Classical,
Nationalist themes carry the night
It is more than fair to expect musical compositions to stand on their own merits, but works can be nuanced by astute programming, such as that by the Kansas City Symphony (KCS) in its Yardley Hall performance this past Sunday. Nationalist pride yielded a collective gravitas whose sum total exceeded the individual contributions of Béla Bartók, Avner Dorman and Jean Sibelius impressively representing their homelands Hungary, Israel and Finland, respectively.
Of music history's better known nationalists (Sibelius among them) it would be a challenge to find one who surpasses Béla Bartók in the breadth of commitment in preserving a people's ethnic music. Not taking anything away from the others, Bartók nevertheless stands out with particular distinction. While it is the ethnomusicologist's calling to historically research and codify such things, Bartók is further distinguished among composers by having during his lifetime simultaneously committed to composition and musicology with his monumental efforts to record (and in those days, "record" meant listen to and transcribe by ear) the folk songs native to the regions around his beloved Hungary. While Bartók is at least equally famous for the infusion of ethnicity into his piano music, in the symphonic setting KCS's presentation of his five "Hungarian Sketches" gave the audience the unique opportunity to experience the full weight of Bartók's musicological and musical genius; for he was, as well, one of the master orchestrators of the 20th century. The sparse, modal and rhythmic challenges of Hungary's ethic music do not lend themselves easily to orchestration, but in Bartók's capable hands those elements combined to preserve the original melodies while advancing the frontiers of 20th century orchestral composition.
Under Michael Stern's baton, these orchestral sketches were presented with a subdued charm which honored the traditions that Bartók painstakingly preserved, while offering up a pristine orchestral delivery that demonstrated the artistic beauty that is possible when even the simplest of melodies is presented by a music director who possesses the wisdom and confidence to not over-conduct or over-interpret compositional perfection that requires neither. As a result, this short (12-minute) collection was the perfect musical hors d'oeuvre leading to the entrée of Avner Dorman's world premiere Piano Concerto, "Lost Souls."
So - imagine, if you will, that you are in the audience in 1719 as a 34-year-old Bach stands on-stage describing his latest work. You repeat this in 1804 with Beethoven, again in 1867 with Brahms, and finally on a November weekend in 2009 with Avner Dorman. Now, this is by no means intended to compare Mr. Dorman with the masters - time and future musicologists are the arbiters of such things. But these events should be appreciated for what they are: opportunities to hear brand new music introduced by the composer himself. If you're lucky, it will even be a good piece of music, and by that measure Mr. Dorman and the KCS succeeded with brilliance.
Dorman described the piano concerto, subtitled "Lost Souls", as a "séance" to pianists and composers of the past, with the opening measures in the orchestra quite literally conjuring up the performer. At the outset, the piano stood empty as ethereal strings set a chilling mood before the lights dimmed gradually to full darkness. Mr. Dorman employed a clever device whereby another piano, hidden back among the orchestra, played a few notes just before the darkness, after which full illumination revealed a corporeal pianist (Alon Goldman) seated and ready to engage the audience. The presentation had all the earmarks of classic performance art but delivered in a way that was less tacky than one might presume from just hearing its description. Indeed, tackiness would have been a foregone conclusion had the piece fallen flat, but given that it had strong compositional foundations in a work that demonstrated great maturity from the 34-year-old Dorman, it actually worked quite well.
As promised, the piece well represented the first movement's initial struggle ("Séance") between the orchestra and pianist to get in synch with one another - the pianist having just returned from the dead, after all ("decomposition" jokes, anyone?). The second ("Twilight") and third ("Exorcism") movements proceeded to chronologically "time travel" through various musical styles, with thematic snippets recalling images that were stylistically familiar - Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th century, Jazz, even Rock - without too obviously quoting any particular composers. The result was more of a familiarity that captured various genres. Despite the power of suggestion in the performance notes ("...hints of Bach, Art Tatum, Messiaen, Lutoslawski, Ravel, Ligeti, Sweelinck and Gershwin"), my ears caught a lengthy section in the second movement that reminded me quite a bit of Keith Emerson's under-rated 1977 "Piano Concerto No. 1" (found on ELP's album, "Works, Vol. 1") and a shorter (perhaps 30 seconds or so) section that had elements of Pat Metheny.
"Lost Souls" was commissioned by the Kansas City Symphony from Dorman who wrote the work for pianist, Alon Goldstein. Goldstein did a remarkable job of navigating his way through 300 years of pianistic stylings - delicately sensitive in the more tonal, melodic themes, and energetically tempestuous in sections that were more dissonant and chordal, where his ginormous Rachmaninoff hands worked to his advantage in several passages. The final product was a perfect melding of orchestra - with a phenomenal interpretation by Maestro Stern - composition and performance: it was at once Stern's work, and Goldstein's work, and, ultimately, Dorman's work. This piece left no question in my mind that Avner Dorman is, by any measure, a world-class composer destined for much more greatness.
After intermission, Sibelius's Symphony No. 2 in D Major continued the Nationalist theme. Musically, as beautiful as this piece is, it is anachronistic - a clear throwback to the height of the Romantic period, sonically residing in the last quarter of the 19th century despite its composition in 1901-02. That starkness was made even more evident when compared to the far more modern-sounding, clearly "20th century" orchestral sketches by Bartók, which, completed in 1911, were written barely a decade later. In its own way, though, the programming of Sibelius' 2nd Symphony yielded an intriguing perspective, revealing Sibelius to be the giant of Romantic orchestration that he was; reaffirming Bartók as the visionary modern orchestrator of the early 20th century; and in no small compliment it revealed Dorman to have far more in common with Bartók than Sibelius - compositionally, technically, artistically, and orchestrationally.
All around, this was a fine program with lots of meaty, historical, nationalistic "stuff" to chew on and the orchestra was nearly flawless throughout - seemingly quite energized by the world premiere status of the event. I have heard them better in individual pieces, but as a program this has to rank as one of their best efforts.
