Love Triangles Made Extra-Complicated

Review of Twelfth Night (Or What You Will) at Seattle Shakespeare Company by Yvette J.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Shakespeare expert or a newbie to his work, Twelfth Night (Or What You Will) is a great play to watch Shakespeare’s work come to life. All of the characters seem to have jumped right out of the pages and onto the stage with no extra flourishes, add-ons or anything taken out of the characters. Director Stephanie Shine stayed true to each character, enhancing certain characteristics within the role to better display the type of person Shakespeare imagined his characters to be. Twelfth Night is full of confusing love triangles, complicated plans and misleading identities; it’s a story too complicated to forget and a play that will only pique your interest until the very last act.

José A. Rufino as Duke Orsino and Chris Ensweiler as Feste in Twelfth Night at Seattle Shakespeare Company. Photo by Erik Stuhaug.

Twelfth Night was written by William Shakespeare and first published in 1623. The story takes place in mythical Illyria, a kingdom that is home to Duke Orsino and Lady Olivia. The audience first becomes acquainted with a woman named Viola who is believed to have lost her twin brother in a storm. Viola, who stumbles upon Illyria, needs to find work and decides to work for Duke Orsino, but disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Orsino is madly in love with Olivia and one of Cesario’s tasks is to deliver love messages from Orsino to Olivia. While completing the task, Olivia falls for Cesario, but is really Viola. But Viola has fallen in love with her master, Orsino, but remember…she’s really a woman dressed up as a man. And don’t forget about Orsino, who is still in love with Olivia. Confused yet?

As complicated as the storyline seems, the director and the actors do a great job in making the storyline simple and easy-to-follow. There are just so many characters involved in the love triangle and the confusion only heightens when we involve Viola’s not-actually-dead twin, Sebastian, a butler, a maid, and a drunken uncle. The story moves fast, as it was naturally written by Shakespeare, but it’s not hard to catch up if you missed anything. Each actor captures the essence of their characters perfectly. Suzanna Milonzi (Viola/Cesario) plays a convincing male and she manages to sweep a woman off her feet; you can feel your heart ache as José Rufino (Duke Orsino) never manages to get the girl he wants until the very end, and Chris Ensweiler plays a lovingly enchanting, yet still mischievous fool. Twelfth Night is the perfect sort of entertainment you and your friends may seek on a cold, wintery night. What else could be better than love triangles and a little bit of mischief just to complicated things even more? Exactly: nothing else could be better.

- Yvette J.
Friday, December 4th

Twelfth Night (Or What You Will) runs through December 27th
More info and show times at seattleshakespeare.org

An Exuberant Celebration of Life

Review of Black Nativity at Intiman Theatre by Marissa B-T

An element of audience participation was evident from the beginning of Black Nativity: A Gospel Song Play. It commenced with a rocking number from the fantastic jazz quartet. Then silence reigned and a spotlight fell on director Patrinell Wright, singing the first notes of “Joy to the World” from the back of the house. She paused a few seats down to greet a “handsome young” audience member of seven or eight, who was befuddled by the attention.

Photo by Chris Bennion

Black Nativity is in its twelfth and final year at the Intiman Theatre; next year it will be staged at a larger venue. The show is quite a collaborative effort, directed by Jacqueline Moscou, but with musical direction and arrangements by the multitalented Wright and choreography by Kabby Mitchell III. An African-American retelling of the Christmas story interspersed with over twenty gospel songs, Black Nativity was written by Langston Hughes, so this is a fairly old tradition -- it debuted on Broadway in 1961. Admittedly, this version is different from the original, with closer to forty performers than the 160 in 1961. Also, parts of the play have been interpreted differently, with newer songs incorporated under various directors. The heart of Black Nativity remains unchanged, however. Its joyful exuberance and message of unity and hope are clear.

About half of the songs on the program are traditional Christmas and/or gospel pieces and the rest are original. Whether familiar or new, all are arranged with a focus on energy and harmonization that is phenomenal to hear and see. A quintet of women harmonizing beautifully a cappella in the second act absolutely awed the crowd on opening night. From “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” to “Steal Away,” “We Three Kings of Orient Are” to “Looking for a Miracle,” the Total Experience Gospel Choir and the dancers threw their whole selves into this celebration of life. The party didn’t stop at the edge of the stage, however; dancers shimmied up the aisles, and soloists shook hands with audience members. The infectious happiness of most songs incited the audience to clap along.

Black Nativity is uplifting, energizing, and everything else that is necessary for a stirring welcome into the season of Christmas. As religious as it all is, it is not only for Christians; Pastor Wright asked for a show of hands from a dozen religions, which revealed the audience to be surprisingly diverse. The second act seemed too long -- the run of the play is approximately two hours and fifteen minutes, excluding intermission. The duration should not be a deterrent, though; you’ll be kept awake (and sometimes even on your feet) by the expressive voices, whirling dances, and inspirational poetry of Black Nativity!

