Through the Opera Glasses - 76 - Jets vs Sharks at Neptune's West Side Story

Day 10 of the A to Z Challenge brings us to J - and today that stands for Jerome Robbins, Jets vs Sharks, and Jim White.











When you're a dance freak like me, there are certain iconic dance moments that just give you shivers.

This Sharks moment is one of them.

The triad of Puerto Rican immigrants refusing to give up their stake in their New York neighborhood is a masculine thing of beauty, portrayed above by National Ballet of Canada dancers in West Side Story Suite, a second version of Robbins' choreography arranged for dance companies.


Here Jerome Robbins rehearses the moment where the three Sharks kick out at their rivals, the Jets, while reaching for the proverbial better life.

They do so in harmony, because their gang gives them strength in numbers in the unwelcoming streets of America.

What Jerome Robbins' staging of this groundbreaking piece of musical theatre did in 1957 was to elevate the dance portion of the musical triumverate. His steps weren't just a part of the story being told - his steps told the story on their own.


Canadian choreographer Jim White has adapted Mr. Robbins' work for Halifax's Neptune stage, ingeniously keeping the signature dance sequences while fitting entire gangs into a limited space.

With every production, I stand in awe of the ways that set designers make Neptune appear to be three times as big. But for West Side Story, the biggest challenge is the choreography - and Jim White has pulled off a minor miracle.

To see what I mean, try to imagine the following piece (from the 1961 film version) in an area 33 feet across and 17 feet high. Granted, set designer Geofrey Dinwiddie stretched his options to include the side entry doors bracketing the stage. Climbable scaffolding becomes tennement fire escapes and gives Mr. White extra space to place his dancers.



Oh, how I love that piece. Obviously, my favorite from this favorite of all musicals.

It can be both a joy and a hinderance to watch a performance of something so beloved, because there are certain things you want to see. Settling into my seat at Neptune, I had no idea what to expect - but I should have known they would pull off the seemingly impossible.

The opening 10-minute-long dance Prologue unfolded seamlessly, and when those three Sharks stepped into that side battements my heart thrilled with joy.


Tony

Liam Tobin's effortless tenor soared through difficult songs like Maria while delivering the lyrics with the immediacy of dialogue. I definitely enjoyed his confident performance, considering he's only beginning his musical theatre career.





Maria

Anwyn Musico handled equally challenging vocals with her fearless soprano. I can't tell you what a joy it was to hear these two sing their duets.







Bernardo

Stephenos Christou led that glorious Sharks moment for which I was waiting, as the leader of the Puerto Rican gang. His charismatic turn along with show standout Dayna Tietzen as Bernardo's girlfriend Anita might have overshadowed the youthful leads if they hadn't hit those notes with such bullseyes.





Anita

Dayna Tietzen managed to shine brightest among this large cast of solid performers. Her dancing burned brightly with exceptional technique, while her lovely alto caressed and her portrayal of Anita reached out to connect deeply with her audience.





Riff

Galen Johnson's voice was not in the same league as the other two parts of his triple threat, which were exceptional. I definitely enjoyed his nuanced performance as a gang leader struggling to keep the lid on the more excitable members of his crew.







Chino

Finally, Dani Jazzar, another third of that special Sharks moment, was a big favorite of mine as Bernardo's lieutenant and Maria's unrequited love. He prowled with fury, giving membership in a gang authenticity, while tugging my heartstrings when he realized Maria was lost to him.


West Side Story runs through May 29th at Neptune Theatre in Halifax.

A few more Jerome Robbins moments on J Day -

I once had the pinch-me-is-this-real moment of watching Jerome Robbins walk past me when I worked at a performing arts theatre in Toronto. His piece The Concert was premiering with The National Ballet of Canada, and he was at our theatre for the event.

I couldn't believe that the legend himself was walking along the aisle right in front of me.

CLICK HERE to listen to Peter Martins speak about how Jerome Robbins' West Side Story literally changed his life - inspiring him to emigrate to the US.













Finally, here's a brief interview of Mr. Robbins as he talks about Fancy Free, where you can see his fondness for using three males dancing in unison to represent a larger culture.

Through the Opera Glasses - 73 - The Beauty Queen of Leenane

Taking a break from an incredibly busy month, after putting in some over time at the office last Wednesday I headed across town to catch the evening performance of The Beauty Queen of Leenane at Neptune Theatre.











