Wow. Where has the summer gone? I'm way behind once again. Luckily (for writing purposes), August has been less filled with theatre, so I only have a few things to catch up about here.
Office Hours at the Port Mansion Theatre (Lakeside Players)
Back at the end of July, I saw Office Hours at the tiny Port Mansion Theatre, a very fun little venue in which to perform and view shows. I'll be the first to admit that the apparent popularity of Norm Foster is, to a great degree, lost on me. Sure, he tosses in some great comedic lines, but I don't necessarily find his shows (as a body of work) overly funny or original -- particularly when placed side by side, when their similarities one to another become glaringly evident. That said, I think Office Hours was one of my best Foster viewing experiences. The show, made up of five short segments stitched together with common story threads, generally worked well, though a couple of segments simply don't have enough forward movement to make them essential to the bigger picture. Nice work on stage, though, and some good laughs made the evening quite enjoyable.
Sea of Sand on Spanish Banks West Beach in Vancouver (The Only Animal)
The concept here -- to perform a piece of theater using the beach and ocean as set -- is intriguing, but the end result was a bit washed out. The story, involving an amnesiac piecing back together his own back story in relation to two women -- one his wife and the other a mystery woman who came from the sea -- seems a bit try-too-hard and doesn't have the teeth it thinks it has. The use of pre-recorded dialogue, played on loudspeakers on the beach, could have worked, though the sometimes-live dialogue that overlapped it again seemed a bit "artsy" without real clear purpose. The event is what makes the show, not the show itself. It's just nice to go and sit on the sand and see some quirky little theatre piece with friends.
Les Miserables at the Fifth Avenue Theatre (Seattle)
The 25th anniversary production of Les Mis was well worth seeing. Having seen several productions of the show, it's good to know it can still keep my attention and surprise me, now and then, as well. This production stands out for two main reasons for me: the use of digitally altered and projected paintings by Victor Hugo as backdrops was surprisingly effective, and the edgiest (and slightly vicious) Mme Thenardier I've yet seen in the show. Fantastic. The kids, also, were excellent in this cast.
Come Fly Away at the Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts (Dancap)
Regardless of what the promotional materials say, this is not a musical; it is a contemporary ballet. I know that "Musical" will sell more tickets than "Ballet" on the Broadway touring circuit, but I take exception to the misleading nature of it. Told entirely in dance (see? ballet) with a live orchestra and prerecorded vocals by Frank Sinatra (see? not a musical), the extent of story is simply that four couples meet at a night club, fight, and then get back together. The choreography by Twyla Tharp is pretty brilliant, as is the dancing. I'm a bit thrown by how we, the audience, are meant to respond to one of the four couples' storylines, as we see a rather abusive relationship play out before they reconcile for a happy ending. Are we meant to be happy for them? I really wanted the woman to kick him in the plums and move on, not get back together for a sunny reunion. Odd...
No comments:
Post a Comment