On February 5th, guest conductor Raphael Jimenez did an outstanding job leading the Michigan State University Symphony Orchestra in a program of 20th century music.
Although Jimenez (associate conductor of the orchestra) and his student musicians were very good with the works of Bartok and Debussy, they were astounding with the challenging Stravinsky ballet, "Petrushka". Jimenez, who conducts with no score, was riveted to each musician - cuing each entrance, cajoling each musical phrase, and generating lots of energy.
Stravinsky's music never stopped moving. Although written almost 100 years ago, "Petrushka" still is exciting and magical. Like a painter, Stravinsky uses the instruments to bring every possible color combination to the music.
Jimenez was a joy to watch. His face was communicating his joy in the music and his body swung with the rhythms as if he were about to sweep one of the violinists off her chair to join him in a dance.
This "Petrushka" was one of the finest performances I have every heard from the MSU Symphony Orchestra.
Comments on the arts scene in and around Lansing, Michigan and beyond
Sunday, February 13, 2011
It's All About The Actors
As a theater critic I am always wrestling with the question: who/what is responsible for the quality of a performance? The director, the production value (sets, lighting, special effects), or the play itself?
I found the answer to that age old question when I was recently visiting Dallas, a city that has a new appreciation of its arts institutions. Despite the poor financial health of many of the US's arts institutions, Dallas is busy building a huge art complex in the city's downtown area.
The newest addition (Nasher Sculpture Center, Meyerson Symphony Hall and other small theaters are already there) is the stunning Winspear Opera House, named for the donors, Margot and Bill Winspear. They donated $42 mil that made the project possible.
The 2200-seat hall is bit big, but the horseshoe shape makes everybody close to the action and the acoustics seem excellent (although I heard an amplified show). It's a gorgeous facility and the stage is high tech in every way.
When I was there I saw the roadshow for the Mel Brooks musical "Young Frankenstein". What was interesting is that I saw the exact same company with the exact same show in Lansing one year before.
The only difference between the Dallas and Lansing version were a few of the lead roles. But that one change made a huge difference in the performance.
In Lansing, Roger Bart played Young Frankenstein, and Shuler Hensley was the monster. The Dallas production starred Christopher Ryan and Dave Schoonover in those parts.
The Dallas production was excellent - the direction was the same and the production was exactly the same. Even the actors were excellent. On the whole, I liked it very much, but something was missing - it didn't have that spark of personality and humor that jumps of the stage in a great production.
I remember very clearly the unique comic acting of Roger Bart in the lead role: Small understated actions, quirky expressions, quick and targeted reactions to other actors. And when it came to dancing, he was smooth and effortless.
And playing off Bart, Shuler Hensley was an outrageous monster. He was loud, large and very funny. He was hysterical during the "Puttin' on the Ritz" scene at the end.
If you hadn't seen Bart and Hensley in those roles, you would have been more than happy with Ryan and Schoonover as Frankenstein and his human invention. But what I witnessed that evening was the difference between good acting and superb acting. It is the stuff that makes a very good performance an exceptional one. It's the actors.
I witnessed a similar experience when I saw the roadshow of the Lincoln Center hit production of "South Pacific". I also saw the original cast (same director, similar sets) on a PBS special presentation. When Paulo Szot sang "You've Got To Be Taught" he did so with intense conviction and emotion. You sat up to take notice. Much different than the 'only good' roadshow acting and singing.
Great performers make great productions.
I found the answer to that age old question when I was recently visiting Dallas, a city that has a new appreciation of its arts institutions. Despite the poor financial health of many of the US's arts institutions, Dallas is busy building a huge art complex in the city's downtown area.
The newest addition (Nasher Sculpture Center, Meyerson Symphony Hall and other small theaters are already there) is the stunning Winspear Opera House, named for the donors, Margot and Bill Winspear. They donated $42 mil that made the project possible.
