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| Soon, we'll be an island. |
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| Officially, we are an island. |
Showing posts with label stltoday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stltoday. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
It's time for Snowpocalypse Bingo!
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| twitter.com/weatherbird (Dan Martin) |
If you're stuck at home -- judging from today's workplace turnout, a lot of you are -- print yourself a few of these bingo cards, turn on your favorite (or least favorite) TV meteorologist and get ready for some serious LOLZ.
You can thank my friend and colleague Erica Smith for this. She's genius -- and she does great imitations.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Review: Stylish 'Dralion' has plenty of Cirque du Soleil substance
Cirque du Soleil is known for infusing circus acts with a healthy dose of theatrics and storytelling, and "Dralion," at Chaifetz Arena through Sunday, is a spectacular display of the company's artistic talents.
The premise of this show: Air, water, fire and earth take on human forms, and cultures from around the world harmoniously blend with nature. There's no narrative or storyline — though two vocalists frequently sing falsetto in a made-up language — so it's easy to focus on the talented performers.
And there's a lot of talent.
In an energetic feat that was a highlight of Act 1, six aerialists bounce back and forth on two trampolines, using a futuristic, metal wall for diving and landing. At times, they even seem to be walking on the wall.
Contortionist Han Yuzen twists her limber body in an elegant balancing sequence performed atop a rotating post in the center of the stage.
A beautiful routine called "Aerial Pas de Deux" showcases the strength and flexibility of two equally beautiful aerialists (Amanda Orozco and Lorant Markocsany), who intertwine and glide through the air on a piece of blue fabric.
An African-inspired hoop-diving sequence features 10 performers who dive through a series of tiny hoops, some of which rotate.
And in an upbeat Act 1 finale, we meet the show's namesake, the Dralion, a hybrid of the traditional Chinese dragon and lion characters. Tumblers inside Dralion costumes dance to country-style music and balance effortlessly on large, wooden balls.
"Dralion" has a few issues with pacing. The momentum established by high-energy acts is brought to a halt repeatedly by a trio of French-speaking clowns whose presence in this show is inexplicable. While they get laughs, their belabored bits rely heavily on participation from an audience member (we've seen enough circuses to know what's up) who is brought on stage several times.
A moving musical score, which includes sounds and instruments from around the world, is performed by five musicians, mostly obscured behind the set.
In true Cirque du Soleil style, "Dralion" is a technically complicated spectacle, with lights and moving parts everywhere. But it also has plenty of substance to delight and entertain.
By Gabe Hartwig • ©2011 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 01.20.11
The premise of this show: Air, water, fire and earth take on human forms, and cultures from around the world harmoniously blend with nature. There's no narrative or storyline — though two vocalists frequently sing falsetto in a made-up language — so it's easy to focus on the talented performers.
And there's a lot of talent.
In an energetic feat that was a highlight of Act 1, six aerialists bounce back and forth on two trampolines, using a futuristic, metal wall for diving and landing. At times, they even seem to be walking on the wall.
Contortionist Han Yuzen twists her limber body in an elegant balancing sequence performed atop a rotating post in the center of the stage.
A beautiful routine called "Aerial Pas de Deux" showcases the strength and flexibility of two equally beautiful aerialists (Amanda Orozco and Lorant Markocsany), who intertwine and glide through the air on a piece of blue fabric.
An African-inspired hoop-diving sequence features 10 performers who dive through a series of tiny hoops, some of which rotate.
And in an upbeat Act 1 finale, we meet the show's namesake, the Dralion, a hybrid of the traditional Chinese dragon and lion characters. Tumblers inside Dralion costumes dance to country-style music and balance effortlessly on large, wooden balls.
"Dralion" has a few issues with pacing. The momentum established by high-energy acts is brought to a halt repeatedly by a trio of French-speaking clowns whose presence in this show is inexplicable. While they get laughs, their belabored bits rely heavily on participation from an audience member (we've seen enough circuses to know what's up) who is brought on stage several times.
