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June 2009
I’m going to Country Concert, come with me
In two weeks, our area will be pleasantly invaded by many top country music stars.
And happily, I’m in charge of reporting about this invasion, which takes places Thursday, July 9 through Sunday, July 12.
If you can still get a ticket for Country Concert ‘09 in Fort Loramie, get one. It’s a four day event featuring all-day concerts from multiple performers. You can buy single or four-day tickets. In one day alone you could see Sugarland, Little Big Town and others perform. On another day, there’s Craig Morgan, Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley for the price of a one-day ticket.
And it all takes place at a campsite in the country, not in a cramped theater.
But if you can’t go, watch this website for updates and photos every day of the event. I’ll be reporting on the crowd, the traffic, the weather, the performances and even what goes on backstage.
For tickets or more information, go to www.countryconcert.com or call 937-295-3000.
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Theater hall names Martin, Senseman
The Dayton Theatre Hall of Fame has named Gil Martin and Blake Senseman as its 2009 inductees.
Martin, best known locally for his acting at the Dayton Theatre Guild in productions including “Equus,” “Gross Indecency,” “Outward Bound,” “The Beaux Stratagem,” “A Doll’s House” and “The Paris Letter,” has also directed and worked professionally. He has composed more than 400 published pieces of sacred and secular music.
A Dayton resident, he toured nationally in the musical “1776” and the play “Oh, Coward,” and has worked off-Broadway as a designer, arranger and conductor.
Senseman, also a Theatre Guild veteran in several capacities, appeared alongside Martin in the recent production of “Outward Bound,” then designed and built sets for this season’s productions of “The Cashier” and “Fuddy Meers.”
He owns and operates Buggy Whip Antiques in Tipp City, where he lives.
Martin and Senseman will be inducted during the annual DayTony Awards ceremony Aug. 16 at the Dayton Marriott Grande Ballroom. Tickets are $32 for the public event. Call (937) 654-0400. More information about the Dayton Theatre Hall of Fame is available at www.daytonys.org.
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Documentary filmmaker to speak at upcoming DAI screening Friday, June 26
If you’ve been to the William Morris glass exhibit at the Dayton Art Institute, you’ve seen excerpts from the only feature-length documentary film ever produced on the famous artist.
Morris, who retired from glass blowing at the age of 49, now divides his time between Hawaii and Seattle and is reportedly learning a new skill — wood carving. The talented artist has a reputation for being very private about both his personal and professional lives.
New York film maker John Andres managed to obtain access to both. The result is “Creative Nature,” a profile of Morris filmed at locations ranging from the famous Pilchuck glass blowing hot shop north of Seattle to Hawaiian waters where Morris swims underwater with sharks. He’s quite an adventurer — rock climbing, paragliding, walking through flowing lava fields.
Andres, who works in New York, will introduce the film to the Miami Valley at a screening Friday evening, June 26, at the DAI and will respond to questions. “His work spoke to me and I was intrigued by the mind that would realize this work,” says Andres, who said over the three year shooting period Morris was “very generous with his time and energy.”
“He’s a very special artist who sees life very differently,” says Andres. “A lot of people think he has a death wish and nothing could be further from the truth. He has this incredible life wish, and part of that is experiencing it on his terms, he needs to be in nature to fuel that part of himself.”
The film opens in a museum gallery where Morris and his team are installing an exhibit that includes many of the pieces that are on display in Dayton. That allows us the fascinating opportunity to see how our own show was put together, and to hear Morris speak about the work.
“I’m not interested in replicating anything,” he explains in the film. “It’s more the impression … I let myself absorb and be absorbed by everything around me.” Later he asks: “What quality does a pine cone have that makes me feel it? Glass has the ability to do that like no other material.”
Famous glass artist Dale Chihuly is interviewed in the film, as are members of Morris’ glass blowing team.
When Morris went paragliding in August of 2006, Andres took his two young daughters and wife along for the filming. “We climbed to a 8,000 ft. peak,” he says, “and Bill and his friends para-glided, soaring over 12,000 feet.”
Now when his girls complain that they can’t do something, he reminds them of that experience. “Three years ago we rock-climbed 8,000 feet,” he tells them, “I think you can handle this little activity.”
