Oh, What A Night!

Springfield Symphony Orchestra
Symphony Hall, Springfield
www.springfieldsymphony.org
April 16, 2011
by Shera Cohen

Question: when is it appropriate to give a standing ovation? One Answer: when it's impossible not to immediately jump up out of the seat with hands clapping almost uncontrollably at the end of a performance. That was the case for over half of the audience at Springfield Symphony Orchestra's latest Pops Concert. This reviewer was among those leading the Standing O.

One might assume that such accolades, particularly in the elegant and formal setting of Symphony Hall, only qualify for works of Brahms and Beethoven, et al. These were the masters; let us rise to the occasion. "Oh, What A Night," however, was an evening celebrating the Top Hits of the 60's. That's 1960's, not 1860's. This was the music whose tunes and lyrics were ever-present in the minds of the nearly 2000 in attendance. We got what we came for, and more!

The placement and pace of the 30+ pieces of music, made for a well-orchestrated (literally and figuratively) show. Genres swayed from Latin (the opening number "La Bamba") to funk (electric guitar intro of "Aquarius"), ballads (the haunting "Unchained Melody') to rock (the only female tribute in "Respect"). Memorable medleys included the Four Seasons, the Beatles, and Smokey Robinson. The entertainment balance shifted from orchestra-only (a rockin' "Tequila") to male vocal trio (semi acapella "Try a Little Tenderness") to solos (a sexy "It's Not Unusual"). Who would have guessed that scholastically trained and talented dramatic Broadway alums (i.e. "Phantom" and "Les Miz") could get down and wild on stage? Ron Bohmer, Tituss Burgess, and Bradley Dean enjoyed every moment that they gave to their audience. One particular skill, and perhaps competition, was holding the final note the longest. Each man's individual characteristics - Bohmer's mugging, Burgess' casualness, and Dean's feigned angst - added to their appeal.

Maestro Kevin Rhodes, along with some members of the orchestra and audience, took the theme of the night seriously. The normally bald Rhodes donned a huge Afro wig, tie-dyed shirt, and leather vest. He might not have been a baby boomer, but he played one at the podium. "Oh, What A Night" was a leisurely, memory-evoking, fun night.

Masterworks Program No. 7

Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Hartford, CT
www.hartfordsymphony.org
April 14, 2011
by Terry Larsen

If one were to "surf the net" for a list of the 100 works most performed by symphony orchestras, pieces by Brahms and Beethoven would be well represented. Works by Paul Hindemith would not appear on the list. For this reviewer, however, the performance of his Konzertmusik for Strings and Brass, op. 50 was the most impressive and moving moment of the evening. Its harmonic language is quite idiosyncratic, setting rich timbres of brass and strings sailing on a dark, turbulent sea of dense harmony and compact motivic material. It is a truly impressive and interesting work that invites further investigation. HSO should be applauded for programming that includes music on the margins of symphonic "business as usual".

By comparison, Beethoven's well known Leonore Overture No. 3, one of four overtures written for his only opera Fidelio, seemed all sweetness and lace. The Leonore is customary concert fare that has taken on a life of its own divorced from its seldom performed parent. In it is heard, in microcosm, the themes of love, valor, loyalty and redemption. The HSO played with clarity and precision, bringing this revered work to life with graceful attention to detail.

Brahms' first piano concerto, written at age 25, was not well received by audiences nor by the orchestra entrusted with its care in its premiere performance. Brahms was traumatized by this indifferent reception. Thankfully, time has proven more kind to this massive concerto.  Conductor Edward Cumming, the HSO, and accomplished pianist Matei Varga were in perfect accord, achieving a fine balance between the brilliant passages for piano that are embedded within the enormous orchestral scaffold. Varga won the hearts of the audience with his masterful command of the delicate passages as well as those more pyrotechnical moments, a sweet smile on his face and fire at his fingertips.

It should be noted that Cumming's tenure with this fine orchestra will draw to a close soon. He is a most impressive musician and director who has led with great distinction. Bravo, Maestro!

The 39 Steps

Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT
www.hartfordstage.org
through May 1, 2011
by Shera Cohen

Only one serious error can be pointed out in Hartford Stage's production of "The 39 Steps" - the ending. No, not the ending of the play, but the curtain call bowing. The cast of four are divided, two then the other two, receiving audience applause. Each member of the quartet deserves equal, and huge, credit.