A moving musical score, which includes sounds and instruments from around the world, is performed by five musicians, mostly obscured behind the set.
In true Cirque du Soleil style, "Dralion" is a technically complicated spectacle, with lights and moving parts everywhere. But it also has plenty of substance to delight and entertain.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Theater review: Metro Theater brings young-adult favorite 'The Giver' to life
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Mitchell List as Jonas (left) and Nicholas Kryah as the Giver in Metro Theater Company's production of "The Giver" (Photo by Dunsi Dai) |
The inhabitants of the futuristic community in "The Giver" are fortunate to live without the things we hope never to endure: war, poverty, hunger, pain. But they also lack the things that make us who we are: choices, differences, memories, love.
In this world, everyone wears the same gray uniform. Children, one boy and one girl, are issued to each set of parents; spouses are assigned. Climate control has made sunlight and snow obsolete. And careers are given to children when they turn 12.
Young Jonas finds out his job assignment: He will train to become the new Receiver of Memory, a respected position that will expose him to things he's been shielded from all his life. The current Receiver of Memory, whom Jonas refers to as the Giver, holds the memories of life before Sameness began. Without him, memories of the past would return to the community members.
Young-adult author Lois Lowry created this dystopian world in 1994, and playwright Eric Coble adapted her Newbery Medal-winning book for the stage. It's presented by Metro Theater Company and the Edison Theatre.
Coble's adaptation is true to Lowry's story, and at just over an hour, it's easy for young audiences to digest. But older audience members may yearn for more explanation and development, especially as Jonas plans a daring escape from the life that's been chosen for him.
Carol North's direction of the troupe, which includes double casting in the children's roles (an energetic and delightful Christian Probst was Jonas in Saturday's performance), is flawless. Scenic design by Dunsi Dai is simple yet stylish, and lights by John Wylie bring the Giver's memories to life and fill the gray stage with color. Props are kept to a minimum, but creative sound design by Rusty Wandall and effects by Lance Garger give dimension to the actors' frequently pantomimed actions.
Metro veteran Nicholas Kryah makes the Giver warm and lovable, and Stephanie Strohman and David Wassilak are Jonas' eternally cheerful mother and father.
Issues with the actors' microphones, which seem unnecessary in a house the size of the Edison Theatre, plagued the show on Saturday evening, but "The Giver" is otherwise a compelling and thought-provoking piece of family theater.
And it will do what good theater should: Give you something to talk about.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Q&A: Cirque magic also happens in the orchestra pit
When "Cirque du Soleil: Dralion" swoops into Chaifetz Arena, it will boast some spectacular performances — in the air and in the orchestra pit. We chatted with Anthony Cooperwood, who's been a musician with Cirque du Soleil since 2001, about life with the circus.
• You're from Kansas City, but where do you call home when you're not on the road? When I'm not working, I'm living in Montreal.
• You've toured around the world. What are some highlights from your travels? I'd say that some of my favorite places to play have actually been with the circus. We've been performing all over the world, and Spain has been one of my favorite places — Barcelona, especially, and Malaga and Valencia were quite special. We were in those places for a total of about a year. Touring through western Europe was nice. ... When we're not performing, we have the opportunity to stay in these areas for about a month at a time, so we had an opportunity to really visit and get to know the cities and the countries. Getting a better knowledge of Europe was great.
• How long have you been with Cirque du Soleil? I've been with Cirque off and on since about 2001, so almost seven years.
• What are some of the challenges of performing for live theater versus just performing music? It's the fluidity of the show. ... When we have a live show, we have a band, so the actual editing takes place on the spot. We do a lot of the shows kinda flying by the seat of our pants. We've got a great band, and we've got some talented musicians, and we kind of evolve with the show as it's going. We can't say that any particular show is exactly like another because it constantly changes. Of course, there's blocking and rehearsals, and people usually hit their marks on time and things like that, but you never know when an artist is gonna fall or miss a jump or something. So we sometimes might have to solo a little bit longer, we might have to cut an area shorter, we might have to jump over an entire section. By doing this — by maintaining the fluidity of the music with the show — the audience will never know that anything is amiss.
