tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63246850906300980482024-02-20T12:11:07.547-05:00ARTS AMERICA: Berkshires, Broadway and BeyondLarry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.comBlogger223125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-52469757846255592132011-02-27T12:08:00.009-05:002011-02-27T12:28:47.445-05:00Randy Harrison sings The Who's "Tommy" in new Berkshire Theatre Festival production<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qadFELpLYOQeuvdCXr7YMwPhuhyphenhyphenM25wajnYdJxNcxphC2mwuN0tzEQ7H9MA8KifagAB1Lcb0-D5tp-gKMYlEmK1JMVSWmamoWQe47EEXjVQOl0l7fH2aMYccLi_0CWARFXN2SHO6i4QL/s1600/bosrandytommy_edited-3.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qadFELpLYOQeuvdCXr7YMwPhuhyphenhyphenM25wajnYdJxNcxphC2mwuN0tzEQ7H9MA8KifagAB1Lcb0-D5tp-gKMYlEmK1JMVSWmamoWQe47EEXjVQOl0l7fH2aMYccLi_0CWARFXN2SHO6i4QL/s400/bosrandytommy_edited-3.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578418330784998514" /></a><br /><br />As the season announcement of the newly merged Colonial Theatre-Berkshire Theatre Festival began, the schedule of events was handed out to reporters, most of whom were seeing it for the first time. When Kate Maguire opened the floor to questions, the first show to draw questions was the complex and wildly popular rock opera Tommy by Peter Townshend and The Who. Undertaking a rock opera in the Berkshires is rare, especially this one. The Who’s Tommy was first released as a concept album in 1969, and then given the full Broadway treatment in 1993. It toured the country for a decade afterwards.<br /><br />In 2011 the Berkshires will be one of the few places in the world where it can be seen in a fully staged production from the Berkshire Theatre Festival on the stage of the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA. Previews begin July 7, with the opening set for July 9 and the final performance on July 16.<br /><br />There is more about the Berkshire Theatre Festival 2011 season, plus news, previews and interviews at our main site, <a href="http://berkshireonstage.com/">Berkshire on Stage</a>. You can also find Berkshire on Stage at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=109272362443132&ref=ts">Facebook</a>, or our Twitter name is BerkshireStages.<br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZaBpFT7muTZapmV5xoJwHSK2_z3DZtISRY63_Sraj3Mw6w4-UTKiwaJvdfuBl0j1EtMqdqOcf-ZA07yRmp0r3ZM7l3fBkjV3G3IhNkSCBnbLJVbPpP5eeHSUD6YIOzJnO_yYrp46SGFI/s1600/bosjames-barry.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZaBpFT7muTZapmV5xoJwHSK2_z3DZtISRY63_Sraj3Mw6w4-UTKiwaJvdfuBl0j1EtMqdqOcf-ZA07yRmp0r3ZM7l3fBkjV3G3IhNkSCBnbLJVbPpP5eeHSUD6YIOzJnO_yYrp46SGFI/s400/bosjames-barry.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578418616021246322" /></a><br /><center>Actor James Barry seen here in "Bloody, Bloody, Andrew Jackson."</center><br />Tommy is a powerful totem from an earlier age, its music and message still able to reduce an audience to tears, or make them cringe during its unfolding, and then raise the crowd to their feet with cheers as it ends.But the cheers and tears do not come automatically. Eric Hill who will direct the Berkshire Theatre Festival production has signed on for what could be his greatest challenge ever. Even with a long history of complex undertakings behind him, Hill has his work cut out for him. Tommy is as much about the music as it is the story. And it never stops moving. This is one musical that has to be done “right” to work, with split second timing, relentless energy…so difficult in fact that few theatre companies have undertaken it in recent years. It’s real risky.<br /><br />Tommy not only requires perfection in its musical elements (to gloss over them is to risk disaster), but the acting can not take a back seat for even one moment. For that, much of the weight falls on the person who plays the title role, and the actors who play his younger self. Finally the production itself is Dickensonian in its scope, for this is one sweeping, epic tale. Those who were born after its earlier incarnations have quite a theatrical tsunami to look forward to.<br /><br />The casting is exciting. It includes both Randy Harrison who will play Tommy, and James Barry as Captain Walker. James Barry is fresh from the cast of Bloody, Bloody, Andrew Jackson, and has been seen in The Caretaker and The Einstein Project at the Berkshire Theatre Festival.<br /><br /><center>About Randy Harrison</center><br /><br />When the casting was announced,, perhaps the most excited person was the irrepressible Randy Harrison, who said: “I’m very excited to finally sing on a Berkshire stage, and thrilled and honored to be a part of the first Berkshire Theatre Festival production in the gorgeous Colonial Theater.” And being the consummate professional he is, we have no doubt that he is already committing the music and book to memory.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1ZMh2Vt6vyv9g7U6u7Cc-hmXtnBXrc4Z4jZPLUtPxIa7vRy5E-ALYam_kNaHi7wwaRcwgMetPBqznmhbYtYhICYsinxb6BCIcxVGYmrn8_ECHhN72zKr5Yn5HD-uuyRPJsAi6YckDQJP/s1600/bosrandyinset.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 175px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1ZMh2Vt6vyv9g7U6u7Cc-hmXtnBXrc4Z4jZPLUtPxIa7vRy5E-ALYam_kNaHi7wwaRcwgMetPBqznmhbYtYhICYsinxb6BCIcxVGYmrn8_ECHhN72zKr5Yn5HD-uuyRPJsAi6YckDQJP/s400/bosrandyinset.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578419077171102498" /></a><br /><center>Randy Harrison</center><br />While Berkshire audiences know Harrison for his acting abilities in BTF shows like Equus, Waiting for Godot and One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest, he has earned his stripes in musicals as well. He played in Wicked on Broadway, and has extensive musical theatre experience in regional theatre, most notably playing Andy Warhol in Pop! at Yale Rep in 2009.<br /><br /><blockquote>“Since I’ve started working in the Berkshires and in western Massachusetts, I feel re-connected to the New England area. It’s always felt like home to me. I still have some family there. My aunt is there. But now I think of it like a summer home, which is kind of nice.” – Randy Harrison</blockquote><br /><br />Harrison played the youngest member of the cast in the Showtime series Queer as Folk which is still in syndication worldwide. It brought him to the attention of millions of television viewers and could have typecast him as a heartthrob, but after the series finished, he returned to his first love, the stage, and continued to perfect his craft. On the sunny side of 30, Harrison still can play young, and that combined with his deep experience means that we could be in for a Tommy that will sear its music and characters on our memories. You have to see and feel his character for the show to work.<br /><br />At the moment, Harrison is preparing to open in a new play off Broadway. The Red Bull Theater’s “In the Raw” workshop of Margaret, A Tyger’s Heart, which explores the role of the French Queen throughout Shakespeare’s history plays, begins tomorrow, Feb. 25. Michael Sexton directs the work, which is adapted from Shakespeare’s Richard III and Henry VI. Performances are just this weekend at the Theatre at St. Clement’s.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fyAaqH69zArCji7z9EF_0iOd1T69JyEEBAC8m2OWtHmQhmkr-dxT5ppsqmk0Vg2TdwuvKNrIE7eeD5hvNsqzGJHDRJ9JdQf5vZkgnpfm7M2_fQJfb7tdO1zdyV0_1gwJZ-Vt6WRPRw4y/s1600/bosswan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fyAaqH69zArCji7z9EF_0iOd1T69JyEEBAC8m2OWtHmQhmkr-dxT5ppsqmk0Vg2TdwuvKNrIE7eeD5hvNsqzGJHDRJ9JdQf5vZkgnpfm7M2_fQJfb7tdO1zdyV0_1gwJZ-Vt6WRPRw4y/s400/bosswan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578419084193072546" /></a><br /><center>Jenn Harris (l) and Randy Harrison in Jack Ferver's "Swan".</center><br />From March 10-12, the actor and his friends will have a little fun at PS 122 as they undertake their spoof of the film Black Swan, complete with unhinged ballerinas, lurid hallucinations, tons of makeup and stage blood with Harrison playing the mad mother, with Jack Ferver as Lily, the hot new bad ballet girl in town. The cast will also include Christian Coulson and Matthew Wilkas. It promises to be catnip for lovers of camp and spoofery. It is a production of the infamous dancer Jack Ferver and his QWAN (Quality Without a Name) Company. “It is going to be insane,” Ferver said modestly.<br /><br />Harrison maintains a busy schedule in his home base of New York, but uses the Berkshires as his summer retreat, thanks to the Berkshire Theatre Festival.<br /><br /><blockquote>”I want to do Shakespeare. I want to do Chekov. I want to do Beckett. I did Waiting for Godot in the Berkshires. I think it was just a really, really good production. It was a wonderful director, and a wonderful company and people really responded to what we did. I love the play. I love Beckett. I like what I do now.<br /><br />But I’ll also do a musical every three or four years. I miss singing after a while, so I’m always happy when the time comes and I’m like, ”I think I want to do a musical.” And also, there are more jobs in musicals and they pay better. [Laughs.] So it’s good when you want to do one.” – Randy Harrison</blockquote><br /><br /><center>About Tommy’s Creation</center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xA0UTu8ByvVrT424NF8-vOgx6utq4yhn5Q5ZNP8plKTraqJthBq_UaH1fgjwapjfl28moWzI_BiohYt4maF5-b7T26t97VsUxVOWewuJqkeWeGp7NrT2syP0CPbTT_gl5tny5cdSUVhT/s1600/bospinballwizard.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xA0UTu8ByvVrT424NF8-vOgx6utq4yhn5Q5ZNP8plKTraqJthBq_UaH1fgjwapjfl28moWzI_BiohYt4maF5-b7T26t97VsUxVOWewuJqkeWeGp7NrT2syP0CPbTT_gl5tny5cdSUVhT/s400/bospinballwizard.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578419084319561362" /></a><br /><center>Tommy becomes a Pinball Wizard.</center><br />In 1968, Pete Townshend told Rolling Stone he was working on a rock opera about a deaf, dumb, and blind boy. Townshend had rejected psychedelic drugs and discovered mysticism, and wanted to represent different states of consciousness through the story and music. It was only after rock journalist Nic Cohn gave an early version a cool reception that Townshend, knowing Cohn to be a pinball fan, made Tommy a Pinball Wizard. But the plot is much darker than anything you can experience at the local arcade, and varies among the many incarnations of The Who’s eponymous 1969 album. It was played live at Woodstock, and appeared as a ballet, a symphonic recording, a movie, an all-star stage performance, and, in 1993, a Broadway musical.<br /><br />The original rock opera, The Who’s Tommy is at once a show-stopping rock concert and a cautionary tale of the power and perils of celebrity. We witness Tommy Walker from his birth, through the shocking episodes of his childhood that render him deaf, mute and blind, as he conquers the world with his stardom, and finally after the crowds have turned on him. Featuring legendary songs by the Who, including “Pinball Wizard,” “See Me, Feel Me” and “Tommy, Can You Hear Me?” this promises to be the event of the summer in the Berkshires.<br /><br /><center>Schedule and Ticketing</center><br /><br />Previews are July 7 and 8 with opening night July 9. It plays until July 16 with tickets priced at $49, 40 and 20. Performances are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday at 7pm, Thursday and Saturday at 2pm. Subscriptions now, otherwise single tickets for all events go on sale March 14 to the general public. For BTF productions (including Tommy) contact the BTF Box Office at (413) 298-5576 or visit <a href="http://www.berkshiretheatre.org">www.berkshiretheatre.org</a> to purchase.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-65725699108314841262011-01-01T23:09:00.002-05:002011-01-01T23:10:35.548-05:00Arts America has moved to Berkshire on StageAs Berkshire on Stage has grown in size and scope, it is also claiming more of my available time. Please visit me there, and if you wish to see articles, interviews and stories with a LGBT focus, just select that category. We also continue to cover selected regional theatres.<br /><br /><a href="http://berkshireonstage.com/">http://berkshireonstage.com/</a><br /><br />Thanks for your readership and support.<br /><br />LarryLarry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-45828588404317460122010-10-18T21:27:00.017-04:002010-11-02T11:51:19.820-04:00"Nicholas Nickleby" finally gets its N.E. Premiere at Lyric Stage<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqv6iGen-1bA5CpjttFjKRg4kQd9ioNy9Z8REfsk_dPbAYNy6VFLzYcpTjA4SJ2HQLYsxVRhAgaltY-4PDSovxBAz0jUzol6YQCKgnqz2ob6AcAqqZdeaDQuBDBNUqqcJ2H2cO9ZgsJPE/s1600/BOSLyricNN.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqv6iGen-1bA5CpjttFjKRg4kQd9ioNy9Z8REfsk_dPbAYNy6VFLzYcpTjA4SJ2HQLYsxVRhAgaltY-4PDSovxBAz0jUzol6YQCKgnqz2ob6AcAqqZdeaDQuBDBNUqqcJ2H2cO9ZgsJPE/s400/BOSLyricNN.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529567130455806434" /><center>(l to r) Jason Powers as Smike, Jack Cutmore-Scott as Nicholas Nickleby and Nigel Gore as Mr. Squeers. Photo by Mark Howard.</center></a><br /><br />It's only taken thirty years and one of Boston's bravest theatres to undertake a full scale production - running over two nights - of the legendary Nicholas Nickleby. It premiered in London in 1980, created a sensation in New York where it opened in 1981 and then mostly sunk from sight. This is a play that requires huge resources.<br /><br />So we take our hat off to the Lyric Stage Company of Boston as they debut the New England premiere of the Olivier and Tony Award winning theatrical epic, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Parts I & II October 21 through December 19, 2010 Called “the theatrical event of a lifetime,” by American Theatre Magazine, "love, sex and money, poverty and exploitation, hope and despair: Dickens' world is vividly brought to life in David Edgar's adaptation of his 1838 novel." The Times, London.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7TVkgpUK478WoWh6KFMQ1FRQ5LzFqAyUXsqTSNJNDJGS1D3Pk6zCAskzX5V05QtHxDHgGlAwH2v7098dp-hpH39_3wvEPmbyg6kLErX5NOELSk5n8Molvk-w1aHk8EmmiozOBQB7gt1z/s1600/AASpiro.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7TVkgpUK478WoWh6KFMQ1FRQ5LzFqAyUXsqTSNJNDJGS1D3Pk6zCAskzX5V05QtHxDHgGlAwH2v7098dp-hpH39_3wvEPmbyg6kLErX5NOELSk5n8Molvk-w1aHk8EmmiozOBQB7gt1z/s200/AASpiro.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529570554234702338" /></a>According to Producing Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos, “this extraordinary piece has never been produced in New England and we are pulling out all the stops for this remarkable two-part play with music featuring over 150 characters.” He adds, “the new, shorter adaptation streamlines the narrative, and captures Dickens' genius for combining exuberant characters, theatrical spectacle, and genuine emotion.” <br /><br />The Lyric’s production of …Nicholas Nickleby includes 25 of the Boston area’s best actors, most of them playing multiple roles. Featuring: Will Lyman (Ralph Nickleby), Jack Cutmore-Scott (Nicholas Nickleby), Peter A. Carey (Newman Noggs), Maureen Keiller (Mrs. Nickleby), Larry Coen (Vincent Crummles), Nigel Gore (Wackford Squeers), Leigh Barrett (Miss LaCreevy) Kerry Dowling (Mrs. Squeers/Mrs. Crummles), and Jason Powers (Smike), John Davin (Arthur Gride), and Neil A. Casey (Mr. Mantalini) .<br /><br />The …Nicholas Nickleby creative team, led by director Spiro Veloudos and Associate Director Courtney O’Connor, includes Janie E. Howland (scenic designer), Rafael Jaen (costume designer), Scott Clyve (lighting designer), and local composer Kevin O’Shaughnessy (original music). The production manager is Nerys Powell and the assistant stage manager is Katie Ailinger.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwr6A5bmEsMWwn5U_a8dnYirkjUnG4NTw-kvPU0LrTVXmc5tC6TBeKHktfL3wqy3B_6QvJUgM9Mzn-uMH2j9Y2zT9_lq6RWdPGIQjr30OWKG2Xa1adEiqEAdjg3bxw2f15GcCtEOFfV5G/s1600/AAJack.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 178px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwr6A5bmEsMWwn5U_a8dnYirkjUnG4NTw-kvPU0LrTVXmc5tC6TBeKHktfL3wqy3B_6QvJUgM9Mzn-uMH2j9Y2zT9_lq6RWdPGIQjr30OWKG2Xa1adEiqEAdjg3bxw2f15GcCtEOFfV5G/s320/AAJack.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529567533754185506" /><right><br /><br />(Shown here is the wonderful actor Jack Cutmore-Scott who plays the title role. Photo by Sara Joe Wolansky, Harvard Crimson.)</right></a><br /><br />Left penniless by the death of his father and young Nicholas Nickleby assumes responsibility for his mother and sister and seeks help from his Scrooge-like Uncle Ralph. Instantly disliking Nicholas, Ralph sends him to teach in a school run by the sadistic Wackford Squeers. Nicholas decides to escape, taking with him the orphan Smike, one of Squeers’s most abused young charges, and the two embark on a series of adventurous encounters with an array of humanity’s worst and best—greedy fools, corrupt lechers, cheery innocents, and selfless benefactors. <br /><br />Lyric Stage Company of Boston is located at 140 Clarendon Street, Boston. Performances are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings at 7:30 pm, select Wednesday matinees, 2 pm (Part I: November 3, December 1; Part II: November 10, December 8), Saturdays at 3pm and 8 pm and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:00 pm. Performances of both parts will be in rotating repertory, with five “marathon days” (November 13, 28, December 1, 4 and 18) where Part I and Part II will be performed with a 2 hour dinner break. Tickets range from $29 to $56 and are available by calling the box office at 617.585.5678 and online at <a href="http://www.lyricstage.com">www.lyricstage.com</a>.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-37482959278417435122010-07-09T14:32:00.013-04:002010-07-09T15:14:19.828-04:00Waiting for Godot - An Opera by Pierre Boulez? It might happen.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqaerxVV1uMeAmjaWJwINYvEUwqStWoyj37kQRr5CDhzvVwHwBrOcqNml8j7RVnTwPQb3MnNeuKcDqRRv_mQ-P3aDF1sjvX953rS5S1aHHrRWBLXJY_lmjyoY_OHkRNrRCj9Iji_AAiGfw/s1600/771_August-Preview815246.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqaerxVV1uMeAmjaWJwINYvEUwqStWoyj37kQRr5CDhzvVwHwBrOcqNml8j7RVnTwPQb3MnNeuKcDqRRv_mQ-P3aDF1sjvX953rS5S1aHHrRWBLXJY_lmjyoY_OHkRNrRCj9Iji_AAiGfw/s400/771_August-Preview815246.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491982286296024210" /><center>The Berkshire Theatre Festival's 2008 production of Waiting for Godot had an almost-operatic set. Kevin Sprague photo.</center></a><br />Normally you don't find insider gossip here, but this rumor has a fine provenance, and is being printed by some mainstream UK sites, so it is worth passing along.<br /><br />It is being reported that Pierre Boulez, the French composer and conductor, is planning to make an opera from Samuel Beckett's most famous play, <span style="font-style:italic;">Waiting for Godot</span>. According to <a href="http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2010/07/boulez-planning-godot-opera-for-2015-at.html">Charles T. Downey at Ion Arts</a>, Beckett is not only planning to write a Godot opera, it is going to be presented by La Scala in Milan in 2015. Peter Gelb (General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera), where are you in this? It's going to be the hottest opera of the 21st Century!<br /><br /><blockquote>"… the sound thus obtained had a 'spatialised' richness, which, without requiring any electronic aid, could be of interest to Pierre Boulez for the opera that, according to our sources, he will adapt from Beckett's <span style="font-style:italic;">Waiting for Godot</span>, planned for La Scala in Milan in 2015. - <span style="font-style:italic;">Ion Arts<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span>"</blockquote><br /><br />His source is, in turn a review in the June 15 <span style="font-style:italic;">Le Monde</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQlUnOp7Ek6PjQpjgL-tGI23i_qNcLn5Lka2xQycwOtKCUE67eW1UDw3oMC3eYVlN9LNoZq3tjypf23N_3yH15h7EYCxoJZQ-3xD3WZEE3IS2F6P1sZG80RXHgtaWyii8FlEIcRZYuRXB/s1600/6a00d83451c83e69e200e54f3b0f1d8834-800wi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQlUnOp7Ek6PjQpjgL-tGI23i_qNcLn5Lka2xQycwOtKCUE67eW1UDw3oMC3eYVlN9LNoZq3tjypf23N_3yH15h7EYCxoJZQ-3xD3WZEE3IS2F6P1sZG80RXHgtaWyii8FlEIcRZYuRXB/s320/6a00d83451c83e69e200e54f3b0f1d8834-800wi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491982767558470770" /><center>Pierre Boulez, composer and conductor.</center></a><br />It's certainly true that Boulez has wanted to write an opera for a while. Talking to the U.K.'s Telegraph in 1996, he confirmed that he corresponded with the playwright Jean Genet about working together in the 1960s, as well as the German writer Heiner Müller in 1995, and that a year later he was thinking about adapting Edward Bond's plays for the opera house. None of these plans ever came to fruition.<br /><br />Whether the legendary composer and historic opera house have bothered to check in with the notoriously sniffy Godot estate, I have no idea. Based on the rigid and dust-preserving tendencies of the estate, (read this <a href="http://berkshireonstage.com/2010/06/22/thinking-about-becketts-endgame-which-starts-july-6-at-btf/">tale of Endgame</a> in the current Berkshire On Stage) I seriously doubt it. It would be news if they allowed an adaptation. They fight fiercely to preserve every word, every pause and gesture of Beckett's infamous and inscrutable play.<br /><br />Yet if the composer used the play's script as its libretto, word for word, and followed the prescribed action to the letter, I don't see how they could object. And it might be easier in French than English, since Beckett wrote it first in French before doing his own translation back into English. Odd man that Beckett.<br /><br />This one is worth watching.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-65189648576584140662010-06-22T14:55:00.004-04:002010-06-22T15:12:32.415-04:00MOMIX does insects, tooAfter seeing the incredible OvO from Cirque du Soleil (reviewed in previous post) I went in search of other dancers that celebrate the world of insects and found a Momix video excerpt from their Joyce appearance in May 2009. It is apparent that the world of Entomology still offers plenty of ideas for choreographers and dancers. The one thing missing from the Cirque show was a flying act on bungees with silk wings fluttering which judging from this video would not be that difficult to stage.