HOW TO GO WHAT: “Creative Nature,” a documentary film highlighting the life and work of glass artist William Morris with an introduction and after-film discussion by New York filmmaker John Andres. WHEN: 6:45 p.m. Friday, June 26 WHERE: NCR Renaissance Auditorium, Dayton Art Institute ADMISSION: Tickets available at the door: 90 cents for museum members in honor of the Museum’s 90th Anniversary celebration. Non-members: $5. FOR INFO: www.daytonartinstitute.org or call 223-5277.
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‘Dance Olympics’ picks Centerville troupe
Centerville-based South Dayton Dance Theatre has been invited to perform at the prestigious 2010 International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Miss.
The troupe directed by Gigi Gardner is one of only five pre-professional dance companies chosen to appear at the two-week Olympic-style showcase, which is held just once every four years. Dates will be June 12-27.
Dancers from around the world will vie for gold, silver and bronze medals, cash awards, scholarships and jobs. The international audience will include company directors interested in hiring dancers.
The invitation grew out of several honors SDDT collected at the 2009 Regional Dance America Festival in May in Harrisburg, Pa.
Two company choreographers won high honors. Shannon Bramham’s work “Closure” was selected to represent the Northeast region of RDA at the IBC. Ashley Sass, a former company member who has performed with the Dayton Ballet the past two years, earned the Monticello Award for Best Emerging Choreographer.
Dancer Tara Lynch of Centerville received the Phelps Award for best contemporary dancer.
Founded in 1993, SDDT includes dancers ages 11 to 18. It presents an annual “Nutcracker Ballet” and a spring concert in March. More information about the company is available at www.sddt.org
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Review: Ethel Waters show at Loft
“Ethel Waters: His Eye Is on the Sparrow” is the story of a singer and actress who broke new ground for black performers in the 1920s, ’30s and beyond.
While accurate, that description doesn’t come close to summarizing the experience of seeing the one-woman show by Larry Parr at The Loft Theatre, where it’s being produced by The Human Race Theatre.
The real story there is Broadway veteran Danielle Lee Greaves, who plays Ethel through 14 songs and two acts of dialogue. She is fabulous. This may be Ethel’s story, but it’s Greaves’ show.
Director and Dayton native Schele Williams set the course for success the moment she cast her performer. The play with music is an interesting more than compelling condensation of Waters’ amazing life and career — from child bride to nightclub, stage and screen star and, ultimately, Billy Graham gospel crusade soloist.
The pressure is on the performer to fill in the considerable gaps in the story and Greaves was more than up to the challenge on Wednesday, June 17.
Under Williams’ flowing direction, she moved from scene to scene and milestone to milestone in Waters’ life, taking advantage of touchstone songs at every major crossroad.
Nobody should ever need an excuse to sing “Frankie and Johnny,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “This Joint Is Jumpin’,” “Am I Blue?,” “Stormy Weather” and others. But just in case, each one summarizes a moment in Waters’ humble beginnings, struggles, coming of age, blossoming career, brief romance, lost love, career doldrums and eventual acceptance of singing for God.
Greaves delivers many of them so well that the story becomes her while she is singing. One thing missing after the show is a soundtrack of her performance to pianist Scot Woolley’s accompaniment.
Waters’ faith is an undercurrent in the script, although not a heavy-handed one. Set designer Tamara L. Honesty evokes it in scenery and illuminated images that sometimes give the impression of stained glass.
“His Eye Is on the Sparrow,” named for a spiritual that provided recurring comfort for Waters, isn’t really a one-woman show. The Human Race production also required the efforts of Parr, numerous songwriters, director Williams, costume designer Lowell Mathwich, lighting designer John Rensel and others.
But it is Greaves’ show. She gives a great performance. That’s the main reason to see it.
“Ethel Waters: His Eye Is On the Sparrow” will continue through June 28 at 126 N. Main St. Tickets are $33 at (937) 228-3630, (888) 228-3630 or www.ticketcenterstage.com.
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Law firm thinks pink for musical
The traffic cones lining Main Street outside were still dirty roadside orange, but things were looking pink inside the Schuster Performing Arts Center on Tuesday evening, June 16.
In honor of the musical “Legally Blonde,” which was about to open, a production sponsor’s pre-show reception basked in the favorite color of the show’s leading character and its theme.
