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Home > Blogs > Arts and Entertainment > Archives > 2008 > December
December 2008
The “Hallelujah” chorus like you’ve never seen it before
Check out this YouTube video that gives new meaning to “choral performance.” One of the comments from someone going by “lottietoo” summed things up perfectly for me: “Brilliant! Handel must be laughing uncontrollably in his grave!”
What do you think? Have you seen any musical performances this memorable recently?
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TweetBritney Spears announces Ohio concert date
It was just announced that Britney Spears will appear at Columbus’ Value City Arena on April 30, 2009 with the Pussycat Dolls in tow (A little trivia for you: Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger went to school at Wright State University). The Columbus concert is one of several additional tour dates added this week.
Tickets to the Spears show go on sale this Saturday, Dec. 20 at 10 a.m. at the Schottenstein Center Box Office and Ticketmaster Centers. Charge at (614) 431-3600 or online at ticketmaster.com. The show is in the round with a GA floor set-up (no chairs on the floor).
The tour — “The Circus Starring Britney Spears” — is her first tour in five years. Her sixth studio album “Circus” was released earlier this month on Dec. 2. The 27-city North American tour will kick off on March 3, 2009 in New Orleans.
On October 15, Spears’ single, “Womanizer,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and garnered first-week download sales of 286,000 — the biggest opening-week tally by a female artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital downloads in 2003.
Tickets are priced at $128, $98, $58 and $42.50.
Wonder if her Good Morning America performance will give any indication of what’s in store when she makes it to Ohio in April … video of that’s below in case you missed it. Are you excited to see her or in your opinion is her day as a pop culture ring master over?
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Tweet‘Nutcracker’ delivers big scenes, diva, pace
Every town of any size has a “Nutcracker.”
What makes the Dayton Ballet’s 15-year-old version something other than just one more?
That’s easy, based on this year’s crisp and crackling opening performance Friday, Dec. 12.
Here are some of the 2008 edition’s luminaries, lined up in order of brilliance:
1. The “money” scenes.
Nobody calls them that in an annual holiday production that pretty little girls in dresses and ribbons attend with their moms, but “The Nutcracker” has two that are crucial: the dance of the snowflakes and the waltz of the flowers.
The Dayton Ballet’s choreography by Karen Russo Burke and Dermot Burke, enhanced by Lowell Mathwich’s costumes all night, lavishes the proper emphasis on both. In response, the ensembles nailed them sweetly, with unity and very athletically on opening night.
Snow Queen Jennifer Grund, partnered by husband Rich Grund, reinforced the opinion that her dancing just keeps getting better and more effortless. Many dancers grow dramatically as they add years. She has also been achieving new levels physically.
Halliet Slack, a Dew Drop Fairy with gorgeous extensions and a joyous aura at the center of the flowers, suddenly has a partner who seems made for her in her cavalier, company newcomer Dillon Anthony.
Note: Most of the principal roles in the ballet have been double cast. You may see dancers other than those named here, depending on when you attend.
2. The Diva.
That would be the Sugarplum Fairy in this and every other “Nutcracker.” She’s the star, although she isn’t supposed to express that in attitude. She’s supposed to project a warmth that envelops the entire room while wowing us and making us fall in love with her.
The Dayton Ballet’s queen, Erika Cole, has a technique as clear and precise as the facets of a fine diamond. Her gifts are truly impressive and she is lovely. Like many young stars with extraordinary gifts, she tends to be a sharp and cool artist, rather than a warm and inviting one. But there are glimpses of an evolution that will make her truly amazing.
Her partner this night, Grant Dettling, demonstrated that he’s more than the heavy he often plays — the title role in “Dracula,” or Stanley in “Streetcar.” He’s a masculine dancer with confident and impressive turns, but also soft landings for a man of his physicality. He still tends to handle his partner a bit roughly at times, but only half as often as a year ago.
