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January 2009
‘Brother Wolf’ crackles with energy at Loft
“Brother Wolf,” a unique and organic collaboration between The Human Race Theatre Company and Rhythm in Shoes, delivered fierce physical acting and spellbinding moments on opening night, Friday, Jan. 30.
The worthy and simple adaptation of “Beowulf” by Preston Lane and Laurelyn Dossett transplants the ancient tale to the mid-19th century Appalachians, populating it with preachers, demons and those in between who share traits of both.
It’s a play with music, not a musical. Dossett’s songs remain in the background of the storytelling, which is enacted with experimental fervor, but no amplification by the 13-member cast under four directors: Marsha Hanna, Sharon Leahy, Rick Good and Scott Stoney.
Dance, in the form of physical presence and focused movement, rather than formal choreography, is also woven in. It, too, plays a supporting role.
In this telling, Beowulf is Brother Wolf, a free-lance preacher from Tennessee who arrives in his black suit, toting his rabbit skin-covered Bible just after the holier-than-thou Speerdane family has lost son Adger to the sharp teeth of the mountain monster Grin Dell.
Feeding on their lust for revenge — it’s even suggested that he materializes because of it — the supremely confident Brother W. tricks, captures and slays the beast, marries the Speerdane daughter and begins a career as a traveling clergyman.
The trouble is, Grin Dell has a Maw who’s badder than her boy ever was and now has her own powerful reason to prove it. We hear her cry of pain, promising vengeance for vengeance, just as Act 1 of the two-hour production ends.
Although not with a heavy hand, “Brother Wolf” weaves in a hint of religion and a moral about forgiveness.
It’s far more likely that anyone seeing this noteworthy production of it will come away with admiration for Bruce Cromer, Morgan Grahame and Joshua Fossitt, who give excellent performances as Grin Dell, Maw and Brother Wolf.
Cromer and Grahame are vibrant and vital in movement and voice. Fossitt, known previously as a Rhythm in Shoes dancer, proves his acting ability with quiet intensity.
Particularly in a rousing soliloquy, Cromer also excels as Rattler Man, a snake-toting traveler who tests foolish people’s courage, usually fatally.
Kelly Mengelkoch, as Mabel Speerdane, then Brother Wolf’s wife, is a standout as a woman willing to give her all for what she believes in.
Sharon Leahy plays Hessie, who narrates the tale along with Vega as son Enoch. Musicians Good, Ben Cooper and Carl Jones were natural extensions of the woodsy set with mountain backdrop by Tess Little and Scott Scott Kimmins.
Lowell Mathwich designed the costumes, which help set time and place, but are also made to serve vigorous movement. John Rensel’s lighting brings scenes to life like one in which the river runs red with blood.
“Brother Wolf” might be more impressive musically if done in more standard fashion. Despite unfocused moments early on and a couple of less than dynamic scenes, this version is packed with drama.
The Human Race Theater and Rhythm in Shoes production of “Brother Wolf” will continue through Feb. 15 at The Loft, 126 N. Main St. Tickets are $15.50-$36 at (937) 228-3630 or www.ticketcenterstage.com.
Students prove quick studies in musicals
Illness has forced two Dayton area community theaters to bring in last-minute replacements in featured roles. Both turned to actors at area colleges.
Playhouse South pressed Cedarville University student Ben Scheerschmidt into service when Justin Duvall, the actor originally cast as Prince Dauntless in the musical “Once Upon a Mattress,” fell ill and was hospitalized Thursday, Jan. 29.
Scheerschmidt already has a lot on his plate. He will play Doolittle in Cedarville’s upcoming production of “My Fair Lady.”
Wright State University theater major Kelly Pekar also proved herself dauntless when she jumped into the leading role of Anna for Thursday night’s dress rehearsal of “The King at I” at the Dayton Playhouse and will be performing it for the entire opening weekend, today through Sunday, Jan. 30-Feb. 1.
She replaced Karen Righter.
Playhouse South spokesperson Dawn Roth-Smith said Duvall is feeling better. “He has a nasty upper respiratory infection and was dehydrated. He’s back home now and might be back on stage tomorrow or Sunday,” when “Once Upon a Mattress” closes.
Scheerschmidt hoped to have his lines down pat by tonight’s show at Playhouse South, 3700 Far Hills Ave. Kettering. For ticket information, call (888) 262-3792.
Pekar is also in rehearsal for an upcoming production at WSU — “Sweeney Todd.”
“It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved,” Roth-Smith said. “The local colleges have a great number of very talented students who come out and do community theater shows all the time, which boosts the quality of each production.”
