Category Archives: Theatre

Arts, NYC, Theatre

Make ‘Em Laugh

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Ok, so what happens when three old Jews, one young Jew, a goyim and a pianist are on stage …some of the funniest live theater I ever witnessed that’s what.  Old Jews Telling Jokes is a 90-minute laugh fest that provides side-cracking chuckles from beginning to end and proves that laughter is not only the best medicine, it is also a great equalizer. 

The concept for the funniest show to open Off-Broadway this year started in 2009 with the launch of a web series titled Old Jews Telling Jokes.  The viral sensation was created by Sam Hoffman and produced by Eric Spiegelman and Tim Williams.  In 2010, Sam Hoffman and Eric Spiegelman converted Old Jews Telling Jokes or OJTJ to paperback with the subtitle 5000 Years of Funny Bits and Not-So-Kosher Laughs.  Like the web series, the book is a treasure chest of jokes and humorous stores contributed by several Jewish funnymen and personalities.

This May, OJTJ makes it debut at the Westside Theatre and let me tell you, your face will hurt from laughter.  Old Jews Telling Jokes takes the old school jokes of Jack Benny, Henny Youngman, Mort Saul, Myron Cohen and others who graced the stages of The Catskills’ “Borscht Belt” and entertained millions on television and around the world and gives them a new twist.  Humor has been a long standing tradition in Judaism, which dates back to the Torah; OJTJ creates an arc of the Jewish experience in America that begins with birth and childhood and ends with old age and death.  Along the way the themes of assimilation, sex before marriage and sex after marriage are also explored.  The production isn’t just the retelling of jokes; it also contains a few musical numbers which provide the opportunity for audience participation and poignant monologues that perfectly accentuate the importance of humor in the fabric of not only the Jewish experience, but the human experience. 

At the heart of Old Jews Telling Jokes is a sense of celebration.  The preservation and reinvention of these jokes are just as much about honoring Jewish conventions as the lighting of the menorah during Hanukkah.   For the Jewish members of the audience, the show is more like a family reunion; many of them are familiar with the material and sometimes finish the jokes before the actors can deliver the punch line.  For audience members who aren’t Jewish, especially any that may be from Gen Y, the show is just plain funny, and although the themes are skewed from a Jewish perspective, anyone can relate to subject of family or sex.    The actors include Marilyn Sokol, Todd Susman, Bill Army, Lenny Wolpe and Audrey Lynn Weston.  Each night they take on the task of what I can only describe as linguistic gymnastics, sticking punch lines and musical numbers which can be changed daily. But it’s because of this reason that the show will remain fresh to the actors and the audience.

From the internet – to the pages of a book – to an Off-Broadway stage, Old Jews Telling Jokes has been knockin’ them dead wherever they go, I suspect that the Westside Theatre won’t be any different.  The tagline is “You’ll laugh ‘til you plotz.”  I didn’t plotz, but I did feel like I was leaving 10 pounds lighter after the crunch session my abs suffered as a result from laughing so hard.  Old Jews Telling Jokes is a history lesson, a workout and a ball of laughs all rolled into one fantastic show.  Go see it…the joke will be on you if you don’t.

Check out these videos of creators and the cast of Old Jews Telling Jokes:

Photo and videos courtesy of Serino/Coyne

Arts, Theatre

Let the Church Say Amen, Leap of Faith Soars

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“Let’s make it rain” – the catchphrase for Jonas Nightingale and his sister Sam.  But when they say it, they don’t mean prayers for the drought in the Kansas town their Mercedes bus broke down in; they mean it in a pouring of dollars at a strip club sort of way.  That’s right Broadway; you got a con man in your midst.   And he is the son of a preacher man.  Let’s face it, the traveling confidence man promising rain is no stranger to Broadway or Hollywood.  In 1954, N. Richard Nash’s The Rainmaker debuted at the Cort Theatre.  In 1956, Burt Lancaster and Katherine Hepburn starred in the movie.  In 1963, a musical based on The Rainmaker titled 110 in the Shade premiered at the Broadhurst Theatre.  In 1999, the play was revived on Broadway.   However, this new musical is based on the 1992 dramedy that starred Steve Martin and Debra Winger.