Because this is Halifax, my cross-town jaunt was a twenty-minute walk, which brought me past the open-air concert by The Stanfields at the Parade Grounds.












Part of the Canada Games mega event which has been taking place here in Halifax since Feb. 11th, and which concluded on the 27th, the open-air concert series has pulled in some big names from the East Coast music scene, including:

Great Big Sea
Joel Plaskett
Sloan
Hawksley Workman
Grand Derangement
Buck 65
Matt Mays
Rawlins Cross





But I had a theatre seat waiting for me over on Argyle Street. Leaving the happy revellers behind, I made my way to the theatre and settled in for a Fargo-like black comedy set in the West of Ireland.













The audience I was a part of laughed uproariously even while gasping in shock at some of the things the characters said to one another. There's a warning in the program about strong language and adult situations, and there are plenty of both.











Photo courtesy of Sean Mulcahy

As with the best sorts of stories, the very particular nature of the setting - a simple cottage in an economically depressed though visually breathtaking part of Ireland - in fact serves to deliver a universal experience.


Laura de Carteret plays 40-year-old Maureen, forced by a process of elimination to care for her aging mother, as her two sisters have flatly refused to do so. As we get to know her mother, it's not hard to imagine why Maureen's sisters fled, though why Maureen stayed to act as primary caregiver is a riddle.


Mary-Colin Chisholm plays Mag, whose fussy demands for the Ensure-like supplement called Complan, for tea, for porridge, for soup, stand in for several decades of leeching all spirit away from her daughter.

Many women in the audience laughed with recognition at the manipulative phrases used by Mag, as no doubt many people in the audience - like myself - have cared for an elderly family member at some point or another.

Even caring for my gram, who was in no way a difficult personality, could get trying at times when the old person wants her toast a certain way, her television program on at a certain time, and is too frail to do it for herself.

But in this relationship between Maureen and Mag, there is none of the laughter and love that made it all worthwhile for my mom and me as we cared for Gram together. These two women may as well be shackled in irons, their cozy cottage a prison where everyday items take on new and diabolical uses.


A highlight of the evening for me was Ryan Bondy's performance as Ray, younger brother of Maureen's potential love interest. As with the seemingly innocuous household items that become clues, that reveal themselves to be accomplices and mirrors to the truth, Ray begins the play as an apparent go-between but ends the play as a bigger figure than even he suspects.



Providing a welcome breath of hope to Maureen, Hugh Thompson's Pato shakes the women from their ritualized half-life when he returns to Leenane from a job in England. His no-frills working man takes us by surprise when he turns out to have more heart and vulnerability than anyone in this multilayered story.



My hat goes off to Sean Mulcahy for his design of the women's cottage. He very kindly provided the photo of the set, shown above.

I was attracted to it from the first moment the painted scrim with its scene of a soggy Irish road raised to reveal the well-worn interior. What I didn't realize was how integral to the story each ordinary kitchen piece would become: the sink, the cooking stove, the cast iron heating stove, the radio, the rocking chair. Not since Robert LePage's staging of Bluebeard's Castle and Erwartung for the Canadian Opera Company have I seen a set that was such an active ingredient of the whole production.

If you are in the Halifax area, the play runs until March 20th.

Thursday Thirteen - 195 - 13 Theatres Where I've Enjoyed Plays or Dance Performances

1 - Prince Andrew High School Auditorium - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Where my stage bug hit and my love affair with theatres began. Performed in plays including Charley's Aunt and musicals including Oklahoma!















2 - Rebecca Cohn Auditorium - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Saw both the National Ballet of Canada and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet companies here on tour when I was a girl.








3 - Neptune Theatre - Halifax

First felt the emotional electric charge between the audience and the performers when I was a girl, in the audience for Gypsy.










4 - Pond Playhouse, Theatre Arts Guild - Halifax

Performed in community theatre out at this small performance space, as well as assistant stage managed and assistant directed productions including The Children's Hour.












5 - O'Keefe Centre / Hummingbird Centre (now Sony Centre) - Toronto, Ontario

Worked as front of house staff for eight years here, enjoying 24 seasons of both the National Ballet of Canada and the Canadian Opera Company, including personal favorites such as Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake and Giselle; and Tosca, Carmen and Bluebeard's Castle/Erwartung. And don't forget about the touring companies with stellar productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar.










