San Francisco Wonderboy - 6/14/08

No, I'm not self-aggrandizing, I'm referring to the premiere of Joe Goode Performance Group's latest work, "Wonderboy." My San Francisco-based sister and I had the pleasure of attending a performance at the Yerba Buena Center - a GORGEOUS facility. "Wonderboy" was the largest part of an evening which included excerpts from "Maverick Strain" originally produced in 1996. Admittedly, I was less impressed by "Maverick," the evening's opener. It never managed to captivate me in the way Joe's work generally does, but it was a relatively short piece. Then "Wonderboy" started and within three minutes my sister sitting next to me was already moved to tears. All of the components worked together beautifully. The dancers and the choreography alone were engaging on their own. Add an evocative musical soundscape by Tin Hat Trio's, Carla Kihlstedt and her handsome new husband and collaborator Mattias Bossi and then there's the puppet. Basil Twist and Goode have adapted Japanese Bunraku-style puppetry in a way that have the dancers actively manipulating Wonderboy and engaging directly with the puppet. This is the puppetry technique primarily used in the Dan Hurlin "Hiroshima Maiden" seen a couple years ago at the Edison.
Like most of his work, Joe Goode pulls no punches. He pulls from his own life experience, explores acceptance, diversity, gay bashing. At times the adult language pushes the limits, clearly with the intention of evoking a visceral response from the audience - reminding me of verbal gay bashing segment of the CoisCeim performance presented earlier this year at the Edison. I'm excited to share this performance with St. Louis and look forward to seeing it again in February.
Just so you don't think it's all work for me when I'm traveling. I am able to sneak in some fun here and there. The picture below is a gathering in San Francisco's Union Square on Saturday observing World Wide Knit in Public Day - no kidding. That's me in the lower left corner and my sister, Kat, is the tall, attractive woman directly over my shoulder. She was demonstrating how to "turn a heel," necessary for knitting socks. I only started knitting in October and still learning some upper level techniques. This was a fun group of ladies and a gorgeous day.

February 27, 2008: Leahy - Copious Skills

Rosebud Theater, Effingham, Illinois
I don't know if there are any vacancies, but if you can't be born into it, this is the kind of family you would want to marry into. 7 of the 11 siblings of the Canadian musical ensemble Leahy performed at the recently opened Rosebud Theatre. Believe me folks, it's worth the trip to the intersection of Highways 70 and 57. This new space has all the bells and whistles and if the entertainment is as good as it was last night, you will enjoy yourself immensely.
Kudos to the parents who raise such an array of multi-talented children - and each one more attractive than the next. Their performance was energetic if occasionally a little more layed back than expected - but that was more an issue in the first half. Performing music with a wide range of cultural influences, the ensemble was always entertaining but never more so than when they soared with one of the Celtic-influenced fiddle based tunes, especially when all three of the fiddling brothers joined in. Don't take anything away from the sisters though. Shifting through a series of instruments each, they also kicked up their heels in impressive style with the French-Canadian step dance. For the finale, "Call to Dance," the entire family joined in across the front of the stage in a unison step performance - including brother Frank who expertly anchored most of the evening behind the drums. Not to take anything away from any other family member, but my focus kept returning to Erin. It's not surprising to hear she is also ambidextrous, she shifts easily during the show between the keyboards/piano and other instruments, as well as vocal lead in a variety of songs and dancing. I look forward to finding time to bring this marvelous family to the Edison.

December 7, 2007 - Memphis, Tennessee

A quick overnight trip was in order to see one of the finest vocal ensembles ever presented at the Edison Theatre. First presented in St. Louis at the Edison Theatre back in 1993, they returned in 1997 as a co-presentation by Edison, COCA and the Symphony at Powell Hall. It seemed that after a 10 year absence, it's time to look at bringing them back. The concert totally made up for the 5 1/2 hour drive mostly in a rainstorm. Mind you, the thirty minute delay in getting the show started at the Cannon Center (for no expressed reason) and the 30+ minute intermission made it a VERY late evening to enjoy their marvelous sounds. Sweet Honey was after the intermission, second on the bill following a Three Tenor immitation called Cook, Dixon & Young. I had to be committed to stay that late and that long. The three guys had clearly well trained voices, but their schtick was layed out REALLY thick. The theatre didn't hand out programs and the guys sang songs from a broad range of styles (some definitely more successfully than others). Unfortunately, they chose to start the program with three arias sung in other languages. Without context or even titles to reference, I think the choice left everyone clueless and smiling pleasantly but uninformed. Their counter-tenor is the real star of that trio.