For information on “The King at I” at Dayton Playhouse, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., call (937) 424-8477.
Art, music and dance at the University of Dayton
MUSIC Faculty Artist Series: Brass, Song and Bernstein, 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, Sears Recital Hall. Faculty artists present a wide variety of lyrical 20th century music with a special tribute to Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990). Performers include John Benjamin, piano; Richard Chenoweth, horn; Phillip Farris, piano; Michael Keener, trombone; David Sievers, tenor; Linda June Snyder, soprano; and Jennifer Shoup, piano. The program includes a reunion of The Cantecor Trio (music for voice, horn and piano) with Richard Chenoweth, Linda Snyder and Phillip Farris, who performed together in recital at New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall in 1991.
Celebrations: Dayton Jazz Ensemble with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, Victoria Theatre, 138 North Main St. Tickets are currently on sale at Ticket Center Stage at 937-228-3630 or online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.
Three brand new DCDC works will be performed to live music. One of the original works is set to an original jazz composition composed by UD music faculty member Damon Sink and performed by the University of Dayton’s Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Willie L. Morris III. Centerville High School’s student choral ensembles, directed by Kathy Sagan-Clark, will also perform.
Liederabend: An Evening of German Poetry and Song, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, Sears Recital Hall. Student singers and pianists perform German Lieder by Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, Franz Liszt, Richard Strauss and others. German studies students will read poetry. Coordinated by Elke Hatch and Linda Snyder, the evening will be followed by a reception featuring German pastries.
Dayton Jazz Ensemble/Jazz Lab Band, 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, Kennedy Union Ballroom, Willie L. Morris III and James Leslie, conductors.
Guest Recital: Duo Chanot violin and piano recital, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, Sears Recital Hall. Christopher Thompson, violin, and Michael Gurt, piano, will perform compositions by Mozart, Johannes Brahms and Cesar Franck. They will also perform “Divinities at Dawn” by Eric Ewazen, a work the duo commissioned in 2006.
Faculty Recital: David Sievers, tenor, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, Sears Recital Hall. Tenor David Sievers and collaborative pianist Jennifer Shoup present a recital featuring works by Reynaldo Hahn, Johannes Brahms, Paolo Tosti, Gwyneth Walker, Joaquin Turina and L. C. Hicks.
Symphonic Wind Ensemble/University Concert Band, 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, KU Ballroom. Patrick Reynolds and Nicole Gross, conductors.
University Orchestra, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, KU Boll Theatre. Jiang Liu, conductor.
Dayton Jazz Ensemble, 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, Central State University. Willie L. Morris III, conductor.
For more information on music events, visit http://artssciences.udayton.edu/music http://artssciences.udayton.edu/music or call the music department at 937-229-3936.
DANCE UD Dance Ensemble Winter Concert, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22, Kennedy Union Boll Theatre. Tickets are $10 general admission and $6 for UD faculty, students and staff. Contact the KU box office at 937-229-2545. Presented by the UD Theatre Program, the concert is an entertaining evening of dance combining selections from jazz, show business, tap and ballet, staged by selected choreographers from UD faculty and students and the Dayton dance community.
VISUAL ARTS Roger Freeman - Minor League Baseball, A Photographic Exhibition, Feb. 10 through March 11, Rike Center Gallery. Opening reception from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12. As part of the spring Dayton at Bat! baseball programs, the UD visual arts department will exhibit a series of works by well-known photographer Roger Freeman. Freeman’s minor league baseball series of photographs, fresh from a recent showing at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., melds the art of the photograph and the sport of baseball into an impressive collection of 70 gelatin silver prints.
Ashley Cecil: The Painting Activist, Feb. 1-13, ArtStreet Studio D Gallery. Opening reception with artist lecture from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3. Ashley Cecil, UD alumna, artist and social activist, presents an exhibit of celebratory portraits of women who have been touched by charitable organizations. Presented in conjunction with Human Rights Week.
Images from Science, Feb. 23 through March 26, ArtStreet Studio D Gallery. Opening reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25. This traveling exhibition, organized by the Rochester Institute of Technology, features 61 scientific photographs from around the world. The exhibit includes an magnified photograph of a fly’s head by Scott Streiker, an associate research electron microscopist at UD’s Nanoscale Engineering Science & Technology (NEST) Laboratory.
ArtStreet is located at the intersection of Lawnview Avenue and Kiefaber Street on the University of Dayton campus. Open 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday and noon to midnight Saturday and Sunday. For more information about ArtStreet events, call 937-229-5101 or visit http://artstreet.udayton.edu http://artstreet.udayton.edu .