Similar to the film, the musical centers on Jonas Nightingale is a traveling, “let the power of God work through my hands” faith healer bouncing from town to town, holding nightly revivals and playing on the hopes and fears of the local yokels.  After the third night (and a possible tryst or two) he blows town after bilking the townsfolk out of all of their money.   Although the concept of the musical is based on the film, it appears that musical doesn’t go by the book (no pun intended).  Besides Jonas and a local paralyzed boy who believes Jonas could make him walk again, the book of this production transforms the sheriff into a female love interest and adds a new cast to assist in raising the roof off of the St. James Theatre. 

The musical begins before the curtain rises.  As the audience takes their seat, they are greeted with the sounds of gospel music, while a cameraman fine tunes his camera on stage.    Suddenly the audience realizes they are a part of show as their faces appear on the screens, located on opposite ends of the stage, and cast members hand out fake money to people seated the first few rows.  The show opens with an electrifying performance by the Angels of Mercy (Jonas’ choir) and Jonas beginning the last night his New York City revival by telling the audience about his road to redemption.  The audience then travels back a year as Jonas, his sister Sam and the Angels of Mercy decide what to do after their bus breaks down.  After realizing that Jonas is wanted in multiple states and the repairs on the bus will take a few days to fix, Jonas and his team choose to pitch their tent in the sleepy, drought stricken town and take them for what little they have. 

The scam is on but not before Sheriff Marla McGowan can give Jonas a stern warning, which does little to stop them.  As night one of the revival begins, Jonas’ has enough info on the town to make them believe has descended from heaven –mirrored jacket and all – to deliver rain.  His staunchest supporter is Jake McGowan, a disabled boy who happens to be the son of the sheriff.  He believes wholeheartedly that Jonas will make him rise up from his wheelchair and walk.   Jonas and his troupe aren’t the only newcomers to the town.  Isaiah Sturdevant, son of choir director Ida Mae Sturdevant and brother of Angels of Mercy ingénue Ornella Sturdevant, is hell-bent on saving his mother and sister from Jonas’ clutches and uncovering him for the charlatan that he is.

Although the sheriff wants Jonas gone, the two enter into an uneasy agreement with benefits and Jonas gets to finish his revival as long as he doesn’t aim any of his empty promises at her son.  Over the next two days, Jonas is exposed, falls in love, watches Jake’s faith give him the ability to walk again, questions his faith and decides to give his traveling church to Isaiah, a true believer.  Inspiring ending, right?  But I know what you FAMERS really want to know is, did Jonas make it rain?  Make it rain he did, literally and figuratively.  Leap of Faith soaks its audience with good vibes, wonderful voices and a new spin on an old tale.

One issue I feel that a movie turned musical has to overcome is any lingering feelings that an audience may carry with them into the theatre about the previous work.  People attach emotion to works of art that have moved them – no matter the genre as well as to the actors that bring a characters alive.  So the question becomes, is this going to be a remastering of an already established work, or will be sad reincarnation of a script with music and dancing crammed in where it could fit in?  Luckily I had never seen the Steve Martin film, so I had the privilege of viewing this work with a fresh pair of eyes.  And to answer my own question, I never felt that this incarnation of Leap of Faith was a comedy with music and choreography shoved in willy-nilly.

Leap of Faith carries enough of the “Broadway Formula” that it will be appealing to Broadway diehards and fresh enough to bring newbies out and into the seats.  Janus Cercone and Warren Leight wrote a book that parallels the movie, but still is its own entity.   Alan Menken’s music and Glenn Slater’s lyrics are crafted well enough to have the audience toe-tapping in their seats.  The choreography of Sergio Trujillo had a Horton- esque quality to it with the movements tailored to every member of the cast.  The cast makes good on the material – Raul Esparza shines brighter than those glittery suit jackets he wears as Jonas Nightingale, Jessica Phillips is convincing as the sadder but wiser sheriff scared to trust and Talon Ackerman’s earnest performance of Jake could melt anyone’s skeptical heart.  But what really makes Leap of Faith rise through to the stratosphere are the voices of Kecia Lewis-Evans, Leslie Odom Jr., Krystal Joy Brown and The Angels of Mercy choir.  They could give the New Jersey Mass choir a run for its money.  Esparza breaks the fourth wall periodically throughout the show, which I enjoy and with the audience being a part of the musical, the production provides an interactive experience.   The casts projects a universal feel not seen in a lot of musicals and I found the sight of all different body types dancing on the stage to be wonderfully refreshing.  They are not just toned dancers; instead they do feel like individuals you would meet at your local parish.  I don’t know when you visited church last, but the St. James Theatre is holding church every evening and twice on Saturday and Wednesday.  I suggest you hightail it down there and get your dose of hosanna with Leap of Faith.  It is a jump worth taking.