• You've conducted the orchestra, so what's that like, getting to make some of those calls? I've done that in the past ... but I'm not the backup conductor on this show. If the main conductor gets sick, then I would actually take his place and call the show - and I would play my parts. I'm the keyboard player and the bass player for the show, then there's also the conductor. He plays keyboards also, but he mainly triggers the various sequences, and he acts as the liason between the band and the stage management. The stage manager, in the front of the house, actually calls the show. He'll get information from the conductor, who will relay that information to us. In a case where I would actually have to call the show, I would have to do my parts — the keyboard 2 parts — as well as the keyboard 1 parts, as well as trigger the sequences, and be the liason between stage management and the show as the action unfolds onstage.
• Is the orchestra in a pit or backstage? Can you see the show as it unfolds? Absolutely — we're in a pit, and we're watching the show as it's running. Because the music is such an integral part of the show, we're the glue that holds the entire show together, so it's important that we see everything that happens onstage. We're integrated into the stage in a pit area. If you know where to look for us, you will see us; if you don't know, you really won't notice us. It's really subtle. ... For things that we can't see that well, we also have video monitors that come from a camera located in the front of the house.
• I haven't yet said the name of the show because I'm not sure how to pronounce it. Help me. I pronounce it Drah-lee-on. It's a combination of the word "dragon" and "lion," and that's the concept of the show. East meets West.
• Tell me about some of the sounds we'll hear in "Dralion." The score for the show is extremely diverse — there are didgeridoos (Australian wind instruments), there are French horns, there are strings, there are whistles and flutes from the Far East. I do a lot of the weather effects — thunder to go along with the lighting that comes from the lighting department. ... The percussionists have percussion instruments literally from all around the world. Our percussionist is from Australia, and our drummer is from Brazil. He brings some of his Brazilian influences into the drumkit for the show. We have a violinist, an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar. I play upright electric bass, as well as five-string bass and fretless bass, as well as keyboards and piano. There's country-type music, there's Irish-type music — it's really a mix of so much different world music.
• Do you have a favorite act in the show? I do. In the second half of the show, there's a ballet between two people. ... It's an aerial dance between two artists, a male and a female. It's a very romantic moment in the show — a very uplifting and very etherial kind of thing.
• Have you ever been tempted to hop onstage and try any stunts? No! Not at all! So many of us have so many different talents, and we kind of stick to what we do. But that's onstage. Behind the stage, we can have all sorts of fun! Backstage, when we're in rehearsals or after the show or before the show, we have lots of fun on the various apparatus — learning to do backflips and juggle. The juggler teaches a lot of people to juggle, and it's really neat. A lot of the people behind the scenes are sharing their art with other people. ... We have a trampoline back there, so some people are learning to do some exercises on that. It's really kind of cool — this big sharing of knowledge. And then a lot of the acrobatic artists want to learn musical instruments, so some people will bring a guitar, and our guitar player will give guitar lessons. And there's also languages — we're teaching each other languages. Some of the people who speak English are teaching some of the Chinese to speak English, and some of the people who speak Chinese are teaching some of the English people how to speak Chinese.
• So, anything you've picked up that you're ready to take on the road? Actually, when I first started playing in this show, I was only a keyboard player, and I was playing the bass on the left hand — I was doing left-hand keyboard bass. But there were so many bass parts that it just made sense to learn the instrument. So I actually did learn the bass instrument on the road, and we put that into the show. Before I learned bass instruments, I learned how to play the Chapman Stick (a two-handed fretboard instrument) to cover some of the bass parts and then put that into the show. So some of the things that I learned on the fly did go into the show.
• Finally, what's in heavy rotation on your iPod right now? I was just listening to the Foo Fighters earlier today as I was working out at the gym. And I've got some songs by Sting that I really like. I'm listening to some jazz, as well — Oscar Peterson's always great.