That being said, the play itself is an extremely clever combination of movie elements from Alfred Hitchcock mysteries (the play is based on his movie of the same name), to 1940's film noir, to Keystone Cops, and Monty Python. Throw in a spy, a corpse, a mansion and it's a flick. In fact, some audience members at Hartford Stage are seated as if watching a movie within a play. There's the handsome run-away hero (with pencil mustache), the double roled femme fatale/woman on the train, and all the rest. The latter meaning two actors take on the incredibly difficult task of portraying dozens of characters each, changing costumes and sexes with split second timing.

Director Maxwell Williams, along with his scenic designer, lighting and sound team, not to mention backstage dressers, is due equal kudos to those onstage. A rather disheveled odd looking set with a stack of motley props becomes numerous indoor and outdoor scenes - sometimes both at the same time. One prop morphs from a waterfall into a train. The train chase is the most creative and funniest moment in the play. While the characters take themselves very seriously, the humor is displayed through their movements. Dialogue alone would not make "The 39 Steps" a comedy, which is probably why Hitchcock knew it worked as a dark mystery.

Robert Eli portrays our matinee hero with spot-on aplomb and a feigned sophisticated demeanor. For most of the play, Christina Pumariega depicts a damsel in distress who underplays her role to help the other cast members receive the laughs. Noble Shropshire and Steve French are "the other cast members." Versatile, malleable, physical, and quick, with accents to fit each separate role, these two take the play from funny to hysterical.

Gypsy

Westfield Theatre Group
Westfield Women's Club, Westfield, MA
www.westfieldtheatregroup.com
through April 16, 2011
by Vickie Phillips

An ambitious task was undertaken by Westfield Theatre Group mounting the Tony award-winning Broadway Musical "Gypsy," pulling out all the stops with 31 cast members, 18 production staff and a dynamite orchestra with Music Director Karla Newmark and Conductor David Kidwell.

The story of the life of famous Burlesque Queen Gypsy Rose Lee from childhood to stardom with domineering mother, talented sister Baby June, and the enduring dreams of performers in show business, is familiar to both stage and screen audiences. Director Bob Laviolette assembled a talented local cast who entertained an appreciative audience. Starting with Kaylee Wilson, (Baby June) and Claudia Tosi (Baby Louise) auditioning for Uncle Jocko's (Rock Palmer) Kiddy Show, the message rings loud and clear. . ."talent notwithstanding prevails". All the unique visuals projected in the background, not only during the overture, but throughout the many scene changes are mega creative.

Jami Wilson (June) and Amy Szczepaniuk Meek (Louisa/Gypsy) have the challenging task of age range. Their duet, "If Mama Was Married" has solid vocal blend and staging. Talk about "growing" into her role, Meek's stature and talent as Gypsy Rose Lee is amazing. Her every Burlesque House scene shows her triumph of becoming a star. Then, the energetic "You Gotta Have a Gimmick" showgirls Winnie Legere (Electra), Rae Banigan (Tessie) and Bump It with a Trumpet Carol Palmer (Mazzepa) pull out all the stops. Palmer actually played that trumpet. These gals do grind their way into the hearts of the audience with their show-stopping moment.  Also, "Together" with Roxanne Labato Bailey (Rose), Steve Bailey (Herbie) and Meek, has a nice and easy on-stage play.

Choreography credit goes to David Bovat, who always creates a visual banquet for the stage. Keeping in mind that not all people in community theatre are actually dancers, Bovat tailors simpler but coordinated steps accordingly. Another outstanding credit goes to MaryAnn Scognamiglio for razzle dazzle costumes - most especially the Burlesque ladies who were bedazzling from head to toe.

Mariachi los Camperos de Nati Cano

UMass Fine Arts Center, Amherst, MA
www.umass.edu/fac/
April 6, 2011
by Stacie Beland

When an average, uninitiated person thinks of Mariachi music, a number of clichés are immediately conjured. It's not a genre that has received much mainstream attention, perhaps at least partially due to those clichés. The performance given by Mariachi los Camperos de Nati Cano at the UMass Fine Arts Center, however, was a fine example of harmony, musicality, and beautiful voices. In an age where harmony can be produced by laptops and vocal harmonies are typically mixed in a studio, to be able to bear witness to truly remarkable live music is a rare feat.

The group, which is typical of most Mariachi bands in that it incorporates violins, trumpets, classical guitars, a vihuela, a guitarron, and a harp, was not only a joy to listen to, they were a joy to watch.  Many of the musicians played at least two instruments and additionally lent their vocal stylings to the mix. The band members were also highly engaging, playing all of their songs from memory and tossing more than a few winks and smiles to the audience as they did so. The audience, clearly thrilled by the performance, was often moved to sing along and in some cases, got out of their seats to dance. Mariachi is music of passion, and it was performed by Nati Cano's group with ardor.