3. Tchaikovsky’s music.
Without it, “Nutcracker” wouldn’t exist or be immortal. The recording the Dayton Ballet uses seems chosen as much for its hurry-up pace as for its status as foundation. That pointed out, this action-filled production progresses without dead space or repetition over two acts plus intermission in 90 minutes. This year’s show seems more economical than ever, a plus for holding the attention of all ages.
4. It honors the company’s and city’s past.
Instead of Clara, the leading child’s role is Jinny (Maddie Wang on opening night), in memory of philanthropist Virginia Kettering. Sydney Baker and Mae Raab were graceful and energetic young versions of Dayton Ballet founders Josephine and Hermene Schwarz at the Act 1 party.
5. Well-spaced sparks of interest.
A partial list included: Christy Forehand as Byrd, Jinny’s kooky instigator of an aunt; Keenan McLaren and Case Bodamer as the mechanized German dolls; the cute little mice and, later, sheep; the well-drilled toy soldiers; Spanish dancers Rob Morrow, Oren Porterfield and Christy Forehand, whose divertissement is way too short; McLaren as a Chinese princess rippling with character, and the high-flying Russian princes Bodamer and Eduard Forehand, even though they weren’t on the same wavelength to begin.
The Angel scene at the top of Act 2 has been edited and shortened effectively, but remains awkward, without focus or distinction until the Sugarplum Fairy arrives.
Although Mother Ginger is played by a succession of celebrities, it’s hard to tell why, since his or her head is in the shadows. This has never been the most effectively illuminated “Nutcracker” around.
But this town does have a “Nutcracker,” and this year it’s pretty good.
The Dayton Ballet’s “Nutcracker” continues through Dec. 21 at the Schuster Center, Second and Main streets. Tickets are $27-$70 at (937) 228-3630, toll free at (888) 228-3630, or online at www.ticketcenterstage. There are discounts for children.
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Tweet‘Rain’ washes Victoria in good feeling
The performers aren’t live ringers for the Beatles, or sound exactly the way John, Paul, George and Ringo did on their own.
What the talented, well-prepared and dedicated members of “Rain: The Tribute to the Beatles” have is a remarkable ability to approximate in live performance a selection of songs as the Beatles recorded them.
The marvelous result Wednesday, Dec. 10, on opening night of a two-week stand at the Victoria Theatre, was an uplifting, enjoyable and satisfying two-act production that included 29 songs in five sets spread over two acts plus an encore. Almost everyone in the sold-out first night at least swayed and waved along to some of the songs, an almost unprecedented show of physicality by the Victoria’s often sedate and older Broadway Series audiences.
The advertisement-laden 70-page playbill provided only the names of the four Beatles stand-ins, plus that of valuable fifth man Mark Lewis, whose synthesized orchestral instruments and keyboard layerings lent crucial depth to the sound.
Although not listed as playing John Lennon, Paul, McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, Steve Landes, Joey Curatolo, Joe Bithorn and Ralph Castelli corresponded harmoniously to those four in instrumentation, vocals and antics.
Screens on both sides of the stage and a bigger one behind it projected an effective mix of historic footage, live projections, animation and remakes of famous Beatles images featuring the members of this band in character.
Concert-style lighting was varied and stimulating. Several costume changes for the performers also forged connections between the music and the spectators.
Rain, the name of the band as well as a lesser known Beatles song performed while the audience exited, treats the songs the way Hamlet stood behind the play as “the thing.” All elements are focused to serve the goal. That serves the audience.
The program included no playlist, but here’s the way it stacked up on opening night:
Set 1, in which the mop-topped Beatles in matching suits played the Ed Sullivan Show (complete with video of a Sullivan impersonator introducing them, tacky studio-like décor and “applause” signs): “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “All My Loving,” “This Boy, “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Hard Day’s Night” “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You,” “Yesterday.”