FILM ArtStreet Friday Film Series, 9 p.m. every Friday in ArtStreet Studio B screening room.
Feb. 6: Mooladé. From the first African film director to achieve international recognition, Mooladé tells the story of a woman who shelters a group of girls from female circumcision. In observation of Black History Month, in Jula with English subtitles. Directed by Ousmane Sembene, 2004.
Feb. 13: Man on Wire. The true story of Philippe Petit who, in 1974, committed the artistic crime of the century, a high-wire walk between the World Trade Center towers. Directed by James Marsh, 2008.
Feb. 20: The Business of Fancydancing. Renowned Native American poet Sherman Alexie presents this story of growth, death and the choices that define us. Presented in conjunction with the World Rhythms Residency. Directed by Sherman Alexie, 2002.
All these UD arts events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. For more information, visit http://events.udayton.edu http://events.udayton.edu . For a map, visit http://map.udayton.edu http://map.udayton.edu .
Elixir of Love
Dayton Opera’s 2008-2009 “Love Triumphant” season continues with Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love. To help audience members prepare for this performance, Dayton Opera is offering Opera Overtures, free-to-the-public talks about the opera’s story, history and other interesting tidbits.
These talks can be enjoyed by frequent opera-goers and those who have never been but are curious. A recent new patron who attended an Opera Overture was “inspired and excited” and found the presenter “wonderful, very charismatic and knowledgeable.”
Talks are one-hour long and led by Luke Dennis, Executive Director Elect for Muse Machine and opera guru extraordinaire. Dennis, a Yellow Springs resident, is originally from Wilmington, Ohio, and recently returned to the area from Boston, where he served as Education Manager for Boston Lyric Opera. He holds a B.A. in Music and Theatre from Wittenberg University and completed coursework for a Ph.D. in Theatre History, Literature and Theory at Tufts University.
The Elixir of Love (Donizetti) Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 7:30 p.m. Washington-Centerville Public Library, Spring Valley Road
Sunday, February 1, 2009 - 5 p.m.
Books & Company, Town & Country Mall/Ketterin
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 7 p.m. Emporium Wines & Underdog Cafe/233 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 - 7 p.m.
Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3211 Lakeview Ave., Dayton
Culture Works to launch 2009 drive
Culture Works will announce a goal of $1.7 million during its 34th annual united arts campaign, which will begin Thursday, Jan. 29, at the Cox Ohio Publishing Media Center, 1611 S. Main St.
The kick-off will begin with a continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m., followed by an 8 a.m. press conference and performances by the Muse Machine, Dayton Opera and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.
The campaign target matches the amount raised during the 2008 drive, which fell short of its $1.75 goal. Jon Sebaly of Sebaly, Shillito and Dyer is chair. Dates are Feb. 1-May 16.
This year is off to $600,000 start due to to major gifts from campaign partners NCR Corp., The Dayton Daily News and Time Warner, support from Mead Westvaco, New Page, television stations WDTN, WHIO and ABC 22/Fox 45, along with other individuals, foundations and businesses.
Culture Works is the 16th largest united arts fund in the country. For more information, or to contribute, call (937) 222-2787 or go to www.cultureworks.org.
Master of Mayhem is a technical marvel. And Neal Gittleman is the man for the job.
Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra SuperPops Concert, Master of Mayhem-Alfred Hitchcock, taking place Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6 and 7, differs from conventional symphony orchestra performances in that it requires the conductor, in this case Neal Gittleman, to link the live music with the film scrolling across the big screen. We caught Gittleman at home on one snow-bound day and he was practicing the techniques he will have to use to pull of this one-of-a-kind performance.
“There are some cases where a specific sound is supposed to happen at a specific place to synchronize with the film,” he explained. “If you’re within a second or two of where you’re supposed to be, it’s all okay as long as the next time you have a definite sync point, that you’re back in. You have a certain amount of flexibility in how you accompany the film.
“A good example is the drunk driving scene in “North by Northwest.” It’s basically this wild and crazy car ride along Highway 101 in northern California. But it ends where Cary Grant swerves to avoid a bicycle rider and stops and the cop car that’s chasing him rear-ends him. All during the whole sequence, it doesn’t reall matter where you are, but there’s a thud in the music at the car crash. You have to be close enough to adjust so you can land on the right place.”
Whew. If you attend the concert, be mindful of the challenges Gittleman is handling all at once.
Khalid Moss
‘Dalai Lama’ film to get Oxford screening
Khashyar Darvich, a former Oxford and Dayton resident, is touring Ohio cities with his international award-winning documentary “Dalai Lama Renaissance.”