The 2200-seat hall is bit big, but the horseshoe shape makes everybody close to the action and the acoustics seem excellent (although I heard an amplified show). It's a gorgeous facility and the stage is high tech in every way.
When I was there I saw the roadshow for the Mel Brooks musical "Young Frankenstein". What was interesting is that I saw the exact same company with the exact same show in Lansing one year before.
The only difference between the Dallas and Lansing version were a few of the lead roles. But that one change made a huge difference in the performance.
In Lansing, Roger Bart played Young Frankenstein, and Shuler Hensley was the monster. The Dallas production starred Christopher Ryan and Dave Schoonover in those parts.
The Dallas production was excellent - the direction was the same and the production was exactly the same. Even the actors were excellent. On the whole, I liked it very much, but something was missing - it didn't have that spark of personality and humor that jumps of the stage in a great production.
I remember very clearly the unique comic acting of Roger Bart in the lead role: Small understated actions, quirky expressions, quick and targeted reactions to other actors. And when it came to dancing, he was smooth and effortless.
And playing off Bart, Shuler Hensley was an outrageous monster. He was loud, large and very funny. He was hysterical during the "Puttin' on the Ritz" scene at the end.
If you hadn't seen Bart and Hensley in those roles, you would have been more than happy with Ryan and Schoonover as Frankenstein and his human invention. But what I witnessed that evening was the difference between good acting and superb acting. It is the stuff that makes a very good performance an exceptional one. It's the actors.
I witnessed a similar experience when I saw the roadshow of the Lincoln Center hit production of "South Pacific". I also saw the original cast (same director, similar sets) on a PBS special presentation. When Paulo Szot sang "You've Got To Be Taught" he did so with intense conviction and emotion. You sat up to take notice. Much different than the 'only good' roadshow acting and singing.
Great performers make great productions.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Ordinary Days
After Chad Badgero's directing triumph with the challenging "Caroline or Change" at Riverwalk Theater early in the season, he scores again with "Ordinary Days" through his own Peppermint Creek Theatre Company.
There was magic in the air as we stood in line on a cold night at Creole Gallery in Lansing's Old Town waiting for tickets for "Ordinary Days". The small but charming venue was totally sold out (word of mouth is still the best advertiser) and everyone was excited about seeing the show.
"Days" is a small musical with four characters and a piano. It's the story of four young people trying to make it in the Big Apple, but are all going through their own problems of finding their path in life and love. Badgero also designed the imaginative set, with a modernistic New York skyline depicted in colorful dots.
Written by Adam Gwon, Days is a marvelously entertaining play (entirely sung). The music is Sondheim lite with some Avenue Q thrown in and the lyrics are urbane, witty, and human with wonderful rhymes. Badgero gets a high level of energy from his four fine actors (Joseph Quick, Leah Gerstel, Rusty Broughton and Amanda Whitehead). The songs are difficult, but each and every actor spits out every word with conviction and somehow nails the angular melodies.
Leah Gerstel impresses with her acting that really shows how her troubled character changes through the story. Amanda Whitehead sings the climactic song towards the end of the show that leaves the entire audience crying.
Although the venue is small (92 seats), each actor was miked and the sound mix was just right. Edric Haleen played keyboard and I am sure prepared the singers as well, excellently. Too bad the show closes tonight, it is a winner.
There was magic in the air as we stood in line on a cold night at Creole Gallery in Lansing's Old Town waiting for tickets for "Ordinary Days". The small but charming venue was totally sold out (word of mouth is still the best advertiser) and everyone was excited about seeing the show.
"Days" is a small musical with four characters and a piano. It's the story of four young people trying to make it in the Big Apple, but are all going through their own problems of finding their path in life and love. Badgero also designed the imaginative set, with a modernistic New York skyline depicted in colorful dots.