REVIEW:
Kansas City Symphony
Stern Conducts Sibelious
with Alon Goldstein, piano
Works of Bartók, Dorman (World Premiere) and Sibelius
Friday, November 20, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Lyric Theatre
11th and Central, Kansas City, MO
Sunday, November 22, 2009 (Reviewed)
Carlsen Center at JCCCC
12345 College Blvd, Overland Park, KS
For tickets call 816-471-0400 or online at www.kcsymphony.org
Cover photo: Alon Goldstein
Classical, Dance,
Grimm never more grand
Hänsel and Gretel lost in the Missouri Ozarks? It turns out that the German classic by the Gebrüder Grimm transcends time and place just fine, the Opera Department of the UMKC Conservatory superbly demonstrated this weekend in their production with four performances at White Recital Hall. In fact, Grimm has never sounded more grand.
The opera received its premiere in Weimar, Germany, under the baton of Richard Strauss, on December 23, 1893. Humperdinck composed the work as a Christmas present for the children of his sister, Adelheid Wette, who wrote the libretto based on the Grimm fairy tale. Traditional nursery songs are incorporated into Humperdinck's opera, making it a favorite children's introduction to opera in Germany. This production sang it gloriously in German, with supertitles in English. Although American children seeing it for the first time may have been too young to read the supertitles, the excellent acting by the singers, pantomimes of the dancers, and visual continuity mirrored in the tone of the music most likely delivered the content.
I sometimes cringe at the liberties directors take in producing well-known classics like Hänsel and Gretel. The Met's production of Hänsel and Gretel transmitted live to cinemas around the world on New Year's Day 2008, staged it with 14 overblown chefs in gigantic chef hats tooling around an enormous banquet table laden with pastries, instead of Grimms' 14 angels surrounding and protecting the lost Hansel and Gretel asleep upon the forest floor. The Grimms' tale, translated marvelously into music in Humperdinck's score, delivers that concept subliminally in the orchestral interlude based upon the Abendsegen (children's prayer) theme and visually with 14 angels circling the sleeping children on stage. Whimsical imagery in that pivotal moment that fails to convey the symbolism of omnipresent forces protecting us, unseen, tends to raise my ire. Not so with this production by Director Marciem Bazell. Even with comedic tweaks, Bazell's production kept intact the timeless tale with its themes of poverty and greed, the importance of attaining self-reliance, and the triumph of good over evil.
For starters, the singers were first-rate musicians with professional-level acting abilities.
They were supported splendidly by the pit orchestra, led by Robert Olson in all of the performances except the Sunday matinee, which was conducted by student Sam Seung-Ryul Yang. The lushly scored and extremely challenging orchestral accompaniment soared in instrumental interludes and scaled back to near nothing when required. Humperdinck, a student of Wagner, orchestrated this masterpiece in a style remarkably similar to that of his teacher, demanding high technical proficiency and super endurance from the instrumentalists and singers, alike.
Bazell, assistant professor and director of opera at UMKC, brings with her a wealth of experience, having directed for the Sarasota Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Illinois, Opera Delaware and numerous other companies. She has served on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music and The Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and had a career as a Mezzo Soprano in the United States and in Germany. Bazell shared the basis of her inspired vision for this production: "I am a complete slave to the music."
Despite the space constrictions of the intimate stage of White Recital Hall, the team of experts Bazell assembled to design the student production led to a resounding success. The production utilized students representing the full range of artistic disciplines taught at the Conservatory of Music and Dance.
With the opening tones of the overture, a ramshackle hut dimly lit emerged from the darkness. Set designer Panela Leung managed to effectively incorporate all the elements necessary to underscore the three stage settings required in a way that underscored Bazell's intent to emphasize the timelessness of the tale, and still add some modern strokes. The wooden shack of a house seen in the opening act could have been in a German forest or somewhere in the Ozarks - poverty is universal. And, who knew? The trees of the Ozark mountain range in Act 2 appeared interchangeable with those of the Ilsenstein Forest. The Knusper Haus in Act 3 was constructed as a giant cupcake with lots of frosting and sugary morsels for Hänsel and Gretel to break off to nibble. It was a feast for the eyes together with the whipped cream topped oven and fence of gingerbread cookie children.
Adding dimensions of magic and wonder were the lighting effects executed brilliantly by Lighting Designer Latrice Lovett. Her success at visually realizing Bazell's dramatic intent was revealed from the very beginning as the sky above the hut morphed stunningly from a deep midnight blue to reveal a jumble of forest branches silhouetted by a fiery dawn into daylight in synch with different themes heard in the overture. Another spectacular effect was achieved by waves of light that seemed to emanate all over the stage when the Witch waved her stick to hypnotize Hänsel and Gretel with her spells.
The expertise of Stage Manager Claire Jarman saw to fluid changes of scenes and sets accomplished before the eyes of the audience by an able stage crew with the clever assistance of the seemingly ever-present dancers, guided brilliantly by Choreographer DeeAnna Hiett. Exceptionally beautiful solo dance work was delivered by ballerina Megan Squires and her partners, Gavin Stewart and Erik Sobbe. The choreography of the dance of the 14 Angels in the forest scene was fluid and dreamlike, a perfect realization of radiant beauty and strength. Contrasting well with those dancers were the writhing, slithering movements of the witch's minion dancers who did her bidding when she concocted potions and spells.
Costume Designer Mary Traylor deserves credit for a satisfying array of garb ranging from traditional mountain-folk drab for the title characters to an amusingly pink sparkly Dew Fairy costume, to a sinister cloak and Darth Vader-type hood for the Witch removed to reveal a gaudy turquoise jacket and striped stockings.
To top it off, the perfectly matched voices of the youth choir, Canta Filia, led by Jennifer Benjamin, added vocal depth to the forest echoes and as gingerbread cookies that came back to life as children when the witch's spell was broken.
Friday night's cast included Lindsay James as Hänsel, Lauren Onsrud as Gretel, Sarah Burke as Mütter, Aaron Markarian as Vater, Sarah Anne Goeke as Sandmännchen, Kristen Griffeath as Taumännchen, and Vigthor Zophoniasson as Hexe.