Next stop is 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, at the Oxford Community Center, 10 S. College Ave. Darvich will lead a question and answer session before the showing. Admission is $7.50.
Narrated by Harrison Ford, the film documents a visit by more than three dozen innovative thinkers from the West with the Dalai Lama of Tibet in the mountains of northern India. They had come to share their ideas for changing the world. Unexpectedly, they themselves were changed.
“They were all transformed by the experience and took that inspiration back to their own communities,” said Darvich, who studied English and creative writing at Miami University before completing his degree at Baldwin-Wallace College.
He was invited to make the film just eight weeks before the trip and “had to find funding and get a crew of 18 together, including five cameras,” he said. “But projects like this have a way of working out. Doors open. It always felt to me that it was meant to be.”
The film has won numerous awards and attracted strong reviews. Darvich, who lives in Los Angeles, said a friend and studio executive summed up the best of the praise for him “when he told me that you almost feel like the Dalai Lama is there in the theater when you are watching.”
He has two projects in the works.
One will be about his maternal grandfather, who owned one of the first home-movie cameras in the 1930s and shot about 12 hours of footage with his family. “I want to use that in a personal story about that time,” Darvich said.
The other is about an American women who walked across the United States to support world peace starting in the McCarthy era and continuing for 30 years.
For more information about Oxford screening, call (513) 524-8506. There will also be showings Jan. 31-Feb. 4 at the Drexel Theatre in Columbus.
Elton John ballet launch scrubbed
The Dayton Ballet’s planned 2009 premiere to music by Elton John, “Rocket Man,” won’t be getting off the ground.
The singer-songwriter’s management, after previously granting preliminary approval to use his music, has revoked the rights.
Dayton Ballet spokesperson A. Diane Schoeffler-Warren said no reason was given. “Sir Elton’s people just decided not to let us use it. We’re all really disappointed.”
The new work was being choreographed for the Dayton Ballet by Washington Ballet artistic director Septime Webre, who began working with the dancers in November 2008.
The premiere was planned for a mixed-repertory program March 19-22. In its place, the company will revive Christopher Fleming’s comic ballet “Play Ball!” Weber’s “D-Construction” has also been added.
‘Smokey Joe’s Cafe’ rich with songs, stories
Book musicals try but don’t always succeed in telling clear, consistent stories punctuated with singing and dancing.
“Smokey Joe’s Café,” a revue of 42 early rock ‘n’ roll standards by prolific songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, doesn’t bother with that challenge.
It just rolls out the songs.
As Wright State University Theatre’s brisk, wonderful production of the 1995 Broadway hit makes clear with energy, personality and pleasing sound, it does tell stories, however. They come in miniature versions three to four minutes long, each contained in a song.
Not every number in the two-act production directed and co-choreographed by Greg Hellems offers a narrative. Some just provide an excuse to sing, dance or create a mood. But many are perfect little narrative gems. A few that stood out during the Saturday, Jan. 24, performance included:
• “Don Juan,” with Madeline Paul as a gold digger in a little blue dress and long red feather boa, a character too good not to bring back during Act 2 in “Some Cats Know.”
• Jeremy Gaston as a man dying to buy a new suit, only to have his credit application refused by salesman Shea Castle in “Shoppin’ for Clothes.”
• Lindsay Flick as a new victim of cupid’s arrow in “Falling,” powerhouse singer Melissa Grochowski as another in “Fools Fall in Love,” Gaston as a wino and the rest of the company as his would-be saviors in “D.W. Washburn,” Flick and Paul as two ladies who could give pop singer Pink assertiveness lessons in “Trouble,” and Paul with Castle in “You’re the Boss.”
The show’s most impressive early attraction was its well-dressed, slick-moving male ensemble —Brandon Fleming, Matt Kopec, Gaston and Castle in “Young Blood,” “Keep on Rollin’” and, with Eric Byrd, in “Ruby Baby.”
Everyone in the nine-member cast that also included Jackie Snyder (“I Keep Forgetting,” “Pearl’s a Singer” and the reprise of “Neighborhood”) had a solo. Music director Rick Church, a member of the onstage band, even got into the act (“Stay a While”).
But don’t let anyone tell you “Smokey Joe’s Café” is just about great old songs. It’s full of stories.
WSU’s production will continue through Sunday, Feb. 1, in the Creative Arts Center. Tickets are $17-$19. Call (937) 775-2500.
La Comedia takes on winter with fire, hips
When the spotlight suddenly pinpointed a dark corner of the room, a Maori warrior stood just behind a table of unsuspecting spectators who turned and flinched at the sight of his flapping tongue and fierce wide eyes.