By Gabe Hartwig • ©2011 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 01.13.11
• You're from Kansas City, but where do you call home when you're not on the road? When I'm not working, I'm living in Montreal.
• You've toured around the world. What are some highlights from your travels? I'd say that some of my favorite places to play have actually been with the circus. We've been performing all over the world, and Spain has been one of my favorite places — Barcelona, especially, and Malaga and Valencia were quite special. We were in those places for a total of about a year. Touring through western Europe was nice. ... When we're not performing, we have the opportunity to stay in these areas for about a month at a time, so we had an opportunity to really visit and get to know the cities and the countries. Getting a better knowledge of Europe was great.
• How long have you been with Cirque du Soleil? I've been with Cirque off and on since about 2001, so almost seven years.
• What are some of the challenges of performing for live theater versus just performing music? It's the fluidity of the show. ... When we have a live show, we have a band, so the actual editing takes place on the spot. We do a lot of the shows kinda flying by the seat of our pants. We've got a great band, and we've got some talented musicians, and we kind of evolve with the show as it's going. We can't say that any particular show is exactly like another because it constantly changes. Of course, there's blocking and rehearsals, and people usually hit their marks on time and things like that, but you never know when an artist is gonna fall or miss a jump or something. So we sometimes might have to solo a little bit longer, we might have to cut an area shorter, we might have to jump over an entire section. By doing this — by maintaining the fluidity of the music with the show — the audience will never know that anything is amiss.
• You've conducted the orchestra, so what's that like, getting to make some of those calls? I've done that in the past ... but I'm not the backup conductor on this show. If the main conductor gets sick, then I would actually take his place and call the show - and I would play my parts. I'm the keyboard player and the bass player for the show, then there's also the conductor. He plays keyboards also, but he mainly triggers the various sequences, and he acts as the liason between the band and the stage management. The stage manager, in the front of the house, actually calls the show. He'll get information from the conductor, who will relay that information to us. In a case where I would actually have to call the show, I would have to do my parts — the keyboard 2 parts — as well as the keyboard 1 parts, as well as trigger the sequences, and be the liason between stage management and the show as the action unfolds onstage.
• Is the orchestra in a pit or backstage? Can you see the show as it unfolds? Absolutely — we're in a pit, and we're watching the show as it's running. Because the music is such an integral part of the show, we're the glue that holds the entire show together, so it's important that we see everything that happens onstage. We're integrated into the stage in a pit area. If you know where to look for us, you will see us; if you don't know, you really won't notice us. It's really subtle. ... For things that we can't see that well, we also have video monitors that come from a camera located in the front of the house.
• I haven't yet said the name of the show because I'm not sure how to pronounce it. Help me. I pronounce it Drah-lee-on. It's a combination of the word "dragon" and "lion," and that's the concept of the show. East meets West.
• Tell me about some of the sounds we'll hear in "Dralion." The score for the show is extremely diverse — there are didgeridoos (Australian wind instruments), there are French horns, there are strings, there are whistles and flutes from the Far East. I do a lot of the weather effects — thunder to go along with the lighting that comes from the lighting department. ... The percussionists have percussion instruments literally from all around the world. Our percussionist is from Australia, and our drummer is from Brazil. He brings some of his Brazilian influences into the drumkit for the show. We have a violinist, an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar. I play upright electric bass, as well as five-string bass and fretless bass, as well as keyboards and piano. There's country-type music, there's Irish-type music — it's really a mix of so much different world music.
• Do you have a favorite act in the show? I do. In the second half of the show, there's a ballet between two people. ... It's an aerial dance between two artists, a male and a female. It's a very romantic moment in the show — a very uplifting and very etherial kind of thing.
