November 6, 2007
Ballet is a classical art, like Hardcore punk rock, or Indian Temple Dancing. Classical arts follow rigid conventions. If one of these conventions is innovated away, the instances demonstrating this innovation are refiled into a different genre. This is what makes contemporary interpretation of classical arts an interesting project. In what ways are classical arts allowed to change, yet remain widely accepted examples of their genre? Matthew Neenan and Christine Cox explore this question every time they compose and stage a new ballet for their company, Ballet X.
Ballet has changed over time. Ballets from 1930 look noticeably different from ballets of 1830. The newer ballets are more difficult, and more fun to watch. They are also less likely to be narratives, and when they are, the narrative is less exactingly exposited. The older ballets have parts where characters stand facing each other, waving their arms. These are important plot points, representing conversations. Despite the innovations, the non-narrative, more difficult ballets sit comfortably within the category of ballet. Their innovations apparently do not threaten any essential aspect of ballet…
More after the jump!
September 4, 2007
Yes! Recommended. Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical is fantastic. The script is funny. The actresses are hilarious. The songs are decent pop songs. The actress playing Debbie had a very sweet voice.
How did they make a musical out of a porno?
In 1978, when the original Debbie came out, pornos had plots. The main plot from the movie is preserved in the musical. In addition, two details from the movie are expanded into subplots. The characters in the musical are fleshed out. Debbie’s songs explore her character’s motivations and fears. All of the sex scenes are in the musical but instead of sexing, the characters flail about in modern dance moves under flashing lights to the beat of boom-chick-a-wow-wow music.
Honestly, I am having a hard time writing this review. Debbie was staged on the second floor of Sisters nightclub. I started drinking during the show, and after it ended, I proceeded to get completely wasted. Sisters is a cheap bar. I couldn’t stop gushing about the rose colored walls and the giant pictures of cats. It looks like the waiting room in a fantasy gyn’s office. I can’t remember many specific things about the show. I know that I was impressed immediately (before I was drunk). It’s funny and entertaining–what else do you need to know?
http://www.livearts-fringe.org/2007/details.cfm?id=1509
Sisters Nightclub
215-922-7500
September 3, 2007
Kicked is a play about a detective investigating the disappearance of a 10 year old girl. The play is staged in the basement of the Lantern Theatre. The room has a freshly built, raised floor, or, a freshly built stage that extends to all four walls of the room. It is made of the cheapest plywood, which looks like a carpet.
Now that we have television and movies, why should we see stories unfold in person?
Kicked begins with several moments of silence. The lights do not dim. In these moments the actor sits quietly in the middle of the designated fantasy area, and the audience sits quietly in a semi-circle around him. I took this opportunity to look at everyone else in the room. I recited parts of Handke’s Offending the Audience to myself as the time passed. “…You are now aware of your presence. You know that it is your time that you are spending here. You are the topic. You tie the knot. You untie the knot. You are the center. You are the occasion. You are the reasons why. You provide the initial impulse…” I so enjoyed my reverie, I was irritated when the actor started talking: “Don’t leave me!”
The full light, the long silence, the actor speaking in the second person for the entire play, and the floor that makes the audience feel like it is sitting on the stage come together to satisfy the new requirement that plays justify their existence by either ensuring the audience is aware of itself as an audience in relation to the performer, or by including the audience in the action of the play.
What actually happens during the performance?
During the performance a simple plot unfolds; and the characters share talk about children and about the process of growing up. Some of their observations are funny, some are insightful, and, yes, some are boring.
Is there violence or the suggestion of violence?
Yes! There is the suggestion of violence. It is as violent as a series of monologues can be. There are parts that may make you squirm in your seat.
Is there sex or the suggestion of sex?
Yes, there is the suggestion of sex. It is not the kind of sex we are supposed to enjoy, but the frequency with which it is depicted in entertainment indicates it is appreciated widely.
How is the acting?
The acting is good! There are four characters (well…maybe five…four and a half). The actor, Noah Drew, slides convincingly between them. One of the characters has a stutter, and another has an accent. For a poorer actor, these characteristics would make it easier for the audience to tell the difference between the characters. Drew didn’t need them to show who he was portraying.
Is this play worth the time it takes to see it?
Yes. You will not wish you had your 50 minutes back.
Is this play worth money in addition to the time it takes to see it?
Yes. My hourly wage is $9.23 per hour. I would spend up to $10 to see this play.
Kicked
Figure/Ground Theatre
50 minutes
Call Box Office for Tickets available 9/2 at 6:30pm; 9/6 and 9/7 at 10:30pm; 9/8 at 6:30pm and 9:30pm; 9/9 at 6:30pm; 9/13 and 9/14 at 10:30pm, 9/15 at 6:30 and 10:30pm
215-413-1318