In a different place and time — New Zealand in the past — the encounter might have been significant. Even dangerous. At La Comedia Dinner Theatre, where the South Pacific revue “Polynesian Fire” is the current attraction, it was just part of the show.
The Maori moments were part of a two-act, two-hour revue of semi-authentic and touristy adaptations of Hawaiian, Tongan, Tahitian and Samoan dance and music traditions. Two-time world fire-knife champion Chief Mikaele Oloa was the main attraction and didn’t disappoint during the Friday, Jan. 23 performance.
With the stage in shadow and vigilant assistants poised on both sides, he put on an impressive exhibition of throwing, tasting, touching and twirling his “knife.” It had flames blazing from both ends while he spun it, tossed it, caught it and sometimes rested it momentarily against his flesh.
Punctuated with his own war whoops, shouts and pauses to encourage audible ardor and admiration from the audience, his act was worth waiting for.
The rest of “Polynesian Fire” was often entertaining and interesting.Thematic cliches were mercifully few, but the opening narrative about the sacrifice of a young woman to Mount Kilauea lacked dramatic purpose.
The mistress of ceremonies sounded like a midway barker during audience participation segments. That said, some spectators need to be ordered Itout of their seats to take part.
A man in the front row, urged by a trio of Maori tribesmen repeatedly to pick up a leaf as a customary statement of peace during one interval, simply sat in stubborn refusal. Even so, they didn’t used their spears on him.
Other highlights during two dozen varied segments included:
• Liquid hips. Clothed in grass skirts and belonging to the main trio of female dancers, they rolled and undulated around and around almost as quickly at the chief’s spinning fire knife did later, as if independent from, rather than connected to the human body.
• The Tahiti dance lesson during Act 2. Volunteers were brought onto the stage, taught and encouraged to move their hips like islanders. Let’s just say it only looks easy when the experts do it.
• Versatility. Most of the dancing was done by three men and three women, who each had their specialties, but demonstrated solid ability across the board.
• Drumming. On everything from store-bought to handmade and cast-off materials, it provided the heartbeat. Guitars, an electric keyboard and conches blown like bugles provided other accompaniment.
• Pace. Satisfying in depth of content, the show moved along briskly.
• Detail. The graceful and shapely storytelling of the hula dancers’ hands was lovely.
“Polynesian Fire” will continue as a local respite from winter through March 8 at La Comedia, 765 W. Central Ave. (Ohio 73), Springboro. Tickets are $51-$69, with “early -bird discounts” in January. Make reservations at (937) 746-4554, (800) 677-9505 or www.lacomedia.com.
UD exhibit offers ‘fair’ look at Mary
The Virgin Mary as “The Fairest of All” is the theme of an upcoming exhibit at the University of Dayton.
The 30 paintings by Pueblo, Colo., artist Jan Oliver explore some of Mary’s many roles in faith — mother of Jesus Christ, Queen of Heaven and compassionate mother to all.
They depict her in colors and styles that evoke Latin America and the American Southwest. Oliver lists Diego Rivera, Rudolfo Morales and Marc Chagall as influences. Her representations of Mary often incorporate angels, stars and the baby Jesus.
“My paintings reflect a world of peace and harmony — of love and faith and celebration,” her artist’s statement said.
The exhibit will open Friday, Jan. 30, and continue through March 27 in the Marian Gallery on the seventh floor of UD’s Roesch Library. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and by appointment on weekends. Admission is free to the public.
‘Chitty’ doesn’t go far, but it’s a fun ride
The musical “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” is like a fun road trip with nice and crazy friends who take turns behind the wheel.
There’s no particular destination. We look at this and that. There are stops for sightseeing, nonsense and flirting with danger.
But when the gas gauge tips toward empty, it’s time to head for home and the expected happy ending.
Based on the book by Ian Fleming and the 1968 movie musical, the stage show by Richard M. Sherman, Robert M. Sherman and Jeremy Sams opened Tuesday, Jan. 20, in the Victoria Theatre Association’s Chase Broadway Series.
“CCBB” is named for the sputtering sounds a salvage-yard auto makes after amazingly gifted inventor Caractacus Potts coaxes it back to life.
Without so much as a smear of axle grease across his face, the tall and handsome widower soon has it purring. Voila! It’s an amphibious vehicle and one that can take to the air carrying him, his sweet kids Jeremy and Jemima, and candy heiress Truly Scrumptious (Kelly McCormick). The kids have invited her into the family with eventually predictable results.