> Photos: Legally Blonde Party
> Review: Legally Blonde
“Pink ties are mandatory for all of our male lawyers,” said Bill Miller, director of client services for the regional law firm Freund, Freeze & Arnold, a leadership sponsor of the Broadway Series presentation. “Some are also wearing pink shirts and other items I don’t want to know about.”
Ten of the firm’s female attorneys had been transformed into models, wearing dresses, skirts or suits provided by the Kettering fashion merchant Elan that the character Elle Woods of “Legally Blonde” might have chosen. Pink, in various shades, was the dominant color.
“I wouldn’t wear this in court. It’s too bright,” lawyer Kyle Verrett said of her fitted lavender jacket over a pink blouse and a black skirt. “I would prefer to have my arguments stick out more than my clothes.”
Jen White said she would “probably not” argue a case wearing the cropped pink tweed jacket she had on, although it was subtle compared to garments worn by some of her colleagues. “I’m not sure it would be appreciated, but it’s really cute.”
Julie Shone-Baker of Elan said the goal was to “replicate the spirit of the clothes in the movie. We wanted to embody the soul of that look.”
The reception took place inside the Schuster Center’s small Mathile Theatre, which had been transformed into a “Legally Blonde” branch office.
A large projection of Bruiser, one of the dogs in the show, dominated the wall above the bar. An ice carving of the same animal stood as a centerpiece. Tables were decorated with pink flowers rising out of pink and white purses, or arranged with pink boas. Overhead lighting was pink. Pink bows had been tied to the backs of chairs.
Guests included Freund, Freeze & Arnold attorneys, staff members, clients and invited guests from throughout the community.
“We sponsor one show a year that really speaks to us,” Miller said.
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‘Legally Blonde’ proves Elle-ctric
There’s still a gap between Elle Woods and Harvard University, but the spunky fictional character at the center of the live romantic musical comedy “Legally Blonde” is gaining ground on the bastion of American authenticity.
As Lauren Ashley Zarkin was the latest to prove Tuesday, June 16, on the national tour’s first night at the Schuster Performing Arts Center, Reese Witherspoon isn’t required to elicit the audience’s loyalty.
The part of the frivolous accessorized sorority girl who reinvents and proves herself after her society boyfriend dumps her for not being serious enough might make a rock smile at and care about her.
> Photos: Legally Blonde Party
> Law firm thinks pink for musical
Ms. Zarkin’s lively portrayal did nothing to squander that blessing. She looked the part, sang well, moved well and crackled with Ellectricity. It was occasionally a challenge to understand her lyrics, perhaps because speed and intensity of delivery seemed to take precedence.
Few stage musicals replicate the delight of the movies that spawned them. “Legally Blonde” is one of the few.
It makes up for a lack of outstanding songs with irrepressible Elle, a few others who exceed the stereotypes that inspired them, crisp and uncluttered staging, crowd-pleasing surprises (a song that asks whether a man is gay or simply European, for example) and formulaic winners (such as the hot delivery man and two cute dogs).
Besides Zarkin, standouts included Ken Land, whose rendition of “Blood in the Water” as law professor Callahan was the show’s best solo; Cortney Wolfson, Rhiannon Hansen and Crystal Joy as Elle’s supportive Delta Nu Greek chorus of Serena, Margot and Pilar; Coleen Sexton (who leads the jump rope number “Whipped Into Shape”) as workout icon Brooke Wyndham, and D.B. Bonds, although he is almost too nice a guy to make a strong enough impression as Elle’s eventual love interest Emmett Forrest.
If you saw and loved the movie, you should love this version of “Legally Blonde.” If you somehow missed it and the sequel, you’ll still get basically the same entertaining experience here.
Harvard isn’t exactly quaking at the prospect, but Elle Woods is becoming an institution of her own.
“Legally Blonde” will continue through Sunday, June 21, at the Schuster Center, Second and Main streets. Tickets for the Victoria Theatre Association’s Chase Broadway Series presentation are $34-$84.50 at (937) 228-3630, toll free at (888) 228-3630 or online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.
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Local student part of national film win
“Danny and the Page,” a four-minute piece by Xavier University students including Andrew Short of Miamisburg, has taken Funniest Film honors in the 2009 Rooftop Comedy College Competition in Aspen, Colo.