<br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_SJ4NLLbO8g&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_SJ4NLLbO8g&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-9775255952658238092010-06-19T11:06:00.010-04:002010-06-19T11:38:34.782-04:00Cirque du Soleil brings Ovo to New England: Hartford now, Boston next<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJRm0QAkCntDzgmXVApCHajeEg8yBB_df7NVvpVt3cmg_0iEXra8liLHnvqWPTmJw7CxLrfbxXAmu9K3OdhQSMl67rIt4Km_r0yw1SRtyMxAQrl7RcoOGUk7Cd_Ge-R2u07SvYTe8L_IR/s1600/AAWall.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJRm0QAkCntDzgmXVApCHajeEg8yBB_df7NVvpVt3cmg_0iEXra8liLHnvqWPTmJw7CxLrfbxXAmu9K3OdhQSMl67rIt4Km_r0yw1SRtyMxAQrl7RcoOGUk7Cd_Ge-R2u07SvYTe8L_IR/s400/AAWall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484503982402186914" /><center>Ovo immerses you in a colorful ecosystem teeming with life.</center></a><br /><br />First a little background before the <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span> review. Hartford is the seventh city on the worldwide tour of <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span>, which began in Montreal in April 2009. It's arrival in Hartford follows the successful runs of <span style="font-style:italic;">Dralion</span> there in 2003, <span style="font-style:italic;">Varekai</span> in 2005 and <span style="font-style:italic;">Kooza</span> in 2008. It plays until July 11 and then packs up and heads to Boston where it plays from July 22 to August 15. So now, the question is, how does <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span> measure up compared to the earlier shows?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span> is simply the best show Cirque du Soleil has ever sent on the road. Written and directed by Deborah Colker, it has moments of sheer spectacle, held together with dance, movement and pure theatrical wizardry. During a performance you may notice subtle references to artists such as Gaudi, Dali and Piazzolla while enjoying performers dressed as butterflies, spiders and even a Ladybug looking for a mate.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span> (which means egg in Portuguese) is the 25th quirky show from Cirque, created for the company's 25th Anniversary. Currently playing in Hartford, next month it moves on to Boston, then to Washington, DC in September.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqiqarXoXMslmYCLBYc98gI-b6MYZJpYwuiIDLoVEw9pboP-VJrI7UyEroboZKOGnOJoUSWinIGIlVRFcKfqz5ktg-6OAqNyEYsyNsVLOBTPBSPlryXjUFryLjXtuAGj-BHiVaoVZA25l/s1600/BFASpider.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqiqarXoXMslmYCLBYc98gI-b6MYZJpYwuiIDLoVEw9pboP-VJrI7UyEroboZKOGnOJoUSWinIGIlVRFcKfqz5ktg-6OAqNyEYsyNsVLOBTPBSPlryXjUFryLjXtuAGj-BHiVaoVZA25l/s320/BFASpider.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484505078106998338" /><center>Spiders are more artistic than scary.</center></a><br />Even for those who have seen Cirque du Soleil, it is difficult to describe the experience. Those flat two-dimensional televised snippets of their performances don't do it justice, and even in print, how can words describe a basically wordless show? <br /><br />You don't just see a Cirque show, you experience it. On the way in you may hear some first time ticket buyers complain about the ticket prices (they're not cheap) but you never hear that on the way out. You get a lot for your money. There's more imagination and entertainment compressed into 2.5 glorious hours than you will get in a month on commercial television.<br /><br />The fun begins the moment you spot their blue and gold Grand Chapiteau (big top) at the Intersection of I-84 and I-91 In Hartford. It seats 2200.<br /><br />As you push the canvas flaps aside to enter, you notice the subtle smell of grass and hear a cacophony of insects all around you. Scientists in beekeeper-style helmets with nets and specimen boxes patrol the audience, on the trail of insects. A few unfortunate latecomers are examined, magnifying glasses are employed, and Grotowski-esque mutterings and grunts fill the air. The show has no script, but uses a wide variety of the Polish theatre director Jerzy Grotowski's techniques to communicate their surprise, happiness etc. Once in a while you can even make out the word "ovo" or "no" but Cirque's shows are created for multi-lingual audiences. They travel the world.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipH-thLY7JEnQhCiUe-w4y-RbrZBOeb_OBjNEv7-pFcl-fHMsrFaq730oXjV9OOL68hpXlYt2uD2DkvACGL3mTYmIVQP1M1e-drCjwP_l3nrnYQWkGeDZzh-sBdJS5nttmNHVi3L_z28Jr/s1600/BFAScarabs.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipH-thLY7JEnQhCiUe-w4y-RbrZBOeb_OBjNEv7-pFcl-fHMsrFaq730oXjV9OOL68hpXlYt2uD2DkvACGL3mTYmIVQP1M1e-drCjwP_l3nrnYQWkGeDZzh-sBdJS5nttmNHVi3L_z28Jr/s320/BFAScarabs.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484505072429658050" /><center>The scarabs operate at the top of the tent.</center></a><br />As this is happening, insects are slowly hopping, crawling, slithering and otherwise finding their way on stage. Someone is lugging a human sized egg through the audience. On stage is a gigantic egg, perhaps 60 feet wide, dominating everything. In the background is an organic structure reaching from floor to ceiling. Two pods of four musicians each begin playing a samba with tango overtones. All this, and then the show actually begins.<br /><br />The audience becomes aware that they have shrunk in size and importance and entered a different world. <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO </span>offers a headlong rush into the insects colorful ecosystem. On stage we watch as the creepy-crawlies work, eat, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop dance of endless energy. Giant flowers open and their scent fills the air. The insects’ home is a world of biodiversity and beauty alternately filled with noisy action and moments of quiet emotion.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1Z9SsfuMwIdqiKc0iPD3aSzGy0dlw3JRcaDDEpmHAIkqL57rkKtn5gOUqW6dzb3-oDgzJD52TE-veLNY3SCPhJobwTyByepa5rfMCV6KmOreEIx07DEwbWS4VsFShyphenhyphenreI0N5jfuNtJJu/s1600/BFAcontortion.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1Z9SsfuMwIdqiKc0iPD3aSzGy0dlw3JRcaDDEpmHAIkqL57rkKtn5gOUqW6dzb3-oDgzJD52TE-veLNY3SCPhJobwTyByepa5rfMCV6KmOreEIx07DEwbWS4VsFShyphenhyphenreI0N5jfuNtJJu/s320/BFAcontortion.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484505084463629074" /><center>The contortionist made the audience gasp at her impossible combinations.</center></a><br />But all this is simply the lavish frosting to introduce the circus acts, albeit using every dance and theatre trick imaginable. Just as Julie Taymor created a special world for the animals of The Lion King so do Deborah Colker and Chantel Tremblay create an imaginary world for the insects. <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span>'s costumes are not precise depictions of what a cricket or ant looks like, but an interpretation. None of the proceedings will upset someone who might get squeamish at the site of a spider, ant or cockroach. Instead it's like being twelve years old again, looking to see what's hiding under the rocks in the back yard.<br /><br />With 54 performers from 16 countries, there are a lot of insects. For example, five yellow and-red fleas fling themselves through the air and come together in graceful, perfectly balanced sculptural formations. A Dragonfly performs a graceful balancing act. A spider defies gravity and physics on the slack wire earning gasps and applause from the onlookers. <br /><br />Perhaps the most stunning performance was that of the "scarabs" who operate from perches high above the audience . It is an act that combines several traditional circus skills like banquine, Russian swing and swinging chair. These fly boys leap from the edges of two platforms in the rafters to the catchers positioned on a third. Their physical setup is the largest ever created under a big tent, and requires some 16 people just to set up. They do it in minutes as other action was taking place on the stage.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv12wob6bx7cXd9XhfUPtsJI6Sk0YNV_JLmA6WDhx4jNQ9sV_YiIO20nstSnpJm8qINlgpY0Rom_xOdZRrOhb_zMoQAbyI-s8KBuyw623NElICuNvt6vRm7n8-vIoLuSrsGDouDrJPgXDN/s1600/BFAfleas2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv12wob6bx7cXd9XhfUPtsJI6Sk0YNV_JLmA6WDhx4jNQ9sV_YiIO20nstSnpJm8qINlgpY0Rom_xOdZRrOhb_zMoQAbyI-s8KBuyw623NElICuNvt6vRm7n8-vIoLuSrsGDouDrJPgXDN/s320/BFAfleas2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484505068174085426" /><center>The fleas cling to each other as they jump about.</center></a><br />The penultimate act was the 25' high Cricket Wall, which has 20 artists running, jumping and walking across its jagged face. Using trampolines and power tracks - plus pure physical strength and teamwork - they leap, jump and spring to the top. The effect is so stunning that the audience can not believe what it is seeing. But there are no hidden wires, nothing but the artists and the setup. A similar effect is used at the close of La Nouba, a permanent Cirque show in Orlando. It is an acrobatic achievement like no other. <br /><br />Cirque's productions have become so elaborate and intricate that they are becoming more grandiose than Grand Opera. Like that art form, they combine spectacle, theatre and music into a whole new experience. The gold and crystal of the venerable Metropolitan Opera House is even challenged by the KA theatre Cirque created at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Instead of monied gilt, that theatre's interior resembles the heart of a giant space ship with a hydraulic stage that arises from the deep.<br /><br />Everything about this show is amazing, scenery, costumes and makeup included. The costumes for <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span> are not only intricate, they are sufficiently detailed to allow close-up scrutiny. (They offered, I accepted.) But what makes them special is they are also truly durable. They are able to take the punishment these circus acts inflict on them. Liz Vandal, who created them, is known for her futuristic superhero costumes, and for recreating suits of armor from all eras. There is little doubt that is why they have such beauty and durability.<br /><br />In <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span>, it is the lighting and sound people who create the magical environment that surrounds the audience. There are four enormous lighting toweres and the same number of giant subwoofers strategically placed under the seating. 100 surround speakers are placed around the arena to immerse the audience in a wall of sound. The effect is stunning. You can feel the action at several points in the evening. And subtle. The chirping and chattering never stops, yet becomes a soundstage on which everything else is overlaid.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span>, like most Cirque shows, is designed to please all ages and all levels of sophistication. As someone who has seen ten of their 25 shows, the question is when they will begin repeating themselves. Yes,, there are certain elements that appear in all their shows, which might be dismissed as just a bunch of dressed up circus acts.<br />But like a good meal, where we use the same ingredients over and over, Cirque always creates totally new and different menus to excite our taste buds. This is a company that totally reinvents themselves again and again. Any Cirque du Soleil show makes for a great way to spend an evening. But this is one you should see early. And often.<br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBNzABU466KurxuEqu_LYGB0jfOxgfwpHJC383OWQCq4Cgii-ubLQjLewHdXlVqnqrxrDGjBY0nW633TdOab0eoCUnPtIJrx07dB0u7rK5ve1k5iRFJEOj9FwU4VH_Dk8j7T1x9IOcICQ/s1600/AAOvocast.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBNzABU466KurxuEqu_LYGB0jfOxgfwpHJC383OWQCq4Cgii-ubLQjLewHdXlVqnqrxrDGjBY0nW633TdOab0eoCUnPtIJrx07dB0u7rK5ve1k5iRFJEOj9FwU4VH_Dk8j7T1x9IOcICQ/s400/AAOvocast.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484504284329196610" /><center>This is only two-thirds of Ovo's huge cast!</center></a><br /><br /><center><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dates, Performance and Ticket Information</span></center><br /><br />Cirque du Soleil's <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span> opens in Hartford June 17 and runs through July 11. It then moves on to Boston from July 22 to August 15 and Washington, DC from September 9 to October 3.<br /><br />The performances are Tuesdays thru Thursdays at 8:00 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. No performances on Mondays. Tickets are available via <a href="http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ovo">www.cirquedusoleil.com/ovo</a> or at 1-800-450-1480. A VIP Tapis Rouge™ package is also available.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A slightly different version of this review appeared earlier in <a href="http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/">Berkshire Fine Arts</a>. </span>Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-39596046758367881052010-06-18T09:13:00.010-04:002010-06-18T09:40:27.532-04:00Karen Zacarias saved by Arena Stage Playwriting Program<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUJF9i62mrlOibe71TfHufcQzvhZhioYPGsiV8Z4tqlUprVCbaSQKWCb40WxJKdF8QWXOcqLKmYiyavUuC58K8sYL3UM3TucFHbw8Bl7UXqmlfI9oAoI6dwrusaUcDG4B-W3n7S-xDF8w/s1600/AAZacarias.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUJF9i62mrlOibe71TfHufcQzvhZhioYPGsiV8Z4tqlUprVCbaSQKWCb40WxJKdF8QWXOcqLKmYiyavUuC58K8sYL3UM3TucFHbw8Bl7UXqmlfI9oAoI6dwrusaUcDG4B-W3n7S-xDF8w/s320/AAZacarias.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484105384269746034" />There was a moment not long ago when Karen Zacarias became sure that her blossoming playwriting career would be lost among sippy cups, baby dolls and field trip forms. Arena Stage made the difference.</a><br /><br /><br />Can you have it all? Playwright Karen Zacarias certainly seems to have found the secret. With three young children at home and a blinking computer awaiting, the 2009 Playwright in Residence for Washington, D.C.'s Arena stage is a prolific writer. She finished five plays the year her youngest was born, and the ideas just keep on coming. She has had four of her plays staged in the past year or so. <span style="font-style:italic;">Legacy of Light</span> is one that Arena Stage produced. But the double duties of mother and writer takes its toll. "I haven't slept in years," she says. Thanks to Arena's program, she has found a way to live two lives.<br /><br />Today news came that the path that Zacarias has blazed will soon be joined by two additional women playwrights Lisa Kron and Amy Freed, who will each start their three-year residencies in July 2010, and then Katori Hall and Charles Randolph-Wright, who will begin in January 2011. It's all part of The American Voices New Play Institute. The Institute—integral to Arena’s mission as a leading center for the production, presentation, development and study of American theater—isdesigned as a center for research and development of effective practices, programs and processes for new play development in the American Theater.<br /><br />In addition to the first round of Resident Playwrights, the Institute will also host Project Residents Lynn Nottage and David Henry Hwang, who will be commissioned through the Institute to write a play that Arena Stage will produce.<br /> <br />In addition to the residencies, the American Voices New Play Institute operates with a suite of interrelated programs, including the New Play Producing Fellowships, Theater 101 Audience Enrichment Seminar, administration of Round One of the NEA New Play Development Program and major convenings of American artists and arts administrators around issues facing the new play sector.<br /> <br />Under the leadership of Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith, the Institute is guided by Arena Stage Associate Artistic Director David Dower and works in partnership with Georgetown University’s Theater Department, led by Dr. Derek Goldman. The American Voices New Play Institute is made possible through the keystone gift of $1.1 million in support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. <br /> <br />"With the launching of the residencies for the American Voices New Play Institute under the visionary funding of the Mellon Foundation, we at Arena Stage are eager to support and help transform play development around the country,“ said Smith. “These writers are so different; my mouth is literally watering at the thought of what each may write. From major dramas to musicals, comedies, one-person plays and interview-based stories, the range is exhilarating. Now the writers will have the time, support and finances to be able to do their best work. Each writer is splendid and has the talent and insight to surprise us all.”<br /> <br />The primary purpose of the residency is to write plays and to advance professional outcomes for the participating writers, as well as to help Arena Stage test and develop best practices for such residencies in theaters around the country. The playwrights will determine their individual involvement in the life of the theater company. Ultimately, Arena Stage hopes the Institute will make the case for the power, practicality and impact of resident playwrights in regional theaters nationwide.<br /> <br />"This first cohort of playwrights is going to really advance the inquiry here at Arena Stage,” shared Dower. “They come at it from so many different perspectives on form, process and story, and they have all grabbed hold of the opportunity to help develop the role of the playwright in the institutions of the regional theater. So I expect we'll not only see work they write popping up on stages around the country, but I hope through their leadership we'll see increased opportunities for playwrights' residencies around the field."<br /><br />This is one of the most exciting initiatives by any American theatre company. The nurturing of playwrights is essential for the theatre's future.<br /><br />For more information regarding all of the American Voices New Play Institute programs please visit <a href="http://www.arenastage.org/institute">www.arenastage.org/institute</a>.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-8191946385617506192010-06-09T13:24:00.008-04:002010-06-09T14:06:09.853-04:00"Carnival" at Goodspeed Musicals has Acrobats, Jugglers, Puppets and Magicians<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUXUNwf0qVm_PkUejzg3ekdviu4bSxuPasKL_AuNdrG7WjXTwaWpWuhFOwcnk4zRjI4SMp3ueTyhq8vxu1B0XkXP7c3IBEa04jQjk9c8PYYzp8ThqeZn2kSgT9fbVkUJ0dkSZ29BiBMCW/s1600/AACarnival.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUXUNwf0qVm_PkUejzg3ekdviu4bSxuPasKL_AuNdrG7WjXTwaWpWuhFOwcnk4zRjI4SMp3ueTyhq8vxu1B0XkXP7c3IBEa04jQjk9c8PYYzp8ThqeZn2kSgT9fbVkUJ0dkSZ29BiBMCW/s400/AACarnival.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480835463897007170" /><center>The original cast album design for Carnival.</center></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Carnival</span> is one of those classic book musicals that tells a heartbreaking love story surrounded by the color and vibrancy of a traveling troupe of artists. With a gorgeous score by the almost forgotten Bob Merrill, it is a musical I actually saw on Broadway with Anna Maria Alberghetti in the lead role of Lili, a young innocent.<br /><br />Scheduled to run from July 9 – Sept 18 at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn. This production will officially open on August 4, 2010. The last time I saw this musical was at the Berkshire Theatre Festival in 1979 or so. It's been a long time waiting for a top notch production, which the Goodspeed name always promises.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMetBi8C2JFvU7E_UdG18Iuyycj1T5DeMEk0w0De849NzLnjCCaDvwh_RLq81zKJg_DevO1JsHD-jX9bo7OC_wQCp7BdOYbggm4EVUM0mHK1zAmCVL-SWP0_8nnj_ITBAtkcFZDN1VB0s/s1600/AALauren+Worsham.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMetBi8C2JFvU7E_UdG18Iuyycj1T5DeMEk0w0De849NzLnjCCaDvwh_RLq81zKJg_DevO1JsHD-jX9bo7OC_wQCp7BdOYbggm4EVUM0mHK1zAmCVL-SWP0_8nnj_ITBAtkcFZDN1VB0s/s320/AALauren+Worsham.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480836125810152546" /><center>Lauren Worsham</center></a>The magical and heart-warming tale of a naïve young woman who eagerly joins a traveling circus. Surrounded by a riot of acrobats and jugglers, music makers and clowns, she is dazzled at first by the troupe’s manipulative magician. In the end she finds happiness with a disillusioned puppeteer who can only express himself through his delightful puppets. Based on the film <span style="font-style:italic;">Lili</span> and with songs like “Love Makes the World Go Round” and "Her Face," <span style="font-style:italic;">Carnival!</span> casts a romantic spell over the entire audience.<br /><br />In addition to the Music and Lyrics by Bob Merrill Carnival's book is by Michael Stewart, based on Material by Helen Deutsch with Revisions by Francine Pascal.<br /><br />Now to the cast. Lili will be played by Lauren Worsham whose gorgeous voice I heard up at the Weston, VT Playhouse two summers ago in Adam Guettel's <span style="font-style:italic;">Light in the Piazza</span>. She broke my heart with her acting. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mA8W5RslM-ffdj93j-fm7B-EpKe-A54onOvUiJ28xlkScbyod0KxJGZe0Kxko01a8Mm1eNjyryANr8IuwQ_aanMTvjocWFJPUchy7tdMqhgUNgJ8601ulYSrI4EFidXtvqQiZg6prdvn/s1600/AAdamMonley.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mA8W5RslM-ffdj93j-fm7B-EpKe-A54onOvUiJ28xlkScbyod0KxJGZe0Kxko01a8Mm1eNjyryANr8IuwQ_aanMTvjocWFJPUchy7tdMqhgUNgJ8601ulYSrI4EFidXtvqQiZg6prdvn/s320/AAdamMonley.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480836131512220274" /><center>Adam Monley</center></a>Paul will be played by Adam Monley who appeared on Broadway in <span style="font-style:italic;">Mamma Mia!</span> . Mr. Monley played Dominque in The Norma Terris production of <span style="font-style:italic;">The Baker’s Wife</span>. <br /><br />Marco will be played by Mike McGowan whose Broadway credits include <span style="font-style:italic;">Ragtime, Grease, The Apple Tree</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">The Producers</span>. Mr. McGowan previously performed in Goodspeed’s 2001 production of <span style="font-style:italic;">They All Laughed</span>. <br /><br />Rosalie will be played by Michelle Blakely who performed the Broadway revivals of <span style="font-style:italic;">Annie Get Your Gun</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Grease</span>. Jacquot will be played by Nathan Klau. Schlegel will be played by Laurent Giroux whose Broadway credits include <span style="font-style:italic;">The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Dancin’</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Pippin</span>. Mr. Giroux returns to Goodspeed where previously he played M. le Marquis in <span style="font-style:italic;">The Baker’s Wife</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajBUzgjsM1WeyJR-wW5rv5959NBs6OYdUFELtKPHcmvW7q1cyJDmbTh65IAO4C1ig3IlUpKSi9Awht2Fz3thwyfM490d4xEhEsFKauSjIX4x1Lh6GVPEKtKmNDW57wmrJ_qXzBjQEXtGH/s1600/AAJoshua+Dean.