Showing posts with label live theatre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label live theatre. Show all posts
10/30/2007
visit to NOLA
Friday night I had the pleasure of attending a play with Arianne put on by members of The NOLA Project (and others). Titled "root [cel.lar]," its venue was this cool basement space in what I think was an otherwise residential building in a rather sketchy New Orleans neighborhood. The play consisted of a set of sketches that all took place in basement/cellar-type-places. The best part for me were all of the exchanges where the actors would yell in frustration towards the top of the stairwell at stage left, "Mom!" I especially liked the scene wherein two twenty-something aspiring graphic novelists scream back to the offstage "Mom" who inquires as to which flavor of Capri Suns she should put in the fridge, "Wild Cherry, Mom! God!"
10/12/2007
S.P.E.A.K. Cafe
Last night I checked out S.P.E.A.K. -- Song.Poetry.Expression.Art.Knowledge. -- Cafe, an open mic night with a social justice focus set-up by UIUC's African American Studies and Research Program and the Krannert Art Museum.
Um, coolest thing ever.
Highlights included a student from Urbana High School who read about the ways that she wants to resist the image of the "video ho" that she's told to emulate; a student from Centennial who read his scathing adaptation of the Bibical Sermon on the Mount that ended with "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs are the streets of America;" and a guy who looked to be college-student age who read about refusing love as the path to oneness, or completeness, or happiness, or whatever. He introduced his work by saying that he was writing against the notion that you gotta be all blues when she's gone and left you, and once she comes back you go jazz. Love it.
The next one is November 8th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the cafe in Krannert Art Museum. Seriously, check it out if you're in C-U.
Um, coolest thing ever.
Highlights included a student from Urbana High School who read about the ways that she wants to resist the image of the "video ho" that she's told to emulate; a student from Centennial who read his scathing adaptation of the Bibical Sermon on the Mount that ended with "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs are the streets of America;" and a guy who looked to be college-student age who read about refusing love as the path to oneness, or completeness, or happiness, or whatever. He introduced his work by saying that he was writing against the notion that you gotta be all blues when she's gone and left you, and once she comes back you go jazz. Love it.
The next one is November 8th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the cafe in Krannert Art Museum. Seriously, check it out if you're in C-U.
8/05/2007
"Why any woman give a shit what people think is a mystery to me."
I'm just back from a lovely evening at the theatre with my mom, our second lovely evening at the theatre this week, actually. Wednesday night, in Vegas, we saw Cirque Du Soleil's LOVE, which is the one that they do to Beatles music. Tonight we saw The Color Purple at the Cadillac in Chicago, the Oprah-produced, Broadway version of Alice Walker's novel.
Live entertainment is so cool. Probably creepy, but I really like watching the other people in the audience. For some reason, I'm really affected by the way the other people in the audience are responding to the performers.
For instance, at LOVE, I was seated next to a family who was speaking French before the show. The lights went down, the extravaganza began, and all of a sudden they were singing along loudly. By the end of the show, as the rest of the audience began to sit back down for the post-standing-ovation number to "All You Need is Love," they were on their feet dancing around, still singing every word.
And tonight, when the actress who played Celie came out for her curtain call, a young woman across the aisle from us was literally jumping up and down and screaming she was so excited.
I mean, I thought both the shows were great, too, but I was really glad to be sitting both times near people who seemed so completely overwhelmed with joy and admiration. It's such a beautiful thing to watch.
There was also this crotchety, older white couple sitting near us tonight. When Celie and Shug, played by Michelle Williams (Destiny's!), kissed for the first time, the man got all noticeably wiggly in his seat. Almost wiggly enough to make me feel a little wiggly. And during the intermission the woman said, in an obnoxious Chicago accent, "Well, the singing's good but I can't understand a word they're saying." Hhhhhh
Live entertainment is so cool. Probably creepy, but I really like watching the other people in the audience. For some reason, I'm really affected by the way the other people in the audience are responding to the performers.
For instance, at LOVE, I was seated next to a family who was speaking French before the show. The lights went down, the extravaganza began, and all of a sudden they were singing along loudly. By the end of the show, as the rest of the audience began to sit back down for the post-standing-ovation number to "All You Need is Love," they were on their feet dancing around, still singing every word.
And tonight, when the actress who played Celie came out for her curtain call, a young woman across the aisle from us was literally jumping up and down and screaming she was so excited.
I mean, I thought both the shows were great, too, but I was really glad to be sitting both times near people who seemed so completely overwhelmed with joy and admiration. It's such a beautiful thing to watch.
There was also this crotchety, older white couple sitting near us tonight. When Celie and Shug, played by Michelle Williams (Destiny's!), kissed for the first time, the man got all noticeably wiggly in his seat. Almost wiggly enough to make me feel a little wiggly. And during the intermission the woman said, in an obnoxious Chicago accent, "Well, the singing's good but I can't understand a word they're saying." Hhhhhh
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