It’s about a singing, guitar-strumming 16th-century page who haunts, then befriends a young man named Danny before delivering a fatal prediction.
The members of Xavier’s electronic media sketch-comedy group call themselves the Beards of Industry. Besides Short, who is an English major, they include LaMar Ford of Indianapolis and Reid Faylor of Fort Wayne, Ind.
They were invited to submit their short for the national college film competition in Aspen. It took first place based on a nationwide vote.
The video can be seen at http://www.rooftopcomedy.com/college/funnyfilm and also on YouTube.
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DAI’s Art Ball lights up the night
Lustrous butterflies and bright jellybeans made for “Shimmering Madness” — the theme du jour of this year’s Dayton Art Institute Art Ball that took place the evening of June 13 at the museum.
Inspired by a large-scale installation of the same name on permanent display in the museum by American artist Sandy Skoglund, the annual black-tie gala brought out bold, beautiful gowns inspired by the artwork, created from jelly beans and hand-painted butterflies that flutter when viewers approach.
Proceeds from the 53rd annual event — one of the most elegant evenings that the Miami Valley has to offer — are going towards the restoration of Alfred Jenson’s geometric painting entitled “Madonna & Child” (1958).
Click here to see guests dining, toasting, gambling, dancing, posing and more.
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Guitarist Duke Robillard returns to Dayton Thursday, June 18.
Bluesman Duke Robillards’s reputation as a guitarist and band leader is as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar. He’s been named Best Blues Guitarist four out of five years by the Blues Music Awards and in 2007 received a Grammy nomination for his CD “Guitar Groove-a-rama.”
But fellow guitarist and WYSO radio personality “Shakin’” Dave Hussong says Robillard’s contribution to the blues genre cuts far deeper than a few hot guitar licks.
“Conceptually he was the first to go back and scour the jump-blues music of the late ‘40s and early ‘50s,” said Hussong, owner of the Franklin-based vintage guitar outlet, Fretware. “People were longing for retro-blues that would get them up on the dance floor. This was danceable blues with full horn sections and bar-walking sax players.”
Robillard returns to Dayton on Thursday, June 18 for an engagement at Gilly’s 132 S. Jefferson St.
In 1967 Robillard formed the horn-driven band Roomful of Blues. The ensemble continues 40 years later although Robillard left after 12 years. In 1990 he replaced Jimmy Vaughan in the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Although he made his bones playing the blues Robillard’s artistry is not limited to that idiom.
“He’s been to my store on several occasions and, trust me, there is no weak link in Duke’s musical chain,” Hussong said. “He’s a gifted player that can play everything from gutbucket to “Body and Soul.”
HOW TO GO Who: Guitarist Duke Robillard Where: Gilly’s 132 S. Jefferson St. When: Thursday, June 18 at 8 p.m. How Much: $15 call (937) 228-8414
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Ripley told it like she plays it
One good thing about playing troubled offbeat characters your audience can relate to is that when you go a bit over the top, it’s easy to forgive you.
That’s Alice Ripley, who was so excited to win her first Tony Award Sunday, June 7, that what seemed to be a prepared acceptance speech became a brief outburst of several strong and spontaneous emotions.
It appeared at first as if she might cry when she started to quote John F. Kennedy after accepting her prize from presenter David Hyde Pierce. That quickly shifted into the evangelical fervor of one with an important cause — in this case, the importance of the arts and creativity in a world dominated by war and politics — and that morphed into anger.
Ripley, who grew up in West Carrollton, plays a woman battling bipolar disorder in the new musical “Next to Normal.” She won the Tony for best leading actress in a musical, besting the likes of fellow Daytonian Allison Janney and Stockard Channing.
The passion and depth of her performance seems to have bled over into her speech.
For the record, here’s the JFK quote that provoked her: “I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit.”
Bloggers and tweeters and chatters were stirred to react. One surmised “she was just trying to hold it together after one of the most triumphant moments of her life.” Another described it as a “Howard Dean crazy shouting moment.” Another guessed that her emotions “caught her off guard.”
The New York Times has described Ripley’s performance as Diana Goodman as a “nakedly anguished performance.”
Especially by her hometown fans, who can be proud that she was anything but boring in victory, Ripley should be forgiven for being swept up into the significance of the occasion.
