It's astonishingly beautiful, and a still of one of the most interesting visual displays I've seen in a long time.
Miwa Matreyek is currently performing her unique blend of animation, collage and live silhouette choreography at the Walker, and it's gorgeous. I'm not quite as on-board with her films thematically (Expanding the Frame is supposed to tell the history and evolution of the earth and its environment - love the concept, but felt pretty 'meh' about the execution), but there is no denying that they are spectacularly beautiful. Just check out some of the images - and a sample of her film, shown at a TED conference - below.
Do you like creepy things? Can't get enough of ghosts and insanity and the dank books of the 19th century?
If so, then Red-Eye to Havre de Grace, the Walker Art Center's current "Out There" performance, is most definitely for you. Following the last five (and heavily eccentric) years of Edgar Allen Poe's life, Red-Eye weaves together dance, stilts, optical illusions, park rangers, poetry, and a gaggle of instrumental backdrops (seriously, it's strange - clarinet, bassoon, two pianos played with at least four different techniques, etc.) to bring Poe back to life.
Red-Eye is by far the most traditional, narrative piece I've seen at an "Out There" performance, and for the most part it's a hodgepodge that works. Most Americans have at least heard of Poe at some point, and the masterfully constructed introduction to the show is invaluable in helping understand the narrative (in other words: don't be late! It's the best part of the entire production, and absolutely hilarious. It's about time someone "roasted" Poe). However, Red-Eye is just a little too long for the subject matter to keep your interest (90 minutes), and to be entirely honest, isn't fully engaging if you're not super into Edgar Allen Poe. There are things to enjoy, but it can feel too scattered.
Desi steals Lucy's thunder in this sweet new show about the brazen comedienne
Photo Courtesy of Hennepin Theater Trust
It's always tricky to do a performance about a beloved character.
This can apply to any kind of person - screen sirens (Marilyn), royalty (QEII), etc. - but it's especially difficult in the comedy world, where great performances are already hard to pull off. Trying to emulate the success of something that became famous for it's unpredictability to start with can be a nightmare.
Successfully retaining the spontaneity of great humor while keeping it true to form AND fresh and funny is exactly the struggle of I Love Lucy: Live on Stage, a new pastiche portraying the eternally beloved I Love Lucy show as it is being filmed. Fans of the television show will pick it up quickly, but they may be hesitant to get into it - and in the beginning, that's fine. It takes a while for this Lucy to kick off.
Photo Courtesy of Hennepin Theater Trust
After it hits its stride, though, it can be a mighty fun ride, in particular in Act II. Unlike the original television show, the Desi in this Lucy is by far the star - Euriamis Losada is fabulous as Lucy's lisping paramour - and he gets much more 'screen time' as the show moves on. He carries most of the comedic timing, but the real standout is his incredible singing voice. This is not a musical, but I found myself wishing it were for the benefit of hearing more of Losada's luxurious voice. He's lovely, and worth the show alone.
Thea Brooks does a fine job as Lucy Ricardo; she's no Lucille Ball, but let's be honest: who could be?! Brooks brings her own swagger to the character, and once one forgets the original television cast, it works just fine.
The costumes are unequivocally true to period and gorgeous. (ModCloth could make *a lot* of money capitalizing on those designs!) The set, unfortunately, does not keep pace and provides a relatively drab backdrop for the otherwise lively action on stage.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the Walker Art Center's annual "Out There" series is primed to make you think.
Take, for example, "Still Standing You," the second piece in this year's series. This show had everything you didn't know you needed. Witty, informal exposition? Check. Contortions and physical tricks? Check. Male nudity? Check. Males playing with each others foreskins? Check and check.
(And yes, you did read that last line right - there was a solid 5 minute sequence which the fully nude players spent crawling and contorting around each other in various positions without ever letting go of each other's *ahem* 'sheaths.' Don't go with your mom.)
Despite the off-putting nature of some of this interaction, I couldn't help but feel that "Still Standing You" was really an exercise in absolute relaxation: what happens when people fully let go of their societal constraints, allowing themselves to use their bodies as toys and with completely open minded exploration?