• Have you ever been tempted to hop onstage and try any stunts? No! Not at all! So many of us have so many different talents, and we kind of stick to what we do. But that's onstage. Behind the stage, we can have all sorts of fun! Backstage, when we're in rehearsals or after the show or before the show, we have lots of fun on the various apparatus — learning to do backflips and juggle. The juggler teaches a lot of people to juggle, and it's really neat. A lot of the people behind the scenes are sharing their art with other people. ... We have a trampoline back there, so some people are learning to do some exercises on that. It's really kind of cool — this big sharing of knowledge. And then a lot of the acrobatic artists want to learn musical instruments, so some people will bring a guitar, and our guitar player will give guitar lessons. And there's also languages — we're teaching each other languages. Some of the people who speak English are teaching some of the Chinese to speak English, and some of the people who speak Chinese are teaching some of the English people how to speak Chinese.
• So, anything you've picked up that you're ready to take on the road? Actually, when I first started playing in this show, I was only a keyboard player, and I was playing the bass on the left hand — I was doing left-hand keyboard bass. But there were so many bass parts that it just made sense to learn the instrument. So I actually did learn the bass instrument on the road, and we put that into the show. Before I learned bass instruments, I learned how to play the Chapman Stick (a two-handed fretboard instrument) to cover some of the bass parts and then put that into the show. So some of the things that I learned on the fly did go into the show.
• Finally, what's in heavy rotation on your iPod right now? I was just listening to the Foo Fighters earlier today as I was working out at the gym. And I've got some songs by Sting that I really like. I'm listening to some jazz, as well — Oscar Peterson's always great.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Theater review: Circus gets upstaged in 'Cirque Dreams Holidaze'
"Cirque Dreams Holidaze," now playing at the Fox Theatre, is surprisingly short on cirque.
By Gabe Hartwig • ©2010 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 12.23.10
Not traditional clowns-and-elephants circuses, Cirque Dreams' shows are heavy on theatrics and original music. But those elements aren't particularly strong in this incarnation of the franchise, created and directed by Neil Goldberg.
While none of the circus acts in "Holidaze" are especially astounding, they are a pleasure to watch: A pair of aerialists twist and glide through a spinning ring; a cooing baby elf climbs high into the air on a tower of chairs and milk bottles; a pair of penguin roller-skaters race atop a circular platform; and a husband-and-wife team performs a beautiful aerial dance with a long piece of fabric, often soaring above the first few rows of the audience.
But there's a lot competing for attention, and too often the circus is upstaged by the other characters. Even the busy set is distracting, and the dim, neon lighting doesn't do much to highlight what we're supposed to pay attention to.
"Holidaze" attempts, like too many circuses, to have a plot: The Christmas ornaments have come to life. It's a fun idea, but there is little follow-through, making every scene feel random. Several odd characters come and go for no reason, including a moon-headed couple resembling onetime McDonald's mascot Mac Tonight and a group of eerie, floating children's faces. In one scene, actors appear, inexplicably, with hand puppets.
"Holidaze" comes with the requisite audience interaction, including a child who is plucked from the crowd and sent onstage (too soon we determine the child is with the cast) and a fun (albeit belabored) routine where a conductor teaches five audience members to play handbells.
The show includes a few familiar Christmas tunes, but the original music and lyrics by Jill Winters and David Scott are forgettable. It's often a struggle to decipher what the songs are about, though more than one hint, oddly, at the economy.
Emily Matheson, in a hoopy dress that seems taken from Lady Gaga's closet, is a standout, singing beautifully as the Ice Queen. It's a shame she doesn't have better material to work with.
There is plenty here for children to enjoy — if they're not scared by the show's dark undertones. But grown-ups likely will be the ones who leave "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" feeling a bit dazed and confused.
While none of the circus acts in "Holidaze" are especially astounding, they are a pleasure to watch: A pair of aerialists twist and glide through a spinning ring; a cooing baby elf climbs high into the air on a tower of chairs and milk bottles; a pair of penguin roller-skaters race atop a circular platform; and a husband-and-wife team performs a beautiful aerial dance with a long piece of fabric, often soaring above the first few rows of the audience.
