http://www.kentucky.com/126/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2008 Kentucky.com Stage 60 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:10:52 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/126/story/298119.html http://www.kentucky.com/126/story/298119.html Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:09 EST
But he grew up on Long Island, not Manhattan, in a bedroom community not unlike suburbs across the country. And that is where so many of his songs are drawn from.

Most of our high schools had a Brenda and Eddie, "the king and the queen of the prom, driving around with the car top down and the radio on." And we knew a James, the young man, "living up to expectations," even if they weren't his own.

And we have those little Italian restaurants, where they will offer "a bottle of red" or "a bottle of white."

When Twyla Tharp decided she wanted to make a Broadway show out of Joel's music, those are the characters and stories she seized on. And that's why Movin' Out, like Joel's music, works as well here in Kentucky as it does in the Big Apple.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/126/story/122840.html http://www.kentucky.com/126/story/122840.html Fri, 13 Jul 2007 09:37 EDT
You do prep work, learning what you need to about the show and who is putting it on. Then you arrive at the theater, notebook in hand, ready to see the show and write about it — tell people whether you think it's good or not and how it fits into the grand scheme of things.

Studio Players' Working is an intriguing night on the job. First, it's a musical I have been aware of for years but never seen.

The show, which had a brief Broadway run in 1979, was adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso from Studs Terkel's book of interviews with people about their jobs. It has some great tunes, but it has often been a problem to coax a cohesive production out of the script.

Studio's production is a new venture as the troupe has partnered with the new theater program at Bluegrass Community and Technical College. That means there's a little veteran talent on stage and a lot of these performers are in the spotlight for the first or second time.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/126/story/104973.html http://www.kentucky.com/126/story/104973.html Fri, 22 Jun 2007 11:45 EDT
The same could be said of the inaugural production of Shakespeare at Equus Run, Love's Labour's Lost. This debut of Actors Guild of Lexington's venture into outdoor drama proves to be as charming and pleasant as its rustic setting.

In fact, the production and its venue seem to function in a palpable symbiosis — the terraced seating before a simply set stage lends a rare feeling of both intimacy and openness that warmly invites you into Shakespeare's realm, in this case, the Renaissance kingdom of Navarre.

One of Shakespeare's earliest comedies, Love's Labour's Lost contains many of the Bard's comedic staples — hapless, eager lovers; mistaken identities and trickery; a play within a play; and a general tone of self-irreverent humor and merriment.

As soon as the King of Navarre (royally played by Mike Van Zandt) makes his friends swear an oath to avoid all women for three years to better focus on scholarly pursuits, the Princess of France (played by equally regal Maureen Kuehler) and her three beautiful attendants arrive on his doorstep. Of course, Navarre and his friends immediately fall in love with the ladies, but they are forsworn from pursuing them.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/126/story/78792.html http://www.kentucky.com/126/story/78792.html Thu, 24 May 2007 14:58 EDT
Something akin to Power Plays, Balagula Theatre's latest production, housed in the cozy restaurant Natasha's Bistro.

Written by Elaine May and Alan Arkin, these “plays” present two short, one-act pieces with each scenario differing vastly from the other, yet, as the title suggests, related by the common theme: power. And yet it isn't just the obvious, might-makes-right type of power that is explored, but a wide spectrum of possible power struggles — from the individual's plight with his or her place in society, to the grab for domination between two people, to the inner battle of conquering one's own fears and insecurities.

At any point in the production, several or all of these power struggles might intersect, overlap, collide, triumph or retreat. The effect is, well, powerful.

But the source of each of the two plays' cohesive yet unique presentation of power is the sense of subtlety, timing and versatility mastered by its two actors, Shayne Brakefield and Ryan Case.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/126/story/49287.html http://www.kentucky.com/126/story/49287.html Sat, 21 Apr 2007 15:30 EDT
So said a character during Anton in Show Business, AGL's final production of its 23rd season. She went on to dissect the production and its deeper aims with enviable aplomb and intelligence, though colored by an eagerness for equal parts skepticism and enthusiasm.

After that discourse, questions about theater –—the presence or lack of theater's relevance, purpose, value and artistic and financial viability — all but hung from the black box theater's rafters as the show went on.

Yes, Anton in Show Business is a play about a play. Could that be seen as obviously contrived? The most overused trick in the book? A precious gimmick? It could, but in this case, it's not. OK, maybe a little. But it passes perhaps the only test any art needs to: It works.

Anton in Show Business centers on the plight a regional production company's attempt to mount Anton Chekhov's The Three Sisters. The fictional production is plagued from the beginning with a host of industry stereotypes and unfortunate truths about “the business.” From lack of funding to diva derailments, the show suffers one artistic and financial blow after another, becoming a metaphor for the state of American theater.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/126/story/25404.html http://www.kentucky.com/126/story/25404.html Sat, 24 Mar 2007 12:20 EDT
Friday evening's performance at the Kentucky Center's Brown Theater included three Cunningham pieces set to original music and incorporated both visual and digital arts. True to Cunningham style, each of the three works featured organic movement with multiple centers. A front-runner in the field of integrated art forms, Cunningham collaborates with musicians, visual artists and lighting designers, setting his work apart from many others in the world of dance.

The Merce Cunningham Dance Co.'s visit to Louisville was no exception. Attention was given to every aspect of the performance: choreography, music, costume design, décor and lighting. The dancers displayed impeccably strong technique, truly honoring the work of an American dance master. Cunningham choreography relies not on the timing of the music, but on the instinctive timing of the dancers. Friday's dancers rose to this challenge, fulfilling their obligation to Cunningham and his work.

Cunningham, who began his dance career in tap and ballroom, went on to perform as a soloist in the Martha Graham Co. Though he saw Graham as an amazing mover, his artistic vision reached beyond her repertoire, and in 1953, he formed his own company. Although he is known for collaborations with various artists, his most enduring relationship was with avant-garde musician John Cage, who died in 1992. It was a Cunningham-Cage collaboration that opened Friday's performance. Suite for Five was, in true Cunningham form, movement for movement's sake. Both Cunningham and Cage believed that dance and music existed independently. While their music and dance are performed at the same time, they are not connected to each other with a clear relationship. In Suite for Five, the solo piano gave a sense of disconnect, while the five dancers created multiple visual points of interest on the stage.

For eyeSpace, which was commissioned by the National Dance Project and created in 2006, Cunningham collaborated with several composers. Supporting the organic movement were various sound items including water, strings, a piano and other percussion instruments. In this piece, the dancers occasionally moved in unison, a contrast to the first dance. Because such unified movement was so unusual, it was all the more obvious when one of the dancers was a breath behind the others. Fortunately, this was the only obvious flaw in the evening's performance.

The final piece, BIPED, featured music by Gavin Bryars and digital media projections on a scrim. The projections, which utilized animation technology, captured the motion of moving bodies. Real live motion overlapped by this computer-generated motion created a sense of continuous movement flow. The simple but profound geometric lighting design added visual depth. Dancers entered and exited from various parts of the stage, demonstrating Cunningham's view of the equality of all parts of the stage. Although much of Cunningham's movement is upright, in BIPED it seems less of an aesthetic choice and more a celebration of our two-legged human-ness. ]]>