Fleming’s penchants for flashy cars, distinctively named women and villains seeking world domination find a different level of expression than in his James Bond novels, but the formula is similar.
Rather than a wow-maker, the car that flies is a sedate amusement park ride blessed with some impressive touring-theater technology. It got momentarily caught up in one of the curtains at the rear of the stage on opening night, but a far heavier burden was the gratingly repetitive theme song that reprises whenever the machine lifts off.
The show is mostly good, clean family fun with a sprinkling of double meanings for the adults who far outnumber kids at subscription series events like this one. Kids will probably like the show most during Act 1, before a fairly simple story about a family detours into a musical hall variety show with production numbers and standup comedy.
Played with pleasing strength, expression and sensitivity by Miami University graduate Steve Wilson, Potts all but carries Act 1. He disappears for long stretches after intermission, when the car and supporting players grab prominence.
“Chitty” could use more of him, as demonstrated by his ability to stand out in “Me Ol’ Bamboo,” a dance number with the male ensemble that pales in comparison to the version in the movie.
The best things in the production, along with a pack of trained and groomed dogs that sprint on cue from one side of the stage to the other, are: the convincing relationship between Potts and his kids; the antics between bumbling spies/comic duo Boris and Goran (Dirk Lumbard and Scott Cote); and the villainous Baron and Baroness of Vulgaria (George Dvorsky and Elizabeth Ward Land), who wear out their welcomes after one too many numbers featuring them.
A diabolical duo ruling over a land of red skies and hints of Nazi Germany, they want the car, but are too distracted by their own personalities to grab it for long. They’re more entertaining as an odd couple,
There are some nice songs, particularly “Hushabye Mountain” for Caractacus and kids. There are funny and silly ones, too, including “Toot Sweet,” in the candy factory, and “Chu-Chi Face” for the Baron and Baroness.
“Chitty Chitty” is mostly a good time with little to show for it but a lingering smile afterward. If that’s enough for you, grab a seat.
Performances continue through Sunday, Jan. 25, at the Schuster Performing Arts Center, Second and Main streets. Tickets, which have been discounted across the board, are $23-$59.50, the lowest in recent memory for any local Broadway Series offering. Call (937) 228-3630, toll free at (888) 228-3630 or on line at www.ticketcenterstage.com. .
Council to carry on Riverbend’s mission
Riverbend Art Center has closed, but the non-profit organization behind it is seeking another venue for classes, exhibits and its annual juried showcase event, Art in the Park.
Toward that goal, the Riverbend Art Center Council is seeking sponsors, contributions and grants, according to secretary Iris Helis.
She said anyone interested in helping, or in learning more, should contact the Riverbend Council at P.O. Box 61119, Dayton, Ohio 45406-9119, or visit the website www.riverbendarts.org.
The center, which opened in 1963 on East Siebenthaler Avenue adjacent to the Wegerzyn Garden Center, was forced to close after the City of Dayton discontinued funding in 2008. The council supported the center until the end of the year.
Helis said the council “wishes to thank students, instructors, staff and friends for their participation and contributions during the past 46 years. The closing of the center does not does not necessitate the discontinuance of the council.”
Thousands of area residents took classes there in painting, drawing, metals, jewelry, pottery, photography, computer art, gem cutting, lapidary, faceting, enameling, glasswork, graphics, silk-screening, carving, weaving and other specialties. Some went on to become professional artists.
The center also hosted the award-winning children’s ARISE (Artistic Resources in Social Empowerment), program.
Fairfield, Ohio vocalist, Ryan Johnson, on American Idol
Fairfield native Ryan Johnson, 27, received a coveted “golden ticket” - only given to the best singers - to advance to the “Hollywood Round” during “American Idol” auditions in Louisville in July. He secured an audition spot by winning a WXIX-TV (Channel 19) talent contest last summer.
Johnson has been singing on weekends with Instereo, a Hamilton-based Christian rock band, for 4½ years. He works full time servicing diesel engines at the CSX rail yard in Camp Washington.
Instereo drummer and manager Terry Thurston, however, shared more details about Johnson’s stint on the show. The 1999 Fairfield High School graduate spent a week in Los Angeles taping the “Hollywood Round” shows in November, said Thurston, who lives near Johnson.
Several Instereo concert dates in November had to be rescheduled because of Johnson’s absence, Thurston said.
The season opens with audition shows from Phoenix and Kansas City. Fox has not announced when Louisville hopefuls will be shown on the other audition shows (Jan. 20-21, Jan. 27-29).
Johnson already has been shown on “American Idol” promotions over the holidays.
Keep your eyes and ears open for Johnson and pick up that phone and vote for him.