Then came the ladies. WOO HOO!! As vibrant and stunning as ever, their gorgeous sound builds off the contralto of Ysaye Barnwell. What a powerhouse. Her rich resonance will rumble the rafters as effectively as KODO Drummers did. Joining the five vocal members of the ensemble is Shirley Childress Johnson - the sign language interpreter who is fully incorporated into every aspect of the production - right down to her own solo scat rift. I so look forward to finding the time and place for these lovely ladies back on the Edison stage. It is time-well overdue.

Midwest Arts Conference - September 6, 2007

Artist Showcases
Les Parfaits Inconnus - The Perfects Unknown. From Quebec, this imaginative and fun gymnastic quartet share a sampling of their antics - cycling and balancing acts mostly. Apparently the bulk of their equipment was on its way to NY or DC for a performance over the weekend. Good potential, but without the greater variety, in this case there ended up being no there there.

Dance Alloy Theatre
Signature works of a long list of top notch choreographers are performed by this veteran company. Young dancers with good skills perform a quality showcase if not especially exciting or new.

River North Chicago Dance
One of the clearest things in this showcase is that the company has a host of new YOUNG male dancers. This is one of my favorite dance companies with an Artistic Director I respect and call a friend. This was not one of their best presentations. The first piece was clearly under-rehearsed with the new dancers. The "Cuban piece" redeemed the evening and showed the company at its best.

Eisenhower Dance Ensemble
Not extraordinary, but a good basic collection of dance and dancers. Many developing company mistakes - hair is part of the costume and extreme personal styles permitted in otherwise simple pieces are just plain distracting.

Chic Gamine
Five-part female a cappella from our neighbors to the north - and I don't mean Iowa. With years in a cappella, I'm really biased. This group's sound ROCKS. They need to work out the visuals - the young look is fine and attractive on these gorgeous young women, but for a concert setting, dress it up a bit.

Theatre of Fools - "Wacky Chicken Show"
I have a thing for the New Vaudevillians (and puppetry, by the way). Most effective during the audience participation, this quirky ensemble seems best suited for a YOUNG audience. Since the Edison rarely goes that young, it's not an obvious fit, but I look forward to seeing what else this company does.

"Sticks & Stones" - Pint Size Productions
Totally message driven, this rapping piece for young audiences confronts bullying and the "anti-ratting" message imposed by peers. There's no subtlety here and a bit overdone - but a talented young solo artist.

Catskills Puppet Theater - "Hiawatha"
Okay, my earlier puppetry comment does not encompass the full range of offerings. This is another example of work intended for very young audiences -too young for the standard ovations! for young people offering.

Ball in the House
An a cappella quintet, these are powerhouse performers with tremendous vocal chops - special notice of their exceptional vocal percussionist. Without amplification the bass is completely lost in the mix. The white-boy-overbite is a little too omnipresent and is usually accompanied by the closed-eyed introspection. Look up guys and connect with your audience, even in a background vocal position. Other than that, great sound and worth further notice.

Harmonious Wail
A long-time favorite of mine, this group never fails to please. With an apparent love for gypsy swing, HW grooves with a bass player, guitarists and vocalists. Most engaging is the imaginative inclusion of non-traditional percussive instruments such as scissors and cardboard boxes. Sooner or later this is a must see on the Edison stage in some form or another.

Final Day in Edinburgh - Sunday, August 26, 2007

Twelfth Night - Filter Theatre
What a great way to end the Fringe experience. Bold and occasionally over explosive, this reduction of Shakespeare's story weaves music and sound throughout. This rapid fire reduction was inventive, entertaining and imaginative. This company is worth watching. It has a young, fresh approach and talented performers.

