Thought I would share some photos I took at the Detroit Zoo this past weekend, and a few weeks ago….I’ll add more to this blog post as the year goes by — I love the Detroit Zoo, and photographing there is one of my relaxing pleasures….
Yes, the Tigers ARE my favorites!
OK, let me start this by saying, I really hate the musical Guys & Dolls — it’s boring to watch, it seems endless, and it’s always more fun to perform in than to watch its (almost) three hour length. It’s overdone, and would be my last choice of a musical if I were asked to pick something exciting for a company to perform.
That being said — Encore Musical Theatre Company in Dexter MI is putting on a dandy production of the show. It’s everything their initial offering, Evita, was not.
From direction to choreography, lighting, set design, and costumes, this show sings and works hard to entertain. The leads are super, and there is a much more fluid transition from Professional actors to amateurs in this well-done production.
Using the same basic scaffolding set, completely redesigned and reimagined from Evita, the show sparkles from start to finish.
Sure, there are still some clunkers in the show — the orchestra was consistently out of tune — a bigger problem in Evita, but still problematic here – complete with a few trumpet blats that were quite noticeable on opening night — note to Brian: cut the overture — it highlights an out of sync orchestra that all the best piano playing in the world can’t overcome…
The cast is small — too small for the show. It doesn’t have enough guys, and it shows. A few weeks after casting, Encore was still sending out e-mail notices seeking more guys for the show. Apparently not too many answered the call….curiously, the show is too low on Dolls as well and could have easily used another 4 men and 4 women.
Director/Choreographer Barbara Cullen fills the blackbox space admirably with well directed, and well-thought-out movement. Much better than Evita which was both too small and too large for the space.
Some of the casting is inconsistent, but none of it as jarringly community theatre as Encore’s last production. Here, the ensemble is used efficiently, they sing and move well, and except for one or two truly hammy line readings, is indeed more professional in caliber.
Holly Davis makes a fine Adelaide — Thalia Schramm a fine Sarah. Tobin Hissong is very funny in the part of Nathan Detroit. The real standout here is sultry-voiced baritone Paul Jason Green as Sky Masterson. His performance is musical theatre perfection. His scenes together with Thalia are warm, heartfelt, and their crooning together superb.
Remember that name: Paul Jason Green.
Opening night had at least one third of an empty house — and based on people’s experience with Evita, you know why — they are waiting to see the reviews for this time-worn and haggard piece of musical theatre that has been performed recently by at least 13 different theatres within a 20 mile radius in the last few years…..well, you get the idea.
Who picked this season for Encore??
GO SEE THE SHOW! It’s Super, and it is a fine evening of theatre. Encore has moved from Community Theatre schlock to semi-professional theatre with this outing. I am very happy to report this, since Evita was appalling.
No joke — it won me over within the magic first 15 minutes and kept me there consistently throughout the evening.
For the Record…GUYS & DOLLS (recent production, not all productions included):
Ann Arbor Civic Theatre (2006) – Young People’s Theatre (2008) – University of Michigan Musical Theatre Program (2003) – Park Players Plymouth (2003) – Ann Arbor Pioneer High School (2002) – Washtenaw Community College Musical Theatre Program (2001) – University of Michigan Musket (1999) – Saline Area Players (1999) – Croswell Opera House (1997) – Eastern Michigan University (1997)- Ann Arbor Huron High School (1995)…
And that is the view from Ann Arbor today…
Recently saw the Broadway tour of Xanadu in Chicago — and it brought back this bizarre sweep of nostalgia for the original movie, which I hadn’t seen since 1980…So ABC Family comes to my rescue again this weekend with the movie version of Xanadu….and what a suprise…
First — let’s not get carried away — this is one of the WORST movie musicals ever made — and it has nothing to do with the sometimes excellent music and performances, and completely has to do with the terrible script.
But there is some brilliant in this terrible movie as well. First is Olivia Newton John in an amazing musical performance that includes tap dancing (she’s good!), roller-disco, and hip hop (okay, let’s call it what it was, there was no Hip Hop back then, it was all plain old DISCO)…but she is good….and I mean good. She matches other musical theatre singers/dancers for strong song and dance, and stage presence.
Then there is the wonderful art design — granted, it doesn’t get off to a good start with the purple-aura muses coming to life….but it gets better — the studio work looks great, and the sequence in which the Swing Band and the ELO Band slide together is sheer musical theatre brilliance.
The final sequence, as aweful as it is, features some terrific footwork and tap — when was the last time you saw Tap in a movie musical?…and these folks tap dance on roller skates!….