6 - Pantages Theatre (now Canon Theatre) - Toronto

I saw the first run cast of The Phantom of the Opera here. Shivery goodness.















7 - North York Performing Arts Centre (now Toronto Centre for the Arts) - Toronto

I was very lucky to see Showboat, Sunset Boulevard and Ragtime here.












8 - The Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto

Brad and I saw the Gershwin musical Crazy for You here on our anniversary.











9 - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto

I saw my favorite play of all here, The Importance of Being Ernest.















10 - Young Peoples Theatre (now Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People) - Toronto

I saw Road to Avonlea's Gus Pike - otherwise known as Michael Mahonen - in Salt Water Moon here.










11 - Bathurst Street Theatre - Toronto

My husband and I saw a two-man comedy show featuring Mike Myers here.









12 - Sir James Dunn Theatre - Halifax

Once I'd moved back to Halifax, I was beyond thrilled to catch a ballet performance by Rex Harrington and Evelyn Hart here with my mom and sister.















13 - Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto

On trips back to Toronto, I've sighed with bliss to watch the National Ballet of Canada's Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker in this glorious-acoustics space.

Through the Opera Glasses - 70 - Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit at Neptune Theatre

What do I spy through my opera glasses this week?

A sparkling comedy by Noel Coward, now playing at Neptune Theatre in Halifax and running from January 18th to February 13th.














Neptune is located at the corner of Argyle and Sackville streets. Bringing professional theatre productions to Halifax audiences since 1963, with a history of previous live performances including vaudeville in the same location since 1915, Neptune is a Maritime jewel and a cultural landmark for which any East Coast arts lover holds great affection.
















Observe my contented visage as my husband and I made our way into the lobby. I'd picked up our tickets on my lunch hour, which gave us time to meet up after work for dinner before popping into a favorite haunt and then take in the show. As I've mentioned previously here at A Piece of My Mind, those are the ingredients of a perfect day:

- anticipation of a live performance
- dinner
- the show
- some wandering about the city for an added element of perfection

Both my husband Brad and I really enjoyed the play. Our current Supernatural obsession makes Blithe Spirit the perfect play to break up our daily doses of Dean and Sam Winchester.

The story in a nutshell: to research psychic mediums for his next novel, writer Charles Condomine invites Madame Arcati to his home for a seance. However, the medium successfully pulls the spirit of Charles' first wife Elvira back from the Other Side, leading to a territorial showdown between the past and present Mrs. Condomines.

Brad, being a graduate of Toronto's New School of Drama, enjoyed a taste of live theatre for a change from his regular cinephile screenings. He laughed out loud several times (he's not overly-prone to such giggling,) mentioning afterwards that the performances were all strong ones.

As for me, I already knew I would enjoy Blithe Spirit, having seen a production once before. Noel Coward's play is filled with enough wit to be entertaining even as a script-read-through, no sets/costumes/performances necessary.

But the joy of the theatre is settling into my seat to be transported into the story, and words alone don't make the theatre experience.

I'm always impressed by the set designers for Neptune productions - they work with a small stage and never fail to make it seem four times as big. Geofrey Dinwiddie has created an English country manor house that seems cozy enough for the romantic farce elements, and spooky enough for the ghost story to come with its Gothic arches hanging from the proscenium.

Mr. Dinwiddie must have had a great time rigging the set for its displays of otherworldly presences - a smashing good time, I dare say.

Check out the marvelous costume designs by Patrick Clark, showcased by blogging team Haute Halifax:

Spirited theatre fashion

I especially loved Elvira-the-Blithe-Spirit's frothy white Carole Lombard gown.

Here is the merest of tastes of the delightful wit of Mr. Coward:


Ivan Sherry as Charles Condamine

Ruth: You must promise not to catch my eye. If I giggle - and I'm very likely to - it will ruin everything.

Charles: You mustn't. You must be dead serious and if possible a little intense. We can't hurt the old girl's feelings, however funny she is.

Ruth: But why the Bradmans, darling? He's as sceptical as we are. He'll probably say the most dreadful things.

Charles: I've warned him. There must be more than three people and we couldn't have the Vicar and his wife because (a) they're dreary, and (b) they probably wouldn't have approved at all.