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 241px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajBUzgjsM1WeyJR-wW5rv5959NBs6OYdUFELtKPHcmvW7q1cyJDmbTh65IAO4C1ig3IlUpKSi9Awht2Fz3thwyfM490d4xEhEsFKauSjIX4x1Lh6GVPEKtKmNDW57wmrJ_qXzBjQEXtGH/s320/AAJoshua+Dean.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480836141442298786" /><center>Joshua Dean</center></a>The ensemble will include Joshua Dean and Ben Franklin, co-founders for New York based aerial theatre company Suspended Cirque. Mr. Dean has performed around the world as a ballet, modern, and musical theater dancer. Mr. Franklin has performed all over the world as an actor/singer/dancer. He has worked in numerous regional theatres, national tours, world cruises, Off-Broadway, and Lincoln Center.<br /><br />Price Waldman from Broadway’s <span style="font-style:italic;">The Little Mermaid</span> and Dr. Seuss’ <span style="font-style:italic;">How the Grinch Stole Christmas!</span> joins the ensemble. Mr. Waldman returns to Goodspeed where he previously performed in <span style="font-style:italic;">Sweeney Todd</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Amour</span>. <br /><br />Other members of the ensemble include Timothy Hughes, Kara Kimmer (Goodspeed’s <span style="font-style:italic;">A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum</span>), Robin Masella, Clifton Samuels, Amy Shure, Justin Urso and Dana Winkle (Goodspeed’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Pippin</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Mack & Mabel</span>). The swings will be Miguel Edson and Melissa Steadman.<br /><br />Carnival! will be directed by Darko Tresnjak, who directed Goodspeed Musicals’ <span style="font-style:italic;">Amour</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">A Little Night Music</span>. <span style="font-style:italic;">Carnival!</span> will be choreographed by Peggy Hickey, whose previous Goodspeed Musicals credits include <span style="font-style:italic;">Brigadoon, King of Hearts, Amour, On The Twentieth Century</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">A Little Night Music.</span><br /><br />Scenic designs will be by David P. Gordon whose New York Credits include <span style="font-style:italic;">String Fever, Cheat</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">Princess Turandot.</span> Mr. Gordon also designed the Goodspeed production of <span style="font-style:italic;">A Little Night Music</span>. <br /><br />Costume Design will be by Fabio Toblini. Mr. Toblini has served as Assistant Costume Designer for Broadway’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Triumph of Love</span> and assisted Costume Designer Ann Hould-Ward with her Broadway sensation <span style="font-style:italic;">Beauty and the Beast</span> . Mr. Toblini served as Assistant Costume designer for Goodspeed’s revival of <span style="font-style:italic;">Man of LaMancha</span> in 2000. <br /><br />Lighting design will be by John Lasiter whose designs for Goodspeed Musicals include <span style="font-style:italic;">Annie Get Your Gun, Camelot, Big River </span>and <span style="font-style:italic;">1776</span>. His off-Broadway credits include <span style="font-style:italic;">The Seagull, Common Vision,</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Make Me A Song</span>.<br /><br />Puppet designer for <span style="font-style:italic;">Carnival!</span> will be Robert Smythe. Mr. Smythe is considered one of the foremost puppet artists in the United States. As the founder and Artistic Director of Mum Puppettheatre, the only regional theater in the United States devoted to puppetry, he wrote, directed and performed over 20 original productions using puppets, masks and human actors.<br /><br />The Music Director for Carnival! will be Michael O’Flaherty. He is in his 19th season as Goodspeed’s Resident Music Director. F. Wade Russo will be Assistant Music Director. Orchestrations will be provided by Dan DeLange, who provided the orchestrations for Goodspeed Musicals’ <span style="font-style:italic;">Annie Get Your Gun, Camelot, 42nd Street, Half a Sixpence, High Button Shoes, Singin’ in the Rain, The Boy Friend, Red Hot and Blue, Call Me Madam,</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Babes in Arms</span>. Carnival! is produced for Goodspeed Musicals by Michael P. Price.<br /><br />Performances and Tickets<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Carnival! </span> will run July 9 through September 18, 2010. Curtain times are Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (with select performances at 2:00 p.m.), Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (with select performances at 6:30 p.m.). Tickets are available through the Box Office (860.873.8668), open seven days a week, or on-line at <a href="http://www.goodspeed.org">www.goodspeed.org</a>.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-40365935934343083502010-05-31T22:39:00.008-04:002010-05-31T23:05:25.759-04:00Dennis Hopper. actor and art collector<blockquote>"I started acting at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, from the time I was thirteen years old to when I was seventeen. I was doing Shakespeare and plays at the Old Globe in Balboa Park." <span style="font-weight:bold;">Dennis Hopper</span></blockquote><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JEYkl03NcVf3YoaCcqd816aIODrx7fl3N5f6iP3Q9oZptOBnaJAe_-VEW_asUB1U2ZJSUStopxGrlThCbsIyTJ5LEdHzg0l1J0ZCPJIUFH8H6Nukq-9VdLvZPADE7tIP9xX3AoJZt4Nb/s1600/AADennisHopper.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JEYkl03NcVf3YoaCcqd816aIODrx7fl3N5f6iP3Q9oZptOBnaJAe_-VEW_asUB1U2ZJSUStopxGrlThCbsIyTJ5LEdHzg0l1J0ZCPJIUFH8H6Nukq-9VdLvZPADE7tIP9xX3AoJZt4Nb/s400/AADennisHopper.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477631243444161362" /><center>Dennis Hopper (1946-2010) and some of his beloved paintings.</center></a><br />If you read the celebrity columns and blogs, Dennis Hopper is often treated as an oddball, an eccentric actor. Much of it is true. Once spurned by Hollywood and nearly destroyed by drugs, he bounced back as so many of us do. And over a long career he worked hard to redeem his reputation. <br /><br />In later years, his feet were solidly planted on the ground. For one thing he collected art. Not as an investment (though he seems to have quite an eye for emerging artists) but as a tool, perhaps even an obsession that enriched his acting. For another, he voted Republican, something most people are surprised to learn. He was a wonderfully complex person, a living contradiction.<br /><blockquote>"My whole written history is one big lie! [laughs] I mean, I can't even believe my history. But I did have the first Campbell's Soup painting. It was in the office at Virginia Dwan's, and I bought it for $75. This is '62 or '63. "<span style="font-weight:bold;">Dennis Hopper</span></blockquote><br />We will miss him, Perhaps the best memory we could take away of him is that of someone who was as curious about the visual arts as about life.<br /><br /><object width="500" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0lZk4ABm_g8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0lZk4ABm_g8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object>Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-33105407664093608692010-05-26T12:52:00.008-04:002010-05-26T13:20:55.632-04:00Broadway has another Billion Dollar Year<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRBbG1yUQgZU7LC4QlUffoAjDWssGgBEHxPjR2dkfvocqVhgIevjrBPTkdaFez2A0nEINyu4smw3qxNUg9fAMw28-pODTd_8KYjGUb0tf5K-phB3ci5iIXS0zBEnRIM3lcaW4zGQy0BcIp/s1600/AATimesSquare.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRBbG1yUQgZU7LC4QlUffoAjDWssGgBEHxPjR2dkfvocqVhgIevjrBPTkdaFez2A0nEINyu4smw3qxNUg9fAMw28-pODTd_8KYjGUb0tf5K-phB3ci5iIXS0zBEnRIM3lcaW4zGQy0BcIp/s400/AATimesSquare.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475627837311144930" /><center>Actually, only a couple of theatres are on Broadway itself.</center></a><br /><br />The Broadway League released end-of-season statistics for the 2009 – 2010 season, which began May 25, 2009 and ended May 23, 2010. For the 2009 – 2010 season, Broadway shows yielded $1.02 billion in grosses, and total attendances reached 11.89 million.<br /><br />Grosses are up 1.5% from last season's absolute numbers (which do not include <span style="font-style:italic;">Young Frankenstein</span>*). Attendance is down 3.0% from the 2008 – 2009 season, also using absolute numbers.<br /><br />Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League, said, “Using the numbers we know, grosses were up 1.5% over last season. However, if we factor in estimated figures for Young Frankenstein which ran 32 weeks in 2008 – 2009, it could be down slightly this season – perhaps as much as 1.0% in grosses. In any case, it seems that even in this current economic climate, the numbers are strong thanks to the vibrancy of this season's offerings.“<br /><br />The League recently studied the demographics of theatre-goers and found that, for Broadway, international visitors accounted for one in five admissions. Tourists in general accounted for a whopping 63% of Broadway admissions, though that could be a misleading statistic since under their parameters I would be considered a tourist, not the Broadway regular I consider myself.<br /><br />The report also shows that the use of the Internet for the purchase of tickets has grown by 471% since the 1999-2000 season (from 7% to 40%). Online purchase was the most popular method of ticket buying for a fifth year in row.<br /><br />During the 2009-2010 season, 39 shows opened (11 new musicals, 14 new plays, 6 musical revivals, and 8 play revivals).<br /><br />The total for 2009-10 was $1.02 billion vs. $1.00 billion in 2008-9.<br /><br />The more important figure was the gross attendance and that was 11.89 million in the last year, vs. 12.25 million the year before, representing a decline. <br /><br /><center><span style="font-weight:bold;">Broadway audience is aging</span></center><br />The average age of the Broadway theatregoer was 42.2 years old, slightly older than last season, while those aged from 25-34accounted for 16% of all tickets sold, higher than it has been since the 1999-2000 season. But younger audiences generally seem to prefer the more edgy (and cheaper) offerings of off-Broadway and off-off Broadway houses.<br /> <br />Broadway theatregoers were a very well educated and affluent group. In addition to an annual reported income of $195,700, 73% of theatregoers over the age of 25 had completed college and 36% had earned a graduate degree. <br /><br />“Broadway is a national pastime! As there is more of a choice for the theatregoer than ever before, it is exciting to report that we are seeing a wider audience for Broadway. Our shows, and our audience, are more diverse than ever,” continued Charlotte St. Martin. “With our goal to make Broadway a stronger international brand, we do believe that the increased attendance from foreign visitors to New York City reflects that these efforts are working. A stronger international brand will not only be an asset for Broadway’s business, but for the New York City economy as well.”<br /><br />*Estimates for Young Frankenstein, which played 32 weeks during the 2008-09 season are not included here (previews began 10/11/07, closed 1/4/09 ) The producers refused to cooperate with the Broadway League and insisted on keeping their numbers to themselves.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-10773580506442113422010-05-18T20:25:00.012-04:002010-05-18T21:59:27.430-04:00Goodspeed Musicals "Annie Get Your Gun" Hits a Bullseye<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIbVmF42MsWEd1Tf_hSultzMQNJaU2MLx4OVCIS3Nqni6gUfVTC1doeI4jQdCL04-aDb7A47_uTOJmZgbNlbGWr-AO00E-7N3lbOWehiqDauDDdB-S4CYNqnb1D7_nhxTeBBzvi0N0-CO/s1600/Photo+C.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIbVmF42MsWEd1Tf_hSultzMQNJaU2MLx4OVCIS3Nqni6gUfVTC1doeI4jQdCL04-aDb7A47_uTOJmZgbNlbGWr-AO00E-7N3lbOWehiqDauDDdB-S4CYNqnb1D7_nhxTeBBzvi0N0-CO/s400/Photo+C.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472775857089740098" /><center>The Company of Annie Get Your Gun at Goodspeed Opera House until July 3. Photos by Diane Sobolewski.</center></a><br />Theatre companies do Broadway musicals all the time, but few productions ever seem to measure up to the originals. The one reliable exception is the little Goodspeed Opera House, hidden away in East Haddam, Connecticut, just southeast of Hartford. This is one company that almost always hits a bullseye.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzALl8IVyYzxYB9NMmWKygNyk0sA-Q9uO4xTSCIlLW5M2Xufj-nBv9N1_5b4Xe2tIpNlac9YjNoGjRfbTo260gXBeFNCdESBj7DrcOIPcN5g0-ff-KTAF3gESppwRbCzRduQDAYbHjvTnn/s1600/Photo+A.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzALl8IVyYzxYB9NMmWKygNyk0sA-Q9uO4xTSCIlLW5M2Xufj-nBv9N1_5b4Xe2tIpNlac9YjNoGjRfbTo260gXBeFNCdESBj7DrcOIPcN5g0-ff-KTAF3gESppwRbCzRduQDAYbHjvTnn/s320/Photo+A.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472776425265175778" /><left>Jenn Gambatese as Annie Oakley </left></a><p> Since Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun opened this past weekend, we had to revisit this musical tale about Annie Oakley (1860-1926), who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler. <br /><br />The verdict? The audience rewarded it with wildly enthusiastic applause, and so did I. It's fresh, funny and fabulous. The love they lavished on this musical is right up there on stage to hear and see. There's an energetic cast of two dozen singers and dancers who put their hearts into the show. The choreography by Noah Racey was dazzling. The work of the hard working performers was enhanced by the sparkling sound, with eight top notch musicians in the orchestra pit.<br /><br />This edition of <span style="font-style:italic;">Annie Get Your Gun</span> is not the same as the original, however. Cuts - most significantly of "I'm An Indian Too" - and updates were made to both book and song to bring it into the 21st Century, and to avoid some of the earlier racist cliches that were common in the mid 1940's.<br /><br />From the opening notes of "There's No Business Like Show Business" to the rip roaring final duet of "Anything You Can Do" the two lead actors, Jenn Gambatese as Annie Oakley and Kevin Earley as Frank Butler filled the hall with glorious singing and acting that made the old fashioned book almost believable. Despite all its puns the audience loved every line, got every joke. I had a grin that went from ear to ear for most of the show. So much so that my jaw is sore today.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRi-9qWDiP0UW9MpI_qe1x8QAazKGYtpRx728bJOTLyfc7TyYfnthPk8NU3-inVGaXA5zfTELVbFeFpRLUW7CxNjvzuKclihBWXOGfLERL5yYJudxVHOoO8wJvn_ODhXrVhbPQxN-Ii7V/s1600/Photo+D.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRi-9qWDiP0UW9MpI_qe1x8QAazKGYtpRx728bJOTLyfc7TyYfnthPk8NU3-inVGaXA5zfTELVbFeFpRLUW7CxNjvzuKclihBWXOGfLERL5yYJudxVHOoO8wJvn_ODhXrVhbPQxN-Ii7V/s400/Photo+D.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472779172882069426" /><center>Kevin Earley as Frank Butler and the company of Annie Get Your Gun at Goodspeed Opera House.</center></a><br />Success of course has many mothers. Nevertheless, a big portion of the credit has to go the incredibly clever director, Rob Ruggiero who used every inch of stage space available. His cast swarmed and swirled under the big top, through the crowned heads of Europe and into a high society gathering. One dance took place on the top of a railroad car which rolled on and off stage with ease.<br /><br />David McDonald made Buffalo Bill Cody a gentleman ringmaster in this role. Equally impressive were Bill Nabel as Pawnee Bill and Rebecca Watson as Dolly Tate. Impeccable timing in delivering his lines was Chief Sitting Bull played by the delightful Michael Nichols.<br /><br />Orville Mendoza - who I first heard at Barrington Stage Company - carried the roles of Running Deer and several others over the course of the evening.<br /><br />Rounding out the major figures are the two lovers Winnie Tate (Chelsea Morgan Stock and Tommy Keeler (Andrew Cao). Their voices were sweet, if not terribly loud.<br /><br />As usual, the Goodspeed's production was world class, even with the limited playing space this jewel box of a theatre has to work with. Michael Schweikardt's set was highly creative, billowing posters and curtains doing the work of dividing the locations and scenes with speed and decisiveness. The costumes by Alejo Vietti were just amazing to see, detailed right down to the dirt and grime on Annie's leather and rough hewn clothes.<br /><br />Anyone who is looking for a top notch musical - of the old fashioned variety - should find their way to East Haddam and see this superb company for themselves. You will quickly discover why Goodspeed is the home of Broadway hits - they have sent more musicals to Broadway than any other regional theatre company.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Annie Get Your Gun</span>. Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Original Book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields. Revised by Peter Stone. First performance April 16, 2010. Recently extended to play to July 3. Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut. About 2 hours, 15 minutes with one intermission. <a href="http://www.goodspeed.org/">http://www.goodspeed.org/</a>Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-24824461835135853512010-05-12T13:19:00.008-04:002010-05-15T10:12:20.922-04:00Roger Rees and Sir Ian McKellan mistaken for bums in Sydney<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaE7tNO7mivIcAbmmw6sQA1rCAWKwuC6OZewYfGGMwW9ZRVKuwpw_x-3NCv-1431mUv4AWMayM64EPX2FerzN7x5QRaD-80X4WTCeVwe3UosTkQpRU2LtrOGDgHhJHSG-wCBXpELAjdrNZ/s1600/AAGodothat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 365px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaE7tNO7mivIcAbmmw6sQA1rCAWKwuC6OZewYfGGMwW9ZRVKuwpw_x-3NCv-1431mUv4AWMayM64EPX2FerzN7x5QRaD-80X4WTCeVwe3UosTkQpRU2LtrOGDgHhJHSG-wCBXpELAjdrNZ/s400/AAGodothat.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470437880603375538" /><center>Sir Ian McKellan mistaken for a bum by a passerby who dropped a dollar in his hat.</center></a><br />If there is anything more dangerous than a "method" actor, it's a "method" costume designer. Put the two together and the public can be easily fooled.<br /><br />Ian McKellen was taking a break during rehearsals for Waiting for Godot which he and Roger Rees (former Williamstown Theatre Festival Artistic Dirextor) first did in London and are now performing in Australia.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pHi9THWJC3XWiGgUY6a6QJn2DdA5HzghDUrwDeg1OI58jhBAV_E12TRAJ89NxcK_oUtzOV5Xp3kqQznlATvI0XZFXAZIyVKGjYZJb0jtX8WeIKLy-STI3oTBjmrW1-G83GHE1102ifRa/s1600/AAGodotbums.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pHi9THWJC3XWiGgUY6a6QJn2DdA5HzghDUrwDeg1OI58jhBAV_E12TRAJ89NxcK_oUtzOV5Xp3kqQznlATvI0XZFXAZIyVKGjYZJb0jtX8WeIKLy-STI3oTBjmrW1-G83GHE1102ifRa/s400/AAGodotbums.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470437889861663506" /><center></center>Roger Rees (top) and Ian McKellan take their routine on the road.</a><br /><br />As fate would have it, Sir Ian is sitting a short distance from the stage door, Estragon's bowler in hand when a passerby takes one look at the aging, threadbare actor and drops a dollar in the hat.<br /><br />Of course, that prompted the publicist to set up some photographs which we most happily reprint here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4R0JPUQDLsEZ_nmIUp-M39DG0YUoCXwq8UHq4k7J0zU6UFxAheRUbR8sjC0GCJjso1O-it2CcdsNeNDS0lU03Oaw_7ywhwyMl_zAKdRDh34VlUTW9sF5EPRGIHLq3sRqRl28q-F6HN1IC/s1600/AAgodotcoin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 332px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4R0JPUQDLsEZ_nmIUp-M39DG0YUoCXwq8UHq4k7J0zU6UFxAheRUbR8sjC0GCJjso1O-it2CcdsNeNDS0lU03Oaw_7ywhwyMl_zAKdRDh34VlUTW9sF5EPRGIHLq3sRqRl28q-F6HN1IC/s400/AAgodotcoin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470437893716826530" /><center>McKelan hopes the Melbourne critics will be as kind.</center></a><br />After Waiting For Godot finishes its run in Melbourne, it will continue on to Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.<br />The Samuel Beckett play was a huge success in London's West End, with Sir Ian starring as Estragon opposite Patrick Stewart's and then Roger Rees's Vladimir.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp26fJ4YqIqG7VGsssIMBT4bv7NR0Yhk2TV61RXYGMjYkboChPAgXt1OXpsRF0OwK7YRQ82bWMf_lXq7-LXL50vTvdqMBUtdK3Cp_IXzlIyGfEGeuJDz41yQltfLApEQQhKnMtFGuPhSqY/s1600/AAgodotBench.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp26fJ4YqIqG7VGsssIMBT4bv7NR0Yhk2TV61RXYGMjYkboChPAgXt1OXpsRF0OwK7YRQ82bWMf_lXq7-LXL50vTvdqMBUtdK3Cp_IXzlIyGfEGeuJDz41yQltfLApEQQhKnMtFGuPhSqY/s400/AAgodotBench.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470437901086121794" /><center>Sir Ian McKellan attracts stares as he continues to wait for Godot in full public view.</center></a><br /><br />You can ead more at: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1277418/Sir-Ian-McKellen-mistaken-tramp-rehearses-play.html#ixzz0njmOxe8B">The Daily Mail.</a><br /><br />Sir Ian has a wicked sense or irony:<br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/43sbtkQM6zc&color1=0x6699&color2=0x54abd6&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/43sbtkQM6zc&color1=0x6699&color2=0x54abd6&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-38626738356556094392010-05-06T10:55:00.008-04:002010-05-06T11:28:50.947-04:00Concert Hall Decorum Loses to PaGAGnini Players<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcA-SlmXpecpD6QzxVRuDcd2WwuODrwyiH2C6K9IY3s6ZqP7SyYryLp2LtKaBdBPzfBU9OpkSsM2CqO3mYtsXZRKzu47SQSfB9h2pTMWavazM20KK1PbynIv0AmchJSy-EkDFTN9eoVfGz/s1600/AAPag.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcA-SlmXpecpD6QzxVRuDcd2WwuODrwyiH2C6K9IY3s6ZqP7SyYryLp2LtKaBdBPzfBU9OpkSsM2CqO3mYtsXZRKzu47SQSfB9h2pTMWavazM20KK1PbynIv0AmchJSy-EkDFTN9eoVfGz/s400/AAPag.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468174619400099122" /><center>The Pagagnini Quartet.