Give it a look — it’s aged well, and it’s a highly entertaining 90 minutes. It’s a great filler for your Netflix list — and if your old enough to remember, it’s a blast of 1980’s nostalgia that reminds you how terrible our clothes were, how awful our hair was, and the bizarre taste we had in colors. It’s all there, and it’s all more genuine than movies like Grease, because this movie wasn’t designed to be nostalgic — it was real-life living, breathing musical culture circa 1980. And it’s hilarious.
Now where is my shirt with the buttons that closed on a diagonal across my chest?….I know it’s in some closet somewhere…although this time, what goes around is NOT going to come back around…
Many have been asking about Gabe — thought I would dedicate today’s post to his current health and welfare.
First off, here’s a photo from the other day — he looks good, but his health continues to pose problems.
Gabe has liver cancer, and he’s just finished Day 141 post diagnosis. We’ve had two close calls – the first at the end of October, the second a few weeks ago when his face swelled up like a puffer fish and he had trouble breathing, all related to swollen facial lymph nodes.
He’s now controlled on Denamrin (for his Liver), Prednisone (steroid), Lasix (diuretic), Interferon, Resources CAS Options and Resources Blood and Energy supplements (for his anemia). He also takes Desaquin for muscle and joint pain, but frankly, I don’t think it does anything.
Over the past week, his breathing has become increasingly more labored, lots of panting and difficulty sleeping. We went for a short walk in the park across the street this morning and a 500 foot walk did him in for the day. But he has plenty of energy at home most of the day, is eating like a horse, and likes to sit outside in the backyard looking at the neighbor dogs. During the past couple weeks he has stopped playing. He has always lived for stuffed animals — tossing them around, chewing at them, and squeeking them for hours at a time. He hasn’t even looked at one of them in the past three weeks. I leave them scattered around the house, but he doesn’t give them a second thought.
The Vet is counting his remaining days in weeks, not months; but so far, he’s certainly proven to be the “miracle dog” that the Vet called him a few weeks ago. There is definitely no pain involved, and his golden days are happy and comfortable. It certainly attests to what good medication can do to prolong a dog’s life, beyond even what the Vet expected. He’s also getting spoiled and I basically let him eat whatever he wants — despite that, he’s lost about 8 pounds during the past two weeks.
I won’t update this unless there is a change in status, in which case there will be more to say. For now, thanks to everyone for thinking of us, and Gabe is hanging in there. He gives everyone a big dog bark and a lick.
Today’s blog — breakout actors for 2009…some are better known than others, but here’s my personal rundown…
Let’s start with Yvan Pedneault….currently starring as Galileo in We Will Rock You in Toronto, Yvan has had lead after lead in French and English, from Roger in RENT to Linda Lamay’s UN ETERNEL HIVER…and his first CD is finally being released as we speak. This might be the breakout year for this French Canadian actor/singer/dancer.
Jamie Parker….you’ve seen him with great acting featured roles in THE HISTORY BOYS (West End, Broadway, and the movie), and as Tom Cruise’s young assistant in VALKYRIE. Keep an eye on this up and coming Brit.
Speaking of Brits, this is the year Matthew Goode finally becomes a bonafide superstar in America…with a flashy role in WATCHMEN, and last year’s wonderful BRIDESHEAD REVISITED, this Brit (hanging around waiting for superstardom since CHASING LIBERTY) has finally arrived.
Maulik Pancholi has been flying under the radar for years — first, while playing the showy Sunjaya on WEEDS, and most recently, and hilariously, the closeted Jonathan on 30 ROCK…someone give this man a movie role worthy of his versatile talents please!….
Pablo Schreiber (yes he is Liev’s little brother) has finally made it to the small screen after many years of Broadway and off-Broadway work…his recent showy role as a featured actor on LIFE ON MARS might finally send his career spinning in the right direction…
Argentinian Juan Pablo di Pace might finally break through in the US this year — already an Argentinian superstar, he made his first breakthrough American appearance as Colin Firth’s hunky Greek lover in MAMMA MIA. For a real eye-opener, google his name + penis + opera and you’ll find one of the most amusing stories of 2008…He’s the new Antonio Banderas…
Stanislav Ianevski….try saying that three times fast…better known as Victor Krumm in the HARRY POTTER movies…need I say more….
The last breakthrough artist of 2009, Clark Gregg (Okay, he’s already a mini-star on THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE playing Richard, Christine’s ex husband) is another triple threat — he acts, he directs, he produces. Big things are coming his way this year…and it pays to plug people I knew while I was at NYU, even if they do have two first names and no last name…
And that is the view from Ann Arbor today…
Bad weather weekends are always great for Netflix and watching bad movies on tv….and this weekend brought a couple films that are a lot better than they should be….