Martha Irving as Ruth Condomine









Margot Dionne as Madame Arcati

Madame Arcati: Fortunately an Elemental at this time of the year is unlikely.

Ruth: What do Elementals do?

Madame Arcati: Oh my dear, one can never tell. They're dreadfully unpredictable. Usually they take the form of a very cold wind.

Mrs. Bradman: I don't think I should like that.

Madame Arcati: Occasionally reaching almost hurricane velocity.

Ruth: You don't think it would be a good idea to take the more breakable ornaments off the mantlepiece before we start?


Marla McLean as Elvira Condomine,
the Blithe Spirit herself










There are still several weeks left of the Halifax run. Take a break from your normal everyday and treat yourself to a slice of my favorite taste of life: an audience settling in, the lights dimming, the first footsteps as the actors step onstage...

Thursday Thirteen - 193 - 13 Bits of Randomness For a Snowy Day

We're in the midst of a massive snowstorm, which was preceded by my Julia's Migraine Weather Network forecast of 'Beware'. My migraines are triggered by low pressure systems, and two of them are colliding over Nova Scotia as I type. I began to feel the system's arrival on Monday. By Wednesday - Snow Day - I really felt crappy. But a year-and-a-half into acupuncture treatment for migraines, and I was able to make it into work, when previously I would not have been able to get out the door.

The Ordeal home from work only added to the misery. An hour's commute became a two-and-a-half hour odyssey, including trudging home for about forty minutes through the pelting snow from the last bus terminal on the route because the bus couldn't make it past the icy intersection onto the road.

Since the storm ate into my blogging time, here are thirteen bits of randomness for your winter reading:

1 - One never knows where blogging will take you. I was approached this week by the local professional theatre to preview their winter season play because the marketing department googled Halifax arts bloggers and found me.

Sweet.

2 - I have had the pleasure of meeting three blog friends in Real Life - Wiley Kinson, Leah Braemel and Apprentice Writer - and hope to add to that number this summer when I go to the writer's conference in New York.

3 - Sixteen years after graduating from film school, I'm looking forward to working on a short project at long last. I did work on several other gigs over the years, including my very first paid writing job for a TV documentary, but this will be the first time I'll be doing something of my own again in years.

Yeah, baby.

4 - I'm preparing to launch a web site this year. Graphics already being designed as you read this. I had to use it as a carrot during NaNoWriMo.

It worked.

5 - Eight years ago, I joined my local chapter of Romance Writers of America. I already had my film degree and felt I was a strong writer.

However, it has taken all of these eight years to really refine my craft and learn how to write a novel as opposed to a screenplay.

6 - During this eight-year period, I battled chronic pain issues from an injury and from recurring, debilitating migraines. I still managed to write, and even started this blog four years ago, keeping up a regular posting schedule.

Since beginning acupuncture treatment a year-and-a-half ago, my pain issues resolved themselves enough to allow me to complete the revisions that kept me from finishing a challenging manuscript. Sometimes roadblocks are sneaky. Sometimes they're not creative or motivational. They may seem unrelated, but some roadblocks may be physical problems, financial problems or social obligation problems that are not the obvious source of one's frustration.

If you can identify them, however, you can tackle them just like any other creative block.

7 - Why friends are so awesome:

Here in Halifax we have a small dance community, but not one big enough to place a book like Apollo's Angels on the fly-off-the-bookstore-shelves list. But when I caught up with my friend Alan in Toronto, he mentioned it right away, as he knew it was quite obviously written with me specifically in mind.

It's a comprehensive cultural history of ballet, written by a former dancer and historian, and it made the 10 Best Books of 2010 list by the New York Times Book Review.

When I went with my bookstore gift card money to the World's Biggest Bookstore in Toronto to get it, the clerk in the Performing Arts section said they couldn't keep it in the store. He immediately called over to the Eaton Centre Indigo Books store and had them put one on hold for me, telling them, "She'll be there in ten minutes." Holy mackerel! I raced over to grab my copy before it dashed out onto Yonge Street in someone else's bag.

Thanks, Alan, for knowing I couldn't live another day without it.

Thanks, Toronto, for being the kind of city where Apollo's Angels can create this kind of emergency.

8 - When I was at the matinee performance of The Nutcracker during my vacation, a little girl a few rows behind me sang along when the children's chorus began during the snow scene at the end of act one. Not only did it not bother me, it delighted me that she could sing the entire thing perfectly.