But there's a lot competing for attention, and too often the circus is upstaged by the other characters. Even the busy set is distracting, and the dim, neon lighting doesn't do much to highlight what we're supposed to pay attention to.
"Holidaze" attempts, like too many circuses, to have a plot: The Christmas ornaments have come to life. It's a fun idea, but there is little follow-through, making every scene feel random. Several odd characters come and go for no reason, including a moon-headed couple resembling onetime McDonald's mascot Mac Tonight and a group of eerie, floating children's faces. In one scene, actors appear, inexplicably, with hand puppets.
"Holidaze" comes with the requisite audience interaction, including a child who is plucked from the crowd and sent onstage (too soon we determine the child is with the cast) and a fun (albeit belabored) routine where a conductor teaches five audience members to play handbells.
The show includes a few familiar Christmas tunes, but the original music and lyrics by Jill Winters and David Scott are forgettable. It's often a struggle to decipher what the songs are about, though more than one hint, oddly, at the economy.
Emily Matheson, in a hoopy dress that seems taken from Lady Gaga's closet, is a standout, singing beautifully as the Ice Queen. It's a shame she doesn't have better material to work with.
There is plenty here for children to enjoy — if they're not scared by the show's dark undertones. But grown-ups likely will be the ones who leave "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" feeling a bit dazed and confused.
Monday, December 20, 2010
A holiday surprise
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| Handmade social-media ornaments on the Christmas tree at my desk. Also visible are Weatherbird's underpants and a monkey wearing a crown. |
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Theater review: NonProphets' 'Reckless'
is a no-frills holiday treat
Christmas has arrived early, and we owe the NonProphet Theater Company (and maybe even Santa) a nice thank-you card for giving us "Reckless," which closes the company's 2010 season on a happily sardonic note.
The dark comedy by Craig Lucas ("The Light in the Piazza," "Prelude to a Kiss") plays out over 20 years, beginning one snowy Christmas Eve when Tom (played by Tom Lehmann) confesses to his wife, Rachel (Michelle Hand), that he's hired a hit man to kill her.
Rachel flees into the darkness, still wearing her nightgown and slippers, and begins a road to self-discovery and eventual happiness.
While "Reckless" isn't exactly a show about Christmas, the holiday serves as a touchstone to mark the progression of time and highs and lows in Rachel's life.
Hand — full of energy and possessing a crystal-clear understanding of the character — delivers a superb Rachel. Her performance is compelling to the point where we find ourselves sharing many of the emotions Rachel experiences. (Also, Hand is adorable.)
Ben Ritchie displays good range as Lloyd, a soft-spoken physical therapist, and Katie Donnelly is his wife, Pooty, a paraplegic mute. The two adopt Rachel into their family, and, as she soon learns, the couple is hiding more than a few secrets.
The cast also includes, playing multiple roles, Raynard Fox, Elizabeth Graveman and Theresa Masters (who expertly portrays six different therapists).
The characters in "Reckless" seem to exist in a world with no authority figures. And we aren't even sure why Tom decided to have Rachel killed — the domino that sets the whole thing into motion. The show is dominated by so many plot twists that her attempted murder turns out to not be crucial information anyway.
NonProphet is a company known for its no-frills style, and director Robert Mitchell doesn't stray from that method with "Reckless." At times — a scene where an actor holds a telephone and wears a sign reading "I am a phone booth," for instance — the production feels almost like a skit. The scenery and props are adequate, if a little shabby, but the actors are what matter here.
By Gabe Hartwig • ©2010 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 12.08.10
The dark comedy by Craig Lucas ("The Light in the Piazza," "Prelude to a Kiss") plays out over 20 years, beginning one snowy Christmas Eve when Tom (played by Tom Lehmann) confesses to his wife, Rachel (Michelle Hand), that he's hired a hit man to kill her.
Rachel flees into the darkness, still wearing her nightgown and slippers, and begins a road to self-discovery and eventual happiness.