First – ABC Family ran Grease 2 all weekend….and this has always been one of my guilty pleasures…by the time “A Girl For All Seasons” rolls around, I’m hooked every time…and every viewing makes me appreciate some of the subtler things that Patricia Birch did with the direction and choreography. Compare this to other schlock that came out about the same time (1982) and this one totally bristles with some movie-making gusto. And my all-time favorite actor, Peter Frechette is hilarious (Louis)– he’s in character every second he’s on screen, and it proceeds his subsequent intense performances on stage and tv and regular guest appearances on ThirtySomething. And it’s one of the few movies in which the very out Frechette plays straight, rather than his normal gay roles.
And the “pool of enchantment” kills me every time.
Patricia Birch infuses the entire production with all the early-80’s Broadway musical theatre talent she can stuff into the film. Watching the chorus numbers is like watching a who’s who of Broadway-gypsy performers of the early 80’s, before AIDS started to make its deadly journey through New York and Los Angeles alike.
When you compare Grease 2 to the absolutely awful “High School Musical” trilogy, you really come to realize what good film-making this is. HSM pales by comparison. This one is gracefully aging in a good way that deserves to be seen. As the famous quotation goes, this is the “best sequel to a Stockard Channing movie starring Adrian Zmed ever made.”
I missed GhostTown in the theatres this past year, but watched it twice from Netflix this weekend. It’s charming and sweet, and it has a big heart. Ricky Gervais is wonderful here, but so is Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear. This is another movie stuffed full of Broadway musical theatre performers circa 2007…look for Brian D’Arcy James as “Irish Boy”…Highly recommended and I am not sure how I missed this in the movie theatres.
Dan in Real Life is another underrated film from 2007….I had seen it before, but decided to watch it again after a friend mentioned it the other day. Steve Carell turns in his most nuanced performance here, and it’s a terrific and under-rated little romance. I like the way they get the family patter right in this film. Listen to all the stuff in the background, and the way the people talk to each other. Families really DO sound like this.
And that’s the view from Ann Arbor today…
Goodbye Adray Camera…
I’ve known you well. I’ve known you in Dearborn, Canton, and Ann Arbor — and I’ve watched Ann Arbor and Canton shutter their shops one after the other.
In business for 57 years in Dearborn, Adray Camera announced their final going-out-of-business notice today.
That leaves almost no camera-specific stores left in the area. There is the over-priced Huron Camera in Dexter, but their limited selection and far over retail-suggested-prices makes it a no brainer: it’s B&H and Amazon online for all future camera needs.
Adray, you will be dearly missed. Who else let me buy lenses and return them when I didn’t like them with no questions asked. Who else had all the new Nikon dSLR camera bodies as they came in, and always saved me one. Where else could you go in for a SD memory card, and leave with Oreck vacuum bags at the same time…
And so it goes.
With the Academy Awards fast approaching, this blog post takes a look at our Best Picture candidates…It was actually a strong year for movies, and except for the (bizarre) number of nominations for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, pretty accurate, at least in reflecting quality, as far as I’m concerned…
First, let’s discuss SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE….my choice for Best Picture of 2008. This is far and away the first feel-bad-feel-good-can’t take your eyes off of it-unique-unBollywood slice of life picture ever made. Without giving away too much, lets just say the basic premise of rags to riches is turned on its head when our adorable lead actor (Skin’s Dev Patel) goes on the Hindi version of Who Wants to Be A Millionaire not to win money, but to find his lost love. I adored this movie, despite it’s extremely violent first act. Everything was done right to catapult this film into the public limelight and it’s won every single major award for Best Picture this year. I don’t think I have liked a British film for frontrunner to get an Oscar since Chariots of Fire won in the 70’s. If you haven’t seen this film – for God’s sake, get off of the internet right now and go see it. It’s showing everywhere in Ann Arbor.
So, for most of the fall and early winter, MILK looked like a shoo-in to win Best Picture. So what went wrong? First, this is a fine film and beautifully acted throughout. It’s filled with continuity and historical inaccuracies, and the Castro has never really looked the way it is pictured in studio sets in the film, but overall the film is a very well filmed and finely acted showpiece. And therein lies the problem. The Academy already awarded a Best Documentary Oscar to The Times of Harvey Milk, and MILK is very much a live-action remake of that documentary. Second, Focus Features absolutely botched the release of this film, Instead of going wide right after the Prop 8 debacle in California, when the country was heated-up about similar issues, Focus chose to roll the film out in small art houses in selected markets. “Going wide” at the end of January involved the addition of only a few thousand more theatres, and it never went the cineplex route. In Ann Arbor, it has shown only at the huge vaudeville house Michigan Theatre and has never opened at the cineplexes. Meanwhile Slumdog is going strong on almost 4000 screens nationwide. You do the math. Fine picture, but it’s not going anywhere anymore for best picture.