9 - I received a lovely bottle of Glenlivet single malt whisky from my brother-and sister-in-law for Christmas, and made the error of not packing it in my checked luggage for the flight home. I'd had visions of crushed bottles from tossed suitcases. Silly me.

As my husband and I wound our way through the security lines, we realized there were too many millilitres of liquid for it to make it through as carry on. I told the security woman when I got to her: "I've got whisky in here."

She very seriously told me to check that piece of carry on as luggage, as if the very thought of having to toss out single malt would make her seek professional therapy. I loved her reverence for my Glenlivet. Highly appreciated, anonymous security person!

10 - I'm quite certain there was not enough shortbread in my Christmas this year. I think I got some at my writers' potluck at the end of November.

11 - Someone who saw the pictures I took of my sister's wedding thought they'd been taken by the professional photographer.

Awesome.

12 - Meanwhile, my friend Marianne - who takes fantastic photos - checked out my camera while we had lunch together and promptly told me to read my user's manual, as I clearly know nothing about my own piece of equipment.

LOL! Because it's true.

13 - I met with writer friends Chris and Charlene for lunch while in Toronto, and the two of them (and I believe a few other friends of theirs) always declare each year to be the Year of Something.

This year is the Year of Re-Invention.

I told them I would be participating fully in that year. Here's a few thoughts on re-invention from Carla Rieger, a motivational speaker:

"I was discovering a new purpose that wanted to be born into my life.

What took so long for me to get through this process was that I didn’t want to let go of the old identity because it was familiar, I knew how to make it work and I was attached to the social approval I received for this kind of work, not to mention the income and sense of security that provided. Yet, trying to hold on was actually creating more problems in my life.

When I finally let go of my old identity and let myself go into the dark and the unknown I started to discover amazing things, parts of myself that wanted expression. The truth was that I didn’t need to change what I was doing but how I was doing it.

It takes courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful for you. There is actually more security in taking an adventure into the new, because in movement there is life and vitality again."

An Afternoon at the Theatre

Mom had to get a doctor's appointment taken care of this morning, and I got Gram all settled for the day as I do most weekends, to give Mom a break from all the eye drops, puffers, nitro patch, tea and toast.

Soon Gram was all set for the day in her rocking chair, TV turned to PBS to watch the cooks, her wireless headphones on so she can hear without making us all deaf. Oh, how we love those headphones!

Mom got back from her appointment, I took my dog for a walk, then we set off for an afternoon at the theatre. My husband was home with one ear out for anything Gram might need. I drove us down to the ferry, which we took across the harbour to Halifax. It was another beautiful day. We walked up from the ferry to Neptune Theatre, Halifax's professional live theatre venue. At only 479 seats, it's small and intimate.

We met up with my sister and her boyfriend, plus two of his sisters, their spouses and children. My cousin's husband and their daughter were also there. Settling into our seats, it never crossed my mind to regret not being outside on this gorgeous sunny day. When the houselights go down and the orchestra or band starts up, the rush of joy that goes through me is one of my favorite things about being alive.

We saw "Beauty and the Beast", a scaled-down version of the Broadway/Disney adaptation. Because of the small size of the theatre, there is only room for three dancing couples, whereas I assume the Broadway version might have eight or ten. The set manages to give a sense of spectacle while not overpowering the physical space.

Standout performances belonged to Julie Martell as Belle, whose voice was wonderful; Rejean Cournoyer as Gaston, who really lit up the stage and had a marvellous booming dramatic baritone, as well as great comic timing; and Tory Doctor as Lumiere, very charismatic, great body language and wonderful comic acting. His throw-away of "Let me give you a candle with that" (his hands were candles that he could light from inside the costume) was priceless.

For eight years I was insanely lucky to work as an usher at the Hummingbird Centre in Toronto, and I miss the feeling of being inside the house during a show. Whenever I get a chance like today to enjoy that wonderful charge of energy, I'm there! That theatre is very large - 3200 seats. Too large, in many ways. So I'm used to seeing productions stretched over the large scale of that venue. The creative solutions the different teams have come up with for the shows I've seen at Neptune really impress me.

After the show, my sister and her boyfriend drove us over the bridge to Mom's car, and Mom and I headed home. A beautiful day, a wonderful show, lots of rose imagery in the set design. Very happy today!