Set 2, corresponging to Beatlemania and the group’s concert at New York’s Shea Stadium: “If I Fell,” “Day Tripper,” which was a major crowd rouser, and “Twist and Shout.”
Set 3, the Sergeant Pepper period: “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “With a Little Help from My Friends.” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Strawberry Fields” “When I’m 64” and “Sergeant Pepper reprise.”
Act 2. Set 4: “Ob La Di, Ob La Da,” “Girl!”, “Til there Was You” and “Something,” (featuring very Lennon-like guitar work by Bithorn).
Set 5. “Abbey Road” etc.: “Come Together,” “Get Back, “Revolution,” “Give Peace a Chance” and “A Day in the Life.
Encore: “Imagine,” “Let It Be,” “Hey Jude” and “Rain.”
“Rain: The Tribute to the Beatles” continues through Dec. 21 in the Chase Broadway Series at the Victoria, First and Main streets. For tickets and times, call (937) 228-3630, toll free at (937) 228-3630 or o online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.
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TweetCleary succeeds Struthers as Sinclair dean
Sinclair Community College has named Kathleen Cleary its new dean of the Liberal Arts, Communicatons and Social Sciences Division, effective Jan. 1, 2009. She succeeds longtime dean Sally Struthers, who has stepped down to return to teaching art.
Cleary has been chair of Sinclair’s Theatre and Dance Department. Theater faculty member Gina Neuerer has been appointed interim chair of Theatre and Dance.
Struthers began teaching at Sinclair in 1987, became chair of art in 1996, interim dean of the Division of FIne and Performing Arts in 2002 and was appointed dean in 2003. Four years later, her duties increased exponentially during a reorganization that combined Liberal Arts, Communications and Social Sciences, a division that incorporates Academic Foundations, Art, Child and Family Education, Communication Arts, Dance, Design, English, Humanities, Geography, Government, Modern Languages, Music, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, and Theatre.
Cleary received her Ph.D. in Theatre from Ohio State University and her M.A. in Theatre from the State University of New York at Binghamton, where she was an actor with the Cider Mill Playhouse.
She came to Sinclair with ten years’ experience building the performing arts programs at Clark State Community College, where she also hosted state theater conferences and regional professional auditions. She has been active as a director and actor in professional, college and community theaters, recently wrote the Instructors’ “Manual for Living Theatre,” which is published by McGraw-Hill Co., and is a pioneer in designing and teaching online theater courses.
Neuerer, an award-winning lighting designer, is an associate professor at Sinclair, teaching classes in lighting design, stage management, theater appreciation and script analysis. She received her MFA in technical design and production from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
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TweetTipp’s Reineke takes New York Pops baton
Tipp City native Steven Reineke, the associate conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, has been named music director of the New York Pops.
Associated Press reported his hiring Tuesday, Dec. 9, as successor to the late Skitch Henderson, who founded the nation’s largest independent pops orchestra specializing in popular music. Henderson later became NBC-TV music director.
Reineke conducted the Pops’ 25th birthday gala earlier this year at Carnegie Hall, where it has an annual subscription season. He will lead the orchestra in the Macy’s July 4, 2009, fireworks display, which will be televised by NBC.
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TweetSalvador Dali exhibit coming to Dayton
Controversial artist Salvador Dali, who was a key player in the surrealist movement, will be the star of an art exhibit expected to open downtown in late January next year.
Planning is still underway and dates, hours of operation and ticket prices still have yet to be nailed down, but Karah Fairchild, project manager for the “Justin King’s LOVE conquers HATE” exhibit, said Friday that the roughly 8,000 square foot space on the second floor of Webster Street Market has been confirmed as the location of the exhibit with a target date of late January to open. Fairchild estimates the exhibit will be open for around two months.
Fairchild said that more than 175 pieces will be on display of which the majority are predominantly Salvador Dali lithographs. The remaining pieces are Max Ernst lithographs and three rare books according to Fairchild.