The Thursday/Saturday cast included Katherine Crawford as Hansel, Sarah Bauer as Gretel, Katelyn Mattson-Levy as Mütter, William H. Perry as Vater, Stephanie Zuluaga as Sandmännchen, Laura Sudduth as Taumännchen, and Kelly Hill as Hexe.
I heard the dress rehearsal of the Thursday/Saturday night cast, and the performance Friday night, and can say with complete candor that these singers, every one of them, are superb - and several of them are headed for major careers in the vocal arts. Kelly Hill as the Hexe/Witch blew me away with her acting and complete command of vocal range from the top notes of the high range to the very bottom tones. Her male counterpart in the Friday night production, Vigthor Zophoniasson was equally impressive. Both of the Fathers, William H. Perry and Aaron Markarian possess magnificent, full voices and commanding stage presence. And I loved the comic touch of the Sandmännchen in using a lawn seed dispenser to sprinkle sleep upon the children. I left wishing it had been possible to have heard all four performances. Bravo to all!
REVIEW
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance: Fall Opera
Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck
November 19 - 21 at 7:30 p.m., November 22 at 2:30 p.m.
Date reviewed: Friday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 pm
White Recital Hall, UMKC Campus
4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online www.tickets.cto.umkc.edu
Cover photo: Cast members of Hänsel and Gretel in the Dance of the 14 Angels.
KC Events this week and beyond
Click here to see all the events on the KC Events performing arts calendar.
How do you list your events on KC Events? It is easy!!
As an arts organziation or musician, you can add and edit your own events.
KCMetropolis.org's mission is to promote traditional and independent classical music, dance, theatre and independent film. We are very sorry, but we do not cover pop, rock, Christian or country music; we do not cover the visual arts or non-performing arts community events. If you would like to send a press release about an upcoming performing arts event, please send to press@KCMetropolis.org.
KC Events Categories are:
Traditional & New Classical Music
Dance
Theatre
Jazz
KCMetropolis.org builds assignments for reviews, previews and interviews exclusively from KC Events. Please make sure your events are listed inorder to be considered.
To Submit Information:
- Please go to the KCM front page and click on the login tab located at the top right-hand side of the website.
- Create a login account and then sign-in.
- Read the KC Events Terms of Service before proceeding
- On the left-hand nav is a category called Submit Content
- Click on Submit an Event or Manage Your Events.
- Listings will be approved with 48 hours if it fits the KCMetropolis.org criteria.
KC Events this week and beyond
Check out all the events on the KC Events performing arts calendar.
How do you list your events on KC Events?
As an arts organziation or musician, you now have the ability to add and edit your own events.
KCMetropolis.org's mission is to promote traditional and independent classical music, dance, theatre and independent film. We are very sorry, but we do not cover pop, rock, Christian or country music; we do not cover the visual arts or non-performing arts community events. If you would like to send a press release about an upcoming performing arts event, please send to press@KCMetropolis.org.
KC Events Categories are:
Classical Music
New Classical Music
Dance
Theatre
Jazz
To Submit Information:
- Please go to the KCM front page and click on the login tab located at the top right-hand side of the website.
- Create a login account and then sign-in.
- Read the KC Events Terms of Service before proceeding
- On the left-hand nav is a category called Submit Content
- Click on Submit an Event or Manage Your Events.
- Listings will be approved with 48 hours if it fits the KCMetropolis.org criteria
Theatre ,
Giving thanks for small blessings
How crazy would a man have to be to settle with his wife, baby and two daughters under the age of 11 in Indian Territory with only their old dog Jack and a rifle for protection?
In the Coterie Theatre's new production of Little House on the Prairie, big questions are asked. Is it right for the white settlers to claim Indian land? What are the Indian's rights in a new America where white men make the laws? What is it to be civilized? How do we learn to get along?
Director, Rick Averill and his real wife Jeanne step into the roles of Pa and Ma Ingalls and into the past. Averill has been a writer, producer, composer and actor for numerous children's' productions. He has a talent for making great theater out of very little and as the artistic director of the Seems to be Players in Lawrence; he has delighted generations of eastern Kansans. In this production, Averill brings his down home, bluegrass brand of heartwarming Americana to Pamela Sterling's adaptation of the novel. Complete with fiddles and an acoustic guitar strolling through the audience the production has a flap-jack wholesomeness that belies it's more serious undertones.
Kids get to nestle right up to the low stage at the Coterie. There is an immediacy to their experience as they feel the stage shake during dancing and watch the workings of the spinning disk imbedded in the stage that the singing dog, Jack, played enthusiastically by Martin Buchanan, moves with a subtle slight of "paw". The disk moves the covered wagon 360 degrees offering the audience different perspectives of the action, from the front seats to the back of the family "van". 
Mary and Laura are just like any other kids in history, they get tired, they whine. Yet they understand their role in the survival of the family. In one of the many poignant parts, the girls are thrilled with nothing more than a tin cup, a few sweets and a penny in their Christmas stocking. Glancing at the small faces surrounding the stage, there was more than one expression of shock from the young audience. The roles are double cast and Saturday's matinee presented Chloe Wells as the spirited Laura and Katie Hall as the mild Mary. They were the perfect sweet-faced sisters.
Alex Haynes and Keenan Ramos with their shaved heads, authentic costumes and passionate intensity were 100% convincing as Osage Indians. Speaking French, Ramos' character could not have appeared more other-worldly to the simple Ingalls daughters. Also playing the African-American doctor who saves the family from a bout of malaria, Ramos demonstrated his range and actability.
Ma and Pa Ingalls were young and idealistic settlers in their 20's when they set off in search of their place in the world. In terms of casting, the young couple; Mr. and Mrs. Scott played by Nicholas Gehlfuss and Rachel Hirshorn might have instilled that wide-eyed optimism of a new family better than the seasoned veterans for this production.