Viewed from that perspective, this show was a masterpiece in pure creativity. There is a little bit of every emotion to be found here; primal noises, violence, spoofs and humor, love, comfort, safety, and danger. If nothing else, it was a very different portrayal of male sexuality and friendship than I'm used to, and a refreshing one; if this is what social evolution means, I'm all for it.
The classic holiday film gets a surprisingly great musical makeover
Photo courtesy of the Ordway
"My kid brother looked like a tick about to pop."
"He looks like a demented Easter bunny."
"My father worked in profanity the way other great artists worked in paints or clays."
Photo courtesy of the Ordway
Recognize any of these lines? They're among the many, many gems to be found in perennial TBS Christmas Eve 24-hour special A Christmas Story.
One of the most beloved holiday films ever, A Christmas Story is a delightfully narrated tale of one
boy's (Ralphie's) quest to get a Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas in his idyllic yet modest 1940 childhood. Woven in are fabulously funny side stories, including the beating up of a bully, sticking of a tongue to a flagpole, a drunk Santa with demented elves, and the infamous leg lamp (or as Ralphie's father puts it "Major Award").
This live-on-stage musical version, then, was a tricky bet; it's always difficult to transition a good film into a good show, and adding music could have been a mess. Thankfully, it wasn't.
A Christmas Story has its hiccups, but on the whole this was a funny, heartwarming rendition. It follows the movie very closely, and has plenty of fun in the process. The songs are not only fine, but some are terrific; "Ralphie to the Rescue" was a particularly enchanting spoof on classic "western" phrases heard in the likes of Aaron Copland scores and John Wayne/Clint Eastwood films.
Photo courtesy of the Ordway
The cast has solid musical chops. Jake Goodman shines as Ralphie, and his fantastic voice (seriously, this kid can't be more than 12, and he's got Idina Menzel's vocal swagger down pat) carries the show. This might be the Achilles heel of A Christmas Story; I can't imagine the show being quite as enjoyable with a lesser talent playing Ralphie.
Photo courtesy of the Ordway
Another shining star is Billie Wildrick as Ralphie's mother; she has terrific moments on "Just Like That" and "What a Mother Does." The ensemble of children, as well as Dieter Bierbrauer as Ralphie's Old Man, are solid as well. And although lacking some of the snap of the narrator in the film, Gary Briggle is warm and inviting as the narrator Jean Shepherd, whisking us through the story in a comfortably husky tone.
The set is of note as a period appropriate, festive piece. It snows, has a shiny Olds, sepia-ed gifts, itchy sweaters - the whole package, in other words. There are even live dogs to play the Bumpus Hounds, who cavort across the stage in highly entertaining fashion.
A Christmas Story on stage is just as enchanting as it is on film. It's funny, warm, heartening, and absolutely worth a visit. It's also appropriate for all family members. Take a break from the holiday madness and sit for a few hours in Ralphie's world; I promise you won't regret it.
And, because I can't help it at all, here's a mashup of the songs (I really did love them!!):
Fans of the classic 1954 film starring Bing Crosby will not be disappointed with this lively stage version.
Photo Courtesy of Hennepin Theater Trust
If you have't figured it out yet, I'm a sucker for musicals. Especially those hailing from the golden era of Hollywood (say 1935-1960, in my book), and the cheesier, the better.
Yes, I know they're predictable. Yes, I know they're derivative. Yes, I know they're silly.
But I just can't help being captivated by stories set in a time when things were simpler, people were happier with less, and all we needed to cheer up was a reminder of the things in life that matter: people we love, and fun experiences.
White Christmas falls squarely in the middle of that genre. Essentially a remake of an earlier film (Holiday Inn, in which the enormously popular song "White Christmas" first debuted), White Christmas is really nothing more than a shameful attempt by MGM to make even more money off of the song and the holidays.
But it works.
Photo Courtesy of Hennepin Theater Trust
And so does the stage version currently running at the Orpheum Theater. It manages to make a few (necessary) song upgrades (for example, swapping out "mod"-ern numbers in the film such as "Choreography" for swing classics such as "Blue Skies"), while still retaining the soul of the story (for those who don't know: famous male singing duo meets talented sister singing duo; they work together to save the inn of a former commanding WWII General over the Christmas holidays; love, wedding bells, and many snowflakes ensue).