Miramax’s dark horse this year is THE READER. I saw this in San Francisco, because frankly, it had such limited release in Michigan it was too much of an effort to find it in the local theaters. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from a literate, well-told, well-acted point of view. And that was about it. I’m not sure how this snuck into the Best Picture category, and it’s not going to win. But I’m glad it did, so that more people will see what might otherwise have quickly disappeared into the literate-movie ether…I really liked Kate Winslet here. You can see the ending coming from a mile away, but it the film is still deeply moving and has impact long after seeing it. But it’s minor impact. Seeing the film made me want to read the novel, because it felt like a lot of story was missing. Guess what, it’s not!!
Sheen and Langella both deserve Oscar’s for their performances in FROST/NIXON…but in reality, have probably gotten all of the true accolades they are going to get while performing these exact same roles in the stage version of the movie. The same can be said of the film as a whole. Note to Ron Howard: I really missed the multiple-angle live television shots of the penultimate scene’s “big reveal” that so beautifully captured both Frost as well as Nixon’s faces at the same time on stage. I loved the film, don’t get me wrong. It just doesn’t stand a chance against Slumdog (or for that matter, Milk).
Which brings us to a movie I despised:
I am completely at a loss as to how THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON got so many Oscar nominations. It’s not going home with any of them, with the possible exception of Best Makeup. But even there, The Reader’s makeup for Kate Winslet is actually similar and has more nuance. While I enjoyed the technical marvel of this film’s CGI work, I basically lose all interest when you invent something like the “living backwards” McGuffin and expect an audience to care after three hours. The film did contain my favorite cinema image of 2008: the final tableau of the clock (still running backwards) in storage while the waters of Hurricane Katrina sweep into the room. Brilliant. That, and editing at least an hour out of this brutally long movie would have made it more accessible. I detested this film, and wouldn’t be surprised if it won nothing.
BIGGEST OMISSIONS?
Sticking with Best Picture, I’m not convinced that THE DARK KNIGHT shouldn’t have been nominated instead of CURIOUS CASE. It took a formulaic Batman movie, and superimposed a fine moral story along the lines of Silence of the Lambs. And I am not sure that DOUBT shouldn’t have taken the place of THE READER. Reader’s tale of holocaust remorse is touching but dated, and Doubt’s storyline of possible child abuse is historically dated but emotionally relevant as if ripped right out of today’s headlines (which it was — the play was written at the height of the US priest-abuse hysteria a few years back).
Good luck to all of the films.
Here in Ann Arbor, you can see the nominees at:
MICHIGAN THEATRE: Milk
STATE THEATRE: Slumdog Millionaire
GOODRICH QUALITY 16: Frost/Nixon; The Reader; Slumdog Millionaire
SHOWCASE CINEMAS: Slumdog Millionaire; Benjamin Button
And that’s the view from Ann Arbor…
Just a quick note on some current reading —
John Grisham’s THE ASSOCIATE is the closest thing he’s written to his first commercially successful novel The Firm. If you enjoyed The Firm, you will like The Associate. There isn’t much more to say about it — except to remind people to play the Foot-Game with Mr. Grisham’s books…by page 100, I had counted 50 references to feet, shoes, socks, loafers, legs, ankles, etc…Glad to see his foot-fetish remains intact…I lost track after that as I rushed to finish the book and move on to something more substantial.
Favorite thing I’ve read in a really long time is a book you can’t get in the US yet, but I completely recommend you invest in a copy through amazon.ca or amazon.uk — Marc Levy (my favorite French writer) has done it again — CHILDREN OF FREEDOM is a wonderful novel, based on completely true stories about the French Resistance during WWII, the novel follows a group of 16 – 24 year olds as they work to sabotage Nazi activity, live, and to love. Halfway through the book, the novel takes a completely different turn and without giving away any further specifics, follows the trail of the last Phantom Train as it makes its way toward a concentration camp. Excellent and compelling reading. Not sure why it hasn’t been published in the USA yet, but it is a international best-seller phenomenon in Europe right now.
***02/12/09 Update — I got a nice letter from Marc Levy that indicates that CHILDREN OF FREEDOM will be released in Canada in early April and available from Amazon at that time, but no publisher yet in the States. He sends his regards.
And that is the view from Ann Arbor today….
Mostly Musical Theatre 
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