</center></a><br />They begin as any chamber concert does, with a pensive pianissimo passage of a Bach Brandenburg or the Pachebel Canon in d. Their playing is superb. The audience is rapt. Then...cleverly choreographed chaos erupts. The Pagagnini Quartet is off and running and the evening erupts in hilarity. It's about as entertaining as classical music ever gets.<br /><br />Descended from a squiggly line of classical clowns, from Spike Jones (<span style="font-style:italic;">Carmen Ghia</span>) to Anna Russell to PDQ Bach, the Pagagnini foursome is clearly out to have a good time. Their audiences respond with endless cheering and laughter. The group, from Spain, is about to appear in New York City and we want to be sure you know about them.<br /><br />Their high voltage show makes quite a racket, and the choreography requires their playing to be almost acrobatic as they pluck, bow and abuse their instruments in the name of art. This video will give you a good idea of what they are up to.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5qB1zhNhfm8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5qB1zhNhfm8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />They play the New Victory Theatre in Manhattan from May 7 - 23. Performances are Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 7pm, and Sundays at 12pm and 5pm.<br /><br />Regular ticket prices are $35, $25, $12.50. With our code your discount price is only $29.75, $21.25, $10.50. <br /><br /> When you call for tickets, (646-223-3010) be sure to mention code GAG1915.<br /><br />You can also order on line directly from the <a href="http://www.newvictory.org/">New Victory Theatre</a>. Again, when prompted, enter the code GAG1915 for your special pricing. Or bring a copy of this advance story to the box office at 209 West 42nd Street.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-23254010875131697842010-04-30T09:19:00.012-04:002010-04-30T10:19:52.142-04:00Cirque du Soleil's "OvO" Arrives in Hartford June 17<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfJA-rsPVXP2CjWpv4k8yW0Nd94EQuRz8z6Eo4RVyYjeUYUisT5uu4bX-gIRK2Xz9q5EppwRg8Hq6nrVFWO6hzCcvjkPoEusBsDNJ8yHYbF3DWsDqRm9um91pRKiraLOQSeL25oW8k3sR/s1600/AAOvoLogo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfJA-rsPVXP2CjWpv4k8yW0Nd94EQuRz8z6Eo4RVyYjeUYUisT5uu4bX-gIRK2Xz9q5EppwRg8Hq6nrVFWO6hzCcvjkPoEusBsDNJ8yHYbF3DWsDqRm9um91pRKiraLOQSeL25oW8k3sR/s400/AAOvoLogo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465928479665872130" /><center>"Families will literally BUG OUT and HAVE A BLAST"<br />- Time Out Kids</center></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdeWiHjQZj4VCgD6tDxxybabFVTEKR5EsOqAcUE-F3E_apTDon1qqnTyQO5L4wndjM1ly0DLBHe-N1WHKqb2cy_Ik90BU2OsrJolFpDdj6JCmQ6t8vKoLzt0Y3Cpt2bZ37_VXr2KrLoW4/s1600/AACirquetent.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 366px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdeWiHjQZj4VCgD6tDxxybabFVTEKR5EsOqAcUE-F3E_apTDon1qqnTyQO5L4wndjM1ly0DLBHe-N1WHKqb2cy_Ik90BU2OsrJolFpDdj6JCmQ6t8vKoLzt0Y3Cpt2bZ37_VXr2KrLoW4/s400/AACirquetent.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465922693192151858" />Cirque du Soleil's <span style="font-style:italic;">Grand Chapiteau</span> (Big Top) returns to Market Street in Hartford June 17 for <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span>, a show teeming with insects.</a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span> is the most jaw dropping spectacle yet from the Cirque du Soleil, and it is creating significant buzz as the best touring show this company has ever put on the road. Currently playing in New York City (Randall's Island Park) to June 6, the company will pack up its tent and move to Hartford June 17 to July 4 and then Boston from July 22 to August 15. <br /><br />In Hartford it is conveniently located at the intersection of I-84 and I-91 (Northwest corner). In Boston the blue and yellow tent will be found at Fan Pier and Pier 4 instead of Suffolk Downs.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0dC8eHF3tk8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0dC8eHF3tk8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><center><H2>All About OvO</H2></center><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span> is a headlong rush into a colorful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement. The insects’ home is a world of biodiversity and beauty filled with noisy action and moments of quiet emotion. <br /><br />When a mysterious egg appears in their midst, the insects are awestruck and intensely curious about this iconic object that represents the enigma and cycles of their lives. It’s love at first sight when a gawky, quirky insect arrives in this bustling community and a fabulous ladybug catches his eye – and the feeling is mutual.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZ6M3QSML4WJyLO1y5y0i9lbmrGYIzMpRXwJs6kvdCg-T1Cz6v8BIPDggcKZRFcob9Nu_EWEJY453jdNyYoB1KlaXFbL9bcOdz986OJG18Rgvqvs0VfDstCUTclmfp9oBNIQS2ypHLBfv/s1600/AACatchbug.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZ6M3QSML4WJyLO1y5y0i9lbmrGYIzMpRXwJs6kvdCg-T1Cz6v8BIPDggcKZRFcob9Nu_EWEJY453jdNyYoB1KlaXFbL9bcOdz986OJG18Rgvqvs0VfDstCUTclmfp9oBNIQS2ypHLBfv/s400/AACatchbug.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465928473944893522" /><center>Cirque du Soleil's <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span> is visually stunning.</center></a><br /><br />As anyone who has seen a Cirque show knows, their sows are overflowing with contrasts. The hidden, secret world at our feet is revealed as tender and torrid, noisy and quiet, peaceful and chaotic. And as the sun rises on a bright new day the vibrant cycle of insect life begins anew.<br /><br />The cast of <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span> comprises 54 performing artists from 16 countries and director Deborah Colker, a renowned choreographer, has integrated dance movements into many of the acts in the show. Colker is the first female Director at Cirque du Soleil. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span> features many acrobatic acts including a stunning flying trapeze act: Six flyers soar 40 feet in the air, making this act the biggest of its kind ever presented under a big top by Cirque du Soleil. It combines many circus disciplines: banquine, Russian swing and swinging chair. The finale features 20 artists running, jumping and leaping up a 24-foot vertical wall. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbZ_REP7ELgje8CcqmoOnTeRuw6-pt4YUrmK2T35Y_l1NCZPKebmMZUzJDFXRJ7EY5S1qu_rVQl_LGWTFHk2NuR-M2cLQJwEcC3gVVulHdgrvqZWgLCj-aTA4kQVYIfbNZaik82kJlXzF/s1600/BOSwebcirque.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbZ_REP7ELgje8CcqmoOnTeRuw6-pt4YUrmK2T35Y_l1NCZPKebmMZUzJDFXRJ7EY5S1qu_rVQl_LGWTFHk2NuR-M2cLQJwEcC3gVVulHdgrvqZWgLCj-aTA4kQVYIfbNZaik82kJlXzF/s400/BOSwebcirque.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465928484639335458" /><center>The playing space envelops and involves the audience.</center></a><br />The Creative Team behind the world of <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span> is: Artistic Guides Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix; Writer, Director and Choreographer Deborah Colker; Director of Creation Chantal Tremblay; Set and props Designer Gringo Cardia; Costume Designer Liz Vandal; Composer and Musical Director Berna Ceppas; Lighting Designer Éric Champoux; Sound Designer Jonathan Deans; Acrobatic Equipment and Rigging Designer Fred Gérard; Acrobatic Performance Designer Philippe Aubertin; and Makeup Designer Julie Bégin. <br /><br />iShares is the presenting sponsor of the 2010 U.S. tour of <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span>. Sun Life Financial, CGI, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and American Express are the official sponsors.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1402sJPZw5vIvqeJQQkEiIXkk6trglrCBjeTkBgrkeOFNY3srXO7XccYFvj9dBJYdPzRPLdJmstLw7rYEG79U72Bn_6yHiay1_NP0AJttr45uYute9nQ55lqNKHhoTL7jCByz_9MhKlj/s1600/AACirqueCast.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1402sJPZw5vIvqeJQQkEiIXkk6trglrCBjeTkBgrkeOFNY3srXO7XccYFvj9dBJYdPzRPLdJmstLw7rYEG79U72Bn_6yHiay1_NP0AJttr45uYute9nQ55lqNKHhoTL7jCByz_9MhKlj/s400/AACirqueCast.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465928479051317106" /><center>Everything about <span style="font-style:italic;">OvO</span> is extravagant: huge cast, live music, incredible costumes, clowns, acrobats, what's not to like?</center></a><br /><blockquote>"WHAT A SHOW! To say audiences are wowed is an understatement."<br />"It's not just great family fun; it's breathtaking."<br />- The Huffington Post.com</blockquote><br /><center><H2>Ticket Information</center></h2><br />The performances are Tuesdays thru Thursdays at 8:00 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. No performances on Mondays. Tickets will be available as of this Sunday, April 11 at 9 a.m. via <a href="http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ovo">www.cirquedusoleil.com/ovo</a> or at 1-800-450-1480. Tickets for adults are from $45 to $125 and tickets for children are from $31.50 to $87.50. A VIP Tapis Rouge™ package is also available. It includes one of the best seats in the house, as well as access to the VIP suite one hour before the show and during intermission. The adult package is available for $250 and the child package for $175 (aged 2 to 12 years old). Prices include taxes.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-67004026479069862332010-04-23T10:38:00.014-04:002010-04-23T16:17:30.445-04:00Fewer Jukebox Musicals and More Plays About Sports, Please<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIhspYU_Rt8_TrTp4wVmKRGBWS-qg7sNyBLgrA_tzilY7D1yJhwcTBg7PfsLFD03PQV63IZ4WG5qhvHF32PuwwuL-0Do4WDCbcbwfBFv68W9gyeh1-ght4jV6hOJXGGaRec3zkyTTOheU/s1600/8163a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 315px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIhspYU_Rt8_TrTp4wVmKRGBWS-qg7sNyBLgrA_tzilY7D1yJhwcTBg7PfsLFD03PQV63IZ4WG5qhvHF32PuwwuL-0Do4WDCbcbwfBFv68W9gyeh1-ght4jV6hOJXGGaRec3zkyTTOheU/s400/8163a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463349375447652018" /><center> George Merrick and Shannon Lewis<br />in a publicity photo for Damn Yankees at Boston's North Shore Music Theatre in 2006.</center><br /> </a><br />Thank goodness for <span style="font-style:italic;">Damn Yankee</span>s. It's probably the best sports musical ever written, and for those of us in the Northeast, we will be able to enjoy it again August 5-21 at the <a href="http://www.westonplayhouse.org/2010_mainstage3.php">Weston, VT Playhouse</a>.<br /><br />(For a rundown on the Berkshire's Summer of 2010 Schedules, visit <a href="http://berkshireonstage.com/">Berkshire on Stage</a> which lists all the major companies.)<br /><br />I first saw it in its original Broadway outing back in the late fifties, and have never stopped loving it. "You've Gotta Have Heart" and "Whatever Lola Wants" are so eminently hummable while "Steam Heat" can be a great dance number.<br /><br />Instead, lately it seems the jukebox musicals are becoming the new form for musicals, from <span style="font-style:italic;">Mamma Mia!</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Jersey Boys</span> to <span style="font-style:italic;">Rock of Ages</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">American Idiot</span>, that last one recycling a Green Day 2004 album. Now, there is no question that the music in question is good, even great, but the underpinnings, the book, the plot, the depth is pretty shallow. In <span style="font-style:italic;">Damn Yankees</span> we have the issue of selling one's soul to the Devil while in<span style="font-style:italic;"> Mamma Mia!</span> we have a pastiche. <br /><br />Here in the Berkshires we have the additional curse of the "tribute" shows, including one which I attended that supposedly saluted ABBA. In the middle of the show they scrapped ABBA and started playing anti-Disco music which clearly showed they hated playing ABBA in the first place. It was insulting to those who paid to enjoy the songs of the Swedish pop group. The venues who book these scandalous second rate shows are shortchanging their audiences and endangering their "brand" by diluting it with pap.<br /><br />Audiences love these pop music revues, and there is no shortage of ticket buyers, so what is a commercial producer to do?<br /><br />The lack of substance in musicals has always been a problem. But would you swap <span style="font-style:italic;">Sweet Charity</span> for say, <span style="font-style:italic;">Footloose</span>?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IkdNBva6U0_VWN19XAQGAukf9Y2Rhk8pxXL2uvFLuKrXl99vprSm-nPcTYzbwKO-ecyL-EVC6wAQ-dZnT0uKfBYP5TQO7XmWs0ZVNu7kDX07DEh-lgXUqm-oQsq-fsDHlFs5JiI6EKza/s1600/Sucker-Punch-Web-Small.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 147px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IkdNBva6U0_VWN19XAQGAukf9Y2Rhk8pxXL2uvFLuKrXl99vprSm-nPcTYzbwKO-ecyL-EVC6wAQ-dZnT0uKfBYP5TQO7XmWs0ZVNu7kDX07DEh-lgXUqm-oQsq-fsDHlFs5JiI6EKza/s400/Sucker-Punch-Web-Small.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463351690945782418" /><center>Sucker Punch at London's Royal Court Theatre</center></a><br /><br />Sports musicals are rare, and plays about the subject are few and far between. Here we can count our blessings that Kate Maguire (Artistic Director of the Berkshire Theatre Festival) is a fan, a BIG fan of baseball. WIthout her, we would never have gotten to see the nostalgic and impressive <span style="font-style:italic;">Red Remembers</span> last fall.<br /><br />But isn't it about time someone did a credible job on <span style="font-style:italic;">Take Me Out</span>, also about baseball players? Roy Williams new play about boxing, <span style="font-style:italic;">Sucker Punch</span> is also intriguing. In the UK there are lots of plays about rugby, cricket and their version of football, but where is the American basketball or football tale to keep audiences riveted to the stage.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYjm3Yn86JpBv8YGF6VxCm0iTkkLAksY6YiDTdZtmq36hWc79afgEH5jlPhMt2QYzPqkjpi6Df1mWK-vPfvdf7CEeYms5JCmPT9_YDdXiQ9XvcbeLWRBYpUlxDNUMegkJzVMt_m3V0VnRC/s1600/doc4aba6ecb1deb2301125116.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYjm3Yn86JpBv8YGF6VxCm0iTkkLAksY6YiDTdZtmq36hWc79afgEH5jlPhMt2QYzPqkjpi6Df1mWK-vPfvdf7CEeYms5JCmPT9_YDdXiQ9XvcbeLWRBYpUlxDNUMegkJzVMt_m3V0VnRC/s400/doc4aba6ecb1deb2301125116.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463353368704326258" /><center>Dave Garrison as Red Barber in the Berkshire Theatre Festival play, <span style="font-style:italic;">Red Remembers</span>.</center></a><br />Don't think there aren't sports fans in the audience, and theatre lovers at the stadium cheering on the local team. Audiences cross over all the time. Indeed I contend that a someone at the baseball stadium is more likely to buy a ticket to a stage show than some television viewer watching <span style="font-style:italic;">Survivor</span>.<br /><br />The world is divided into those who sit at home and those that go out. People who are always out and about will eventually discover local theatre and music. The couch potatoes only leave the nest to scoop up more junk at WalMart.<br /><br />To expand audiences for the arts, it is possible that sports could be a better magnet to draw new people in than the jukebox.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-81318338023371485312010-04-16T12:23:00.006-04:002010-04-16T13:26:55.585-04:00Annie, Get Your Earplugs! Dueling Musicals in May<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbtkcT_90QDa7nKe_WNIQ7Zd3ynLvSnDrrY3vKPOg9xXeHj6478G6H_59d4LGkzV3mb0yqcCNJC-icEpygipxCI7WA6qrClfTvwYd10YpV0eYU6uXf6nT0TCPYRV4_KKNBeOGIqLxN7KC/s1600/Jenn+Gambatese+is+Annie+Oakley+in+Goodspeed+Musicals%27+ANNIE+GET+YOUR+GUN+Photo+by+Diane+Sobolewski.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbtkcT_90QDa7nKe_WNIQ7Zd3ynLvSnDrrY3vKPOg9xXeHj6478G6H_59d4LGkzV3mb0yqcCNJC-icEpygipxCI7WA6qrClfTvwYd10YpV0eYU6uXf6nT0TCPYRV4_KKNBeOGIqLxN7KC/s400/Jenn+Gambatese+is+Annie+Oakley+in+Goodspeed+Musicals%27+ANNIE+GET+YOUR+GUN+Photo+by+Diane+Sobolewski.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460784077672923250" /><center>Jenn Gambatese is Annie Oakley in Goodspeed Musicals' ANNIE GET YOUR GUN Photo by Diane Sobolewski.</center></a><br /><br />When Irving Berlin wrote <span style="font-style:italic;">Annie Get Your Gun</span>, he wrote a classic. It's the show that introduced "There's No Business Like Show Business" to the world which has become an anthem. In just a matter of weeks we will have two versions of this great musical within striking distance of the Berkshires.<br /><br />But like the other famous song in the show, "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better," it will be easy to pick which show you want to see. You see there is the scaled down MacHaydn version in Chatham, NY which runs from May 27 to June 6 or the Goodspeed Opera House full bore production in East Haddam, CT which runs from April 16 to June 27. If you are a WalMart shopper you will love the MacHaydn version where tickets are only $26-28. It's done in the round, with some pretty fine singers, but there are problems. Certainly having to look at the back of an actor's head is no fun, and doing musicals on a stage that is barely larger than a pizza platter doesn't leave room for much for scenery or choreography.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6-oeLMFqDl4R0Ab_MfzNX69TSIHX4GPeDj6lPJtP6bfZjWkJmbY7y3j5CYcOD2mt5bEYc-ABTVmNrS0KXT2GiNDiaNN_Lisz7wlsB2DWXVfjOs6S7z6eIY1ll22yr59nzIVXUH3tQI8x/s1600/annie_get_your_gun1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6-oeLMFqDl4R0Ab_MfzNX69TSIHX4GPeDj6lPJtP6bfZjWkJmbY7y3j5CYcOD2mt5bEYc-ABTVmNrS0KXT2GiNDiaNN_Lisz7wlsB2DWXVfjOs6S7z6eIY1ll22yr59nzIVXUH3tQI8x/s400/annie_get_your_gun1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460784052157424866" /></a><br />Then there is the matter of the sound. At the Mac it seems limited to a piano and synthesizer to emulate what a band or orchestra should rightly be playing. <br /><br />The MacHaydn has scores of loyal fans who will no doubt throw their walkers and canes at me for writing such harsh words, but bad music clearly does not seem to bother the geriatric set which predominates, especially at matinees. I apoloigize in advance for the snark attack, but don't you think that when you can't hear very well anyway, it likely doesn't matter much? <br /><br />I have friends who don't mind. But it is their achilles heel. You can certainly see for yourself and come back and comment here. Tickets and information is available at <a href="http://www.machaydntheatre.org/">http://www.machaydntheatre.org/</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><h3>The Alternative<span style="font-style:italic;"></h3></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhpt7IO4Q9-w8R81bfqSB4WGmBrW7ziuCGNAiHQmXOqK-fVlgbMjiNaSXa_ZwQefrcEnsa8CGykAIsQ25rQgvhWkrwhfXs8EesEhtvVwIHU2c0P6r23M7rojdx5Nmy5E046ucAm-Qbu1W/s1600/Jenn+Gambatese+as+Annie+Oakley+with+Jessie,+Nellie+%26+Little+Jake+(Joy+Rachel+Del+Valle,+Griffin+Birney,+Marissa+Smoker)+Photo+by+Diane+Sobolewski.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 362px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhpt7IO4Q9-w8R81bfqSB4WGmBrW7ziuCGNAiHQmXOqK-fVlgbMjiNaSXa_ZwQefrcEnsa8CGykAIsQ25rQgvhWkrwhfXs8EesEhtvVwIHU2c0P6r23M7rojdx5Nmy5E046ucAm-Qbu1W/s400/Jenn+Gambatese+as+Annie+Oakley+with+Jessie,+Nellie+%26+Little+Jake+(Joy+Rachel+Del+Valle,+Griffin+Birney,+Marissa+Smoker)+Photo+by+Diane+Sobolewski.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460784070187786034" />Jenn Gambatese as Annie Oakley with Jessie, Nellie & Little Jake (Joy Rachel Del Valle, Griffin Birney, Marissa Smoker) Photo by Diane Sobolewski</a><br />On the other hand there is the <span style="font-style:italic;">Annie Get Your Gun</span> being staged at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT. This is the upscale version with prices to match. Tickets are $27.50 to $71.00 though what you get is a decent sized group of live musicians, great sets and costumes and a cast that is drawn from Broadway. The Goodspeed has sent more musicals to Broadway than any other theatre company.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWlkhvX11higy2FMurR8XPo4rsI5RaJoxN9P1mosQTpiMC6JHXmOfmkg_Z_9GTEBIb6Nf7M5kMzWOHo1i8gFJt1Dmff9Jzz4KEiV7YaG3zPbSGNPTf-g-dRZo-h75kIUNGJHDaQnqw0jq/s1600/Early_Kevin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 356px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWlkhvX11higy2FMurR8XPo4rsI5RaJoxN9P1mosQTpiMC6JHXmOfmkg_Z_9GTEBIb6Nf7M5kMzWOHo1i8gFJt1Dmff9Jzz4KEiV7YaG3zPbSGNPTf-g-dRZo-h75kIUNGJHDaQnqw0jq/s400/Early_Kevin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460784293447967618" /></a><br />Kevin Earley (above) will play marksman Frank Butler opposite the sharp-shooting Annie Oakley played by Jenn Gabatese (below).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroo1mq9_Di1tktL40H_7-MzvsSK6GWxa4oJe5gENARs6D_yYREWsL7G6EqwUc0HQsVzhvdA_BKx0EmEKmBhIgf4sLVQOsh6CF9aunjXWE5I_bG0xSvhRc2KsmWch0E-DiJyDwPzysrEgo/s1600/Jenn+Gambatese.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroo1mq9_Di1tktL40H_7-MzvsSK6GWxa4oJe5gENARs6D_yYREWsL7G6EqwUc0HQsVzhvdA_BKx0EmEKmBhIgf4sLVQOsh6CF9aunjXWE5I_bG0xSvhRc2KsmWch0E-DiJyDwPzysrEgo/s400/Jenn+Gambatese.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460784064618948162" /></a><br />This <span style="font-style:italic;">Annie Get Your Gun</span> will be directed by Rob Ruggiero whose work has been seen frequently in the Berkshires, as well as in award-winning regional theatres around the country. Mr. Ruggiero returns to Goodspeed where he directed <span style="font-style:italic;">1776, Big River</span> and last year’s sensation <span style="font-style:italic;">Camelot</span>. His off-Broadway and tour credits include <span style="font-style:italic;">All Under Heaven</span> and the world premieres of <span style="font-style:italic;">Ella</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Make Me A Song</span>, all of which he both conceived and directed. His newest production, <span style="font-style:italic;">Looped</span> starring Valerie Harper, is currently running on Broadway. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Annie Get Your Gun</span> was first staged on Broadway at the Imperial Theater on May 16, 1946 and ran for 1,147 performances. It was directed by Joshua Logan; Ethel Merman starred as Annie Oakley, and Ray Middleton played Frank Butler. Mary Martin starred as Annie Oakley in a U.S. national tour that started on October 3, 1947 in Dallas, Texas. Martin also did the television version back in the 1950's about the same time Merman was doing <span style="font-style:italic;">Happy Hunting on Broadway. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGq23q95p0lIQQ3OM4E16IrIRKfP1mHfTQqUxqa8JKI3zRug7gL2q8XaJxivjytVFIIhaO_DVJZPYVC1EhEDtiMkYw7EKOtvAvYBikAcUdFJI2EttdoS4tiFClJ5XydS3SerBPMignPZN/s1600/Annie+Get+Your+Gun++copy.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGq23q95p0lIQQ3OM4E16IrIRKfP1mHfTQqUxqa8JKI3zRug7gL2q8XaJxivjytVFIIhaO_DVJZPYVC1EhEDtiMkYw7EKOtvAvYBikAcUdFJI2EttdoS4tiFClJ5XydS3SerBPMignPZN/s400/Annie+Get+Your+Gun++copy.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460784053630958162" /><center>The Revival Changed a Lot of Songs.</center></a><br />I saw the most recent Broadway revival in 1999 that starred Tom Wopat and Bernadette Peters, an unlikely combination if ever there was one. It was not a success, and having seen it, I think both leads were miscast. <br /><br />There is a good reason to see both versions: in the past some of the songs have been cut or revised due to the changing political climate and increasing respect for Native Americans. Musicals, often show their age, and this one does, though for those of us who lived through the period in which the original was written (1946) don't seem to notice the disconnect nearly as much as young people who are surprised by the subtle and overt racism. Still, it is a show that has all the classic ingredients including a wonderful score. Don't miss it.<br /><br />Performances: April 16- June 27, Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., (with select performances at 2:00 p.m.), Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (with select performances at 6:30 p.m.).<br /><br />Tickets:$27.50 - $71.00, Goodspeed Box Office (860.873.8668) or on-line at<a href="http://www. goodspeed.org"> goodspeed.org</a>Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-84361906828610936452010-04-15T15:52:00.006-04:002010-04-16T18:41:00.181-04:00Pharmaceutical Marketing Explored in Orgasm, Inc. at MASS MoCA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFDA1xBVjXUoQK6xVa3lNtPeZJnDGSeld5H9lOGsCsKnD2k48Myh68KvYO9Dwv7CHTtW5u2BRShJPGuxPcoyA0c0ZQY2yx05E_qvWYPKnocbMGk-Zn1mw_r5KOoxyPDONbSnNNouFpgQU/s1600/AAOrgasm-Inc.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFDA1xBVjXUoQK6xVa3lNtPeZJnDGSeld5H9lOGsCsKnD2k48Myh68KvYO9Dwv7CHTtW5u2BRShJPGuxPcoyA0c0ZQY2yx05E_qvWYPKnocbMGk-Zn1mw_r5KOoxyPDONbSnNNouFpgQU/s400/AAOrgasm-Inc.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460829966520601682" /><center>To go to film website, <a href="http://www.orgasminc.org/">click here</a>.</center></a><br /><br /><center><span style="font-weight:bold;">Pharmaceutical Marketing Explored in Orgasm, Inc.</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Film at Mass MoCA</span></center><br /><br />The final film in MASS MoCA's <span style="font-style:italic;">Lie, Cheat, Steal and Fake It</span> documentary series is <span style="font-style:italic;">Orgasm, Inc</span>., a feature-length documentary exploring the depths of female pleasure and the distances pharmaceutical companies will go just to make a buck. Orgasm Inc. will be screened on Thursday, April 29, at 7:30 PM in MASS MoCA's Club B-10. A full bar and snacks and Herrell's ice cream from Lickety Split will be available.<br /><br />Filmmaker Liz Canner had been making documentaries on human rights issues such as genocide, police brutality, and world poverty for years when she decided to take a break and pursue something more pleasurable, no pun intended. When offered a job editing erotic videos for a pharmaceutical company that was developing an orgasm cream for women, she accepted. Excited about the opportunity to explore the mixture of science and female pleasure, she gained permission to document the work of her employers. She did not intend to create an exposé of the pharmaceutical world but, as she uncovered more about the process and goals of her employers, she felt compelled to dig deeper. She says, "[my] insider perspective allows the film to scrutinize the everyday patterns of pharmaceutical company work in order to explore a culture that has been perverted to place the drive for profit above our health." <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPN8Llk1uLSALpat0e2VYntvB7IKr7dNNQRAW7TdFjFT_fDjEsmYtDWvLZnLt-EFR1klJTohTqtlun0N6HHNt_DF2letgXWE9W6Znmwcw5CfZvtV7I4ALJSJyw8Iu5Y7uVznkfwNg43pS/s1600/AAOrgasmsearch.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPN8Llk1uLSALpat0e2VYntvB7IKr7dNNQRAW7TdFjFT_fDjEsmYtDWvLZnLt-EFR1klJTohTqtlun0N6HHNt_DF2letgXWE9W6Znmwcw5CfZvtV7I4ALJSJyw8Iu5Y7uVznkfwNg43pS/s400/AAOrgasmsearch.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460829968858729346" /><center>The search for a female orgasm drug.</center></a><br />In the film, Canner uncovers a company, Vivus, who lost the race for a drug to aid erectile dysfunction when Pfizer beat it to the market with a much larger advertising budget. Vivus executives believe that their product will work just as well on wome, and the company forges ahead with development of a drug that has no particular "disease" that it is intended to cure. In an expert sleight of hand Vivus creates a new syndrome which its drug will treat: Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD). The reason why thousands of women fail to enjoy intimacy is because they suffer from FSD, and Vivus becomes the largest advertiser and advocate for a cure. <br /><br />Aside from meeting and interviewing drug company CEOs, field-testers, and number-crunchers, Canner films doctors, scientists, and psychiatrists who are resisting the pharmaceutical industry's notion that sexual dissatisfaction is a "disease" that needs to be treated with a drug. Additionally, she profiles a sex shop owner who crashes pharmaceutical conferences to educate the doctors in attendance, a vintage vibrator collector who provides insight into the history of female sexuality, and a professor whose monkeys have taught him to pay more attention to women. They all profess that the key to sexual satisfaction is to change not just our sex lives but also our society. Canner has stated that her disagreement is not about the idea of a drug to help women achieve satisfaction but rather the assumptions these drug-mongers make about who and what women are.<br /><br />The film (and all the films in the <span style="font-style:italic;">Lie, Cheat, Steal and Fake It</span> series) will be introduced by Williams College professor Shawn Rosenheim who will also lead a post-screening discussion with other scholars and activists.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymaCVitukCVpkcsXLaQkjSPf24MpoJvAVFjw5L5bAKaYLipP5zZNM9SJq7r3MJ0u8TJnx2r6do4UvwxtilRyX_OQNwV7esRBALmOKwIzuHz7b1a-w-pOS8AxdzVet-sisNi9BzN74uk6z/s1600/AAShootingorgasm.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 303px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymaCVitukCVpkcsXLaQkjSPf24MpoJvAVFjw5L5bAKaYLipP5zZNM9SJq7r3MJ0u8TJnx2r6do4UvwxtilRyX_OQNwV7esRBALmOKwIzuHz7b1a-w-pOS8AxdzVet-sisNi9BzN74uk6z/s400/AAShootingorgasm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460833535602904914" /><center>Canner shooting the film <span style="font-style:italic;">Orgasm, Inc</span>.</center></a><br />Canner earned a BA with honors in both Visual Arts and Anthropology from Brown University. Her subsequent work has received more than 40 awards, honors, and grants. Her projects have been supported by foundations such as The National Endowment for the Arts and the Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media. A number of her films have been broadcast on PBS and on public television around the world. She has screened films at the New York Film Festival and the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, among others. Her film, <span style="font-style:italic;">Deadly Embrace: Nicaragua, The World Bank and the IMF</span>, on the effects of IMF and World Bank policy, was one of the first documentaries to look critically at globalization. Canner was also recently named one of the "top 10 independent filmmakers to watch" by The Independent Magazine. <br /><br />Tickets for the screening of <span style="font-style:italic;">Orgasm, Inc</span>. are $8 for adults and $5 for students. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or purchased on line at <a href="http://www.massmoca.org">www.massmoca.org</a>. Snacks and Herrell's ice cream from Lickety Split and full bar are available before and during the film.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-81695005140412899972010-04-11T14:23:00.007-04:002010-04-11T15:18:37.329-04:00Commonwealth Opera's Fully Staged "Lucia" May 7-9 in Northampton<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFp-NxpJDHF9kxNakcwzEmglgxHHASpm_Sc99pIyhBPoiPjxoIBMQYK-7KEr6vP460Z_lohY7pEU8Ux5WZuDrrRNyteCgQjb6LhWeuBOPAVPbxH2u0SwALnrNev6YeddtX15_KqY3BJNA/s1600/AAMadScene.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 284px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFp-NxpJDHF9kxNakcwzEmglgxHHASpm_Sc99pIyhBPoiPjxoIBMQYK-7KEr6vP460Z_lohY7pEU8Ux5WZuDrrRNyteCgQjb6LhWeuBOPAVPbxH2u0SwALnrNev6YeddtX15_KqY3BJNA/s400/AAMadScene.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458956850710502642" /><center><span style="font-style:italic;">Lucia</span> is loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel <span style="font-style:italic;">The Bride of Lammermoor. It is a role that makes stars.</span></center></a><br />Opera in the Berkshires and Western Massachusetts has become a rare treat, and fully staged operas are to be cherished. <br /><br />So it comes as great news that <a href="http://www.commonwealthopera.org/season.php">Commonwealth Opera</a>, a professional opera company in residence in Northampton, Massachusetts, will be presenting two performances of Donizetti’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Lucia di Lammermoor</span> on Friday May 7 at 7:00 PM and Sunday May 9 at 2:00 PM at The Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton. Best of all, it is happening at a time that there is in the "shoulder" season, before the hectic summer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCf2kCSxv8BflKUOPKo5A3VO4bbkeV3WA3bvTbz4-DWevDTrAVjaPdPxP-RexFQK5HJkDMYDayloToq-ROiHK4KNipvMmjJYeCXqhZAG_2Cltq7pINsJFnkQpjXTdlEed98SMHW1h4CPj0/s1600/AAcosi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCf2kCSxv8BflKUOPKo5A3VO4bbkeV3WA3bvTbz4-DWevDTrAVjaPdPxP-RexFQK5HJkDMYDayloToq-ROiHK4KNipvMmjJYeCXqhZAG_2Cltq7pINsJFnkQpjXTdlEed98SMHW1h4CPj0/s400/AAcosi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458956858275110770" /><center>November's <span style="font-style:italic;">Cosi fan Tutte</span> marked Commonwealth Opera's debut as a fully professional company. The company itself was founded more than three decades ago.</center></a><br />For those who might not be familiar with Donizetti's masterpiece, the opera <span style="font-style:italic;">Lucia</span> follows a tragic heroine caught between family obligations, a forceful brother’s will, and her true love - her family’s sworn enemy! This star-crossed love affair takes place in 17 century Scotland.<br /><br />Enrico has promised his sister, Lucia, to Arturo, but Lucia loves Edgardo. Fearing her brother's rage, Lucia and Edgardo agree to keep their love a secret. Edgardo leaves on a diplomatic mission, but Enrico learns of his sister's relationship. In Edgardo's absence, Enrico gives Lucia a letter he forged to make her think that Edgardo has been unfaithful.<br /><br />Devastated, Lucia consents to marry Arturo. Edgardo bursts into the wedding celebration to claim her, but seeing her infidelity he curses Lucia and leaves. Enrico follows Edgardo and challenges him to a duel, meanwhile Lucia and Arturo retire to their bridal chamber where Lucia stabs him to death and goes mad.<br /><br />In the most famous scene of the opera, she wanders into the ongoing wedding festivities, crazed and covered in blood, imagining she is married to Edgardo, and then falls down dead. Awaiting Enrico's arrival for their duel, Edgardo learns of Lucia's death and, distraught, he stabs himself and dies, hoping to join his beloved in heaven.<br /><br />This "Mad Scene, "Il dolce suono...Spargi d'amaro pianto," has historically been a vehicle for several coloratura sopranos (providing a breakthrough for Dame Joan Sutherland) and is a technically and expressively demanding piece as the video clip below demonstrates. It features Sumi Jo in a concert version of the aria. I can hardly wait to see it fully staged in Northampton.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GPe7zbM-MxY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GPe7zbM-MxY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Some sopranos, most notably Maria Callas, have performed the scene in a <span style="font-style:italic;">come scritto</span> ("as written") fashion, adding minimal ornamentation to their interpretations. Most sopranos, however, add ornamentation to demonstrate their technical ability, as was the tradition in the <span style="font-style:italic;">bel canto</span> period. This involves the addition and interpolation of trills, mordents, turns, runs and cadenzas. Almost all sopranos append cadenzas to the end of the "Mad Scene", sometimes ending them on a high E-flat.<br /><br />Donizetti’s lush dramatic masterpiece comes to beautiful life in this new, fully staged period production directed by Eve Summer under the baton of Commonwealth Opera music director Ian Watson. This three act opera boasts stunning <span style="font-style:italic;">bel canto</span> arias, magnificent choruses, and a passionate love story for the ages. The opera will be sung in its original Italian with a simultaneous projected English translation.<br /><br />The scenic design is by Julia Noulin-Merat, costume design by Toni Elliott, and lighting design by Ben Pilat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjrKLfHNqR5XI4itageO1vJhh9HnRo-pReQ5CFKiwT0YMJPTwYRtODryzAMujmJIDcdWXSQEaNeUNAh6kQaWPWkng2KrhvnwjA_AQVqir-fujW3bRiF1BYfgSEBln_qQHx2IRuyFehw7S/s1600/AAIan+Watson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjrKLfHNqR5XI4itageO1vJhh9HnRo-pReQ5CFKiwT0YMJPTwYRtODryzAMujmJIDcdWXSQEaNeUNAh6kQaWPWkng2KrhvnwjA_AQVqir-fujW3bRiF1BYfgSEBln_qQHx2IRuyFehw7S/s400/AAIan+Watson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458956864471465586" /><center>Ian Watson will conduct.</center></a><br /><center><H4>Cast:<br />Lucia...Andrea Chenoweth<br />Edgardo...Jin Ho Hwang<br />Enrico...Anton Belov<br />Raimondo...Paul Soper<br />Arturo...Giovanni Formisano<br />Alisa...Glorivy Arroyo<br />Normanno...Joseph Holmes</H4></center><br /><br />Tickets are priced from $10 - $50, and may be purchased directly through Commonwealth Opera (all box office fees will be waived) by calling 508-847-0517. The Academy of Music Theatre's box office begins sales April 16th at <a href="http://academyofmusictheatre.tix.com">http://academyofmusictheatre.tix.com</a> or at 413-584-9032 x105. Box office fees may apply. Some tickets will be available for students the day of performance at $8.00.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-65391298048788988772010-04-10T13:54:00.006-04:002010-04-10T14:29:37.369-04:00Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam - Soldier's Stories Resonate<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9hfNuztShJ1KuqOKEUBB6FA0Fdhwtl6q7Yt30cyfC-FUZAJaOyy19FR-sZFRx2uOo7rTBy3ligrCiXaObcIo-q1iKLSU2bJF_TG_IwXjEmxvdz2EPBJhyphenhyphen337jxQRk81RuTL17R2_eVxJ/s1600/AATeddyBear.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9hfNuztShJ1KuqOKEUBB6FA0Fdhwtl6q7Yt30cyfC-FUZAJaOyy19FR-sZFRx2uOo7rTBy3ligrCiXaObcIo-q1iKLSU2bJF_TG_IwXjEmxvdz2EPBJhyphenhyphen337jxQRk81RuTL17R2_eVxJ/s400/AATeddyBear.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458575215355014850" /><center><span style="font-style:italic;">The Things They Carried</span> at Barrington Stage April 15-17.</center></a><br />Tim O'Brien and David Rabe both served in Vietnam and lived to write about what they saw and felt. Rabe wrote for the stage and his Vietnam plays - "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel," "Sticks and Bones," "The Orphan," and "Streamers," are still popular, perhaps because of the parallels they offer with Iraq and Afghanistan today.<br /><br />Tim O'Brien wrote a book - a masterpiece, really - "The Things They Carried," and it will receive a staged reading April 15-17 at Barrington Stage Company. It is part of <span style="font-style:italic;">The Big Read</span> currently being celebrated throughout the City of Pittsfield.<br /><br />And it's the performances planned by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Producing Director Richard M. Parison, Jr that will likely be the most memorable and moving. The book has long been known to have the power to change the way people think about that war (or any war for that matter) and to understand how the first hand experience is nothing like the media drawn images we substitute for the real thing.<br /><br />Actors participating in “The Things They Carried: A Staged Reading” include Tim Rush as Tim O’Brien, Alex Cendese and MacCleod Andrews as two soldiers in the Vietnam War, and Hannah Koczela (BSC’s “Carousel”) in the role of Tim O’Brien’s 11-year-old daughter.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGdJX8Hea_cHWOowTi1cIADCe3ESKztM-je6a7xc2X1HReEP3SD4aFFBn9gLqAEL7laMWeg5RkQ0KBfxJxNifdYQhj0sdnqp_pyd3lEL03tUjm1qdluQe2fuA9XwHc0pPVMeX1feuKo9-/s1600/AATimObrien.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGdJX8Hea_cHWOowTi1cIADCe3ESKztM-je6a7xc2X1HReEP3SD4aFFBn9gLqAEL7laMWeg5RkQ0KBfxJxNifdYQhj0sdnqp_pyd3lEL03tUjm1qdluQe2fuA9XwHc0pPVMeX1feuKo9-/s400/AATimObrien.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458575217258849506" /><center>Tim O'Brien's book about the men who live through endless war will come to life through a staged reading.</center></a><br />Three readings will be presented on Friday, April 16 and Saturday, April 17 at 7p.m. at the BSC Mainstage, 30 Union Street , Pittsfield. In addition to the Friday and Saturday readings, a matinee reading will be presented on Thursday, April 15 at 12:30p.m. for invited local schools and Vietnam veterans. Tickets are available for a suggested donation of $10 for adults, $5 for Vietnam veterans and youth ages 18 and under. Tickets may be reserved by calling the Box Office at 413-236-8888 or online at <a href="http://www.barringtonstageco.org">barringtonstageco.org</a><br /><br />Today, Tim O'Brien teaches writing at Texas State University. His book, based on the events he experienced in 1969, is a series of short stories, slices of life as lived by the guys on the ground. When you talk with veterans of wars, you often get well-rehearsed war stories, or stoney silence and one word answers. The experiences are harrowing, but often uplifting too. It takes writers like o'Brien to give them substance and form. And an ensemble of gifted actors and directors to bring them to life on stage. This is one of those rare moments.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpV-yQX2466bZAIehdcdiRAlaQRjuHoFzranlURTPOSfz69IE_DWe9_j525oaqI3UZDI37zrgnSyQPV4GzUpkiCCYPw11d7pVRezB48z974hy-9jw3ewX2Y_Za_VADguS2kphDelfTtxQ/s1600/AAlone.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 386px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpV-yQX2466bZAIehdcdiRAlaQRjuHoFzranlURTPOSfz69IE_DWe9_j525oaqI3UZDI37zrgnSyQPV4GzUpkiCCYPw11d7pVRezB48z974hy-9jw3ewX2Y_Za_VADguS2kphDelfTtxQ/s400/AAlone.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458575227810854642" /><center>Far from home and love. Maya Alleruzzo Photo.</center></a><br /><center><H3>What Did They Carry?<br />They Carried Each Other.</H3></center><br /><blockquote>"They carried P-38 can openers and heat tabs, watches and dog tags, insect repellent, gum, cigarettes, Zippo lighters, salt tablets, compress bandages, ponchos, Kool-Aid, two or three canteens of water, iodine tablets, sterno, LRRP- rations, and C-rations stuffed in socks. The carried standard fatigues, jungle boots, bush hats, flak jackets and steel pots. <br /><br />They carried the M-16 assault rifle. They carried trip flares and Claymore mines, M-60 machine guns, the M-70 grenade launcher, M-14's, CAR-15's, Stoners, Swedish K's, 66mm Laws, shotguns, .45 caliber pistols, silencers, the sound of bullets, rockets, and choppers, and sometimes the sound of silence. They carried C-4 plastic explosives, an assortment of hand grenades, PRC-25 radios, knives and machetes.<br /><br />Some carried napalm, CBU's and large bombs; some risked their lives to rescue others. Some escaped the fear, but dealt with the death and damage. Some made very hard decisions, and some just tried to survive. <br /><br />They carried malaria, dysentery, ringworms and leaches. They carried the land itself as it hardened on their boots. They carried stationery, pencils, and pictures of their loved ones - real and imagined. They carried love for people in the real world and love for one another. And sometimes they disguised that love: "Don't mean nothin'!"<br /><br /><center><H4>They carried memories</H4> </center><br /><br />For the most part, they carried themselves with poise and a kind of dignity. Now and then, there were times when panic set in, and people squealed - or wanted to, but couldn't; when they twitched and made moaning sounds and covered their heads and said "Dear God" and hugged the earth and fired their weapons blindly and cringed and begged for the noise to stop and went wild and made stupid promises to themselves and God and their parents, hoping not to die.<br /><br />They carried the traditions of the United States military, and memories and images of those who served before them. They carried grief, terror, longing and their reputations. They carried the soldier's greatest fear: the embarrassment of dishonor. They crawled into tunnels, walked point, and advanced under fire, so as not to die of embarrassment. They were afraid of dying, but too afraid to show it. They carried the emotional baggage of men and women who might die at any moment. They carried the weight of the world. "<br /></blockquote>Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-33334466491413641122010-04-08T02:17:00.026-04:002010-04-12T16:40:59.800-04:00Wilco Solid Sound Festival at Mass MoCA from August 13-15<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmOAsCypU1BHoYziES7o4HBlGMtE24MvASUgpMfogyHNaSLAonVJDq3jQkOhAKCP2kFV3sy1qhKvDAjiydHNlKHTPuq9ae0QLbTKzadBnfMK5YpAA_NseB_8_tZIS9HOsVs_sBuN8UXwQ/s1600/AAWilco.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 361px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmOAsCypU1BHoYziES7o4HBlGMtE24MvASUgpMfogyHNaSLAonVJDq3jQkOhAKCP2kFV3sy1qhKvDAjiydHNlKHTPuq9ae0QLbTKzadBnfMK5YpAA_NseB_8_tZIS9HOsVs_sBuN8UXwQ/s400/AAWilco.