Photos courtesy of Broadway.com

Arts, Theatre

Gershwin…Broderick…Who Could Ask For Anything More?

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My first aural introduction to the work of George Gershwin was courtesy of TWA.  His “Rhapsody in Blue” was the soundtrack for their commercial campaign for many years and filled my ears with an explosion of breathtaking sound.  My first introduction to the Gershwin brothers was through An American in Paris.  Again, I fell down into a chasm of musical bliss – and why wouldn’t I – the Gershwin brother’s music and lyrics helped to ink the blueprint of the American standard song.  Everyone, from Ella Fitzgerald to Fred Astaire, has performed their music.   Hollywood and Broadway have been defined by their sound; after all, they have created some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century.

In January, Porgy and Bess, George Gershwin’s last theatrical work, was revived on Broadway.  While the all African American opera is certainly the Gershwin brother’s most controversial work, some of their more popular songs have manifested in the form of a brand new musical with old-school flair.  Nice Work If You Can Get It premiered at the Imperial Theatre, located at 249 West 45th Street, last week and it is a rhapsody in laughter. 

Nice Work If You Can Get It is a zany romantic musical set in New York City during the Prohibition era.  It centers on the unconventional, kooky love affair between Jimmy Winter, a wealthy playboy, and Billie Bendix, a hard nose bootlegger.  After leaving a his bachelor party for his fourth upcoming marriage, a saucy Jimmy runs into Billie, who is laying low from the feds while trying to protect her new shipment of booze.  As he attempts to make a pass at her, Jimmy reveals to Billie that he has an enormous estate in Long Island that his family never uses.  Billie and bumbling cohorts Cookie and Duke concoct the idea of storing the demon gin in the cellar of the mansion and the hijinks start from there.  Over a weekend Billie, Cookie, Duke, Jimmy, his icy betrothed Eileen, Eileen’s conservative senator father, his uptight sister, her G-men, a troupe of chorus girls, a police chief and even Jimmy’s mother all converge on the property creating a hilarious adventure by the melody of Gershwin.

Writer John O’Hara once stated, “George Gershwin died on July 11, 1937, but I don’t have to believe it if I don’t want to.”   And after viewing this musical, I don’t believe it either.  The presence of both George and Ira Gershwin were more teeming than ever courtesy of this production.  As with any musical, the music and lyrics are the thing.   And this musical couldn’t have a better foundation.  The book pushes the production along; it is structure that is balanced on the music.  Joe DiPietro created one hell of a comedic story to go along with the blah-blah-blah-blithe musical numbers.  Derek McLane’s lavish set is extremely complimentary to the time period in which the musical takes place and director Kathleen Marshall’s choreography made me want to do the Charleston in my seat.

Ever since I saw Matthew Broderick pull one over on his parents and Dean Edward Rooney in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, I knew he could never do anything wrong with me.  And his choices on screen and on stage have made me stand by that statement.  It’s been over 20 years since Broderick lip-synced to The Beatles and his boyish looks and charm can still convince an audience to buy whatever he is selling.  Watching him on stage can fill any theater with joy.  Kelli O’Hara is delightful.  She and Broderick have great chemistry.  Chris Sullivan gives a spot-on performance as dimwitted Duke Mahoney – Forrest Gump has nothing on him.  Judy Kaye is a pleasure to watch as Duchess Estonia Dulworth, and the rest of the cast provide fascinating rhythm. But if Broadway gave out awards for breakout performances, my vote would go to Michael McGrath.  As Cookie McGee, he gives some of the best zingers of the show.  He is more than just the comic relief, he is the comic godsend.

Nice Work If You Can Get It is more delicious than a slice of Junior’s cheesecake.  I could devour it and ask for seconds.  Call me old-school but musicals always showcase the best of what is great about Broadway and harkens back to a time when Hollywood produced royalty.  When a musical hits the mark, it is an undeniable bulls-eye.  During the April 24 red carpet premiere, Sarah Jessica Parker suggested that audiences should, “run; don’t walk” to see this show.  Now perhaps her assessment of this production could be biased since she is married to its star, but in this case I’m in total accord with Mrs. Broderick.  Nice Work If You Can Get It is absolutely the cat’s meow.  It’s fun, fun and more fun – the quintessential American musical done right. 

Entertainment, Going Out, Theatre

Win 2 Tickets To See The Wittiest Comedy On Broadway

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The laughter isn’t over yet!

Win 2 Tickets

To See Our Pick for Top Play for 2011

Enter F.A.M.E NYC’S “Spring Recess” Ticket Giveaway!

To enter, please leave a comment to this post answering

the following question,

Which New York City institution of higher learning is the oldest in the State of New York

 and an Ivy League school?

 

 

 F.A.M.E NYC’S “SPRING RECESS” ticket giveaway ends 12 p.m. May 4, 2012.  The winner will be announced on Cinco de Mayo!  Good Luck FAMERS I’m waiting to hear from you.

 

Check out Seminar on Broadway:  http://www.facebook.com/seminaronbroadway and https://twitter.com/#!/seminaronbway 

 

 

Arts, Theatre

Magic/Bird Got Hops

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Rivalries between humans go back as far as Cain and Able.  Since the days of ancient Greece, sporting events have been the best venue to showcase the dedication, passion and majesty of competition.  Throughout the 20th century myriad genres of sports featured great rivalries – Ali and Frazier, New York Yankees and Boston Red Socks and Joe Louis and Max Schmeling.  But no sporting rivalry produced more pageantry than the skirmishes between Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

The grudge match between Magic and Bird began in 1979 when Johnson and Michigan State beat Bird and Indiana State in the NCAA finals.  Their rivalry progressed to the pros as both were drafted to the NBA, Magic for the Los Angeles Lakers and Bird for the Boston Celtics.  The competition between the Celtics and Lakers did not start with Magic and Bird, these teams have had an adversarial history that predated both Hall of Famers entrance to the league, but with Magic and Bird the rivalry rose to mythical proportions.   Between 1984 and 1987, they went head to head in the finals four times with the Lakers winning the championship three times.    Their contrasting playing styles and obvious difference in skin color made great media fodder, helping to fuel the antagonistic relationship.  It also helped to resurrect a seriously ailing NBA.  Individually, their desire to dominate each other assisted them in being better players. 

In 2010, the production team of Fran Kirmser and Tony Ponturo brought the NFL center stage when they opened Lombardi at the Circle in the Square Theatre and scored a touchdown.  This spring they traded in the gridiron for the hardwood court of the NBA; Magic/Bird, their latest stage production, opened at the Longacre Theatre on April 11.  Magic/Bird is a contemporary retelling of an epic rivalry and the unlikely friendship that was forged from it.

The play opens in 1991 with Magic informing the world via press conference that he is retiring from the NBA due to the discovery that he had contracted HIV and follows Bird’s reaction.  The audience is then transported back, being introduced to Magic and Bird as collegiate players during the championship game that spawned their rivalry.  It then recounts their transition to the pros as well as their individual rise as stars of the NBA.  The production also depicts how their rivalry affected the fans as well as black/white relations during that time and the media’s role in exacerbating it.  Then suddenly in 1984, while most of the country was choosing sides, Magic and Bird were shooting a commercial for Converse.  While doing so they discovered commonalities within each other and forged the foundation that would develop into a long-lasting friendship.  The play ends coming full circle as Magic comes to terms with his announcement to the media and Bird contemplates retirement.  The two giants would make one last stand together playing for the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team during the Barcelona Olympics in what would be dubbed as the first Dream Team.

