Archive for July, 2007

Have you ever watched the reality tv show On The Lot?  It’s a hack show about the search for Hollywood’s next top director … produced by Steven Spielberg.  Gary Marshall, Carrie Fisher, and a guest judge play Simon, Randy, and Paula.  Every Monday you watch—and vote for!—a mini movie by the aspiring directors.  It’s better than watching reruns of cheesy sitcoms on competing stations, but the movies are none too inspired despite the directors’ hard efforts and use of famous actors, like the dad from Family Matters.

That basically sums up my feelings of Paris, Je T’aime. 

Some very famous and talented directors have each more or less made insipid short films around the gimmick—er, theme—of Paris as a backdrop.  Among the twenty directors are the Coen Brothers, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven, Gérard Depardieu, and Christopher Doyle.  The cast of Natalie Portman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elijah Wood, Nick Nolte, Juliette Binoche, Rufus Sewell, Gena Rowlands, Miranda Richardson, and Steve Buscemi, to name a few is equally impressive. 

The films, however, are surprisingly trite for their celebrated roster.  To say that one film involves a mime and another a vampire should fairly easily indicate the tacky nature of the subject matter.  For the most part, it felt like I was watching one of those esoteric foreign films that plays on PBS at three in morning that defines the general public’s perception of idiosyncratic intellectualism.    

Because they are so short, the films relied on cheap tugs of the heartstring to quickly relay their messages of loneliness, love, fear, and bliss. Occasionally, one of the short films in Paris, Je T’aime hit the mark.  A vignette would capture the innocence or the brutality of love.  The complexities of a character could be beautifully poignant.  And just as you were getting swept up into the emotion of a story, it would abruptly end and fade into the next film, leaving you no time to pause and consider its message.

Despite its title, Paris, Je T’aime does little to make you fall in love with Paris or make you understand its distinct personality.  It could have easily taken place in any other metropolitan city.

Jacey Power’s new play. “Picking Up” begins where a lot of stories end: at the break up. Micheal and Elle are a poorly matched couple who have spent four years together. Elle is a free-wheeling, creative, independent spirit and Micheal is a traditionalist who wants to get married and has trouble accepting Elle’s lifestyle. In the first scene we witness their intense break up, climmaxing in his proposal and her refusal.

This is the last time we see Elle and Micheal together in real time. For the rest of the play, Elle navigates her new life as Micheal follows her around in it as a ghost and a memory. She relives pieces of their relationship and listens to the phantom Micheal’s comments on her new life. This is done most effectively in a scene where Elle is having sex with a new date and Micheal stands over her. The two of them get into a fight with each other while the date humps away, oblivious. These moments are Powers’ way of dissecting the afermath of a break up. Getting over someone is a long process, and Micheal’s constant presense in Elle’s life after their break up in an excellent sign of this.

Powers’ play is funny, charming, and accurate. She takes on a familiar topic and captures the pain and struggle with magnificent accuracy. Mos outstanding is her realistic, crisp dialogue. The characters always sound natural, and the humor resonates in every scene. It is a pleasure to listen this smooth dialogue, and it pushes the play along gracefully. Powers’ more or less makes her memory convention works. Where she struggles is in her choice of which scenes to portray. Although the scenes are snappy and funny and often meaningful and neccessary, Powers chooses to skip over some of the more climactic moments. Instead of showing us the drama in scene, she simply explains it in the aftermath. Not long after the break up Micheal meets someone else… Elle’s good friend. The audience never gets to see the scene where Elle finds out this information. Instead we simply hear about it on an answering machine message when no one is on stage, and then later see the aftermath. Several moments like this are missed, and it is an odd choice, as if Powers is afraid to tackle the real drama and takes the easy way out.

The cast is solid and comically gifted. Elle, played by Jacey Powers herself, is bouncy and likeable. She carries the play with simple choices and a fun spirit. Micheal, played by Steven Todd Smith, makes the audience sympathize the would-be “villain” in the play. Smith’s version of Micheal is complex and smart, and Smith’s choices are strong and purposeful. His presence is calm and powerful, and he stands out as a unique leading man. The other stand out actor is Christopher Norwood, who does an excellent job with some of the funniest material in the show. Norwood is confidant and unbelievably funny as he tackles an unsavory new prospective man for Elle. He seems to steal every scene he is in.