Khalid Moss
Yellow Springs Jet Pilot Breaks Film Scoring Barrier
Long before the US economy de-stabilized, free-lance musicians struggled to find creative ways to make ends meet. Some turned to teaching or gave up the music business altogether. Others cast a wide net spending their idle time trolling for work within decent radius of basecamp.
Bassist, commercial jet pilot and sound engineer David K. Spyridon of Yellow Springs and multi-instrumentalist Randy Villars of Dayton chose another option.
“We’ve decided to set up our own production company,” Spyridon said from his studio near John Bryan State Park. “It’s called Greene Glen Productions and we’re involved in a variety of things.
“We do film scoring for commercial and independent films, we do audio for TV and radio ads and I also record voice-over work here.” Spyridon said the pair are currently scoring a film, “Tough Man,” for two Wright State University film students.
“We’re in the process of creating music tracks to go with the documentary film,” he said. “The equipment we use is state-of-the art Digidesign Pro Tool System. It’s a digital, audio work station. Filmmakers create a computer file that we bring into the system and we’re able to view the video. Then we create music files that we apply to the film.”
Greene Glen hopes to expand its commercial film scoring opportunities and recently joined Film Dayton, an organization formed to promote filmmaking in greater Dayton. “Film Dayton is committed to bringing filmmakers, directors and producers into the Dayton area, “As it turns out there are lots of good places to put a film together in this area. Greene Glen Productions is a new venture and its a great way for us to network with other people who might need our services.”
‘Catfish Moon’ makes a nice little splash
Unless it’s your singular goal, you don’t need to land a big catch to enjoy the experience of fishing.
Same should be true for a night out at the theater.
There are no trophy-photo moments in Laddy Sartin’s “Catfish Moon,” which the Dayton Theatre Guild is giving its local premiere in a production directed by Saul Caplan.
There are chuckles, surprises, truths to ponder and shooting stars to imagine in a two-act, four-character comedy that deals with sitting by a pond in rural South Carolina, fishing, love, death and friendship.
Curley, played by Donald Smith, has done well in life, but is reassessing priorities in middle age. Lured back to a favorite past fishing spot, he brings along Gordon (Greg Nichols), an impulsive gentle giant of a friend with a former drinking problem.
Edgy, anxious, often pessimistic Frog (Leo Geiger), arrives a bit later to confront Gordon about rumors that the big guy is dating his ex-wife, Betty (Amy Brooks), as if he has any say about who Betty can see.
Subsequent scenes unite various combinations of the characters as they revisit the past, sort out present circumstances and, especially in the case of horoscope-consulting Gordon, look ahead. A sad and abrupt development ultimately provides comedy and revives the bond between them all.
Nothing is forced. Little things count for a lot. A good example is the scene in which Gordon goes on bent knee to take unsuspecting Betty’s hand. Even that close to the ground, Nichols is pretty much on eye level with the petite Brooks, whose character is obviously the one in charge.
Dialects weren’t convincing, but also weren’t forced. Lighting could have provided more atmosphere on the old fishing pier. The chemistry between Smith and Nichols on opening night, Jan. 9, didn’t match the history between their characters, but Geiger’s spark closed the gap. Brooks’ Betty established her authenticity quickly.
“Catfish Moon” will continue through Jan. 25 at the Dayton Theatre Guild, 2330 Salem Ave. Times are 8 p.m. Fridays, 5 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $17 at (937) 278-5993 or www.daytontheatreguild.org.
Documentary on UD’s Martin to premiere
He’s compact, graceful, soft spoken, dignified and kind, with a gleam in his eyes and a toothy grin when delighted.
If you met him for the first time right now, Herbert Woodward Martin, 75, the distinguished University of Dayton professor emeritus, would probably seem an unlikely man to throw his head back, raise his voice in a higher pitch and announce, “Jump back, honey, jump back!”
If you have ever seen his lively one-man portrayal of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, you know that outburst is just scratching the surface of his repertoire.
Herbert Woodward Martin in “Jump Back, Honey”
Independent filmmaker David Schock’s new documentary about Martin, “Jump Back, Honey,” definitely has the right title.
Besides footage of his diligently researched, richly detailed performances as a poet he helped restore to rightful prominence, it also has a lot of him.
Interwoven with performance clips, including some from his own student days presenting his own verse, he speaks candidly about his life, work, family, writing and convincingly personal relationship with Dunbar, who died more than 100 years ago at age 33.