Playwright Eric Simonson penned an interesting narrative.  The play moves with the speed of a fast break; the energy is constant and never waivers.  These two men transcended their sport, eventually ascending to the immortal status of titans.  Sure, initially people will fill the seats because they were fans of either Magic or Bird and recall how they innervated the NBA.  But patrons will soon find as I did that what lies beneath this tale of basketball and fierce competition is a genuine human interest story of two men that were able to find the humanity within each other despite differences in style, background and race.  Like Lombardi, Magic/Bird won’t just appeal to sports fans but to anyone that enjoys an emotive drama.  Whether one knows what a power forward does or not is irrelevant, you will still leave the theater feeling as if you have learned more about men behind the legend.  In my book Magic/Bird scores a triple-double!

Part of my fondness for Magic/Bird is the innovative multimedia staging of the play.  Various excerpts of press conferences and games are intertwined with the action happening on stage.  The actors, with the exception of those portraying Magic and Bird, play multiple characters, which I found extremely entertaining.  I also appreciated the role call of the actors at the beginning of the play.  Kevin Daniels recreates the show time pizzazz of Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Tug Coker makes his Broadway debut in the role of the ever so serious Larry Bird.  Peter Scolari triumphs as Pat Riley, Red Auerbach, Jerry Buss and Bob Woolf.  Deirdre O’Connell is a comedic delight as Dinah Bird, Patricia Moore, bar owner Shelly and Georgia Bird.  Robert Ray Manning Jr. and Francois Battiste complete the cast.   All of them are MVPs.

During this time of year, the NBA kicks into high gear as the most dominate teams secure their place in the playoffs hoping to make it through to the finals.  Broadway in springtime shares the same feverish anticipation as the NBA, new shows open either proving themselves worthy or unworthy of a Tony nomination.   Whether or not Magic/Bird will make it to Broadway’s version of the finals is unclear, but I do commend this production for attempting to push the boundaries of American theater.

Photos courtesy of Broadway.com

Arts, Entertainment, Theatre

If These Walls Could Talk, Clybourne Park Discusses the Tenets of Race and Residence

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When Jefferson combined sentences from Richard Cumberland and John Locke to create the phrase “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”, it might’ve not been evident to the Second Continental Congress that the pursuit of happiness actually meant property.  But as the original 13 colonies expanded, territories were drawn and invisible lines were created that dictated to citizens and noncitizens where they can cross and live, Jefferson’s underlying intention couldn’t be clearer.   The pursuit of property has always been at the heart of the American dream and is more patriotic than baseball or apple pie.  It can also be said that the pursuit of finding truth in art has been the desideratum of artisans ever since cavemen scribbled on ancient walls. 

Often times, real life experiences inspire art; playwright and author Lorraine Hansberry used her own family experiences to create the masterpiece, A Raisin in the Sun.    Other times, art serves as the genesis to create new art; actor and playwright Bruce Norris picked up where Hansberry left off when he created Clybourne Park, awarded the 2011 Pulitzer Prize  for Drama as well as Britain’s Olivier Award for Best New Play.    The plot for A Raisin in the Sun deals with the Youngers, a black family in 1950s Chicago that wishes to realize a dream and improve their circumstances by purchasing a home in the all-white neighborhood of Clybourne Park.  Despite turmoil within the family as well as threats and a bribe from a representative of Clybourne Park’s Improvement Association, the Youngers decide to move into the home thus attaining their dream.

Clybourne Park consists of two acts; Act I centers on Bev and Russ, the couple selling the home the Youngers are buying.  They have become disillusioned with the neighborhood after being ostracized by their neighbors in the wake of their son’s, a Korean War vet, sudden death.  While preparing for the move, they are visited by the local chaplain, neighbor Karl Lindner and Linder’s deaf, pregnant wife.  Linder has just returned from his failed attempt to coerce the Youngers not to move into the neighborhood.  Trying to use his persuasive tactics on Bev and Russ, he implores them not to go through with the sale, fearing that the Youngers will be the first in an influx of black families, the neighborhood would be adversely affected and property values will plummet. To prove that black and white neighborhoods should be segregated he feebly tries to enlist the help of Bev and Russ’ black maid and her husband, who recently arrived to pick her up.  As the conversation continues, tensions and words boil as animosities surface and spill over.