This show has a great cast. While James Clow is certainly ain't Bing Crosby as Bob Wallace, he still has a rich, lovely baritone that happily slides amongst the swingier numbers and the especially lovely "Count Your Blessings." Love interest Betty Haynes is played nimbly by Trista Moldovan, whose powerhouse voice hides until she blasts through "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me."
Photo Courtesy of Hennepin Theater Trust
Castmates Jeremy Benton (playing Phil Davis) and Kaitlyn Davidson (Judy Haynes) aren't quite as
strong, and that's okay; they play up their comedic angles and provide some fabulous dance sequences.
And the dancing is of note; it's rare to see so much tap in a show and particularly featuring a meticulously balanced 15+ person troupe. It's a real pleasure to see this return to this lost art so beautifully portrayed, and choreography alone makes this worth a visit. It's also worth noting, however, that the elaborate sequences do elongate the show - it closes out at a little over three hours.
White Christmas is just one more fabulous stop in this year's excellent Broadway season at Hennepin Theater Trust (HTT). It's a wonderful way to get in the holiday mood, and I'd highly recommend this to any Bing, holiday, or general musical fans - make sure to flex your guilty pleasure muscles and give it a go. Click here for more information about HTT and tickets to the show.
Photo Courtesy of Hennepin Theater Trust
Also, while you're at it: Make sure you make a stop at some of the fantastic (and FREE) Made Here exhibits along Hennepin Avenue. HTT is doing some amazing work filling empty storefronts and getting local visual artists on the map; help support their work and enjoy a free show anytime. Click here for more information about Made Here.
For fans of sci-fi, there's Star Trek; for those who prefer a side of violence with their story, it's Spartacus or Game of Thrones; and for musical and arts and general groupies of true hunks everywhere, it's Dirty Dancing.
For the uninitiated, Dirty Dancing follows the 1963-set summer camp love story of Baby, the privileged daughter of a doctor, and Johnny, a hunky (not to overemphasize, but HUNKY) dance instructor. Baby accidentally learns that Johnny's dance partner is pregnant, and not only helps her pay for an abortion but volunteers to learn her routine to allow her time to recover. Over the next two weeks, Baby and Johnny work in close enough quarters to succeed with the dance and to fall in love.
There are more details I could share, but let's be honest: this show is written for a *certain kind* of audience, and they come for one scene and one scene only: the famous "lift" at the end of the show in Baby and Johnny's dance routine. All I'll say is that they certainly deliver; the audience went wild.
Photo Courtesy of Hennepin Theater Trust
Dirty Dancing isn't a traditional musical in the sense that each character sings, and I found that disappointing as the cast has great voices. This is particularly true of Jennlee Shallow (Elizabeth) and Doug Carpenter (Billy Kostecki)[both pictured, left], who provide vocals for the show's most famous tracks, including "(I've Had the) Time of My Life." Their fab vocal chemistry adds an extra level of excitement to Dirty Dancing's universally superb dance sequences, and I craved a lot more of it.
The leads Jillian Mueller (Baby) and Samuel Pergande (Johnny) have even better chemistry and fit their parts well; Mueller is winning and winsome as idealistic Baby, and Pergande positively oozes the Patrick Swayze-an sex appeal that Johnny's character exudes from every pore. (And as a side note, ladies/gents who are so inclined: the supporting cast isn't half bad to look at either).
Photo Courtesy of Hennepin Theater Trust
On a heavier note, I have to say: Dirty Dancing was never one of my favorite movies, but this show hits just the right note between silly, romantic, and serious. I'd honestly forgotten the story's more serious subplot (regarding abortion, birth control, and who takes responsibility in relationships), and as I'm learning with other shows in revival, these old themes die hard; we live in a world where a fight over abortion's legality and desirability is constantly in question, and I found it refreshing to see that rather than indicting one perspective or another, Dirty Dancing chooses to portray a relatively honest depiction of what happens when the option isn't legally available at all. It's a perspective that is too often buried and/or forgotten, and bravo to this cast for giving the subject the delicate but serious treatment it deserves.
Also, for those who are interested: I couldn't upload the video I had due to size constraints on Blogger (dumb), but the audio still works - so check it out if you're interested:
