When Refusing to Grow Up is Cool

As promised, here is my review of Walnut's Peter Pan, fresh off the presses:

On Saturday I regressed about 12 years in the span of an afternoon. The catalyst? Walnut Street Theater’s new production of Peter Pan. It can make an audience member go from 21 to 9 in a matter of minutes.

From the opening curtain, the Walnut Street Theater’s production is delightful. Each act begins with a silk screen painted with a map of the various settings of the play. Tinkerbelle, represented by a red laser light, identifies the present location before the scene commences.

The first act begins with a family scene in the nursery, when Mr. and Mrs. Darling are getting ready to go out to dinner. Mr. Darling is grouchy and frets about both his appearance and his business. Years ago, I was in a production of Peter Pan myself (I made several children cry with my convincing “Arghhh”), but I had forgotten how in the opening Mr. Darling is the villain of the family. In a very oedipal move, the same actor who plays Mr. Darling, Paul Schoeffler, also plays Captain Hook.

The real action of play begins with the arrival of Cary Michelle Miller on the scene as Peter Pan, who of course has lost his shadow. I saw Miller in a very different role in the Walnut’s spring production of Carousel, and I must say she is unrecognizable as Peter. I have always had a problem with the fact that Peter is played by a woman (aren’t there any high-toned, short male actors out there who could suffice?), but Miller changed my mind. She brings such boyish pluck and bravado to the role that I found myself forgetting that she was a woman at all.

The Darling children are all sweet, but the youngest, Michael, played by Conor O’Brien, stood out. O’Brien has great comedic timing and a very strong, clear voice for a young actor.

When Peter decides to take Wendy, John, and Michael to Neverland, the flying commences. All of the flying actors maintain their lightheartedness, so that the act of flying seems effortless, and is very impressive. As the Darling children learn to fly, the Victorian nursery set slowly disappears piece by piece, leaving them suspended against the London nighttime sky. The audience was clearly captivated.

The second act was even more fun than the first, because here the pirates, Indians, and lost boys are introduced. Director Marc Robin made an excellent choice in mingling both children and boyish-looking adult actors together to comprise the lost boys. Schoeffler is in his element as the ornery Captain Hook, and I laughed out look at his thinking sessions, inspired by various types of pirate dancing. Toni Elizabeth White gave a great supporting performance, as well, as the majestic Tiger Lily, and her dance prowess stood out.

Probably the best scene in the play is the extended celebration between the Indians and the lost boys after they decide to become allies. The dancing must go on for twenty minutes, and these performers are skilled. The Indians did back flips and high kicks, the boy used props to create music in a stomp-like style. There is even a long hand slapping performance that is impressive for sheer memory alone.

I also especially enjoyed the choice of crocodile portrayal the director employed for the third act. This crocodile looks like it came from hell. Godzilla’s got nothing on him.

Another aspect of the play I had forgotten is the ending, which is somewhat eclipsed in most versions of the story by all of the fun in Neverland. The Darling children (accompanied by some friends) return to their family’s house to remain, and Peter promises he’ll come get Wendy to help with his spring cleaning every year. When he returns, Wendy is completely grown with children of her own and can’t go with him. Peter is visibly distressed by the prospect of an adult Wendy, but the play tries to compensate by having Peter take Wendy’s daughter with him instead. It really doesn’t help, because the ending still leaves the audience uncomfortable with the idea of lost youth and adult responsibility.

The Walnut production recognizes the anti-climatic ending, so during the bows they added a few extras to lift the mood. Peter actually flies out into the audience and throws confetti (this close to my face, I swear), and the cast also reprises the slap-dancing scene, with the humor of added characters like Nana and Smee.

I rarely give recommendations this high, but this performance shouldn’t be missed. It’s so much fun that it put me in a good mood for days. I even put aside my pride and approached some cast members who I saw in Starbucks the next day just to tell them how much I enjoyed the performance. Because really, who doesn’t like pirates and fairies?

Peter Pan runs through January 6th at the Walnut Street Theater (http://www.walnutstreettheatre.org/). Persons under the age of 24 can purchase a youth ticket the day of the performance.

You'll Never Look at Gingerbread the Same Way

Attended the Opera Company of Philadelphia's Hansel und Gretel on Wednesday night. So good! It was almost like The Nutcracker in it's otherworldly feel. Engelbert Humperdinck's composition is light and catching. It has a very quaint feel, and I am always fond of country scenes (can't keep my feet still during a mazurka). The plot isn't quite the dark original Brothers Grimm tale, but in this diverting show its nice to have a more lighthearted feel.

Gretel and Hansel, played by Maureen McKay and Lauren Curnow, respectively, were perfectly childlike in their roles, with dead-on mannerisms. Their voices were on par and they kept the mood of the piece fun. Michael Mayes was also very good as their father, Peter, and his voice was very powerful.

Despite the capability of the performers, however, they were overshadowed by the real stars of the show - the scenery and sets. Maurice Sendak, illustrater of the classic children's book Where the Wild Things Are, designed both, and they absolutely make the performance. All the backdrops, scenery, and props are created and painted in his distinctive style and they add the perfect fairy tale feel. Even if you don't like opera, this performance is worth it just to see the set.

Portraiture

Friday night was the official Philadelphia premiere of Portraits of Sari, a new film directed by University of the Arts student Dan Magro. Apparently, some college students find the time to produce feature length films in their spare time. Cue feelings of inadequecy. To boot, the budget of Magro's film was only $5000 dollars, and you would never know it with the results.

Portraits premiered the film to a full house at Gershwinn Hall on the Avenue of the Arts. Portraits of Sari is a coming of age / romantic comedy about students in their first year of art school. The main character, Steven, has an overinvolved mother who inflates his ego and pushes him to succeed at painting. She sets her sights on the university's highly competetive art competition for her son. But Steven's main competetion is Sari, a beuatiful and talented scholarship student. As you can imagine, they butt heads, but sparks also fly. Steven must decide if he will succumb to his mother's proddings or follow his own desires.

The actors (most with limited experience) performed with mixed results. Susan Hoare was appropriately formidable as Steven's mother, and Aleks Krutainis garnered laughs as Steven's flamboyant roommate. Some of the supporting actors, however, were a bit over the top. In the lead, Ryan Windish made for wonderful eye candy, but his acting fell flat. Kristen Hermes as Sari, too, seemed unnatural at moments.

One of the significant hitches in the films was the writing. The scipt seemed torn between a traditional romantic comedy and an absurdist look at art school life. Since the writing did not commit to either, the film was left in a strange limbo. I personally would have preferred a full-on satire of art school, because those were the moments when the film was strongest.

Portraits' greateast strength was the way it was filmed. Magro used very creative camera angles, especially during the yoga class scenes. The settings, too, were lovely. Perhaps my favorite part of the film was the opening credits, which were very unique and entertaining. Magro's love for film truely came across in his unique filming style.

All in all, the contributers to Portraits of Sari should be proud of themselves. They used limited resources to create an impressive feature length film. And you can be sure we'll be hearing much more from Magro in the future. To check out the trailor visit http://www.portraitsfilm.com/.

West Side - Strong Side

Visited the Westin Hotel for their Sessions after reading the write-up in the Inquirer. Erin, my roommate, and I were expecting somewhat stuffy jazz (which is nice every once and a while) and a pretty upscale environment. What we got was indie ballads and a very upscale environment. Quite a juxtaposition. I clearly did not realize what a nice hotel the Westin is because when we entered the lobby I simply gaped and then kept touching the fabulous flowers to see if they were real. The great thing about the Westin, though, is that the staff is not at all snobby. They treated Erin and me with the same attentiveness that they used with hoity toity guests and were very friendly. The organizer, Eric, even went out of his way to introduce himself to us and follow up to see how we enjoyed the music.

The lounge is very cozy with plush chairs and a small bar. Erin and I both tried the bartender, Mandy's, hot apple cider with spiced rum. It hit the spot. The performer, Lance Davis, was amazing. He sat on a bar stool in the corner of the room, strummed his guitar, and sang loneliness into us. His scruffy look and wild hair did not appear very "Westin," and many of the subjects of his songs were definitively anti-Westin (a.k.a. anti-capitalist), but I sure as hell didn't have a problem with it because I could appreciate the irony. His voice was perfect and haunting. His performance made me a little sad, in a bittersweet, nostalgic way.

All around the evening was a great diversion. The drinks were pricy, but there was no pressure to buy more than one and there was no cover for the great music. To check out the upcoming performers go to http://www.curvedominant.com/. The Sessions take place every Wednesday and Friday night from 6-8 pm in the Westin Lounge. Ask for the Lanky Mandy Martini. You won't be sorry.

With a Twist

Now this isn't an event, but I just have to plug this new radio station. Martini Lounge at 1340 AM is probably the best new station to come out in Philadelphia in years. I know few people even bother with the AM dial anymore, but this is reason enough. Martini Lounge plays all the old singers like Peggy Lee, Bobby Darin, and Frank Sinatra. But what makes this station even more appealing is that they also mix in new crooners like Jamie Cullem and Michael Buble. I've been listening to it for about a month now (which is about as long the station's been around) and I've never heard I song I don't like. It's the perfect having-a-glass-of-wine-while-making-dinner station, and great background music for dining, too. The station doesn't have a lot of DJ talk, either, which I hate. On NPR you can talk, but on a music station just play some tunes! (Don't even get me started on Free Beer and Hotwings.) The only drawback to Martini Lounge is that they have frequent commercial breaks, but it's probably because they're just starting out and need to repeat ads often to make up for the small quantity of advertisers. Anyone who likes cleverly-worded retro music will love this station. Listen to Martini Lounge and maybe Philadelphia can finally maintain a good music station!

Winded

The Imani Winds performance at the Seaport Museum last night was an experience. This group merges classical talent with sass for a really fun performance. Their relaxed attitude was very refreshing. Valerie Coleman, the flautist, spoke freestyle to the audience as if it were a private performance, and all the musicians laughed and joked amongst themselves and with the audience. Horn player Jeff Scott even gallantly demonstrated different rhythms for us so that we could understand the process of composition.

Each piece was very well done (these musicians are clearly gifted), but the culmination was Coleman's Afro-Cuban composition. Nobody could sit still during the piece - the body just had to move to the rhythm. I honestly couldn't believe people weren't dancing in the aisles.

Although the focus of the performance was the music, attention must be paid to the absolutely stunning attire of the Imani women. I don't know if they have their dresses made just for them, but they looked as if they couldn't have been more perfectly tailored, and they were gorgeous. I practically salivated at Clarinetist Mariam Adam's scarlet number with canary yellow hemline. Poor Jeff was overshadowed in his ordinary tux, because not only do these women have talent, but they have style.

Into Slumber

Went to the Temple University production of Into the Woods last night, and met with disappointment. This was one of those styles of production I've experienced many times before - caapable cast, terrible plot. I'd never seen Into the Woods before last night, but I knew it was a modern twist on traditional fairy tales. I was pretty stoked because I took a class on fairy tales and their social constructs and I was hoping the play would address those issues. Not so.

The show opened with a professor teaching a lecture on fairy tales, and the stage was set with blackboards filled with academic jibberish about magic realism. It looked promising, but as soon as the action entered into the fairytale world it went downhill. The plot intermingles more fairy tale stories than anyone can stomache in one night without actually developing any of them sufficiently. I was extremely disappointed with the story. I'm a fan of old movies, too, with full five minute scenes of people simply driving in a car, so my boredom says a lot.

The first act is very long, so long in fact that I thought it was the entire performance. The plot (little that there is) is tied up neatly at the end of the act so that most of the audience members were unsure as to whether or not they should leave. The second act is so redundant that I actually fell asleep (again, this is probably a reflection of my limited slumber the night before). The writing is also an odd mixture or cheesiness with the darker aspects of fairy tales. Most of the performance is cheesy, but then a few dark bits, like the evil stepsisters having their eyes pecked out and the Baker's wife sleeping with the prince, are slipped in. It's not enough for the play to examine these darker elements, so they really just appear awkward and completely out of place.

The band was very good, and the singing was on point. I simply found most of the characters dull or annoying. There were a few exceptions, however. Sean Thompson as the wolf, of Little Red Riding Hood, was excellent in act one, although his appearance was brief. He merged physical hunger with sexual appetite seemlessly when he sang about Red Riding Hood, and I've rarely seen anyone pull off leather pants quite so well. The princes, too, handled the comic turn of their vain, philandering characters quite well, especially LJ Norelli when he simulated climbing Rapunzel's hair.

The standout performance of the show, however, was clearly Da'vine Joy Randolph as the Witch. the audience visibly perked when she came on stage. Both her speaking and her singing voices were extremely powerful and her presence was so strong that she almost dwarfed the other actors. She clearly has a career ahead of her.

My recommendation for Into the Woods: unless you're into extreme cheesiness and find actual plots difficult to follow, it's a miss. You're better off picking up a copy of the Brothers Grimm.

The X Factor

Last night I attended the opening night of Ballet X's performance in their new home at the Wilma Theater. My friend Leah was reviewing the show for the paper and we consequently were invited to the pre-premiere cocktail hour, replete with schmoozing patrons and choreographers. We immediately made friends with the wine distributer who refilled our glasses unasked throughout the night. Matthew Neenan and Christine Cox made an announcement thanking everyone for their support and pointed out the guest choreographer, Adam Hougland from Californina, standing right next to our table. Leah sidled up to him and began asking him about his piece, which he said was very abstract. The only morsel he would allow was that he instructed the dancers to think of what it would be like for a couple to lose a child and how that would change their relationship.

There were three pieces in the show. The first, choreographed by Neenan, appealed to me for it's combination of traditional ballet with an unexpected element. The classical music was beautiful and the lighting soft. The dancers incorporated perfect form with contrasting movements. It reminded me of Harlem Renaisance poetry, with the movements strung together in as unique a sequence as Hughes' words.

I must confess that during the second piece, choreographed by Cox, I was not as alert as I would've liked to have been, but it was hardly a reflection of the performance (more likely my five hours of sleep the night before). Cox's choreography focused on relationships - heterosexual and homosexual. I particularly enjoyed dancer Emily Wagner's jealous glares during the love triangle part. Cox's choice of Bjork music, too, was a very good fit.

Hougland's final piece, however, was the culmination. The dancers took the stage, seemingly struggling to run in slow motion. When Heidi Cruz-Austin and Meredith Rainey danced as the grief-stricken parents I couldn't take my eyes off of them. Both exceptional dancers, they conveyed absolutely both the repulsion and the need for comfort that spouses feel for each other after they lose a child. Aftet this piece the company received a standing ovation.

I am a Ballet X convert. They combine the classical technique with an edginess unexplored by most traditional ballet companies. And these company members are athletes to the corps. I could see their muscles rippling from my seat.

After the performance I had an even better treat - my favorite soloist from the PA Ballet was in the audience and I got to meet him. Of course I got starstruck and shied away at first, but I finally approached James Ihde, a dancer I've admired since I was about twelve and told him how much I had enjoyed his last performance. He was very gracious and approachable, thereby making my night even better.

My experience last evening only proves that those who think ballet is a sterile thing of the past are wrong. Ballet is far from obsolete. It's reshaping for the future, and Ballet X is giving audience members a prequel.