German owned Evertz Group (based in Solingen, Germany) has a Middletown facility that employs Dan King whose son Justin, 21, suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. Knowing that King’s son was in need of a double-lung and liver transplant members of Evertz decide to get involved in helping raise the funds the family needed.
Dr. Heinz Ess owns the Dali and Ernst print collection and agreed to lend the art to help raise money. Fairchild said that several special events will take place in conjunction with the exhibit including a grand opening celebration featuring a lecture by Ess who will be making the trip to Dayton from his home in Germany.
With the upcoming release of “Little Ashes” next year on March 27 that chronicles Dali’s early years and his early loves (it stars Robert Pattinson who appeared as Edward Cullen in the recent “Twilight” film release, watch the trailer here) it seems Dali is having his day once more and soon he’ll have it in Dayton.
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TweetHuman ‘family’ tells Scrooge’s story anew
On a fundamental level, live theater was born to create, share and embellish human stories. Teaching a lesson, holding a mirror up to society, making us forget our troubles and other incentives fit comfortably under that sturdy, oversized umbrella.
Charles Dickens might have preferred that at least a few members of the group telling his story were more convincingly threadbare and that ticket prices were lower, but The Human Race Theatre Company’s new production of his “A Christmas Carol” is otherwise dedicated to telling his story clearly.
Besides some stage smoke billowing from one of the “vom” entryways for actors beneath and beside the seating, a door knocker that plays hallucinatory tricks in Act 1 on the soon- to-be haunted Scrooge, and some reverberating amplified ghost pronunciations, the show that opened Friday, Dec. 5, at The Loft is a low-tech affair.
Its streamlined premise, as adapted in the script by the company’s Leigh Allan and Scott Stoney, directed by Kevin Moore with Stoney, and enacted by a cast including many from the troupe’s resident collective, starts with a family that makes Dickens’ story an integral part of its annual holiday gathering.
Prompted by the kids, who sit to listen but also take part like everyone else, the adults narrate and bring the tale to life while we disconnect our skepticism, cynicism and Hollywood-glutted expectations to take it in.
Although Act 2 lacks some of the opening half’s clarity and effective economy, the production tailored for the intimate Loft with scenic design by Terry Stump, costumes by La Ine June Marr and lighting by John Rensel, succeeds in repeating a story most of us know so well that we’re glad Tiny Tim’s (Jacob Boyd’s) refrain of “Bless us, everyone” is heard only once.
To portray a convincing Scrooge who materializes in the midst of a family, Mark Douglas-Jones relies on and succeeds more with posture, expression, pause and emphasis than on his effectively edited dialogue. His compact evolution from one bereft of charitable impulse to one giddy with giving is quick, but convincing in a two-act, 100-minute show, including intermission.
The jury is still out on the wisdom of adding a sort of “Scrooge 2” postscript for Scrooge and the Cratchits, rather than settling for the traditional happy ending. The audience will ultimately deliver the verdict. I have my doubts.
As befitting the family framework, the successful storytelling requires a group effort from the cast of 13, many in multiple roles.
Even so, some serve as pillars. Jennifer Johansen is both Ghost of Christmas Present and, with silent but notably expressive physical presence, Ghost of Christmas Future. Alan Bomar Jones, he of the booming voice, broad chest and twinkle in the eye, is another as the Ghost of Christmas Present.
Other players include Travis Horseman as Bob Cratchit, Christine Brunner, in a welcome return to the stage, as Mrs. Cratchit; Fred Blumenthal as Fezziwig, plus Kay Bosse, Peter Fitzkee, Claire Kennedy, John Joseph Tiemeyer and Kyle Mercuri in multiple roles.
“A Christmas Carol” will continue through Dec. 21 at The Loft, 126 N. Main St. Tickets are $33-$40 for adults. Call: (937) 228-3630, (888) 228-3630, or go to www.ticketcenterstage.com.
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