Director emma poltrak has done a fine job with this piece. Her staging is lovely and the piece is strong and complete. The only downside was the pace, which could have moved along more rapidly at some moments.

“Picking Up” is a wonderful new effort, and Powers, as well as her cast and crew, shows a lot of promise. The play is moving and thr audience was behind it one hundred percent. There is a lot to love in this show that finds its own unique voice in a crowded subject matter. Buy your tickets today!

Starless Nights — that’s what I’d call the Museum of Natural History’s Starry Nights Live Jazz. I thought since it was held in the Rose Center, they’d turn the lights all low and fill the planetarium with a dazzling display of constellations. Instead, there was the understated decor of white tables and candles underneath the planetarium. It looked elegant but there was hardly any seating for the packed event. Security even harassed me for sitting on the floor (I was the first or the only one), till I moved a whole 5 inches to the side.

Complaints aside, Starry Nights is a must-attend summer event.  For a mere $4, I got a filling tapas platter of cheese, bread, delicious cheeses, and fruit.  It really exceeded my expectations.  You can view the complete menu on their website.

Admission itslef was donation based, which is awesome.

I thought the music would be sub-par, background music, but it was talented, riotous energy.  Winard Harper Sextet has to be one of the best jazz groups I’ve seen in a while.  The drummer — Mr. Harper himself — spastically beat the drums in the most frenetic and powerful spirit.  They’re going to be playing several other concerts this summer, so make sure to catch them live.

The next Starry Night will be the first Friday in August.  Don’t miss it!

I didn’t know what to expect from Freestyle Love Supreme at Ars Nova. I knew Shockwave (Chris Sullivan) would be showcasing his awesome beatbox and improv skills, but that was about it. I had never been to Ars Nova before and it’s a hip little place, which was a complete surprise because the street where it’s located is pretty unimpressive.
There was already a crowd in the lobby when I arrived. Lucky for me, I had reserved a ticket in advance because the people standing in front of me in line were told the show was sold out, but they could be put on a wait list. They happily agreed to wait.
The crowd was full of mostly hip looking young people that all seemed to know one another. There was a real sense of community; you know that feeling you get when you go to a show and it’s obvious that a lot of the people there have been there before and think of the show as their own
discovery? There was a collective anticipation that something amazing was about to take place. It was indeed the funnest show ever!
Freestyle Love Supreme is freestyle musical improv comedy and it feels so fresh and original. They do comedic totally made up freestyles based on suggestions from the audience and I’ve never seen anything like it. They freestyled about Harry Potter; Jean-Claude Van Damme;
Flint, Michigan. There was a whole song about porn taken from the performers’ true life stories. I especially enjoyed UTK the INC (Utkarsh Ambudkar), who did an amusing bit about discovering porn on the internet and watching videos while his girlfriend was away.
Nothing is as funny as the truth and there was so much relatable truth in this show. They brought an audience member onstage and asked her about her day and freestyled about that. Two-Touch (Anthony Veneziale), the charismatic host, interviewed the for some reason reluctant audience member. She volunteered, so I don’t know why she was giving such vague answers and being so standoffish. Regardless, the results were really funny and Two-Touch had a great sense of humor about it, so what could have been a lost moment in the show turned out to be one of the funniest. Then they acted out her day. Shockwave provided the beats and movements as her body and Lin-Man (Lin-Manuel Miranda) was her mind, so he provided the words with the other guys interjecting as the different characters in her world. It was hilarious.
The great thing about this show was that there was no weak link. The music, the beatboxing, the freestyling and the comedy were all successful. The performers were all equally smart, confident, and funny. J-Soul (James Monroe Iglehart) was impressive in what was apparently his first full show with the guys. As a group, they were so talented that they made it look easy and the crowd was completely enamored with the performers. The audience was so completley engaged the entire time. I cannot stress this point enough: they had us for the whole time!! That is a very rare thing in comedy, especially improv. I didn’t feel like there was a noticeable low point in the action at all. It was incredible.
FLS is on their way to the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal from July 12-22. So unless you can swing a trip to Montreal to see them (which I actually considered after seeing this show) you’ll have to wait till they get back. Keep checking their website for upcoming dates!! You will not be disappointed.