Yet, Jeanne Averill does have the quiet strength that strives to civilize her daughters while cultivating the land. Her speech about not liking Indians because they are savage and then symbolizing her civility with a china figurine, brought the cultural differences between Indians and settlers into dramatic relief.
Education is one of the Coterie Theatres strongest suits. This production was no exception. If you are a teacher I strongly encourage you to check out their website for well-designed and developed lesson plans with support material for this performance. Anyone is able to access this information online. Kudos to Megahnn Henry and Nancy Marcy for their extension materials.
In this challenging season of rampant consumerism in an economic depression, a trip to the Coterie can offer children a historical perspective of what life was like, here in the Midwest, just over 100 years ago. The importance of family and friends to survival should not be overlooked even today as we give thanks for all of our small blessings.
REVIEW:
Coterie Theatre
The Little House on the Prairie
Runs November 3 - December 29, 2009 (Reviewed November 21)
The Coterie Theatre,
Crown Center, Kansas City, MO
www.coterietheatre.org
Top photo: Laura (Chloe Wells, left) meets up for the first time with Soldat du Chene (Keenan Ramos) while Ma (Jeanne Averill) holds her back in the Coterie's Little House on the Prairie.
Classical,
"The Wise Women" cometh
The Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City is reprising Conrad Susa's contemporary holiday opera The Wise Women next weekend.
The Civic Opera previously performed it for eight years running from 1995 through 2003 and often drew capacity crowds. The opera tells the story of the Christ child's birth and the travels of the Three Wise Men, but from the perspective of important women in their lives.
Conrad Susa (not to be confused with the 19th century March king John Phillip Sousa) is one of today's best known composers, and this opera is among his most popular compositions. The libretto is by Phillip Littell, whose also wrote the words from two later and very popular operas, Susa's Dangerous Liaisons and A Streetcar Named Desire by Andre Previn.
As the opera opens, the Three Wise Men, accompanied by their women, rest at an oasis. The men feel that they are traveling to find an adult king, while the women are certain that the monarch will be a baby. Impatient, the men abandon the women behind and journey on, but the women, remaining behind, are visited by a vision of the Holy Mother and her divine child.
The men, approaching Bethlehem, are addressed by a host of angels in the "Gloria,"
a beautiful choral passage telling of the angels' message. Shepherds spread the message of the baby's birth, and the Holy Family is transported to the oasis so that the Wise Women, despite being abandoned, can witness the miracle.
The Wise Men are confused by what has happened, but the Wise Women help them understand that the best gift for the King is not a material possession, but love, the kind that recognizes the divinity in every child.
The Civic Opera Theater has not performed The Wise Women for six years, but new producing artistic director, David Adams, felt that the work is an important part of the company's history and should be reintroduced to Kansas City audiences.
The Wise Women, Adams says, is "one of the works that made Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City a landmark arts institution. It is a piece that is fun for the whole family."
"For those of you who have seen this performed in the past," says Adams, "you may recognize some familiar faces. I guarantee that you will not only be thrilled by their return, but also by the sparkling new talent that will be featured. This piece is a treat not only to the ears and eyes, but truly speaks to the heart of the holiday season."
PREVIEW
Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City
The Wise Women by Conrad Susa
Friday, December 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 5 at 2:00 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
40th and Main Streets, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-235-1000 or visit www.kccivicopera.org for more information
Top Photo: Conrad Sousa
Theatre ,
My heart finds Christmas
"This show is about light," says director J. Kent Barnhart. "And about Christmas, about all of the different meanings it has for each one of us." Last Monday evening at Quality Hill Playhouse, four talented performers presented "Christmas in Song". The cast had just finished a rousing chorus of "Let There Be Light" and Barnhart was preparing the audience for the next few numbers. Some were traditional carols, some were obscure, but all were unique and performed beautifully.
Barnhart himself played the piano (very enthusiastically), and sang along with Cary Mock, Elaine Fox and Amy Coady. He also provided short breaks between the songs to tell a story, or crack a joke. More often than not, he would let us know what songs were coming up, and maybe a story or some background on the pieces. It reminded me very much of a choral concert, with a wisecracking conductor. For example, he quipped, "A lot of people say it isn't really Christmas until they come to this show. I guess for this audience, it isn't really Thanksgiving."
Elaine Fox has a beautiful classical voice, which is no wonder since she has performed in operatic roles all over the country. Her duet with Amy Coady on the "Silent Night/O Holy Night" combination was stunning. I heard a gentleman behind me whisper, "That was beautiful," as the number was ending. Her second act song, "God Bless My Family" was tremendously powerful; there was hardly a dry eye in the house.
Cary Mock is a newcomer to Quality Hill, but well known on the KC Theatre scene. He was a good addition to this show. In the first act, he performed a rousing piano duet of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" with Barnhart, proving that he is also a quite a good piano player. In act two, he showcased his voice with "A Place Called Home" from "A Christmas Carol".
Amy Coady, returning from New York for the Christmas season, completes the quartet. Listening to her provided this reviewer with some gratifying moments. For instance, her second act solo, "The Bells of St. Paul," was lovely. I also enjoyed her jazzy duet with Barnhart on "A Cradle in Bethlehem/When the River Meets the Sea".
The Quality Hill Playhouse's newly renovated space is cozy. The set designed by Atif Rome, was simple and elegant. A Christmas wreath, a few garlands around windowed flats and a grand piano center stage. It felt homey without overwhelming the viewer with too many decorations. The costumes were functional, but I would have liked the first act formal wear to be a bit more cohesive. The second act sweaters were suitable, and looked very well together on stage.
Lighting provided transitions between the songs, and I really appreciated the varied lighting and blocking, which made each moment different. There were a few lights that seemed brighter. For example, Barnhart's was brighter than Coady's in "When the River Meets the Sea". There were also a few strange shadows, especially on tall Cary Mock at the end of the show. But all in all the mood lighting complimented the songs well.