Edinburgh Fringe, August 25, 2007

Orpheus - Aurora Nova
One of these days I'll learn my lesson. I've seen "Orpheus" the Greek mythological tale as theatre, mime, opera and dance. Not once have I actually enjoyed the experience. Oddly enough, I like the basic story. I'm just not finding quality executions. I even went in hopeful since it was an Aurora Nova production. Strike Four! Oh well, maybe I'll learn my lesson one day. Of course, I'm also the eternal optimist. It helps when working in the non-profit industry.

Subway - Traverse Theatre
This is a really strong Fringe performance. A very talented pair of actors are only outdone by a really rockin' musical ensemble. The young male lead plays the principal character. The young female plays all the other roles. The musicians fill in where they're needed. While the music occasionally overwhelms the performers, the quality of the performance shines through. The future-based story, set in Scotland, complete with heavily-accented dialogue would be difficult to translate to an American audience, in more than one sense of the word.

Damascus - Traverse Theatre
The notable young writer, David Greig, offers up this new work which has received mixed reviews. While the play needed editing by at least 20-30 minutes, i was really impressed by this work. A mid-level Scottish executive travels to Syria and learns how little he really knows about the Middle East and its people. This is a refreshing alternative look at a culture and society mostly attacked during this time of turmoil.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Friday, August 24

"Presumption" - Performed by Third Angel (Productions), this exceedingly enjoyable production is rich with humor, thoughtful and very memorable. I must say it is one of my favorite events of the entire week. The play starts with a man and a woman on a bare stage, bare except for the spike marks heavily outlining segments of the stage for who knows what. As the actors begin to interact with each other and their environment, the notice the missing elements. One by one, this realization leads them offstage again and again to retrieve the necessary item - a chair, a couch, a shelf, a bookcase, the entire contents of the bookcase - each time restarting or at least summarizing what led up to the interrupted moment. The set begins to denote the moments of their shared lives that make up the essence of the love they seem to question and for which they are searching. Skillful actors executed a remarkable evening keeping me alternately riveted and rolling with laughter. Pulling this off would require a sponsorship from IKEA. If the company isn't actually touring this, then someone in St. Louis needs to get the rights to produce it. LOVED IT!!!

"Ape" - Performed at Theatre Workshop, this event seemed more like an acting residency or workshop with each of three actors mimicking each other while also one-upping each other simultaneously. The three performers were relentless in their commitment and remarkably adept at balancing the focus and the flow. As dynamic and variable as each performance must be, one from another, I have the feeling I might have caught a less dynamic evening. Many of my colleagues were more impressed with the ultimate effect.

"The Table" - the Assembly Aurora Nova series has done it again!! I always find the best stuff here. Good going Wolfgang. Four musicians gather around the four sides of a basic, antique-looking, square wooden table that has been outfitted with electronic gadgets, switches, sound panels and sound reinforcement. Each then begins to beat, scratch, scrape and PLAY the table. It's amazing the variations of sounds and effects possible from this one collective instrument. I truly enjoyed the program and the performances by the individual musicians. A bit more variety in styles would have made it perfect. The Nuclear Percussion Ensemble would flip over this.

"The Container" Crammed into a 40' long trailer, seated on orange crates and in total darkness, twenty other audience members remained hushed with me as flashlights flickered and a half dozen actors began emerging from crates and crevices. One of the most intimate theatre experiences I've ever had, this is also one of the most provocative productions I've experienced. The actors portray refugees being smuggled into England illegally. A tad bit overdone, this is still an excellent production and an eye opening experience.

"Siren" - Another Aurora Nova, this one a creation by Ray Lee, Siren is part installation, part environmental experience, part site specific performance art. Ray Lee is a master and this piece is inspiring. 21 tripods support 21 pairs of sirens, each pair tuned to different intervals in the aeolian scale. With the space in near darkness, red lights mounted atop each siren add an ethereal element as the siren pairs spin on the tripod supports. Walking around the space provides a distinct experience with each new location. Kudos on an amazing experience and unforgettable evening.