- Marissa B-T
December 4th, 2009

Black Nativity runs through December 30th at INTIMAN Theatre
More info and show times at intiman.org

cure for boredom

La Danse: Le Ballet de L'Opera de Paris @ Northwest Film Forum

Dance lovers, film lovers, French lovers (ooh la la!) this is for you:

"To say that the film, sumptuous in its length and graceful in its rhythm, is a feast for ballet lovers is to state the obvious and also sell Mr. Wiseman's achievement a bit short. Yes, this is one of the finest dance films ever made, but there's more to it than that." -A. O. Scott NY Times

Watch the trailer (in French - the version playing at the Film Forum will be subtitled):



The Paris Opera Ballet is one of the world’s storied ballet companies and Fredrick Wiseman is one of the world’s legendary filmmakers. In his latest film, Wiseman employs his fly-on-the-wall technique to following the rehearsals and performances of seven ballets: Genus by Wayne McGregor, Le Songe de Medée by Angelin Preljocaj, La Maison de Bernarda by Mats Ek, Paquita by Pierre Lacotte, Casse Noisette by Rudolph Noureev, Orphée and Eurydice by Pina Bausch, and Romeo and Juliette by Sasha Waltz. The film reveals the work of administering the company and the coordinated and collaborative work of choreographers, ballet masters, dancers, musicians, and costume, set and lighting designers.

La Danse: Le Ballet de L'Opera de Paris
December 4 - 10
Northwest Film Forum
More info at nwfilmforum.org

cure for boredom

Jody Diamond and Gamelan Pacifica @ Cornish College of the Arts TONIGHT!

Okay, first, what's a gamelan, right? Let's go to Wikipedia:

"A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included."

Gamelan Pacifica is a 30 year-old Seattle-based gamelan orchestra. It is an active and adventurous ensemble, with a reputation for creating diverse productions merging traditional and contemporary musical forms with dance, theater, puppetry, and visual media.

Jody Diamond is a composer, performer, and scholar and one of the premier proponents of contemporary gamelan music in America today.

But none of that is really why you're gonna go to this concert. This is why:



Want some more?

Jody Diamond and Gamelan Pacifica
Saturday, December 5th @ 8 pm
PONCHO Performance Hall, Cornish College of the Arts
More info at the Cornish Music Series site

The Perfect Holiday Pick-Me-Up for any Teenager

A review of Plaid Tidings at ArtsWest by Shannon L.

The Plaids, a barbershop quartet, were killed when broadsided by a bus on the way to a show. They returned to earth just one more time in the show Forever Plaid … or did they? The Plaids are back at Arts West in Plaid Tidings, and I certainly hope it will be back for many more. These four men, plus a small orchestra, executes spot-on choreography, never waver off-pitch, and still manage to stay perfectly in-character as they blend Christmas tune after Christmas tune into a wildly entertaining show for the holidays. Musically directed by R.J. Tancioco, the harmonies are bitingly bright and pristinely in tune.


Aaron Finley, John Bartley, Daniel Stoltenberg, and Ryan McCabe in Plaid Tidings at ArtsWest.
Photo by Matthew Durham.

Of all the holiday shows out there, I don’t remember one that has made me cry from laughter (actual tears were streaming down my face), and again from an exquisitely simple and touching final line… until now. On their opening night, the cast of Arts West’s Plaid Tidings was, unfortunately, playing to a less-than-half-full house of elderly people, my mother, my younger brother, and me. We were the ones laughing the hardest. Even after a long Wednesday at school and two unbearable hours of mind-numbingly bland Driver’s Ed, this show is the perfect pick-me-up for any teenager. It has something for almost everyone; be ready to jump out of your seat and onto the stage, because these boys need help, and they’ll ask for it! The fact that it had little plot barely mattered. This sequel to the show Forever Plaid is filled with singing and precise barbershop-style songs, relatable characters, and hysterical comedy. Featuring John W. Bartley as the Charlie Brown-esque Smudge, Aaron C. Finley as leader-of-the-group Frankie, Ryan McCabe as baby brotherly Jinx, and Daniel Stoltenberg as endearingly quirky Sparky, this cast fails to disappoint. It would definitely be a mistake to miss this one.

Plaid Tidings plays at ArtsWest now through December 27th.

cure for boredom

Rashomon @ SIFF Cinema

Hey! You! Dude who's never seen Rashomon! I *know* I didn't just hear you call yourself a real film nerd, right? RIGHT? Yeah, that's what I thought.



Rashomon
December 4 - 10
SIFF Cinema
More info at siff.net

video of the day

Our video of the day is a short little promo for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival production of Equivocation, currently playing at Seattle Rep (and our Pick of the Week).

This video makes you want to see the play, which is remarkable considering that it simultaneously reminds you of how all theatre - even really really good theatre - always always always looks absolutely stupid on video. Enjoy.



Equivocation
Seattle Repertory Theatre
Through December 13th