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Local nightclub owner reflects on the death of Koko Taylor
The death of blues queen Koko Taylor on Wednesday, June 3 was a blow to her loyal fans both worldwide and locally. Over the course of her career, Taylor performed in Dayton many times and had a huge fan base of both old and young blues lovers.
Born in 1928 on a sharecropper’s farm near Memphis, TN, Taylor was called “Queen of the Blues.” Her given name was Cora Walton, but she acquired the name Koko due to her love of chocolate.
Jerry Gilotti, owner of Dayton’s Gilly’s nightclub, had a long history with Taylor and recalled the first time he booked her into his establishment.
“It was November 14, 1981,” he said. “The owner of a bar called Walnut Hills had her booked but couldn’t do the date. So he asked me to take her. It was my first time booking an Alligator Records artist. I paid her $500. The last time she was here, August of 2007, we paid her $12 thousand for one show at Island Park.”
Taylor would become one of Gilly’s most popular performers returning frequently either as soloist or double-billed with other blues acts.
“Taylor used to come about three times a year,” Gilotti said. “I double-booked her with Albert Collins, Albert King and Little Milton. Those were great shows. She had a tremendous following in Dayton. She was a very explosive type of singer and they loved her.”
The last time Gilotti saw Taylor was at the Island Park performance in 2007. He said there were signs of failing health even then.
“She wasn’t in the best of health,” Gilotti said. “It was tough for her to get up on the stage. But once she made it to the microphone, she gave a tremendous performance.”
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Ripley wins Tony Award
The new musical “Billy Elliott” was the night’s big winner, but the 63rd annual Tony Awards ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in New York was a wonderland for West Carrollton’s Alice RIpley.
She won Broadway’s highest honor as best leading actress in a musical for the show “Next to Normal,” in which she plays a wife and mother undergoing a nervous breakdown. The show and Ripley’s performance have been widely praised.
It was the first Tony and the second nomination for Ripley, 45, who was born in San Leandro, Calif., but grew up one of 11 children in West Carrollton, where she graduated from high school. She earned her BFA at Kent State University.
Her first Tony nomination was in 1998 for the musical “Side Show,” in which she played a siamese twin with co-nominee Emily Skinner. She made her Broadway debut in 1992 in “The Who’s Tommy,” going on to play featured roles in “Les Miserables,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “James Joyce’s The Dead” and “Rocky Horror Show.”
She is also a singer and songwriter with her own group, Ripley. She is married to the drummer Shannon Ford.
She was up against major competition — Oakwood native and four-time Emmy Award winner Allison Janney, past Tony Award winners Stockard Channing and Sutton Foster, and “West Side Story” revival star Josefina Scaglione.
RIpley performed in a number from”Next to Normal” during the live Tonys broadcast on CBS TV, which was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. She accepted her award from presenter David Hyde Pierce and quoted John F. Kennedy about the importance of art during a brief, but fierce speech in which she also said she was “stunned and honored.” Several members of her immediate family were in the audience.
Janney, a candidate in 1998 for best actress in a play, was nominated for her Broadway musical debut in Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”
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DPO announces cuts for the 2009-2010 season
On Friday, May 29 the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra announced a number of staff reductions and salary adjustments to “ensure the financial stability” of its 2009-2010 fiscal year which began Monday, June 1.
“There are a number of challenges non-profits are facing in this economic climate,” said DPO president Paul Helfrich. “With the economy the way it is we don’t want to plan for a deficit budget. These were very difficult decisions. But the most important thing is to keep the music playing and keep the orchestra on sound financial footing.”
The DPO eliminated three full-time positions as of June 1. Two were eliminated from the marketing department and one from development . In addition, Music Director Neal Gittleman, Helfrich, and five staff department heads will take a ten percent salary reduction. The salaries for the remaining administrative staff will be reduced three percent.
The cuts also affect members of the orchestra. They voted to forego the 5.5 percent raise that was guaranteed them by their collective bargaining agreement for the 2009-2010 season. Their pay will be frozen at 2008-2009 levels.
DPO’s director of marketing and public relations, David Bukvic, said the changes will not affect the artistic quality of the orchestra.
“We are dealing with a delicate organism here,” Bukvic said. “There are certain areas that need to be fine-tuned for these reductions not to affect the quality of the music. Logistics and innovation will get us through this.”
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