Before the last number, Barnhart encouraged the audience to keep Christmas in their hearts all year round, just as Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol" teaches. "Do something in June," he jokes. Then he becomes serious again. "Some of the best theatre moments I've had, have been ones where I leave wanting to be a better person." He hopes that "Christmas in Song" inspires audiences in just the same way.
REVIEW
Quality Hill Playhouse
Christmas in Song
Runs November 19- December 27, 2009 (Reviewed November 23)
303 W. 10th St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-421-1700 or online www.qualityhillplayhouse.com
Top photo: Classic Christmas carols, contemporary favorites and songs from the musical version of A Christmas Carol with Elaine Fox and J. Kent Barnhart.
Theatre ,
Christmas is "On the Air" at AHT
Christmas lights and garland decorate the American Heartland Theatre lobby, leaving no doubt of the impending Holidays despite the warm November evening. Regardless of the temperature, and with cocktails in hand, expectant patrons sported quilted Christmas-themed purses, rhinestone-adorned red sweaters and tweed jackets as they made their way to the parking garage stamper beside the Christmas tree. As guests entered the theatre, they were greeted by cast members in character who invited them "into the studio" and busied themselves in readying the radio station for the evening's "broadcast" of It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.
With its cast of entirely local actors, Frank Capra's classic tale about George Bailey was uniquely delivered through a 1946 live radio broadcast of the familiar It's a Wonderful Life - a performance within a performance. Audience members were transported through time to a small town Kansas radio station getting ready for the big Christmas Eve show. On Air/Applause signs dotted either side of the stage to which patrons excitedly responded when prompted to clap. Sarah Oliver's costume design sold the period with saddle shoes, smart hats and lots of sass.
Seasonal musical pieces performed by the company filled the theatre with warm and festive Holiday cheer. The radio performance itself was so believable that one felt a member of a radio audience, only remembering occasionally that this was a performance.
Ken Remmert's delightful and expert radio sound effects and period-appropriate props, such as a functioning box and wire glass-smasher (George and Mary throwing rocks at the old house they will eventually buy ) completed the package and entreated laughs throughout. Tim Scott (Jake Laurents the radio voice as George Bailey the character) and Natalie Weaver (Lana Sherwood) stood out from a large and extraordinarily talented cast.
The classic theme of Clarence the second-class angel trying for his wings saving suicidal George's soul comes to life in this completely fresh and fun story-within-a-story performance. American Heartland's It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is the perfect Holiday treat for children of all ages.
REVIEW
American Heartland Theatre
It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
Runs November 5 - December 27, 2009 (Reviewed: November 11, 2009)
Crown Center
2450 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City MO
For tickets call 816-842-9999 or online www.ahtkc.com
Film,
"Revanche" is a slow-paced drama worth the patience
Revenge is a dish best served cold. While the merits of that proverb have been debated ad nauseam, there is nothing cold about the devastatingly tragic tale depicted with raw emotion and brutal honesty in the 2008-released Austrian film, Revanche.
Alex (Johannes Krisch) is an ex-con who jeopardizes his life and brothel job daily by sharing a secret romance with an attractive Ukaranian prostitute, Tamara (Irina Potapenko). She is tired of the degradation and the debt that keeps her trapped there. With debts of his own, Alex creates what he believes is a fool proof plan to rob a bank and then flee to Spain with Tamara.
Robert (Andreas Lust) is an overly serious cop burdened by the stress of not being able to have a child with his kindhearted wife, Susanne (Ursula Strauss). His mental state collapses after stumbling upon Alex's robbery and accidentally killing Tamara. Devastated, Alex hides in the countryside by living with his Grandfather Hausner (Johannes Thanheiser), who regards him as a scoundrel.
As it turns out, Hausner is a neighbor to Robert and Susanne. The latter often visits the ailing Hausner, which leads to an encounter with Alex. Already guilt-ridden, Alex fumes with hatred towards the man who killed the love of his life and begins contemplating his act of revenge.
Spoken in German and Russian with English subtitles, Revanche was Austria's official submission in the Foreign Language Film category at the 2009 Academy Awards. It was a well-deserved honor for Austrian director/screenwriter Götz Spielmann who weaves a complex tragedy with Shakespearean mastery. Spielmann's pacing is slow like molasses at times, which means you have to be patient. Additionally, his decisions to have the camera linger on a shot long after the characters have disappeared off screen are maddening as they hinder more than help the story's progress.
While the four principal cast members of Revanche deliver solid, respectable performances, none of them transcends the screen to the point that you are left with a long lasting impression, as say was done by Abbie Cornish in Bright Star.
Revanche is a tragedy, but ultimately with a slight twist. The tragedy for you would be to not see it. If that's the case, then I hope your next dish is served cold to you by a rude waiter.
On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, Revanche receives a B.
Revanche is rated R and has a running time of 121 minutes.
Now showing through November 26 @
Tivoli Cinemas
Westport Manor Square, 4050 Pennsylvania, KCMO
Visit www.tivolikc.com or call 913-383-7756 for showtimes.
Theatre ,
Taffeta for the Holidays
In old town Olathe hides one of the metropolis' hidden treasures - the Chestnut Fine Arts Center. For the holiday season, the Chestnut is presenting "A Taffeta Christmas." a musical revue that features Christmas songs and golden oldies.
Cheryl, Donna, Peggy and Kaye are the Taffeta sisters. They have returned from the big city to their hometown of Muncie, Indiana in order to perform at the "Holiday Hoedown..." And that's about as far as the plot goes - this show is ALL about the music. The sisters do take a few moments to tell us about their family traditions and to advertise for Galaxy Beauty Products, their fictitious financial sponsors. Although it didn't start with a bang, the show was cozy and welcoming. While tapping my toes to "Mele Kalikimaka" and "Jambalaya", I realized all I was missing was a mug of cider and a roaring fire.
My favorite moments were the silly ones. "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" was performed in pig Latin, complete with a pig-illustrated flipbook. The "Chipmunks Christmas Song" sounded just like Alvin and pals, triggering a round of giggles from the audience. During Act 2, the girls answered fan mail and interacted very cleverly with the audience.