Nati Como, the founder of the group, occasionally interrupted the performance to speak directly to the audience (occasionally in English, but predominantly in Spanish), engaging even those audience members who may not have fully understood what he was saying. Como additionally took requests from the viewers, and the band fulfilled most of them (including the famously popular "Cielito Lindo" and "La Bamba"). The song stylings ranged from upbeat, fun dance pieces to stunning ballads of longing and love, sung in voices that seemed to be polished with velvet.  During those ballads, the crowd swooned to the crooners' power. To be sure, Mariachi los Camperos de Nati Cano  offered musical precision that's nearly impossible not to love.

Music of the Ballet

Springfield Symphony Orchestra
Symphony Hall, Springfield, MA
www.springfieldsymphony.org
by Terry Larsen

In his program, a gala celebration of SSO Music Director and Conductor Kevin Rhodes' 10th anniversary with the ensemble, Maestro Rhodes drew on his extensive experience conducting more than 700 classical musical theatre performances in Europe by programming music from the ballet.

The concert opened with Khachaturian's Saber Dance from Gayane, a well known piece from a seldom performed ballet. This war dance has been "covered" for use in such diverse genres and milieus as jazz, disco, punk, heavy metal, the Andrews Sisters, the Harmonicats, the circus, and the Ed Sullivan Show. Although a suitably upbeat opener to the event, this flashy piece is so familiar as to have become a caricature of itself, and might, therefore be easily dismissed. Thankfully, the SSO saved this chestnut by its spirited performance. Delibes' ballet Coppelia, a great success in 1870, provided a lovely waltz for contrast to the fiery opening number.

A promenade of Russian folk melodies paraded through the hall dressed in the many colors of the orchestra's families of instruments as employed by Stravinsky in his 1947 revision of music from Petrushka, a ballet written in 1910 and choreographed by the legendary dancer Nijinsky. Compositional techniques used in Petrushka foreshadowed music heard in the ground breaking ballet Rite of Spring, which received its riotous premiere in 1913. Once again, the orchestra was at its best, capably rendering the multitude of passages written for a variety of subsets of instruments and soloists, including a wrenchingly beautifully played solo flute performance.

After intermission, Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty awoke, to the delight of the gathering, its grand walls of brass sonority, formidable percussive events, and sweeping statements by the strings providing the foundation for the story as narrated by Rhodes between sections. The audience roared to its feet in appreciation.

Afterward, many concert goers packed into the Mahogany Room to express their gratitude to Rhodes for his decade of leadership and artistry.

A Steady Rain

TheaterWorks, Hartford, MA
www.theaterworkshartford.org
through May 8, 2011
by Stacie Beland & Mark Axelson

Aaron Roman Weiner & Kyle Fabel

It is a rare feat, indeed, when one can be treated to theatre that is so raw, so visceral that the characters and their stories stay with you for hours after you've left the venue. Such is the case with "Steady Rain." The production is bare-bones, driven entirely by its two actors, Kyle Fabel (Joey) and Aaron Roman Weiner (Denny). Fabel and Weiner brilliantly bring (and, sometimes, push) the audience through a tale of morality, dedication, love, and loyalty. At an hour and a half with no intermission, the actors grab the theatregoers' attention from the moment they start speaking until the story reaches its ultimate, devastating conclusion. One scarcely has time to breathe as the rapid-fire pace of the dialogue, coupled with the brilliant sound design of J. Hagenbuckle, batter the senses.

Joey and Denny are police officers who have been friends all of their lives and, more recently, have been repeatedly turned down for Detective badges. Both characters are inherently flawed-they tell their stories with unflinching honesty. What's troubling is that as self-destructive as Denny is and as damaged as Joey is, they can't be hated, despite their actions often ranging far into the category of hateful. They're very human. It is painfully easy to see what drives them to the end of their story.

In a production such as this, there is a lot of storytelling responsibility for the actors. Fabel and Weiner are more than up to the task. As Joey and Denny, they describe their weavings through morality and immorality directly to the audience, only occasionally acknowledging the other actor. They hurl images, written with such exacting language that the audience has no choice but to visualize what Joey and Denny have experienced. Under the expert direction of Tazewell Thompson, who has masterfully choreographed the pace and the movement behind the words, the actors are brutally authentic. The production feels all too real. Thompson is to be congratulated - this is a show that relies heavily on human dynamic which is largely open to directorial interpretation. He delivers perfection.