Act II takes place in 2009 in the same house.  The neighborhood of Clybourne Park is now predominately black.  The house, once the center of controversy, is now the victim of serious neglect.  The encroaching reality of gentrification is looming as a white couple with child wants to buy the house and renovate it and any signs of its past.  They meet with the their lawyer and a black couple representing a neighborhood association and their lawyer to discuss their planned alterations for the house, which are in dispute by the neighborhood committee due to the area’s  historical significance.   As they discuss the fate of the house, it’s revealed that Kathy, the lawyer of the white couple, is the daughter of the Linder’s,  who moved from the neighborhood right after she was born, and Lena is related to the Youngers.  Just as in the first act, the discussion of the house’s destiny slides into an exchange about race that exposes just how far we have really come in America when it comes to this often taboo topic.

Slick…piercing…irreverently pleasing, Norris digs deep into America’s well of issues that skim underneath the quest to achieve Jefferson’s declaration and strikes black and white gold.  He also creates a splendid new chapter to Lorraine Hansberry’s seminal work.  Clybourne Park is a flawless and timeless production worthy of the Pulitzer Prize.  One could bury this play in a time capsule and after the apocalypse dig it up and it will not only show what human nature was like in the 20th and 21st centuries, it’ll more than likely indicate what human nature is like in the future since human behavior doesn’t change.  Norris interweaves race, loss, fear, ignorance, good intentions, gentrification and real estate with a humorous thread that creates a banner for all to see and discuss.  As A Raisin in the Sun was and is a piece that is a must see, so is Clybourne Park.

Just as Norris weaves themes, the cast weaves characters, each of them playing a dual or multiple roles.  Annie Parisse plays Betsy and Lindsey, Frank Wood portrays Russ and Dan, Crystal A. Dickinson plays the role of Francine and Lena, Brendan Griffin depicts the roles of Jim, Tom and Kenneth, Damon Gupton portrays Albert and Kevin, Christina Kirk plays Bev and Kathy and Jeremy Shamos completes the cast depicting Karl and Steve.  In each act the cast is sharp and lusciously engaging.    They effortlessly push the themes and dialogue, making lasting impressions with each character they play and deserve every ovation they receive.  The only problem I find with Clybourne Park is that it playing a limited engagement at the Walter Kerr Theatre, located at 219 West 48th Street.  This old house only stands for 16 weeks; I suggest making your way to the Theater District to see what is surely going to be the Tony Award winner for Best Play.

Photos:  Joan Marcus

Arts, Entertainment, FAME, NYC, Theatre

Rent Top Off-Broadway Musical Revival for 2011

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After many incarnations, Rent returned to its Off-Broadway roots.  Still as powerful as ever, Jonathan Larson’s rock opera and its new cast brought me to tears.  Long live Rent!  

To view F.A.M.E NYC’s review, click https://famenycmagazine.com/2011/09/14/a-testimony-for-rent/.

Arts, Entertainment, FAME, NYC, Theatre

Clifford Chase’s Winkie Top 59E59 Production For 2011

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The theaters of New York City are like my second home.  But there is one that I resided in more than any other in 2011.  I was at 59E59 Theaters so often that I was thinking of moving in the area, and therefore I had to give the Off-Broadway theater its own category this year.

I viewed myriad shows, from theater companies from all over the country and abroad.  Most were gems, a few were cut glass.  Out of all the productions I viewed in 2011 my top would be Clifford Chase’s Winkie.  I loved the idea of a stuffed animal coming to life and experiencing all the evils of the world and still having the capacity to love.  What a lesson we could learn from Winkie!

To view F.A.M.E NYC’s review, click http://famenycmagazine.com/2011/03/25/and-justice-for-winkie/.

Arts, Entertainment, FAME, Going Out, NYC, Theatre

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Truth Marches On

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The 2011-2012 season of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater marked a new chapter in its vivid, far-reaching history when Robert Battle took the helm.  Battle, the second person to become Artistic Director for the company since the passing of its founder in 1989, officially began his tenure in July 2011 after Judith Jamison transitioned to the role of Artistic Director Emerita.   Previous to her 21 years of brilliantly preserving Alvin Ailey and AAADT’s legacy, Jamison had indelibly woven her spirit into the fabric of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.  As Ailey’s former muse and principal dancer, the choice to have one of AAADT’s most famous faces assume the position of Artistic Director was obvious, but Battles roots with Ailey also run deep.