Written by Adam Gwon, Days is a marvelously entertaining play (entirely sung). The music is Sondheim lite with some Avenue Q thrown in and the lyrics are urbane, witty, and human with wonderful rhymes. Badgero gets a high level of energy from his four fine actors (Joseph Quick, Leah Gerstel, Rusty Broughton and Amanda Whitehead). The songs are difficult, but each and every actor spits out every word with conviction and somehow nails the angular melodies.
Leah Gerstel impresses with her acting that really shows how her troubled character changes through the story. Amanda Whitehead sings the climactic song towards the end of the show that leaves the entire audience crying.
Although the venue is small (92 seats), each actor was miked and the sound mix was just right. Edric Haleen played keyboard and I am sure prepared the singers as well, excellently. Too bad the show closes tonight, it is a winner.
Corktown at Purple Rose
The Purple Rose Theater in Chelsea is celebrating its 20th season by presenting four original plays by Michigan playwrights.
Now on stage until March 5 is Corktown by Michael Brian Ogden, a bloody, violent and funny modern mob tale. Instead of the Italian mafiosos we love so much, Ogden introduces us to a modern Irish crime story which takes place in the tough Irish neighborhood of Detroit - Corktown.
In this story, the modern hitmen are Army veterans of the Iraq war. They're tough, brutal and workaday murderers - following orders to perform misery on people they don't even know. One of them, Joey, is beginning to second guess his chosen profession. His partner Laurence (acted by playwright Ogden) doesn't understand his anxieties but loves him like a brother nonethless.
The action takes place in a modern apartment designed by Bartley Bauer, and is amazingly realistic. A full kitchen (with running water), living room and bathroom with all of the amenities adorn the stage.
There's a lot to like in this play. The language and story are gritty but also funny. Don't take the kiddies to this one. There's blood (gallons of it) and dead bodies everywhere.
The big hole in the plot is the unlikely romance that develops between Joey (wonderfully played by Matthew David) and a woman who he was supposed to kill but amazingly comes back to life (Stacie Hadgikosti) in his apartment. A relationship ensues and although the dialogue is entertaining and the acting superb, it just does not ring true and the flaw weakens the entire play.
Guy Sanville has the directing honors here and he is excellent at choreographing the very realistic fight and murder scenes. There's plenty of high energy and aggression on the stage. The actors go for it full throttle.
The directing is tight and the acting is all top drawer so, despite the plot weakness, you will likely still have an evening of fun entertainment at Corktown.
Now on stage until March 5 is Corktown by Michael Brian Ogden, a bloody, violent and funny modern mob tale. Instead of the Italian mafiosos we love so much, Ogden introduces us to a modern Irish crime story which takes place in the tough Irish neighborhood of Detroit - Corktown.
In this story, the modern hitmen are Army veterans of the Iraq war. They're tough, brutal and workaday murderers - following orders to perform misery on people they don't even know. One of them, Joey, is beginning to second guess his chosen profession. His partner Laurence (acted by playwright Ogden) doesn't understand his anxieties but loves him like a brother nonethless.
The action takes place in a modern apartment designed by Bartley Bauer, and is amazingly realistic. A full kitchen (with running water), living room and bathroom with all of the amenities adorn the stage.
There's a lot to like in this play. The language and story are gritty but also funny. Don't take the kiddies to this one. There's blood (gallons of it) and dead bodies everywhere.
The big hole in the plot is the unlikely romance that develops between Joey (wonderfully played by Matthew David) and a woman who he was supposed to kill but amazingly comes back to life (Stacie Hadgikosti) in his apartment. A relationship ensues and although the dialogue is entertaining and the acting superb, it just does not ring true and the flaw weakens the entire play.
Guy Sanville has the directing honors here and he is excellent at choreographing the very realistic fight and murder scenes. There's plenty of high energy and aggression on the stage. The actors go for it full throttle.
The directing is tight and the acting is all top drawer so, despite the plot weakness, you will likely still have an evening of fun entertainment at Corktown.
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