both eager and street smart and deeply angry in ways that don’t really become apparent until the second act. Most remarkable here though is Delvin Young’s transition during the play, from downtrodden to triumphant. None of it was overplayed, making the conclusion especially devastating.
I enjoyed “Lion King” much more than I expected to. I appreciate Liz Jewett’s review of the production because, based on a previous production I saw, I expected to have a similar reaction. In the end, however, I couldn’t deny that the technical wizardry – plus some very strong performances – had truly transported me. I don’t usually go in for spectacle for spectacle’s sake but obviously I was taken in by it at the Landmark. The acoustics were pretty darn bad though, which was a little surprising because I thought they were pretty good for “Wicked.”
I had some problems with “Lord of the Flies.” The kids were mostly good, with Eric Evans getting a lot of deserved praise and Sean Wyland simply heart-breaking as Simon. I thought Connor Wilkerson didn’t get the attention he deserved, his innocence coming across plainly and naturally. But, in an effort to streamline the show, I think Josh Chenard cut out too much of the story and the results did not have much modulation. The energy on stage was often manic versus enthusiastic. In the end, I felt like I was shouted at for an hour and a half. But if I didn’t categorically love the results, I appreciated the boldness of the effort. The staging was very clever (if a little cramped) and Joe Doran’s lights were fantastic as usual.
I’ll be seeing a couple more shows this weekend, I hope, and continuing to be thankful for the thriving art scene here in Richmond. To paraphrase Monty Python, I’ll be trying to look on the bright side of life (and if that’s kicked off a little earworm for anyone, you’re welcome!)
UPDATE: Though I had it scheduled as opening last week, it looks like "Shakespeare and Galileo" is NOT open at this time. Sorry for any confusion!
Friday, February 17, 2012
The Big One
Four professional mainstage shows open this weekend. A national tour rolled in on Wednesday. As part of the Acts of Faith festival, Jewish Family Theatre at the JCC raises the curtain on “Conversations with my Father.” Theatre VCU’s “The Elephant Man” finishes up on Sunday (U of R’s “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” came and went like the breeze last weekend). Five other mainstage shows are still running. How can you NOT see a show this weekend? I’m seeing two.
Weeks like this remind me of the sad state of arts journalism. With all of this going on, I am just amazed that there isn’t a full-time staff person involved with any local media outlet who is wholly or even least partially dedicated to covering theater. While all of the live stage activity is a testament to the vibrancy of the local scene, the lack of dedicated coverage leaves a big hole in the consciousness of most local patrons. Richmonders may have been bombarded by “Lion King” ads in print and on TV but only those predisposed to looking for stage stuff will know about “August: Osage County.” Only those willing to look a little further afield will know about “Topdog/Underdog” at Sycamore Rouge. Volunteer journalists like me can’t get the word to the greater population and Facebook and Twitter can only do so much.
So it’s up to us, theater fans. Get the word out, tell your friends AND your enemies about everything that’s happening on Richmond stages. Put posters up at work. Use gatherings like Monday’s “Stand for Women’s Rights” action to talk to people about the great shows you’ve seen (in addition to protesting the heinous bills being considered by the hypocritical Virginia legislature).
There’s so much good stuff happening; it’d be a shame for people to miss it.
PS: If you haven't seen it, you may want to check out this item in Style about the change of leadership at AART. It's an online only item that didn't make it into print this week.
Weeks like this remind me of the sad state of arts journalism. With all of this going on, I am just amazed that there isn’t a full-time staff person involved with any local media outlet who is wholly or even least partially dedicated to covering theater. While all of the live stage activity is a testament to the vibrancy of the local scene, the lack of dedicated coverage leaves a big hole in the consciousness of most local patrons. Richmonders may have been bombarded by “Lion King” ads in print and on TV but only those predisposed to looking for stage stuff will know about “August: Osage County.” Only those willing to look a little further afield will know about “Topdog/Underdog” at Sycamore Rouge. Volunteer journalists like me can’t get the word to the greater population and Facebook and Twitter can only do so much.
So it’s up to us, theater fans. Get the word out, tell your friends AND your enemies about everything that’s happening on Richmond stages. Put posters up at work. Use gatherings like Monday’s “Stand for Women’s Rights” action to talk to people about the great shows you’ve seen (in addition to protesting the heinous bills being considered by the hypocritical Virginia legislature).
There’s so much good stuff happening; it’d be a shame for people to miss it.
PS: If you haven't seen it, you may want to check out this item in Style about the change of leadership at AART. It's an online only item that didn't make it into print this week.
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