Battle has been a periodic choreographer and artist-in-residence at Ailey since 1999.  The works he has choreographed include Anew, The Hunt, Juba, In/Side, Mood Indigo, Love Stories and Takedeme, with The Hunt, In/Side and Love Stories (a collaboration with Judith Jamison and Rennie Harris) included the company’s current repertory.  Like Ailey, Battle also possesses a southern background growing up in Liberty City, Florida.  He studied dance in high school before entering Miami’s New World School of the Arts and moving on to The Julliard School.  He joined the Parsons Dance Company, dancing with them from 1994 to 2001.  In 2002, he premiered his own company, Battleworks Dance Company, in Düsseldorf, Germany.  Along with the works he created for AAADT, Battle has also created and restaged ballets for Hubbard Street Repertory Ensemble, River North Chicago Dance Company, Koresh Dance Company, Introdans, PARADIGM, and Ballet Memphis. In 2005, he was the recipient of the “Masters of African American Choreography” by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Art and received the Statue Award from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA in 2007. 

Along with the changes Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s have experienced this season, the New York City Center, AAADT’s New York City performing home, has also undergone a reconstruction of its own.  This year marked the completion of the most extensive renovation project in the theater’s 70 year history.  The alterations included a video gallery located in the orchestra lobby and the restoration of the ceiling and mural designs.  The vibrancy that is felt in the new New York City Center definitely resonated on stage as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater passionately placed the exclamation point on Robert Battle’s inaugural season.

This season AAADT presents a intricate mosaic of works which includes the premieres of Battle’s Takedeme, a blistering progression of fast-paced movements and vigorous jumps set to the rhythms of an Indian Kathak dance and a jazz score, Minus 16, choreographed by Ohad Nahirin and Arden Court by Paul Taylor.  Along with these company premieres, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater also included the world premiere of Home by Rennie Harris.  Home, an inspirational homage to people living or affected by HIV set to gospel house music, was inspired by stories submitted to the “Fight HIV Your Way” contest, an initiative of Bristol-Myers Squibb.  Ulysses Dove’s Episodes, the late choreographer’s visceral tribute to the people that had passed through his life with AIDS, also appeared in this season’s repertory.

Ailey staples such as Cry, Night Creature, Memoria and Revelations also made an appearance this year.  Some people go to Paris for inspiration, others the Big Apple.  But me, all I need is my annual dose of Ailey.  For the first time since I could remember, I felt as if I was watching AAADT with a new set of eyes.  Robert Battle’s influence felt extremely tangible and refreshing.  I felt his exuberance in every performance I witnessed and especially in Revelations.  Each time I view it, another discovery shines through.  This time is was the joy; under the directorship of Battle, Revelations was more celebratory than it has ever been.  The waves of reciprocity between the company and the audience circle around the theater like a boomerang.  By the encore of “Rock My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham” all I wanted to do was throw my hands up and say, “Glory hallelujah!”  The legacy of Alvin Ailey is in well deserved and capable hands.  I am excited to view Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s future with Robert Battle commandeering the most veracious dance company to ever exist.

Photos: Andrew Eccles and Paul Kolnik, Nan Melville

Arts, FAME, NYC, Theatre

Mamma Mia Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Pizza and a Winter Sale

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In October2001, a musical made its Broadway debut at the legendary Winter Garden Theatre.  It boogied onto U.S. shores in 2000 after conquering London and Toronto, first playing at San Francisco’s Orpheum Theatre, then moving on to Los Angeles’ Shubert Theatre and lastly playing Chicago’s Cadillac Palace before bursting onto The Great White Way and globe-trotting to theatres all over the world.  The musical is based on a Swedish pop/dance group’s songbook, and if you have not guessed which musical I am referring to by now, I am talking about no other than Mamma Mia!, the international smash homage to ABBA. 