Julie Shaw, Julie O'Rourke, Stasha Case and Christina Brewer played Kaye, Peggy, Donna and Cheryl, respectively. The ladies are reprising their roles from "The Taffetas", performed two years ago at the Chestnut. Their voices blended extremely well. Shaw's full, rich voice was well suited to theatre, and I would love to hear her sing a solid character role. O'Rourke has a lovely classical voice, and I giggled a bit each time she said her character's catchphrase "We hope you like it!" Case's Donna was vibrant and fun to watch, and her solid alto voice was beautiful. Brewer's voice is energetic, and she brought a youthful honesty and vitality to the show.
The set, designed by Kathleen Helming and built by Marvin Zimmerman, was all red velvet and Christmas decorations, and reminded me of a Branson holiday show. Costumes, by Serena Addington and Carolyn Robinson, were color coordinated, and meant to look hand sewn by the sisters. The first act wigs were adorable, and each pair of gloves had little flowers sewn onto them. The girls changed their cuffs, collars and wigs in the second act for a bit of interest. The only comment I will offer is that I wished the ladies had a more feminine blouse.
Annie Paglusch choreographed the show, making each number interesting and different. My favorites were "Constantinople" and "Shrimp Boats". The band consisted of percussion, bass guitar, and piano (played by director Brad Zimmerman).
I thought the show I started rather slowly, and it took me awhile to get in sync with it. It seemed like the performers' energy picked up after a "fun" song. And after that, I was laughing and toe-tapping along with the rest of the crowd. I must comment that two straight hours of music is a lot for the ears to digest, so I was grateful for the short breaks between medleys. But all said and done, it was an enjoyable evening of holiday entertainment.
REVIEW
The Chestnut Fine Arts Center
A Taffeta Christmas
Runs November 12 - December 20 (Reviewed November 13)
234 N. Chestnut, Olathe, KS 66061
For tickets call 913-764-2121 or online at www.chestnutfinearts.com
Theatre ,
Flog the dog
The 1997 Barry Levinson film Wag the Dog took the idea that politics is 1% decision-making and 99% show biz, and turned it into a satire of Shavian, if not Shakespearean, proportions. Anything could be devised to take the attention off scandal; and today, if anything, it has gotten worse. The public never knows where leadership and trust end and Machiavellian means-to-an-end begin. In Beau Willimon's savage comedy Farragut North (which opened last Friday at the Unicorn Theatre and is directed by John Rensenhouse), the spin-doctor gets spun--it is a case of the dog getting flogged.
Willimon has filled out his dramatist's curriculum vitae with stints in political campaigns, with such as public figures as Hillary Clinton and Howard Dean. And it shows. His play is riddled with Mametesque profanity, though no more ugly than the reports and rumors of political operatives, from Karl Rove on one side to Rahm Emanuel on the other. Daily politics, here and abroad, is as much about face-saving as governing. Here, we know everyone hits below the beltway.
The play opens in an airport terminal, with a female Times reporter, Ida Horowicz (Manon Halliburton), talking shop with a (fictional) governor's presidential-campaign top aides: Paul Zara (Bruce Roach), press secretary Steve Bellamy (Mark Thomas), and his assistant, Ben (Sam Cordes). The important Iowa Caucus is coming up and everyone is both exhausted and exhilarated. In due time, we learn that Steve, at 25, is a veteran of several big-time campaigns; he recalls them in greedy, salacious detail. Ida and Paul agree, as a slick operator Steve has no peers. Whether or not the playwright is using, say, the tenacious Lee Atwater (who engineered the infamous "Willie Horton" race-baiting ad in the 1980 George H. W. Bush presidential campaign) as a model, any theatre-goer with an interest in politics or history will see how the whiz-kid Steve can be traced in a straight line all the way back to the person who advised Brutus to stab Caesar.
If the opening scene runs a bit roughly (Steve's character is written too hard to impress us of his maleficent qualities), when Steve gets a call from the other candidate's top man, Tom Duffy (an electric performance by the veteran actor Robert Elliott), about a mysterious offer and meets him at a diner to find out what it is about, the play shifts into overdrive. Duffy has an offer almost too tempting to refuse; and he has sensitive information about the two campaigns. If Steve will only jump ship, his career, already rocketing toward the White House, just might land in the Oval Office.
Like a modern-day Faust, Steve's offer from the Devil is not only a career-changer but threatens to make-or take-his soul. Willimon's writing, while not always memorable in a distinctive comic vein (unlike how a screenwriter like Billy Wilder or a playwright like Brecht would go for the farcical), nevertheless draws in the audience with the momentum of Steve's dilemma. The increasingly agitated press secretary is pulled in different directions by Ida, by Paul, by Tom Duffy, and by a curvaceous nineteen-year-old intern, Molly (the scene-stealing Kat Endsley), whose posing as a shy young woman is gradually revealed to be a front for a much more aggressive (and possibly career-building) female. If Molly's role turns out to be a bit of a red herring (the people behind me were sure she was a plant by Tom Duffy), she is more readily written as a mirror image for Steve to see his single-minded ways. What he sees about himself and what he chooses to see evolves into the play's theme.
I don't believe Beau Willimon is cynical about the whole political business (though he never even tries to persuade us that it is not all a business, always); it is a more likely he wrote a comedy that inevitably became a tragedy When politics gets into a person's blood it turns him or her into a vampire of sorts, feasting on other peoples' troubles and secrets. The vampiric metaphor is used toward the very end, after a desperate Steve is hurt in a car wreck: with his face covered in blood, he turns on Molly, who comes to him only to help. Willimon leaves the audience with a strangled laugh in its collective throats.
REVIEW
The Unicorn Theatre
Farragut North
Runs November 13-December 13
3828 Main Street, Kansas City MO.
For tickets call 816-531-7529 or online at www.UnicornTheatre.org
Top photo:
Cast members Paul Zara (Bruce Roach) and Steve Bellamy (Mark Thomas). Photo by Cynthia Levin
Theatre ,
Of all the gin joints in all the towns
This past Friday was the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre's (MET) opening night performance of William Saroyan's Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Time of Your Life, directed by Karen Paisley, with costume design by Atif Rome, lighting design by Kyle Shelley and sound design by Donna Miller.