While "Reckless" isn't exactly a show about Christmas, the holiday serves as a touchstone to mark the progression of time and highs and lows in Rachel's life.
Hand — full of energy and possessing a crystal-clear understanding of the character — delivers a superb Rachel. Her performance is compelling to the point where we find ourselves sharing many of the emotions Rachel experiences. (Also, Hand is adorable.)
Ben Ritchie displays good range as Lloyd, a soft-spoken physical therapist, and Katie Donnelly is his wife, Pooty, a paraplegic mute. The two adopt Rachel into their family, and, as she soon learns, the couple is hiding more than a few secrets.
The cast also includes, playing multiple roles, Raynard Fox, Elizabeth Graveman and Theresa Masters (who expertly portrays six different therapists).
The characters in "Reckless" seem to exist in a world with no authority figures. And we aren't even sure why Tom decided to have Rachel killed — the domino that sets the whole thing into motion. The show is dominated by so many plot twists that her attempted murder turns out to not be crucial information anyway.
NonProphet is a company known for its no-frills style, and director Robert Mitchell doesn't stray from that method with "Reckless." At times — a scene where an actor holds a telephone and wears a sign reading "I am a phone booth," for instance — the production feels almost like a skit. The scenery and props are adequate, if a little shabby, but the actors are what matter here.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Theater review: Twister drops
Dorothy into a sloppy 'Oz'
 |
| Members of the original cast of "The Wizard of Oz" (Handout) |
It really isn't fair to compare "The Wizard of Oz," playing at the Fox Theatre through Sunday, to "Wicked." But anyone who's seen "Wicked" at least once will come away from "The Wizard of Oz" feeling a bit underwhelmed.
"Wicked" takes familiar material and enhances it, partly by changing the point of view. Somehow, though, this adaptation of "Oz" manages to mute a lot of the shine and glitz we've come to expect, making even Munchkinland and the Emerald City seem drab.
"The Wizard of Oz," directed by Nigel West, mostly follows the familiar 1939 film — right down to the sepia-toned opening, which was absolutely perfect in execution — but it also takes liberties and adds twists.
Some work; others don't.
Many of the special effects in the show are created with projections, which are astounding to watch — especially the twister scene, which is a spectacle.
But others, namely any scene where a character must fly, are sloppy. Glinda's floating bubble (which looks a lot like Glinda's bubble in "Wicked") is anything but graceful and on opening night never completely disappeared from view after floating offstage. Much of the scenery looks dreary and amateurish.
Given the realistic feel of certain scenes, it seems an odd fit that other scenes are so abstract. The poppies, for instance, are just dancers in red dresses and vests. And the talking trees are dancers in sexy, black dresses and tall (Lady Gaga-inspired?) hairdos.
A dance number that was cut from the film returns in this show: "the Jitterbug," wherein the Wicked Witch dispatches enchanted bugs to bite Dorothy and her friends, forcing them to dance until they drop. The costumes, choreography, lighting and energy in this scene should have been the standard for the rest of the show.
The acting and singing, though, is quite strong, especially Kate Bristol as Dorothy and Pat Sibley as the Wicked Witch of the West.
Bristol, who shows lots of wide-eyed wonder and never goes too far by trying to be Judy Garland, is charming. Her "Over the Rainbow" doesn't copy Garland's, and it's just beautiful.
Sibley embodies Margaret Hamilton's evil, cackling witch from the film, and it serves her well. (Her green makeup really ought to cover her visible neck, though.)
Other standouts include Jesse Coleman (Lion), Beau Hutchings (in a truly dreadful Tin Man costume), Andrew Haserlat (Scarecrow), Robert John Biedermann (the Wizard of Oz) and, of course, Dusty (Toto). Members of the Muny Kids play Munchkins and Winkies.
Children — this show's primary audience, clearly — will love "The Wizard of Oz." In the end, that's most important. But the adults who pay for the tickets deserve a little more polish.
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