ABBA, comprised of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Faltskog, is one of the most successful groups in pop music history.  They were consistent chart toppers before disbanding in 1982.  The fourth best-selling music artists in the history of recorded music, ABBA sold over 370 million records worldwide and still sell approximately two to three million records per year.  Mamma Mia! was first conceived by producer Judy Craymer after meeting Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson in 1982.  She believed ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All” showcased the theatrical ability of their music.  In 1997, Craymer enlisted Catherine Johnson to write the book and in 1998, Phyllida Lloyd signed on to be the show’s director.  Mamma Mia! first premiered in the West End at the Prince Edward Theatre on April 6, 1999.   In June 2004, it moved to the Prince of Wales Theatre, where it currently plays.  Since its London debut, Mamma Mia! has marched through the international theatre community like General Sherman on methamphetamines.   It even spawned a 2008 movie starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried, Dominic Cooper and Christine Baranski. 

The musical takes place on the Greek Island of Calicos.  It is the day before 20-year-old Sophie’s wedding to Sky, her fiancé.  Her mother Donna is the proprietor of a taverna.  Before guests start arriving for the big day, Sophie confesses to her two best friends and bridesmaids that she has written letters to Sam, Bill, and Harry, the three men whom she believes could have fathered her.  She has a longing to know where she comes from, and desires her father to walk her down the aisle.  The only problem is she sent the letters under the guise of her mother and Donna has no idea that the three men will be coming to the wedding.  Tanya and Rosie, Donna’s ex-bandmates, are also there to help relieve the shock after Donna’s romantic past leaps off the pages of her journal and back into her life.   The wackiness that ensues after Sophie’s potential sperm donors arrive takes everyone through the changes of love and back and ends with a new beginning for Sophie and Donna, but not the one that either of them anticipated.  And of course the music of ABBA takes the audience through the journey, telling the narrative better than the characters themselves.  At the end of the show, the audience is treated with a super-sized ABBA encore with Donna, Tanya, Rosie, Sam, Bill and Harry performing “Dancing Queen”, “Mamma Mia, and “Waterloo” in ABBA-styled costumes.

A decade is long time for any production to stay on Broadway, especially considering the time in which the musical premiered.  It had only been a month since 9/11 and the theatre community suffered tremendous losses due to the lack of tourists.  Somehow, Mamma Mia! survived, perhaps it’s due to the music, which harkens back to an era where people felt free and orange alerts were non-existent.  This musical has created a world-wide phenomenon that is rarely seen today; it is safe to say that this light-hearted nod to love and the music of ABBA could be the musical of the first decade of the new millennium – and it is not done yet.  With 10 years on Broadway and no end in sight, Mamma Mia! is giving an early Christmas gift to ABBA fans with its first Winter Sale.  All orchestra seats have been discounted, ranging from $49 to $79, for performances from January 9 through March 4.  The ordering deadline is Christmas Eve so there is still time to take advantage of this opportunity.    In addition to the Winter Sale, Two Boots is offering it variation of dinner and a show with its brand new Mamma Mia! pizza.  Founded in the East Village by two indie filmmakers in 1987, Two Boots is a staple in New York City.  Their Hell’s Kitchen location, 624 9th Avenue, is known for their pizzas named after entertainers, within walking distance of the theatre, Two Boots serves to be a great finishing touch to an ABBA-filled evening.

Mamma Mia! is touted as being the ultimate feel-good show and over 50 million people around the world seem to agree.  I must admit it would be hard for anyone to walk into the Winter Garden Theatre with an attitude and not do a 180 upon walking out at the end of the show.  You can not help it, one of those ABBA songs is gonna get ya’ and if the music does not do it, then the energy will.  The audience is so lively, they will take you on their sequenced, bell bottom jumpsuit journey with them whether you like it or not.  Even a disco novice will be clapping by the encore.  The hawk approaches swiftly from around the corner; winter is almost here.  FAMERS, liven up your winter doldrums with a hot slice of pizza and a cool show.

Photos:  Bruce Glikas, Jenny Anderson, Serino Coyne

 

To purchase tickets for Mamma Mia!, click

http://mammamianorthamerica.com/land/wintersale/

To view Two Boots menu, click

http://www.twoboots.com/