Produced by the Ohio Humanities Council and UD, the film will have its premiere Friday, Jan. 16, in UD’s Kennedy Union Boll Theatre. Admission is free to the public and there will be a performance by jazz musician Willie Morris 45 minutes before the 7 p.m. showing. A second showing will be scheduled at 9 p.m. if necessary.
Martin and Schock will discuss the film at a reception afterward.
Shock said he was inspired to make “Jump Back, Honey” by Martin’s status as “a scholar and outstanding poet in his own right” who has “gone over and above that as a performance artist. He also has such humility, joy and really loves people.”
Others interviewed during the film include poets Nikki Giovanni and Naomi Long Madgett, Ronald Primeau, author of books about Martin and Dunbar; Martin’s wife, Sue, who met him when both were students in a poetry class, and other family members,
More information about Martin and the documentary is available at www.jumpbackhoney.com. UD hosts a web site dedicated to Dunbar that has audio recordings of Martin’s performances at www.dunbarsite.org.
Schock’s other films include “Who Killed Janet Chandler?”, a documentary about a 1979 murder that was featured in May 2008 on NBC’s “Dateline.”
How to Go What: Premiere of “Jump Back, Honey,” a documentary about Herbert Martin. When: 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16. Where: Boll Theatre, Kennedy Union, University of Dayton. Cost: Free. More Info: (937) 229-3541.
Muse Machine musical Rife with hijinks
DAYTON — The revival of a Muse Machine production that included several future Broadway performers 12 years ago marks the debut of another actor with notable potential.
Tyler Rife, still just a high school junior, put his distinctive stamp on the leading role of the musical “Me and My Girl” when it opened Thursday, Jan. 8, at the Victoria Theatre emblazoned with another asterisk. It’s the Muse Machine’s 25th winter production.
Rubber-limbed and seemingly wired for mischief, physical and musical comedy, Rife had the irrepressibility (more than the audacity) to do the role of Bill Snibson with memorable flair and confidence for an audience that included the last Muse student to play it.
That was Tyler Maynard, now a cast member of “The Little Mermaid” on Broadway. He gave the curtain speech with Tori Ross, another Broadway performer who had been featured in the Muse’s 1997 “Me and My Girl.”
The 2009 production about a Cockney scamp who finds out he’s an earl and isn’t sure he wants the trouble that comes with all the perks isn’t a one-man effort. Rife would probably have been just as at home on his own with a trunk of props in a show called “Me and My Shadow,” however.
Co-director Nat Horne and choreographers Lula Elzy and Lea Glass came up with several bits designed just for his talents. The Act 2 scene during which he explored many uses for a long, royal cape was the most obvious example.
In effective contrast, Abby Brown’s portrayal of Snibson’s true love, Sally Smith, unfolded and developed slowly and sweetly. Her deliveries of “Take It on the Chin” and “Once You Lose Your Heart” upheld sincerity and romance in a show filled with clever pranks and hijinks.
The student orchestra produced a pleasing vintage sound under the baton of David Dusing.
Tommy Skelton was a deserving crowd-pleaser in what could easily be just a one-dimensional role of the Hereford family solicitor Parchester. Kendall Young was the right mix of seductive and haughty as Lady Jacqueline Carstone.
Annabeth Kane was marvelous at delivering sharp lines and ignoring those from others as the almost indomitable Duchess Maria. Coleman Hemsath was Gerald Bolinbroke, who finally takes matters into his own hands with Lady Jacqui. Jordan Knecht was Sir John, whose patience with Lady Clara finally pays off.
Launched in the 1930s in England, the show by L. Arthur Rose, Douglas Furber and Noel Gay has some nice songs, but the main threads are comedy and a story with elements similar to those explored later in “My Fair Lady.”
The Muse Machine will present its consistently entertaining “Me and My Girl” again at 3 and 8 p.m. today, Jan. 10, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Victoria Theatre, First and Main streets. Tickets are $15-$52 at (937) 228-3630 or www.ticketcenterstage.com.
Lights out for Akron dinner theater
La Comedia in Springboro is now Ohio’s only professional dinner theater.
Carousel Dinner Theatre in Akron, which was the biggest in the country, closed its doors Sunday, Jan. 4, due to accumulating debt. More than 150 employees were let go.
Executive producer and CEO Joseph Palmer based the decision on a poor economic outlook, decreasing attendance and “the reversal of certain stakeholders’ promises, which would have had a major impact.”
The theater plans to liquidate assets estimated at $2.68 million. Palmer said liabilities total more than $6 million.
Carousel opened in 1973 in a converted supermarket in Ravenna, in nearby Portage County. It moved to its Akron home in 1988. The final production there was the musical “All Shook Up.”