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457651032904930130" /><center>Wilco, arguably the greatest rock band working today.</center></a><br />I think Wilco is a brilliant and innovative programming choice for Mass MoCA. It is also the best thing to happen in North Adams in years. It is the sort of popular attraction that will make North Adams the center of the universe for fans of rock and roll. Ready or not, this is no cookie cutter event, it's our own mini-Woodstock. Let's hope the city of Spaghetti Suppers and 50/50 raffles has the class to pull off such an important and highly visible event.<br /><br />One of the unusual amenities being promised is a bicycle valet. Now that is out of the box thinking!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLph16YiHnYItV2yhSmv-J_y7EoAj5LAhEndR611XyXsJsPHgwRsOJXsfmY7f54DM_1VhzXID0hfxGdRxEmVOsiXcQCnwQ4mS2c0q3gpXnXoSs4VZ6MbGqCoGxEY3ETg2eiQaGUTFCheF/s1600/AAValet.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLph16YiHnYItV2yhSmv-J_y7EoAj5LAhEndR611XyXsJsPHgwRsOJXsfmY7f54DM_1VhzXID0hfxGdRxEmVOsiXcQCnwQ4mS2c0q3gpXnXoSs4VZ6MbGqCoGxEY3ETg2eiQaGUTFCheF/s400/AAValet.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457838377855105874" /><center>Using the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail? You can take it from Lanesboro to Adams, but then it's Route 8 until the final leg is built. Waiting on the other end there will be a bicycle valet for the Festival, a first for Mass MoCA.</center></a><br />If you are wondering just how they are predicting 10,000 when the Hunter Center at max can hold 900 people standing, 650-700 sitting, there will be three stages set up at MMoCA. The main one will be in the huge field behind MMoCA that is partially owned by National Grid. It's an immense undertaking. Mass MoCA's tech staff is top notch, and handling three stages at once will require an awful lot of good people to pull off successfully. <br /><br />From what I gather Wilco will not only perform as a band, but also individually. <br /><br />Wilco will headline the festival with two performances, with additional individual performances by all the Wilco members’ side projects, including Glenn Kotche’s On Fillmore, The Nels Cline Singers, The Autumn Defense featuring John Stirratt and Pat Sansone and Mikael Jorgensen’s Pronto.<br /><br />They are only selling weekend tickets not one day at a time, which admit purchasers to every event. It is a logistical challenge. If they follow their usual pattern of residencies, they will do half a dozen shows - or more - over the period, each one featuring different combinations of musicians and repertoire. They like to review their recordings without ever repeating a song on any of the set lists.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DYzue9xlt5ZcdSEi57_dRK_7MnTO29b-d9vrh7zZg-MpJe7MnwGCNe1vCJMPli-6syFnJWqLOBfgBWeYC4fsRMLjrxthQWrk5EMFW8IBRifr480KwsIpIyva3qi1j2DgE84zu-eSVhhP/s1600/AANels.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DYzue9xlt5ZcdSEi57_dRK_7MnTO29b-d9vrh7zZg-MpJe7MnwGCNe1vCJMPli-6syFnJWqLOBfgBWeYC4fsRMLjrxthQWrk5EMFW8IBRifr480KwsIpIyva3qi1j2DgE84zu-eSVhhP/s400/AANels.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457660367900011714" /><center>Fender bender Nils Cline.</center></a><br />There are incredible possibilities with this event, and I hope it succeeds. The Berkshires could develop a popular-rock-mainstream live performance series to equal Tanglewood, and this is the leading edge of a move towards that. That it will happen in the Northern Berkshires is something to cheer about. <br /><br />Wilco last appeared at Tanglewood and garnered rave reviews even as the ushers tried to keep people plastered to their seats. I love Tanglewood (spent a summer there in the press office once) but the BSO management and trustees have dithered long enough and clearly does not want to dilute its image as a classical music venue by going populist.<br /><br />Update and <span style="font-style:italic;">mea culpa</span>: Since I wrote those harsh words, the BSO has announced the appearance of folk-rock group Crosby, Stills and Nash at Tanglewood, scheduled for September 1 in the Shed. In addition, jazz legend Herbie Hancock slated for August 9. The summer is shaping up to be a great one.<br /><br />Though I continue to be concerned about the future of classical music, and the greying of its audiences. In recent times we have seen theatre, dance and contemporary art reinvent themselves over and over. But classical music has hardly changed in 150 years. There's a lot that can be done to bring in more young people, but change is incredibly difficult to sell to the benefactors who make mammoth operations like the BSO and other orchestras possible. It can't be done on ticket revenues alone, and those with the checkbooks call the shots.<br /><br />Anyway, Stockbridge is in for some fun. And so too is North Adams. The Berkshries are in for something different, very populist, yet tinged with contemporary music, art and old fashioned money. The question is, will it draw a younger demographic, and will their needs be met as smoothly as the older crowds.<br /><br />Let's hope there is a sensible balance between making sure it is a great experience for concert-goers and residents alike.<br /><br />With the tickets now on sale I suggest you act soon since I sincerely doubt there will be any left by the time we get to the event itself. Of course the scalpers will try to get their pound of flesh. Word.<br /><br />Below is the official announcement for the event.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtux7uNG5txU4Ul9EQdQWY51qZnpnB25k1q1PMmNWpNCENMRe3p9cZuF1iFMhV2naCZ_II05VsClgHld0skyfAa25FjflMmJHBjB_J3fUqNJ4YlB9TMose4Ey9_FLlP6954ad86cFfxg_/s1600/AAHunter+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtux7uNG5txU4Ul9EQdQWY51qZnpnB25k1q1PMmNWpNCENMRe3p9cZuF1iFMhV2naCZ_II05VsClgHld0skyfAa25FjflMmJHBjB_J3fUqNJ4YlB9TMose4Ey9_FLlP6954ad86cFfxg_/s400/AAHunter+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457657244729491698" /><center>The Hunter Center at Mass MoCA. </center></a><br />The SOLID SOUND FESTIVAL is a new festival curated by the Chicago band Wilco. It debuts August 13 - 15 at MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) in North Adams, MA. The SOLID SOUND FESTIVAL is an independently promoted and ticketed three-day event of music, art, comedy, interactivity and more. Wilco headlines the weekend, in the bandʼs only East Coast performance of the summer. This new festival also presents individual performances by all the Wilco membersʼ side projects including Glenn Kotcheʼs On Fillmore, The Nels Cline Singers, The Autumn Defense featuring John Stirratt and Pat Sansone and Mikael Jorgensenʼs Pronto.<br /><br />SOLID SOUND FESTIVAL at MASS MoCA also plays host to additional musical performances, a fully programmed comedy stage, interactive installations and exhibits (including the Solid Sound Stompbox Station, an interactive guitar pedal exhibit created and demonstrated by Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, a concert-poster screening demonstration, planned workshops by luthiers and more), plus film, video installations and djʼs. Festival attendees will have full access to the entire MASS MoCA campus, which incorporates 150,000 square feet of galleries. MASS MoCA, a renovated 19th century textile mill, is the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the U.S. <br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dFpHvkrL83s&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dFpHvkrL83s&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />Tickets for SOLID SOUND FESTIVAL are on sale this Friday, April 9 through the bandʼs official website <a href="http://www.wilcoworld.net">wilcoworld.net</a> and through <a href="http://www.solidsoundfestival.com">solidsoundfestival.com</a>. From April 9 to May 31 tickets for the three-day event will be available for $86.50 (including all fees and parking) and after June 1 for $99.50 (including all fees and parking).<br /><br />Art on display during the festival includes the Sol LeWitt wall Drawing Retrospective (chosen #1 exhibition of the year by Time magazine); Inigo Manglano-Ovalle's Gravity is a Force to be Reckoned With; a major exhibition of work by Petah Coyne; Material World: Sculpture to Environment, a group exhibition; Leonard Nimoy's Secret Selves; and a new installation by Michael Oatman. <br /><br />Tickets for Wilco's Solid Sound Festival will go on sale on-line on Friday, April 9, at 10 AM through <a href="http://www.massmoca.org">www.massmoca.org</a> or at 11 AM in person at the MASS MoCA Box Office. More information is available at <a href="http://www.solidsoundfestival.com">www.solidsoundfestival.com</a>. From April 9 to May 31 tickets for the three-day event are $78, after June 1 tickets are $91. Children under 6 are free. The event is rain or shine. Tickets are general admission and are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located on Marshall Street in North Adams from 11 AM until 5 PM daily.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-4216294641395334722010-04-02T15:16:00.022-04:002010-04-02T23:30:37.892-04:00Cabaret Open Mic with Katie Johnson at Taylors in North Adams<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZA2mrG6oiIZDQuw235Cy5jHvMBxDe8zb801-Mi1pMnDaRBdQOyETiisrPSCOvtSQ_LCT1WLQ60QRx8x-m5nSM1ut7rbRajyENPX6RPrwTUp0wxHC91PGvHO0o1ncEcr4HDv_aW3ptO2O7/s1600/BGLPortraitKate.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 333px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZA2mrG6oiIZDQuw235Cy5jHvMBxDe8zb801-Mi1pMnDaRBdQOyETiisrPSCOvtSQ_LCT1WLQ60QRx8x-m5nSM1ut7rbRajyENPX6RPrwTUp0wxHC91PGvHO0o1ncEcr4HDv_aW3ptO2O7/s400/BGLPortraitKate.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455629239848605794" /><center>Portrait of Katie as an Artist.</center></a><br /><br />When local songstress Katie Johnson plays host for a Broadway Open Mic Night on April 16, she will be stepping into a new role as entrepreneur extroadinaire. <br /><br />Based on a wildly popular similar event a year ago, it's part soirée, part cabaret, and part reunion, featuring an open mic and some of the Berkshires best singers. You never know exactly who is going to sing, or what, but it's a rip roaring good time. And there is a bit of humor and irony squeezed in between the notes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOEVOHeIt0Rkhv0GACtX9nt0D1NVEb4EjwqlcFsB0PXjxUa_bGsM3NGe5Ke6qupVwv6bN0Azn0I83Pp2gJ_iZqfnFji00Rzcrv_b6SX-6d4J4ekF_ejnxzecTnIeM35x_QDtU49DbG9Q-/s1600/BGLKateSmile.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOEVOHeIt0Rkhv0GACtX9nt0D1NVEb4EjwqlcFsB0PXjxUa_bGsM3NGe5Ke6qupVwv6bN0Azn0I83Pp2gJ_iZqfnFji00Rzcrv_b6SX-6d4J4ekF_ejnxzecTnIeM35x_QDtU49DbG9Q-/s400/BGLKateSmile.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455629227603034754" /><center>Katie Johnson will host a Cabaret at Taylor's April 16th.</center></a><br />Katie Johnson is an impassioned artist who has a trumpet of a voice that lends itself to boldly expressive singing. Katie was a huge hit at last year's highly successful Cabaret Night. Katie's credits include but are not limited to Urinetown, <span style="font-style:italic;">A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Fame: The Musical, Chicago, Annie, Sound of Music</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">Cinderella</span>. <br /><br />Singers are encouraged to bring sheet music for their favorite Broadway or Cabaret tune and take a turn at the mic. The event is for one night only, on Friday, April 16, 2010; at 9:00 p.m. For tickets, call: 413.662.5204 and for general information, call: 413.664.8718.<br /><br />Though Katie is gaining a following as a singer, she also has an impressive number of Facebook friends who revel in her witty postings. Yet not too much is known about the real person behind the microphone. So for the past week or so Arts America has been exchanging emails about her life and music.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">So is this Cabaret at Taylor's a big deal?</span><br /><br /> Its a HUGE deal. A Broadway open mic night in the Berkshires? Are you kidding? I've died and gone to heaven. When I'm revived, I will spread the news that I have seen the promised land and it is in North Adams, MA. Hallelujah! <br /><br />For one thing, I've never hosted an open mic night before. And I don't consider myself a stand up comedienne by any stretch of the imagination so barring any unforeseen mishaps like sliding off the top of the piano while trying to channel Michelle Pfieffer in <span style="font-style:italic;">The Fabulous Baker Boys</span>, it'll be more about letting everyone get a chance at the mic than clever one liners from me. I'm just going to try to be a classy, encouraging, mega-sexy host. My genius lies in my simplicity and fear of crickets. <br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7TULYBRHBAs&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7TULYBRHBAs&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> Why do audiences love these informal gatherings so much?</span><br /><br /> Some remarkably talented people love to sing at cabarets. Some who will be there are part of our theater scene, and others I met while studying under Sheri James Buxton, who has been my inspiration for years. With cabaret open mike, the response I always observe from new audience members is "What a great night, I had no idea there was so much talent!"<br /><br />I also hear "Katie Johnson, you are talented and adorable. Why are you still single?" a lot.<br /><br />And people can be so helpful. Recently, at a local cabaret, I had a women tell me that she didn't like my hair cut and gave me the number of her very expensive hair stylist in South County.<br /><br />How anyone could pass up a night of live music and cocktails is beyond my comprehension. Its not about being the best singer.. its about saying something in a song that means something to you. <br /><br />I can't afford therapy so I sing in cabarets.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Katie, l Let's talk about your piano player who supports all these different singers. It takes skill and fast reflexes to offer singers stylistic freedom while maintaining the tempo. A new singer’s expressive turns can't be known in advance. So the pianist has to be able to turn on a dime. Good ones are hard to find, right?</span><br /><br /> I originally had asked Brian Usifer (you can read an earlier <a href="http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/?page=article&article_id=1173&catID=5&category=5&se=Brian%20Usifer">interview with Brian here)</a> who I met performing in Fame the Musical in 2006 at Barrington Stage Company. <br /><br />Happily for him and sadly for me, he's in rehearsal for a show in New York City and I would've had to drive him to Wassaic almost immediately after the cabaret and even doing that I was not sure I could get him back in time for his gig.<br /><br />I almost panicked. Then I remembered that Carlton Maaia II is back in the Berks full time. He has saved the day. We met when he, Kara Demier and I worked together. He is one fantastic pianist. He knows musical theater, jazz and a great deal of other styles.<br /><br /> He's also single, ladies..and devilishly handsome. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGb_bU2sD0lpcg_U_Pi-AOV4jHCF0347E8hKJzihTc28WMcfLX_FVi0cBo3idFAqLRARiir8toybiSrJibxR-7rracBXIL-TuPb-W9F4k79Ldr5caby8hLv9PMLP-izoE0-DVT-1MOaYK/s1600/BGLCarlton.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 362px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGb_bU2sD0lpcg_U_Pi-AOV4jHCF0347E8hKJzihTc28WMcfLX_FVi0cBo3idFAqLRARiir8toybiSrJibxR-7rracBXIL-TuPb-W9F4k79Ldr5caby8hLv9PMLP-izoE0-DVT-1MOaYK/s400/BGLCarlton.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455629224719618594" /><center>Carlton Maaia II will be the Music Director.</center></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">When did you first know you wanted to sing?</span><br /><br />For me it was a 6th grade moment. My teacher announced that the holiday concert needed singers for a "special" chorus. I desperately wanted to be in that chorus so I sat up straight in my chair and sang out as best I could as she walked up and down the aisles listening. She tapped my shoulder (which I think in today's school system would get her fired for inappropriate touching) and from then on I knew I would sing for the rest of my life.<br /><br /> Of course, music was always around the house growing up, thanks to my father. He played early jazz, ragtime and a lot of the old Irish tunes. Not exactly the type of music a kid wants to listen to but it grew on me as I got older. <br /><br />As I evolved, I grew to love the great standards and singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Julie London, Peggy Lee and Betty Hutton. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM708e7Ub84xPmExuYAaAGbl10-Lg74sEigSlmUHDVEt54S-4yDqM5ADJ80yyOT-muBCFQJ3fZ_uzzYDzAv8-W1YHJynzLqFInTKD0iQGOI2KJ4DH4UYMWeQrBoQFE4OM5hV2HWfiCNHpI/s1600/BGLDreadedKate.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM708e7Ub84xPmExuYAaAGbl10-Lg74sEigSlmUHDVEt54S-4yDqM5ADJ80yyOT-muBCFQJ3fZ_uzzYDzAv8-W1YHJynzLqFInTKD0iQGOI2KJ4DH4UYMWeQrBoQFE4OM5hV2HWfiCNHpI/s400/BGLDreadedKate.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455629233131352386" /><center>Katie Johnson as a Rasta Woman. She can sing in a variety of styles.</center></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">How do you select your songs? </span><br /><br /> I pick songs that say something to me or I think speak in a unique voice. I listen to all genres of music all the time. Then a song will come along and knock me off my feet. A song like that just demands to be sung so people know how great it is.<br /> <br />A good example is <span style="font-style:italic;">Driving Naked</span> by Nikos Tsakalakos and Jess Digiacinto which I first heard at Barrington Stage last year. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Barrington Stage is unique in their commitment to new music and musicals, aren't they.</span><br /><br />The best. <span style="font-style:italic;">The Pool Boy</span> by Nikos will get a fully staged production this year at their Music Lab. And Bill Finn hosts a show on Labor Day weekend every year at BSC called<span style="font-style:italic;"> Songs by Ridiculously Talented Composers You Probably Don't Know But Should</span>. He brings in all sorts of great talent. Students from the Musical Theater MFA program at NYU. Broadway singers from NYC. Locals. Bill introduces the audience to brand new songs written by these...well... ridiculously talented composers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrhAo2N3jmc525zmUW4eVzX90fUayZq6beYAwKycUG58QoySVwCqs8p8Aq6zKR2XSZrEYxebaRffKqcFsSfTVj4Kz1E27VQMgaML3Q82nPBuX5uTU2cfyf5qIUeYJ4o0AXXZqg90N08wW/s1600/935_Winter-Preview473492.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrhAo2N3jmc525zmUW4eVzX90fUayZq6beYAwKycUG58QoySVwCqs8p8Aq6zKR2XSZrEYxebaRffKqcFsSfTVj4Kz1E27VQMgaML3Q82nPBuX5uTU2cfyf5qIUeYJ4o0AXXZqg90N08wW/s400/935_Winter-Preview473492.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455642339725451778" />The promising composer, Nikos Tsakalakos whose <span style="font-style:italic;">Pool Boy</span> will get a full production this summer at Barrington Stage.</a><br /><br /> I love these younger composers like Nikos and Jess, Daniel Mate (who just won the 2010 Jonathan Larsen Foundation Grant) Anna Jacobs, Maggie-Kate Coleman, Sara Cooper, Zach Redler, and Bill Nelson. Then there are the usual suspects: Sondheim of course, Bill Finn, Marc Blitzstein, Kurt Weill, Hoagy Carmichael, Cole Porter, Mary Rodgers, Duke Ellington, Comden and Green, Billy Rose, Frank Loesser. A lot of great music is ageless, and new talents are constantly adding to the songbook.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> Where do you see your life and career going?</span><br /><br /> In a perfectly normal family of hard working civil servants, I became the black sheep who was drawn to the arts. I live, eat and breathe it. Commercial, nonprofit, there are many choices. Lately I've been drawn to complexities of casting, and think I'd make a good theatrical agent. I have had the unbelievable good fortune to have gotten my feet wet at BSC where there is so much talent and innovation.<br /><br />Singing can be fun too, especially though it helps with the rent if there is a paycheck involved. I really love singing for cocktails. But the level of training, talent and dedication that is needed to succeed is daunting. Perhaps with perseverance my day will arrive.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> Do you think there is enough of a critical mass to support Cabaret on a regular basis in the Berkshires?</span><br /><br />We won't know until someone makes a serious commitment at it. Are there people who love to sing at cabarets? Yes. Is it easy to find a venue to host a regular cabaret night? It's a pretty unfamiliar way to make money for most restaurant and club owners. It won't happen overnight, but it can be done.<br /><br /> I would love to parlay this night, if successful, into a once-a-month night at Barrington Stage at Stage 2 during the summer. I would love to share the stage with other singers who live or work in the Berkshires. To name a few, there's Jeff McCarthy, Harriet Harris, Tyne Daly, Michael Winther, Sally Wilfert, Heath Calvert. Donna Lynne Champlin, etc. These are people who can not only deliver a song, but also encourage local singers to stand up and do the same. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Where do you go to be entertained?</span><br /><br />Actor Frank LaFrazia and I are hooked on karaoke. Sometimes colleagues from Barrington Stage and the Berkshire Theatre Festival will get together for a night of drinks and song at Michael's in Stockbridge. And I love the Dream Away Lodge especially on Hootnanny night.<br /><br />This past year, I've joined a rock/blues band with a few local guys that I call "The Alan Bauman Project". They are introducing me to music I never thought I could sing which excites me for every rehearsal. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> Background:</span><br /><br /> Katie Johnson, 32, was born and grew up in Lynn, MA, (City of Sin) and graduated from MCLA in North Adams, where she focused on Arts Management. She is Assistant to the Producing and Artistic Directors at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA. While currently happily ensconced at Barrington Stage Company, who knows what the future will bring. When she acts as host for the Broadway Open Mic Night she will be stepping into a new role as entrepreneur extroadinaire. Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-56239821766294032102010-03-29T16:02:00.020-04:002010-03-29T22:49:23.035-04:00Cabaret Old and New - Songs, Stories and a little Burlesque<BR><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3Zn6IUA___wdjRogYTdIgxz7KsIgXHvxm37rD1a-WvvRo1kcONEDWq_IPJ3asAizxuld07latVtiWiOWIrPB4uCnkyAOo1fcVosY08k0BQqnb8vFCw2aAiLv4JV9jsljcHGhywMZWD-9/s1600/BGLMightyTiny.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3Zn6IUA___wdjRogYTdIgxz7KsIgXHvxm37rD1a-WvvRo1kcONEDWq_IPJ3asAizxuld07latVtiWiOWIrPB4uCnkyAOo1fcVosY08k0BQqnb8vFCw2aAiLv4JV9jsljcHGhywMZWD-9/s400/BGLMightyTiny.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454162446460504866" /><center>Mighty Tiny (April 22-24) is an unusual choice for Cabaret, yet totally brilliant!</center></a><br /><br />Cabaret takes many forms. Its range includes singers who keep the embers of great ballads alive, to the somewhat naughty Kit Kat Klub portrayed in the show and film <span style="font-style:italic;">Cabaret</span>. But lately it is being reinvented especially by The Performance Lab in Boston. We'll get to them in a moment, but first some background.<br /><br />Cabaret as an art form was born in the clubs of France and Germany in the late 1800's and became burlesque when it was transplanted to the United States. Baggy pants comedy soon gave way to fans, feathers and strippers and the last vestiges of that form died in the latter half of the 1900's. In Boston burlesque and pasties died when the Old Howard Casino in Scollay Square was razed to make room for Government Center. The Naked Eye bar continued the strippers, but not the art.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvvj6m112KgSQxJFA4LOhCHvA1vYKOS0aSgxtig6h8a95UfZjbYR8P1kY4jM3-4qXoZh9l7sbrD4s4JHKsvyesbuF7v5Hq_agnzKywIf3aAtBjnHK9NJrIKQCYiBsAbB_Nnh_mZ4yTT-l/s1600/nancy6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 295px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvvj6m112KgSQxJFA4LOhCHvA1vYKOS0aSgxtig6h8a95UfZjbYR8P1kY4jM3-4qXoZh9l7sbrD4s4JHKsvyesbuF7v5Hq_agnzKywIf3aAtBjnHK9NJrIKQCYiBsAbB_Nnh_mZ4yTT-l/s320/nancy6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454168971593307666" /><center>The late Nancy LaMott was the greatest cabaret artist of recent times.</center></a><br />Cabaret as personal music evolved separately. It sprung up in nightclubs and other small venues where the ladies like Eartha Kitt purred the lyrics, and men like Tom Anderson could bring tears to your eyes . It was Nancy LaMott and Michael Feinstein and it tended to bloom in upscale supper clubs like the Hotel Carlyle and the Rainbow Room of New York City, <br /><br />Many Broadway stars found sustenance in cabaret when between shows. In Boston there was Blinstrub's until it burned down, and Freddy Taylor's Paul's Mall and sometimes even the Jazz Workshop. Lenny Sogoloff's Lenny's on the Turnpike even offered a <span style="font-style:italic;">chanteuse</span> or two over the years.<br /><br />But less visible have been the experimental cabaret practitioners like drag queens, experimentalists, and those who deliver acidic social commentary. For every Peggy Lee there has been a Tom Lehrer.<br /><br />In my mind, <span style="font-style:italic;">Cirque du Soleil</span> has its roots more in cabaret than circus. All Cirque shows feature a smallish band and live singers who act as the thread that holds the whole colorful tapestry together. And Baggy pant comedians? Well, more like clowns trained by Grotowski, and very sophisticated.<br /><br />Cabaret then is a living art, still evolving. This spring and summer we will see a bit more of it in the Berkshires than in seasons past. In fact, 2010 kicks off with a Cabaret night at Taylor's in North Adams on April 16 with an open mic hosted by local favorite Katie Johnson. Katie and I are having an email discussion of the art form right now, which we will publish in April.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0J0OENLr6cFCzRUqTrCnkmX0XyF9l29qRjGeuPwvEJeNH3lF4RJhhTet4LqviM1WwMFW4K5DdYHoJStlF-u5MorE7Ad4Jp-hM6DDOgMv8_8qUBVIvH9CYiGmjNlDtjJuLHxbWjL_jxF-C/s1600/BGLLabQuartet.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 315px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0J0OENLr6cFCzRUqTrCnkmX0XyF9l29qRjGeuPwvEJeNH3lF4RJhhTet4LqviM1WwMFW4K5DdYHoJStlF-u5MorE7Ad4Jp-hM6DDOgMv8_8qUBVIvH9CYiGmjNlDtjJuLHxbWjL_jxF-C/s400/BGLLabQuartet.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454162425842688482" /><center>Creators of New Cabaret: (Top L) Jason Slavick, Artistic Director, (Top R) Rachel Hock, Artistic Associate and Webmaster, (BL) Kate Smolik, Production Manager and (BR) Josh Mocle, Media Coordinator</center></a><br />But now, to the main feature of this story, The Performance Lab, a new experimental theatre company based in Boston. They represent the new directions that cabaret as theatre is traveling.<br /><br />Certainly The Berkshire Fringe has nibbled at the edges of this new form, as have many other groups. But the concept of The Performance Lab goes beyond anything most of us have seen before.<br /><br />They will open their inaugural show, <span style="font-style:italic;">Le Cabaret Grimm</span> –on April 8th in Boston.<br /><br />Their first week features The Hubbub - a variety of performers drawn from the rich underground performance scene in Boston. The plan is to rotate the performers each week. Included are singers of songs, performers of poetry, and practitioners of burlesque, circus and more. They call this "a punk cabaret fairy tale (sans fairies)."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn53n0vN9bDvpQmdbz9tEbrLnBbqjOevX35SQbRXimXDU2zuYLIt5pOiklSczcHm-K554PKDZX1j-tSvRB4zuKrrTxtiUm9UE389yMKzYYLUBXaeUQWMIByMrrzwyPwUKmjFqQAvy_xW95/s1600/BGLBlazes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 251px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn53n0vN9bDvpQmdbz9tEbrLnBbqjOevX35SQbRXimXDU2zuYLIt5pOiklSczcHm-K554PKDZX1j-tSvRB4zuKrrTxtiUm9UE389yMKzYYLUBXaeUQWMIByMrrzwyPwUKmjFqQAvy_xW95/s400/BGLBlazes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454163497792395106" /><center>Johnny Blazes has a fluid sexual identity.</center></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Le Cabaret Grimm</span> and The Hubbub runs at The Boston Center for the Arts, April 8-24 in the Plaza Theatre. Performances times are Thursdays at 7:30, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00. The Hubbub will be hosted by its co-producer Johnny Blazes, a Boston-based cabaret performer whose gender-bending shows have toured throughout the US.<br /><br />“We’re bringing a lot of cool things together in one place,” says Artistic Associate and Hubbub co-producer Rachel Hock. “There are so many exciting fringe happenings in Boston. This showcases what not a lot of people know about.”<br /><br />The Performance LAB has partnered with Johnny Blazes to work with the fringe community. “Johnny has sharp insights putting together shows like this and is deeply connected to the alternative scene,” says Hock.<br /><br />“I’m excited to work with some of my favorite people on the performance scene,” says Blazes. “It’s an opportunity to bridge two worlds that are important to me: the theatre scene and the variety arts scene.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZluzDdo4-o5NOqG_AlkAbntL6krjbQm24V4y5JJIMNTYUvj9GQoOM4a5XSoibH_0Zf1K1pjINr7xsDW-P7pu-2qdt8b1RH6d_21ExNrv3b7Ko2QE9gWc6MJ0yPL7_CTo23rrOJ0cZD3P/s1600/BGLLolita+LaVamp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZluzDdo4-o5NOqG_AlkAbntL6krjbQm24V4y5JJIMNTYUvj9GQoOM4a5XSoibH_0Zf1K1pjINr7xsDW-P7pu-2qdt8b1RH6d_21ExNrv3b7Ko2QE9gWc6MJ0yPL7_CTo23rrOJ0cZD3P/s400/BGLLolita+LaVamp.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454162443882402978" /><center>Lolita LaVamp lends some transgender talent to the new cabaret April 15-17.</center></a><br />The mission of The Performance LAB includes broadening the live entertainment offerings in Boston and expanding the audience for them. The LAB does this by bringing different audiences together and exposing them to new things. <br /><br />“Boston has a history of being segregated – racially, geographically, culturally and sexually. We think of ourselves as an enlightened city, but to be that you have to experience things beyond your own comfort zone,” says Blazes. “When different communities interact there’s learning and exchange. That’s paramount to becoming a better society. We can’t call ourselves ‘the Greater Boston Community’ if we don’t have something connecting us across lines.” <br /><P><br /><center><span style="font-weight:bold;"><H3>Here's the line up for the three different shows:</H3></span></center><br /><br /><center><span style="font-style:italic;">Week 1 April 8-10</span></center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8l2zOmT2XsH_6UXCdiDquym7bbmxRtkr2AmBk_ITehq52jjQnucY2WM8JIv2_AmLbnHs_3kAxtEvBJqT_HOjhqgIRMa8RL-HNDpBlNTgLxK2Wx-PCDZmxSgQGCUHczVb78RKFbFZvv-P/s1600/BGLStuckertBrokenToys.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8l2zOmT2XsH_6UXCdiDquym7bbmxRtkr2AmBk_ITehq52jjQnucY2WM8JIv2_AmLbnHs_3kAxtEvBJqT_HOjhqgIRMa8RL-HNDpBlNTgLxK2Wx-PCDZmxSgQGCUHczVb78RKFbFZvv-P/s400/BGLStuckertBrokenToys.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454163511392002466" /><center>Walter Sickert & the ARmy of BRoken Toys.</center></a><br />Walter Sickert & the ARmy of BRoken Toys, combining music and performance art they create a SteamCrunk, Organic-Industrial experience. "Really, any fan of the Velvet Underground, the Dresden Dolls, or those haunted merry-go-rounds that turn up in horror movies shouldn't miss Walter and the Toys, who elegantly merge the essence of all three" (The Boston Globe)<br /><br />Jojo, The Burlesque Poetess, a personal commissionable wordsmithy known for her Betty Boop antics and "accidentally fanny flashing".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLYrzXNL992SEFHRBnCdLFNuYsPl4fL98233Qa8lo04WmGSIUYkODbQ7n6qtISfRVqWDP0ECtsyG5NtLTu_XnkRhKtrEemJl4nJGhAR1CH1DyFOM1C3WYH0ZQUJwh3XwQC0Y95dEIkzXz/s1600/BGLJoJo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLYrzXNL992SEFHRBnCdLFNuYsPl4fL98233Qa8lo04WmGSIUYkODbQ7n6qtISfRVqWDP0ECtsyG5NtLTu_XnkRhKtrEemJl4nJGhAR1CH1DyFOM1C3WYH0ZQUJwh3XwQC0Y95dEIkzXz/s400/BGLJoJo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454162432804593298" /><center>JoJo is a burlesque poetess. You gotta have a gimmick, right?</center></a><br />Madge of Honor, a queer performance artist who tells stories through drag, burlesque, movement, innovative costuming, clowning and poetry. Madge of Honor is a regular performer with the Femme Show and at Traniwreck, Jacque’s Cabaret, the Middle East, Great Scott, and the Midway.<BR><br /><center><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />Week 2 April 15-17<br /></span></center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgo2MPPxEJ8-_U1lP1mBAW2ddxLxL51kOr9PA3f0RuPBfP2_0Vq5u1WC-KiG3CAPvRz0TrAu9wzY21zqC8z2jcNSdCGWoHZ9MpiFC-4u_6sF_jWDc5Mpo36-2T9dSxVO_s6vLVZLwADXJ/s1600/BGLBosTypeOrch.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 385px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgo2MPPxEJ8-_U1lP1mBAW2ddxLxL51kOr9PA3f0RuPBfP2_0Vq5u1WC-KiG3CAPvRz0TrAu9wzY21zqC8z2jcNSdCGWoHZ9MpiFC-4u_6sF_jWDc5Mpo36-2T9dSxVO_s6vLVZLwADXJ/s400/BGLBosTypeOrch.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454163500312425634" /><center>The Boston Typewriter Orchestra</center></a><br />The Boston Typewriter Orchestra, a collective endeavor which engages in rhythmic typewriter manipulation combined with elements of performance, comedy and satire. BTO has been featured on NBC Weekend Today, WCVB Chronicle, FOX 25 News, Fox Cable News, National Public Radio, live on WMBR (MIT) and in several major newspapers.<br /><br />Ms. Lolita LaVamp, a proud Puerto Rican transgender female Burlesque Artist. She has worked as a professional domme and was featured in the PBS Lesbian and Gay television news magazine "In The Life." She has also performed for Boiling Point Burlesque and The Slutcracker: A Christmas Burlesque. Ms. LaVamp has been involved in HIV Prevention and Education for the past 14 years, advocating for LGBTQ individuals.<br /><BR><br /><center><span style="font-style:italic;">Week 3 April 22-24</span></center><br /><br />Mighty Tiny, a journey into the depths of musical madness guided by six masked lunatics playing tunes dating back to the golden days of Tin Pan Alley - those days where songwriting meant more than a weepy man with a guitar at your local coffee house.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrfW9e2QFNWsgVqvK0j-KjxVBuBpl1yYdKddqbZOMkTTdRbaXeS6pORYMJ8hArUjKxjaTEEeePc-9JiAMCIOmfwK9-6q-SQgA-6PsvduL_YXJZaMlD059fRLJEAyqPvUGg_0ZbgHrKw4V/s1600/BGLDominique+Immora.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 285px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrfW9e2QFNWsgVqvK0j-KjxVBuBpl1yYdKddqbZOMkTTdRbaXeS6pORYMJ8hArUjKxjaTEEeePc-9JiAMCIOmfwK9-6q-SQgA-6PsvduL_YXJZaMlD059fRLJEAyqPvUGg_0ZbgHrKw4V/s400/BGLDominique+Immora.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454162436356133202" /><center>Dominique Immora, shades of Cirque!</center></a><br />Dominique Immora, a hula hooping, fire eating, burlesque dancing, stilt walking, poi spinning, whip cracking and aerial hoop artist. Dominique, is one of the longest running fire acts in the northeast. She has won a number of accolades, including Best Solo at the 2007 Boston Burlesque Expo, and appears on Season 4 of America's Got Talent. She has been called "a one woman Cirque du Soleil" by the Boston Phoenix.<br /><br />Tickets are on sale at <a href="http://www.BostonTheatreScene.com">www.BostonTheatreScene.com</a> or by calling 617-933-8600, $20 for students and $35 for adults. Discount promotions are available from <a href="http://www.performancelaboratory.com">www.performancelaboratory.com</a>, through Twitter and Facebook. To preview the music, see a webseries of the show or for more information go to <a href="http://www.performancelaboratory.com">www.performancelaboratory.com</a>.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-69780650031830837422010-03-21T17:41:00.011-04:002010-03-22T09:11:25.596-04:00The Berkshire Beat is set to shake things up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_s0zTzBSIbFvQWXb1QaccTmtRsqMy3WS42bkULLaSIun2aUSNhywApL4b3mSdfpKDkLfYKBDbpOe40XkTEucC2-cyh16nwMCztQHK30MevEU6J-tc9o9bSlIOi2IfAssIGy6ztshTm3RS/s1600-h/27010_379617922804_348910907804_4336632_2790735_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 252px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_s0zTzBSIbFvQWXb1QaccTmtRsqMy3WS42bkULLaSIun2aUSNhywApL4b3mSdfpKDkLfYKBDbpOe40XkTEucC2-cyh16nwMCztQHK30MevEU6J-tc9o9bSlIOi2IfAssIGy6ztshTm3RS/s400/27010_379617922804_348910907804_4336632_2790735_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451213626652549090" /><center>Proposed cover design by Kaitlyn Squires.</center></a><br />The first issue isn't even printed yet,and already the dream of an alternative to traditional arts coverage has caught fire.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Berkshire Bea</span>t has surfaced, via Facebook, and it has already turned people on to art and performance events that escape the attention of traditional media like the Berkshire Eagle. It is shaping up as the place to find out about the local, the truly experimental and exceptional that capture the attention of the younger demographic from high school and college to twenty-somethings.<br /><br />What is amazing about the development, is that you can watch it happening in real time by visiting their Facebook page, largely fueled by the efforts of Caleb Hiliadis, a Waconah High School Senior with a journalistic career in mind. But he is the first to tell you that he is nothing more than one of many people - some 1500 to date - that are pushing this concept ahead.<br /><br />As anyone who toils in the arts and cultural reporting scene can tell you, one person can not possibly keep up with everything that is happening in the ever expanding Berkshire cultural world. We have splendid coverage of the BSO and other "top" arts institutions, but the local scene, where the creative ferment really takes place, barely rates a mention in the weekly Advocate which has rested on its laurels for years. It could have been an alternative in the spirit of the Boston Phoenix, but instead tends to play it safe, with a fuzzy focus that results in half its coverage being spaghetti suppers and face painting, and half listings in type so small as to be unreadable. The only redeeming features are their writers Peter Bergman and Judith Fairweather.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9VQZyHUuQGmAVArl4Ap71efydHtXTy1Qmy_lKNcl2vtzfFYr259Wp0u2gBevtn-RniWsJ0PLbLMGbaw0LzjQfygCRMFL9CKPMPXSyOc_jHQUeVa3wqn_CkzYsC9WpaF9dVj0b-WOg2kl6/s1600-h/24185_1150987434981_1836493990_296003_5764356_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9VQZyHUuQGmAVArl4Ap71efydHtXTy1Qmy_lKNcl2vtzfFYr259Wp0u2gBevtn-RniWsJ0PLbLMGbaw0LzjQfygCRMFL9CKPMPXSyOc_jHQUeVa3wqn_CkzYsC9WpaF9dVj0b-WOg2kl6/s400/24185_1150987434981_1836493990_296003_5764356_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451213633177147410" /><center>Proposed cover design by Kathryn Collins.</center></a><br />Of the local media, <a href="http://www.berkshirelivingmag.com/">Berkshire Living</a>, <a href="http://www.ruralintelligence.com/">Rural Intelligence</a> and <a href="http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/">Berkshire Fine Arts</a> do the best job of covering all the arts, including classical, jazz and rock yet they miss much of what is happening right under our noses. Too many events, too few reporters. (Disclosure: I've written some one hundred articles for Berkshire Fine Arts in the past couple of years and - until I began my blogs - was part of the problem.)<br /><br />There are dozens of other outlets that specialize in various niches. Foremost among these is <a href="http://gailsez.org/">Gail Sez</a>, written by Gail Burns who covers theatre not only in the Berkshires, but adjoining states, and rarely misses even the smallest theatre company.<br /><br />With <span style="font-style:italic;">Berkshire Beat</span>, in essence everyone becomes a reporter, the readers will also be out there looking for new things going on. The key here is that at some point mediocrity will have to be weeded out, and a really sharp editor is going to have to watch the spelling, syntax and personal pronouns.<br /><br />The major force behind this publication, which will also have a strong online presence, is Philip LaPointe, Jr. of Lee, an Iraq war veteran with a vision. There is an active advisory board, and others involved include Brad Steele. It is their hope to launch a prototype edition in the next month or so to test the waters. Ultimately they foresee a controlled circulation distribution plan, with biweekly issues being sent to 15,000 readers.<br /><br />Because they will focus on a lot of the newer, emerging bands, artists and writers - they have a niche for poetry and visual arts in their plans - their vision is wide ranging. Since the cost of print is high, and requires major advertiser support, it is likely that the magazine will be a tool that will bring even more people to their website and the content there.<br /><br />There is a board which is doing the planning, but at this point it is all open concept.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLez7nvKI5Uk8pjIRGH93nNNUTeQ-uA_h-6q2k7pFde45owIQw_d70SiMONkRUYiH1RXVsuqLOkHpTJ7bdAcwjfUqfdw1vNVPt-UlfL_rYlzkG7ysMI49Nr2e4wAcWWCyco28rxc2fevEi/s1600-h/Berkshire+Beat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 305px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLez7nvKI5Uk8pjIRGH93nNNUTeQ-uA_h-6q2k7pFde45owIQw_d70SiMONkRUYiH1RXVsuqLOkHpTJ7bdAcwjfUqfdw1vNVPt-UlfL_rYlzkG7ysMI49Nr2e4wAcWWCyco28rxc2fevEi/s400/Berkshire+Beat.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451213639401727650" /><center>I submitted a cover design as well.</center></a><br />For a peek at the ongoing birthing pains, drop in to their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Berkshire-Beat-Coming-Soon/348910907804?ref=nf">Facebook page</a> or <a href="http://theberkshirebeat.com/">sign up for their newsletter.</a>Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-13828767678984993432010-03-18T15:05:00.027-04:002010-03-18T21:15:45.494-04:00Boston's Theatre Scene - Then and Now<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguouHhD84D7lxmqI6rOL76-zEbUYDVUrMS_zsrwjirI_agsu7shK3cbKnk9QRZ-t-CPg3o3YfEzu3XxJ5XGvHCYBnrs952QNODdvDLbSNEhFfwwIWplsc1m9cjdNHgKyKoA0TvCotAhEPD/s1600-h/BFAJackSandraEmbrace.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 289px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguouHhD84D7lxmqI6rOL76-zEbUYDVUrMS_zsrwjirI_agsu7shK3cbKnk9QRZ-t-CPg3o3YfEzu3XxJ5XGvHCYBnrs952QNODdvDLbSNEhFfwwIWplsc1m9cjdNHgKyKoA0TvCotAhEPD/s400/BFAJackSandraEmbrace.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450069459183734338" /><center>The Publick Theatre's <span style="font-style:italic;">Entertaining Mr. Sloane</span> at the Boston Center for the Arts is wonderful. It stars an all-British cast. Pictured are the great Sandra Shipley with newcomer Jack Cutmore-Scott.</center></a><br />When I arrived in Boston in 1960 after an adolescence in the New York City area, I was shocked to find there wasn't very much in the way of a Boston theatre scene. The Colonial, Shubert and Wilbur Theatres were often lit with pre-Broadway tryouts and national touring companies fresh from Broadway, but the experimental, the daring and the surprising little companies were nowhere to be seen. <br /><br />For a long time there was just the Charles Playhouse which made a valiant effort, and soon after that the Theatre Company of Boston which provided brief, brilliant flashes of creativity in the midst of an otherwise non-existent theatre community.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhjzk0pTVubJv17Tde6FMEGsSpM1QhGKYBkc_kc_MDyCwLWEe3qOWGHOmVST-_Cquw1LQ_0ZKAojujetAUtEp9b3ZnWtd4jS9BTwUU7pGJ2VivoSRRfZnzK7gaPQodHMJquTiMEuaIJpt/s1600-h/539w.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhjzk0pTVubJv17Tde6FMEGsSpM1QhGKYBkc_kc_MDyCwLWEe3qOWGHOmVST-_Cquw1LQ_0ZKAojujetAUtEp9b3ZnWtd4jS9BTwUU7pGJ2VivoSRRfZnzK7gaPQodHMJquTiMEuaIJpt/s400/539w.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450085189854291826" />Al Pacino at last year's Norton Awards accepting a posthumous award for the late Paul Benedict. Photo Bill Brett from the <a href="http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2009/05/12/pacino_accepts_honor_for_benedict_at_norton_awards/">Boston Globe Story.