Among the things that make the MET a unique experience for the theatre-goer is how they set the mood from the moment you walk into the lobby. There is always background music befitting the theme, in this instance period music from the 1930s. I also like the dexterity of the theatre space. The design for Saroyan's work features stadium seating that flanks the barroom set that - especially for those in the front rows - blur the lines between audience and bar "patrons." I was half tempted to step up and order a drink myself.
This play is challenging from a viewer's perspective given its large cast (26 roles played by 23 people) and intertwining story lines. It takes a while to get all the characters straight. When considered in the context of its 1939 first performance, it is not difficult to understand the mixed critical reviews it received. In modern times we would refer to this as a "period piece," but at its original debut, the social commentary was bound to have rubbed some critics the wrong way. Still, it is an entertaining and uproariously funny social commentary with many endearing characters that are given true depth and warmth thanks to fine casting and performances.
The Time of Your Life represents a full swing of the pendulum for Karen Paisley who last directed the MET's season-opening Seascape featuring only four actors. The austerity of Seascape may have presented minimalist challenges whereas this new play challenges with a relative mob of characters, multiple entrances and exits, and complex costuming logistics for four double-characters (Streetwalker/Nick's Ma, Sailor/Cop, Lorene/Society Lady and Drunk/Cop).
The setting is as familiar as anything in modern day: it is a bar (lovingly and sarcastically referred to by its owner Nick, as a "Saloon, Restaurant and Entertainment Palace") where regulars and passers-through interact. "Nick's" may not be "Cheers" - not everybody knows your name and they definitely aren't always glad you came - but it nonetheless offers up an oasis from the stresses of everyday life on the street.
It is hard to describe the story in terms of a plot. In the end, except for a few characters, nothing much has happened and not much has changed. The play, rather, is a collection of vignettes that are interwoven in such a way as to draw unrelated characters together in a collective effect. In The Time of Your Life there are two, predominant story lines around which all characters orbit. There is, in fact, a unique "planetary" arrangement to the settings: while the activity, in general, orbits around Nick's saloon, the drama gravitates towards Joe"played spectacularly by Robert Gibby Brand and, to a much lesser degree, around Dudley, played with grand comedic timing by Doogin Brown. Around Joe orbits the budding love story between Tom, played superbly by Kyle L. Mowry, and Kitty Duval, played by Katie Gilchrist.
Joe is an enigmatic character: wealthy enough to never have to work again - although the how and why despite several other characters' attempts to discern the information, remains a mystery to the end. By the time of the play, set in the short span of "the afternoon and night of a day in October 1939," Joe is contented to spend his days at Nick's, although clearly wealthy enough to afford higher-class establishments. He uses Tom to run a variety of inane errands for him, some practical and others purely for his amusement. Enter Kitty - a maybe-one-time burlesque star and current prostitute - and Tom falls for her so hard there is a nearly audible thud.
Kyle L. Mowry delivers Tom - who is not the sharpest crayon in the tool shed - with the gentle giant grace akin to Steinbeck's Lenny, while Katie Gilchrist's Kitty brings a vulnerable innocence that instantly completes Mowry's character. Joe, seeing that Tom is a goner, spends the rest of the play manipulating (monetarily and with sage wisdom) the relationship to ensure that the two end up together. In the process, one gets the sense that Joe's "back story" is filled with distanced interactions manipulated for his own ego and amusement with the exception of Tom and Kitty, for whom he has a genuine and selfless affection.
The play -generally funny, anyway - adds pointed comic interjections from Doogin Brown's Dudley and Allan Boardman's Kit Carson, the former delivering several phone call scenes that highlight Brown's excellent comedic timing and facial expressions; and the latter having Boardman deliver splendid non sequiturs including random musings about falling in love with a 39-pound midget. The audience was invariably in stitches - and these were not polite 'theatre giggles,' but rather unrestrained belly laughs.
Space makes it difficult to cover this large a cast in as much detail as may be warranted, but the standouts include Scott Cordes' Nick, and the aforementioned roles of Brand, Brown, Gilchrist and Mowry. No one in the room, however - audience or cast-member - could resist the urge to fixate on Robert Gibby Brand's spellbinding performance as Joe, played with almost purposefully annoying aloofness that was paradoxically endearing as one came to realize what a sad, lonely, yet remarkably un-bitter character he was. Brand was simply fantastic.
In lesser roles, Michael Masterson's corrupt cop, Blick was outrageously enjoyable - the kind of guy you love to hate - and, in today's vernacular, a real badass who, in the end, gets everything he deserves. Alan Tilson's Drunk, while only onstage for a few minutes, was unforgettably hilarious especially in the 2nd half when he downs several shots and slur-toasts his way through everything from sick children to reforestation. Ari Bavel's McCarthy deserves honorable mention for solid delivery and fine comedic wit. Singularly disappointing was Ethan Miller's Harry who came across as either woefully miscast, poorly performed, or both, and despite several days of pondering I am still unable to discern which.
Performance-wise, nothing speaks better to the success of Paisley's production than an overheard comment from a patron after the show: "I really cared about these people." And in the presentation and delivery of characters in such an intimate setting , what better validation could one ask for?
Set and Lighting Design were apropos - there was a distinct 'bar' ambiance to the experience - and while some of the costuming seemed a bit mismatched (Kevin Fewell's cop character, Krupp, had his Garanimals tags in disarray) the collective effect was a very believable 1939 watering hole complete with its schizophrenic jumble of regulars and wayfarers that make such establishments, now and 70 years ago, so much fun to be around.
REVIEW:
Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre
The Time of Your Life
by William Saroyan
Directed by Karen Paisley
Runs November 19 - December 6 (Reviewed Friday, November 20, 2009)
MET Space
3614 Main Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-569-3226 or online at http://www.metkc.org
Top photo: Scott Cordes as Nick.
Theatre ,
Belly up to the Bard
Charles Dickens, Peggy Ashcroft, Ben Kingsley, Edmund Kean, James Thurber, and an unidentified high school student were among the many celebrating their love or loathing of Shakespeare at the Folly Theatre this past Saturday night, with both the majority and the minority views pronounced by the actor Roger Rees, in his monologue What You Will. The 90-minute verbal collage of jokes, anecdotes, soliloquies, song, dramatic instruction (the "Shakespeare hop" that many actors feel the need to do at the end of Hamlet's "To be or not to be" speech in leaving the stage) and odd bodkins was presented by the Harriman-Jewell Series. Funny, educational, at times touching (when Rees talked about how losing his father at an early age prepared him for Hamlet's reaching out to his ghost father), the presentation was like a YouTube video for theatre wonks.
Shakespeare, so ubiquitous yet so foreign to so many people, works as well piecemeal as in his entirety. It is not something other playwrights, or writers in general, can always guarantee. A snippet of Tennessee Williams or Albee, even of, say, Beckett, needs some introduction; their plays, whether real or abstract, demand the middle and an end to bridge a brief speech. For all his foreignness and historical background, Shakespeare's plays somehow leap over their specificities. How many people know "To be or not to be" without being able to source the material? Ultimately, they do not need to know: the play, or more specifically, the language, is indeed the thing.
Rees's presentation, on a stage decorated with a golden throne, a skull atop some books, a bust of Shakespeare and a hodge-podge of books and papers thrown down toward the front of the stage (for Rees to pluck up and read from at will), derives from a lifetime of Bardology. His career at the Royal Shakespeare Company (he told several stories from his apprenticeship years, spent standing mute, as an extra, beside Sir Ben Kingsley) afforded him with the greatest training ground. He has since gone on to act and direct Shakespeare elsewhere; like Hamlet, who sees his father's ghost where others do not, Rees sees Shakespeare everywhere.
His love is not holy; Rees subscribes to the modern view that (as he writes in the program notes) "Shakespeare was just a guy." In rapid fashion, he switched from personal anecdotes to historical critiques by Bernard Shaw, Coleridge and the 18-century critic Hazlitt, then on to ridiculous misinterpretations by students taken from the Internet (misreading Macbeth's "guilt" for "quilt"); his stories, if seemingly random, continually moved toward the view of Shakespeare as a playwright first but a "guy" always. We take his genius for granted, Rees was essentially saying, though with that singularity comes the challenges to understand him and make his world relevant in ours. The bored students, the irritated critics, the lost audience members whom Rees spoke about: they are all part of Shakespeare's mystique, as much as Sir Lawrence Olivier and Ralph Richardson's legendary Old Vic performances.
How then shall we compare Shakespeare to other writers? Rees' answer is: listen. Interspersed with favorable comments by Dickens and a recitation of the comic "Macbeth Murder Mystery" by Thurber (about a woman who tries to read the play like a detective story), Rees moved deftly into ten different soliloquies and Sonnet 18. Listening to him change pace and cadences from modern English to excerpts from Lear, Henry V, Richard II and others showcased the command of language: at those times, Rees the entertainer was subsumed by Rees the actor, and we might have been visited, even blessed, by the playwright's ghost. If so, he was visible (and certainly audible) to everyone following along.
REVIEW
Harriman-Jewell Series
Roger Rees "What You Will"
Saturday, November 21, 2009
The Folly Theater
12th and Central, Kansas City, MO
www.harriman-jewell.org
City Classics,
Music and Dance through December 1
Kansas City Symphony
Handel's Messiah
Saturday, November 28 at 8 p.m.
Community of Christ Auditorium
1001 West Walnut, Independence, MO
For tickets call 816-471-0400, or online at www.kcsymphony.org.
It was late in Georg Frideric Handel's compositional career, after his famous Italian opera company in London had gone bankrupt, that the composer turned to an entirely different kind of composition, the oratorio. His immediate goal was to recover from financial travails and put himself and his players back on the road to fiscal health. The ultimate result, however, was the creation (or at least, the vast enhancement) of a form of composition known as the oratorio, utilizing both orchestral musicians and a choir, fronted by a quartet of soloists, to tell a musical story, often a Biblical one, in a concert hall rather than in an opera house.
Handel wrote a number of great oratorios, most of them on Biblical themes, among them Solomon, Samson and Saul. The greatest and most popular, however, has always been the Messiah. He wrote it under such desperate circumstances that his tear drops blot the pages of the original manuscript. His brilliant use of choral and orchestral effects, coupled with some of the most gorgeous solo melodies ever written, have kept it a solid favorite in the repertory for over 350 years.
Was the composition done for purely financial reasons? Perhaps not. Handel, deeply devout, felt a special attachment to this work, which tells the story of Christ from his birth to his resurrection. Upon hearing an early performance, an English Lord remarked to Handel how well he had entertained the audience. "My Lord," Handel replied, "I should be sorry if I only entertained the audience. I wish to make them better."
Whether performed by outstanding professional musicians or just sung by a neighborhood group of enthusiastic choristers, the Messiah always thrills. The Symphony's annual Messiah performance, done in the remarkably beautiful space of the Community of Christ Auditorium under the direction of Symphony associate conductor Steven Jarvi with Charles Bruffy as the Symphony's new chorus master, along with the Community of Christ Independence Messiah Choir, should certainly be the largest and among the finest of dozens of presentations of this work that you will be able to enjoy this holiday season.
RSS ArtsJournal
Many thanks to ArtsJournal.com's editor, Douglas McLennan
~ Formerly an arts columnist and arts reporter with the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer and the Seattle Weekly. Doug writes on
the arts for a number of publications (in his abundant free time)
and is currently acting director of the National Arts Journalism
Program while it reinvents itself ~
*To sign up for ArtsJournal's content in newsletter form*
please click here