</a></a><br /><br />Some of the luminaries were actors like Olympia Dukakis, Paul Benedict and Al Pacino. Because of the scarcity of real theatres, Pacino ended up performing <span style="font-style:italic;">Richard III</span> in the sanctuary of the Church of the Covenant on Newbury Street. <br /><br />A decade later I would be doing the marketing for the Pocket Mime Theatre in a little candy box of a theatre in the chapel of that same church, at a desk in Pacino's old dressing room. The little mime theatre even enticed Marcel Marceau to attend a performance and had a nice five year run until the fire inspectors discovered it.<br /><br />They closed it down.<br /><br />The late 60's and early 70's saw the birth of several additional resident theatres . Smaller companies like Lyric Stage (then on Charles Street) and the Publick Theatre struggled, and amazingly, survived. <br /><br />But the Boston Repertory Theatre, The Proposition and Boston Shakespeare Company were brief shooting stars that burned out. They made valiant attempts to sink their roots into the cultural soil only to be rebuffed by the cultural elite who shoveled buckets of money to the BSO and MFA. Even the fledgeling Boston Ballet and ICA were treated like foundlings. It was a hardscrabble existence.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQvH1UnnIpzHM3T1GiqOez-JExZg6y_WhGWLiUt0zjkjiayvcugXvxI45k5mUrFoLkM699EMVPALwKH7EurVL78VYij4JAjCoZi82XEo-OolKTDg9JcDrfbygltlVBLSmOUUb2-ReWMP6/s1600-h/p36327-Boston-A_Bostix_LocationCopley_Square.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQvH1UnnIpzHM3T1GiqOez-JExZg6y_WhGWLiUt0zjkjiayvcugXvxI45k5mUrFoLkM699EMVPALwKH7EurVL78VYij4JAjCoZi82XEo-OolKTDg9JcDrfbygltlVBLSmOUUb2-ReWMP6/s400/p36327-Boston-A_Bostix_LocationCopley_Square.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450086455981965042" />Arts Boston sells tickets in person and increasingly, on line too. Their second Bostix booth, designed by Graham Gund has become as much of a landmark as Copley Square itself.</a><br /><br />But from this hardy bunch of pioneers grew Boston's first theatre league, which over time morphed into <a href="http://www.stagesource.org/">StageSource</a>. Arts Service Organizations began to emerge, to help develop the management and financial expertise that artists needed. The Artists Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Alliance are long gone, but <a href="http://www.artsboston.org/">Arts Boston</a> remains. Perhaps that organization - which I ultimately headed for a decade in the 80's - knew that the most important thing for an artist is an audience. And the money ticket buyers bring. It's director, Catherine Peterson continues the Sisyphean task of finding warm paying bodies to fill otherwise cold, empty seats.<br /><br />Soon Boston's two major colleges established the <a href="http://www.americanrepertorytheater.org/">American Repertory Theatre</a> at Harvard and the <a href="http://www.huntingtontheatre.org/">Huntington Theatre</a> at BU. ART formed a resident company of actors who stayed with Robert Brustein (artistic director) for decades. Eventually he left and the brilliant Diane Paulus prefers rotating casts to fill the roles as needed. Meanwhile, Peter Altman played it safe at the Huntington, which mostly cast its productions from the New York pool of actors. His successors have drawn from both Boston and New York auditions.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UsUNC8751qE0e3i8UPFe__11efs1LsauTU6Yvdlf0B2gL9YCP8LnVLzewi2tp2g7U2crJNkdZ68WHphMnz_JDaCiTgBoNBEk-xQKze_jaBS79L47UszGxE59E8w1luWomA1Yl0zToz97/s1600-h/AANickVictor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 315px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UsUNC8751qE0e3i8UPFe__11efs1LsauTU6Yvdlf0B2gL9YCP8LnVLzewi2tp2g7U2crJNkdZ68WHphMnz_JDaCiTgBoNBEk-xQKze_jaBS79L47UszGxE59E8w1luWomA1Yl0zToz97/s400/AANickVictor.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450088548196689826" /><center>Nicholas Martin was the Huntington Company's gift to Williamstown Theatre Festival. Here he is seen with actor Victor Garber.</center></a><br />Today there is a deep and significant reservoir of top talent which lives and works in Boston, although who can say "no" to an offer to go to Broadway, or even off-Broadway. Indeed, many of the ART and Huntington shows, especially under NIcholas Martin, made the transistion to New York. Martin left the Huntington and currently is planning the <a href="http://www.wtfestival.org/">Williamstown Theatre Festival's</a> summer season.<br /><br />To my way of thinking, quite a few of what we used to call Boston's small theatres have grown to become mid-sized ones, with million dollar budgets to match. Foremost among them is <a href="http://lyricstage.com/">Lyric Stage</a> which, under the guidance of Spiro Veloudos, has cannily chosen shows with wide appeal and interest and kept its prices affordable. As <a href="http://berkshirefinearts.com/?page=article&article_id=979&catID=10">my interview with him</a> a year ago revealed, he is both creative and cautious. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFZLN47QdnXSkAH8vHZow0uDC1dU3miFJYKj1zz5QHKEFUsYIt_NiNcOp7fYBdYUBGfoGaE4omeVVuN8NdC_ytgxQB-MzEHfQ_MLi1c0IMsGf7vL4bPv50gxTCd1ShDhEbtLWSvjfGU4T/s1600-h/Work+-+Bob+Leigh+Brendan+Liz+David+Cheryl.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFZLN47QdnXSkAH8vHZow0uDC1dU3miFJYKj1zz5QHKEFUsYIt_NiNcOp7fYBdYUBGfoGaE4omeVVuN8NdC_ytgxQB-MzEHfQ_MLi1c0IMsGf7vL4bPv50gxTCd1ShDhEbtLWSvjfGU4T/s400/Work+-+Bob+Leigh+Brendan+Liz+David+Cheryl.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450070678882833282" />The Adding Machine: The Musical from Speakeasy Stage is riveting.</a><br /><br />On a recent trip to Boston I had the pleasure of seeing the latest work of the <a href="http://www.publicktheatre.com/index.html">Publick Theatre</a>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Entertaining Mr. Sloane</span> <a href="http://berkshirefinearts.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=1515&catID=10">(Review here)</a>, and the New England premiere of <span style="font-style:italic;">The Adding Machine: A Musical</span> <a href="http://berkshirefinearts.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=1514&catID=10">(Review here)</a> at <a href="http://www.speakeasystage.com/index.php">Speakeasy Stage Company</a>. The quality of the productions was uniformly excellent, a testament to the growing strength of both these companies and our local talent pool.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.speakeasystage.com/index.php">Speakeasy</a> follows <span style="font-style:italic;">The Adding Machine</span> with <span style="font-style:italic;">Trailer Park: The Musica</span>l beginning April 3.<br /><br /><a href="http://lyricstage.com/">Lyric Stage</a> opens <span style="font-style:italic;">Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill</span> March 26, and closes its season with <span style="font-style:italic;">Blithe Spirit</span> starting May 7.<br /><br />Other companies that have continued to impress are the <a href="http://www.newrep.org/">New Rep</a> which opens <span style="font-style:italic;">Opus</span> on March 28 and will follow with <span style="font-style:italic;">The Hot Mikado</span> beginning May 2.<br /><br /> The <a href="http://www.centralsquaretheater.org/">Nora Theatre Company</a> opens <span style="font-style:italic;">From Orchids to Octopi</span> on March 31.<br /><br /> <a href="http://www.zeitgeiststage.com/">Zeitgeist Stage Company</a> has their final production of the season, <span style="font-style:italic;">Farragut North</span> slated to open on April 30 . <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLmx22QkbFIgO85h58_hahcAVywGzt4YmvNFO-bVVNdM5aV8LKk89Uytzllk4ZIgDxHtp-sdK_ULD-8g2P5tuXrgdFjYASALnoCXyMgbHkcmFtDhRId4btJiMdGbSaEZiA5xqVPgkpRjz/s1600-h/AAPerfLab.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLmx22QkbFIgO85h58_hahcAVywGzt4YmvNFO-bVVNdM5aV8LKk89Uytzllk4ZIgDxHtp-sdK_ULD-8g2P5tuXrgdFjYASALnoCXyMgbHkcmFtDhRId4btJiMdGbSaEZiA5xqVPgkpRjz/s400/AAPerfLab.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450081087527214706" /><center>Le Cabaret Grimm from The Performance Lab.</center></a><br />And even as these companies continue to grow and develop their own theatrical locovore following, new companies are born with startling frequency. Among the most interesting of the new crop is <a href="http://www.performancelaboratory.com/index.html">The Performance LAB</a>, an experimental theatre company. It will present the world premier of <span style="font-style:italic;">Le Cabaret Grimm</span>, a punk-cabaret musical April 8-24 at the Boston Center for the Arts. The show is written and directed by Artistic Director Jason Slavick, with original music by Cassandra Marsh and choreography by Michelle Chasse. It will be their first show.<br /><br />What is unusual is that it seems to be hip to the newest trends of younger audiences to mix their media. Slavick promises "a wickedly ironic sensibility" in a show that incorporates Cabaret, Steam Punk, Burlesque and old fashioned theatricality. The music reflects such influences as Tom Waits, Ska, R&B and the Dresden Dolls. “We’re using these fun, contemporary styles to draw in the audience” says Slavick, “but we’re combining them with classic tales that have a universal quality and resonate deeply.”Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324685090630098048.post-52577402306321891872010-03-02T18:23:00.018-05:002010-03-02T20:14:17.313-05:00Interviewing Jack Cutmore-Scott about "Entertaining Mr. Sloane"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxoZvv0fSgnP-d0gD8OwLS9CeExFyhXC6IYNQ1GQy9dQwRC6HwNNpFDXV3Txe-3858S38riY7BMA9yAerw4n7GpS69yBBYgSPFRr_NefOiBvvBVgzwmjJ856RZTauLYNlmBULxNA_AdVz/s1600-h/AAHeadlineSaintJack+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 338px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxoZvv0fSgnP-d0gD8OwLS9CeExFyhXC6IYNQ1GQy9dQwRC6HwNNpFDXV3Txe-3858S38riY7BMA9yAerw4n7GpS69yBBYgSPFRr_NefOiBvvBVgzwmjJ856RZTauLYNlmBULxNA_AdVz/s400/AAHeadlineSaintJack+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444196782050872994" /><center>An Actor Prepares.</center></a><br />When young actor Jack Cutmore-Scott, 22, strides onto the stage at the Boston Center for the Arts on March 11 in <span style="font-style:italic;">Entertaining Mr. Sloane</span>, it's going to be a magical moment.<br /><br />Bostonians will finally get to see this promising performer, a Harvard Senior, in the flesh. For all his theatrical credentials, this is really his first public professional appearance in the USA. The Publick Theatre is known for its crafty casting, and Cutmore-Scott not only looks the role of Mr. Sloane, he promises to follow in the footsteps of others who have used the role (Maxwell Caulfield and Chris Camack) to make lasting impressions on audiences.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpk0q7RhRP3jUE6a5I9pr8VPhwlo-VubG-WVqhbTNM3ejpHSbodtagp-KWNl6ZDCpVwyJuHvE4cIW7bk3c31I4X2xhJKTKNAZW15cmHSgAIxrXJpXbXbeU1cVKB0CXZ-DMSSLtGGdDenbr/s1600-h/AAJack+Cutmore-Scott%232.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 315px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpk0q7RhRP3jUE6a5I9pr8VPhwlo-VubG-WVqhbTNM3ejpHSbodtagp-KWNl6ZDCpVwyJuHvE4cIW7bk3c31I4X2xhJKTKNAZW15cmHSgAIxrXJpXbXbeU1cVKB0CXZ-DMSSLtGGdDenbr/s400/AAJack+Cutmore-Scott%232.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444196791265487922" /><center>Only 22 and already Jack Cutmore-Scott is a triple threat: actor, writer, director.</center></a><br />We talked with Jack via phone a few days ago as the rehearsal process got underway, and he is clearly excited about the professionals he is working with - director Eric Engel, and a superb group of actors which includes Nigel Gore (Ed), Dafydd Rees (Kemp), and the renowned Sandra Shipley (Kath).<br /><br />Jack grew up in the Chelsea section of London, not far from Sloane Square. Perhaps it was a prescient sign that the role of Mr. Sloane in Joe Orton's comedy would one day be his.<br /><br />He arrived at Harvard in 2006 to begin his studies and has undertaken a whirlwind slate of extracurricular activities - not just theatre, but film and television too. In a few short years he has performed in a dozen plays, directed or assisted in six others, and written (or helped to write) four original scripts. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYtFrId130EHReO77L-h_dBJz9d86vOAADxMk0X6U-nQT7yGCP-eVWtz-WThn8IGsAzYlhba4JW82wVAAWE6wrJlXWXZFrpiySQLfyOhLaQZ25jppndOj3rqI9PJoTC4x7PweevJUw1HS/s1600-h/AAJackCutmore-Scott%231.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYtFrId130EHReO77L-h_dBJz9d86vOAADxMk0X6U-nQT7yGCP-eVWtz-WThn8IGsAzYlhba4JW82wVAAWE6wrJlXWXZFrpiySQLfyOhLaQZ25jppndOj3rqI9PJoTC4x7PweevJUw1HS/s400/AAJackCutmore-Scott%231.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444196790756959842" /><center>Jack Cutmore Scott has racked up a lot of time on stage, and off. Here he gets drenched for a film. </center></a><br />About a year ago, he took on the title role in Shakespeare's <span style="font-style:italic;">Hamlet</span>, following his earlier outing as <span style="font-style:italic;">Henry V</span>. 2007 is remembered for his Max in Martin Sherman's <span style="font-style:italic;">Bent</span> about the fate of gays in the holocaust. Most recently he appeared in Sartre's <span style="font-style:italic;">The Flies</span> as Orestes.<br /><br />But Cutmore-Scott is far more than just an actor. Last summer he wrote, directed and appeared in<span style="font-style:italic;"> Breaking Up</span> at the Loeb Experimental Theatre. It is clear that it is not just acting and applause that appeals to him, but the whole concept of theatre as a collaborative craft.<br /><br />As a Senior, he is looking forward to graduating this year, and while his studies have concentrated on English and American Literature and Language, it is the theatrical side of his Harvard education that appeals.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TPB4d4vfWZv91nqHfFS8uKbEfHTCDc93L92lSS1XLZ6A3Q62VkAkv9SaTv_vx7jfmlQx8KBv4XU31fys-NzKfK2Y30w5pYFKIzopO77CrHbeRJyn4Ko6eLbzxJ4Pb_vGcEDqjTsLPAaD/s1600-h/AAJCSHeadshot.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 276px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TPB4d4vfWZv91nqHfFS8uKbEfHTCDc93L92lSS1XLZ6A3Q62VkAkv9SaTv_vx7jfmlQx8KBv4XU31fys-NzKfK2Y30w5pYFKIzopO77CrHbeRJyn4Ko6eLbzxJ4Pb_vGcEDqjTsLPAaD/s400/AAJCSHeadshot.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444196784886589490" /><center>Jack Cutmore-Scott as Mr. Sloane is irresistible. Susanne Nitter photo.</center></a><br />"Once I graduate I would like to continue doing what I have been doing here. Acting of course, but also directing and writing. I will likely head to New York City to try my luck there. But for me it is as much about making shows happen as actually being on the stage," he said. With this sort of wider view in mind, Jack is unlikely to remain available for long.<br /><br />Jack's C.V. is already chock-a-block full of amazing credentials. After training with the British National Youth Theatre, he did a year-long stint at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts before taking his original play, <span style="font-style:italic;">Making a Scene</span>, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was well received.<br /><br />But, we wondered, how did this all start.<br /><br />"My first audition was almost by accident, and I ended up with a walk-on, walk-off role. But it introduced me to the world of theatre. Just watching the rehearsal process was the most amazing experience for me. Observing how the director worked with the actors revealed what interesting people they were," he said. Indeed, for many people seeing theatre people at work picking at the words, looking beneath the surface of things opens the mind to an expository way of looking at life, reading between the lines and seeing what is really going on. It is addictive.<br /><br />"You pull it all apart, and then put it back together when you finally do it for real on stage...it's exciting," noted the actor. "And I find that often you get more out of the rehearsal process than you do onstage. You learn about yourself."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPw7Mh8zilfh_YmmibdLgFNvqIH0IhZ0Kt7O3MqT88ar1iaQzA0dNE3EMX7Vj6Gbnwv0UwOuUo956OCQHmtERQ1ljIBfThePxQv97ZW8KMhB4B98SPDC4M6xRDWGqca_tNqzOSRuJe6HlY/s1600-h/AAJackbus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 381px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPw7Mh8zilfh_YmmibdLgFNvqIH0IhZ0Kt7O3MqT88ar1iaQzA0dNE3EMX7Vj6Gbnwv0UwOuUo956OCQHmtERQ1ljIBfThePxQv97ZW8KMhB4B98SPDC4M6xRDWGqca_tNqzOSRuJe6HlY/s400/AAJackbus.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444199964605859698" /><center>A rare moment to himself.</center></a><br />We turned to the Joe Orton play. Directed by Eric Engel, <span style="font-style:italic;">Entertaining Mr. Sloane</span> revolves around the charming, enigmatic Sloane as he arrives to rent a room from Kath (Sandra Shipley), a lonely, delusional landlady, in the junkyard house she shares with her declining father, Kemp (Dafydd Rees). A handsome opportunist, Sloane quickly ingratiates himself, entering into seductions offered by both Kath, and her estranged brother Ed (Nigel Gore), who soon employs Sloane as his driver. Sloane’s past misdeeds and the dueling affections within the family soon collide, leading to a desperate act that proves the limit of his charms, and reveals the ruthless and cunning strategies that Sloane’s victims will engage in to preserve their unique arrangement.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53WbVWrR68p86w4dGiafQxDMomzQ_2zdXpi1sRW7UfraAFhuJ_TGaPEUPiCKyTOd5rfxJOdxUTPyHTWrFhgcvjmvqG-GKb-ZXEL6HTyxCahXcRmwzlNKMkp0GOf0j1RlRWNb92Vng14M-/s1600-h/AAKath_Sloane_profile2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53WbVWrR68p86w4dGiafQxDMomzQ_2zdXpi1sRW7UfraAFhuJ_TGaPEUPiCKyTOd5rfxJOdxUTPyHTWrFhgcvjmvqG-GKb-ZXEL6HTyxCahXcRmwzlNKMkp0GOf0j1RlRWNb92Vng14M-/s400/AAKath_Sloane_profile2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444196777918793490" /><center>The delusional landlady Kath (Sandra Shipley) and cunning yet charming new tenant Mr. Sloane (Jack Cutmore-Scott) test all boundaries at their first meeting in Joe Orton’s dark comedy Entertaining Mr. Sloane. Susanne Nitter photo.</center></a><br />I wondered if the play, first performed in 1964 has stood the test of time. "It's still very contemporary, and still speaks to us," said Cutmore-Scott. "Nevertheless," he says, "I am still grappling with the role of Mr. Sloane. He is a very fascinating and bombastic character. As we work through it scene to scene I keep discovering something new. I try to remember it all, and Eric (Engel) has been terrific in helping me resolve the motivations behind his actions. They are, after all, pretty crazy characters and they do some pretty crazy things." <br /><br />According to Engel, “The play is almost a farce, in which all four characters, because they are desperately lonely, allow their domestic, social and animal instincts to become irrevocably intertwined.” He adds, “Orton eliminates the line between the obvious and the Freudian, making things all the more confusing and delightful. <span style="font-style:italic;">Entertaining Mr. Sloane</span> is a perfect play for today's audiences, who can explore sexuality with intrigue and open minds, rather than fear and judgment.”<br /><br />The young actor seems to balance his demanding studies and extracurricular activities pretty well, though there can be an element of surrealism to them. "There are moments I feel a bit like a sponge, and others when people look at me like I am nuts. When I am riding the T for example, I am usually immersed deeply in my studies, and I tend to mumble absent-mindedly as I am stuffing material into my brain. If I glance up, the looks I get from the other passengers can be quite unexpected," he laughs.<br /><br />"Sometimes I will take out my cellphone to cover, but when you are actually underground, and the phones won't work I just have to live with the looks."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOotb5x0gV6cZHe6asDwrpS7dMWs1fIYo8Og0_Lybklk9niOo5iPPfv9QUIEmBMAc2RxdJjPDlFKlf_uPQC_aj3YqwWdr3FsJ4CuEL8dNqtm7wRctoli69I9mKTZNcmg3p8v78ozzHt5il/s1600-h/AAJackTryptych.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOotb5x0gV6cZHe6asDwrpS7dMWs1fIYo8Og0_Lybklk9niOo5iPPfv9QUIEmBMAc2RxdJjPDlFKlf_uPQC_aj3YqwWdr3FsJ4CuEL8dNqtm7wRctoli69I9mKTZNcmg3p8v78ozzHt5il/s400/AAJackTryptych.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444199960095015218" /><center>Three different moods in one day.</center></a><br />"During my freshman year, I had a different problem. I would talk to people and they would look at me blankly because of my accent. But after four years, things are getting better, and I can pretty well understand American, too," he chortles. Cutmore-Scott once told the Harvard Crimson that the english accent is "my unfortunate and totally incurable speech impediment which I’ve had since I was a baby. But it is also my sexiest physical trait." <br /><br />E<span style="font-style:italic;">ntertaining Mr. Sloane</span> is set in England, so his accent should come in quite handy in the months ahead.<br /><br />Who knows, he might even write a play about it someday.<br /><br /><center><span style="font-weight:bold;">THE PUBLICK THEATRE</span></center><br />Under the leadership of Producing Director Susanne Nitter and Artistic Director Diego Arciniegas, The Publick Theatre has experienced a renaissance, garnering critical acclaim, including for last fall's <span style="font-style:italic;">Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf</span> with Tina Packer, Founding Artistic Director of the Berkshire's own Shakespeare & Company in Lenox.<br /><br />Others involved in the production of <span style="font-style:italic;">Entertaining Mr. Sloane</span> include Dahlia Al-Habieli (Sets), Kenneth Helvig (Lights), Molly Trainer (Costumes), and John Doerschuk (Sound).<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Entertaining Mr. Sloane</span> runs from March 11 to April 3, 2010 at the Plaza Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. Performances are Wednesdays at 7:30pm, Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm and Sundays at 3:00pm. Tickets: $33.00 - $37.50. For tickets contact the BostonTheatreScene.com box office at 617.933.8600 or order online at <a href="http://www.bostontheatrescene.com">www.bostontheatrescene.com</a>.Larry Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352029208026065386noreply@blogger.com0